Thanks for this, Yee Ting. It's uncanny how much of your life's challenges I share - both lived and continues to live. It took me a couple of years to question the amount of the money that I need to live well. The market rate of the creative work I do had moulded the way I valued my work and myself, but one uneventful yet fateful day, I realised that I could trade that money for something a little less, for more impactful work, while still living relatively well. That was almost three years ago now, and the skills and knowledge, and connection with compassionate and entrepreneurial individuals, is not something that money can pay for. 'Enough' is as relative as it is elusive, it also changes according to the context. What was enough two years ago may not be enough now. From taking a drastic direction in my career, realising I wasn't doing enough, to now committing to social impact work, constantly doubting whether I am enough, the journey is often painful, cringe-worthy, tiring, but also rewarding. What is life if we stop questioning ourselves and our beliefs, right?
"It doesn’t mean that I don’t have ambitions in my life, it only means that my ambition is not in a job." I can't agree more. I see my job as something that I leverage to pursue my life goals. I've done my short stint of being 'always-on', and I've taken a plunge to this dark and lonely abyss that I had to work hard to save myself out of. I was never really a workist, and I will never be. And that's great. Because we also need to look after ourselves. Let people think of us as sissies or 'soft' - 'soft' people are some of the strongest and most compassionate people I know.
I want to thank you for your courage, for sharing with me and many others this reflection with such candour. I, too, have trouble telling people about my work. The short answer: "Charity". But really, who wants to know? Who is asking? And, does that even matter?
Thanks for this, Yee Ting. It's uncanny how much of your life's challenges I share - both lived and continues to live. It took me a couple of years to question the amount of the money that I need to live well. The market rate of the creative work I do had moulded the way I valued my work and myself, but one uneventful yet fateful day, I realised that I could trade that money for something a little less, for more impactful work, while still living relatively well. That was almost three years ago now, and the skills and knowledge, and connection with compassionate and entrepreneurial individuals, is not something that money can pay for. 'Enough' is as relative as it is elusive, it also changes according to the context. What was enough two years ago may not be enough now. From taking a drastic direction in my career, realising I wasn't doing enough, to now committing to social impact work, constantly doubting whether I am enough, the journey is often painful, cringe-worthy, tiring, but also rewarding. What is life if we stop questioning ourselves and our beliefs, right?
"It doesn’t mean that I don’t have ambitions in my life, it only means that my ambition is not in a job." I can't agree more. I see my job as something that I leverage to pursue my life goals. I've done my short stint of being 'always-on', and I've taken a plunge to this dark and lonely abyss that I had to work hard to save myself out of. I was never really a workist, and I will never be. And that's great. Because we also need to look after ourselves. Let people think of us as sissies or 'soft' - 'soft' people are some of the strongest and most compassionate people I know.
I want to thank you for your courage, for sharing with me and many others this reflection with such candour. I, too, have trouble telling people about my work. The short answer: "Charity". But really, who wants to know? Who is asking? And, does that even matter?
Have a lovely day.
TC x