Whatever you do, do your best!

 

I often hear people saying that they only want to do things that they like. They think they will not be able to put their heart and soul into something that they don't love. In fact, I have used this philosophy as a guide to my study and career path. It makes sense actually because life is easier if you love what you do. And you will naturally love something that you are good at.

It also helped that I did not have too many options to choose from. I would have wasted a lot of time just wondering what to choose and still wonder whether I made the right choice, rather than putting my time and energy into it.

Here's the funny thing.

I don't mind learning things that I used to dislike now. And things that I used to love doing, I am less motivated to do them now. Why the change of heart? Perhaps I feel that I have accomplished what I have set out to do and would now like to do something new. Or perhaps I realized that the world is not ideal and I am sick of being part of it. The bottom line is, I think, I have come in full circle.

When I was in my upper form, I was very privileged to have very good teachers. One of my teachers spent considerable efforts to encourage and motivate me in my studies. Of course, it helped that I did well in his subjects but I did not allow my head to grow too big. Anyway, I visited his home during my school holidays. He gave a piece of advice to his young, seven-year-old(I think) son that I can never forget. He said, "Whatever you do, do your best".

Although the advice wasn't meant for me, I cherished it like it was mine. Although I did not appreciate the meaning of it, I safeguarded it in my heart like a sacred key. This is probably the key to unlock the secret of happiness and success.

 

I think if you always wait for something you like to arrive, you may wait forever. This is because when it arrives, you will be too busy brooding over the matter to notice it. You could have gone on to achieve a lot of success had you put your one hundred percent focus in it. There is a saying that happiness is right in front of you. Who knows, when you do well, you will begin to love what you do.

I think life is like a dance. Your dance partner is experience. Let your partner show you the steps instead of rejecting her. Maybe you don't really know who you want to be. But if you dance your way through life and just take whatever comes along gleefully, you may very well become the person that you love.