Where you start doesn’t dictate where you end up….

The conversation started innocently enough - over beers earlier this week, strangely I was at a rooftop bar in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) talking to a colleague, then the topic resurfaced again as a group of us walked around downtown KL on Friday afternoon.    And as I sit here on the plane back to Canada and reflect it’s a rather poignant thought that keeps running through my head.

Earlier this week at Skybar in Kuala Lumpur
with my colleagues - the Petronas Towers in the background. 

What if you could watch the movie of your life?   Did you ever imagine that you’d be doing what you’re doing right now (beyond reading my blog, cos’ clearly that’s a given!), living where you are, surrounded by the life you’ve created for yourself?  I guess for me it’s completely unfathomable.  

Growing up in small town rural Australia during the 1960’s and 70’s was suffocating (I know you’ve heard it before), but even then I had big hopes and dreams (yep, not much has changed J).  In fact, I remember when I came home from school and telling my parents that I wanted to go back to attend fourth form (year 10) they were completely flabbergasted and to be honest a little annoyed – “don’t you see you’re just wasting everyone’s time?” – yep, no role models or support.  Strangely I never thought I was poor student, I always felt I just needed someone to help me decode what I had to do.  I clearly lacked a supportive learning environment and the required assistance at home to get ahead academically, but that aside I had a burning desire to be successful, although I couldn’t really articulate what that meant – I just knew it wasn’t to be found anywhere near there.

TW - Grade 4 school photo

Nevertheless my dreams kept me focused on the bigger prize – getting out of this stifling environment and proving everyone wrong – well at least I didn’t think I was “dumb”; and so the more my family tried to squash my dreams and set my expectations low with life the more I resisted.  I knew that the world out there was just waiting for me and surprisingly; although I lacked a lot of self-confidence I had a deep and burning desire, just not sure for what.  I’d like to think it was passion in its rawest form.   What had shaped me so strongly?  Was it the crushing poverty?  Or perhaps the alcoholism and abuse that surrounded me?   I’d like to think that my drive was always present but somehow shaped under these adverse circumstances.   It also helped me push myself, sometimes way outside my comfort zone and to explore the world and when necessary to reinvent myself…over and over during my lifetime.  The drive has to come from within

What triggered these deep thoughts you ask?   Well the more I reflected on the recent conversations the more I tried to analyze how I had gotten here, what had been the defining factor.   What enabled me to be successful vs. failing horribly?  (Okay that’s happened more than its fair share as well), but to be honest I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve just “gone with the flow”, some might stay that this form of risk taking has landed me in some good and bad situations…just read my blog to see for yourself, but eventually and surprisingly I’ve always ended up landing on my feet.  

Definitely not your average, everyday sort of story and clearly I’m an example of not accepting “my lot” in life and sticking to the script.   This inner drive...however you categorize it is alive and well, ever-present.  

This past week as I stood in front of the large group delivering the keynote address the words flowed easily, no script required, my energy bursting as I paced the room; in retrospect I realize that I was sharing my life’s journey with them - directly from the heart, sometimes funny, sometimes serious, but challenging them.   Perhaps that’s why it flowed so strongly and easily.   I wanted to equip them, to ask them to take another look at their world and what motivates them as they start their careers – to find their passion.

I often look for the passion in people, in passing conversations, in the way someone carries themselves, they way they approach life, how they relate to others...  I’m always looking for the similar thread that course’s through others as it does for me and although different, I can relate.

At the end of the day you’re the producer, director and headline star in your own movie – so how does your movie look?