People who know what they want are happier and make better choices.

If you are aware of who you are and what you want, then can say no to those you don’t like, and say yes to what you want. Because you are only doing what you like, you put your heart into it more. When you are passionate about something, people see it and the rewards they throw to you are much more meaningful.

I find this true at work, at love and at play.

Case in point, these days, I see a lot of people who are dissatisfied in their relationships. They nag and complain and you wonder, if you’re  so miserable in your relationship, then why not leave?

And then, in any given day, you see a couple that just looks so happy together. “I still have a crush on my wife of seven years!” the husband would claim on their regular email updates. And looking at their cheesy-mushiness, you wonder what happened to the so-called 7-year itch…

Same goes to the person who calls me and moans about her life savings. “I don’t have enough to put the downpayment and buy a home yet! And am reaching 30… how bad is that?” she’d wail with great reason.

It’s true, a lot of people work and place their money inside a holed bucket. No matter how much money they earn, many are merely surviving it seems, from paycheck to paycheck.

However, upon reflection, I’ve noticed that often times, it’s about choosing the right type of school, course, mate, job or company that makes all the difference. If you start off with the right foot, ducks usually fall in a row and you end up with a better deal. Which is why, people who plan hve a greater likelihood to succeed in life. If you plan carefully, you make less mistakes and often get what you want.

For example, my firm and the industry it belongs in value educational credentials — the better your school, the higher your chances of getting hired. School brand recognition is definitely a plus, and my colleagues are usually in the top 3 schools of their respective countries. If they’re taking their graduate studies, most schools they pick are top 10.

“Top 10 for me or bust,” my aspiring grad school friend told me during our many conversations. It’s true. Based on my observation, it seems that my firm would mostly give a chance to those who come from creme-of-the-creme schools. You can’t imagine how frustrating it is to just see resumes of those from National Taiwan University (NTU) whenever am looking for staff. Can’t they give us anything other than Tai Ta students?!

However, do remember, getting to the right courses and schools take a lot of preparation.

Studying for the GMAT right now, it takes time and tons of practice exams just to get my ideal score. Afterwards, there’s still the stellar recommendation forms and hope-to-impress essays to worry about. That, you have to do on top of your heavy workload at work, any hint of a personal life if you still have any (FYI – it’s the work that kills me), and the pressure to do everything within the impossible deadline.

And this is just for grad school. 🙁

Of course, when you apply for an MBA, your undergrad scores are taken into account. Hence, hope to God that you studied hard for your undergraduate degree as well… no pain, no gain.

What’s more, the above makes me realize how much non-stop work you have to do within your lifetime. You can’t just get top scores during kindergarten and expect to be a success. Instead, you have to slowly but surely build on these achivements — never losing steam — until you retire and day (okay, so am being gory today).

Same goes with finding a significant other.

If you choose and marry a guy who has a bipolar disorder, expect life to be a roller coaster ride. Upswings. Downswings. Crazy swings.

If you marry someone violent, he’ll lash out on the dog, his mother, and yes, even his wife. The colors you’ll mostly see are black and blue, and that’s no exaggeration.

If you pick someone who’s lies and cheats at work, don’t you think that such a lack of integrity wouldn’t seep towards the rest of his life?

Even a recovering alcoholic has to constantly monitor his behavior even after he finishes his program. A tiger never really changes its spots no matter how hard he tries. It’s a persistent struggle if he does.

Psycho women don’t become “normal” in time. A woman who stalks a man given her jealousy and insecurity won’t expect to get rid of these behavior any time soon.

It’s like buying a car — it’s ironic, people spend more time choosing/buying a car instead of picking a mate. At the very least, most people would visit a dealership, check out the car and compare prices, finding out whether they can afford a car.

But a lot of people have a different approach when dating. Imagine, they go to a bar, get intoxicated, and “buy a car” even before they’ve actually checked out whether they’d like to get this particular automobile or not. Scary, huh? 🙂

If you merely accept any Tom, Dick and Harry as a boyfriend/husband, what are your chances for true-love happiness? It’s like betting your money with a closed hand of cards. Lucky if you got yourself a catch, but more often than not, all you get is a bunch of crap.

Many people date like these nowadays, don’t you think so?

If you choose a decent man who thinks the world of you and wants to make you happy, someone who is considerate and is capable of love, how can you lose? Same goes when choosing a wife of course. Select a woman who props you up and encourages you to pursue your dreams. Keep your eyes open when dating — if there are any red flags when dating, these warning signs won’t really go away.

Same goes to choosing a job — if you choose to pay work that you enjoy doing, and the pay is reasonably decent, then your job doesn’t become a chore. There may even be a slight skip on your first day of work.

If you’re doing something you like, chances are, this love for your job will permeate the way you treat your colleagues, clients and boss. As a result, performance improves and people can really see the passion you have for your work. I like passionate people who follow their dreams. And others do too.

Choosing the right firm is essential as well — don’t complain about a company being too local, if you work for a local company. Industries too have different pay scales. Some sectors pay better than others (though the cost-reward ratio is balanced). Hence, choose to be employed by the right company has a significant effect on your savings. Many depend on their bonuses for their savings, so bonuses and stock options are also something one should consider when negotiating for the job contact.

Overall, rewards are sweet to those who choose well. 🙂

Life is an accummulation of many right steps. It’s integral that you choose the right wall to climb and do it as fast as you possibly can. The result of knowing what you want, and choosing to do only something you want (including all the crap that goes along with it) are some keys to success.

So choose well, live better. C’est la vie and hope this week’s great for all of you!

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COLD UPDATE:

Nose is running. 🙁

Jeez, am still weak and sick. Fortunately, didn’t fall into temptation and partied this weekend otherwise, my cold would’ve been so much worse!

Also had to finish stuff at work. Did around 9 hours of overtime yesterday! So top off me being sick, a typhoon and lots of overtime?

Welcome to my world, honey! 🙂