Have you ever cried at the smallest things in life?

Mine was that first 4 minutes into Penguins of Madagascar — a family/comedy apparently — at the moment when Skipper said “ You know what you got, kid? You’ve got us. We’ve got each other. And if that ain’t a family, I don’t know what is.”?! I cannot! Tears already rolling down my cheeks.

It’s like you are an amplifier to all the feelings around you and that, if uncontrolled, affects your emotions.

Do you consider yourself a deep thinker?

When I go to a museum, you will find me on the tour guide headset (certainly if available) standing in front of an exhibit with my “thinking” expression while thoughts run wild in my head in an attempt to decipher what more is the artist trying to tell me below what I’m looking at. No doubt, I’m the type of museum-goers who can spend all day in the galleries— the very kind that my friend dislikes… 😂

If you answered yes, then chances are you are part of the small percentage of people (about 1 in every 5) who are highly sensitive.🙌

Was there a slight frown on your face when you read the word — SENSITIVE?

That’s normal — reactions you can expect when I say that to others are: Oh… sensitive… you’re just too emotional, too nervous, too (whatever) and so, toughen up alright, it’s no big deal here, don’t take things too personally…

As a fellow highly sensitive soul, I too, am plagued by questions of how a sensitive person like us should best behave to exist in such a loud shouting world that shuns fragile subtleties. In all honesty, it’s overwhelming to feel everything so intensely.

There may come a time in life where you begrudge this innate trait of yours — feelings of exposed, open, absorbent…

I understand… We feel everything more than others. Absorbing all the energy that surrounds us — whether good or bad — and feeds our anxieties which sometimes makes it even harder to breathe. We perceive every sense — smell, sound, touch, taste so intensely which makes a walk in nature incredibly refreshing and restored, especially associated with decreased levels of anxiety~

I understand…Human interaction is a hard thing among the hard things, simply because we tend to take everything in wholeheartedly. We don’t want to see someone crying and suffering — because insecurities are a crippled area in us that need affection. What makes matters worse is that we try and try and try so hard but it’s not enough to create a positive impact to help them out. Most of the times, we know that it is indeed beyond our capabilities and control but it sometimes made us feel overwhelmed, helpless and even suffocating.

As a result, you might begin to fight hard to hide the sensitivity, which hides who you truly are. As if there was a ‘Less of Everything’ switch in us that could be flipped and begin a life where we feel less, connect less, sense less… It really is easier to detach with what’s out there — Pretend nothing happened, even though the eyes are getting watery, words are almost in our throat, hearts are filled with our true emotions…

However!

As strong as we could to hide our true emotions, I believe we are stronger to tell them and show them who we truly are!

I know… you can be feeling empty, cold, and so distant that you sometimes doubt if you are still you.

I know…how difficult it is to find a light switch in total darkness but when there’s a will, there’s a way!!!

Whenever you are ready, challenge those beliefs that you have internalised — no matter who or what you’ve been told, or how people appear to define you.

The ‘Less of Everything’ switch isn’t a one-time event — we can’t do it once and hope it stays off forever.

LISTEN!

You are not weak. We are amazingly powerful!

You have a lot of trust issues, but it’s not our fault.

You are not overly emotional or flawed. We are way more than okay!

I want you to know that being highly sensitive is a gift to be treasured. We can reconnect with our sensitivity, start by paying attention and discern what it’s trying to tell us. We have the ability to freely be ourselves and slowly and steadily, use this gift to illuminate the dark corners that are less seen, heard or touched!

And recognize that you aren’t alone.

As a fellow highly sensitive kindred spirit here — Should you be interested, I hope to get connected via a message and exchange our stories of feeling and healing. For you are heard, understood and most importantly, you deserve to occupy a space in the world. Let’s embrace this great blessing of ours! 😄

Studying ‘overseas’ EVERY SINGLE DAY, became my blessing in disguise~

Childhood.

It’s a blanket of ignorance and purity into a sense of security.

Good times and bad times. Happy times and sad times. But always, you felt safe and secure for the family behind you.

What nobody ever tells you, though, when you are a wide-eyed child, are all the little things that come along with “growing up.” Sometimes things pull you down from your dreaming cloud to make sure you can walk the walk.

My Journey to Adulthood… To becoming a Singaporean!

Imagine waking up at 3 am every morning just to be at school on time.
Then spending 2–3 hours every day just to cross the borders.
Bearable? Maybe.
Now, imagine doing that every single day. For 12 years. Period
This strenuous journey for school (or work) is certainly not for the faint-hearted.

