Weekend Engagement - Walking My Own Path

Explain how you have changed in the last twenty years, how, why and how that change has affected your life using examples.

Twenty years ago, I was still schooling, and life was still very much simple back then. Fast forward to now, I have grown so much and learnt so much about life, but at the same time, I think I haven't changed much as a person with regard to personality and my own beliefs and principles.

One, I have learnt to be more independent. When I was a teenager, there were many pillars of support that I could rely upon. But when I am an adult, there are many things that I have to rely upon myself, be it taking care of my good health, be disciplined about my lifestyle habits, earning my own keep and managing my expenses, or managing interpersonal relationships with loved ones, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. It sounds weird, but life forces one to grow up indeed.

Two, I have become less trusting. This might sound like a negative change, but hear me out and I hope you will appreciate my perspective. I used to be very trusting and treat promises and commitments very seriously, but over the years, I realised most people are half serious, or are just white lies or blatant lies. Regardless of their objectives or agendas, I feel like that's the state of the world/reality that we live in right now. Even between friends or colleagues in the workplace, there will be people who can say you are their best friend but behind your back, they will sabotage you. Of course, on the flipside, it's not always a good thing to build these defences around you, but it's probably the lesser evil in my view.

Three, and most importantly, I have learnt to walk my own path. You know, there's always this talk about the "model life" for everyone. Study well and get good grades in school, get into university and get a degree, find a well paying job, find a boyfriend/girlfriend, get married and have kids... You get what I mean. At the risk of sounding a little rebellious, I don't subscribe to this "model life" as I gradually grow older because I think everyone has a choice on how they want to lead their lives. There's nothing wrong if one doesn't have a degree, or doesn't have kids, it's really up to the individual. As long as the individual is happy, that's good enough, isn't it? Of course, they are certain "consequences" for our personal choices within the society, but at the end of the day, it's never worth it to trade one's happiness and well-being to force fit into the mould.

So that's me! Striking out my own path in life! (Nah I am kidding.) Fans of Demon Slayer manga series might know this character, but fictitious characters aside, I thought this photo resonated with me because it shows that we are all fighting our battles day to day.

So that's my sharing this weekend! Let me know if you have any comments, and have a great weekend ahead!