News Money & Business The Dotted Line - What an inspiration! 
| The Dotted Line - What an inspiration! |
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| Written by Ndigo Naka | |
| Thursday, 10 July 2008 | |
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But I’d like to clarify something (in case it hasn’t gone home to that individual), that other people’s views on what I do with my energy, is precisely that- their views, not mine. What matters in my view is how well I do what I do, and whether or not the outcome is positive. But if the comment was meant as a genuine compliment, I can only accept that maybe my bank account could have been much better looking right about now if I had taken that option years ago to pursue a law degree. On the other hand, if it was meant to somehow create doubt in my mind as to what I need to focus on at this time, then I should say stop wasting precious flattery on me. It won’t work. One good thing about it, though, is it’s great for inspiration. I had to take a trip down memory lane to see if there was any shadow of a doubt that I could have missed my calling! Before I graduated from high school I knew I would find a place in the world, working in the area of human expression with language arts. That seemed to be an instinctive decision. But there was no opportunity in the Territory at the time for such indulgences. When I spoke to the one newspaper editor in
I look now at copies of Island Accents and later on, Patch’an’go, with pride, and I marvel at the huge experience it was, not only for me, but all the interesting local people whose profiles dominate the stories covered during those years. Twenty years down the road and I still enjoy doing my thing in print. Twenty years as a lawyer would have made me a different person, but since I don’t know who that person is, I can never miss her. My conclusion is that there’s no such thing as a ‘missed calling’. Gone are the days when people stick to one career all their lives, not venturing to try anything new. Today there are millions of people around the world cross-training, going back to university or taking online courses for a second or third degree. This isn’t just for personal gratification, but because economic trends demand changing careers and people need to upgrade their skills. As I told students at the BVI Technological Vocational Institute during 2007 Career Week, persons with multiple talents could use their talents to their economic advantage and to the benefit of society. If you can do more than one thing, don’t limit yourself. Even though you have a main interest, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Had I wanted to pursue a career in legal studies or the law, and wanted it bad enough, nothing could have stopped me. I’ve pursued areas of interest and still continue to find new interest in the area of human services and as long as life lasts that’s where I’ll put my focus. It won’t deduct anything from my literary skills nor belittle my choices in the past. Nothing can take away what has been achieved. It would have been wonderful to have gotten some tangible recognition for my literary contributions but I somehow manage to be absent when awards are being shared. The most I can hope for perhaps is a generous eulogy, some day. Nevertheless, regardless of a person’s career, these words from a Hallmark souvenir that says: “The true worth of your travels lies not in where you come to be at journey’s end, but in the lives you touched along the way”, should apply. Contact email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
CMS Literary Services © 2008 All Rights reserved Comments (0)
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A woman at the well said to me recently that I missed my calling- I should have been a lawyer. This is not the first time the individual expressed that opinion about my career choices. Like I always say, everyone is entitled to have personal views.
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