The question of all questions was asked and answered by first time author Krystal Chong as she launched her novel, “What the hell am I supposed to do with my life?” at the Grog Shoppe Restaurant at Devon House on Tuesday. The “eat-pray-love” style novel was a hit among the many friends and well wishers in attendance.
“What the Hell Am I Supposed to do With my Life?” tells the story of a rudderless Krystal, her coincidental meeting with a nomadic rasta yogi guru named Hado, leaving her cushy job as Chief Marketing Officer at her parents’ Honey Bun Limited and moving to New York to find her true life purpose. The evening started with a meditation from Hado to bring about an “atmosphere of peace” followed by interesting first-hand account from Krystal’s mother, CEO of Honey Bun Limited, Michelle Chong.
IN PHOTO: Krystal Chong (left) shares the stage with her mother and CEO of Honey Bun Limited, Michelle Chong (right) and her spiritual guru, Hado (center).
How did it all begin? Krystal said she felt that her success in her job was not enough. She told those gathered that on a random day, she had ended a meeting and was exiting a parking lot when a security guard, upon recognizing her, said “Oh, you are the honey bun girl, you are doing a really good job.” She said while she felt honored to have been recognized for her good work, there was an emptiness inside of her. “I think what shocked me was I felt this gaping 'fakeness', like this is not what I was meant to do with my life,” she said.
This feeling, she said, intensified her anxiety and depression, something she had struggled with since childhood. Her depression got so bad that one night she contemplated suicide. At that point she became desperate for change as she realized that life as she knew it, could not continue that way. That’s when she met Hado, the blonde-haired, nomadic, rasta guru who led her into an impromptu meditation outside of a juice bar.
Krystal shared that she has always wanted to write a book but never knew what to write about, that was until she began her journey to finding her place and purpose in the world. “The journey was difficult but it was the difficulty in the journey that taught me the things that I needed to understand, such as how to manage my emotions, my anxiety and my depression. Because of that I have never been depressed again since that day eight years ago. I have found a place of peace and a magic in life and a connection to it that is beyond this world and makes me feel alive,” Krystal said.
It was this feeling, she said, that made her want to share with other people. The concept of the book came shortly after and in three months, the book was finished.
Krystal said she chose to move to New York because she needed to be in a space that facilitated her creativity. “You could be anybody you wanted to be and no one would judge you. I felt that here (in Jamaica) I wasn’t as free to just be myself. I wanted to be free so that I could grow.”
Krystal hopes her journey, portrayed through her book, will help readers to define their purpose in life and answer the call of their true calling.
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