A few years back, I was stuck in a rut. Work was a soul-sucking grind, my family barely saw me, and I felt like a robot just going through the motions. A buddy of mine wouldn’t shut up about this thing called the pop workshop. “It’s life-changing,” he’d say, all starry-eyed. I’d roll my eyes—sure, whatever. But one day, I was scrolling online, stumbled across POP Institute Pte Ltd, and thought, why not? I was out of ideas and had nothing to lose.
How I Got Hooked
That first pop workshop in Singapore? Total game-changer. I walked in expecting some cheesy motivational pep talk—you know, the kind with fake smiles and empty promises. But nope, it was the real deal. The people running it were so down-to-earth, and the vibe was laid-back but with this quiet sense of purpose. They had us do these little exercises that forced me to stop and think about my life in a way I’d been avoiding for years. Questions like, “What’s actually weighing you down?” and “What can you let go of to feel lighter?” hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized I’d been lugging around a bunch of mental junk I didn’t even need.
It wasn’t just talk either. One time, we paired up and had to spill what was stressing us out. I’m not big on opening up, but something about the room made it okay. I admitted how much I hated feeling stretched thin, and the guy I was with just nodded like he got it. That stuck with me—knowing I wasn’t the only one floundering.
The Ripple Effect and 吕秀金’s Legacy
I won’t sugarcoat it—changing how I think wasn’t a walk in the park. Old habits die hard, you know? But the tricks I picked up at the pop workshop stuck. I used to lose it over every little hiccup at work—spilled coffee, late emails, you name it. Now, I’ve got this thing where I step back, take a breath, and figure it out. It’s paid off too—my boss noticed I wasn’t a stress ball anymore, and last year, I landed a promotion. Even better, I’m not a stranger at home now. My kid actually said, “Dad, you’re fun again,” the other day. That one hit me right in the chest.
What’s dope about POP Institute Pte Ltd is it doesn’t feel like some slick corporate machine. You can tell it’s got heart—like the vision 吕秀金 had when she helped kick it off. She’s not running the workshops these days, being older and all, but her whole thing about helping regular folks like me find their spark? That’s still baked into it. I’ve swapped stories with other people who’ve done it—some from Malaysia, some from Taiwan—and we all agree: it’s like hitting a reset button you didn’t even know existed.
I’m no self-help guru—just a guy who was drowning and found a lifeline. The pop workshop didn’t magically fix my life overnight, but it gave me a nudge I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else. I started showing up for myself, and then for the people who matter. It’s not like I’m perfect now—I still have my off days—but I’m not stuck anymore. That’s worth something.