When I was 6 years old, my dad asked me what I had wanted to be, and I answered (quite enthusiastically, I might add),"A funfair ticket seller!". Needless to say the whole family laughed. They asked me,"Why on earth would you want to be a funfair ticket seller?" but I couldn't answer because I didn't know why.
Now, please hold that thought as I talk about what may seem unrelated. It will make sense in a minute, I promise.
When I turned 29 years old, I started to feel a little bit anxious. The reason is that in my mind, turning 30 is a very big deal. It meant that I should be established, married with kids and own a car as well as a house. It meant that I should know what I am doing and where I am going with my career and life in general. At that time I was feeling a bit lost and so, you can probably imagine my anxiety at the prospect of having to figure EVERYTHING out within the next 12 months in order to prove that I am a successful human being.
I started reading a lot of self-help books and watched motivational videos. I came across a book about discovering one's true passions and it prompts us with questions. The first one was "What did you first wanted to be?" And I remembered that I wanted to be a funfair ticket seller. The next question was "Why?". As a child I didn't know the answer and I never gave it much thought as an adult because it was a source of embarrassment for me.
But when I actually sat and thought about it, a sliver of memory came back. It was of me seeing my dad giving the funfair ticket seller money and getting a piece of paper (ticket) in return. In my young mind I was thinking,"Wow, you could get money by giving people a piece of paper?!". I was very attracted to that exchange, the exchange of money for goods.
I also enjoyed myself at the funfair very much and didn't want to leave. I thought the ticket seller was so lucky for being at such a fun place all the time. Hence, the ambition to become a funfair ticket seller.
I then reflected back on my life growing up and realised that I had always been selling something at some point in my life. In fact, my first "sales gig" was at 7 years old when I took some seeds and beans from my dad's drawer and sold them off to my friends as vitamins that would make them smarter. (To those reading this, if you were one of my
Then in primary school there were those name cards where you could choose the designs and write down your name and address or quotes. Oh, I sold stickers as well back then. In high school I sold mail order accessories and string accessories I made myself. I was also the school's Ahli Koperasi and religiously came early to open the koperasi.
In uni I sold reload coupons, snacks and instant noodles. In my final semester I also actively helped friends to sell food at the uni's Ramadhan Bazaar even though I didn't have a share in the venture. Honestly during all those times I did business, it was for the pure enjoyment of getting money for goods provided and not because I needed the money desperately.
Another aspect of sales that I enjoy above all others is the consultation part. For me it's like finding a missing piece in a puzzle picture and figuring out how to create a puzzle piece that not only FITS the missing shape, but COMPLETES the picture as well. When the picture becomes complete and the sale is closed, that my friends, is the most satisfying part of all.
The funny thing is, I have never really done sales in my career before because for one thing I didn't have my own transport and I didn't know how to drive until these past 2 years. However, I realized that most of my employers have always passed 'sales-y' tasks to me even as a trainee, from courtesy calls to site inspections. Imagine that? Mimang ada putungan dari dulu la bah kunun tu kan? Hehehe...
Now that it is 2 more months before I turn 30 years old, I am no longer that anxious. Sure, I am still unmarried but I am sure he is on his way. Yes, I am still stuck with my job but I have my LaSoul Skincare business which gives me so much satisfaction. I know where I am headed and I am working towards that goal, in shaa Allah.
So if you are out there struggling to know what your passion is, just ask yourself what was it that you first ever wanted to be (without the influence of anyone)? It doesn't matter if it is deemed as utterly ridiculous by others. Own it. Next question is why? I hope that these questions will be able to help you, just as it had helped me.
See you in the next post lovelies!
Love,
Phy
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