In the beginning of this crazy project, many of you might be thinking this is another stunt or unrealistic project of mine. Many friends and family members started asking me questions like 'Are you sure?????' and 'Are you crazy??????'
I remember vividly the first time I circumnavigate the world on container ship APL AMAZONITE with Neptune Shipmanagement Services Pte Ltd (NSSPL) Singapore. The day was special because it falls on my lunar calender 21st birthday! and we just arrived Manzanillo, the port of Panama Canal on the Caribbean side. Yes, I was having a beer in my hand and sitting in a run down bar in Manzanillo, Panama with salsa dance floor. Who said sailing was dull?
All the crew of good vessel APL AMAZONITE were happy and excited as we had long journey from Japan before we crossed the Panama Canal locks. Everyone were tired but the our good Master, Capt Deli from Singapore managed to knock on the bar door and pursue mamasan to open the door for us at 3pm in the hot Caribbean afternoon.
Having said this, the world is not that big after all! Thereafter, I've made 2 trips round the world and calling almost all possible container ports from Europe, USA, Middle East, Asia and China!
Fast forward 11 years, time passes fast as I moved my way up the ranks in merchant navy and eventually being promoted as Master in the ever challenging offshore environment. Again, being promoted as Master onboard a Dynamic Positioning construction vessel at the age of 28years (and being Asian) was again being criticized as 'unrealistic' and 'crazy'. The obvious question is 'Is he 'Old' enough to be 'Old Man'? Traditionally, merchant navy Master are in their senior citizen age before they are promoted and therefore the term 'Old Man' are use to refer to Ship's Master.
Lady luck is on my side as I have full support from my management in Singapore and again, I have proven all the criticizes wrong. Having been trained in a hash offshore environment from West Africa to Down Under Australia and the benefits of protege under a few senior British, Norwegian, Australian, New Zealander, Russian, Filipino, Montenegro and Singaporean Master, I have learned a few tricks and survived well as Master myself.
Then comes the darkest moment in my life till date, the negative impact of all successful person. I got carried away with my early accomplishment in life and I started to take things for granted. I became a person who I am not and began to hurt the people around me. I am lost.
Within a very short period of time, I have lost everything a man can asked for in his life. Family, career, finance and love are the most important to me and I have lost it all. There is no one to blame but myself because I was travelling fast in the journey of life without obeying to the rules of life, which is always stop and turn back to appreciate how far we came from nothing.
Life is like driving a car, you can always reach your destination if you drive fast enough. But in the process of the fast journey, you cannot enjoy the beautiful scenery of the highway otherwise would be a disaster. You eyes set on the road and nothing else. Omitting all the beauties in life and nature could offer... such as the colourful flowers. greenery mountains, the smiling people around you, the unique old pre war houses and many more.
There is no right or wrong in above situation, one person will prefer to reach his destination fast enough and call it a day. Another person will prefer to take his time along the journey understanding that the destination is never a destination but merely a check point in life. Success is never a destination but a 'Journey'... and beautiful journey with different check points as we progressed in life.
What have happened in the year 2009 till 2010 taught me a very important lesson in life, the highest level of achievement of a person is to able to 'Let Go' of all the things he/ she owned.
Do you ever asked yourself 'What is my next level of achievement?' Engineer? Supervisor? Manager? CEO? Director? Owner???? and then??? the most obvious answer would be Retire!
Being a Master of a vessel at age 28years old, I always asked myself the same question. I do this because I knew that there is nothing else after CAPTAIN on the ship. There won't be SENIOR CAPTAIN or SUPER CAPTAIN or CEO CAPTAIN.
During the journey of sailing, I picked up a very unusual hobby in my life... No it is not womanizing (which many of you know that I love women with long hair and dark skin) but Reading. Yes, reading! the first book I bought for myself back in 2005 was from Walmart USA. The title of the book was 'The Success Principle' by Jack Canfield. It was a hard copy edition and eventually I re read the books three times and the all the principles in the book hit me so hard in the head that I nearly lost conscious!
The only thing I remember from the book till today is 'The Different Between Now and 5 years depends on the Books You Read and Friends You Made'
Obviously I have no choice in choosing friends on board the ship and good man doesn't stay at sea. The choices of meeting 'quality and smart' men onboard is almost negligible. But I have control over another, which the books I choose to read. Till date, I have read more books and in my 11years schooling in Malaysia combined!
I remember back in Penang Free School days, people have high hopes on me as back then 'Penang Free School' is the best the country could offer. Sadly, I never do well in school and I never ever pass in my exam in any subject (including Moral Education!) throughout my time in school. Wait, I think I passed my English and History in form 5.
Can you imagine a boy who never ever pass his exam in Penang Free School managed to get Grade 1 with 2 A's for his SPM 1998 exam? This shows the vast differences in education standards between Penang Free School and the whole Malaysia! No doubt we are the last few remaining batches from a fine British education legacy. A school who produces Kings, Leaders, 'Lions' of Commonwealth Queen's Scholar and of course P. Ramlee, our country most beloved musician ever lived.
Back to the question of 'What is my next level of achievement?'... as I mention above, I came across a book which received free (some of you might say, where got free lunch in the world) and with a little donation to a friend of mine. I finally found the answer!
Life is like walking up a mountain, you will continue to climb to the height of your success and eventually when you reached the peak of the peak... what is next is to graciously climb back down to the valley. Do not attempt to jump the mountain cliff and that would be suicide! but sadly, that is what many people are doing in today fast pacing world. People tend to work and work till the highest steps in their career ladder, and 'jump off the cliff' in another words; they Die without knowing the purpose of their life.
Looking from another point of view, would it be better to able to walk down the mountain and share the beautiful scenery and the methods to climb up the mountain? so that other people will share the same happiness of reaching the mountain top as you? to do this, you need to know where is the 'mountain top' and the allowance time for you to descent downhill to enjoy the fruit of your effort. You need to know your limit and always appreciate for who you are and not who you will ought to be, because today is always the most beautiful day in life!
Life is about able to help others to climb the same mountain and enjoy the success in life. To do this, we need able to 'Let Go' and descent the hill back to where the commoners live.
This 'Let Go' includes sincere forgiveness to the people we hate and our enemy. We must able to let go all the grudges inside to able us carry on with more meaningful life. If you only have one life to live, why waste it on sadness and grudges?
Another example would be, let say when you are driving a car. When the car does not move after you push the accelerator, what do you do next? do you release the hand brake or push more on the accelerator? the answer is clear. Life is about releasing the 'hand brake' inside us that holding us back to enjoy are more meaningful life.
I am able pick up myself from my deadly fall because I was given a helping hand from the person I love the most in my life, she is no one other than my wife Suchin Koay. She has showed me the true meaning of courage and success.
The purpose of this trip is to help the many other children around the world to realized this purpose. Setting up of The Lighthouse Children's Home will be remembered as a home where all the Children will be given equal opportunity to realize their dreams. A Home that was made for them through a A Journey which deem Impossible... We Will Prove that Everything Is Possible for the Children the same as We Prove This 'Impossible' Journey a Reality- Capt Steven Foong 09th March 2011
In everything we do... There are no obscles, only challenges... there is always a way for everything if keep our spirit High!
