E75: How Embracing Your True Self Can Turn Work Into Pure Joy with Saw Myint

Discover how Saw Myint, a Burmese-Aussie mother, CPA, and property developer, transformed her work life from frustration to fulfillment by aligning her career with her passions and values. In this episode, Saw shares her journey of overcoming toxic office politics, balancing family life, and building genuine relationships with her team. Learn how her early experiences with unfair treatment fueled her desire to serve others, turning adversity into a powerful drive to help those around her. This conversation offers actionable insights and heartfelt stories, inspiring you to pursue work that aligns with who you are and to lead with kindness and integrity. Perfect for entrepreneurs and professionals seeking fulfillment, this episode is your blueprint for creating a life of purpose on your own terms.

Connect with Saw Myint:

https://www.facebook.com/likesawkmyint/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:11

What does success really look like? Is it a bigger paycheck, a better title, or something deeper? Today's guest believes fulfillment comes from doing work you enjoy, helping others, and staying true to who you are. From leaving a 15-year corporate accounting career to building her own business as a finance broker and property developer, Saw has learned that life's greatest rewards aren't always measured in dollars. Let's roll right in. All right, welcome to the Work Sucks But I Like It podcast. Today we have Saw Mint. She is a mother of two and a Burmese Aussie lady. She is a CPA qualified finance broker and property developer. Saw, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_02 0:50

Thanks, Tony, for having me here. Thanks everybody for coming here. Enjoy us. Yes, yes, yeah. Yeah. Thanks. Awesome.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

So, Saw, define work for us today.

SPEAKER_02 1:03

Work to me is something I enjoy doing. I usually only do what I'm interested in and I enjoy it. Except what you do at home, of course, your housework. You know, you have to do it, you know. Gotcha. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

So how does that look, I guess, outside of the housework? What does your what does that look like for you today that work? Something that you enjoy doing?

SPEAKER_02 1:37

For the business, I do um finance broking and development. Um when I run my business, you know, they to do with the subjects I love property, so I enjoy it. Uh and yeah, what else I do? This is part of charity that I'm promoting. Uh border way of mental health care, that I also enjoy it. So yeah, yeah. So that's how I live my life. Um, you know, satisfaction comes with it matters more than the money I get from it. You know, I, you know, I I'm getting old. I think we all are. We could die any moment. I only want to do what I enjoy, you know?

SPEAKER_00 2:27

No, I love that song. So I feel like a lot of listeners want to do what they enjoy doing. So walk us through this transformation. So let's go back earlier in your life where work sucked, where you didn't like it. What was that sort of aha moment that made you realize that, hey, wait a minute, I can do things that I enjoy doing and make this all add up.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

Yes. I used I'm a CPA. Um, I I used to work in corporate for 15 years. You know, every few years, like everybody else, I move around. So, you know, I I am a quiet accountant, but I like helping others. You know, that helped me a little bit with my business, I think. Uh so one day I had enough of my boss, and I left. And since then I'm I'm doing my own business. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

So interesting. So, Sa, so I'm very curious because you know, a lot of guests that come onto my show are nine to five people that do work, and then the entrepreneur. I want to just kind of live in this sort of nine to five space, just for a little bit here. So, walk us through why you had what was that bad boss? What was that one characteristic that if you could change in that boss, what would it have been to make you have stayed?

SPEAKER_02 3:52

I wish there's no office politics.

SPEAKER_00 3:56

Ah, okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

Yeah, I think you know, if you work for others, like you don't have a choice rather to put up with people that you have to, because you put in a situation, right? It's not your business. When you run your business, you can choose who you deal with. For me, I do, I think.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

No, interesting. So what advice, So, because I mean, I guess, you know, the reality is not everyone can run their own business. What advice would you say to someone trying to do work for others? How can they find that same enjoyment, can they? Or do they have to just give up and go start somewhere else?

SPEAKER_02 4:38

Yeah, I think when you are at a junior position, you don't have to play a lot of politics. Your your job is pretty pretty simple, you know.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

As you go at the level, you at management level is all about managing people and uh I maybe you know it doesn't it depends on your personality.

SPEAKER_02 5:10

It doesn't suit my personality.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

No, interesting. So I guess, I mean, let's face it, even as an entrepreneur, right, you still have to work with others. Walk us through some techniques. So one of the things we like to say on the show, Sa, is that success is not a matter of good luck, it's good skills. What's the one skill that you're using to work with people that you might not agree with?

