Growing Pains

Plenty goes down during your late teenage years. There are decisions to be made, first experiences to be had, the consequences of either could dictate the rest of your life. These years of angst, naivety, and unpredictability can provide our most captivating or most embarrassing stories.

Just stumbled upon this statement and after the second read it had me thinking introspectively.
So here I am at 5 in the morning dialing into those old memories of my late teens.

My teenage years can easily be compared to a classic Man Utd match.Pretty laid back and boring for the 1st 90 minutes then turning into a goal festival at the very death of things.

Nineteen to be precise.I acquired a shit load of life experiences in one crazy year.

I got my 1st job and learnt a lot about people and responsibility which I then threw out the window the moment I stepped into university.19 was  like a crucible.It burnt but then I emerged a man.I guess u gotta take the good with the bad.

I remember when I left for university in Bulawayo my Mom actually packed my bags.I was so spoilt & sheltered that I had little influence on things like that including the actual process of applying for a university place.What can I say, I was an ignorant fool.

Buluwayo was the beginning of a crazy journey.In that year I found my indepenence..discovered alcohol. Partied a lot.Went on dates with what was at that time, the prettiest chick I had ever laid my eyes on.

I wasn't out of control or anything but I was an observer as well as a participant in this.
My style evolved and I settled on my own dress code.The foundation for who I am and what I value was laid there.

I made a lot of mistakes which I have duly learnt from.I made friends with people I realize were not really important.Got heart broken and learnt a lot from that.

However it also proved to be a tragic year as its the year that I lost my Mother.I can never fully understand how so much good and bad things happened in a single year.

Overnight I was thrust from being a raving adolescent to a grown up.It was painful and difficult because nothing in your past can ever prepare you for the loss of a parent.

I lost all my ability to function.I lost my bearings, and nothing made sense.Just writing this sinks my heart to its very depths and it's forbidden territory that I seldom tread.

That year alone shaped who I am today.In retrospect I can only conclude it was God's perfect plan, for I couldn't be the Man I am without having come the way I came.

Experience is the only thing that can be appreciated in Hindsight and like a good wine I've gotten wiser and more refined with time.

I guess in the path of every great man there has to be tragedy, mistakes and a lot of thrill to invoke greatness.

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S.A.F

Time and time again Ferguson has made big, courageous decisions. Some of them backfired. But the point is that, while most clubs tend to be conservative, Sir Alex has been bold.

Playing safe would have been the easy thing for him to do all these years. It's what many managers do -- you take it one step at a time and opt for risk aversion rather than rolling the dice. Ferguson has gone down a different path.

But the fact is that Sir Alex is still successful in his fourth decade at Old Trafford because, more than most, he's been willing to put his reputation on the line with the kind of major decisions some of his colleagues prefer not to make.

----Gabriele Marcotti

Personally I believe this is the blueprint for long-term success that transcends time.Having the balls to do what has never been done, the conviction to make a decision that defies logic or reason.It is people like this who will be etched in History for eternity.

These are the people that inspire me daily.

It is said:

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the understanding that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. ”

 “From now on you'll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey.”