Journey

Today, I want to talk about a realisation I had a few days ago.

I don’t know if there is a word for a sudden intuition that comes to you, not just a thought or a feeling, but something deeper. A realisation.

This kind of intuition feels stronger than a thought. We think so many things every day. Often, we already know what the “right” thing to do is. We know what we should do and what we should not do. But knowing something and living it are two very different things.

Intuition feels different. It is mixed with experience, but it doesn’t necessarily come right after an experience. In a quiet moment, something suddenly becomes clear.

A few days ago, I had a realisation like that.

I realised that I should not worry too much about what I will be doing in the future.

Having studied neuroscience and now doing a PhD in biochemistry, my degrees do not necessarily lead to a single career path. Only about 30% of people who complete a PhD in the UK stay in academia, while the rest move into a wide range of industries.

I want to be in that 70%. But the truth is, I don’t yet know exactly what I will be doing.

For a long time, this uncertainty bothered me. I felt like I should already know, like I should have a clear plan.

But with this realisation came a brief sense of calm and confidence. I felt that I was on the right path and that it would be alright.

I also understood something else: it is not so much about exactly what I will be doing, but about how I will be doing it.

We often hear that we need to “find our passion.” But I sometimes think this idea is exaggerated and abstract. It can make us feel like there is one perfect thing out there waiting for us, and that we must find it.

We could spend an entire life searching for a single passion and never find something we can cling to permanently. So, I don’t think that is a helpful approach.

Instead, it is better to see finding your passion as a journey, and to choose paths where you can constantly learn and grow.

In the end, the mindset you bring to your work might be more important than the job itself.

What do you think?