Follow The Usual Path or Follow Your Dream?

This is a question as old as the universe. (Well, not that old but it's old)

Have you pursued a degree just because all the people around you expected you to take up? Like studying for medicine, law or architecture? But in the end, you found it wasn't what you wanted and you felt really empty inside you?

Or, like me, perhaps you have studied for a subject you really like but found that the work that the society has for you is not that stimulating after all? 

Then, just like me, you want to strike out on your own. You want to do something you are good at or are passionate about. You find that it is time to do so because you realise there isn't much point working all your life making the company your work for becoming richer. Maybe, like me, you want to live a more purposeful life. You want a more flexible work schedule. You want to leave a legacy behind.

If you have the aptitude, good for you, because you will most likely succeed. However, for the rest of us ordinary people, you must have been warned by your loved ones that it's too risky.  

I am going to tell you the truth. Yes, they are right. But that doesn't mean it should stop you from pursuing your passion, your dream. Although we see many businesses succeeding, the truth is that a lot more do fail. Out of 10 businesses, only 1 may eventually succeed. You have a 90 percent chance of failure, so to say.

Trust me. I've been through it. When I stopped myself from pursuing my passion and asked myself to concentrate just on my day job, I found terribly empty. When I quitted my job to pursue my passion, I found I couldn't sustain myself and had to go back to the job market to look for a job.

So what's my answer to you?

Keep your job and start a sideline pursuing your passion, until you are able to replace what you are earning at your day job with what you earn in your sideline. Follow both the conventional path and your dream at the same time. But not for too long. Always find ways to automate your business so that you can scale up your sideline without you becoming more busy. And now, you can step back more and focus even more on areas that you truly care about. For me, it has always been access to good education and healthcare for the less privileged people in the world.

What's your decision?

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