I enjoyed reading my buddy AP2’s post on The Pursuit of Unhappiness. In case you missed it, you should definitely check it out. It was nostalgic for me. I reminded me of one of my favorite teachers in high school.
This one teacher taught Maths and Physics. Nothing exceptionally remarkable there. I know. The thing that stood out about him was he almost always had the same countenance. He wore that same big smile on his face, spoke in the same mellow tone and maintained the same brisk walk. Even when things weren’t going so good for him, you couldn’t tell.
One day, I ran into him during our games period. Beaming smile, brisk walk. Here’s how that conversation went:
Teacher: Bill! You seem to have something on your mind…”
Me: I was just… Never mind.
Teacher: Oh, but I do.
Me: Why are you always happy? Why doesn’t anything bother you?
He chuckles. A brief chuckle like he expected that question. Then he says something that’s never left my mind. He said:
“If you understand the ‘why?’ you will always find the ‘how?'”
Then he walked away like we weren’t having a conversation! Damn geek!
He has since quit teaching, ventured into entrepreneurship, and is making a killing in the business sector.
Indulge me.
Why do you do what you do? What drives you? What’s your impetus?