One of those lessons that stuck to my mind since I was very little was the Lego lesson I learned in Kindergarten. I remember having so much fun at my little school since it was there where I also met 2 of my best friends to this day. It was a bright little place that offered a very nice indoor recreation for little kids and the teachers were quite creative with their instruction tools.

 

Toys of course are always the best way to stimulate the young minds of children though I firmly believe that we all learn our skills through practice and visuals much better than just by learning theories. I remember spending hours playing with the Lego set at the kindergarten school and of course with my huge collection at home!

 

So often enough when I would get frustrated trying to build something way too complex, it was not unusual that an adult would sit with me and help me iron out my frustration by teaching me new skills. Most of the things in life are just like that as well, and it is the reason why I often go back to this illustration that I understood through my Lego set.

 

I began to understand this lesson at 15 years of age and I was trying to figure out my direction in life, thought it was about that time when I was sitting in the counselor's office at my high school trying to figure out what career I should pursue in the future.

 

The truth is that I didn't really know what career I wanted, I just knew that I wanted to be near the sea, and that sailboats and traveling where one of my biggest passions. The problem was that I had too many passions then and they seemed to be in complete opposite directions.

 

I wanted to attend Coimbra University in Portugal though I had a passion for Literature; becoming a writer one day was definitely one of my brightest dreams. I also wanted to attend Harvard in Boston since my brother had already graduated from the Law department and in a way I wanted to follow his steps. Not to mention that I also wanted to attend the Fire Fighting academy in Arkansas, Texas and take a bigger part in my community; since I was already volunteering for several search and rescue committees.

 

Following the footsteps of my parents and attending Medicine School seemed the obvious, but their lifestyle was nothing I really wanted to mirror. I just simply felt that I could still help people in other ways while enjoying my other passions. Medical School and Law School in reality were not those careers that I could see as flexible.

 

Fortunately, my marks in school were really good so I had many options; the problem was that I just could not make up my mind. I would look at my friends and I often thought how lucky they were that they didn't have to think so much about their careers, thought they had a future traced within their families' businesses. So in reality it didn't matter what career they took though they would somehow end up as managers of their fathers' businesses anyhow.

 

Another thing that just frustrated me, was that I just couldn't really afford going to the schools I wanted to attend, thus I made my goal to try really hard for the scholarships; which by the way, I never got. That is another story all together.

 

My mom seeing my frustration sat down with me and explained the valuable lesson on Perspective. So she started by reminding me of those times when I would be playing with my Lego set, always trying to build the biggest towers I could possibly put together. We went back to the time when I would build them so high that they would easily fall apart and then I would have my little temper tantrum, as most children have when things just don't go their planned way.

 

She said... "I often would see you frustrated, sad and at times even crying if one of your ginormous projects didn't work. I would even feel guilty if I laughed when watching you but of course I would go by your side and encourage you to try again and again until you finally felt happy with your creations.

 

In order for me to understand you, I had to recognize that as simple as those obstacles seemed, they were actually complicated for you at that time. How could I have explained to you that one day you would look back and consider that obstacle completely insignificant and simple?

 

Of course, watching you cry because your big Lego tower had fallen apart was far from being insignificant and simple to you. I did recognize it was very important to you, so then I had to be there for you to encourage you."

 

By this time we were both smiling and I even laughed a little though I remember quite well my big Lego projects in the living room of our old house.

 

She continued... "I wish you could see how fortunate you are to have the options to choose different careers though I don't think that even your friends have those options. I am telling you that you don't have to view your career as the only path you will ever take in life.

 

If you choose Medicine today, it doesn't mean that you cannot be an artist tomorrow. If you choose Mathematics today it doesn't mean that you cannot take Marine Biology tomorrow. Think of your career choices as your Lego set. View each one of those blocks and intricate pieces as each education or training that you will slowly accomplish.

 

The more blocks you manage to have in your set, the more choices you would have to be creative with your projects in life."

 

Needless to say I have followed my mom's advice and since then I have collected many blocks and intricate pieces in my life that to most people may seem completely irrelevant.

 

Best of all, I have a different perspective in life and I continue to pursue my many different crazy passions. By the way, I still have many more to improve upon though I consider myself a professional student!