Many exclaimed… isn’t it tiring?

Sure it was.

But… was it worth it?

100%!

How did I?

Imagine being dropped in the middle of a desert, fully equipped with enough food and water to stay alive, but with no sense of direction whatsoever.
You just have no idea where you’re going.
Ever.

The only way out…
Keep going and hope it works out somehow.

What I got out of this childhood?

Stress is a part of growing up.
Have you heard of the analogy that kids without an umbrella run faster?
It’s because all they have is themselves. They knew that it’s about themselves.
When the situation is bad, the better they are at coping with stress.
Sometimes, it really is not as glorious as it seems.
You don’t know what you don’t know.

Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.

Find the silver linings for a happier life.
When you see someone that is smiling all the time, don’t be envious of them. These people are likely working very hard to be happy.

I am one of those people.
I have not had an easy life.
…
I’m not happy all the time.
But I work at finding reasons to be happy.

I count my blessings daily. Then I remember that I have reasons to be happy.

Fast-forward… Today, I became a Singaporean!

It’s no secret that Singapore is synonymous with first-rate quality of life and many times people are envious of its low crime rates, efficient public transportation system and superior infrastructure.

Proud to be a Singaporean going forward, along the mission to turn the little red dot into a bright green spark of the world’s map!

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” — Mahatma Gandhi

Disclaimer

The purpose of this article is twofold. It first seeks to share helpful tips and resources for interested language learners out there, from a learners point of view rather than from an expert. It also helps to document the tick off of Learning Japanese from my bucket list!

Tip#1 — Why, How, and What About Me?

Start with thinking about these fundamental questions to internalise your inner motivation — which sounds obvious but not many really practice it!

Mine? Glad you ask:

As a travel lover, I am learning Japanese because I want to understand the values and beliefs of the Japanese culture through the language and ultimately, able to interact with them comfortably. Also, I am seeing it as an exciting challenge for myself in terms of memory, conversational interactions, resilience etc. All in all, the mastery of Japanese would make me feel immensely proud going forward!

My motivation finds its source in my childhood and teenage, where I first perceived Japan as a miraculous place where anime and manga are better than anywhere else in the world, where food is the best in the world (equally with France, pardon my chauvinism), and where both respect for ancient culture and most advanced high tech world peacefully coexist.

Tip#2 — Embrace your inner child

Becoming a polygot seemed like a big goal for a small person (who’s still constantly developing), but we believed it was possible because of one phrase: Children are like sponges. The truism that children soak up language is debatable in the words of science — as it always turns out that science is more complicated… 😝

In my own words, I believe the key to learning as quickly as a child (when you are an adult) could be simply to take on certain childlike attributes: a desire to have fun with the language, a lack of self-consciousness, and a willingness to make mistakes.

💡One word a day on a post-it notes, all over my fridge is my way of injecting fun into the learning, and every time I walk by the fridge, the new word echoes in my head.

When it comes to learning a language, admitting that you don’t know everything is the key to growth and freedom. Let go of your grown-up inhibitions!

Tip#3 — Practice by Doing, universally, one of the most effective methods of learning and study~

To learn (or eventually master) a new language — listening, speaking, reading, writing are essential. As dry as this final tip sounds… I personally find that language buddy helps! It’s nice to have a partner to support each other on the journey to learn a new language. Set time aside to practice, share progress or even new tips and tricks definitely help to keep the motivation up. It works more conveniently (not necessary, most productively) but yes — remotely, like how I zoom my お姉さん (older sister)!

Believe me, it might be difficult at the beginning, but you will master it. It’s something that is actually quite easily done; you just need to practice.

My Personal Practice Resources for Japanese

1. To me, I think Listening is fundamental.

As a routine, I browse Youtube Channels — https://www.youtube.com/user/japanesepod101 or my favourite — Learning Japanese Nursery (like a kid… as I said~ すうじのうた) 😍 every 1 hour during the weekend, to ensure that I do not lose touch with the basics as I become more advance in my learning!

On the way to work, I will listen to podcasts such as Learn Japanese Language that fundamentally boost my vocabulary before I could move into news in slow Japanese.

2. Speaking is for sure the ultimate objective.

Speaking implies interactions with people, that can start with Japanese learners around you such as your classmates, or attempt with Japanese people such as your Jap teacher or if conditions allow, test that out in Japan! (which I can’t wait!!!)

