Lunch with my intern

Today I bought a farewell lunch for my intern who was attached to my Branch for the past 8 weeks. She has been a great help and her presence made my Branch more lively and fun (because we kept making fun of her...so 'lame' Jimmy!). As her 'Boss', I thought it was my duty to share with her some parting advice before she moves on to complete her University study in four months time. I hope my parting advice will help her to transit to her work life (and life in general) smoothly.

These were my 3 key messages for her to reflect on as she faces the 'real' world...

Tip #1: Know and master yourself first. 

You need to know and master yourself before you can effectively work and lead others (or master anything else in life). Make effort to know your talents, your gifts and your strengths. Master your emotions and not let them master you. Be clear with who you are, where you want to go and why you are going there. Everything starts from yourself and it is always wise to work inside out.

“Those who know others are intelligent;

Those who know themselves have insight.

Those who master others have force;

Those who master themselves have strength.”

Tip #2: Set clear and specific goals and make effort to work towards achieving them. 

You need to begin with the end in mind and take proactive steps to make things happen. Nothing will happen by chance and everything needs to be orchestrated. Life will not act on you, you need to proactively act on life!

Tip #3: Have an infectious and positive attitude. 

Aptitude will get you started, attitude will help you to get far. Attitude matters. Your attitude determines your altitude in life. Our world view and our personal attitudes form a lens that shapes and colours how we see the people and things we encounter in our lives. By maintaining a positive mental attitude you will feel good, energetic, happy and able and willing to take action to pursue what you want to attain and achieve (your goals). They also make your life happier and easier, make you more likeable and improve your relationships. 

I wish my intern well and I hope I will hear some of her stories and adventures the next time we meet. All the best LLS. :)

Pic: The very unhealthy lunch we had. But yummy :)