Hello World!

Why 'Living In Transition'?
Cos that's what I'm doing right now. Just left something solid and comfortable to move on to something else. That's how life works isn't it? First School, then Work, Family, Retirement. Somewhere in between Work & Family, I decided it was time to do something different with my life, and that time is NOW, or I might wake up one day and find it's too late to try something new because of age or infirmity.

I like what Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO, says in his book Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built A Company One Cup At A Time -
"It's one thing to dream, but when the moment is right, you've got to be willing to leave what's familiar and go out to find your own sound."

Interestingly, I first came across this concept of finding your own "sound" in Stephen Covey's latest book, The 8th Habit. He talks about finding your own "voice" and using it to influence others.

This is a concept that really appeals to me right now. I am working hard to get past that difficult first stage so that I can live this way for a long time without being forced to go back to a full-time day job. It means a lot to me to succeed at my dreams, because I can then become a testimony for other seekers. To paraphrase youth champion Elim Chew, you don't succeed just for yourself. You succeed so you have something to give back to others.

My twin passions: Writing...

Right now, I have 2 passions: Writing and Counselling. I've loved writing since I was in school. Rhyming verse, short stories, songs, I had great fun with all of them.... till my late teens, when the gift mysteriously dried up. Since then, I've not written a single song or poem that I truly like! I like to think I was given that gift for a reason - to help me cope with that period of my life when I needed it most.

Now, I'm into commercial copywriting, corporate literature, ghostwriting, editing and proofreading. (I might be what some call anal-retentive; I can't let a piece pass without looking out for possible typos!) How did I get into this? Through referrals. I was able to try out copyediting, proofreading, translation for commercial ads, and I decided I liked it enough to keep at it.

...And counselling/befriending/nurturing/encouraging/coaching
In my old workplace, I was a popular choice whenever someone had a work issue or a relationship issue to get off their chests. I've been told I'm a good listener and I demonstrate empathy. All I know is I enjoy helping people voice their dreams and fears and helping them get past barriers (self- or others-imposed) that are keeping them from being happy, balanced, contributing individuals. My mum has a different take on it though - when I was in school, I used to get a lot of calls from friends who just wanted to chat about problems they had, and my mum would accuse me of being a busybody and nag me to get back to my books.

I was privileged to attend the first-ever NUS Career Counselling Conference in May, and to lap up all the wisdom of these career counselling academics from the University of Columbia-Missouri. That was heady in itself, but in July, I had an even more wonderful time at Worklife Asia's Career Development & Performance Coaching Certification Program. It was a 3-day intensive program and cost a lot of money, but I believe knowledge is an investment that pays off immeasurable dividends. I'm glad I had the opportunities I had to talk to people in the industry (a relatively new one in Singapore) and to explore the idea of joining them someday.

Resources I find particularly helpful are The Career Counselor's Handbook (Figler and Bolles) and What Colour Is Your Parachute? (Bolles) Best of all, they're available at the library so I can enjoy a cuppa (courtesy of the pre-paid Cool Card or Beverage Card) while reading up on transferable skills, the Flower diagram and the RIASEC code.

Why career counselling in particular?
Cos it's all about helping people look towards the future, instead of staying trapped and victimized by their pasts. Lots of people need guidance about course options and career choices, whether they're young and impressionable (especially so!) or in between jobs. Who knows, I might have taken a different path had I received career guidance as a student!

In the meantime, I practise my skills on friends and anyone who's interested. People are always keen to talk about themselves, to know where their strengths are and what jobs they can consider. I think just the idea of IMAGINING a different lifestyle - with all the myriad different possibilities - is an adventure in itself.

Why did I quit?
I was well-paid and well-respected in my old workplace. I had made some really good friends. It was a comfortable environment to be in. But it wasn't enough. The routine was getting painful. I wasn't playing to my strengths and I was starting to feel like a fraud. I was like the proverbial duck, all cool and calm on the exterior but paddling furiously underwater. Time poverty was another major issue. I had so many other interests and no time to pursue them because after-work hours were for family.

But to make that comfort zone leap, I had to mentally let go of the FEAR. Fear of not having enough and possibly having to downgrade. Fear of living on one income. Fear of what my folks might say. Fear of what peers might think. Fear of making a wrong move and being told, "See? I told you so."

The greatest was the not-enough-money fear. I've always been a spender, and have only recently started investing in unit trusts (I know, the returns can't compare with stocks, but let's do this slowly). I haven't got 6 months' savings set aside like the experts recommend. Thanks to years of aimless and impulsive spending and lack of clear financial goals, my bank statement is a personal embarrassment.

But you know what they say about being at the bottom; the only way is UP!

For now, I aim to keep expenses to a minimum. I let my live-in maid go when her contract ended, and when my part-time maid decided to leave too, I didn't rush to find a replacement. There will be no expensive facials/manicures/pedicures/massages once my prepaid packages run out. Instead, I plan to make do with OTC skincare products and to spend more time exercising to get that natural glow.

What got me out of my rut?
A very simple thought. Basically, I asked myself, if I didn't make a change now, then when? When I'm 45? 55? 62? When I'm too old, too weak, too infirm? The answer was obvious.

On my way to a new life
So here I am, out on a wing and a prayer, launching my career as a freelance writer (for starters). I bought Peter Bowerman's excellent e-book The Well-Fed Writer, and reactivated my distance writing course with The Writers Bureau, Manchester, UK.

I've also started actively networking for clients, something I've never done nor had a need to do. Meeting strangers is scary enough for a wallflower like me. Asking them for business? That's worse. But a gal's gotta live. As they say, if you don't believe in yourself, who will?

The other day, I attended my first networking function and handed out some business cards (which I'd designed myself using MS Publisher and printed off my Brother MFC!). Just the act of handing out those cards validated my new calling. And from the responses I got when I introduced myself as a freelance writer, it looks like lots of businesses out there need help with their writing needs. Just what I need!

Cheers.