Being able to have a simple conversation is a huge reward in itself~

FYI: This might sound a bit strange — but start with looking at someone while they’re saying those words, and then try to imitate that sound as much as possible! This practice incorporates both the gist of Listening and Speaking

3. Reading using real Japanese sources.

Once you have absorbed a decent amount of grammar and vocabulary, you can put your knowledge into practice to break any simple Japanese written contents. As a routine, I am trying to visit NHK news web easy once a week and read new articles. Not easy for me yet, but I can detect the beginning of an improvement, as topics being discussed and basic sentences are easier and easier to capture. Yeah!

4. Writing

Still a scary task for me at this stage, but it definitely coming in my way where I see the value of it as a great way to fix my grammatical mistakes to establish holistic confidence in Japanese mastery!

Are you ready to DIVE IN?

No matter which skills you wish to learn or the learning tools you use, the fundamental is to immerse yourself and practice it consistently! Be aware of the killer in one’s learning curve and we all have that mental resilience to overcome the ups and downs to learning just like in life!

Wait no more… It’s just — Better done than perfect! I wish you all success if you are engaged in similar challenges!

What’s your language learning strategy?

どうもありがとうございました！

Read This If You’re Just Now Starting Your Career…

And Am Considering a Non-Profit!

Jumping into a non-profit career is an incredibly unique one. In Singapore, exceptionally. Having ‘graduated’ from my first full-time job just 2 weeks ago, I can’t help but constantly reflect upon the greatest lessons of the past 2 years!

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
 — Steve Jobs.

It all started in 2013, from an airborne wind turbine project study to the eye-opening experience in Sweden, then a courageous cold email to volunteer over at wind conferences which got me to meet one of my life mentors who introduced me to GWEC~

Fast forward to the present, out of my first full-time role as a Policy and Communications Manager, turned out to be a huge understatement but whole-heartedly an incredibly memorable expedition of my lifetime!

Come along as I share what worked for me in a non-profit, which in my case, resembles a startup experience.

A Jack-of-all-Trades, Master of One — LEARNING!

Becoming a master at learning will surely benefit you in this position, which gives creative thinkers and problem solvers an advantage to thrive in this ever-changing and challenging environment. A can-do attitude can go a long way.

“You don’t know everything there is to know yet, and that’s okay.”

Part of being a great non-profit employee understands that there are limited resources and so, you often wear a lot of hats instead of doing the same tasks day after day. It’s essential, then, you actively work to bridge the knowledge gap by asking good questions that help you work more efficiently.

Clearly, being the jack-of-all-trades doesn’t make you a master of none. It makes you a master at learning, an invaluable skill at any company, especially a non-profit.

Embrace Work-Life Integration

Work at a non-profit offers you a platform to deliver a lot, especially when you are a young person full of gusto and desire to change the world who likes you are doing and am having fun. There isn’t a clear 9–5 schedule, because you can always get into many other things.

It’s one thing to be tired and complain a little bit — everyone has to vent sometimes — but it’s quite another thing to be burned out. That’s when you will hear a lot about the concept of “work-life balance”. When people describe “work-life balance”, most of them describe it as a scale. On one end is “work” and on the other end is “life”. The two are described in a way that it’s an either-or option — more of one means less of the other.

I come to disagree. While I do not have the answer for this million-dollar question for everyone, but I have it for myself.

I come to believe that it’s impossible for us to precisely divide our work and social lives in 50–50 proportion, and so, I combine those two things so I can have the best of both!

As for my case, I make sure that I spend time re-charging every other evening at the very least — read a book, go for a run, take a long walk, practice writing, sleep early — do anything that makes you feel relieved of stress and good about your body.

Bottom line: You are the master of your own life and one who decides your own definition of work-life balance. If you ask me what’s a good life/work balance (in my own interpretation): Get a life. Choose your life as much as you choose your job.

Passion Trump Skills!

Working in a non-profit is hard. If you’re not passionate about the cause, don’t do it.

“Passion pushes you to learn more, create more and to create better. Best of all, it’s contagious.”
 — Robert T. Kiyosaki

It’s true. While you might overwork (a little), there will be times when you step back and realise you are making a tremendous difference for a cause you believe in. Seeing the impact of your work on helping others really does feel great. It’s a special feeling about being able to say, “There’s a ripple effect to the work that we do.”

