Who do you want to be?

by Shalveena Rohde,
What tomorrow will bring, no one knows. But we can work towards a vision of how we want our tomorrow to be, and who we want to be with each new day

I read a post some days ago by Matt Madeiro, saying that our future is not set in stone. How true that is!

I was always the weak kid in class - skinny, unathletic, pretty uncool, with cheap clothes and not up to date with the coolest accessories. At sports not wearing the right brand of shoes. Having only one set of school uniform. Quiet. Unsure of myself. You can find out more about my journey in the About Me section.

At that time, I could not change these things. I was a kid, dependent on my family, who lovingly provided for us kids to the best of their ability. But what, and who, I become in my future is not set in stone. Since those childhood and school years, I have focused on education as a way to move up in life, to be able to afford to have a better life. When my family decided to immigrate to Melbourne, I gathered up the courage and stayed behind to finish my studies. For the first time, I stepped out of the comfort zone of my home and family. From never even having had any sleep overs or being out late, I moved to University accommodation.

This was such a leap for me and I met wonderful people there from all over the world, including the love of my life. I went shopping on my own, arrange my own life. This transformed and developed me in so many positive ways.

Since then, I have worked, some times in giant leaps and sometimes in baby steps, towards the woman I want to be. A confident, bright, loving, kind, patient, friendly person. I have started my own life, our own home, and am on the way to becoming who I truly want to be. A few days ago, I went to the High Court, as I walked into the Courtroom full of senior, male lawyers, I was definitely anxious and self-conscious. A young, female lawyer in a room filled with experienced, senior males. But when I walked out of that Courtroom, I knew that I had stood up, said my piece and obtained another very important building block in my journey. I walked out just that much taller and that much more confident.

No mistaking though, it has definitely not been an easy journey, and I'm still learning each step of the way. There have been many, many disappointments and difficulties but each time I overcome an obstacle and take another step further, I can grow and learn and get that much closer to my destination. In the end its not the destination but the journey that we take to reach our chosen destination, that defines who we are.

Categories: journal