::“Do what you like, or do not do it at all.”
When you are doing a project that you have passion doing, you not only revel in doing the project, the enthusiasm and motivation you get in completing the project spills over to other areas of your life and make you more productive and happy as a whole.
This I discovered on 27th May 2006, the day I attended a YMCA workshop on project management and fund-raising. The day started with an exhausting, and stressful sprints training geared towards preparing for the upcoming national schools competition, in which we are fighting against incredible odds to retain our title. After training, my friends and I went to have lunch at a shopping center just a few blocks away from school. I headed to Singapore Polytechnic straight afterwards and reached there approximately 1hour before the afternoon course’s scheduled starting time of 1.30pm. The convention hall looked reasonably empty and there were no students in sight. Little did I know the workshop was held at YMCA in Orchard. That I found out from my mentor soon after.
A frantic rush against time landed me at YMCA just in time when the course was about to start. Even the small problem of my name being absent from the names of participants who have signed up for the workshop could not prevent me from experiencing my first YMCA workshop after missing out on the first two.
The course started with an animated, middle-aged Chinese lecturer, who desperately tried to liven up the atmosphere with a few dry jokes. The class consisting of fellow project leaders, mentors, and a Citibank representative was not too responsive. In the class, I found a classmate who was also attending this afternoon course. His project was mainly about painting and selling picture storybooks crafted by autistic children. Neither of us was talkative by nature and sat quietly in our seats while scrutinizing the lecturer with our little eyes.
The best part of the lecture apart from the strawberry cake at the refreshments was the talk by the past participant David Tao. Hmm…I seemed to have forgotten his name. Anyways, he was received the award for Most Fund raised in the year 2004 with his project, raising a total of over $20,000. He was dynamic and fluent in his speech and bar the distracting piece of script he occasionally referred to during his speech, he looked good too. Looking good always makes whatever you say more persuasive.
Although I enjoyed the talk very much, that did not inspire me a great deal either. What helped was probably the atmosphere at the sharing of each project’s project financial plans. We were told to draft a financial report according to the format taught at the workshop. Indeed, most obliged and included all their expected expenses and income. My friend and I were too indifferent too comply, although my friend eventually did draft a piece, which he kept in his bag instead of sharing with others.
A whole range of propositions came up. The wishful thinking of some was only bettered by the even more wishful thinking of another group. (One group thought they could raise $68,000 from organizing two carnivals.) Most of the reports were superficial and assumptive, none were really detailed nor specific, which is understandable at this stage of the competition. According to whoever his name, we should only start worrying if we still do not know all the details in three weeks time. You should have seen the shocked expressions on the faces of those award hopefuls sitting at the workshop. Apart from these entertainments, the workshop unfortunately did me little good.
What it did do was send me into a rapid brainstorming process while I was bored of all the talk. Instead of building my own sandcastle in the air, this time my mind started a rapid reorganization of ideas that put previously messy issues regarding the project all into its rightful place. Not only that, the brainstorm sparked new ideas and whilst ships around me run aground, its lighthouse beam has shone through the fog…if you will excuse the tortuous metaphor/pun (I copied it from a soccer news website).
Not only did I find a new name (yet again) for the project, now Beauty In My Life! I have found a coherent message and meaningful objective for the project that will fit well with our current code of action. Now on top of having a fund-raiser in June and a health fair in August, we have found meaning for what we are doing, a sound one at that.
The brainstorming jolted me into action and kept me thinking and jotting down ideas and reorganizing them for the next three hours. It practically lasted me longer than the can of Mocha Nescafe I drank before the workshop. That is the power of doing something you enjoy and finds meaning in. Edmund said energy was definite, and you cannot use more than what you have. I disagree, I say a dose of meaningful work will make energy infinite or at least appear so long enough that you do not feel it is definite.
After I scribbled the last bits of my notes, and entered some useful information into the computer, I managed to eat my dinner (which I have not been doing recently because I repeatedly fall dead asleep right before it is ready), and also accomplish a few pieces of homework. Rather impressive considering the amount of time I already spent on brainstorming for the project.
All in all, what I learned is that when one is doing what one likes, one is likely to enjoy endless energy and motivation in doing it. What it leads to are better ideas, more efficient work rate and a happier worker that feels good about himself and what he is doing. That is what makes a successful team, and a successful project.::

.:firestarter blogged on 7:31 PM:.
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