Recent news have been filled with retrenchments, retrenchments and more retrenchments.
It’s quite disturbing to read how companies have heartlessly ‘axed’ their employees who they deem as excessive expenditure in order to ride through the slowdown.
Judging from the recent comments by NTUC’s Labour Chief, Mr Lim Swee Say who conveniently also happens to be a Minister for the Prime Minister’s Office, it’s clear that we should expect no one to owe us a job or pay check; not even from our government.
I’m not sure about you, but seeing of these unfolding each day has triggered me to seriously think about my career path
Everything increases except our pay
It is not uncommon for us to bemoan how daily expenses for our standard living have rocketed, but the truth cannot be said of our monthly income.
From a globalised marketplace standpoint where Singapore is competing with low-cost labour countries like India and China (without even mentioning our regional neighbours), I think the harsh truth is that by increasing our income level any higher would erode Singapore’s competitive prowess and business appeal.
This is the reality that we’ll need to firstly come to terms and accept. We need to renounce the ‘crutch mentality’ and make best out of what we have.
If we really do have any sort of increment regardless of the economic situation, we should learn to be more grateful.
Nonetheless, salaries do differ exponentially across the gamut of industries available and the type of job we are in. So this might not apply to you if you are in a niche industry like the Oil & Gas or Civil Service working as a Minister.
The way out is…
After managing your expectations with our reality and you find that you are a person that is easily satisfied with whatever you have and have no qualms in having others determining your worth and job security, then you can choose not to take any action.
However, if you desire to earn more and do not want a ‘glass ceiling’ to your income level, then some practical actions might need to be taken in order to get to that ideal position.
From my opinion, I think there two routes we can consider in ‘escaping’ from the system. One of it is to start our own business and the other is to switch to politics and join PAP sales where much of our salary is dependent on sales commission.
I think both these routes are career paths that reward us fairly according ly to our efforts invested and performance delivered.
Maybe some of us can take the opportunity of the approaching year-end by taking a ‘stock check’ to re-evaluate our careers.
We can seize the opportunities that are there for the taking in this situation by planning ahead how we can take our career to the next level in the coming New Year.
Andrew: Inside & Insights 
Andrew,
How about spending less & saving more instead?
A job in sales can be rewarding & stressful at same time.
Imagine you have to hit a quota of S$1M every month,
even during recession???
In five minutes, his life changed
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,186440,00.html
No job for 6 months? It’s OK
http://business.asiaone.com/Business/News/My%2BMoney/Story/A1Story20081210-106660.html
joe:
No money how to save sia…??? Ha ha
Andrew:
Cannot be lah. Since you are working, got regular income every month right? Unless you spend every cent you earn???
—
And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. Ecc4
joe:
I’m not referring to myself lar… Just a candid and general statement.
Honesty is the best policy.
joe:
Duhz…?
Anyway, wishing you and your family a relaxed christmas and a happy new year ahead 🙂
Andrew:
Nevermind. thks, though we dun celebrate xmas anymore.
Anyway, happy Holiday season to you & your family!
Gal 4:10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!
—
Christmas: The Curious Origins of a Popular Holiday
What do evergreen trees, reindeer, mistletoe and yule logs have to do with the birth of Jesus Christ? And was He really born on Dec. 25? You need to discover the real history of Christmas!
Yet, curiously, the Bible records nothing about the apostles or early Church observing Christmas. History shows that it wasn’t celebrated until hundreds of years after Jesus Christ lived on earth, and long after the apostles had passed from the scene.
Even more curious are the surprising circumstances under which Christmas came to be observed, and the many aspects of today’s Christmas celebrations—including the date, Dec. 25—that have nothing to do with Jesus’ birth, but do have a lot to do with ancient pre-Christian religions.
http://www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn55/christmas.htm
joe:
Just curious, do you celebrate birthdays? Cos that seems not to be recorded in the bible too.
Andrew,
Why do we do what we do? Follow the crowd? or follow Jesus?
Birthdays are not important to me at all. Is birthday v impt to you?
Why be nice & special only 1 day out of 365 days? Why not everyday?
Each day we live, we live for Christ, not for self, right?
