Just as food eaten without hunger is bad for one's health, so does study without one's interest twist one's memory and prevent one from assimilating what the memory absorbs.

Leonardo Da Vinci


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That *points upward* is a wise saying, words uttered by an experienced and passionate dweller of life.

I have come to the same conclusion as Leonardo (I am big on first name addressing). The revelation came from first hand experience.

Two years ago, right after high school, I was cajoled into pursuing a course of study which I immensely resented. I despised it all my life, but with coaxing of a lucrative paycheck and a so-called renowned profession, I relented.

For the first two months, I tried to maintain the positive outlook, focusing ahead on the upcoming rewards.

Come the third month, I couldn't bring myself to 'fall in love' with it anymore, let alone like it with the slightest bit. If I was being completely honest, I was losing the will to live.

I remember this one incident with clarity.

I was doing a piece of homework at that time. I was bored out of my skull, trying to solve the question. I tried and tried, and those wretched income statements just couldn't tally (Author's note: It was not because I was not smart. I've always scored an A for Maths. Maths and me, we were this tight *grins*). Finally, I tore my paper in half, scrunched it up into a ball and aimed it for the bin. Not before crying out real loud, "This is absolute crap, utter nonsense. I hate it!"

Good thing for me, the incident did not occur in college, it was released (in full force, nonetheless) in the privacy of my bedroom.

It took another seven months torture of that, endless rantings and a full-blown atrocity for "Enough is enough" and "Go, pursue what you always wanted. It suits you better, anyway. You have my blessings" to be emitted from my parents' mouth.

I jumped for bloody joy, quitted what I hated and was on immediate en route to do what I desired.

Till this day, I have no regrets (none whatsoever).

I cannot stress enough on the importance, the cruciality of doing what you love - the very reason your heart beats.

In retrospect, almost a year was wasted on doing something I did not love. However, even if I could turn back time, I wouldn't have it any other way.

It taught me a valuable lesson in life - All things will eventually work out for good, even if we don't see the good just yet. Somewhere in the horizon, it is there, waiting for us. We just need to persevere and be resilient on our journey towards.

It provided me with a calming reassurance, a renewed faith also, in God and in life.

Someone once asked me on my definition of success.

I have heard many, countless versions in fact.

In my humbled opinion, success is never gauged by what you want to or have achieved. The benchmark of success never is, "When I have finally achieved/clinched so-and-so (It can be a title, amount of money, an award, an impossible feat attained, etc) then I have gained success and satisfaction".

Let me say in hindsight, you will not be contented when you have reached that level.

The reason?

Success is not and can never be, measured by accomplishments. Success is dictated based on the condition of your heart.

Diving right into the heart of the question, success is when you come to realisation of what you love, go all out to do it and do it for the rest of your life, without hesitation and without regret.

When the wellspring of life is on the right track, you do not do things to please and you do not expect to be pleased. Simply put, you believe in yourself and what you do. Other things pales in comparison of importance.

I do not know with most of you, but to me, that in itself is success.