If I go back just 365 days to the 31st of December 2017, I can clearly remember my circumstance: I had just completed a life-changing 12 months and obtained my Masters in Musical Theatre just 2 months prior; I had auditioned (and made it to the final round) of both a West End revival and major UK tour - and had been cut from both; my visa application had been recently rejected - prompting a rather reluctant move back to Singapore. I remember feeling like all the momentum I had built had come to a grinding halt. I remember feeling frustrated, even angry and painfully helpless at the thought of being forced to start from scratch all over again.
But then New Year’s Eve came by and as is customary, I asked myself: “if I could go back 365 days and tell the Eu Jin from the 31st of December 2016 all my experiences over the next 12 months, what would I say?”
And as I ask myself that question today, here are some of the roads that I’ve travelled in the last 12 months.
- I took a leap of faith and took the last and final steps away from a 2-decade long corporate career
- I’ve continued to reframe my circumstance daily and stay empowered, looking for ways to learn and absolutely refusing to play the victim card
- I set a life goal for my family for the next 10 years and am happy to say that we’re on our way
- I continued to work on my craft relentlessly, seeing it as a never-ending journey of discovery rather than a goal to achieve
- I have honed my focus and will, daring to start from scratch and have created the beginnings of a new career that I wholly own and am extremely proud of
- I saw the Northern Lights
- I am creating an exciting new work very close to my heart which I hope to stage in 2019
I could never have planned all of this. All I did was show up and find the courage to do my best in that moment.
I know I am very lucky to live the life that I have, to be able to pursue the path that I am on, and to be supported in the way that I am. I also recognize that I sit at the centre of that storm. I focus and wield all that energy into a continuously finely tuning instrument; I make - and own - every choice as my own; I free myself to be completely and utterly human.
So as I step into the start of another year, I do it with the same courage as I have every year prior, embracing the unknown, embracing the gloriously improbable life.
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My name is Eu Jin. I embarked on a career as a professional actor after 20 years in the corporate world. I am a big advocate of personal growth in the performing arts. I dedicate time and energy in performing arts education, specifically in the arena of practical approaches to inner health because I believe that this lays the groundwork for a sustainable career as an artiste.
If you would like to engage in a conversation about a healthy inner life practice, please leave me a message on the "Contact" page of my website and a way to contact you. Thanks!