A few days ago, a friend and I had lunch together. Catching up as friends do, he asked what I've been up to. For the sake of the post, I will call him "Jake."
Jake: So, what have you been up to lately?
Me: Oh, going to school, going to work.
Jake: Oh, what are you studying?
Me: Sociology.
Jake: Nice. So what are you gonna do after that? Be a counselor?
Me: Actually, I want to start a school. I've been wanting to reform education ever since I was in third grade. I asked the school counselor if I need to get my BA in Education. He said I didn't, and recommended I take sociology.
Jake: Wow man, that's pretty inspiring! You'll be like Tony Robbins speaking in front of thousands of people with a little "Janet Jackson mic!"
Me: LOL! Yeah, that's what I imagined. This all started last February when I was asked, "where do you see yourself in 10 years?" After meditating on it for about a month, I realized that I wanted to head toward the direction of education reform; the end goal is to reform education, however lofty and idealistic it may be. John F, Kennedy said, referring to his presidential ideals, "All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."
I see the goal-setting aspect of life like a GPS; before I start my car, I enter in my destination. Do I want to go San Francisco? Oakland? LA? Vegas? New York? I decide. In Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, Alice asked the Cheshire Cat which road she should take. The cat responded, "where do you want to go?" In which Alice replied, "I don't know. It really doesn't matter." Says the cat, "If you don't know where you want to go, then any road will get you there."
The GPS is a wonderful invention. I honestly don't know how I'd get around without it, and how I ever did get around before I had it. It's amazing; I can go wherever I want in the country as long as I have a specific address and satellite reception. Not only will I know where to go, but the GPS also tells me how long it will take for me to get there, and the distance it is from where I am to where my destination is. What's even more fascinating is that even when I make a wrong turn, even when I go left when it says, "go right," the GPS doesn't make me feel stupid or condemn me; it simply says, "recaluclating." Given, it will take me longer to get to my destination, but it doesn't mean that I will never get there.
I think a lot of us beat ourselves up because we made some mistakes in life, or we made a few wrong turns (or for some, several wrong turns.). Rest assured there is a purpose and plan for you life, and the GPS is already set; for some the reception just needs to reach the satellite. If you are reading this and feel like you are Alice conversing with the Cheshire Cat, send me a message and we can chat. I don't know the specifics of exactly what your destiny entails, but I may be able encourage you in some way.
Jake: Check out what my fortune cookie says...
Me: (reading) "Failing to plan is planning to fail."
With one year down and nine to go, I'm excited for what the future has in store. The future is coming whether you live your dreams or not, so I invite you to live it with me!
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