Explore. Dream. Discover.

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So threw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.  --Mark Twain

This morning, I came across a blog post from a friend I met 5 to 6 years ago. Despite the limited interaction we had when we were still living in the same city, we share a common interest in travel. I remember vividly his popularity that night, when he told all those amazing stories about all the fun things he encountered during his travel. By then, I had stayed in Netherlands for a year already as an exchange student, but had too little traveling experience as compared to others who also have been in Europe for a year. To me, they travel like crazy, seizing every single long weekend (weekend with either Friday and/or Monday as public holiday) and sometimes even skipped a few lectures to fly with cheap airline during their promotion dates. I was too much of a good student, and had only been to Germany and Czech on Christmas and Easter holiday in the first year.


I ask him pressingly trying to get as much tip and advice about Spain and Italy, the two exotic southern States I secretly had hoped to explore. Seville, Cordoba, Granada, ....ect he named; the food, the color and most of all, the people. He had lots of stories about the strangest encountering in hostels and on the streets with the locals. I must say, he is a very social-able person and one who can tell good story. It was a very enjoyable evening.

A year later, he got an internship in a international company. We all congratulate him for such great starting point. The disappointment was to know that they paid interns so poorly that it wasn't even sufficient to live a decent life with that income. He cherished the opportunity still as he was also working on finishing his thesis for his MBA degree. We all believe it should be a temporary state and would change after 6 month when the internship contract ended and a permanent full-time contract is to be negotiated. I did not hear from him for some time and only some fragmented news about this reallocation over the years. Today, his blog post revealed the story of the turning point after his six month intern. It turns out, although the company was very satisfy and highly valued his growth and contribution, they offer they gave him was still rather disappointing, below the going rate for MBA graduates. ....


Looking back, I had rather smooth transitions in life so far. Despite moving from places to places, I was fortunate enough to either plan my way ahead of me or have met special people that could ease my transitions. The easiness of moving forward made me feel really disappointed with myself as I can hardly feel myself progressing these days. I often think of all the high-lighted moments in the past and hope to make my current life more fulfilling. But surely this will come in vain.

Coming across this quote from Mark Twain, the words strikes me. Because even now when I think of all the rich undergraduate life, I hoped I had done something more. Plan ahead and playing safe kept me in my comfort zone all these years. I don't know how much I can change myself to become wild and let go of boundaries. But I know that in the past, when I made myself to step out and to explore and dream, that is when I discover all those amazing things that I cherish all the time.

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So threw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.  --Mark Twain

"二十年後, 比起你做過的是, 你會對你所沒做的事更加失望. 

所以起錨吧, 航行,

遠離安全的港灣. 把握吹鼓你帆上貿易的風 .

去探索, 做夢, 發現."        --馬克吐溫