There comes a time in a person’s life where he or she makes a decision. A major decision. It’s a reevaluation of everything that’s happened in life, and the final choice - to keep in that way or change forever.

The change cannot happen immediately until and unless we let go of the past. I’m sitting here wondering about whether this has ever happened to YOU. Sometimes, walking out there and battling the odds may leave you scarred and drained. The worst part is that you might attribute it to you being weak, or inept or something.

Let me tell you a story…

When I started out in the corporate world, I was working my butt off 16, 18 hours a day. I traveled by train from the west of Singapore to the East, which took on average about an hour and a half every day. That brought my total sleep time to around 4 hours or less, and then I’d be up again. Every so often, I’d wonder whether it was me that was the problem. I wasn’t getting enough sales, I wasn’t getting enough support (a one man show literally) and I just wasn’t feeling good about myself. I still remember working projects on Saurdays and Sundays with very little support. Only two people worked with me, who were friends more than colleagues. There was little to fall back on except my own distorted sense of loyalty to the company.

When push came to shove, I realized that the environment didn’t suit me and I couldn’t do all the work myself anymore. The company had no budget, and I was not going to be able to get sales if I was doing the work myself.

I remember myself jumping out of bed with my heart thumping… every single day. It was the worry that I couldn’t deliver the project on time. It was the worry that I was behind time. It was the worry and that stress that packed in that literally drove me half insane with anger, blame, sadness and any other terrible emotion. I’d suddenly feel the uncontrollable urge to cry sometimes.

Then, I stopped and took a step back. IT was in that illuminating moment that I knew what I needed. It was in that time a sudden parting of the clouds of darkness that made me realize that I needed something better. I threw in a resignation letter, and walked out and never looked back. Three months later, the company folded and I was on my way running my own business with my business partners Adam Khoo and Patrick Cheo.

The healing that took place was a liberation of my soul. I think I felt purified, literally. I don’t think I hold any grudes. I think it’s because I went the distance then that I know how hard it is to start and complete a project. But I would have run the company very differently. And so I learnt my lessons, let go of the past and moved on.

It’s not as difficult as you think to run a business, but if you ignore the potential complexities, you get yourself into trouble.

As you think about what I just wrote, consider very seriously your position. Your purpose. If you think that it’s not easy for you to take something on, it’s merely your own baptism of fire. We humans never grow in comfort. We grow in adversity. We evolve when we triumph.

The healing took place very profoundly when I realized that my choices did not align with my purpose. I keep seeking my purpose and the reason why I must succeed in everything I do. Everywhere you turn, there is a possibility of disaster and trouble. However, if you have the faith and strength of personal alignment, then you will come out from your hero’s journey triumphant and ready to take on the next challenge in your life.