The Yogyakarta Experience
The experience I encountered in Yogyakarta has enabled me to think about life and given me a lot of time for reflection. When I wrote this, my parents, who are so dear to me, were still alive and healthy. Last night, we just celebrated Dad’s 73rd birthday.
I am clearly aware that I don’t have many opportunities left to celebrate his birthday. Every birthday counts. Even the Bible, in the book of Ecclesiastes, tells us to “number our days.” I am grateful to have the opportunity to be with my parents at this age.
I wouldn’t say that the rest of the things in life don’t matter, but having my parents by my side matters a lot to me. I wish things would stay forever, but there wouldn’t be value if things stayed the same forever. We wouldn’t appreciate how precious it is to have loved ones by our side.
A Wake-Up Call
About two years ago, I took my Dad to the hospital once. That experience freaked me out, but at the same time, it served as a wake-up call. I thought I was going to lose him that time. Eventually, Dad went through angiogram surgery. Thank God, he is still alive, and I am grateful for that experience. I didn’t lose my Dad, but at the same time, I understood that I wouldn’t have him forever.
Strong Family Values
For some reason, I never felt that I had strong family values until I saw a contrast in how my wife and I perceive family. There are a lot of things that are insignificant to my wife, which were a big deal for me. We had many arguments due to these differences. Later, I realized that there’s no right or wrong, it’s simply different.
When something matters to you, it matters for a reason. God made you care for a thing for a reason. It’s like the whole world might not think it’s a big deal, but it is a big deal to you. So, you are made a guardian angel for that matter. Everyone has their own unique calling, which is beautiful. Some people are called to defend children, some to defend the environment, while others are called to defend the family. I guess I am called to defend family.
The Importance of Family in My Life
This realization of the importance of family in my life helped me understand that I want to extend the value of family in every respect of my life. So, for that reason, I have developed a strong value of empathy towards the people around me.
Stellar Preschool: Established in 2016
Back in 2016, I established Stellar Preschool. That was my second venture. I left my first venture and sold my share back to my partner due to a difference in values and direction. There are a few things in common between the two ventures. Of course, both are educational institutions, and we also provide free meals for the staff.
How It Began: Inspired by Family
How did this come about? It started from my family. My parents own a traditional family business. My parents were actively involved in the business, thinking that life was all about managing the small shop. They have dedicated themselves to defending the business through several economic crises, and it is still standing strong. They live a very simple life, which is not easy to achieve at all.
They have staff members who are our relatives. My mom would take charge of food personally. Every week, I would follow my mom to the wet market to buy vegetables, meats, and fruits for all of us. It was a balance between maintaining the budget (which explains why she had to do that personally) and having nutritious food. That was wisdom to me. She invested effort and ensured everyone was taken care of.
Back then, the idea of leveraging didn’t exist. So she had to do that personally for many years, consistently sourcing for better and cheaper food. She bought food throughout the week, brought it back home, carefully sorted out the vegetables nicely with newspaper to ensure that the food remained fresh for the week. Whenever possible, I would follow my Mom to the market. She has a bad back, so I would help her carry all the stuff as much possible. When I was 18, I started to drive her around so she wouldn’t have to drive.
Love from My Dad
Where does this love come from? This love comes from my Dad. I have an amazing father, imperfect but simply amazing. He has demonstrated what it’s like to love a wife wholeheartedly. He hardly speaks about himself; it’s all about my Mum. He talks about how hard she works, how tired she is, etc. That was a very important example for me, personally as a man, to learn how to embrace my wife in every situation. This beautiful trait of his became stronger as I matured. It definitely formed a very strong foundation for how I would treat my wife and how we would establish the company.
Fast Forward to 2016
So, fast-forward to 2016. I too established my company, holding similar values to those of my family. There’s also another reason, and that’s because of my faith. I take every opportunity as part of the discipleship-making process. I consider everyone God has sent me to be entrusted to me as part of my own family. Every morning, I would make coffee or Milo for my team. Throughout my time at the Preschool, we never failed to do this. We have meals together, and we have a very strong bond. Beyond that, even during holidays, we stick together and spend time together.
Changing Our Community
Never underestimate a small group of committed people. They are the ones who are going to change the world. While we didn’t exactly change the world, we have changed our community. As investors with limited resources, a small group of us established an international school after three years of operating the Preschool. That was the beginning of Stellar Education Group.
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