“Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's funny how life works. You never know what to expect sometimes. Some people traverse the world in search of themselves in a quest to unlock the secrets of life and master it; I had one of these epiphanies in the comfort of my own home, through a conversation with the man whom I love, cherish and respect most in life: my father. And since I'm turning 21 in a matter of days, the timing couldn't be more perfect.

What began as a question about how CPF works soon evolved into a discussion about society, my aspirations and dreams, and how to live life. In that span of two hours, I acknowledged some of my worries and the fact that I still don't know what I really want since I have yet to truly ascertain my identity. I cannot tell you what my dream job is because I don't even know myself. There're just so many things I want to do and experience. In fact, when my dad asked, I told him that people I know or heard of generally don't or don't plan to switch jobs much, which is something I really don't want to do. I want to try several jobs and experience all that I can, constantly learning new skills and improving myself in the process. 

That being said, though I can't pinpoint my dream job exactly, I can certainly tell you what my dream is. I want to perform - sing and play the piano, play with a band etc. - on an average of once or twice a week, at gigs. In the day, I'd like to teach - not at a school, but as a private tutor or piano teacher. And I want to do freelance writing/blogging on a regular basis as well. That's not all. I also want to experience what it's like to do marketing. If possible, I want to open a music school when I'm older. 

This is the first time I've fully articulated everything I want to do, and it's a really long list, isn't it? Don't forget that this excludes things I want to learn and pursue in my free time, as well as my goals and hobbies. Plus, the list is non-exhaustive. As someone who's constantly exploring and has a pretty long list of interests, it's pretty impossible to finish listing everything I want to achieve and experience in my life. 

I was worried that my dreams were too wild and unrealistic. Most people I know plan on joining the private sector or government service, and yet I have never been very keen on either, especially the latter. Also, I never even gave much thought to joining the private sector until recently, with my newfound interest in marketing and the like. Apparently, the term 'self-employed' never once occurred to me, mainly because it seemed so uncertain and daunting. Sure, this option isn't rare, but neither is it common. My dad told me I can achieve all of this, and that I just need to work towards them while simultaneously not being afraid of my dreams and aspirations. And then he told me how important it was to be unafraid to dream big and imagine what it's like to live that dream. If you let fear inhibit you from daring to dream your wildest, one day it's going to cripple you. Like my dad told me, the world is my oyster. I'm at the age where I can explore my options. What's the worst that can happen to me? Failure. And is that really such a bad thing? I'm still young; failure is but a step in life's journey.

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” - Paulo Coelho 

If you've bothered to read to the end of my post, you're probably thinking that I'm just another wannabe blogger who's writing something so unbelievably cliché. Yet what I've just written are my true feelings. It's as if I just experienced an epiphany of sorts. Even though I've heard this all before, the timing and the way in which it was delivered to me was truly motivational. I have my amazing dad to thank for communicating all of this to me in a way that is fresh, relatable and so motivational. Thank you dad. Just a pity that I can't recount the entire conversation here, since it was so long and covered so many things, but then again I don't have to bare my entire heart out here anyway. ;)

(Regarding the title of this post, it's the motto from my primary school. As the pioneer batch of an unknown primary school with an unbelievably tiny cohort, the school had an excellent principal and motto - "courage to pursue your dreams." Excellent vision and motto indeed.)

And that's all for now.