what constitutes happiness and contentment?

i've been thinking a lot about what brings me contentment and happiness these days.

for me, it ultimately boils down to these few things:

• freedom to do what i want, whenever i want it
• operating from a position of abundance rather than scarcity
• a sense of fulfilment from being one step closer to manifesting my idea of the truest and most beautiful story of my life that i can imagine. 

inevitably there are and will continue to be bad days, but today i want to remember what being in a good headspace feels like. 

the weekends are such a relief bc i have time to slow down and bask in the fruits of our labour from the work week. 

it is precisely hard work that makes rest days truly so restful. it is also work that brings bread to the table and enables me (and by extension, us) to feel like we can operate from a position of abundance. 

there are times during the work week that i find myself momentarily wishing i were another person in another role doing something else that would feel easier than whatever i'm going through feels to the current me. but on the weekends when we are splurging on nicer restaurants and the little, spontaneous purchases that still constitute as "spending below our means" - just bc we feel like it, i find myself being so grateful for the work that we get to do, bc it enables us to operate from a position of abundance rather than scarcity. there are few things more cathartic than blowing cash on something that you really want on whim, and knowing that you can do that bc it does not make a dent on your existing finances. 

work is high stress but i know it will pay high dividends in the long run - not just monetarily but from the perspective of professional growth. the learning curve is steep but so are the tangible and intangible upsides. learning how to be ok with rejection or awkward situations, learning how to get better at qualifying hard and fast by asking the right questions, stepping up to the negotiation table and navigating that delicate "dance" of give-and-take, sharpening the art of persuasion, honing on that executive presence to engage with c-suite decision-makers who need to be the ones performing the sign-off etc - there is so much to gain from this role if i can just hold on, one quarter at a time. and with God's providence and grace, i know i can. 

it is also precisely bc work is tough that i know these growing pains are bringing me closer to where i envisage i want to be. every few months i go back to the narrative of what i imagine as the truest and most beautiful version of my life that i wrote back in 2022, before we even conceived baby n.  

"we're at the mall and i'm clasping the tiny palm of our little baby girl...even trips to the supermarket have become family adventures now." 

" i take in the scene of what has now become my world - our baby girl sleepily snuggling her nose into m's chest...life now is an amalgamation of quiet moments and sheer havoc. we ricochet between the two extreme ends. sometimes the incredulity of it all makes us want to cry and laugh at the same time, but in an ironic sense it is also the havoc that completes us and we wouldn't have it any other way." 

there is now a face that completes this narrative. it is a face we have all come to love dearly, and i feel so blessed to be able to do this in tandem with working on my career, even as i grit my teeth through the agonising moments rigged with anxiety and stress. 

in a weird sense - i think this is what happiness and contentment feel like. there is no perfect situation or happy pill that makes everything magically happier or life more content. it is found in moments where a delicate balance is struck between grit and enjoying the fruits that strife brings. 

i'm exactly where i want and need to be, even though it feels like i'm treading water

when times get hard, i take in the scene of what has become my present world - a cheeky grin, two tiny ponytails made out of wisps of hair, the echo of bubbly laughter and the familiar feeling of homecoming as a family of three. i remember that life is so much bigger than work. she reminds me that life is so much bigger than work, or even a career. that a job at the end of the day - however insurmountable its challenges may seem, is just a job. 

i have heard from multiple people that it's been incredibly brave of me to pivot into something so aggressive like a hunter tech sales role in this ruthless climate, particularly right after becoming a new mother. 

the journey has been rigged with its fair share of challenges and stress - but ironically, it is motherhood that grounds me in the midst of this difficult journey. at my work i am always dispensable. but i am anchored in the fact that i am irreplaceable at home. one of my favourite feelings after a hard day of work is watching n's face light up and hearing the cutest "mama" as i push open the front door. that instantly puts everything into perspective. 

the road's been tough bc i am only four months in. the beginning is always tough, but it will get easier with time. 

the narratives we tell ourselves are so important in shaping how we perceive and act. 

when i feel like giving up is an option, i'll remember that i worked so hard just to be here and have this life that i now live. that there are many others who are working equally hard so that they can have a shot at being in the same position that i now take for granted. 

i'll remember that however difficult it's been, i am exactly where i want and need to be. that other paths may seem easier or more lucrative, but those are not paths i would have wanted to be on anyway. i am slowly manifesting the life that constitutes the truest and most beautiful version of this life i want to live. 

i love this little family we have created and i feel so blessed to be able to be live out this dream of pursuing my career in tandem with parenthood. the grass is greener where i water it!

(i hope i'll find an answer to whether this career is for me soon, but even if it turns out this isn't what i'm meant to do, i would have lived knowing i gave it a shot and it wasn't for me.) 

i'll remember that the Lord is my provider and giant-slayer, and remember why He has opened this door for me in this secular marketplace (to be set apart, like salt and light). 

i will say goodbye to the sinking feeling in my chest or the "sunday scaries" from unproductive overthinking. 

"just do it" shall be my new professional mantra that i will pursue to block out all the white noise. i am reminded of this quote that has stuck with me since i came across it a few years ago: 

“inaction breeds doubt and fear. action breeds confidence and courage. if you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. go out and get busy.” - dale carnegie

i will confront and conquer my fears until i no longer feel fear anymore. and this is perhaps why i am here and what will be my most valuable gain out of this role. it is to conquer everything i've been scared of professionally, until they no longer scare me anymore. 

i hope that one day i'll look back at this entry with not a shred of fear left, and pat myself on the back for holding on even when i couldn't really see the light at the end of the tunnel yet. 

restored back from exile

it has been more than a week since i started work back at the same company that i was previously at, now having pivoted into a role that has been on my career bucket list for a long while. it was a role that i knew deep down i was running away from, but was also cognisant that i should attempt it at least once in my professional life, so that i will be able to confidently say that i've tried and either conquered it, or realised it isn't for me. 

