… I stepped out of my comfort zone and followed my passion, to become a full time wedding photographer after moonlighting for 3 years. I have been planning for that day for some time. But everytime, something will stop me, telling me… it’s a dead end there, don’t go. It’s the voice of uncertainty. It keeps repeating over and over again. I spoke to people around me and the result was, 50-50.
Dad asked, “why?”.
Mum said “if you are happier that way…”.
Ron said, “come join us!”
Ead said, “Fasten your seatbelts” <=== i can't be sure of the exact words, but you get the impression. Heng gave me a book during my birthday the year before, titled, Whatever you think, think the opposite by Paul Arden. On page 62, I found this,
A young man worked as a runner in an advertising firm.
One day he said to his manager, ‘i’m leaving. I’m going to be a drummer.’
The manager said, ‘I didn’t know you played the drums.’
He replied, ‘I don’t, but I’m going to.’
A few years later that young man played in a band with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, and it was called Cream, and the young man’s name was Ginger Baker.
He became what he wanted to become before he knew he could do it.
He had a goal
The events that led to me resigning was pretty funny. After my holiday in Taipei, I came back to office, still in holiday mood. Then I made a casual remark, “don’t feel like working…”. My colleague heard that and for the next 5 days, he will come to me everyday and ask, “when are you quitting? Must tell me ok?”. Coupled with my intention to leave, I thought, damn it… let’s just do it! So I told him I’ll resign the next day. That night, I typed my resignation letter and the next day, I was on my gardening leave:)
I remembered how my manager asked me, “what are you going to do?”. I said I want to be a photographer. He went “you know, you have a good degree and a stable job, why do this (you know the typical stuff)?” I quoted some examples and about pursuing a passion. But inside me, I wasn’t sure. One year on, today, I have an answer for him.
The whole episode only hit me a day later, I went, “what have you done?”
From then on, I knew, I was on my own. Today, I look back… no regrets.
To the ones that helped me and believe in me over this period of uncertainty, thank you, thank you very much.
