An ideal job means...

Let me start with a simple question: what is your most ideal job?

Is it working in an international company and getting paid 5-or-6-figures (US$) per year? Is it becoming a part and teaching in a best-reputable university in this country? Is it building a company that opens new job opportunities for the others? Or, if you're a woman, you might think that the most ideal job for you (which I think the greatest ministry on planet earth) is having a family, raising your children, tapping their maximum potential and let them give great contribution for the society.

Think about it for a while (or many whiles). Ask your heart, what's the ideal job for you. A proverb saying, "whatever you dwell upon grows in your mind and will eventually become reality." So, think about your most ideal job, let it grows in your mind...

Sadly, so many people are trapped into a job that they don't like, yet they (seemed) have no choice but doing it "faithfully". Their excuses are:

1. "what else I can do, this is the only job I can do."
2. "if I quit, will I get another better jobs?"
3. "yeaa... I know, I don't like this job and let's see... If I had a chance, then I leave" (and that chance never comes for the rest of his life),
4. "I work only for the salary, for the sake of my family...",
5. "I have many responsibilities for this company, if not me, then who's gonna take those responsibilities?"
6. "just give me a little more time to stay..." (That little-more-time soon becomes 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years and finally the rest of their life)

(Okay, the last one is my excuse and sure... it's okay to mention your own... :) )

So, the current job is not ideal for me? In term of employee, no. It's not ideal... Becoming an employee means: I'm gonna miss the first day of my child going to and back from school (you know, office hour), I'm gonna miss my boy's running race and clap to encourage him, I'm gonna miss my daughter's drama or singing performance, I won't be able immediately driving around my children when they need something at office hour, or accompanying them in a prestigious competition... I'm gonna misss so much activities of my family (my dad and my mom missed lot of my activities during school - and let this story is not repeated - and I promised to my-future-wife, that I won't let it happen to my children)

So, what's the ideal job for me?

First of all, I don't believe in an-easy-job, working only a-half-day, just chit-chat with colleagues and get paid 5-6-figures ($) per year. I don't think the world works in that way. I believe that very-high-income-job is a result and followed by a very-hard-hard work. No pain, no gain... And, the critical point is, if we really love what we do, hard work is painful, but it's enjoyable (that's why you should reallllyy love what you do).

Malcolm Gladwell, in his best-selling books, Outliers, wrote about the fact that most of success people (Bill Joy, The Beattles, Bill Gates, etc) requires 10,000-hours practice before they finally becomes internationally success. I agree, and if we don't like what we do now, we're not going to pass that 10,000 hours-rules to achieve great success. We're just becoming a mediocre.

On the contrary, if we do what we love to do, it's easy to maintain the spirit and keep praticing until we're excellent on it. A professional singer will practice 5-6hours per day - simply because he loves to sing! An international swimmer will wake-up at 4-5am in the morning to practice in the cold-pool - simply he loves moving fast in the water! A good teacher will spend 5-6hrs study for 1.5hour-lecturing in the new subject - simply because he loves to study and explain what he's studied to his students! An expert programmer will code for 5-6hrs per day to excel their skill - simply he loves coding so much! That's how successful becomes success.

And, what's the most ideal job for me?

I do love teaching (in certain subjects - not all subject). Since I'm good at logic, I love to study and teach logic-related-subjects (such as programming) and, ehm... I love to teach Bible-study in such a way that people not falling asleep :). I enjoy every second of teaching.

But... teaching is not my most ideal job. The "most-ideal-level" of teaching is 95 out 100... And, talking about the 100 out of 100 is...

Well, my most ideal job is... writing novel. Ya, writing novel is my dream job. A job that I can do anywhere, either I'm sitting in my room, in a crowd cafe, in the beach while wacthing sunset, spending time together and brain storming with spouse... It's an anywhere-anytime job... And, that's the most ideal job for me. Spending 10,000 hours writing such novel seems so challenging for me - hard work, but it's really enjoyable. But, I think I just don't have that time right now... Then, I'll make that time available someday... Writing a novel that inspires thousands (or million?) people. A novel that gives hope to the people, changes them to be a better person. A novel that comprises the values of life, the struggling of human being... an enjoyable novel so that people who read blend in its story, shed the tears or laugh...

That's my most ideal job.