SPEAKER_02 5:32

As when you run your own business, though, you can choose who you work with, yeah. But then doesn't mean you choose 100% right all the time. So how I deal with things is um upfront, I'm good to people, I'm a fair person, and you know, when I have my employee, I treat them the same, I give, I empower them so that they are they have authority to do what they are capable of. That's how I can leverage their skill and their time. You know, if you control free, you micromanage, then there goes your time and your energy, you know. So I make sure I hire the people that have that are comp who are competent, and I I empower them to do their own thing. So uh they're happy to stay with me, but then I also have to deal with consultants, etc., that I hire for their expertise, their their skills. Um, before I hire them, I'm up front to make sure our personality is in line, they have the right skill, the the quality is what I want, and they finish on time, etc. And it because I'm up front, I usually get to deal with people I could deal with. I'm a fair person. But I would like to treat it fair.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

No, I like that. So what are some of the personality traits that you're looking for in people? How do you know what to look for in people? What are things that you're looking for that make them a good fit?

SPEAKER_02 7:32

They have the skill and experience I need. Someone I could leverage their time and skill, I could rely on, and they are fair to me as I'm fair to them. I respect everyone. I give the same respect, people on the street and people who is in power. I I respect them both. And I want to be treated fair. I I I love to appreciate human rights, etc. You know? And if you are business owner, because I could also choose, you know, they respect me too. Maybe also the way I speak, you know, the way I treat them. Yeah. So I like that.

SPEAKER_00 8:24

So when you're working with these people, I know you're you're doing the work of trying to select them to fit your team. I guess, but let's face it though, we're humans, right? We have days where they're good and bad. Walk us through a scenario, an experience where you've had with maybe a frustrating sort of conversation experience. How did you navigate to make it fair, as you're saying, to work through to a solution?

SPEAKER_02 8:47

Yeah, sometimes, of course, I find people they're not the right fit, but I still have to put up with them for a while. Um if I really need them, I put up with them for a while. Then, you know, and but I I set my limit when that day comes. That's it.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

I like that. So walk us through it. So you set it in terms of days, in terms of you know, job?

SPEAKER_02 9:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:19

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 9:19

No, any partnership, um, I'll put up with them until that partnership is done, but then that's it.

SPEAKER_00 9:29

So I want to integrate because you take pride as a mother and as you should have two kids. How can so I know working and having a family is challenging, right? How did you navigate that sort of time when you were 15 years working corporate and I assume you were you had your kids then? Um, how did you navigate that? Walk us through how you could do both.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

Okay. My husband helped and I let him work part-time. So, you know, because the children take a lot of time, and we want to give them, like all other parents, the full capacity, you know. There's a lot of tutoring activities. So my husband drives, he takes them, but I also help them out, you know, at home. I'm a cleaner, you know. So my husband put the cooking together. I mean, uh I he I used to say, he's a cook, but I prepare everything for him. He just knows the right mix, you know. You know, I chop the thing, I wash the dishes, but um he put the right mix so it tastes good, you know. Uh with children, you know, I, you know, I spend like because I'm working, when I have time to spend with them, it's a quality time. Because I'm already happy when I'm not around them. When I'm with them, I give my 100%. You know, because that's that's the time I have with them. I appreciate it. I do anything for them. I put up with them because they might blood. I put up with my family that I don't also my friends that I don't usually put up at work because they might. So when you are with your blood, it's a different story, you know?

SPEAKER_00 11:29

Yeah. No, that's excellent, sauce. So I guess I'm curious, what are your thoughts? Because I've heard that in the workplace, you know, they say when a when you have a good workplace, it's treated like family, right? But they're not your blood. So walk us through how you see family at home, and I guess like maybe the context of when family in the context of a workplace, if you've heard that before.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

I I treat them everybody fair, right?

SPEAKER_02 12:01

Uh not even family. I treat them like myself. I treat people the way I want to be treated. Okay?

SPEAKER_01 12:11

But I choose who I want to deal with.

SPEAKER_00 12:17

So I guess, Sa, what made you realize your, you know, I know kids, you have to, you know, like I said, I love how you said it, like you want to give them your quality time, quality attention. Where was that aha moment where you were like, I need to serve others, not just my family, but how do I serve others as well in this lifetime? What made you realize that?

