Francisco Miraval
The arrival of spring has been seen by many cultures since immemorial times as a sign from nature or the universe to leave from the dark, cold place we were hidden so we can meet life, light, and hope once again. Yet, there are times when not even the most beautiful song sang by a bird nor the most colorful flower can take us away from the thoughtlessness of our everyday life.
For example, I recently met a young woman. She called me asking for advice (wrongly assuming I have advices to share). She told me she wanted to change and improve her life.
We spoke for a few minutes and it was clear to me that this young woman (in his early 20s) has a great potential to achieve many good things. She was born in the United States. Her parents are immigrants, so she is fluent in English and Spanish. For her, two of the most common barriers, language and legal status, are not a problem.
In addition, she works only a few hours per week. So, she said, she has time to study and eventually to find a better paying job with more benefits so she can provide a better life for her two young children. Her mother, she told me, is also helping her, both with daily chores and babysitting the children.
I had no doubts I was in the presence of a young person with a sincere desire to succeed in life. And, lucky her, she is not facing many of the problems other young people usually face.
Because of that, I decide to share with a her a few suggestions. Perhaps it was a mistake, as I discovered later. I told her she should explore online accredited college classes, as well as starting her own business. And I suggested for her to expand her network of contacts.
We decided to continue the conversation at a later day. Weeks passed, and then she sent me an email thanking me for the “advice” and explaining she won’t take college classes because she doesn’t have time for that and she won’t open her own business because she doesn’t know how to do it. And she won’t do any networking because she doesn’t know many people.
Also, she said, she was not “working,” meaning she enrolled in a multilevel company. She explained she was hoping to make “tons of many without working”.
I was tempted to tell her that any serious study takes time because it is more than downloading videos or taking a multiple choice test. And nobody was born knowing how to open his/her own business. That’s something you learn. And if you don’t know many people, that why you need to increase your networking activities. However, I said nothing.
What can you say to Persephone if she insists in staying with Hades, even if Demeter is crying, thus condemning all of us to the cold winter of yet another young life with unfulfilled, wasted potential?