Wherever you are working at — startup, big company, government agencies or even a non-profit and/or whatever it is, HUSTLE for it! Make time for great work.

If you take the time to master the tools necessary for your job, take time off when appropriate and align your passion with the mission of the non-profit, you are on the right path to achieving greatness.

What first steps have you taken today? 😉

One Day To The Next Decade! I’m Ready To Say Goodbye to 2019

2020, what do you have installed for me?

At the start of this month, a friend claimed that he panicked after reading my first post counting down to the next decade. YES, THE NEXT DECADE! I reflected on the last ten years and was shook by the realisation that I was only 13 years old when the last one was on the horizon.

It’s pretty scary to know how fast time flies.

10 years passed in the blink of the eyes, the time has come for me to look ahead. I’m surprisingly glad that there are no hard feeling or any lingering regret that make it so hard to part with you. It was beautiful and tragic all at once.

If I’m being honest, I don’t think growing up is easy for anyone. During this decade, I’ve experienced the beautifully messy and perfectly imperfect, full-on reality of what hard-core commitment feels like. At the end of the day, positives always outweigh the negatives.

In the previous countdown post, I wrote about it not being a moment to write of 2019 as a good or bad year because it’s simply so much more complicated than that. I thought in this post I would take a slightly different approach.

I shall pour my heart, soul and archive in my mind here. These are things I’m most grateful for the year.

I’m still ALIVE!

Too often we underestimate the small things that are easily taken for granted such as staying alive! This year, I read ‘When Breath Becomes Air’ by Paul Kalanithi and it was an emotional and inspirational read. This is not a story of courage, nor is it a happily ever after plot, it is instead a lesson on accepting the impossible and salvaging the best from an abridged life.

When life hits us with the reality that things don’t always go our way, the question for Paul is not simply whether to live or die but what kind of life is worth living. While for fortunate people like ourselves, all of the madness causes us to forget — to breathe with the intention of breathing and to smile on the life we still have and live.

It’s never easy to talk about death but when I think about it, there are so many who would have loved just one more minute or one more day such as Paul who left behind a wife and an eight-month-old daughter. These are people that go to bed with dreams burning in their hearts, but never wake up to walk in the flames of their desires. For that reason, appreciate the life you have. There is no other way to live but to embrace the one that we already have.

First-Class Ticket to the Real World.

I’ve documented this before — this is probably the biggest year of my life yet. I went from lecture halls and tutorial classes to stepping onstage that meant I was now deemed ready for the real world. I graduated!

It was pretty overwhelming as you know from my ranty posts about feeling lost and bring thrown into a world who doesn’t know us nor care about who we are.

I bagged myself a bachelors degree in Chemistry and got a position in GWEC, a job in a different field than my major. Lesson learnt from my experience is that even if you start out with a certain idea of what you’re going to do in your life, almost no one ends up following that straight line. I’ve gotten to this place because I was true to myself, what you want — really, deeply want — is fundamental. While I’m still unsure where that will lead me, I’m pretty sure that’s something to celebrate.

TRIPS that fueled my wanderlust!

I am far beyond grateful for all the adventures I have been able to go on, I love so many aspects about traveling and what it does in my life. Post-graduation is surely the best time to go travelling as you can celebrate all your hard work whilst making most of your freedom and lack of commitment before starting your career. I had the luxury to go on a 3 months graduation trip and this was one of the best decisions I’ve made in 2019.

Travel is more than a cliché, new, the“insta-worthy” thing to do. It’s messy, uncomfortable, tiring, and real. I got to do the things I imagined and beyond. It was a pretty big deal for me, and I hope that wherever I find myself in the future, I never forget that feeling of immense gratitude that those trips brought.

This 10 years had been years of growth and radial changes.

I learned to jump start on what I want instead of waiting for time to pass me by. I learned to seize the day and spend time with my loved ones. I learned to be comfortable outside of my comfort zone so that I can soar higher and reach greater height. I learned to move on from what wasn’t working and focus on what is going well.

With that goodbye 2019, I’m ready to let you go.

I’m ready for 2020 to begin.

To everyone out there who is still finding their path, here are 8 things you learn when you fail to land your dream job.

Dreams are great things to have. They’re something that we can get up to and hope for.

