Living Up to Expectations | Andrew Smith | TEDxLingnanUniversity
The speaker argues that the pressure to follow established professional patterns stifles true potential, advocating instead that finding passion requires daily interaction with others to create dialogue, ultimately culminating in clarifying the *why* behind one's purpose. This was illustrated by the speaker moving from a traditional career path to becoming a balloon artist, and concluding that one's *why* is often visible in something as simple as a smile.
## Theses & Positions
- The pressure to follow a set pattern of becoming a qualified professional (pharmacist, lawyer, engineer) can be too much and is not for everyone.
- The challenge for individuals is learning "how to break free" from external expectations to follow their own dreams.
- The true question to consider is not *what* your passion is, but *why* you have it or *why* you want to pursue it.
- The ultimate goal is to be happy doing what one does, as happiness fuels sustained success.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Balloon as a metaphor for breaking free:** A balloon, while appearing simple, must be blown up to break free from expectations.
- **Dialogue generation:** Finding a passion is difficult and not easy; it is facilitated by starting a daily dialogue with people seen regularly (e.g., in a coffee shop or on the bus).
- **Professional development:** Becoming good at something requires practice, which progresses from an *avatar* practicing until getting it right, to a professional practicing until not getting it wrong.
- **Marketing/Advancement:** Once a passion/skill is established, one must learn to promote, market, and expand it by seeking mentors and help to reach the next level.
## Timeline & Sequence
- Father's early achievements: University at **16**, qualified as pharmacist by **19**, chain of eight chemist shops by **30**.
- Father's later pursuits: Retired, learned to fly an aeroplane at **40**, returned to university to become a lawyer.
- Father's final stage: Became a pharmaceutical consultant at age **70**, then earned a doctorate.
- Speaker's transition point: Left a professional job as a salesman in the financial services industry, experienced layoffs, and subsequently shifted focus.
- Speaker's current practice: Transitioned from magic acts to balloon artistry, evolving the hobby into a paying business.
- Discovery of technique: Speaker discovered helpful concepts by recalling simple daily phrases: "good morning," "good afternoon," "good evening," and "thank you."
## Named Entities
- **Terrance** — A man in Causeway Bay who is a lawyer but wants to pursue a passion in a coffee shop.
- **Kevin** — Mentioned alongside Terrance, with a passion for horseshoe crabs.
- **Discovery Bay** — A location mentioned where one of the passionate individuals resides.
- **Causeway Bay** — A location where Terrance is mentioned.
- **Microsoft certified practitioner** — A certification the speaker attempted to achieve.
- **Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson** — Used as an example of mentorship where help is local ("at home").
## Numbers & Data
- Father's university age: **16**.
- Father's qualification age: **19**.
- Father's shop ownership age: **30**.
- Father's flying age: **40**.
- Father's consultant age: **70**.
- Speaker's hobby-to-income transition period: **20 years**.
- Speaker's magic/IT setback: The **Millennium bug** concern.
- Speaker's business apparatus: A boxed gray scales **256 speed computer**.
## Examples & Cases
- **Father's trajectory:** Showed a pattern of continuous reinvention and achievement (pharmacist $\rightarrow$ shop owner $\rightarrow$ pilot $\rightarrow$ lawyer $\rightarrow$ consultant $\rightarrow$ doctorate).
- **Speaker's early failure:** Worked successfully as a salesman in financial services but faced redundancy and loss of control.
- **Speaker's pivot:** When laid off, intending to become an IT expert (the standard path), he diverted to balloon artistry due to his childhood magic hobby.
- **Passion discovery case:** Terrance (lawyer) wants to be a "liar" (passion?) in a coffee shop; another individual's passion is "shoot horseshoe crabs."
- **Professional realization:** The speaker concludes that the smile is *why* he does what he does.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Balloon:** Primary symbol; used as a tool to communicate, earn income, and represent freedom from expectation.
- **Plastic Straw/Packet:** Items handled during an introductory activity.
- **Laptop:** Purchased by the speaker to pursue IT expertise.
- **Microsoft certified practitioner** — A technical qualification the speaker sought.
- **Boxed gray scales 256 speed computer:** Unused, tangible artifact mentioned in the context of abandoned plans.
## References Cited
- None cited as formal sources (only anecdotal examples or historical figures used metaphorically).
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Standard Professional Path:** Medicine, law, engineering; the expected, high-return path desired by parents.
- **The Speaker's Path:** Balloon artistry; contrasted with the security of the financial services industry.
- **Passing on investment:** Parents investing income for predictable returns (e.g., doctor/lawyer) versus the unpredictable nature of following passion.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- Many people will suggest simply "find your passion" or claim it is "easy."
- The speaker counters this by stating it was not easy and took **20 years** to develop.
- The physical effort required: the initial activity involving balloons, straws, and packets implies physical coordination is needed.
## Methodology
- The primary methodology for self-discovery outlined is **starting a dialogue** with strangers or regulars using simple greetings ("good morning").
- **Continuous learning and practice:** To master a passion, one must commit to regular practice, studying, and staying involved until mastery is achieved.
- **Mentorship:** To advance, one must seek external guidance from mentors and colleagues.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Individuals must find their passion by breaking free from external expectations and committing to dialogue.
- Once a passion is found, the next step is mastering it through practice and then learning to effectively market and promote it.
- People should focus on understanding the *why* behind their drive rather than just the *what*.
## Implications & Consequences
- The emotional consequence of *not* following one's true passion can lead to feeling controlled, unsafe, and lost, as seen in the speaker's redundancy experience.
- Happiness in one's work is framed as the key prerequisite for long-term success and fulfilling parental desires.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"A balloon is a child's toy it's something that's handed out at birthday parties at fairs and all sorts of celebrations to me a balloon is a tool it's how I earn my income"*
- *"The pressure was immense the pressure for me to do and follow in his footsteps to become a pharmacist a lawyer an engineer to follow in the standard to be do what everyone is expected to do is to become a professional"*
- *"I had to break free"*
- *"the two phrases that will help us as individuals find what it is we want to do simple the two phrases are good morning good afternoon good evening and thank you"*
- *"if you don't know what your passion is by talking and creating a dialogue you will perhaps uncover things that you're not even thought of when you started"*
- *"the question is not necessarily what is your passion the question perhaps should be why you have a question why is your pain"*
- *"when people ask me why why I do what I do it's the smile the smile is why I do what I do"*