Finding Purpose

I am an avid believer of working towards a purpose. As opposed to a mere interest, purpose drives and pushes you beyond borders. It doesn’t come and go like motivation. It lives inside of you.

It’s a part of you.

And yet for the last 10 years, I cannot recall a single moment where I was working towards something meaningful. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy the work I have done so far, but I was never working for something bigger than myself… until my daughter was born in November 2024.

That was the day my life changed. The birth of my daughter astoundingly shifted my outlook in career, life, finance, and especially, time and purpose.

Time, the most valuable asset in the whole universe. Once gone, it cannot be brought back to life. Of all living beings in history for the past billions of years, regardless of their status, wealth, health, job, and relationship, not a single one have survived the test of time. We are all destined to die, one day.

Unknowingly, my daughter has pointed me to find my purpose. To work on something that is worth my time, that is worth more than simply multiplying X amount of hours by $ per hour. As cliche as it sounds, please allow me to say it: to work on something meaningful and beneficial for other people at a grander scale.

Growing up, my identity have been sculpted by my interest in science, research, academia, and sharing stories. In Grade 4 primary, I had my first taste of having my writing published by a well-known kids magazine at the time. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed writing back then, but I sure do enjoy sharing stories. Every time I encounter an interesting article on the magazine, I ran to my teacher and share that story with her. (Thank you, Ms. Easter, for being very patient in hearing those stories).

If you haven’t connected the dots by now, let me help you. The main reason I started writing LessonsLearned is because this is a channel that checks all of my definition of working towards a purpose. LessonsLearned exists to translate science into four-minute Saturday reads anyone can understand. If one story pushes a policymaker, sparks a startup, or helps a reader in taking care of their sick family, that is beyond any monetary value I can imagine. And no matter how difficult, because I know that it’ll be worth it for my daughter’s generation and beyond, I will keep on writing.

If my mission resonates, subscribe and meet me here every Saturday. Let’s spend our time on ideas that outlive us.