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
joe:
I hope you don’t mind me saying that I think you taking things a tat to the extreme. Its treading towards legalism; attempting good works for salvation.
Yes we live for Christ and not self. But denying self is not like resorting to ‘self-mutilation’. There is nothing you can do or cannot do enough to stop Him from loving us.
We can never gain His full approval from works; but only by walking humbly with Him and to love our neighbours.
Christ came to set us free from the law and gave us His grace and truth that we may experience true joy, peace and love.
From the law, there can never be true joy, peace and love. We will be in constant cynicism towards people and bind by a religious spirit like the Pharisees that blinds us from the truth like ho they could not acknowledged Jesus.
Jesus came to resurrect our lives, not just the spiritual but the physical. That’s why He appeared in form not just in spirit.
Everything that we have in our physical world needs to be redeemed just as souls. He loved the WORLD so much that He sent His Son. John 3:16
He created this world and life for us to enjoy, but enjoying it with Him and not self-gratifyingly.
Jesus became a stench, an outcast, poor, bounded etc… in order that we might be the opposite- free, dearly loved, healed, rich and whole as He promised in John 10:10.
So as Christians, are we accurately portraying that life as God intended or displaying another kind of life which we think is what God intended?
I think we need the Holy Spirit who gives life without limit have control over our lives to guide us into all truth.
Andrew,
Sad to say, Xmas & birthdays & worldly stuff & approval are very important to you now, but they meant nothing to JESUS or his followers.
Hbr 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Lord JESUS didnt promised us earthly riches, but reminded us to store our treasures in heaven Mat19.21 & not to worry about what we eat,drink or wear Mat6.25-34.
Would JESUS ask u to accept worldly riches which HE rejected himself? Even now, the devil is still trying the same old methods as 2 thousand years ago. Are you falling for it?
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.Mat 4:8-10
Do you choose to believe Jesus Word that ONLY in the New Heaven there will be no more tears, death, mourning, crying or pain?
OR
do you believe men (the gnostics) that it will happen in this fallen earth before JESUS returns?
It’s really up to you whether you believe in JESUS or not.
P.s. i think i have said enough, you will understand in June, says the Lord.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Rev 21:3-4
—-
Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns — November 10, 2008:
In the same way that impurities rise to the surface when gold is being refined, so I am doing with you, says the Lord. There is a refining process going on that will process your heart so that attitudes and motivations of your flesh will surface so that you can see and recognize these impurities and skim them off by way of repentance. I tell you honestly that you cannot move forward in kingdom purpose until you deal with what holds you back. Be done with unforgiveness, bitterness, condemnation, unrighteous judgments, contentions, jealousy, and selfish ambitions. In so doing you will arise to new heights spiritually. Come up higher, says your God.
Revelation 3:17 “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ — and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked–I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
I think economy will not be that bad, it is a correction. God may have shut a window, because He was open the door. God is alway the God of abundance. If you can see, the gold being dig out is not even 30%, as the 70% or more are buried on the ground under water. If you are doing a business right now. In good time, you will faced a lot of competition. In bad time, you will faced the problem of lack of business. If you can do business in a certain way, something different, something innovative, you grow more in your business in such a time. If not, it is time to reflect now. People may say, waiting right time – they are actually waiting for the problem to be solve. One of the sad thing is only the problem-solver be rich and successful, be it Joseph or King David. 😛
william:
I don’t fully agree with you. From my unique position in the marketplace, everyday we hear the bad news of how banks are tightening up on their loans and low orders. That is not inclusive of rising cost of business.
The economy is bad. But in Singapore, the full extent has not hit yet. We are just awaiting helplessly for the financial tsunami to crash on us.
Its chaotic on the business landscape cos we know its coming (when we slipped into recession in October)our way but you dunno how or when. That’s why people are panicking and retrenching to prepare what they think is the worst global financial crisis today.
But as you said, “God is always the God of Abundance.” We need to look to Him and place our security in Him and not the economy.
Ultimately He provides and not the economy. He’s the source and creator. I believe this is a fundamental lesson all of us are beginning to learn from this crisis.
Well, It is written:
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilense that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
Psalm 91:5-8