A heart-led reflection on turning 30, rewriting the script, and returning home to self.

I turned 30 about two months back – an age that my 10 year-old self would have looked forward to with so much excitement.

“I can’t wait to grow up, so that I can be an adult. I can finally be free!!”
exclaimed the little girl in me.

Looking back, I can’t help but giggle at that thought. That little girl has evolved so much, yet in many ways, so little.

Still a little naive. Still a little rebellious. Still hopelessly in love with what life has to offer. Still very much chasing after a mission-driven life… More than anything, still deeply idealistic and slightly obsessed with the idea of freedom.

Quite ironically, that desire hasn’t changed one bit haha!

Bidding farewell to my twenties

Turning 30 had me pausing to reflect, especially at the pivotal points in the past decade. I can’t help but conclude that,

“This journey of becoming has surely been one hell of a rollercoaster ride.”

All while learning to navigate the journey of becoming — trying, failing, discovering, learning and pushing myself beyond my imagined limits, only to find myself falling in love with life over and over again.

A journey that has taken me across skies, through lecture halls, into boardrooms, and now, right back into the heart of what I’ve always loved since I was a kid: blogging!!

It’s kinda wild to think that life simply passes you by just like that, isn’t it?!

10 YEARS. PASSED. Just like that!

19-21: A mission to live by as a flight attendant

I first discovered the joy of serving others when I reluctantly volunteered at an organization — all for the sake of clocking ’em CCA points.

But somewhere along the way… what started as an obligation turned into revelation.

It hit me like a wave:

“A life lived fully, a life lived in service of others, is a life well-lived.”

Holding this mantra within, I was determined to give the flight attendant interview with Singapore Airlines a shot.

Honestly, becoming a flight attendant at the tender age of 19 was something I had never expected – especially as a big nerd who wore contact lenses for the very first time during the interview HAHAH gosh! Well, that’d be a story for another day.

But… I got the job. And it changed my life.

Every flight felt like an opportune time to live and breathe my mission: to serve others from the bottom of my heart, to connect deeply, and to show up as the best version of myself, all while rising above and beyond for the passengers on flight.

To get monetarily rewarded for living out a mission true to my soul? That was simply empowering.

To add the cherry on top, the lifestyle was simply amazing – travelling all around the world, checking in to five-star hotels, all while getting the first hand experience of what it means to “live life out of a suitcase”.

21-25: Trading the skies for the classroom

Transitioning from the skies to the classroom was… hard.

Leaving a soul-freeing lifestyle to return to the academic grind felt extremely stifling. From income-generating to GPA-chasing, it felt like I was voluntarily clipping my own wings. Perhaps the worst of it all was that I was no longer living the mission that I once believed in.

Though so, I deeply recognize how much of a privilege it was to enroll into university, especially as a 2nd-generation Singaporean, and even more so being able to fund my own university education at 21 years old!

It has taught me to embrace the journey regardless of the grind, and learn to look forward to the next milestone (be it the next vacation break or the fun partying nights hahaha) – and every bit of this arduous time will come to an end eventually.

25-30: A mission-driven career, or so I thought

I dipped my toes into internships. While not all of them were the right fit, I fell in love with business development and management consulting, and thought that the rigor and fast-paced lifestyle was something that I could see myself doing potentially… for life.

Only until I realized… I couldn’t.

Honestly it felt liberating being able to channel my inner creativity into what I thought was best for the clients, all while providing them the best service and solution that the company could offer.

Upon graduation, my eyes were peeled. I was extremely optimistic about tying my deep desire of living my mission once again with what corporate life could be.

“As long as I am able to live my mission each and every day, making positive impact on people’s lives, I’d think it’d be an extremely fulfilling life.”

ft. a false representation of me hard at work HAHAH

Of course, this dream was short-lived. This naive self had fully neglected the very fact that professional companies are driven by metric and margins – a reality that is exactly opposite from what my soul had deeply desired for.

I felt so lost, trying to navigate my compass towards my mission in the sea of ambition. Feeling extremely misaligned, as though I had traded purpose for performance.

30 and beyond: Navigating back to the core

At this juncture, I’m unlearning the noise and learning to lean back to the quiet whisper that’s been within me since I was young: writing, reflecting and documenting a life true to my very own.

Learning to turn inward and being true to who I am, all while documenting every bit of this human experience.

Honestly, it has been a long time coming – having contemplated whether or not to start a blog again. As this new chapter of my life unfolds, I am elated, excited (yet a little scared) to keep sharing my deepest thoughts, as I walk the path of creating a life that feels right within.

Here’s to 30, where new milestones and magic unfold!

If you’re navigating transitions, carving out time for new ventures, or learning to return home to yourself, I hope you find strength, joy and a piece of yourself in this little space here too.

Thank you for being here, and I look forward to journeying life with you!

What are the mantras you live by? Drop a comment – I’d love to hear your story too : )

With love,
Ting