"...when seventy years are completed for babylon, I will come to you and fulfil My good promise to bring you back to this place." 

i have been restored back to this place that i was once from. 

in a really human way, waiting on God's timing was difficult while being in the thick of it. even as door after door slammed shut in my face, i knew in my heart that God had the best plan in store for me, but i would be lying if i said my optimism and faith did not waver as the months started stretching out. not knowing when a drought will end is a scary feeling. i yearned for the relief of rain to come and deliver me from what had seemed like the pointless toil of tailoring applications after applications without an end in sight. 

but that experience has demonstrated once again that God's divine providence and timing are indeed impeccable. my severance package was at the tail end of its generous lifespan - it was slated to run out by may this year, but my current payroll will begin from this may onwards. the little "merry-go-rounds" i went on while searching for the right opportunity enabled me to build resilience while plant(ing) and eat(ing) in the season i was in. but most importantly - that season of professional drought enabled me to not just witness, but also play an active part in caring for our tiny newborn and watching her blossom into a feisty little human being with the cutest babbles to express her big emotions which she hasn't quite found the words for. i always knew i needed that season, but now that i am away from baby n for majority of the time during the weekdays, i am so thankful that i had ten solid months of quality time with her.

in this new season, i want to remember that my worth is not in how many deals i close or how much revenue i bring in, but in my identity as the daughter of the most High. i want to remember that money can get really good but i am ultimately a steward of my resources, and the true value of money is its use in showing the people around me that i care about them. i want to remember that He is my giant slayer, and i only need to pull heavenly strings when i have tried my best and exhausted all my options. i want to remember that i am here to be salt and light on this earth, that my actions may point people towards Him. 

i know the road ahead will be tough but i am both encouraged (by my new team who reminds me of my grad program ohana) and excited to meet with the denise of the past from nyc's union square in '16. i've really missed the feeling of setting my heart alight from stepping up to face something that had hitherto scared me, showing up for myself despite the fear and conquering it until it no longer scares me. my muscle for showing up for myself had atrophied during my time working at home and i am exhilarated to be meeting with the favourite parts of my former self in this upcoming season. 

riches even in a season of exile

these few days i've been waking up with a sinking feeling in my chest, feeling beaten down by the poor market climate, by the multiple doors slamming in my face, by the voices in my head echoing the world's view that i'm not good enough, not relevant enough, not experienced enough etc. 

here comes the feeling i've thought were of days past:

feeling left behind by the world and daunted by the widening gap between where i am and where i want to be professionally. 

flashback to the post-jc days where i was swirling yoghurt and cashiering at kinokuniya while my peers were pursuing corporate internships with prestigious organisations; to when i was put on the waitlist for my dream college and didn't know where i'd eventually land up - while my peers were already knee-deep in preparations for their rag & flag performances; to days when i was still single and in pursuit of a romantic partner, but could not find anyone who deemed me worthy enough to commit to.

this season feels like one for the books - another example that i can stash away into my book of "feeling left behind by the world". 

i think this is precisely why this season has been difficult for me - it cuts deeply into my greatest insecurity of feeling like i've been left behind, while everyone else seems to be bounding ahead with ease. 

but in the midst of being in the thick of this valley, God i hear You - a quiet voice whispering:

'this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from jerusalem to babylon: 

build houses and settle down, plant gardens and eat what they produce...also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which i have carried you into exile. pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper...

when seventy years are completed for babylon, I will come to you and fulfil My good promise to bring you back to this place. 

"for I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. you will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you", declares the Lord, "and i will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you", declares the Lord, "and I will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." ' 

- jeremiah 29:4-14

i may feel like i'm currently circling wastelands, but even in this season You are asking me to settle down, enjoy what i have, seek You earnestly and wait on Your timing. 

and in that glorious timing of Yours, You Lord, You will personally escort me back to the desired place of my heart. 

so i will wait. as You have always done, i will wait for You to open that one door that no man, thing or circumstance will be able to close. that one door i will wait on, even as all the other doors close shut in my face. 

i will plant and eat, and seek both the peace and prosperity of this place of exile. even in this place, You have made me so rich.

You have given me our dearest daughter n, who is the most precious little human being i have ever come across - she is our little bundle of joy who is worth infinitely more than the greatest riches, and whom money cannot buy; 

someone i wholly love and trust to journey this valley with, who can take care of both n and i and bear the financial burden of our family alone, should this wintery season extend into the months ahead; 

my former bosses and work friends who are rooting for me and finding ways to either advocate for me from their positions of power, or hire me back - the people in this world who can still see my value shining through and constantly remind me of that - despite what the rest of this world tells me - that my skillsets are still relevant, still worthy, and still in demand; 

the support of family and friends (close friends, cg mates etc.) outside our little family of three - in the form of words of encouragement, career advice and even working through interview preparation and case studies with me; 

enough in my bank account to wait out this season of exile; 

and most of all, i still have You - You who goes before me, You - my biggest giant slayer, You - the creator of this universe. You who pulls heavenly strings for me that i need only be still in a season of striving. 

i will wait for this season to be yet another testimony towards Your realness and Your goodness. as You have always been. 

in the words of a former colleague whom i bumped into yesterday just before my interview: "i'm rooting for you, denise".

even from this place of exile, i still have so many people rooting for me. even when i feel like i don't have much going for me in this one area of my life, i look around and i find - i am still so, so wealthy.