Be Careful What You Wish For In a Career — It Just Might Come True

My experiences after achieving many of my life goals by 35 — and how I had never been unhappier

I took my first trip out of Canada when I was 20 years old. A few uni buddies and I decided we’d head on down to the beautiful country of Cuba, a place I didn’t know much about at the time.

I had an absolute blast. The people were great. The weather was awesome. The drinks were all included and the shows were choreographed 1,000 times over to perfection.

But my favorite part was when we rented some motorized scooters and headed out of the resort to towns less traveled by foreigners.

I got to see the real Cuba.

The kind that most people don’t get to (wink-wink my American friends) or don’t bother to (wink-wink most resort-type tourists).

Outside of the resorts, free from the ever-watchful cameras, the people of Cuba can open up more.

I got to hear some of the genuine stories of how people live their life there.

I was mesmerized.

And thereafter, I immediately came to have a life long desire to explore and live in tropical countries.

Life goals are formed

I was taking a 4-year bachelor of commerce degree with a major in accounting.

I never particularly enjoyed accounting, but I was good at it and my high-school counseller said I could earn bank if I pursued it.

After that trip, I had newfound goals in life. Scratch that, not just goals, needs.

1. I wanted to live on an island with access to beaches
2. The island (of course) had to be in the tropics
3. I had to be earning $100,000 a year and wealthy enough to do what I wanted in my free time
4. I wanted to earn an MBA, much like my father had
5. I wanted to learn another language

Notice anything very important missing on that list?

The pursuit of the dream

I’ll spare you the details of the many adventures and craziness I encountered over the next 15 years, and sum it up.

I knew accounting was an international skill and that I wanted to go international. My 1st job out of university was at the government in Canada, which at the time didn’t qualify me to get the Chartered Accountant designation.

But the American CPA program, in certain states, wasn’t as strict with work requirements and gave me an avenue to pursue.

So, I quit my 1st career as a tobacco auditor where I could’ve retired at 54 due to my young age of entry.

Would you have done the same to pursue a vague dream?

The next couple of years involved me moving to Taiwan to work as an English teacher while pursuing the CPA and the CFA designations. I moved back to Canada out of boredom of teaching to finally jump into the finance world…in 2008.

Oops.

Later on, I moved back to Taiwan to pursue an MBA program which then led to an international sales/marketing job, which led to me creating a $330,000 Indiegogo campaign (where I didn’t see a single penny myself), which then led to a job in Singapore, which then led to international product management and that oh-so-coveted $100,000+ career I had always wanted.

And yet, all wasn’t what it seemed.

The dream comes true

There I was, in my early 30’s with several of my dreams and pursuits achieved.

1. Was living a 10-minute walk away from a beach (with a horizon jam-packed full of container ships)
2. I was living in the tropical island nation of Singapore (holy crap is it hot there)
3. Had achieved a $100k+ career as a product manager which I enjoyed (the job itself)
4. I had an MBA from a prestigious university in Taiwan (that no one outside of Taiwan or China has heard before)
5. I learned another language (okay about 1/3rd of Mandarin, but still it feels cool to speak it)

The thing is, I had never been unhealthier. I was a functioning semi-alcoholic. I smoked a packet of cigarettes a day. My stress levels were through the roof. I had gained 35 kg in 5 years in a country where the daily sweat alone should be keeping you trimmed down to your bones.

In the pursuit of my goals, I had forgotten some of the important things in life.

I never took care of myself and I never found someone for me to take care of.

I was lingering in Singapurgatory, and with the seasons never changing, every day felt like the same day a year before. Except bigger, slower, and sweatier.

I knew in my bones that if I stayed there living my life’s ‘dream’ I would expire at an early age. After a friend came to visit me from Taiwan and mentioned how much I was wearing my unhealthiness as an aura hanging over me, I decided to make a change.

It was time to live life for once. I put in my two-month resignation the next week and made plans to venture out into the unknown (again).

That was back in April of 2019. Since then, I’ve traveled to over 15 destinations, 6 countries, met tonnes of people, started writing and living each day much more fully than I have in a long, long time.

Full circle

I’m back in Taiwan now, by choice, and working on several personal projects.

Each day is my own to decide if it will be productive or not. If I want to go to the beach or just linger at the local cafe, it's 100% my choice.

I love it, and I’ve never been so hardworking in my life.

I do have some savings now to live off of, and I know not everyone can afford the luxury of pursuing new careers at the age of 34, but that’s not my main point with this story.

I spent 15 years pursuing a goal blindly because of one amazing experience at a young age.

I don’t regret it, but I certainly don’t have a normal life for a North American. All of my high school and university friends back home have a house, kids, and a stable 9–5 job. I have none of these things.

Weigh your choices, pursue a career, but don’t let it be the end-all.

Remember to take some time, be mindful, and focus on your happiness above all. A job is just a job — until it’s not. Don’t let it become your life. You’re worth too much to yourself to let that happen.

Don’t be like me and blindly pursue a dream.

Health, happiness, and adventures are much better things to chase in life.

Have a wonderful day and check out some of my other stuff here.