Connecting the dots

I recently heard a speech online that Steve Jobs (co founder of Apple Computers) gave at a Stanford college graduation in 2005. He told some stories from his life about connecting the dots. He was really inspirational and basically just said that usually you don't know it at the time but almost every choice you make in life leads to others. He never graduated college yet now he is a multi millionaire. His birth mother gave him up for adoption on the condition that his working class adoptive parents promised to send him to college.

He started college but quickly realised (as I did) that it wasn't for him. So after spend all of their life savings on college he dropped out. But, he stayed on as a "drop in" (I don't even know if you can do that anymore) and he studied classes he was actually interested in. He picked up a calligraphy class and enjoyed that and years later he used what he learned in that class for the typing fonts on the Mac computers.

That story got me to thinking about my own life. Almost directly after high school I went to college. I had no idea what I wanted to study so I randomly picked computers because at the time that is what I was interested in. But, after spending my parents money and wasting my time I realised it wasn't what I wanted. So I dropped out. Then I started working a lot of random dead end jobs. Finally I made it into a job a semi enjoyed doing vendor services at Home Depot. But, I wasn't truly happy I was just getting by.  

Then in Oct 2009 I lost my job. I got laid off due to the economy. I was really depressed for a while and had no idea what I would do next or how I would find another job or anything. It was then that I made the decision to come away traveling and I moved to Australia to start working there. It was by far the best decision I ever made and I have learned so much about myself and grown so much as a person not to mention all the amazing things I have seen and all the places I have been and all the great people I have met. Not to mention I now know that I want to get certified to teach English in a foreign country so I have chosen a career path while I have been away!

So at the time I thought losing my job was the worst thing that could have happened but looking back on it almost 18 months later and I would consider it one of the best things ever to happen to me. Funny how your perspective changes. I don't regret my choices so far. Actually tonight we saw a new movie called The Adjustment Bureau. It was with Matt Damon and about a congressman and his path in life and the choices he makes.

It really makes you think about your own choices in life and what you do with it. Freedom and free will to make your own choices are privileges and not rights because not everywhere in this world are people allowed to make their own choices. So be thankful that if you are reading this you are probably in a country where you are allowed to do what you want within reason. So just remember that almost every choice you make in life is interconnected to something else and while it might seem bad at the time, looking back on it months or years later and it may not seem that way anymore.

Recently I have seen No Strings Attached and Unknown and King's Speech. The King's Speech was a great British movie about the King of England back in World War Two who inherited the throne after his father died and his brother advocated due to him wanting to marry an American woman. Well he actually had a really bad speech impediment so he had no desire to be in the public spotlight but it was thrust upon him. He got a great speech therapist and eventually he was cured.  Geoffry Rush and Colin Firth are both great actors in this movie as is Hellena Bonham Carter. I would totally recommend it.

No Strings Attached is a cheesy romantic comedy (it was the girls choice 2 weeks ago) it has its funny moments though and it isn't all that bad. Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher star in it. I would recommend it but it isn't a MUST see. We also saw Unknown with Liam Neeson. It was a thriller that was about a guy who is in a car crash and loses his memory then someone is impersonating him. It was pretty good but in a way it was also your typical thriller so it could have been better. I would still recommend it though. Next week I think we might see the new Owen Wilson movie called Hall Pass which looks funny.

Well that's all I got for now. Yall take care,Tyler your traveling Texan :)