I started working in 2001, and I haven't stopped until I decided to move to the UK, where my husband lives. Like any new couple, we are just starting again in the world of marriage — emotionally and financially.
My husband has been supportive in both fields, whereas I had to stop working momentarily due to visa regulations. During these waiting times, I’m really contemplating on going back to a job I love to hate and working in a big corporation that I know I can quickly get into because:
Every time I keep on thinking of going back to an office setup, I want to throw up.
It’s ALL about the Benjamins.
It’s great to have money. Money can buy a house, groceries, tuition fees, travel, etc.
This was the reason I applied for a corporate job in the first place — the money.
To become a better assistant, I need to feed my boss’ ego. Their world is to be the center of the show and to be able to do that, and I had to be the ultimate assistant. I have to go out of my way to expand my tasks beyond my capabilities and usually make overtime kill to put in that extra effort.
I was proud of my craft. I was an expert in organizational skills, and I have literally taken my work as my own piece of art.
At the end of it all, their faces will be shining brightly in front of the biggest boss — the CEO. They are usually patted in the back and were given a pay rise.
As for me, the CEOs will look at me and wondering why I’m there.
They treated me like a machine until I became one.
In Bob’s Iger’s book ‘Ride of a Lifetime,’ he wrote:
The moment you look yourself in the mirror and see a title emblazoned on your forehead, you’ve lost your way. Wherever you are along the path, you’re the same person you’ve always been.
In my corporate job, I was given a title. My confidence was over the top, which then eventually turned into a liability.
I was a people pleaser and wanted to please everyone in the corporate world I lived in. I always try to outdo myself, and my colleagues will be amazed by what I can do for them.
I thought I was smart to think that this would be ideal for promotion, but it actually did the opposite. That means more tasks were needed to be done in less of a time because, for them, I'm MISS CAN-DO-IT-ALL. I was so burned out — I was emotionally and physically sick.
That same title was running my life. I was not me anymore. I was what people call me or think of me.
There are other times that they don’t know my name, but they know my title.
What I’ve stood for — my principles in life drowned in an instant.
It became a f***ing routine. I became a machine. Clock in and clock out of work. Do this and that. Don’t cry, what’s the use anyway.
I was on daily emotional torture until I got used to it. My salary was all that matters to me.
How I’ve fired my boss.
Before I’ve resigned from my corporate job, I’ve talked to two of my people — one is my husband, and the other is my mom.
My husband told me that eventually, I would figure it out, and he is there to support me.
My mother told me to put where my heart is. She wants me to be happy.
So one day, I gave my resignation and left.
Road to financial freedom.
After several attempts to figure out how to earn money independently, I decided to write and post what I love to talk about the most — my life journey and trading ideas.
And just like that, on July 7, after writing just a few articles here in Medium, I’ve received this in my email:
I cannot believe it! I was not curated (yet), but it’s really possible to earn without pleasing anyone but oneself.
The amount is not to be brag about, but the possibility of being paid for doing what I’ve loved to do is absolutely the best feeling in the world.
Including,
As of yesterday, July 9, I made $124 in a day of trading cryptocurrency. Trading is also one of my favorite things to do, and I love to make money using this platform.
Never give up on your dream.
I am now in the center of my life, where I am trying several sources of income using just my own brain cells and my laptop.
Money is the worse foundation of doing something I regret. It’s not going to last if the passion and excitement are gone. If what I’m doing now does not have any purpose in life aside from money, I know that I’m on the wrong path.
My life purpose feeds my soul, and my dream is simple — I want to earn money by doing my own thing.
Yesterday, my daughter reminded me that in life, there would come a time that we will ‘shine.’
I am still unsure of what this future holds, but for now, I’m trying to figure out different patterns where I can have freedom doing what I love and earning from it by BEING A BOSS OF MY OWN WORLD.