Q2 )what is the toughest experience / road that you had to go through in your career
perseverance is actually very important. There comes a time where i have to go through the entire year with no income and literally only have RM 5,000 in my bank account to survive for 12 months. I live on breads most of the time.
Movies, karaoke, Starbucks coffee, clubbing / bars, and even just a maggi goreng has become a luxury item to me. I live on debts. At times i don't even have enough to have my lunch for the sake of injecting fuel into the car. My breakfast are resort to a bowl of wantan mee shared between two individuals. I have to also hold on to my urge or drinking only plain water when i was out during those "yam cha" session with friends.
Every cents counts.
For that I have to work part time every weekends and holidays. When everybody is shopping or relaxing during the weekends, I am there standing at every mall or exhibitions from 10 am to 10 pm. My cheap and lousy shoe makes standing long hours a difficult task.
sure enough i was being label as cheap skate or a cheap bastard many times. I was being criticize that my career path is a wrong move not to mention being look down upon. Many times.
That's my first year
My second is as bad. However due to strict financial control, our company begin to flourish. Allowance are given on my second year. It's a better news but not a good one because the allowance does not even exceed RM 1,000. However due to the strict regime that i have maintain, i manage to stay afloat or should i say alive.
This time around, not only do i work part time on weekends but also on evenings from Monday to Friday which normally ends at 10.30 pm. I remember rushing to do my part time after a brief movie session with my then partner. It's always rushing and working for me. Its keep going and pushing all the time.
Due to financial constrain, i have to also do many logistic myself. Carrying heavy machines, deliver machines and also doing demos. I also end up doing many advertising and promotion material for our customers. Designing leaflet and banners, video editing and even setting up exhibition booth all by ourselves.
It was an exhausted 24 months. I'm weary and is just plain burn out.
Not knowing how to balance between love life and career then, there are times where my relationship would take a hit thus causing massive upset in my emotion state, however in regards of how terrible i felt, i need to wear a mask and soldier on while doing fake laugh the next day. This continue to the next week, the next month and so forth. Its about biting the tongue, picking myself up and just soldier on.
For a moment i tell myself how sweet sweat and tears taste, and that it's a grand substitute to water. An occasion slap to the face is needed to remind myself that i shall not give up. There is even a time i tell myself to see if i can push myself to the brink of mental breakdown.
While doing all this, i at the same time is pursuing my MBA and later on my Phd.
That's what i call a mental torture.
I survived and is now entering the 7th year of my entrepreneurship.
That 24 months is to me, the toughest road i have to go through in my career.
My experience studying abroad couldn't even prepare me for that kind of hardship but it has provide a good foundation for me so that i dont give up easily and only focus on working hard.
So every time i hear how some people are working hard to chase for their "career glory / successful career" but is at the same time spending time playing sports, drinking tea, watching weekly sport games, going to movies / karaoke or playing video / computer games. That is not even a fraction of what i consider as working hard. Just a mockery of what hard work means.
Q3) what kind of ritual do you perform every morning before work
Nowadays i just listen to great musics before i go to work.
However i must shower every morning and during every shower, its when i let the water soak. Pumping myself up telling myself that i'm the best. That i am superman, nothing in the world can touch me. Bullets shot will ricochet. Stones and arrows will not break me.Critics is after all only words and opinions of others.
I live by the quote below
"We who are truly brave will have no fear / pain, for those who try to bring fear / pain in us, i say JUST BRING IT"
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