Story #3: The Passion Pursuivant

I work behind the desk when I work in my home country. Most of the time, I was just sitting there, did nothing. It was good if you see it from the amount of money that I got, but for me, it was not good for my existence as a human. I felt like I was not important. If I weren’t there, nobody notice. My position could be replaced by other people without any one notice. At that point, I realized that I had to do something else.

She talked with her soft voice but her eyes showed confidence.

I, a completely new player in the real world, listened to her carefully, matching her story with my own experience.

When she was a student, she joined camps abroad to do some volunteering activities. She met a lot people from all over the world. And the most important thing: she felt she did something for herself and also for others. She felt that those activities changed her as a person. That was why she wanted to do the same for students nowadays.

Then, she took one action. She resigned and chose to work for herself. She started a foundation that holds camps in Indonesia for foreign students.

She said that she should have done it before, right after she graduated from university.  But it’s better late than never, right?

She also told me about a boy who joined her camp. He used to be a quiet and shy. After a week-long camp in Yogyakarta, he changed his perspective. He became more open and confident, in a good way. And she was glad that she had done something good for him.

When I talked to her and heard her story, I realized something from her: passion. She was happy by following her passion for her job.

Well, I know it is cliché to say that money can’t buy happiness. But people have their own standard of happiness, right? So, if money is not your happiness, don’t live just to make money. On the other side, if money makes you feel alive, then try your best to gain a lot of money.

So, for me, happiness is to follow your passion and feeling alive. Live your life!