‘There are 3 types of people in this world, ' said my Japanese boss whenever I screwed up my work while working in Sony at Prai, Penang.
‘They are…'
1. People who make things happen.
2. People who let things happen.
3. People who wonder what happened.
‘Which type do you belong to?' he added.
I was dumbfounded.
He was telling me that, as a Manager, I must be in control of situations and not let situations control me.
‘You must not be like those people in Group 2 or 3.’ he said.
Years later, those words of wisdom rang true as I compare our own 3 types of people with this concept.
In Malaysia we also have 3 types of people.
They are the T20, M40, and B40 people.
T20 - Top 20%. Income Earners.
M40- Middle 40% Income Earners.
B40- Bottom- 40% Income Earners.
See the link below for details.
So, why is that?
Our government has categorized us into three different types of people based on household income level. The purpose is for the target intervention when it comes to providing financial aid for the rakyat.
Interestingly, it also co-relate to what my boss said.
Let's examine the relationship.
T20. High Income. Vis-à-vis ( People who make things happen.)
M40. Vis-à-vis. ( People who let things happen)
B40. Vis-à-vis ( People who wonder what happened)
Xxx
T20. People. ( Household Income: RM11.8k and above/ month)
These are the rich. Why?
Because they are the people who make things happen.
The T20 people are usually the Movers and Shakers, the innovators, and the entrepreneurs. They are mostly CEOs, bankers, and businessmen. They either invent new things, new ideas or new businesses. Examples are; AI, EV vehicles, new energy, etc. For artistes it may be new patents, songs, books, computer games.
They are talented, smart, tech-savvy, intelligent, well educated, knowledgeable, and well-connected. They are in the know of the latest developments in technology, science, and can grab new opportunities that come their way to build new wealth. They are the pioneers of new start-ups and businesses.
These are the ones who control the economy. The Capitalist. They dare take risks, invest well based on their talents, intelligence, calculated risk, and make bold ventures into the unknown. Once successful, they make huge profits and become famous and wealthy.
Examples of such people are:
Elon Musk of Tesla, Jensen Huang of Nvidia.
Their opinion shape global politics and move the stock market. The world needs such people; therefore, they deserve to be rewarded for their contributions to remain on top of the economic ladder. In Malaysia it's the same. Observe the rich and how they make their wealth.
They are the people who make things happen.
xxx
M40. People. ( Household Income: About RM5k to 12k per month)
These are the middle-income average people. Not too rich. Not too poor. Getting by..
They are the middle-income wage earners, middle-ranking civil servants, semi-professional, small SME businesses who are working in the various sectors of the economy.
They have basic degrees, skills and knowledge and are holding on to their jobs to feed their families, pay mortgages.
They live quite comfortably but after deducting expenses, there is not much savings left. No financial safety. When retirement comes or out of job, they may face financial problems. Although they are classified as middle-income, money can be tight sometimes.
They are quite intelligent and have skills and knowledge of their own profession or business, but they are not brave enough to take the next step. Not so enterprising as the T20.
Most are semi-professional wage earners who prefer not to take risks and are happy to be status quo.
They are the people who let things happen.
xxx
B40. ( Household Income less than RM5k a month)
These are the ordinary people - people of the street. They usually do not know what is happening in the world. No knowledge, low education, doing low end manual jobs daily.
There are 4 levels and if they are at the bottom two they may belong to the hardcore poor. ( Income not enough to feed family) Usually with a larger family to feed, a mortgage/ rental to pay, life is a constant struggle.
Most family members will have to work, some two jobs, to supplement the family income. The government will have to provide them with financial aid such as BUDI , STR, etc..
The upper two levels - 7 & 8 may be slightly better off, but still life is a constant struggle.
These are the people who wonder what happened.
Why this divide?
Why do we have this divide? Accordingly it got a lot to do with the above mentioned concepts.
Other factors like individual mindset, motivation, ability, education are important.
Social environment, parental guidance, financial education, inherent ability, luck, timing are equally important but the the concepts given by my boss long ago do have some co-relation with the situation they are in.
The mindset and self awareness can serve as a guiding force in understanding why some people are in the T20 group whilst others forever remain in the B40 group.
Conclusion.
So, if you aspire to move up the economic ladder consider these three simple yet powerful concepts.
T20 - People who make things happen.
M40 - People who let things happen.
B40 - People who wonder what happened.
What do you think?
Do you agree that this concept is applicable to us?
Please share your comments.
Jack Ung (jack.uct1953@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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