Many young adults start their careers thinking they will eventually end up in their “dream job” — that one perfect, magical job where their best skill sets and deepest passions align. Truth is, not many people will because…

1. Fresh-grads are often overwhelmed and become lost in life.

Since we don’t have all the information, we tend to make decision in the midst of the “fog of war”. Simply put, we don’t know what’s out there. So, it’s normal if you don’t have a dream job yet. Figuring out takes time and probably some setbacks along the way. It’s a process of exploring many little twists and turns that lead us to the place we ultimately belong. Just remember: there’s more than one path, but the goal is to find the best one.

In 2020, let’s trust that we’re doing the best we can, and know that we don’t have to prove anything to anyone but ourselves.

2. Talking about doing something and actually doing it are two very different things.

Many people will talk in terms of “someday’s” — someday I’ll start my own company, someday I’ll further studies or someday I’ll move on to a job that I will enjoy more. Truth is, the people who actually achieve these dreams aren’t talking about someday’s. Because they are busy doing the things that will actually get them there.

In 2020, let’s do what we say and say what we do.

3. Hard work and consistency will bring you results.

It’s not about working really hard for once or twice, nor about applying the success formula to your life but living it. Success comes from showing up, consistently, day after day, ready to quietly do the work today and then do it all over again tomorrow and the next day and the following day.

In 2020, let’s not give up, the beginning is always the hardest.

4. Small choices become actions, actions become habits, and habits become our way of life.

Life is made up of an infinite amount of choices. And every choice has its consequences. A lot of things happened to get me to where I am now. While I’m still at the beginning of everything. I’m sure that I’m on the path that I so desperately wanted to be on in the first place. And all it took was small choices, practised daily, will have a huge impact that can move you in the career direction that you want.

In 2020, let’s confront the options with courage and confidence, we will be on a fulfilling path, filled with numerous possibilities.

5. A ‘what could have been’ sentiment is much worse than fear, rejection, or failure.

When you take two steps back, you might feel like a failure. You might feel embarrassed on your progress because you are back tracking when everyone is charging forward. Failing to initially get the thing you want does not feel good. But nothing is scarier than driving yourself crazy wondering what could have been, if you only had the courage to try.

In 2020, let’s be brave, be bold and be heroic.

6. Your dream job will have its undesirable aspects that make you feel stressed, challenged, uncomfortable…

There’s really no instant success, happiness, and peace when you ‘arrive’ at your dream job. Work is work, you’re still going to feel stressed out, incapable, shitty, unworthy, and a hell of a lot of other feelings. But these feelings are so much more bearable when you know that you’re doing something that ultimately brings you joy. Sticking with something you feel satisfaction and not taking the money of a better position is real dedication and loyalty.

In 2020, let’s think positive, be positive.

7. Working hard is essential, but alone it isn’t enough.

In an entry position, I believe that the easiest way to differentiate yourself is to outwork everyone. Others can do your work but they can’t outwork you. Be willing to do what other aren’t willing to do. That’s when you deserve to get things others don’t get.

In 2020, let’s stop our whines and complains. Focus on train hard and be patient.

8. You can learn something from everybody in any situation.

The big thing is keeping your mind open all the time to do the same. Everyone is your teacher. Some you seek. Some you attract. Some you observe. You could discover what you don’t like to do (which is just as crucial as knowing what you like to do), you might come across a passion or hobby that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. No matter how you are feeling now, as long as you put in your heart to observe and listen, you can ensure that this experience never goes to waste.

In 2020, let’s keep an open mind. It’s the only way new things can get in.

Here’s the last thing about dreams; they are wonderful destinations in life but the journey to those destinations sucks. There’s a load of mountain-climbing, ocean-swimming, desert-walking and forest-crawling… But no one’s exempt from experiencing pain. Life gets ugly sometimes — and that’s totally okay. We are all a work in progress.

In 2020, let’s dream until our dreams come true. 🌈

The Truth Behind Failure to Get Your Dream Job Right Out of College was originally published in Ascent Publication on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

When we were kids, 2020 was just “the future.” An unexplained, far off time that would never actually come into existence. And then it did.

As we find ourselves reflecting on 2019 and take inventory of memories and experiences, our excitement often waivers. For all that we’ve accomplished, there’s always something left underachieved... Or there’s a goal we achieved only to find it wasn’t what we wanted… It is surely not a time to write off a year as good or bad, it’s more complicated than that.

2019, you taught me so much.

You taught me that our destiny is our potential waiting to happen, it’s our willingness to put ourselves out there that makes a big difference. Take the chance and give it, too. The only way to know is to make a choice. It might not always be a walk in the park, but listen to your heart, and if it tells you it’s worth it, then go for it.

