What I learnt from participating in the alumni reunion
There is no need to chase after the past; one still has to work hard
for the rest of life.
I attended a class reunion 20 years after graduating from
secondary school recently.
It felt weird seeing the people who were sitting in the
same classroom after many years, each leading a very different life.
My university professor once told the class:
"You must go to the class reunion 20 years after
graduation, because you will see the difference in fate between those who stick
to their dreams and those who follow the crowd."
Participating in the reunion enable me witness the life
change of my classmates.
Looking at my former classmates,
I discovered this 5 rules of a successful life.
01
What
really makes a person are abilities that are not tested in exams
Back in school, everyone took it for granted that good
grades meant a good university, a good job, and a good life. But after reading
the stories of many classmates, I found that people with a lower starting point
may also catch up in the track of life.
Classmate A had mediocre qualifications in secondary
school and went to a very poor university of science and technology, but after
graduation he actually got an offer from a well-known game company and became a
game designer. He has had a strong interest in games since he was a child.
After completing secondary school, he was addicted to studying various mobile
games and taught himself programming. Persistence in his dreams has made him earn
hundreds of thousands of dollars a year now.
After failing the university entrance examination,
classmate B went to do business. Because of his flexible mind, he caught up
with the trend of e-commerce and made a lot of money. He has survived several
career slumps and has been sitting firmly on his own track.
Classmate C works as a temporary worker with a meagre
salary, but has a strong thirst for knowledge. He reads various books and
publishes works on media platforms in his spare time. He has also become a
well-known columnist over the years.
Classmate D was quite naughty at school, but he was
willing to help others. Later, he became a volunteer and has been the founder
of the foundation.
Of my 40 classmates, 25 of them were admitted to the
university, and some of them with top grades did not live as successfully as
they imagined.
In comparison, I found that academic performance is of
course important, and students who go to a good university have a higher probability
of achieving success. However, I realized that in the second half of my life,
what I really fought for was the ability that I wouldn't get in the exam.
Have extreme enthusiasm for something; persevere on, no
matter how mediocre life is, one will ultimately shine; only by maintaining the
ability of lifelong learning can we have the confidence to deter all
challenges.
02
The
so-called happiness
People like to pursue a "standard" life: how
old should one be to buy a house, buy a car, and what position should one
achieve before your age.
We label success uniformly, forgetting that the
definition of happiness varies from person to person.
Among my classmates, there are no top business talents,
and no one is on the Forbes list, but they choose to follow their inner choices
to achieve their own success.
Alvin was the No. 1 student in batch and was admitted to
the Department of Architecture. During his studies, he achieved excellent
results in various disciplines, and also won the architectural award. When
everyone thought he was going to be a top architect, he quit the company to
become a travel blogger. He said that although he was not successful, he was
content and happy.
Jess, according to the wishes of her parents, was
admitted to a prestigious school and became a company executive all the way
after graduation. Later, she chose to regain her childhood dream and went to a
kindergarten to become a teacher.
She said, saying goodbye to the bad vibes in the
workplace, spending time with innocent children every day brings new meaning to
her life.
This gave me a new understanding of life:
Those who live the
best life are not the so-called successful people, but those who can accept
themselves.
It turns out that there is no good or bad in life. The
so-called happiness is just to pursue your wishes.
Whether it is the pursuit of greatness or the willingness
to be ordinary, as long as we live according to our own wishes, it is the
greatest success.
03
A easy
road is a downhill road
Speaking of which, everyone felt that the most uncomfortable
thing was May's experience.
After graduating from university, some people are
struggling to prepare for the postgraduate entrance examination, and some
people are running around looking for jobs. May chose to marry a successful
businessman and gave birth to a lovely son at a young age. She was the envy of
all of us.
When we were scolded by our bosses, she was shopping at
the mall; when we were rushing to work via public transport, she was driving around
in a luxury car. But this situation didn't last long. At the age of 42, she
found that her husband was having an affair outside, so she cried and got
divorced.
Her husband said, "How do you live without me, you
should think about it for yourself, or leave me alone!"
May, who used to be arrogant, From a young and beautiful
girl to a woman with a sad face, During this years, some of the classmates
passed the CPA exam, jumped from a small company to a big one, and their wages
doubled several times; some went abroad to study, and returned with abundant
resources to start a business, and their business was getting better and
better.
So you see, although life is cruel, it is also fair.
A high-rise building will rise quickly without a solid
foundation, and it will fall quickly; without the strong base, no matter how
much you own, it will eventually become a mirage.
This world is never stable, and only by relying on
oneself can we have the confidence to move forward with certainty.
04
In
the second half of life, raising children well
About halfway through our dinner, Justin came in a hurry.
He said with a wry smile that his son, who was in primary school, was having
issues. The first half of his life was smooth sailing. He travelled a lot,
doing various businesses. At the age of more than 30 years old, he had saved a
lot.
But because he is always busy with business, he has a
very bad relationship with his wife and neglects his children. The father and
son basically have nothing to say on weekdays, and they will quarrel whenever
they talk.
In the first half of our life, we worked hard to support
our children's future. If we ignore the current teaching and company of our
children, our struggle will be meaningless.
Educating our children well is the greatest task of our
lives. It is more important than buying a house near a good school and sending
children abroad for study.
When the relationship between husband and wife is
harmonious, children can learn tolerance in love; when the relationship between
parents and children is harmonious, children can understand commitment.
In the second half of life, the patience and cultivation
of the parents are tested.
05
Life
is not a sprint, it's a marathon
When the reunion was about to end, my classmate James’s
remarks touched me quite a bit.
He said that being at the bottom of the class, he had low
self-esteem and felt inferior when he saw students with good grades. He studied
very hard but he still missed the university in the end.
After failing in the university entrance examination, he
once thought his life was over, and later, under the persuasion of his parents,
he went to his cousin's construction site to do odd jobs.
After more than ten years of being under the sun and
rain, he has gradually achieved results. He has several decoration and
construction companies in his hands, and he can be regarded as a little famous currently.
When we were young, we were very anxious. We were always
trying to catch up with the classmates with good grades and wanted to be the
first.
Only later did I
realize that life is not a sprint, but a marathon.
People in this world and have their own rhythm. The
road to success may be different, As long as you keep walking on the road, you
will eventually arrive.
Parting is always sad, but getting together is more
meaningful.
I gradually found that life is not a competition with
others, but a self-cultivation.
What makes people grow is the continual improvement and
upgrading, just take your time to reach your success.
What do you all think? Leave your comments below.
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