At this age, I must say it is really difficult for one to continue and stay at where they are. We must move on. Unless we are not provided with the opportunity, or have not even seen the opportunity, otherwise it is really difficult for us to just sit back and give ourselves a pat on our own backs for whatever we have achieved so far.
There are two reasons for saying so: Firstly, at this age, I have realised all that I have achieved are only medals achieved for competing in a fish tank. Just too meagre, and sad to say, useless and insignificant. Secondly, I have am starting to know people with great ambitions, working on them, and making progress. Looking to them, what great importance are certificates of merit and distinctions in studies are people talking about?
What is important is direction. Gone are the days where I only worry if I should attend tutorials or lectures. Gone are the days where my greatest concern was whether I could achieve distinction so that letter ‘A’s and *s could decorate my certificate of graduation. Unless it could guarantee an income that can put my life at ease, where I could stop worrying about being able to feed myself, live in a good property, ability to have my own car, and most importantly, free myself from the possible crisis that might arise due to sudden fall of critical illness on my family or myself, a good certificate is only a piece of good looking paper. I realised a good degree, be it masters or sometimes even doctorate degree, is only a key to a good job, a good job that only served the purpose of the bosses. Thinking back, I felt that I had been rather foolish to treat failing a certain exam as the end of the world.
Recently, whenever I enter McDonald’s and see the people over the counter slogging their guts out just for a meagre pay, I couldn’t help it but to ask myself: Do I want to be like them and work all their lives for some other people but only to earn a meagre pay? Why should I slog my guts out to work for others, when they are as many opportunities out there to make others work for me?
It took me a while to come to this conclusion. All my life, I have been brought up to believe in the absolute importance of a degree, such that without it, i would die. I was rather doubtful with any other ways that seemed to promised success without a degree.
But now, I have become convinced in doing otherwise. I was with somebody today who told me: "Statistics have shown, no millionaires in this world have achieved their financial status by solely holding a stable job and working for others." This was a big wake up call for me. I have never realised that there are too many people in this world who dreams to be a millionaire, but at the same time only believe in a stable income and working for others all their lives. I concluded I will not want to be like that. I don’t want to work for others all my life. Achieving financial freedom is not only a dream anymore.
A stable income can never guarantee the freedom from suffering when crisis hits. I will not want it to become a family crisis if any of my family members go down with any illness. I shall strive for my family, my loved ones, and my future family. They shall not suffer under any materialistic cause. It is time I pay back and show my gratitude to them for nurturing me into a strong and able 20 years old man. It shall be my motivating force.
One good friend told me: "If you want to do it, nothing can stop you from doing it. You will go all out to destroy any obstacles that stands in between you goal and you."
Nothing shall stop me.