SPEAKER_02 12:40

I served them since I was young. Um, because when I was young, under 10, I was mentally um treated unfair by my auntie. So since I was around 20, I I was always there to add for others to help them out with my time, my skin, my energy, my my connection part-time.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Uh that you know, converting myself from being a victim to a helper that helped me.

SPEAKER_02 13:19

So yeah, I was there for them. That's why I understand what others want. You know?

SPEAKER_00 13:28

What a powerful experience. I guess how did you because sometimes we can take these experiences that we didn't necessarily want and, you know, go a different direction in life. Walk us through the work when you realize this about your aunt and said, wait a minute, I can use this to, I guess I'll call it your advantage, and do something positive with it. Walk us through that work of how you turn that experience into something positive.

SPEAKER_02 13:53

I was very young. I didn't realize that that would help me. Um, but now I understand why I did that and I'm still doing that. Because um, you know, I've been there, you know, I have suffered, so I understand other people. So I I try to be there for that as much as I could, even if I don't know you. So but so I know with relationship, I you know, I put out with the one I love, so because I'm used to putting up with people. Um, but then at work, I I am usually good at what I do. I usually succeed. So at work is I choose who I, you know, at work I have a choice, right?

SPEAKER_00 14:49

No, I love that. So so how do you define success today for the work that you do?

SPEAKER_01 14:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 14:56

Um, you know, I'm okay with business, but what satisfaction, my achievements are the charity that I've been doing. Like, you know, you can put like a charity because I give my time, my energy, my money. So since the what I've been doing since I was young for others, and what I do for my family, the children that I have, they turned out fine. Yeah. That's my success. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Love it. So giving back in a in a charitable sense is how you would define.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

Yes, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

That's amazing. Because I guess like most people, when they think, I guess I'm generalizing here, when they, you know, earn their paychecks, they want to go, I guess, spend it for themselves. I think it's very admirable that you want to invest it in others, right? It goes back to your skill of empowering people, and I love that a lot.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

Yeah. And I've I've been helping so long that I get to know that people, including me, they we never had enough. And I since I'm now 53 in June. So since I was 30, I became religious. And now I learned enough that I'm trying to promote like self-mental health care. So, you know, for us, try to fix our mindset so that, you know, enough is enough. Because, you know, even the most precious thing we have, our life, it could go any moment. You know, as you age, you come to realize that, you know, like we're aging every second, we only realize every 10 years, but our life is going and we have it. It's the most precious thing. And, you know, we have to take it easy and we have to appreciate what we have instead of wanting too much and never enough, you know.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

No, I like that. I mean, it's you kind of are touching on like wanting too much like of inanimate things, extrinsic things that you know don't really amount to anything, where you're really talking about wanting more relationships and you know, helping other people. I guess Saul, walk us through. So I feel like listeners on the show really want to help others with the work that they do. What is one particular thing you would tell them to focus on, you know, to help them build these relationships to empower them to be who they are?

SPEAKER_01 17:34

I think you attract similar people.

SPEAKER_02 17:41

So, you know, uh try to become the best of you, the better of you. And yeah, you attract similar person and and you know, so but then they have their needs, you have their needs, you know, try to help each other that will fulfill you like no many no money can, you know?

SPEAKER_00 18:09

No, that's really amazing. It's also suggesting that you have to know yourself. But that can be tough, right? For people, that can be tough and scary to go inward. What's something that you have done to make it not scary to go inward, to see who you are, so then you can, as you say, resonate your sort of vibrations so you attract the right people. How do you help people to go inward when it's scary?

SPEAKER_02 18:33

Myself, naturally, I'm not materialistic, although I still love beautiful things, I love art, etc. I'm still a woman, right? But uh yeah, so and you know, the way that I suffer and the way that I like helping others, etc. Um I don't know, not intentionally, but uh I probably must have looked at myself and you know find out what's wrong with me, what I want.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

And I usually I don't know I you know whatever I say is come from my mind, you know what I mean? Sometimes I that I shouldn't act too quickly.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

Like, you know, when you like people some people careful, they want to say something but they they don't, right? I'm not that kind of person, so you know you know what I mean. Uh I'm like with me, what you see is what you get. I'm that kind of person.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

And then I just being myself, you know, I don't do anything wrong.

