Monday 5 May 2014

My Chance Encounter With Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Today is a special day. I saw Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the Minister of Finance for Singapore in the afternoon having his lunch. I have always been impressed by him and seeing him up close, so friendly to the people around him was doubly unforgettable. His presence really shook me up and made me more motivated to achieve much more in my life. Some people might say that I am dramatising affairs, but if you truly take some time to look through Mr Tharman's curriculum vitae, you will know that Mr Tharman is someone who is nothing short of extraordinary. I do not want to delve into politics for this blog, thus, I will just focus on why he was able to impress me so much, from his achievements aspect.

The most extraordinary and remarkable thing about Mr Tharman is that he belongs to the Group of 30, a private, non-profit international body comprised of very senior representatives of the public and private sectors and academia. This Group has members who are extremely influential and knowledgeable from many different countries, each standing at the epitome of their country's financial system. The group aims to deepen understanding of international economic and financial issues, to explore international repercussions of decisions taken in the public and private sectors, and to examine the choices available to market practitioners and policy makers (direct lift from source listed below).

I will not speak longer about how impressive Mr Tharman is lest someone think that this is a political blog. However, this chance encounter has given me the extra boost that I need to dash forward. I want to become someone that can make a positive impact on people's lives and the many stories that I hear and see around me all day are testaments to this possibility. If it is possible for an immigrant to become one of the most legendary investors in the world today, for school dropouts to become billionaires, there should be nothing to stop anyone from achieving their dreams. The true challenge is in one's mind and seems like its time I stop giving myself so much leeway in my own personal development cum career progress.

Sources:
http://www.group30.org/about.shtml

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