I have been meaning to blog about this for the longest time but I just have been really really really lazy.
So, Singaporeans are usually thought to be safe and conservative and not very willing to try out new things for fear of failure. I think that it very true of most people here who think that they will have much to lose should they decide to pursue something different or risky and fail.
I think the younger generation of today tend to have more risk-taking spirit with all sorts of new ideas, and of course some old ones. I have always been a little bothered by the loosely used term 'entrepreneur'. It seems that anyone who has enough money to import some random clothes from somewhere and manage to rent a shop space to sell them are considered to be 'entrepreneurs'. I have always thought that the term should be reserved for people who come up with new business ideas and put them into reality, not for any Tom, Dick or Harry who sets up a shop with a few friends, selling stuff that 100 other stores in the same location are selling.
Anyway, back from digressing, I think that I may have figured out part of the reason why Singaporeans are pretty afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone to do something different with possible huge returns. I had learnt this a long time ago when I was at a friend's place playing mahjong. Yes, playing mahjong does allow me to learn things about people.
So, this guy apparently was planning to do something big with his investments or something like that, I didn't catch the story and he didn't elaborate. While he was pretty excited about his potential positive investment, my other 2 friends were sort of trying to dissuade him out of it. The common reasons for not doing crazy things came up. Things like "You should think carefully in case you lose everything!", or like "Are you sure this is going to work?" I do like the guy's answers though. He replied with stuff like, "If I succeed, I am going to make it big." and "Even if I fail, I will at most declare bankrupt and after 5 years, I can start again."
I mean I understand his friends concerns over his decisions but its not very encouraging to have your friends being the wet blanket when the plan has not even taken motion. If someone else who tends to be swayed by friends' comments were to hear this, will he give up his dream and plans and take the safer route in life?
For now, I think I am not in much of a position to comment. I am still too contented with my life to really strike out somewhere and do something crazy in the eyes of others. Who knows, maybe one day I'll give up my stable job and income and take on some adventure. The question is what kind of adventure will be in store for me?
