HOORAY! And so, I have officially ended my final semester of University life! (That is, if I clear all my modules)

Towards the end of school, I had different ones coming up to me and asking me :

‘What’s next?’

Don’t we all get that so often? It really set me thinking about my future.

As a young person living in Singapore, there are so many pressures from every angle. The cost of living here is getting more expensive every year, and everyone is moving so fast to get their life going after their education. The stress of conforming to expectations of society has locked us up in this vicious system. As young as we may be, the burden and responsibility for our family and future forces us to make decisions quickly and without much consideration.

Family, friends, and peers have their opinions about what you should do:

“Oh why don’t you just sign on?”

“How about getting a job in the bank/MNC?”

“Why not try a few years working in civil service?”

I admit that I was in this mode for a period of time. I spent so much time listening to everyone’s opinion on ‘Who I should become’ that I didn’t take time to ask myself ‘What I really wanted to do’.

If you are at this similar stage of your life and you are actually thinking about ‘What’s next?’ or trying to find out the purpose of your life, I recommend you to STOP listening to voices from outside and START listening to what’s inside your heart.

It is not about what others want you to do, it is about what YOU want to do.

You are the leader of your own destiny, the captain of your own ship.

Don’t waste your efforts doing what somebody else wants you to do.

Don’t spend your time working so hard for someone else’s dream, and not your own.

YOLO (You Only Live Once), so make it count.

Ask yourself 3 things:

1) Am I passionate about this?

2) Do I see myself doing this in the long run?

3) Am I satisfied with the returns (financially/holistically)?

If you know the answer to these questions, you should know what is it you really want to do next.

I hope my post helped and all the best!