I just turned 30 on a Friday where the week is littered with national holidays. Monday the 17ᵗʰ was Indonesian Independence Day, Thursday the 20ᵗʰ was Islamic New Year, and Friday the 21ˢᵗ (my birthday) was declared as public holiday. So I decided to take two days annual leave on Tuesday and Wednesday, freeing the whole week for myself.
Oh! My birthday also falls during this global pandemic. Back in March, I never would’ve thought I’d be part of people who had quarantine birthday on August. But I guess, to anyone who has birthdays after March 2020, we’re all on the same boat. 🙄
After months of busy workdays along with fully scheduled meetings, I was excited to finally have a week off to myself. I had taken up two writing courses: fiction and non fiction, during the month of August so I was quite preoccupied with my writings exercises. I also bought a mini studio box which I use to photograph my collections, Lego or otherwise. I even created a public Instagram account to took my hobbies a little more seriously. Plus, part of my writing course require me to upload my stories publicly and I don’t intend to make my personal Instagram account public. 🤐
Having a birthday in the midst of long weekend and pandemic is surely a unique experience. There aren’t many people accessing social media — where the reminders are, therefore the people who congratulated me are the ones who actually remembers. An old friend used to say, it’s these authentic congratulations that matters and I believe it to be true. So, to those sending me personal messages, I’m very grateful to all of you. 😘
For those of you who know me, you’ve probably heard of my multiple mentions of finding your life purpose to achieve a fulfilled life. Simon Sinek’s Start With Why and Find Your Why are my most recommended books for people to read, because it has helped bring meaning into my life. In it, Simon detailed how your life purpose will guide you and bring you fulfillment in every aspect of your life. He mentioned a WHY statement which list your contribution and impact that you bring into the world.
About 2 years ago, I spoke with a career psychologist when I felt lost in my then career in a video game company. After several meetings and conversations, I have finally found my life purpose. Using Simon’s format, my WHY statement is as follows.
To help people find their purpose in life,
so that together we can lead a happy and fulfilled life.
How does it relate to my birthday? Well, the morning of my birthday, someone left me a message on LinkedIn.
She was an intern in my office and we had spoken casually during one of our meetings. I asked her why did she choose business school and then interning in a finance company. She replied it was because her parents had told her to pursue finance and that she doesn’t like it, but she’s good in it. So, we ended up discussing about what she likes to do, and I recommend her to check out UI/UX career because it sounds like she’d enjoy it and I told her there is high demand for it.
The conversation we had was months ago (half a year, according to her). I didn’t even remember the conversation until she brought it up, but she probably has no idea her post made my whole day. So, thank you! 🥰
The day of my birthday, I had a quality lunch with a friend of mine that I haven’t seen for a while. I always enjoy a quiet lunch with meaningful conversation, and I haven’t been out in a while due to lock down, so the two hours trip was worth it.
So I have a confession about disliking my birthday party. As an introvert, I never enjoy being the center of attention. My birthday party is probably my worst social event because everyone will be looking at me, singing, clapping, and waiting for me to blow the candle. In short term, I will be the center of attention and I don‘t like it.
Why?
Because, growing up, I always have difficulties expressing myself. In social events like a birthday party, I’m afraid that my friends will translate my non-existent expression as ungrateful or unhappy. They couldn’t be more wrong though. I am extremely grateful, for their time and attention. But at the same time, I feel guilty for not being able to express it properly. So that’s why.
Fortunately, during this pandemic the possibility of a party is small to none. However, while I was having my last writing class at around 7.30 PM, my friends surprised me from Zoom calls. They sing happy birthday and my housemates brought out a delicious Macha brownies. I was genuinely surprised because:
1. We’re still in a pandemic
2. I had been paying attention to my phone for class and wasn’t paying any attention to my surroundings.
But, it was fun because most of them are online so there are far less pressure. Only my housemates were around. We ended up talking and joking around for hours. It had been a while since our last call and I’m super grateful we had it on my birthday. Thank you! 😚
A day after my birthday, a huge package arrived. It was two Avatar graphic novels I had ordered since last May that got delayed. I had been waiting for it forever so it felt like my past self is giving me a birthday present.
Now that I think about it, there were many of these coincidences in the past. I got my first writing published on a local newspaper on my 14ᵗʰ birthday. The motorcycle I bought arrived soon after my 25ᵗʰ birthday. Now these pre-ordered book arrived just a day after my 30ᵗʰ.
So, yeah. Pretty awesome, universe. Thank you! 🦄
As I grow older, I realized it doesn’t matter whether I fit the society’s criteria of a typical 30 years old (spoiler alert, I don’t!) or not. My own achievements and how I see myself, matters more. The fact that I’ve lived for 30 years and have participated — in big or small ways— to the life around me matters more. Finally, it matters most to love and be loved by the people around you. There’s nothing comparable to the love and kindness these people have shown me throughout my years. Thank you all, I love you! 😘
originally posted on Medium.
Extro-version 