My name is Jonathan Ng. I am a 34-year-old IT Support Specialist in Singapore.
I’ve always been the “problem-solver.” At work, I fix systems. At home, I fix situations. With friends, I fix conversations.
If something goes wrong, my first instinct is to jump in and make it right. For a long time, I thought that made me reliable.
But slowly, it started wearing me down. I was constantly thinking, constantly adjusting, constantly trying to make everything smooth for everyone.
And the strange thing was — even when everything around me looked fine, I didn’t feel at peace.
One day, a friend told me about a pop workshop. He said, “You don’t always have to fix things. Sometimes you just need to understand them.”
I didn’t fully get what he meant, but I was curious enough to go.
What I Realised at Pop Workshop
During one session, people shared what they were struggling with.
My instinct was immediate — I wanted to respond, give advice, suggest solutions. That’s what I always do.
But here, no one was trying to fix anyone. They were just listening.
When it was my turn, I said, “I feel responsible for making everything okay, even when it’s not my job.”
Saying that out loud felt strange. But it also felt true.
At the pop workshop, I started to notice that not everything needs a solution. Some things just need space.
What Changed After the Pop Workshop
After that weekend, I began doing something different. I paused.
At work, when issues came up, I didn’t rush to solve everything instantly. I listened more. With friends, I stopped trying to “help” all the time and just stayed present.
At home, I allowed things to be imperfect without stepping in immediately.
And something surprising happened, I felt lighter. Not because problems disappeared, but because I stopped carrying everything as if it were mine to fix.
What I Learned
I used to think my value came from solving problems. Now I see it differently.
The pop workshop helped me understand that being present is often more powerful than being helpful.
I don’t have to fix everything to matter. I don’t have to control everything to feel okay.
Sometimes, the best thing I can do is simply to be there, without trying to change anything. And honestly, that feels like a kind of peace I’ve never known before.