A teenage friend of my neighbor asked me recently ... Uncle,
what was your ambition? The young man was asking me what I wanted to be when I
was at his age and he was a bit surprised when I told him that I did not have
any ambitions. Really, I cannot recall if I ever had an ambition to be
anything.
Maybe in primary school, the teacher did ask us to write an
essay about our ambitions and I remember (at that time) everyone wanted to a
doctor, an engineer or a pilot ... but that was just an essay to write ...
nothing to be taken seriously.
It has never crossed my mind to want to be something or someone.
When I was in school, I was just trying to finished schooling as soon as
possible and get to work ... not sure
what kind of work I will find but as long as it pays.
So really, what I have was more like an objective ... to
help put food on the table. Even during school holidays, I was doing odd jobs
already. As soon as I left school, I went for the first job available ... I
worked as an electrician apprentice not because I like it ... it is because I
have to help put food on the table.
As time passed ... things changed, people changed, trends
changed and I went from job to job ... as an electrician, a draughtsman, a
photographer, an insurance marketing executive, a small advertising agency
owner, a coffee shop partner, a marketing manager and finally a senior brand
manager. Though my life changed but my objective did not ... it is still
putting food on the table ... well, maybe I needed to also put a roof over our
heads.
I have never had the luxury to have an ambition to be
someone or something that I like to be ... I was everywhere, dabbling in
everything ... I was like a Jack of all trades.
Many people have ambitions ... to be an entrepreneur, a
philanthropist, a politician, a scientist, an inventor, a designer, a writer
... all sorts. Well, not for me ... all
I had and still have is an objective of providing the necessities for my
family.
But then again, if I look at it in another way, maybe I do
have an ambition ... and that ambition is ... to be a good son, a good husband,
a good father and a good man.
