After working in the Information Technology and Consulting industry for almost 35 years, I have decided to pursue my dream of returning back to Penang – my hometown and my birthplace. Give up my high paying job as a senior project manager in Australia so I can live my dream. I am sure I am not alone here.
The scary part is what would I do after I leave my job. A job that I am good at, that I am so familiar with, in the last 3 decades. I have been pondering on this idea for over a year – what could I do? do I need to continue to work in this high pressure work environment? could I earn an income by doing what I enjoy most in my life? I don’t want to sit around and keep asking and thinking to myself over and over again – could I or could I not and the what if. I do not want to die not trying and not knowing. So I have decided to take the plunge and quit my job recently – the most familiar thing in my life that I have been trained to do – to do something different while I still could.
I believe everyone has the capacity to learn and to adapt. I have done it in 2006 when I opened my own boutique restaurant, refitted a takeaway shop into an Asian-style open kitchen, trained myself to cook in my own commercial kitchen, learnt the process of sourcing my own produces to plating my food on the table. It was a rewarding and fulfilling experience – being able to interact face to face with my customers, see the reaction of my customers and rewarded instantly with their feedback. However, I was drawn back to my regular job after 2 years. The reason was “money” and there were payments to be made.
Twelve years later, once again I am contemplating about my work-life balance. My normal job was not fulfilling anymore. It was a means to an end. I have decided to return to Penang, to startup my own boutique travel business.
In the last few weeks I have been working on my business website – Penang Insights – which is now open for enquiries and bookings.
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