The other day a client and I talked over dinner and we got on the topic of one very dear to my heart – education.
She mentioned how she had wanted to study English in university and become a translator, but ended up going with accounting instead.
I remember being a teenager – I didn’t have the foggiest clue what I wanted to do. And I believe that’s the case for many students.
Some say that they do, but I’ve found that very few actually do.
And none of us knows just what life has in store for us.
We make mistakes. Accidents happen. People lie. Arrogance, ignorance, haste, greed, naivety.
One’s life can change in a heartbeat when these things, and others, come into play.
As a child, I dreamed of attending college in the States only to hear “No” from my parents as they wanted me to attend college in England. And then one day, it changed.
I still remember the feeling of opening my acceptance letter to Pitzer – I was over the moon.
And then, no sooner had I enrolled in my first year’s classes and what did I do? I decided to come to Japan on a study abroad program.
Then my dream was to get a job in the States and instead I ended up teaching English in Japan.
Then there was the tsunami. A failed business venture. A pyramid scheme. And then, of course, there’s the result of 2 years of my life – my book, iSucceed.
We all know that life is filled with twists and turns, some tougher than others.
But it’s in the dark times where we find out what we’re really made of.
I have made mistakes to the tune of about $40,000. I’ve lost friendships. They all hurt, but the lessons I learned from each of them were invaluable.
They guided me to where I am today.
As I put the finishing touches on this post today I wonder what my life would have been like had I not overcome the adversity I did.
But I’m not the kind of person that deals with what-ifs. I like to deal with what-ares.
And watching my 2-year old son sleep soundly beside my lovely wife and holding my book in my hands, I know that life is a wild and wonderful journey.
It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.
Adrian Shepherd