True north

Michelle: After carving a niche in the workplace and making a name in our respective fields, it’s not easy to just leave it all behind. For many young professionals, to leave a job at the height of one’s career is a crazy move. To leave a high paying job to serve the Lord and the community full time is downright foolish. But that’s what some people I know chose to do. And they inspire me because doing so is radical and reckless, something not of all us have the courage to do. DJ: Life, sometimes, is a combination of riddles. But my dad used to tell me if we know exactly what we want, every riddle makes sense. Every self-made person is so because they pursue their dreams. Every happy person is so because they like what they have. Every handsome guy is so because WE… thought I got you there. But seriously, life is complicated made simple by the choices it presents. M: A friend left her work as a lawyer, took the road less traveled and chose to be a missionary. I am very happy for her. For a year she was in a dilemma, afraid to step out in faith. But she made her decision and eventually learned how liberating it was to finally let go and let God. I also know someone who goes through high paying jobs and never stays long in one. He says he is the right man for the job. I wonder if he bothered to ask himself if the job was the right one for him. DJ: It’s possible for someone to be efficiently heading toward a direction he doesn’t want. Success and fulfillment are two different things. I know a lot of unhappy, hyperactive, caffeine-addicted achievers who hit their goals—a new car in a year, earning their first million before they turn 25—but are lost in a sea of wants. M: It’s a myth that we only have one career path and if we achieve it, we will be content and happy. Sometimes, if we are too focused on getting the prize—the high paying job, the perks—we forget that we took the wrong road. DJ: That’s why it helps to switch a few things “off” once in a while. Lent is a good opportunity to take a detour from the mainstream flow of things in order to get in touch with our true north. We need not search for happiness as if it were a button that has rolled under the bed. Happiness is not a goal in itself. Happiness is in every tiny bit of life. M: True. When my friend told me that her dad finally understood her after months of opposition, she cried. Some of her friends think she made the wrong choice. Now we know she made the right decision. DJ: I once read it’s not good for us to run too fast that we forget where we came from and where we are going. Life has many crossroads. There are many ways to get to a destination. Knowing where the destination is isn’t as important as knowing what it is and why we want to get there. It sounds serious but believe me, it’s cool!