The Path I Walked
I did not walk a straight path.
Over the past 35 years, I changed jobs eight times. Not out of restlessness, but because life kept shifting under my feet. Just when I thought I had found stable ground, something would move.
There were seasons of progress. Some seasons took things away.
I lost my job at one point in my early career due to the Asian Financial Crisis. It took me a good six months to land another job, while I still had to feed my family and meet other commitments. Looking back, the next job was unexpected but a blessing in disguise. I was offered a position in a UK consulting firm, and the Managing Director seconded me to the UK headquarters to support the project team. I worked from the ground level up during the project planning phase, then transferred back to Singapore for the implementation phase.
That was also the turning point in my career, where I consistently and persistently acquired the qualifications and applied them to reach a level of mastery. Subsequently, I built two businesses, and both failed. A close friend, someone I trusted, cheated me of $60,000. That loss was not just financial. It changed how I looked at people, at trust, and at myself.
For most of my career, I worked in the utility industry. It gave me challenges, purpose, and a sense that I was building something that mattered. One of the proudest chapters of my life was contributing to the development of power plants and water plants in Singapore and as far as the UAE. Life was tough and well rewarded. It had challenges and moments of joy, but also risks, uncertainties, and personal sacrifices.
The truth is this. Every setback forced me to rebuild. Every loss reshaped me. Every disappointment stripped away an illusion I did not know I was holding.
My life has been a roller coaster, not a straight road. There were moments when I wished for something easier, something smoother. But looking back, I see that the uneven path did something a perfect path never could. It made me resilient.
Resilience is not loud. It does not announce itself. It shows up quietly in the decision to try again after something breaks. It shows up in the willingness to keep walking, even when the destination is unclear. I am still walking that path today, but with a greater sense of control and a commitment to living my own aspirations.
Along the way, I chose to document part of this journey. I contributed my story to the book Blessing in Disguise, where I shared some of the lessons and discoveries that shaped me.
I have begun writing a memoir, a record of my life, as a legacy for my son. It is not a story of perfection, but of what truly mattered.
What we build may not last, but what we pass on to the next generation can endure.
The person we become while building it is what stays. And sometimes, that is the real work of a lifetime.
Disclaimer
This story is a narrative reconstruction based on a live sharing by Patrick Loke. Some details have been interpreted or expanded for storytelling purposes.