SPEAKER_02 20:00

I I used to mind being myself, like saying what I want to say, and then I as I mature I realize that you know other people, they also human, they're also selfish. You do the right thing, but you don't have to worry about public. If as long as you do the right thing, you have the right to present yourself. You know, you don't have to hide anything. But of course, you do the right thing, but then you know, just present your feeling. You say what you want, you act the way you want, you know. Of course, you still have to do the right thing, you know. Everybody has human rights, you know?

SPEAKER_00 20:46

Yeah, no, that's great. You're kind of touching on people need to be their authentic selves. I guess walk us through now online world today, right? Everyone's sort of shouting for attention. There's an element of narcissism. How do you navigate being yourself in a world that's very loud in wanting your attention to buy things and to be better than somebody else? How can we be ourselves in a world like this today?

SPEAKER_02 21:12

Yes. Like I'm also going public with this too, but I'm myself. And so as long as you have the right audience, you know, I I used to go on Facebook and do this on Facebook, but I don't seem to get the right audience. So here I do. And I know I with my business, mortgage broking, I do video, you know, but I'm telling the truth about mortgage, etc. But that attracts the right people. So I still buy things online, don't get me wrong, we're still human. So there's a lot of noise out there. Yeah, I I know, but then You're still human. Sometimes they attract you. I I still you know, play with my phone when I'm free. Sometimes I just want to relax. But it's okay to sometimes do that. But but I think if you um if you have the work or family take you over, what I'm saying is if you're not free, you don't really spend time, you know, doing that, like listening to other, you know, noise out there. You don't have time, right?

SPEAKER_00 22:34

No, gotcha. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So with the work that you do, Saw, this is the work sucks, but I like it podcast. What sucks about your work today and what are you doing to make it not suck?

SPEAKER_02 22:46

Yeah, even with business, when you get old, I I am still doing finance broken, but development is the next step up. At the moment I'm doing it, but I would love to run it like a business. Do a few at a time. Like development, flip, etc. They they're they're the kind of transaction it lasts a few months, you know, at least a few years. Um shifting to that because I have enough of my finance broking job. How the way I why I have enough is finance broking is like a you are broker. You are there to help others, you know. Um I I love helping others, so I enjoy that work, but I get to the age that I have to prepare for retirement. You know, that business, um I I don't get paid well enough for the time and the skill that I spent. You know, I don't get appreciated enough, and I also have to prepare for retirement. So I'm moving to run the development like a business, you know.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

Gotcha. So if so, where are you based out of Saw? Just so you listener, so the listeners can kind of place you in the world here. Where's your accent coming from?

SPEAKER_02 24:14

Uh Sydney, Australia.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

Awesome. Yeah, you love it. I've never been to Australia, but I want to go one day.

SPEAKER_02 24:21

So if listen to where do you live?

SPEAKER_00 24:23

Yeah. I live in uh New Hampshire in the United States. So the other side of the world here.

SPEAKER_02 24:29

So I had this beautiful I love to meet them one day.

SPEAKER_00 24:33

Yeah, there we go. We'll have to switch one day, switch places. So if listeners of the show want to learn more about your you know work as the you know finance broker and property developer or your story in general, where's a good place for them to land?

SPEAKER_02 24:48

Uh I'm usually on Facebook. I put a Facebook page on my profile, or I can send it to you if you wouldn't mind putting it in your show notes.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

Yeah, they can reach me there anytime.

unknown 25:05

All right.

SPEAKER_00 25:05

Well, Saw, it's been a pleasure you're having you on the show today. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

Yeah, thank you, Tony. Thanks everybody for being here. I hope we help you a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 25:14

One of the themes that stood out in today's conversation is that success isn't something you accumulate, it's something you contribute. Saw reminded us that while careers, businesses, and financial goals matter, the things that often leave the deepest impact are the relationships we build, the people we help, and the time we invest in those we love. Whether you're building a business, raising a family, or simply trying to figure out your next step, her message was simple. Be yourself, treat people fairly, and focus on what truly matters. As always, success is not a matter of good luck, it's good skills. The skill here is how you build relationships. You simply friend them on Instagram and occasionally like or comment on their post. How about calling them up and hanging out face to face? Until next time, keep doing the work, keep growing, and remember work sucks, but that doesn't mean you can't like it.