You taught me that everyone we’ve met has played a part in our story. Some have taken up chapters while some were just scribbled notes in the margins. But for sure, there’s always going to be the one we want to grace all the pages we have yet to write.

Along the way, life has pulled me in different directions and introduced me to new people, changing my perspective every now and then.

Regardless, I’ve journeyed.

2020, I am ready for you.

I will see you like a blank canvas to paint all my wildest dreams and highest hopes. I will believe in you that you will lead me to where I’m supposed to go. I will face you with anticipation, exhilaration, and elation at the untold adventures and memories we are going to make together. I will entrust you to embrace all my flaws and guide my out of risky endeavors with your surprising twists and turns that I know will eventually make sense.

2020, I will make it a year of me.

It’s time to up my game and make it a better one than the previous years. It’s now or never to start thinking and giving serious thoughts to what I hope to achieve and shaping myself into someone who takes charges of my life boldly, firmly, and confidently.

It’s going to feel like roaming in a messy kaleidoscope of a million different colors and emotions but I am in control to choose what to see and experience. It’s not going to be sweet victory that falls effortlessly into my lap but it will be a result of my voluntary hardship, perseverance and resolve. It won’t be merely an outcome that I desperately seek but it will be a journey that allows me to get to know myself well.

2020, I will be brave for you.

I promise that no matter what looms ahead, I will toss away my outdated belief and misguided fear that chained me to my comfort zone. I promise to stay true to myself and grab hold of things that make my heart pound and my blood sizzles. I promise to surround myself with like minded people that encourage and inspire me to be a better version of me.

In 2020, enjoy every moment. I hope this year is the year to remember.

I Hope 2020 Is The Year That Everything Changes was originally published in Ascent Publication on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dedicating this article to anyone who has a dream but is afraid that you lack the time, resources, education and finances to achieve it.

I was that person at one point in my life, and I found my way. I hope that you will find yours too, starting by browsing through this article written directly from my heart.

“If you have a dream that you want to build, you have all it takes to build it, so, off you go.”

For most of us, from the moment we are born, there is a path set for us. The problem is, we just walk on, follow and allow it to lead us to nowhere land, which is why we have many people living beneath their dreams. That’s the life we’ve been conditioned to live, and that’s what so many of us play into.

We never question. We never dare to be different. We never dare to take the chance.

The path that our society has given us is to get a formal education. We got out of college with more debt than our job affords us to pay. Then, we get a job in a major company or be major in a minor company. We try to climb the ladder in the company, so we can earn more to pay off the debt, enrolling ourselves in the classic rat race. I’m not here to criticize formal education, I believe that education is an investment in ourselves but what’s also important is that you get to know yourself along the way.

I remember speaking to my mum “Girl, I’ll be happy if you just get yourself into a university, no matter what you study.” This might sound sad, but I don’t feel so because I knew that’s where her bar was. My parents told me they would be supportive of my dreams, without setting a bar too high for me. They didn’t want to see me reach, fail and get hurt. This is classic because often, we can only see as far as we’ve gone.

It takes faith to see beyond that, and faith isn’t as easy to come by as we think it is. Just because it hasn’t been done or there hasn’t been real success at it doesn’t mean that you can’t be successful. We see what others have done and we believe we can’t go any further than they did.

Ultimately, if you want to go where no one you know has gone before, you have to start leading yourself. You need to take control of your life and be willing to walk by faith. There’re more in you than your friends and family know about. You have abilities and gifts that no one around you knows the full extent of. You can shock them, and you may just shock yourself too.

We need to write our own road map that will lead us to a desirable destination, not towards a dream someone else has created for you.

“If you don’t build you dream, someone will hire you to help build theirs.”
— Tony Gaskins

I believe that even if we work for someone else, that job should build our dream job. If it’s not our dream job, then we should build our dream job, which will eventually replace our day jobs. I’ve done mindless work and it’s a waste of time and energy. But yet that’s the path that was set for many of us.

Today, we live in a world of opportunity, a world that favors the risk takers, a world that gives chances to be great. There is so much you can do today. Failure is becoming non-existent for those who believe. It’s a world built for faith-walkers.

I’m a personal fan of dreaming big. Dream so big that it scares you. Have a vision so big that certain parts of it are blurry and it only clears up as you walk by faith toward it.

