The Year In Quotes — Practical Advice, Inspiration, and Humour Part 2

As yet another year comes to an end, we’re looking back at all the different people that we’ve had the pleasure to meet. What we like best is that all these come from people we’ve met on the streets — every day people, not always high-ranking CEOs or industry veterans, but always with a unique perspective and their own points of view. No matter where you came from, we’d like to thank each of you for being so incredibly open in sharing about yourselves, and in turn, inspiring us and our readers. Here’s our round up of the year in words, the second in a seven-part series — quotes, stories, and quips from our Shentonistas this year that might not have made the final cut, but have definitely stuck with us throughout 2015.

“To me, the key is learning to recognize what is more important to you and making your choices based on that. Sometimes I ask myself, “Will this matter in the long run?” and the answer often emerges quite naturally.”
— Adib

“Challenges are inevitable, but there’s really too much social media pressure for women nowadays to excel at everything and be some kind of ever-Vogue-ready, multi-tasking, Wonder Woman. It’s unrealistic and not a recipe for happiness in life. I think women in general have a pre-disposition to guilt which hinders enjoyment (I mean, the phrase “working dad guilt” doesn’t exist right?). I really exist in the moment — when I am out for date night with the hubby, having play time with my son, having a catch up meal with my girlfriends, or deep in the midst of urgent project deliverables — so if you have my attention, you have it in full.”
— Jennifer

“It’s good to recognise that quality time outside of work is a good energy booster, but the honest truth is that you can never please everyone. It’s unfortunate, but some activities or relationships are bound to get de-prioritized once you have lesser time on your hands. What I have been picking up along the way is to be more selective and setting certain days of the week for the 3-4 people that really matter — e.g. family, best friends — and making that time count.”
— Clarity

“A big tip I’ve learnt is to leave empty time, and not try to schedule everything to be as productive as possible. Leave time for connection, the space for which can be planned, but not the actual occurrence. Leave buffer space for a shift in mindset from productive mode to connective mode.”
— Ren

“It’s always healthy to spend time alone. Sometimes we get too caught up with the things and people around us, so much so that we tend to lose ourselves as well. New technology and media have found ways to allow people to intrude into our lives every second. While I still find time to meet my friends, I try to maximize my me-time by minimizing online communications like Whatsapp and Twitter when I’m alone, so that I can focus on doing other things I love.”
— Daphne

“Sometimes it’s difficult to control company circumstances, with our own ambitions driving the workload. But we ourselves are responsible for this balance. My main rule is not to take work home for weekend, which is always for myself and my family. Vacations must be true vacations, without access to my corporate e-mail.”
— Oyuna

“My time is prioritised by my “must haves” – these are the activities that absolutely must happen. Everyone’s “must haves” are different so be honest with yourself. I have always worked full-time, and my children both had extracurricular activities which often meant we did not have one day a week without someone having to be somewhere. We still laugh about our timetable on the fridge door with its colour coding and symbols.”
— Helena