There are fundamentally different types of people - some people see details while some see the big picture. It is important to understand these differences so that we fit into the right role in an organisation.

From a fresh graduate boasted with pride, it took me years to experience different things and see different parts of the world to gain a deeper understanding of the person I am and discover my strengths.

I am glad I didn’t doubt my ability when I performed poorly in the accounting firm.

A corporate dropout

In my first job as an auditor, I started to get used to 9-to-9 life, accepting boredom, lifelessness, and conformity as part of life.

When I had to vouch for a few hundred samples in one assignment, I spent days in a dim file room, digging through invoices, delivery notes, and payment vouchers.

In that confined dark space, I started to question myself, why are you vouching for documents? Are you growing? Is there any better way you can contribute to the society?

When I told myself that I was wasting life instead of time, it was such a strong word that it urged me to think deeper and take action.

Instead of forcing myself to fit in, I looked outside of the field. I was lucky to have the experience of barista as a point of reference, to know that there were works out there that bring me joy and satisfaction.

Honour your true desire

When I joined a start-up coffee chain, I stumbled upon the path of ‘working to learn’ at the start of my career.

Despite the shrink in the pay check, I knew the upside was limitless if I chose to explore different possibilities.

I knew that there was a voice, a desire, a feeling deep inside that will guide me towards the place I wanted to be.

I propelled when things worked out, I learned when I made mistakes.

There was no way to be sure that I was right, but I decided that I couldn’t go wrong doing things that give me the most energy, living in a story that I love.

Are you excited to wake up and go to work every day? Are you learning and growing doing what you do? What are the things that you enjoy the most and wish to do more?

When we become good at quitting the wrong things, we are free to commit fully to the right things.

Let them call you a quitter

Someone once commented that I quit the corporate world for an easy way out, and I didn’t have the stamina to survive in a competitive environment.

Despite feeling hurt, he made me review every life decision that brought me to that point.

I had quit a few things in life besides a corporate job: I quit imposing my rules on other people, owning stuff that I didn’t need, and chasing after money before I knew how to create value.

From the hindsight, quitting was more difficult than staying in comfort zone and following status quo. I went through hard struggle and summoned tremendous courage before stepping onto a path that nobody else did.

I had to understand what really mattered in my life in order to withstand stigma and criticism that came along with quitting.

I would not quit loving myself and people around me, learning, growing, and creating beautiful life experiences.

It was okay that they called me a quitter. I knew that I will spend my life doing things that I care enough not to quit.

My book 'The Art of Owning Your Story' will be launched on 31.3.2018. If you enjoyed what you read, leave your email here to get latest update about book launch and future events.