When I graduated from university in 2019, my heart was filled with a mixture of sadness and excitement. Sad because I loved (still do) Malaysia. Excited because I was finally on my way to realize my dreams.
Fast forward 3 months and I was depressed. I hated my work, I felt stuck as ever in a rat race and often times I’d be walking and had to fight back tears when I think about what my life had become.
About 2 years and 8 months later, I finally managed to secure a new job and while it isn’t perfect, I feel much more happier, fulfilled and lighter. Life isn’t a movie. You don’t get all the cards dealt that you like. There will always be a large gap between your expectations and reality.
But we always strive for better, don’t we?
In the 2 years and 8 months I was left hating how I spent the majority of my days, I strived constantly for better. 99% of the time I came up short. The number of days I spent in that 99% were sometimes soul-crushing because I couldn’t see even the slightest chance I get what I want.
For those of you who are stuck in your 99% for things that are much more tragic than not finding a job that you love, I hope you will consider the two most important lessons I learnt to make waiting to get to the final 1% more bearable.
Appreciate People; family and friends. I realized I have a chance everyday to build a new memory that I will cherish. I wished there was a way to know when I was in the Good Old Days, so I decided to try my best to make each day worthy of being a “Good Old Day” one day
Cut Yourself Some Slack; in first few months after university, I couldn’t accept what my life had become so I doubled down in trying to create a life I would enjoy. I quit watching TV Shows because I thought I was being irresponsible by not hustling towards a more desirable future. The fact was (and will always be), when things aren’t going according to our plans we need to be kinder to ourselves. Make life easier. In an ideal world I would have aimed for 100%, but the world isn’t ideal so I am going to aim for 50% and use the rest of my energy to binge watch TV Shows and eat junk food.
Life sucks. The people you surround yourself with, and yourself help to make it better.