Hi, I’m Ting — I left a 15-year engineering career to rebuild my life from the inside out.
This is the moment that cracked everything open. 👇
I didn’t leave because I hated my job — I left because of one brutally honest comment in my kitchen.
Here’s what happened:
Have you ever had a moment — casual, even mundane — that completely changed the trajectory of your life?
Mine happened over dinner.
Just a normal weekday evening, cooking in the kitchen, chatting with my housemate.
She casually reflected something about the situation I was in.
A simple comment — but it hit like a thunderclap. ⚡️
In that moment, I realised:
I’d been telling myself a comfortable story — one that didn’t quite match reality.
Even though I thought I’d lived a pretty authentic life, part of me was still hiding.
Then came the storm. 🌩️
One hard truth cracked everything open — work, family, friendship, identity, values.
I sat in the wreckage, picking apart the sugar-coated stories I’d wrapped around old wounds.
It felt like the storm stripped me to the bone.
Tears. Exhaustion.
But then, slowly… light. 🌞
Maybe it’s age. Maybe it’s the growing awareness of how short and fragile this life really is.
But I knew: I couldn’t lie to myself anymore.
Not again. Not this time.
Eventually, I made the call to my manager. I told them I was moving back to Taiwan.
(I’m simplifying — the clarity came slowly, like clouds parting. But once I created space, the decision revealed itself.)
My teeth were chattering when I said the words.
Not because I hated my job — far from it.
My work aligned with my values.
My manager was a unicorn: compassionate, supportive, a genuinely good human.
My team was solid. The founders inspired me enough to move countries.
I wanted to believe I could stay.
But I couldn’t. 💔
Because something deeper was calling — and I owed it to myself to answer.
It’s been five months now.
More storms have come. More thunder.
But each time I emerge, I feel a little closer to myself.
Have you ever had a moment of choosing truth over comfort?
One that shook your foundation or changed your path?
I’d love to hear what it taught you. 🧡
