Today I inviting you to go with me on memory lane and try to step into the reality of time past.
I was a student at a upper class highschool in my hometown.
I had just started 11th grade and was discovering the tricks of being an adult. Back then I was a sharp student never needing to study for class, I always managed to pull through and grab all the A’s and B’s I could get my hands on. Attendance was not required,
at least not on my side, since, well since my grades proved that I didn’t really needed to be there to make it work. I knew I was a smart kid and I was full of it. My skipping school could never be a problem with my parents since I did great without any major presence needed. Back then I knew who I was and what I wanted to become. It is that stupid confidence that we lack in maturity. That assurance that everything will be ok and anything that you set your mind on could be accomplished. How many times did you actually dared to dream lately? The answer is none because you have accumulated a lot of negative experience since then to say otherwise. Nevertheless I was young and full of life. Everything was working out, as far as I could imagine. There was only one thing left to accomplish.
Since I was a youngster, 5th or 6st grade, I imagined myself as a journalist. And not an anchorwoman like most girls my age. No, not me! I wanted to be an editorialist.
That means I wanted to do more like a blog in a newspapper. And not any newspapper. Let me explain. A lot of things were going on in Romania back then and my mom was an avid reader of a national succesful newspaper.
So, needless to say, writing there became my goal. Not because my mom was a fan, but because since I was little I have discovered a passion for politics and books on that subject
( she might have had something to do with that part hehe..)
So here I was, all grown up, as much as I could have been a mere highschool student and with one major wish to write at that national newspaper. It so happend that the town that I was living it opend a edition of that newspapper for the west part of Romania. To put it in perspective so american readers can understand, it meant that this was a national newspaper that opened an edition of its papper to the west of America. Pretty big! Even bigger for a highschool student to reach! So as that happened, you could imagine that I called everybody that I knew to get me an interview at that newspaper. I must mention that I had never writen anything published prior to that in my life. All I had was my stubbornness and my political agenda. I had read all there was to read regarding not only romanian but foreign politics, conspiracy theories and espionage and counterespionage books, all that my mother managed to gather prior and after the fall of communism. I read it all and knew it by heart..
hehe..those were my childhood books. Let’s just say that my mother wasn’t that worried about the content of the book I was reading and more happy that I was reading. (Probably why I kept having the recurrent dream that Carlos the Jackal was trying to kill me hehe)
Anyway, as I was saying, I was calling everybody that I knew to get that interview with the big newspaper. Well as the Bible says “ seek and you shall find” . And so I did. It so happend that my aunt knew the chief editor of the newspaper and reluctantly he agreed to give me an inteview.
I had passed the newspaper headquarters in that area so many times on my way to school and almost every time I imagined going in, but never in my wildest dreams did I believe ever actually going in there for an interview. Imagine my suprise when I got the call saying I was finally scheduled for an interview with the chief editor!
I was called in his office and asked to take a seat. In front of me was not only the chief editor, but also all the main reporters of the newspaper. I knew they’re names and all their work by heart. One of them, actually turned out to be one of my university professors. The interview went smoothly on my part since I was well up to date with everything that had and was taking place in the country. After a cup of coffee and many discussions later they all agreed to give me a shot. They wanted an article to prove that I had it in me to write as well. Needless to say I didn’t get the editorial post I was looking for and I surely didn’t get a dime from my work, but I will always remember that first moment when I saw my article published in the newspaper the next day.
I had dropped the finished article at the newspaper the night before, but I just got a thank you in return and left. (I didn’t wait for an approval or dismissal!)
Every morning I created a habit of buying the newspaper before heading to school. This time I did not have the guts to do so and surely enough I got on the tram number 4 and headed off to school. My mind was only on the newspaper. Surely enough, as I was contemplating my failure and how I will cope with it, I saw a man reading the newspaper! And not only that, he was reading My Article!! It made the 5th page and I was ecstatic!!
The fact that my dream came true and not only that, but I achieved it in so little time and with so little effort, gave me an incredible sensation that I never felt before! It confirmed all of my suspicions, that I could actually do whatever I set my mind to do.
I decided to share this story, so that you and me can relate to it and remember the time when you thought that anything was possible.
The only thing that is stopping you to achieve whatever you set your mind to is yourself! So go ahead! Dare to dream! Dare to return to that innocent optimist and stupid confidence that you once had! Take that step back and be courageous! You might just thank me later..
Keep in touch,
