Ep 7: [Full Conversation] Taking A Leap of Faith, Finding Purpose, Quitting Singapore Airlines in Los Angeles for Social Work and Redefining Success with Dennis Teo
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Imagine this: you’re at the peak of your career. You have a great job, maybe even a great boss, and you’re making good money. You’ve made it. Most people would say that this is where life gets easier—you’re already successful, now all you need is a little more money and fewer hours at work and everything will be perfect. But there’s one guy who didn’t think so. He quit his job and started over from scratch because he wanted to find greater purpose in what he did every day. We wouldn’t blame you if you thought we were talking about Elon Musk when we said this—after all, he did tweet something about quitting his jobs and becoming an influencer—but no! It was someone else entirely: Dennis Teo! You might not know who Dennis Teo is (or maybe you do), but if you think about it for a minute, it makes total sense: after all, who hasn't wanted to quit their job at some point? And who hasn't wondered what might happen if they did? The story of Dennis proves that sometimes we have to take a leap of faith and go against what society expects from us in order to find our purpose and live our dreams! Tune in to this podcast episode to learn more about Dennis and what made him decide to shift careers despite having a dream job. Time Stamps: (00:49) Introduction (07:37) Dennis: “I wouldn’t call myself a success story” (09:24) First role in Singapore Airlines (14:26) First overseas posting - Bali (20:58) Next stop: Houston, Texas (24:26) Corporate downsizing and how to do it right (30:02) Next stop: Los Angeles and the good thing about starting something new (34:04) Where it all started (47:07) Dennis: “I cannot have safety net” (51:20) What makes a good boss? (1:03:34) Your environment shapes your perspectives (01:12:22) Plot twist and adjusting back to Singapore and Singaporeans (01:20:00) Timing matters (01:27:55) Advice on career switch (01:33:36) Relook at our own definition of success Episode show notes on https://www.johnlimcy.com/podcast-show-notes. This podcast episode was recorded in Oct 2021. About the host John Lim: Currently based in Singapore, I’m a husband, father and a curious business and tech enthusiast. Bulk of my career so far has been centered around business development, technology, entrepreneurship and startups. I have made rather huge career switches across diverse and unfamiliar industries. You can learn more about my career journey here. Consider subscribing and following the podcast wherever you are listening or watching from so you won't miss out on new episodes. Kindly rate, review and share this podcast if you have enjoyed it and/or found the episodes helpful. You can also connect and share on Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram; and watch (parts of) the conversation on YouTube. Support the podcast: Subscribe, rate and review ✍️  the podcast wherever you are listening or watching from.Follow, comment and share 👍 on the podcast’s social media (LinkedIn preferred) if you have enjoyed it and/or found the episodes helpful.Support the show
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