In 2016, when the café consultancy company I co-founded evolved over time, it became a trading company which I was not inspired to be part of. I lost motivation to grow it even though I knew what I could do. Was I living at my full potential? Why had I stopped exploring? What do I…
Category: Personal Growth
Tango with fear
I felt scared a lot lately. I asked a friend who started a specialty coffee shop in our small, remote hometown, ‘don’t you feel scared to hold on to your vision when nobody saw what you saw? She told me about her ‘worst-case-scenario’ test – what is the worst that could happen? When you know…
You are assigned this mountain to prove that it can be moved
In the midst of getting a book out, I wanted to hide. After frequent posting and shouting about myself, my book, my work, approaching people to collaborate, and asking for help, I was ambushed by a profound moment of doubt. What am I doing? Even though the ball was rolling, I had a breakdown. Ryan…
A Millennial’s Truth #4: What I learned from starting my own business
When I started a café consultancy company with my partners, my vision was to make a name in the industry that I was interested in. I didn’t quite understand the essence of building a business or creating unique value for people. Growing up, I wasn’t exposed to business world. I never thought it would be…
A Millennial’s Truth #3: When a business partnership fell apart
I had 3 partners when we set up a café consultancy company in in 2015. After a celebration lunch, I felt sick. I was drowned in emptiness and anxiety – what have I done with my life? I remembered walking up a hill and gazing down at the city, feeling the warmth of sunshine and…
Why is storytelling so powerful
Wow. I felt disbelief not because of the story of sexual abuse I just heard. I was amazed that a beautiful lady just shared her most vulnerable moment in life with all of us, despite this being the first time we met. In that moment, I felt that we belonged together. When a friend and…
A Millennial’s Truth #2: How working in a start-up company shaped my life
When I joined a start-up coffee chain in 2013, I entered a new world that was fundamentally different from the corporate environment I came from. Despite casual dress code, my on-boarding experience started with travelling around town with my boss to retail outlets, warehouse and roasting plant, meeting licensees and suppliers. From day one, I…
A Millennial’s Truth #1: Quitting a corporate job
There are fundamentally different types of people – some people see details while some see the big picture. It is important to understand these differences so that we fit into the right role in an organisation. From a fresh graduate boasted with pride, it took me years to experience different things and see different parts…
Why I write a book for millennials when only 2.5% Malaysians read books?
It started with an idea, a desire. It grew stronger and stronger. The manuscript sat in my folder until a friend came onboard and said, ‘hey, let’s do this together’. When I announced my book launch to friends and family, I stepped past the point of no return. From a passion project it elevated to…
Travelling teaches me to live life and love life
There is no word to describe how important travelling is in my life, or how it has transformed me, shaped my perspective and influenced life decisions. I met people who left beautiful traces in my life, some changed my life for the better. Have you ever wondered – what was in your mind before you…
What existential crisis taught me about life
The right question at the right time can change the course of a life, can still a turbulent mind, or heal an angry heart. I went through tough struggle to figure out what I want in life when I lost sight of purpose in running a café consultancy business. There was a period when I…
I’ve never thought 2017 would turn out this way
I caught up with a friend right before the year ended. After telling him what I had been through this year and what I’m working on, he told me that I had a good life. He made me think. I started 2017 with nothing After withdrawing from my first venture, I went back home, back…