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[Music]
Hi everyone, I'm Aim. How are you today?
I hope that you will have a good day. In
every video, I will bring the best
things in life for you.
That is a truly wonderful article I
happened to come across on sou and I
want to share it with you guys.
Every effort you make is your way of
trying to make a choice feel more right.
I ran into Emma on a final day of the
National Book Expo. It had been more
than 6 months since we last spoke.
Honestly, I thought she was someone I
never see again.
So, when she suddenly showed up and
invited me for coffee, I was genuinely
surprised.
We found a seat by the window. As the
soft aroma of cappuccino fill the space
between us, Emma said, "Sister, I think
I'm starting to regret it. I shouldn't
have followed my mom's advice and gone
back home to work at that pink. Every
day I'm forcing myself to do something I
don't even like, pretending I'm okay
while dealing with complicated
coworkers.
I'm completely drained. What should I do
now?
Emma used to be an editor in my
department. About half a year ago,
things weren't going well for her at
work. Her mother kept urging her to
return to their hometown, promising a
safe, stable job. Slowly, that got to
her. When she handed in her resignation,
I wasn't surprised. I knew she had the
hearts for it, but not quite the
strength. Not yet. She was careful and
hardworking, but still lack behind the
other editors a bit. I saw that clearly.
But I also knew she truly loved the
work. They say passion is the best
teacher, and I believe that with enough
time, I was sure she'd go into it.
That's why I tried to convince her to
stay.
I looked into her eyes and said, "You
don't need to compare yourself to
others. Compare yourself to who you
were. Don't you see how far you've come
since you first started?" She paused,
surprised, then slowly looked up. I
continue.
You only slow at making books because
you haven't had enough experience with
co design and the standards here are
high. But your proposal writing, your
layout design, you've made real
progress. You don't need to be better
than others, just better than yesterday.
There's already something. Emma had
expected me to accept to her resignation
without hesitation.
She didn't expect me to say all that.
For a while, she didn't know what to
say. When a silence lingered, I asked,
"What did you study in university?"
"Accounting," she replied. Turns out,
just like me, she came into the writing
world from somewhere else. And maybe
that's exactly why it had to be love for
her to choose this path. Anyway,
I told Emma to set aside everything her
mother and I said and just listen to her
own hurts. After a week, she should come
back and tell me whether she stay or
leave. A week later, Emma choose to
leave. Of course, I respected her
decision. More than half a year passed
without any news from her. I figured she
must be living the life she wanted and
was purposely avoiding contact with her
former boss. So, when she suddenly
appeared before me with such a heavy
topic, I honestly didn't know how to
respond.
Outside the window, neon lights flicker
endlessly.
The colorful glow reflected on Emma's
face, which should have been radiant,
but her eyes held anxiety and
loneliness, making her look utterly
exhausted. I said to Emma, "I don't
fully know your situation, but maybe my
story can give you some inspiration.
When I was young, many of the most
important choices in my life were made
by my parents. I didn't really get a
chance to choose or maybe I didn't give
myself the rights.
During middle school exam applications,
my father made me feel in the names of a
teacher's college and a prestigious high
school. Later, when my grades qualify me
for the prestigious school, he thought
going to high school and then university
was the better path. So, I went to a top
provinial high school
in 11th grade when we had to choose
between literature and sciences. Even
though I like literature, my parents
believe if you master math and science,
you can go anywhere. So, they made me
choose sciences.
Then, I followed the university engines
exam. My scores weren't enough for a
pachulo's decree. My father crossed by
shatter hers lost his temper every day.
Now I see life as a long thick book. The
engines exam is just one page. Whether
it's good or bad, you turn it and move
on. But back then to my 18-year-old
self, the exam was a watershed moment
that defined success or failure.
Facing the co- stairs from relatives and
my father's schooling, I felt deep
defeat
when it came to choosing whether to
retake exam or go straight to a junior
college. My father chose the latter.
He worried I might not do well if I try
again. Actually, that was what I wanted
too. I fear relieving those dark days
counting down to the exam. My journey of
making life choices started the moment I
left my parents.
I studied at a junior college in Yang
Joe, a city as beautiful and gentle as a
graceful southern beauty, which sparked
a lot of creative inspiration in me.
Back in high school, writing novels was
seen as a distraction. But in college, I
finally shocked myself in books I loved,
music I enjoyed, and writing I cherish.
