The Dreamy Idealist says:

Several years ago, I blogged my results of a remarkably accurate personality test, that confirmed me being a dreamy idealist. I wasn’t expecting that post to circulate among international readers, and before I knew it, I was reading multiple comments from other dreamy idealists around the world. It was uplifting to know others agreed with me and shared my concerns. Thank you for taking time the comment on that post and to share your thoughts, and to also remind each of us that we're not alone with our struggles.


I didn't know that post was still generating fresh comments until today! Weirdly, Blogger never notified me of new comments. Hmm. Anyway, my decision to take that personality test stemmed from my ongoing dilemma on choosing a major. Back then, I was doing an American Degree Transfer Program at Inti College in Malaysia. I had plans about transferring to an American college, but I needed to decide on a major before searching for schools.

I'll share some of my story soon, but I won't go into all the details because I'd hate to bore you. :)  The reason I’m writing this is to address some important things I later discovered throughout my journey, and I hope these would benefit other dreamy idealists out there.

As dreamy idealists, we possess respective qualities that make us unique. We’re natural perceivers. We’re deep thinkers and we’re imaginative. We are also naturally cautious, and we can’t help being that way. It’s a part of our makeup, I guess. And when we’re faced with making a big, life-changing decision such as choosing a major for university, applying for jobs or even picking the right place to move to, we struggle so hard because making the right decision is critical. We can’t afford slip ups in this situation.

While it’s so easy for most people to say “go with your guts”, how many of us actually know what our guts are saying? And maybe the most important question is, how much do we trust our guts? Our cautiousness gets in the way like a conscience, telling us to consider ALL the options before making a final choice. We’re afraid of ending up with the wrong option, but we can’t seem to decide on the one that’s right.

I realized that it’s really important to know your strengths. If you’re unsure what your strengths are, it’s never too late to figure that out. Some people are blessed with multiple strengths; they’re effortlessly gifted in so many areas: music, writing, arts, math, science, and sometimes I wonder if there’s anything they can’t do. If you're one of them (don't be modest!), it might be a challenge narrowing your focus to one or two important strengths.

I, on the other hand, am equipped in limited areas. And I’m not saying this in a self-depreciating manner. Growing up, I tried my hands on possibly everything. I took piano lessons at 9 all the way until 13, and then gave up because I hated playing classical music and only wanted to play pop music. My teacher was probably relieved when I quit. When I was 15, I took basketball lessons with some friends, in hopes of improving my aim. I liked basketball but no matter how hard I tried, I was never a natural shooter. Nor was I a good defender. I tried tennis. It didn’t work out, so I tried squash. Didn’t work out either. When I realized sports wasn’t my muse, I shrugged and moved on.

I picked up acoustic guitar lessons. For weeks, I was dedicated to play every note smoothly. I improved significantly, but I gave up eventually. My parents said I should have just gone ahead and finished what I’d started.

Easy for them to say, but I could be tapping into my strengths than forcing myself to attempt things I’d lost interest in. Like everything I tried to do, it started off with a spark that ignited into a little flicker of hope, but that flicker eventually rode away on the winds of change.

There are some things we are made to do; only time and experience will tell. 

One thing that stayed constant was my love for writing. When I wrote that post 3 years ago, I knew that I loved writing, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make a career out of it. I wasn’t confident that I could be a good writer, or a journalist. At the back of my mind, a little voice whispered, “You won’t be good enough. There’s always some better in that field, and it’s just a matter of time before you realize that you’re back at square one, contemplating what to do with your future.”

I’ve learned that there will always be someone better. Even where I am today, I have classmates who write way better than Nicholas Sparks or Jodi Picoult. They tailor stories with their creative needles, effortlessly weaving threads of words onto the canvas of their pages. I'm like, "for real?"

But I’ve also learned that you don’t have to compete with anyone but yourself. :) Analyze your strengths and be honest with yourself.
Think about what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing. 
If you're planning to turn your hobby into a career, understand that chances are, you might be putting your hobby at a risk. Before you combine work and play, research the consequences and roll over the idea in your mind for a while, and then act. It's great if you're doing something you enjoy doing, but if you feel you'd rather do something "practical" (like my dad always says) and keep your hobby as a hobby, know that life always has a way of creating little slits of opportunity so you will always get a chance to do what you really enjoy doing. Once you’ve figured out what you’re good at, you’ve narrowed down your options.

Whenever I had an interest for a subject or a hobby, I went for it. It continued all the way into college. I was taking classes in Psychology, Sociology, History, World Religion and other cool stuff that I wasn’t exposed to in high school. I couldn’t deny that I was interested in social sciences, but what about writing? I guess I just wore myself out with all the options. I was also influenced by the suggestions of my parents, friends and professors. Everyone was offering suggestions to help me, but I was confused. Deeply confused. So yes, having too many options isn’t always a good thing, but it’s better to have more options than none.

But everything happens for a reason. 
If I hadn’t tried them, I wouldn’t have discovered that I wasn’t made for Psychology, Sociology or the other things I wanted to try, including Linguistics and English.

What if you can’t afford to try all the things you want to? That’s okay. Do lots of research and talk to lots of people involved in that area. Say you’re interested in law, but you're also interested in biology and math. Research if there's a suitable career for that, and talk to students who are currently pursuing those subjects or professionally involved (lawyers/doctors/math teachers) and ask what is required of them. Know the kind of assignments you'll be doing as well as the job prospects. And then ask yourself if you're physically and mentally capable of this, and whether you'd enjoy doing this in the long run? (Not just over the next 3 years, but over the next 5-7 years?)

Then, there's also something else to consider: Do you really want it, or are you making yourself want it?

There's a reason I'm saying this, but I'll save that for another post. Just know there's a big difference between the two. Don't make hasty decisions for the sake of the moment that you'll regret in the years to come. Do it because you want to, and let things unravel the way they should unravel. 

I've had to make plenty of decisions since that post, and one of the recent ones was picking a company to intern with for the summer. I struggled with the uncertainty and doubts for months, but one day, I decided to just pray about it and act. I stopped asking myself if I should apply for this - I just went online and did plenty of research on companies and started sending out my application packet. Good news, I finally scored the perfect summer internship! Now my current dilemma is not knowing if I'm moving to a different state on my own. But that's going to be in another post. :) 

Sometimes I still worry about the future. I don't know if I'll secure a good job, if I should stay back in the USA or go somewhere else, or if hat I'm learning now will benefit me in the next decade. I don't think we will ever stop worrying. 

All I'm saying is that things have a way of working out for the best when you stop worrying too much about them and just start acting in faith. Make that phone call, visit that school, talk to that person about your dilemma. 

Whichever path you choose to take, something good will always come out of it. And if you're still confused, don't stop searching for the answer. It will come to you when the time is right. :) 
Wherever you are now, I don't think it's a mistake. You're arrived at this place for a reason, and that reason will manifest itself to you as time goes by. 


Maybe you've tried nearly everything and you're still clueless as to what to do next. Well, I don't think we're made to do just one thing. :) Just because what you accomplished wasn't what you really wanted, don't think you wasted your time, because you didn't. You learned things you never would have learned if you hadn't chosen that path. You met people you never would have met if you'd taken a different route. So, don't think your past has gone to waste. It hasn't. It's made you who you are, and it's shaped your thoughts and perceptions, preparing you for what you're about to do next.


For now, live in the moment and continue searching. With each step you take, you are one step closer to getting to where you are meant to be. 

And remember, having faith in yourself will take you places.

All the best! :) 


PS: If you were one of those who commented on my previous Dreamy Idealist post, I'd love to hear your updates! :)