Have you ever felt so caught up with your work, family and kids that you lose sight of what you feel is really important in your life? Perhaps your motivation for working hard was to provide a comfortable life for your children but now you’ve lost focus and your career is now preventing you from spending time with the kids.
This is what Mr Christian Choo, executive director of Morning Star Community Services, hopes to address to with Prime Time, a series of initiatives to get Singaporeans to take stock of their lives, and to cherish 'the present moments, the people, the relationships, the values... all that matters most in life'.
Mr Choo shares with theAsianparent that “A friend of mine once told me that being in Singapore is like being in a train station in India. The crowd pushes you in one direction and everyone trying to move quickly but no one really knows where they’re going.” The non-profit organization’s first initiative is What Truly Matters, a people-driven movement, which aims to give people a platform to pause, reflect and give a 6 word answer to the question: 'What truly matters to me?'
Kick Starting the What Truly Matters Movement!
The Morning Star team launched their online portal just last month where anyone can contribute their 6 words and stories behind them. Besides the portal, the team also generated buzz through their launch at Plaza Singapura last week where passer-bys were invited to write down their 6 words and were treated to finger food and a photo of themselves as a souvenir.
What we felt was most exciting were the 'flash mobs' (where members of the public in a specific location will be approached to spontaneously pen their six words). The team ambushed patrons at a pub and revellers at a Halloween party who excitedly contributed their 6 words and posed for pictures!
Morning Star has also introduced a programme called Defining Moments, which will be conducted by a trained counselor in corporations and schools, and aims to help participants scan their lifestyles, explore priorities and develop options to help them achieve their goals in life.
Here are just a few of the many 6 words and stories from What Truly Matters:
“And I tell myself it’s Okay”
Homemaker Harisha Farina, 32, Married to a flight attendant and has two daughters, aged 8 and 10
Her Story: It’s okay to feel tired. It’s okay to be the one needing taking care of. It’s okay to get someone to babysit. It’s okay to let the laundry sit in that mountain for one more night. It’s okay to cry when it gets too much to handle. It’s okay to be just a mum, and not a super one at that.
“I’m a single parent most of the time since my husband’s work takes him away a lot, sometimes for 9 days at a stretch. Coping by myself can be a bit too much sometimes. Sometimes I feel sad but after some crying, I’m okay. Parenting for me is love, logic and a little craziness.”
“My mother and father are terrific”
Thierry Goh, 10, The only son of an inflight supervisor and a human resource executive
His Story: “My parents take very good care of me. They have taken me on many holidays; I've been to Hawaii, Japan and Malaysia. They always tell me bedtime stories. When I grow up, I want them to stay with me in my house and I want to make them really happy.”
"Well-behaved women rarely make history"
Beatrice Chia-Richmond, 36, Artistic director and actress
Her story: "Actually, I didn't come up with it. Marilyn Monroe did. I don't think it was a famous quote a la Mae West's 'Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?', but the six words sum up how I look at life. We only have a short time on Earth, so make every day count. Do something for mankind, do something that makes you a person of value. Often the things we do don't garner popular vote. It doesn't matter, unless you are standing for election. Playing to the gallery is usually the death knell to any artistic enterprise. Life is too short. It's too boring to be well-behaved all the time!"
How you can be a part of What Truly Matters
As the year is coming to an end, perhaps it would be timely to pause and reflect on what truly matters to you. Be a part of the movement by visiting https://www.primetime.sg/whattrulymatters/ to submit your 6 words and view the stories of others. Also, become a fan on the Prime Time Facebook page to receive the latest updates!
Photo Credits:The Straits Times