“Roses and Thorns”

This is a very well timed topic.

We are busy all the time, day in and day out, we do not even have time to think about roses and thorns in our work and daily life. If we,  however,  pause for a moment, and think or reflect what we have done through  the entire  year,  it is very safe to say that we all have some roses and thorns.

As we are approaching to the end of the year,  it is now a good time to quickly go through what we have experienced this year, to find some ‘roses’ that would make us feel good, make us be proud of what we did, and give us courage to do more in the new year,  also it is important to find some ‘thorns’ that we may want to work on in the future.

People love roses, so do I. roses make us happy, make us satisfied, make our lives more meaningful , wonderful, and beautiful.

I thank you for sharing your roses and thorns.

When I do a fast scan on what I did this year, I just realize that I do have some roses and thorns,  and  I am  happy to share some of these with you today.

When I wake up in the morning, I look forward to work. It is a very good feeling to start the day this way. Every day is a new day, but the motivation to work remains unchanged, that is to serve the great city and its people.

The most beautiful ‘rose’ in my  work life is the work relationship, the relationship with  you, with our partners, and with staff. Good work relationship not only improves the productivity, enhances the quality of public services, but also makes me a better person.

There are 8 billion people in the world, and I am so fortunate to work with you, I believe that it is no coincidence  that we  come together  to work in the same department, Work is a part of our life, and to some degree, it is a small part of our life. One day when we retire, our work ends, but the relationship built with you all during my career will be there forever. So I really and truly  value and appreciate these relationships. Focusing on establishing and maintaining a good work relationship within the organization at all levels, even beyond business hours, is very rewarding.

Another ‘rose’ that come from work is public satisfaction. From time to time, I received very positive feedback from the residents we serve, sometime compliment letters from the  public , praising how well we provide services. These are the most beautiful moments in my work life.

One more ‘rose’ I have to mention is self satisfaction. During my 3 decades  government work experience, one thing that keeps me moving forward is self satisfaction when  contributing to the organization through creativity. Creativity provides us with endless opportunities to work better and better.

And of course, there are more ‘roses’ in my work life.

‘Roses’ are good, I wish our life both at work and personal levels are just ‘roses’, but that is not realistic, there are always some thorns no matter who you are, where you are.

One of my work ‘thorns’ is my incapability of switching mindset from work to life after business hours, which is not good for work like balance. I always tell other people not to think about work after their shift, but it is very hard for me to do so. This is something I will need to work on in the new year.

Thank you.