The Pot of Gold, Dare you chase it?

For as for as I can remember, life in KL has never been a peachy. Since I left home for KL to embark of my educational escapades, I realized that the world can be your oyster, but there are serious chances of getting food poisoning out of it too if you’re not too careful.

For many people, work starts the moment you leave an institution, be it college or the simple decision of leaving your comfort zone. As for me, although I graduated merely three years ago, working seems like an act of eternity.

I have been in the workforce for more than 9 years now. Although most of my temporary escapades were part time josb while I was studying, work was still work and it doesn’t make it any lesser than what a real full time job was. There were still experiences and life long lessons which I’ve learnt throughout my formative years. Experiences can enrich your mind and knowledge. The most mundane job gives you an idea of what you truly want to achieve in life to reach a state of consciousness. Recounting my work experience, I’ve work as a barrista at Starbucks, emptying grease traps and preparing coffee. I’ve been a club ambassador for both the most happening club in town as well as a wiltering “gay” club which needed a publicity boost to maintain it’s revenue sustainability. I’ve worked as a brand promoter, from classy posh car show events to kinky ones where I’d have to parade around in bright white hot pants asking strangers for contacts to fill my database. I’ve done emceeing for events and gala dinners. I’ve done event management for companies who pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into a one night event to boost publicity. I’ve been an agent for scouting talent, I’ve been a store manager, a sales executive, a research assistant, a bar tender, a social worker…wellll... My point is, I’ve been around the block pretty much as a person who left college, say a decade ago. Albeit all of these jobs may have been weighed me down as I never had the chance to truly experienced what true college life felt like, I wouldn’t trade my experiences for any other.

But if there was one thing I learnt from “being around the block”, it is that job satisfaction is a very subjective but crucial component of your life. Why I perceive it as subjective is because, everyone has a different opinion of what a job should be or what it should provide. Personally, I am a person who knows what I want, and can never be contented settling for second best. I’m aware that it may come across as an arrogant trait, but it is the core of my emotional well-bring nonetheless. Having worked in numerous sectors, I have come to realize that what works for me is knowing that I have achieved something at the end of the day. I am a person who has found my passion in creating things, sharing my thoughts through writing, communicating with people and constantly being on the go. Long work hours do not scare me, the ordinary scares me! A job is stressful to me when there’s no room for personal growth or experiencing new things everyday. A 4 hour shift job can be more stressful than a 12 hour shift job when it’s ritualistic.

Since leaving the NGO sector, many people tell me that a job is just a job. That I should separated my personal life from my work life. That I should go to work for 9 hours a day, and slog just for the money even if I am unhappy, and come home and be myself again. The thing about going into a career in social work is that, it never makes you the same person you are ever again. Your work and personal life is conjoint and that makes work simply, personal. Therefore, your work governs how you would feel for the rest of the day, irregardless of the location or people you are with. I can’t decide if it is a positive or negative trait, all I know is that, it makes you grow as a person and it sure as hell makes you sure of what you need in life to be an all rounded being. It makes you a passionate work horse where the hours don’t matter; challenges are welcomed, as long as you get your work done. It makes you strive to be a success story, not a KPI keeper. It makes you see the world in a different shade of color, where hope, aspirations, and passion is the core of what you work for everyday.

Finding the right job is all about finding that motivation that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning and work through the night. After all, what kind of life is worth living if it is not powered by motivation. Being an ardent follower of blogs such as Waiterrant and Mimi in New York, I’ve lived and laughed through their life’s worth of ranting about their job and constantly burning a hole in their pocket to survive the next week or day. Not until recently have I understood why they’d rather be strippers and waiters and be manhandled rather than getting a decent job in a call center which seemed easier. It was the passion that was driving them to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! It was the believe that assured them despite what the rest of the world said, that freaking pot of gold is there and theirs to keep. All they needed to do is get past the journey and leprechauns to get to the pot of gold!

Finding the right job is not about luck, and contacts. Though it may be true to certain extent, it’s about how much you are willing to sacrifice and knowing what truly is your passion. How do you know which job is perfect for you? The moment you call that 8 to 9 hours of the day that u spend in an area a “job”, you know it is not perfect for you. Who says you have to settle? You owe it more to yourself to settle.

Find that passion! Live that passion!