QUOTES: 20 Years From Now..

"20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover" - Mark Twain

Oh.. this post has been sitting on my Draft for quite sometimes! Dearest readers, I warn you to take this post as lightly as you could be :)

Have you ever stuck in your daily routines thinking "There's got to be more to life than this!" Or you think you have everything but still something is missing. And the song that Stacie Orrico sang 10 years ago plays on the background of your worry minds 'There's gotta be more to life than chasing down temporary high to satisfy me. Cause the more that I'm tripping out thinking there's gotta be more to life. But it's life and I'm sure there's gotta more..than wanting more'

I've lived that kind of life. In my generation, most of us were raised and taught to live certain ways to meet our parents expectations of their 'living a good life' standards. They were born in the workers generation, where life is all about making a living. To make a good living, one must become a doctor, banker, manager, or in my case.. engineer. One's life equal to his/her job title. The more prestigious or higher the title, the happier that person would be.

Growing up, I've been through a lot of things that has nothing to do with my interests nor my talents because my interests and talents were not on my parents' lists unfortunately. As a kid I was a rebellious one, I remember many days and nights confronting with my dad, ending up in tears. I don't really remember what about, maybe the little me was also confused why should she rebels out. But I believe it has something to do with my subconscious, my instinct, that told me I was doing something I wasn't meant to do.

In the middle of the way, I was lost and finally succumbed to follow the laid plan for me. I forgot the things that I liked the most, I studied something else that I could care less and has little to do with my future. But that was our education system. Students were prepared to excel on exams not jobs nor career path.

I was part of a program. And what was the result of the program? That you do what everyone else is doing. To make it more difficult, they were not telling you how to sharpen your advantage so you can different from the rest of the contenders. Me, like hundreds or thousands students, were diligently led to take part to unify ourselves with the same set of skills, knowledge, and behavior. Personally I think, it's a good way if you want to develop a labor force for factories. A human robot.

When I was in school, I didn't think of it. I just knew that I had no interest in most of the subjects but I had to study it to get good grades to go to top universities that offered programs that didn't spark my imagination.  Really, I chose a major that I don't like over the major that I know I'd hate. I wasn't given a chance to choose what I really like. Sadly, I was expected to do that as part of my social responsibility in creating better future according to the outdated standards. 

Once my school and university degree were obtained, I had no clue what I was going to do next. I didn't want to work what I studied. I had my degree but I have always believed that working is doing things you love and I didn't love it. Along with the finding jobs journey, I landed on the biggest multinational company for its industry in Indonesia. It felt like winning a jackpot, it was so easy.. even too easy. And like everybody else in my and my parents generation would think 'Wow, you made it. Welcome to the start of a great life!' And I thought I was safe.

But of course I wasn't! It was all a trap that put me in the mindset that I've found where I needed to be by following all the path and programs that were taught! That for me is a big waste of time. I continued life questioning "Is this it? Isn't it supposed to provide me a life time thrill that I wouldn't want to think of anything else but it?" For me, my job and my workplace was like school or university, I didn't see it as a career where I want to stay there forever. But it was a nice and safe environment because I was trained all your life to believe in such future. A future that belongs to a workplace, your second home.

And thus, that thought came over to me at nights after office hours. Used to spend it with my friends / colleagues / coworkers venting out our frustrations of work loads and life. But I notice there are some people who do that because they are really immersed to their work life, I wasn't. In fact, I avoided talking about my job outside office hours. Lucky those who find it relieving, it means you really put your mind into it. If you put your mind into it, you can make it.

Well what about me? Years of trying to put my mind into it but still it flies away wishing, wondering, waiting for the right chance to come my way. But truly, chance and opportunity is how you make it. I'm a believer that the future lies in your hand and your happiness is within your reach, if you ever try to reach it out. Of course it wasn't all wasted years, I'm grateful enough to make everything happened in my life as a learning. I'm a good student, I don't miss a lesson. And this is important, when you have the opportunity to do something even if you don't like it, learn from it!

So all my years working for things that I don't like, was actually a milestone for me to start something. Remember, you can be courageous but never stupid. When I decided to run my own business and quit the day job, everyone thinks I was being super brave and super crazy to leave the comfort zone. I think I'm confident. I know I might not succeed at first attempt but I have done my learning, my research, and I have the will to do it; the latest ingredient I think the most important element in achieving success.

Mark Twain

Now even my parents think I'm jobless, just because I don't have to go somewhere or to attend meetings. I don't have an office and I don't do paperworks. And mostly, because I don't get paid. But that's how you start a company isn't it? I'm doing multi-department jobs, I'm a brand manager, I'm an activation and implementation executive, I'm also my own CFO, I'm doing the brand agency job, I create the brand image, and the attributes I want my brand to have and put them into my design, I do the procurement, I make production plan, I arrange the brand output numbers, I align it with my cash flow and see whether it's enough profit in PnL report, I'm also a public relation for my brand, a customer service, a delivery man, a sales person, I make invoices and receives payment and I have to manage a book keeping, and so on and so forth. Let me know if a business can go run itself, then maybe I can be a jobless person.

I'm just starting and I'm not done yet. But for everything that I do now, I won't regret any single bit part of it. What I will regret, like Mark Twain said, is not trying to break all the comfort boundaries for that I will never discover that working (even if not paid) would be such a great pleasure!

How do you feel now after reading this? Still calm? Outraged? Whatever you do, do what makes you happy. I believe in finding your own happiness is key to give happiness to others, including your parents. And it's not easy but it's worth it :)

The one and only,

Bonjep | the B in FHAB | www.itsFHAB.com

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