The question ‘Glass is half-full or half-empty?’ is often asked to challenge those who are considered pessimists. I must admit I was a pessimist growing up in Hong Kong. Even at the age of 12, I saw so much social injustice in this world. I wanted to be in a position where I would have the POWER to make changes! Over my life journey, I have grown to become an optimist. Some four decades later, I found ‘The Community Flower Studio’ (CFS) – a Not-for-Profit Social Enterprise to reach out to young people. The CFS vision is to ‘Help Youth Learn Life Skills and Find Meaningful Employment’.
Why do I choose to do this? When I lost 3 good friends (my contemporaries) to ill-health in 2019, I decided it was time to do something more ‘meaningful’! I was working part-time as a CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) for St Vincent de Paul Society’s COMPEER Program and a florist at a high-end Flower Shop. Why didn’t I combine these two part-time jobs into one full-time job? I am now mentoring young people to sell flowers to the public and redirect the net proceeds to run a mental well-being program. The CFS Creative Workshops by Young People for Young People have been well-received since its debut in March 2021.
In the most recent succulent terrarium workshop, I was able to bring back our pre-COVID-19 format to offer plenty of choices for participants. They could choose the shape of the terrariums – fishbowl, round hanging, or pear-shape. They could also pick their figurines from a huge collection. They could even select the succulent cuttings of various shapes and shades of green! The choices participants made will form the focus of our discussion in the section ‘Share Your Journey’. For example, the relatively larger fishbowl will be easier to decorate. The round vase has the advantage of being hung up high (e.g. on a tree branch in the garden). The Pear-shape vase is the cutest but also with the smallest opening. The choice totally belongs to our participants! There are ‘Pros’ & ‘Cons’ for your choice.
Friends and young CFS members often pick my brain when they are considering applying for new jobs! Perhaps I have made quite a few big changes in my career. Often, my No.1 advice is – jolt down the pros and cons of the old job and the new job. As objectively as possible, try giving a score to each item on your ‘list’. Some items may have higher loading than others depending on the importance of that item to you. Add up the scores to help you decide. Ultimately, you ‘own’ the choice (which may be subjective. The key is you’ve followed your HEART)!
In Dec 2021 the ‘new’ NSW Premier was keen for the business sector to bounce back after 2 years of COVID-19 public health restrictions. The catch phrase at the time was ‘It is a citizen’s personal responsibility to do the RIGHT thing’. E.g. wear a face mask when social distancing cannot be observed. Get your booster COVID-19 vaccine! I hope you have listened to the medical experts and make a wise choice.
https://videopress.com/embed/FrLpnQvu?cover=1&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=1&hd=1Bibi explained the various shapes of the succulent cuttings
I’d like to hear your stories of making life choices. Drop me a line to communityflowerstudio@yahoo.com I will publish them in the next issue’s ‘Subscriber’s Corner’.