Compared to the dull and tough high
school days, university life was
colorful and free. The only pressure I
gave myself was this. I had to get into
Apache Pro. I set this goal for two
seasons. One, to make the most of my
college time. to improve myself and made
up for failing the engines exam. Two,
because employers prefer candidates with
higher degrees, and I wanted to avoid
being retracted just because of my
education level.
Higher education means more choices and
freedom when looking for a job. You can
pick work you truly like just like
said to her son India Andre.
I want you to study hard not to compete
with others but you will have the right
to choose meaningful work with time to
leave rather than just struggling to
survive.
In my second year, I had the opportunity
to transfer to the petrol book, but the
high tuition fees made me hesitate
partly because of my family's limited
financial situation.
I called my parents to talk about
whether I should take the transfer to
petrol exam. That said, go ahead and
try. If you pass, you can decide later
whether to attend. But if you insist on
going, you have to find a way to pay the
tuition yourself.
Mom was firmly against it. She said it
was already had enough to support me
through junior college, and my younger
brother and sister also needed money for
school.
She told me I couldn't be so selfish,
thinking only about my future and
ignoring my siblings.
In the end, my parents didn't really
support me taking the exam. Their reason
was simple. They didn't have the money
to support my further studies.
That night, after the call, I couldn't
sleep. I tossed and turned. Thought it
over again and again.
In the end, I decided to take the exam.
It was the first time I went against my
parents' wishes and the first time I
made a choice truly for myself.
I can't imagine what my life would be
like now if I hadn't taken that exam.
All I know is I have never regretted
that decision.
Later I passed the written and aura
parts of the exam and got into a
prestigious university. I solved the
tuition problem on my own through
student loans and by writing articles
for magazines to earn money. I finished
my degree smoothly and at that
university I found a rare and precious
love. It was from that moment making
that choice myself that I truly learned
independence. After that, although my
parents still gave me advice from time
to time, I treated it only as a
reference.
The final decision was always mine.
After graduating and entering the work
force, even more choices came like after
dating someone for a long time, should I
marry him and spend my life with him?
When housing prices drop, should I buy a
house then? If I wasn't happy at work,
should I quit?
For anyone in the working world, job
hopping is one of the most common
decisions. At times like that, people
around you will give you different
opinions and it's easy to lose your own
voice.
Take my last job as an example. It was
harder than any before. At that company,
I created a woman's reading brand called
Butterfly Season. From publishing the
first book under that label in January
2008 to December 2012,
I helped publish hundreds of books and
nurture many original authors. Those
five years were when my youth bloomed
during butterfly season.
My hobbies and dreams took roo and grew
there. I had a deep impreg bond with
that brand. So when a new company
repeatedly offered me a position, I
hesitated.
The salary wasn't much higher than
before. Friends and family told me to
stay. When my current boss learned I
wanted to leave, they promised a raise
next year. Only the authors who had
suffered delay payments supported me
leaving.
They said if I did well at a new
company, they would benefit too.
Honestly, I was torn and found it hard
to decide. But after weighing
everything, I chose to accept the new
offer with one condition. No mandatory
clock in, no requirement to be in the
office every day, flexible working
hours. It wasn't because I was lazy. I
wanted some time left for my family and
kids when work busy. No matter how hard
a workaholic you are, you can't ignore
your children's growth. After all,
childhood happens only once.
Though I enjoy flexible hours at a new
company, I actually work even harder
than before. I wanted those who didn't
support my decision, even those who
mocked it to see that I made the right
choice. And the facts proved it. I
delivered results I was proud of within
2 years. Emma listened quietly as if
understanding something new. Looking at
me sincerely, she said, "Sister, I get
it now. I have to make my own choices
and not be swayed by others. If I hadn't
ignored my mom's advice and returned
home, maybe I've made something of
myself by now.
To be honest, I've quit that stable but
dull job back home. I'm ready to work in
writing again. That's my passion. and
I'm willing to work hard to grow my
dreams. I believe someday I succeed just
like you. I smiled and said, "If success
means following your heart and doing
what you love, then you can count on me
as your role model. But if success means
power, money, or status, I'm still far
from that." I continue. Of course, I
wouldn't say no to those things if they
came along, but I still believe that
being your happy self wherever you are
and having the freedom to choose your
own life, that's more important than
so-cal success.
Life is like a big test filled with many
choices. How you choose is up to you.
Even though there's no perfect answer,
if you follow your heart, you regret
less later and live a life true to
yourself. And you'll find when your
choices come from your heart, you work
harder than ever because you want to
prove with your actions your choice was
right.
Thank you so much for listening to me.
[Music]
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