Check out enough labour reports on skill sets you'll need in 2030 and chances are you'll see the same things: creativity, critical thinking. This is so common that any layperson will tell you these are what differentiate us from AI. (Having said that, ChatGPT can probably be more creative and critique better than most of us.)

Yes, and we all die eventually, but that's not the point today.

I get flustered when I hear such high-level, obvious statements. As Hongkongers like to say—who doesn't know your mother is a woman? It's bordering on Captain Obvious territory. Telling us many more times will not move the needle.

We don't need someone to tell us for the 400th time that we need to upskill. We just need to know what step one is and which step one we should take. I always like to contrast it to walking into a Hong Kong cafe with 200 items on the menu—you freeze and walk out. Or spending 30 minutes scrolling through the million options on Netflix and falling asleep before starting any show.

I do agree that creativity and critical thinking would be a competitive edge for anyone, more so in Singapore, where our best natural resource is our people. Creativity can flow into many aspects of our society to solve deep problems and even create new opportunities.

So how does one begin to acquire them? Let me share my health story first.

Two years ago, I had my first slipped disc surgery. I had to literally relearn how to walk. I thought all was good, and I was on track to normalcy when another one hit me, this time near my neck. The second surgery hit me when I was already on track to recovery from my first. I was distraught.

So another surgery, and I was back to square one. My doctor told me to never stand near a gym, but I can't. Day by day, I put in the reps and worked myself back to fitness. Fast forward to today, my PB deadlift is 120kg.

Creativity and critical thinking skills are the same. We're all at baseline, and we need to start somewhere. In the advertising world, people hand-copy Ogilvy ads to train themselves on how he thinks and writes. Similarly, many painters—think Picasso, Van Gogh—would copy the greats before developing their own style over time.

For many of us, we may not endeavour to become pro artists, just like I have zero intention to even sign up for Hyrox (I just want to keep fit), but we need outlets where we can put those into practice.

For me, this has been in the form of my video content, which I've been posting on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook. Except for one, none of them is an original idea. You've likely seen similar skits floating around. I'm doing my equivalent of copying from Ogilvy as my first step to work on my creativity. Over time, I may be able to reach the equivalent of my 120kg deadlift and do original content, but that isn't really the point. Working on my creative muscles has allowed me to expand my viewpoint on other areas and see (most of the time) funny angles that I never caught, which is why comedians are funny. They're really observant, and it's a skill to sharpen.

Similarly, on the critical front, you've probably seen many of my rants on LinkedIn. I may be right and mostly wrong, but it again allows me to build that particular muscle. Granted, some people flame me, but you don't need to go public like me. Feel free to write for yourself and not the world. I don't share my workout videos, but that doesn't mean I'm not working out.

These are what work for me and may not be for you. You need to find your equivalent of what can help you put those into practice. Because as competition heats up not just among humans but also from AI, these skills are more important than ever to help you stand out in the market. Or who knows—maybe help you create your own market in the future.

Adrian Tan
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