I find that there is a particular group of people in this world and rampantly so in Malaysia, who are what I call the BLAME IT people. These are people who always or more often than not put the blame on others for whatever reason whenever there is a crisis.

Let’s take the filing of your annual income tax, for example. My parents never taught me to file my taxes when I first started working in Malaysia. I never even knew what an income tax was. I was in my early twenties, just returned from London, my first job in KL earning RM1600 which got converted to RM1800 and then RM2200 within 3 months. With such a low salary, I didn’t have to pay income tax. I think it was my next job which saw me earning RM3000 and by the time I left within the year, I was making RM3500. My next job was RM6000 and the next RM12000. Up to getting RM6000, I NEVER FILED MY TAXES and that was my 4th year working in KL. Suddenly when I did RM12000, I was informed that I owed the Government money. What to do?? I had to hire an accountant to submit all the years worth of income tax forms that I’d missed. Honestly, I hadn’t a clue about anything. THAT BLUR!!! I just collected my wage at the end of every month and went shopping. Saved some for my car and apartment and saved some for the rainy day (which actually came!). That was a painful lesson of self ignorance.

At the time, I blamed it on my parents for not teaching me a thing but now, I adopt a very different attitude towards stuff like that. It is called taking responsibility for yourself and caring. Finding out things, knowing, asking, preventing disasters in every way possible…..

I know of a tycoon who has several secretaries who have been with him for many, many years yet he has a little notebook under his desk where he jots down the amount of every check he signs and where it is going. Then another who trusts his secretaries so blindly only to discover that they have caused him to owe half a million to income tax and have swindled him of another half a million. My take on that is if you allow yourself to be swindled, then you deserve to be swindled.

The employee culture in Malaysia adopts this kind of lackadaisical attitude towards work and getting things done. It seems that many employees are waiting for a free ticket and just do not comprehend the meaning of the word WORK! Discussing your car’s new tyres over a teh tarik, finding friends on facebook, sleeping under the table (I used to do that!) and going for plenty breaks (may it be toilet breaks, tea breaks, Medical Leave, Emergency Leave etc) is not work; only to make excuses for one’s lack of work later is totally criminal. But it seems most of Malaysians do it! How can we change this very Malaysian culture towards a more productive nation? It isn’t even about caring and taking responsibility for one’s organisation or one’s country but where is your dignity in taking responsibility for yourself?

Employers are just as at fault when they undervalue their staff and do nothing to motivate them. I mean, who wants to continue working well for you if you do not appreciate the good work that I do year after year? This gap can easily be bridged with employer and employee agreeing to set targets and achievements at the onset, clearly defined so that it is very apparent that once I achieve a set target, I will see my bonus. Or whatever is agreed upon. It could be extra days off, or a holiday. Get creative.

So when you walk into work tomorrow, can you do the best you can do regardless? Who cares if your colleague slacks off and you get dumped with all the work. Who cares if people bitch about you sleeping with the boss (as long as your conscience is clear!). Who cares if she told you she wanted light blue balloons and not blue blue. Well, you SHOULD care. You should be proactive enough to confirm the exact shade of light blue by showing her a sample and getting her to sign off on it so it is clear. It is so very clear that when you bring in navy blue balloons, she has a right to screw your head in. Do not blame her for not making it clear to you what exactly she meant by light blue. Bear in mind that different people are different and different people have different interpretations of light blue balloons. Never take anything for granted. Take responsibility for yourself and be proactive. Be the best that you can be. FOR YOURSELF. Does that make sense?

And this too applies to outside of the work realm.

Nuff said. Terima Kasih.

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Who is Mamapumpkin?
Mamapumpkin spent 7 years in London committing crimes to gain her Bartlett degree in Architecture. She then spent 7 years as a Stay At Home Mom raising her children as documented in this blog of over 15 years thereafter returning to the Corporate World stronger than ever as the Country Director of a British Multinational. She sets out to prove to all, that you can have anything and everything that you want; if you have that fire of desire burning within and the drive to work hard. Even better with much love.

Mamapumpkin has not only grown corporate businesses successfully in the past but has grown not one but TWO network marketing businesses in the notorious MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) industry, achieving success in under 2 years. She believes in the MLM business model but realises the DRASTIC PITFALLS and great stigma attached to it, understanding EXACTLY WHY the majority would shy away (or RUN for their lives) from ANY MLM business. But open your eyes and take time to understand it intellectually, remove your hang-ups, confirm your research, and you may just want to seize an opportunity. She did. And no, she never went about chasing people for sales. She had a sophisticated system work for her through technology and a smartphone.

She now impacts lives authentically with proven strategies amassed through the last decade of her own transformation offering online coaching programmes and always supports the underprivileged. She believes that we can all have a life of our own desires to enable real contribution into the world. But first, one needs to understand what this all means.

A beautiful life without limits.

If you wish to learn some tools to propel your life forward guaranteed, be brave enough to make contact as her life's purpose is to build people. She operates through a discovery call after which she will commit to helping you. Or not.

Most lose out on an opportunity because they are afraid they would be sold to, conned or whatever fear resides in their brain without even trying. And that's on them.

Mamapumpkin is a living testimony that women really can have a lot. Being financially and time free has enabled her to travel the world anytime, anywhere, doing anything, and she spends most of her days with her children, having fun, and supporting others wherever she can. Also having fun.