I had a very intense lesson on how to calculate the feasibility of a project.

The micro details that need to be taken into account. Whatever your business may be, you still need to have financial expertise to see if your project is viable or not. I don’t have an accounting or finance background (just like how I have no engineering background to be working in construction!), so I have to learn from experienced people and use a little bit of my common sense to digest it all.

Someone asked me recently, “A girly girl working in property and construction. That’s a bit odd. What is your motivation to work? ”

I was dumbfounded. I didn’t know what to answer because truth be told, I have no idea! I don’t stop and think hmmm, I wonder what is motivating me to work.

I guess this past year I just did it. Nobody forced me. I just knew that if I didn’t learn fast, I just wouldn’t develop. As simple as that. Like it or not, this is my learning curve and as of now, I guess my motivation is the fact that I want to master the traits of doing business in this whole year.

But when I really think about it, I don’t think you need any external motivation to work. I don’t think it’s healthy to rely on an external factor which determines whether or not you do work. Like, if you’re motivated to work hard to win a girl’s heart, you won’t be so motivated once you learn the girl already has someone else. Or if you’re motivated to work to prove yourself to someone, you won’t be so motivated once you learn that that someone really doesn’t care whether or not you succeed. Basically external motivation is only temporary.

The bottom line is that motivation has to come from within you. YOU should be the driving factor and you shouldn’t need someone or something else to motivate you. Be your own cheerleader. Own those pompoms!! Hehe.

I’m going to my 1st year anniversary of working this August and for the past 10 months, I have discovered I love with my work. I love learning new things and seeing the business grow, knowing that I at least had something to do with it. I love having something to do. And I just love sitting with my dad and pick on his brains for knowledge of the experience I never had. He had some pretty challenging times dealing with all kinds of people, but it’s his way of dealing with them that amazes me. I just hope I’ll be that good. DNA’s gotta be good for something right??

The downside for me is that I’m not working in a big organisation, which means I know less about banking, about consulting, about oil and gas, about whatever else that everyone’s working in. It frustrates me sometimes that I don’t know what my friends are talking about, but I realise it’s impossible to know everything! The only thing you can do is to read read read, and also to surround yourself with friends who are as motivated to work as you are. Surround yourself in a positive group who encourages you to achieve your dream.

At the end of the day, we all work to earn money to go about our daily lives. But we also want to have something we can be proud of, and that definition differs in all our books. Whatever it may be, we should work towards it and prove to ourselves, not anyone or anything else.