Thursday, October 1, 2015

Shoot For The Stars

It felt like only yesterday I quit my job.

In real time, it has been months - the best months of my life I ever had for a very, very long time.

Yes, I am free. No, I've not taken a long sabbatical to go holidaying.

Two years ago, I talked a lot about changing lanes and climbing peaks. Well, here I am again, at the cusp of change. But this time, the shift is even more tectonic and the aim much higher.

Yes, at long last, I'm shooting for the stars.

To infinity - and beyond!

Who Am I, Where Am I Going?

On one hand, it may seem like I'm a tempestuous soul. Always restless, easily bored, never staying put in one place for long. As capricious as the wind. As flower-hearted as Taylor Swift.

On the other hand, it may seem like I'm a stable rock. Always having delusions of grandeur and being preachy about what other people should and should not do with their lives, yet never having the balls to make a real change myself. As sure as the sunrise. As dull as Americans voting another Clinton or Bush for president.

My own take? I haven't been moving fast enough and breaking stuff (except maybe hearts).

It took me, what, two and a half years to finally move out of my comfort zone and strike down a new and unknown path? That's not fast enough. In that space of time, oil price has fallen by half, the EU is on the brink of splintering apart, and Hollywood released another dozen or so (mostly shitty) Marvel movies.

I'm a bundle of conflict. Caught between two generations - my elders treasure loyalty and stability, my juniors long for adventure and independence. Split between two minds - trained in law to take incremental steps of progression, spurred by my creative side to break down barriers and reshape the world.

Finally, after years of turmoil, the youthful rebel in me has broken free.

Move like a ninja, break stuff like Godzilla

Why Now, What Next?

Did I not like my cushy corporate job? I enjoyed its wonderful perks. I travelled and learn a lot. I even won some local award.

So why quit now, when I'm on a roll?

I was happy, yes. But pursuing for happiness has never been my end goal - I draw happiness from the pursuit itself.

I felt I wasn't learning fast enough, and contributing much enough. I felt there was more in me that I could offer - to my company, to society, and to myself. I was scaling the peaks of corporate, for sure. But it's still a slow and sedentary climb. I was treading down a well-trodden path treaded by thousands before me. The scenery was gorgeous, for sure. But I wasn't exploring anything that hadn't been explored before.

I want to break new ground. I want to conquer new peaks. I want to create value out of nothing.

I'm still young, and full of energy. Now's the best time as any.

So what next?

Together with a friend, we plan to start a social digital revolution. The likes of which the world has never seen before (or at least not in the great magnitude and depth we envision it to be). We are not the first persons to conceptualise such a thing, of course. Others have tried before us, and either failed or are still struggling to make their mark.

It's a daunting peak. We're not even sure if it's scalable - or worst of all, that it even exist. We're just setting out to traverse unknown frontiers, hoping to find the peak that lies (or so we hope) beyond the misty mountains. If the peak isn't there, not to worry - we'll just figure out how to build it from scratch.

The end goal is to reach the stars, no matter what it takes.


Quit when you're winning (and boring)

Wait.... So What Next?

So what the hell am I up to exactly?

I'll save that story for another day. I just took the first few steps of my new, long and perilous journey, days ago. There's not much to tell, for now.

But in time, all will be gradually revealed.

Watch this space. Watch for the stars. I'll be there, twinkling back. Beckoning you onward and upward to join me, at a new paradise, amongst the stars.


3 comments :