What do you want to be?

Ever wondered why Malaysia has never produced any Nobel Prize Laureate? Even Pakistan and Bangladesh have their share of Nobel Prize Laureates. Why not Malaysia? After all, Malaysia is one of the leading developing countries. Besides that, the government is pushing all the cream of the crop into the science stream. Why did they not invent something revolutionary and rake in at least one or two Nobel Prizes for, say Physics and Biology?

Someone once gave me an answer to that question. One can only be successful when he or she has a passion for what he or she is doing. I can't help but to fully agree to the answer. How can one invent anything worth being nominated for the Nobel Prize when getting up for work every morning is such a dread, and life is merely a series of routines? A job, to them, is nothing but a means of staying alive and a stepping stone to achieving their desired lifestyle.

Of course, our education system and the Asian mindset of many of our parents contribute a lot to this social phenomenon. The straight As students must be placed in the science stream, whether or not they have genuine interest in science. The best of the best must go into medicine, as if the country can survive with nobody else but doctors alone. Parents tell their children that they must either take up law or medicine or business administration, then from there they can choose their desired career path. As though they have much of a choice after that. And the end result? Tonnes of students who hate what they are studying. Tonnes of working adults who get up for work every morning for the mere necessity of it.

When I was at the first crossroad of my life (after I finished my SPM), the usual question people asked me was "What are your future plans?" After I told them what I had in mind for my own future, they will gladly contribute their own opinions and suggestions. Are you sure that's what you wanna do? There's no prospect. You will not be able to make a living. Doing what you like is one thing, but you also have to be practical.

I guess it all boils down to your purpose in life: what you want to achieve in life. If you are in a pursuit for material wealth, perhaps the best option is to go for the most profitable career, say lawyer, doctor, or businessman. However, at the end of the day, you will only find that you are too exhausted to enjoy the abundance of wealth you have created for yourself. After all, you work for 30 years to fund the enjoyment in your twilight years that last for only 10 years, that is if you still have the blessing of good health by then. For me, it is the pursuit of fulfillment and self-satisfaction. It is a desire to fulfill my dreams and longings and to live a life on which I can reflect with a smile at my death bed.

Of course, we are always haunted by the practicality question of whether or not we will be able to make a living. Frankly, I think in Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur, staying alive is not a problem; getting rich and living in luxury are. I am certain that whichever career path you take, you will never starve to death by a street. Those who starve are those who are not willing to work at all.

Despite the sceptical comments I receive, I am determined to do what I really enjoy doing. I want to bring about a tide of change and to leave behind my footprints at least, in the course my life. I don't want to be contemplating my retirement at the age of 35. I don't want my life to be a dull set of routines that I despise, a boring series of obligations in which I am trapped and from which I am unable to free myself. So, despite what they say, I am going to do what my heart and my Lord are telling me to do. After all, someone has to do what no one wants to do. Where on earth do you think the pastors, social workers and entertainers come from if everyone decides to be a doctor, a lawyer or a businessman?

What do you want to be in the future? I want to be a wife, a mother, a writer and a servant of God.