One friend of mine gave me this book as a gift once we went to a bookstore together, by the time I was 22 years old and a few months.
I did not believe in this book – like many other cases I often read on the newspapers as I think the authors simply select some special cases and coincidences then trying to relate them into reality. Brad Dunn’s When They Were 22 tells stories of many famous celebrities and their fateful events and choices that they made at all important age of 22. It was when Oprah Winfrey dropped out of college to become a newsreader in Nashville, and at 22 she moved to Baltimore to work at a station where she started her own talk show. Or like how Jack White had his own upholstery business at age 22, but while practicing the guitar he asked his wife, Meg, to try the drums and because he liked her playing so much, they began performing as a two-piece band, the White Stripes.
Brad concluded that most of us can point to one or two moments in our lives when everything changed, when a stroke of fate forever altered the future, or a single decision sparked a lifetime of consequences. It happened to many of those famous people when their lives changed forever at 22 than any other age. I did not want to believe in that, however, I am here today, one day before I turn 23, I have proved myself wrong and yes in the 22nd of your life, there is so much to talk about.
It’s the age that I realised there is no right – no wrong – no rules for me, I will just live, learn, work, love and experience. And I realised that:Β
Everyone crosses your path by a mean, not by accident. And I am so glad that they’ve come to be part of my life – Many have cherished me with joy and love – I think of them as the greatest gifts and some gave me the lessons.
It is so important to have faith in life and in people just to make it easier every time you breath. I know it is not easy to trust people and trust is not something that you can easily give to everybody. But I also know, if you don’t trust anybody, never expect yourself even once to be trusted by other people, either. It was the first thing I learned from my Business Ethics class: Treat people the way you want to be treated, it’s simple as that.
I learned that escaping is never a solution. It has come to time that I think I needed to walk away from my home country; from the company that I am working at; from all the dramas and chaos of life that I have created myself. I just need to face it, every single one.
I don’t need a master’s degree. I know it’s always good if I have one – but what if I don’t? I guess it doesn’t really matter. It will only be dangerous when you stop learning… On top of that, I’ve still been applying almost every single lesson that I learned from my bachelor studies into my work & life and still have not been able to use them all yet…
ROE (Return On Experience) can be far more important than ROI (Return On Investment), and I am at the age that I will just need to learn, travel and experience.
Always tell the truth, so that I won’t have to remember what I said yesterday or the day before…
Everybody can be replaced so don’t ever take things for granted.
Breathing is important. Sometimes I know people are too busy and forget to breath.
At the age of 22, I am proud that:Β
I can live in almost entire areas and I know I will be fine no matter what I do.Β I accept me for who I am, and I am glad of the person I have become. I don’t compare myself with anybody, I don’t compare my job to other people’s jobs. I know I am beautiful the way I am.
I might not be the smartest one in love, I’m not sure if we could find someone who is, but I do believe that no matter what decision I make in life, as long as I am an independent person and have a good will to live, I am always going to be okay.
I have decided what I wanted to do when I am 23, 24 and maybe for the rest of my life:
