tough question, right? my friend said this was the stanford MBA admission essay question, and it got me thinking, what is important to me? here were my initial thoughts

• my family – would i exist without them? they taught me most of the things i know today
• my wife – with everything she’s taught me about life, hardship, love, she has to be important
• my friends – without their support, where would i be?
• my job and income – yes it provides my lifestyle and ability to learn, but is this truly important in the long run?
• my traits – what makes me, well, me. my passion, my desire to learn, my work ethic

so all of these things flashed through my head, and each one of them is important in its own way. but underneath it all, i realized there are life events that change a person, and to me, these stood out as what is important to me.

1. I quit golf

this may not seem like a big event to most people, but imagine that you dreamed to be an astronaut your entire life, you took all the right classes, you studied the history, and you knew you were going to be it. then one day, you decided that it wasn’t for you, but you really didn’t know what was next. that’s my “quit golf” event.

i played everyday for 8 years. i was intent on being a pro and making a living on the links. i struggled with my swing, had some conflicts with my coach, and decided to hang up the clubs and pursue a business degree. some would say that worked out well. i’m happy with my job and i am on a good path in life, but is it the path i was supposed to be on? quitting golf made me realize that passion, diligence, friendship, and determination come from dreaming about what you want to be, and then using that dream as an engine for hard work.this event, or failure as I think about it now, taught me what makes me go, and it actually took me 8 years after the quit date to realize this

“some dream about success while others wake up and work hard at it” – i loved this quote, but i think you need the dream to have the desire to wake up and work hard at it

2. I went to Berkeley

this event is not about the school or the degree i received, but about the person i became. growing up in the orange county bubble, i felt sheltered. i didn’t think i was, and it took Berkeley to shake me up. Berkeley turned me into the person i am today. exposed to the “real world” that is oakland, or a mini version in telegraph avenue, the rainy dreary weather, the intellectual stimulation and politically driven conversations, the “real” people (and yes, seems odd, but believe me, in OC, there’s way too many of the opposite), and the culture of San Francisco changed me.

i felt that i had found the “real world” when i went to Berkeley, and i finally escaped from the cookie cutter lifestyle of Orange County. this was important because i found the woman that I love today as a result. Had i not gone to Berkeley, I probably would not of been open enough to marry inter-racially. My wife taught me how to feel, express, follow my heart…would I of missed out on this had I been with someone else? maybe, but maybe not. at least i know now that this important event brought me to the best teacher i’ve had in my life, and it made me a more confident, open minded, and curious person.

what’s important to you?