Don’t let someone who has never tried to do it tell you that it can’t be done. Don’t be the person who say they want something but are not ready to work for it. Don’t be afraid to dream big. Don’t curse your gifts. There are natural gifts inside of you that could change your life.

Give yourself time to think about what it is you want to become. Be willing to start fresh and new. Start somewhere and do something. There will be distractions, setups, and setbacks, but you have to keep going despite everything else. There are those who will doubt you but if you have a real desire to succeed, then giving up is not an option. Let these people laugh at you now, and you’ll have the last laugh later. It may not be perfect and it may not be easy, but be willing to make something happen. There is a lot of power in the human will.

We’ve heard plenty of stories of people who overcame obstacles that seemed unbearable and still made it. You can be one of those stories.

I can’t predict the future. I’m not sure if walking on path of yours will bring bigger opportunities or if they will just turn out to be a fun experience. Only time will tell. I’m just here to tell you that no matter where you’re starting from, it’s possible.

The journey is all about enjoying the process and bring patient while you’re making the journey. Everything happens when it’s supposed to.

Would You Stop Living Beneath Your Dreams? was originally published in Ascent Publication on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

College — the best time of your life. That’s what they always tell you. They all do.

They tell you how important the certificate is for your future, how college makes you feel free and independent. They tell you about the amazing people you meet, the exotic places you will go. The intriguing, the impressive, the ecstatic, the preposterous. Yet, there are many things they, perhaps, forget to reveal…

I know, I’ve been there.

Upon walking across that stage and get my bachelor’s certificate, I found myself standing at a crossroad, feeling as if I was at the Shibuya crossing, the busiest intersection in the world. People are constantly pouring across the street from all directions going to even other directions.

And that’s graduation. The feeling of standing in the middle of the crossing in a frantic mess, bumping, side stepping and swerving around each other as people try to cross. You are lost without a plan, you don’t know where you are headed to, not even the next step.

In the end, all you do is to stand there alone in your uncertainty and imagining that everyone else had it all figured out.

Chapter 1: Life upon graduation.

Every person you meet will ask you what are you doing or what are you going to do. You will have plans. You will decorate a dream board with the multi-billion car, house, travel plans and bucket lists.

You will start applying for jobs. You start off with your dream jobs, only to never get a response, or emails starting off with — We are sorry to say that you have not been selected for further consideration… You will begin to doubt that maybe your dream job isn’t meant to be. Then you start applying for jobs to get by your life because you got bills to pay.

You may become a Starbucks barista, a zookeeper or a work and travel backpacker. Soon, you will wonder if your dream job is officially out of reach. You will think and compare yourself to others, only to realise that you are nowhere near the success that you imagined being. Like the many nights, you will cry yourself to sleep. The, not only physical but mental exhaustion that haunts you incessantly as you stress-eat and binge-watch on your couch.

In the real world, your talent is only as valuable as other people think it is.

You learn that the only reason people will hire you, promote you or give you money is because of what you produce and that matters to people. You will be forced to demand the most of ourselves and, in turn, feel fulfilled by skills that benefit others.

You feel like this is not the life that you want. You had dreams but now, only bills. You feel lost…

Soon (hopefully…), you will get sick of your life and see yourself in the mirror. Tell yourself that your life is not a failure, that’s the reality. And you can change it if you don’t like it.

That’s when the spark in you is reignited. And you set off for a new tomorrow.

Chapter 2: Life after reborn.

Every step you take brings new hope, a new day. Every choice you make helps you find your own way. All you need is to dive in with your hearts wide open.

You will change. You will become an entirely new person, someone who you can no longer recognize when you look in the mirror. You will wonder how it turns out when you have high hopes to begin. Maybe your gut starts to grown and you feel heavier than usual.

Then, you will want to change more.

Now you’ve on our way. Leave your fears behind us. Not so far away from the dreams that live inside you. Moving down this road you’ve chosen. There’s no limit to where you’re going.

You will buy a new planner and fill it. You will fill it with motivation quotes, lines from your favourite books and goals for the week ahead. You will check them off. You will not overwhelm yourself when things don’t get finished, because you learnt that pressure only leads to breaking. You keep planning, even when plans change and fail, you tell yourself that you won’t give up so easily this time.

You look forward. You enjoy your job, the money it brings you and the people it introduced you to. You will walk in with a smile and talk about your life as soon as the opportunities arise. You will see the purpose for being where you are in that moment and take advantage of what you can learn from it.

