I remember that I always knew what I wanted to do in life.

When I was in primary school, I wanted very much to be a doctor, to save lives. Much of this desire was influenced by my favourite aunt who was, then, studying in medical school. I remember playing with and being intrigued by the human skeleton model and the needles and syringes that she used in her studies. My grandmother, with whom I spent a lot of my childhood with, also constantly talked about how important it is to have a doctor at home.

By secondary school, I had set my sights on being a top surgeon in the medical profession and the subjects I chose to study were in line with this goal – pure sciences. This was also the time when my aunt graduated from university with her medical degree and started working in the public hospital system. I told her very proudly of my ambition and how I’d like to be like her.

However, the respond I received was somewhat shocking, “Don’t be a doctor. You’ll work like a dog.”

What??!!!

By the time I joined junior college for my A-levels, I had given up the dream of becoming a doctor. Instead, I decided that I should study and work in something that I enjoyed very much, as a hobby, which was computing and computers.

I then spent the next 5 years studying computers and obtained my first degree in Computer Engineering.

And guess what? By the time I graduated from university, I have decided that IT is not the type of work I want to do for the rest of my life (largely due to my internship experience and the boring classes in university). And I chose my life direction, yet again although vaguely, to be an educator and a life changer. But this time, I found this direction from deep within my heart and had it confirmed through experience, mentors, coaches, personality tests and inventories throughout the years since.

As many of you already know, I am today an educator and a businessman and enjoying every bit of it! I am not working in the IT industry per se and have never done so directly. I am doing what I am doing because I have discovered my purpose through lots of hard knocks and running around in circles not getting anywhere.

I may not be saving physical lives today, like what a doctor does, but I am changing lives and saving souls one at a time through education which I consider my calling in life.

Looking back, I realised that while I had direction at the various stages of my life, they were influenced very much by the people around me. During those times, I had never searched and discovered within myself the questions, “What difference do I want to make in this world?”, “What am I here for?” and “What is the purpose of my life?”

If your life choices were made by people other than yourself, it is time to rethink and re-choose. You have one life and it is yours to live to the full. Nobody can live it for you and nobody can be responsible for you.

It may take some time to discover and confirm your own direction but the time spent is well worth it. What is important is that you start looking out for it and it will find its way to you.