Serendipity

The limitations we set for our lives often stem from the knowledge imparted to us by others. When we learn about failure, it is typically through the lens of those who fear it. Their cautious actions, based on earlier experiences, often lead them to a place of comfort where they feel safeguarded from the pains and sufferings of life. Their words carry an inclination shaped by their own encounters and apprehensions. We are taught what works and what doesn’t, how the world looks from the perspective of those before us.

As I grew older, I started to see cracks in the foundational teachings I had received from those around me. Exposure to the outside world gave me perspective, and with perspective came a clash of ideals that I needed to sort out for myself. The saying “Those you surround yourself with, are who you become” is something of great value.

Where safety once was, time has passed and all around them has changed. Children are now adults, society has developed, and yet what hasn’t seen the light of change is routine—the routine of their everyday life, the anxiety, and worry they’ve felt for decades. This is the safety they speak of because it allowed them to survive in difficult times.

I grew up with parents who valued transparency. They told us stories of their childhood, the difficulties they had gone through. I also grew up knowing we were poor and couldn’t afford luxury. They shared enough to give us a picture that we could understand growing up, but I wasn’t limited. I had dreams and aspirations far beyond the confines of my home. These dreams took me beyond the teachings of my parents and family.

I started working at a young age and have worked nonstop to this very day. This allowed me to understand that the world operates on a system that requires us to work and provide. It also developed a detest for the system at hand. I hated this routine, yet was there another way? The only factor I saw that could change the outcome I was heading for was my dreams. They made working bearable. I needed passion. I also understood that it would be quite useless to work jobs I didn’t like and not learn something, so I worked hard and took whatever lessons and values I could to implement into my own life.

This was the start to the end of a chapter of my life I like to call, Dreams and Visions. Where our parents found safety in routine, I understood that my parents only wanted me not to suffer as they did. The world around us was changing, and I needed to understand both worlds. Using the leverage my parents gave me—the security and support to chase my dreams—has allowed a brand new path to open. One that both of us know nothing about. I don’t know what exists on the other side, and there is a lot to fear with not knowing. This gift of never knowing is also one of the reasons why my curious mind has gotten this far. It’s an unexplored field, an unexplored life, and with that is the ability to discover.

Never knowing doesn’t have to be a reason to never proceed. Proceed with caution but with heart. Allow your mind to develop in ways that will change your outlook on this life we all live. There are 8 billion people in this world, and I firmly believe that there are 8 billion ways to live life. This is the gift of never knowing. We are taught the good and bad as a basic means of life from our parents; now develop your own values and principles. Failure is only a door that closes; closing your eyes during those rough times is why you don’t see the many doors that open.