Go against the grain?
I ask myself this all the time! From the outside, people would think I try to do it–blame it on me. (Ok, I accept some of the responsibility) I’ll explain that later. I ask the question myself at times: “Why does it have to be this hard?” Or declare to myself, “This is illogical”.
When I was 4-5 years old, I saw my first band tapes. I was around a musical instrument for the first time; the trumpet! I knew I wanted to play it. Fast forward six years, I was entering middle school preparing to start my fantastic musical career. Less than 2 months into starting my trumpeting, my mom and dentist decided this was the right time for me to get braces. Notwithstanding the inherit complexities of learning how to play a trumpet (especially for a guy with more than full lips), I have to do it with braces??? Still on of the most challenging conquests of my life.
Skipping the details of the similar occurrences, I’ll move to the one most current. I had 2-3 dream jobs as a teenager: architect (could have had so much more money by now), band director, or something in business. Yes, that last one was and still is that vague in my mind sometimes. I started college right after the fall of Enron and WorldCom. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were in bloom. I was just hoping the draft wouldn’t be reinstated. One of the most popular majors at the time was Accounting for the obvious reasons. “Eeeeverbody needs an accountant!” I can’t tell you how many times I heard this yet upon graduating Magna Cum Laude just 4 years later, nobody in my city seemed to need an accountant. In a 2-3 year span I sold cellphones, housewares, ladies shoes, and myself to one other employer until I finally stabilized in my accounting career over a year and a half out of college. I worked for stability only to realize, I need things shaken up. I needed to be able to use my creative eye and my business mind. It wasn’t until 2012 that I decided to do the illogical again…
Sometimes it does and sometimes we don’t get it initially, but sometimes the illogical makes perfect sense.