Reach Your Full Potential - Volunteer Overseas
Do you ever sit back and wonder what ever happened to a lot of your old classmates from high school or college after you all went your own separate ways? I often do, and the stories you hear can be quite fascinating if you are lucky enough to bump into them or someone else who has.
I recently bumped in to an old friend from high school in the pub and we sat down and had a long old chat. It turns out that he had started his own business after he left school, never with any expectations that it would bring in any more than pocket money. Now he has offices in 26 countries and is worth millions. Funnily enough, he hasn’t let it get to his head and still seems like the same down to earth chap he was back then.
Another story I heard from a friend was about another character from high school that used to be a bit of a bully and to say no one really liked him was an understatement. In the end, he went to volunteer overseas for about 5 years in Africa, helping communities make wells for fresh water and to build clay huts. It really is amazing how people can change over the years.
But then I looked at myself. I still live in the same little village. I have a simple job, a simple house and a nuclear family. I wonder if anyone else turned out like me. I guess a handful would have, surely not everyone has got some wild story of change and success like that. Never mind, I don’t let it get me down; I see it as more of a source of inspiration. And that’s how you should see it too.
If you don’t think you’ve reached your full potential, it’s probably time to start taking action and doing something. Now I’m not saying you need to go start a multi-billion dollar multinational enterprise, or go and volunteer overseas in Tanzania for the next decade, but have a look at the opportunities you have around you. What used to interest you back in school? What did you want to be when you grew up? It sounds cheesy, I know. But if you get into that rhythm of thinking, that’s when you can have truly great ideas and really motivate yourself to make a change in the way you’re living.
So if you have had enough of coasting through life in first gear then maybe it’s time to shift it up a gear and start taking some more risks. Have a bit of adventure and make something of yourself.