Whatever it Takes

I have a very odd memory, I can remember somethings like a video, photographic you might call it, but other things I can't recall at all. It does not matter about the importance of the situation or whether I want to remember something or not, my mind seems to be randomly selecting the things to remember with such clarity. Or is it?

There are some things that in the past I have considered to be insignificant but on further reflection later in life I realize they were really important things to remember.

One of those memories was when I was 18 years old and I was living in a hostel for homeless teenagers. I was so fed up with my situation and I decided to do something about it, I sat on my bed and said out loud to myself: "Whatever it takes! Whatever it takes to get out of here and achieve some great things in my life, that is what I am going to do. Whatever it takes". I remember this so clearly and until recently I thought it was just a small part of the process I took to better my situation but after analyzing my life more recently I can see this was a very significant turning point.

A lot of people enjoy relative comfort in their lives even if they have money problems or hate their job, they are not starving and they have somewhere to go home to. These basic levels of comfort can cause a certain amount of apathy that holds us back. This contrasts significantly with a "Whatever it takes attitude". When you have no where to go and you desperately want change in your life then you will take more risks, try even harder, you are much less likely to give up at the first hurdle and you won't take no for an answer.

I now look back to all these lessons my memory was trying to keep and teach me so I can continue to apply them in my life even though I am in a much better places these days. Even more rewarding for me is teaching and sharing my experiences so I can help others, I have now created a book of my memories and lessons that I hope will change the lives of others in the same way it changed my life. For more information see my blog http://mattkinsella.com