Do what you love, love what you do

Find a career with your resume, find a dream job with your heart.

"Love what you do and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center or your life." - Ray Bradbury

Imagination should be the center of your life.

That should be the part of the quote you remember, not those before it. Little that you know, there is absolutely no way you can ever love what you do when you're doing it solely to pay the bills. No way. A lousy job is not a girlfriend, you don't get engaged and pretend you love it, then tells everyone "I love my job". You must first know it in your guts that you're going to love that job, picks up the skills to do it, then do it ... and never turn back. The bills should pay by themselves. Otherwise, you have chalked up too much to pay, or you should re-prioritize.

Now THAT is doing something you love.

Doing something you love has everything to do with character. You don't give a damn about what people say, you don't care how much you'll need to sacrifice, and you don't care how much hard work you will need to put into acquiring the skills in order to do it. You will start from ground up, you will get what you want, you will get there, and you'll never turn back.

Never quit, no matter what people say.

I don't know about other countries, but the moment a Malaysian decides to go overseas to work, people will ask you "What about your parents? What about your financial commitments? What will happen if your love ones falls sick and you couldn't get back on time? Are you willing to leaving everything behind? What about your wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend?" Get back on time for what ... the funeral? Oh my God! People throw impossible questions into your head, and instead of finding answers, you'd soon find yourself perfect excuses. In the end, when the excuses overwhelms you, you quit. Just like that.

People are afraid of commitments.

Many people are so deep into the rat race, they have chalked  up enough loans and used up enough credit, the installments and repayments would last a LIFETIME. How would an average executive from Kuala Lumpur quit his job to be a bartender at the Maldives? Or become a DJ in a Hawaiian dance club? No way! He will need to be at least in his 50s before he can go chasing after his dreams. By then, either he is rich with retirement money but too weak, or still physically strong but flat broke.

If you don't have a 'dream job', find one.

Remember the day you forced yourself to work because you have to pay back the Government study loan? Remember the day your parents asked you to work because you have to be a good son/daughter and give them some money when your pay comes out? You owe it to the Government, you owe it to your parents. But what about yourself? Do you owe it to yourself that you worked through college and university, got yourself a lousy job (which was good at first I am sure) ... underpaid, over-worked, enslaved, abused and burned out. You mean you owe THAT yourself? You deserve it? Sure.

I leave it to you. Think about it. Turn those thoughts into a decision, a decision into determination, and determination into action. A Thai once told me "If a monkey rattle his cage hard enough, one day it's going to get out".

Be a monkey.