Our life is a journey, and the path is not always clear. Many people find it challenging to discover their interests and get started on their path. But it doesn’t have to be so hard. We can make it simple. We can discover possibilities from the people around us. Or we can begin with solving a problem, whether big or small. We must recognize possibilities, embrace them, and never give up.
When I was in 10th grade, I transferred from an international school to a public school’s international department. I soon noticed that there were several problems in my new school community. Many of my classmates complained that the cafeteria was overcrowded, and the school breakfast was unhealthy and unpalatable, having been cooked with too much oil. This led many students to frequently skip breakfast, a problem made worse by the fact that we were not allowed snacks during morning breaks. I didn't want my friends to go hungry all morning, so I planned to make some healthy snacks for them. I started to come up with recipe ideas, and eventually settled on oat cookies, because oats are both healthy and eco-friendly.
When I first began selling, I hoped that my school could offer me a platform to promote or sell my cookies. However, although many teachers considered this a fantastic idea, they were not able to support it due to school policy reasons. At first, I was frustrated, but I recognized that this was a problem that I could solve; a possibility I could realize, so I decided to build my own selling platform. I opened my own online store and contacted students from different schools to take care of deliveries. We spread information in WeChat groups, and I ended up selling about 600 cookies to students across four different schools, as well as at the ICC school’s charity fashion week and the Keystone’s charity bake sale. I put the money I earned toward supporting stray animals and holding eco-friendly events.
This was the beginning of my journey. The first step to finding your way is to look at what you do every day and recognize what makes you feel excited. That’s your interest: the spark /that ignites you. When you find something that excites you, grips you, and engages you to delve deeper – explore it. You may have many interests, but your journey will not begin until you've made the decision to move in a certain direction. This doesn’t mean that you’re stuck on the same path: you can always change your focus if you begin to feel uncomfortable, or uninterested. Once you’re on your path, it’s important not to become too preoccupied with the future. Look to the present. Are there any things you want to change in your community? Do you want to help people to overcome real-world problems? The problem does not have to be something huge or earth-shattering: you just need to take a small step to explore your path.
Want to hear the next part of Milly story? Stay tuned for part 2!
{ Credits }
Writing: Milly W
Formatting: Margaret Y
Photography: Milly W
Posted By: Margaret Y
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