The time I decided to plan my entire career in one night.

(Because one TED Talk made me feel unstoppable for about eight hours.)

It started with a motivational video. Just one. You know the kind, soft piano music, a well-spoken voice saying things like “Your dream life is waiting for you” and “It all begins with a single decision.” I clicked on it while eating dinner, thinking it would be background noise. But something in it clicked.

By the end of that 12-minute video, I sat straight up like someone had hit ‘refresh’ on my brain. I opened my laptop, pulled out my notebook, and started typing furiously.

What am I doing with my life?

Where do I want to be in five years?

Who do I want to become?

What began as casual overthinking quickly became a full-blown vision board of my future. I wrote down job titles I wanted, places I’d like to work in, side hustles I could start, skills I needed to learn. I even Googled courses and opened tabs I never returned to. I drafted a ‘Plan A’, a ‘Plan B’, and for some reason, a ‘Plan G’. I gave each year of my life a theme. Year One: Growth. Year Two: Build. Year Three: Dominate. I was delusional but in the most beautifully ambitious way.

By midnight, I wasn’t tired. I was energised. For the first time in a long while, the future didn’t scare me, it excited me. I could see it. I could feel it. I lay in bed afterwards, eyes wide open, mind buzzing with possibilities. I imagined my work desk in a studio I’d someday have, my name on a business card, giving interviews, signing off emails that ended in “Founder”. It felt so real.

I didn’t sleep much that night.

The next morning, I expected the momentum to continue, that I’d get up, start applying for things, begin step one of the ten-step ladder I’d created at 2 AM. But instead, I had college. Work.  Assignments. A project left to complete that got preponed. Life just… kept happening.

The spark from the night before didn’t vanish, but it got buried. Under emails. Under WhatsApp messages. Under small daily tasks that don’t feel like they belong in a Big Dream Life.

I found my “career plan” in my notebook a few days later. It was filled with stars and arrows, underlined words, random late-night doodles, chaos on paper. I didn’t have the energy to follow it step-by-step, but I also didn’t throw it away.

Because here’s the thing: even though that one night didn’t magically change my life, it reminded me what I wanted. And that matters. Maybe I can’t be a new person overnight. But I can keep nudging myself in that direction, piece by piece, moment by moment.

What I learnt: Sometimes your most ambitious nights are followed by your most ordinary days and that’s okay. Just because the fire fades doesn’t mean it’s gone. You’re still moving. You still remember. And that quiet knowing that you want more, and that you’re working towards it in your own imperfect way is enough for now.


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