“It is what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is.” Paulo Coelho ‘The Alchemist’

As a child I knew I wanted to go into business. Maybe it was my father’s influence , my interest in related subjects at school came naturally. It is one of those mysteries of life which are hard to explain but deep down inside, you just know this is the way to go. However at twelve years of age, no dream is large enough and no hurdle too high. Then, between the ages of thirteen to nineteen, different things happened which changed my life.. I learned the hard way for one so young that business was not always a bed of roses, that people lose a lot of money while in it . On the other hand, I also saw that investment bankers have a glamorous lifestyle through which they get to be involved in business, whilst not having to assume any risk.

Social media also played a part, and by the time I was in high school the concept of being a businessman got buried under all of these influences. So much so, that I changed my mind and was now getting ready to become an investment banker and live the good life. I got into business school and everything was going as planned till…..my first internship at an Investment Bank. I quit three days into the job. There was just something wrong  for me with this environment . There was an obvious disconnect, we were on different wave lengths. I took this as a sign and went back to the original plan. Switched from business school to study Economics and decided to get to know more about the ‘real’ world .

I made a lot of friends who shared a similar passion and soon each one of us was helping the other get to fulfilling our dreams. Along the way we faced many challenges which tested us, it is not easy to say no to  high paying jobs straight out of college and working for minimum wages building something from scratch.  The few of us who remained true to our dreams are still fighting through daily challenges to get to where we want to be. In the book the Alchemist tells a boy a story about how, leaving the path of your Personal Legend will soon arrest all the signs for this on this new path, life will consume and cover you with all its activities and soon you will find yourself doing something very different from what you had originally planned on doing. Instead, trust your instincts, and do not be afraid of pursuing what you really want in life. I know it is easier said than done but my experience has been more than worth it.