Life nowadays feels like going to a casino with no chance of winning double. Choices are scattered here and everywhere.  Yet, just few who is lucky enough to got a 21 worth of card.

First, I have a confession to make. I read a self-help book. I will let you laugh for a moment then I will continue to live :)) I don’t know why but I was just so curious what is it about Rene Suhardono, the famous career coach? Then I decided to take home his book. I’m not going to tell you the detail of the content here. You know, I judge people based on their writing. Because you can tell so much more by reading how they present themselves in words.  You can even guess in what mood they were writing (I’m not lying, sometimes it shows). So, reading Rene’s words is like seeing the example of people who is happy about things they’re doing. Rene is the living proof that you can find a job that followed your passion. Like I said, if you have passion big enough, like love, passion will find a way.

Couple of days ago, I had a conversation with some friends. A topic that you heard so often when you hit age like mine—life between job and passion. I’ve wrote some passage about life after college, about finding a job according to your passion. In other days, I wrote sentences that job and passion never crossed line anyway. I guess, I’m still trying to find the answer.

Along the way, time taught me to be wiser.

On that conversation with my friends, we happen to talk about one of my senior who got a really cool job as a Lighting Designer (amazing portfolio by the way). I have to admit, they are people who is fortunate and lucky enough to get a job on things they love (for that, I should really take a bow to each and every one of them). But, how about people who are not fortunate enough to have that kind of job?

Bravo, a friend of mine once told me about Nadia Mahatmi’s way of thinking. I’ve met Nadia in LFM, she is a Visual Communication Design student, graduated cumlaude on top of her class. According to Bravo, Nadia doesn’t really like design that much despite the fact that she has a talent for it. After graduated, she decided to become a teacher, which is her dream ever since. Bravo retold her sentence that surely became one of the most amazing things I’ve ever heard: if you have to do something that you don’t like, it doesn’t mean you have to be doing it badly.

Dang, what have I done? I got the point where you have to be responsible for your choices. That is why, no matter how bad my decision was, I always try to make the best of it. Hearing that thing, make me ashamed of myself. Admit it, you do have a moment to make excuses that the reason why you’re doing something so lousy is because you don’t enjoy doing it.

Finally, I found my answer.

The key is to hold on to your passion, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing right now. I just want all of you to remember: just don’t ever dim the fire. Don’t let anything take the passion out of you. The word passion might be a tricky part. For instance, you can misunderstand it as hobby. As for me, it is a fire that keeps you alive. Quoting from my favorite reality show, fire represents your life. Once it is snuffed, you are dead.

PS: On some other conversation I had, I’ve been asked by my friend about do I really wanted to be an engineer. I answered lightly, that if I have to choose where I want to work at, it would always be United Nation :)). My friend gave me this answer: “Hey, we wouldn’t get any younger.”. Then so what, I might not be younger, but I can always be young.

PSS: Yes, I do still wanted to become an engineer :D

Couple of weeks ago, I went to Bandung to attend April Graduation. Where two of the gentlemen, Angga and Praba, shared one of their best moments. Unfortunately, I came late (stupid decision really, traffic was hard, rain came hard) so I didn’t take picture with the two of them. But I met with some of my friend who graduated, gave some chocolate and card.

Then later that night, I went back to Jakarta with Ijul and Lukman. On our way home, so many conversations went up. Some were pretty emotional. Some were honest with a lot of sigh. Some were daily jokes. Alongside the road with Coldplay song, we went miles above the cloud.

This was the one that really struck me.

Each and all of us have dreams, or simply some things that you really want to achieve. It could be high between the stars, or something humble beneath the ground. I have mine, you might be. People sometimes wanted something. He/she fights so hard to get it, but life sometimes harder, and sometimes things went unplanned. What would you do if you realize that there is no chance to get that something?

The essence of a dream is to know what the purpose of it. By understand the purpose, wherever ground you’re standing on, theoretically you will always get that something. Maybe in a different reality. All roads lead to Rome. The solution of climate problem is not only by becoming a ministry of environment or starting a green campaign. The real heroes are the common people reducing their carbon footprint in their households, the people who switch off the lamp in daylight. 

Have you really got yours? Let’s do this homework first, then someday share me the story :)