You will pick up a pen and start writing. You will pick up the market and start painting. You will sing in the shower. You will dooble in the journal. You have found that your soul is strengthened. You know that whatever you do, it's you, and that is something to keep in your life forever.

The battles, the stories, the losses and all the glories. You’ve changed by the way you live every day. Just look up and reach to the sky. We all have the courage to fly.

Chapter 3: Life… what’s next?

As above is a true depiction of 2 important chapters of my life, I hope you will come to realise that the calm is just as important as the rage. I urge you to not only appreciate the greatest times but also the worst — amidst the sadness, amidst the chaos, amidst both the thrilling and the dull, for from these moments, you will grow, you will learn, you will survive….and soon you will welcome hardship with open arms.

You will become more you, over time and with every struggle.

You will change — not back to who you were, but you will find parts of you that went missing during those hard times. You will also find new parts, even better and stronger parts. All the parts of yourself that have grown through your struggles. You will start thinking of the disadvantages you are facing as advantages in disguise.

Because you know now, whatever destiny decides to throw your way, you will not cower in fear. Instead, you will fight.

In Conclusion

My biggest advice though is please don’t compare or complain and get comfortable being uncomfortable. College is stressful but the real world outside is even worse.

The everlasting and excruciating fear of failure, the days where you not only feel drained but lost. Feeling the pressure to be everywhere at once, to succeed inside and out, to make money, to be well-rested, to have a perfect body, to make a thousand friends, to have a perfect life. It’s not realistic.

These are the limitations of unspoken society’s expectations that weigh so heavily on us that one day, we stop questioning our existence and trap us in an invisible prison. We tend to forget that our life is what we make of it. Only when you have the audacity to question the status can you disrupt it.

I urge everyone to internalise what you just read and always remember that life will never go as planned, but it will always go as it should be.

Dear Graduates, This Is What Real World Will Mean To You was originally published in The Post-Grad Survival Guide on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We are so tiny compared to the universe

Stars are giant, luminous spheres of plasma. There are billions of them — including our own sun — in this Milky Way Galaxy. And there are other billions of galaxies in the universe.

You may ask, Hey Google, What has this got to do with writing?

Over the years of writing and stargazing, I’ve learnt that there are things about stargazing that I experience which resonate with the writer in me, and it’s these things I want to share with you today.

It refreshes my mind in a way that nothing else does. Even a few minutes under a clear sky makes me feel good.

While staring into the face of the universe, the sense of wonder and deep inner explorative nature in you will explode. It calms the mind with the sense of familiarity as we recognise patterns in the sky which have been the universal ‘language’ across cultures and thousands of years of human history.

Writer’s block isn’t something that we talk about and yet, it is such a common problem. When you are writing, it is usual that when writing gets hard, emotions run high. I tend to second guess myself — thinking I’m not enough — I feel tiny comparing myself as minuscule in a world of millions of people.

Truth is, how much is more? Will there ever be enough? Maybe yes or no.

Whenever I look up into the skies, it reminds me that my problems are not earth-shattering, even though your articles will not reach the hands of everyone it may reach one. And that is enough.

You may be a tiny star in the entire universe, but it is that star which shines light on others. You may feel lost or directionless, scared or without purpose, but every life has meaning.

Planetoids are not static and neither shall we

The gravity of the Sun keeps the planets in their orbits. For humans, what keeps us moving is our purpose. If you do not know what is it, here goes:

Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your heart and soul to it.

Writing draws me deeper into the moment. It forces me to experience life more fully and this habit of exploring changes for new experiences have gotten me better at writing.

“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.”
– Stephen King, On Writing

So, what’s the purpose of you to write? Once you find out, your journey as a writer will flow much smoother.

Occasionally we get to see one of the most spectacular night views and that requires patience

Storm Dunlop, co-author of Guide to the Night Sky, advises patience: “Don’t expect too much, too soon. You need to allow time for your eyes to adapt to the dark in order to see the faintest stars. This could take about 20 minutes.”

Most of us writers are plagued with an impatience to see our writing improve faster, to gain recognition for our work, and to get paid for writing.

Truth is, everything takes time. Keep writing and you will get better at it. Keep writing and you will be noticed. Keep writing to build a career.

Many quits when they realised how hard and competitive it is, rejection after rejection hits, one factor that will make a difference — patience.

Let’s be patient. We will get there.

How Stargazing Made Me A Better Writer was originally published in The Writing Cooperative on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.