Blue and White Porcelain 青花瓷

Recently, I have been looking for motivation to improve my vocational skills. In the past, I have never find such a need because I have been relying on my own desire for "self-actualization", which is the fulfillment of an individual's potential according to Abraham Maslow. However, through the passage of time, my desire for self-actualization is no longer sufficient because that desire had been slowly replaced by a feeling of content.

For a short time, I was really happy living such a content life. However, this is actually a bad thing in the capitalistic world, when contentment reduces one's ability to climb up the social ladder. Likewise, when my happy life suffered a drastic change, I realize that my financial capabilities aren't resilient to maintain such a lifestyle anymore. At that time, I realize that I need to garner greater amount of motivation to continue my struggle up the social ladder. That was when I started reading books of self-help.

The actual trigger was actually a close friend of mine who constantly keeps me updated on his worklife. Being hired a senior executive in his new work organization, he was striving to live up to the expectations of his employer(s). His efforts to improve his vocational skills have always awed me. After all, with all the money a young adult could make, he hardly spend the time or money to indulge in leisurable activities. Instead, he was able to spend considerable amount of time to hone his vocational skills at home. His perseverance and self-motivation led me to embark on a search for my own motivation from self-help books. He is truly a great friend and a rival that I am proud to have.

In the past, I tried reading the book "The Secret" and I find it very repulsive. All the teachings in the book that encourages the readers to "make-believe" and other acts of blind-faith. I think I gave up reading the book just after 10-20 pages. But yesterday, as I re-read the book again, I do not find it that repulsive anymore. I do think that some of its content can be adapted to suit my need. I really believe that I needed to use my feelings and thoughts to empower my actions. Surprisingly, the content of this book showed some methods to do so, though I do not entire agree with the ways how the author(s) recommend most of the time.

Furthermore, while being true to level up my photography game, I stump upon the opportunity to join my photographer friend's wedding photoshoot as his assistant. While managing the flash and reflectors, I was able to observe the workflow during such photoshoot sessions. This is valuable experience that was worth my time and effort. I truly thank my friend for this precious learning exprience.