Riding the Winds of Change

If I had to choose two of the best traits that I have as a person, it would be my determination and my ability to cope quite well with transition. There had been a point in my life that these traits had been put to the test. It happened when I transferred from a liberal studies program in Florence, Italy into a communications program in New York City. When I made this shift, I really felt the pressure of struggling to be independent. Living life when you have no one to depend on but yourself is hard to imagine. It is even harder to do. Nonetheless, it is only one of the many challenges I had to deal with as it is but a part of the greater demands of growing up and learning life’s lessons. All things considered, I had to say that I certainly felt more like an individual than I ever did when I was in Florence. For this, I would always take pride in going through that change in my life and successfully overcoming the obstacles which came my way. I somehow see myself in the character of Frederick Tubb. Otherwise known as Bootie, he is one of the characters in Claire Messud’s novel entitled The Emperor’s Children (Messud 160). He is the nephew of Murray Thwaite. He was an idealistic college dropout who was resolved leave a mark of his own. He came to New York City to do just this. He was bound to significantly change the lives of the characters in the story in a way that no one ever though would be possible. He was able to shatter the foundations of those who seemed to have carefully secured their positions to be on top of the world. The moment the worlds of the most successful people have collapsed, they were left with nothing but the wreckage of the material heaven they have traveled great lengths to build. The only thing that was left to do work on their individual self-redemption and brave the challenges ahead armed with an enlightened heart and soul as a result of knowing what really matters in life. Whenever life’s circumstances seem to pull all your defenses down, it is but natural to feel devastated. When you have defied seemingly impossible odds just to prove your self to the rest of the world, it is heartbreaking to one day wake up and learn that all of your hopes and dreams for the future have already crumbled. Just when you thought that tomorrow will bring bountiful blessings, sometimes it presents the worst events you can not even dare to imagine. When enjoy all the comforts in life that the average individual can only hope for, there is no guarantee that your life will never take a drastic turn for the worst. Times are there when success is within reach today but it is some thing which is next to impossible the following day. But life is really hard even for those who are more fortunate than the others. Come to think of it, how do we really measure success? Does it only translate to material wealth? Personally, I do believe that it does have to be so. The real essence of success for me goes beyond the comforts of life that money can buy. Success can also be measured by how far one has tested his or her limits. When one has gathered enough strength to leave his or her comfort zone and start all over again giving another shot at life, the positive outcome of such an endeavor would spell success. I may not own riches to the point that my neighbors would envy the life that I live but I had to say that I have tasted the sweetness of success in the span of my existence. My claims to fame my fail in comparison to certain people but I know what it feels like to be on top of the world. The moment I made one of the greatest transitions I ever did in my life, I must admit that I had my own share of fears and uncertainties of what lies ahead. However, my determination and ability to manage changes saw me through. Indeed, it was one of the most successful endeavors I have ever embarked on my life’s journey.