It’s Never Too Late to Say Yes... (Guest)

One of the greatest experiences of my life began with an application for a job that I didn’t get. I had applied for a position as a part-time instructor of English, but the job had already been filled by the time the university had received my resume. Lucky for me, a different position became available.

“Are you up for an adventure?” began the phone call I received one winter morning. My heart lodged in my throat as I listened to the details of what that adventure would entail: teaching a grammar and writing class to a group of students who spoke very little English. Not only did I have absolutely no experience in teaching non-native English speakers, but the real kicker was that the class was scheduled to begin in just two days.

I picked up the books for the course and sat there thumbing through the pages, wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into. Somehow I scraped together that first lesson and worked up the gumption to stand in front of my new class.

We sometimes made wild hand gestures and drew pictures to understand one another that first day and in the days to come. Those weeks in the classroom stretched me until I thought I could stretch no more. But something amazing happened along the way; I had no idea that being so uncomfortable could make me so happy. Happiness, it seems, sometimes shows up in the most unlikely ways.

According to psychologists, happiness has little to do with where you live, how much money you make, or even how healthy you are; they attribute just 10 percent of your happiness to such factors. Instead, happiness largely depends on the choices you make. Saying yes to that class is still paying dividends. It gave me glimpses into lands that I may never see in person, helped me forge lasting friendships and opened doors to new career opportunities.

Baseball player and manager Yogi Berra once famously quipped, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” You’ll no doubt come to many forks in the road during your lifetime. Though you can’t precisely say what will make you happy in the future, you can use your goals as guideposts along the way. Being flexible and willing to take risks can help too.

You might worry that you’ll make the wrong choice when you come to these forks, particularly those where your money is on the line or when you feel like you don’t know enough to make a wise decision. Overcoming your fear of failure is paramount to finding happiness and getting what you want. Take the initiative to learn what you need to know, whether it pertains to buying a house, opening a college savings account, managing your investments or just simply learning to balance a checkbook.

It’s never too late to say yes to an adventure or to learn a new skill. I’m putting my money where my mouth is next month as I take a community education art class. The idea of trying to learn something new among strangers is frightening for me, much like the feeling I had when I embarked on my first English as a Second Language class. Still, even if I don’t create a masterpiece, I know I’ll be glad I said yes to the adventure. Written by: Carey Denman, American Center for Credit Education—ACCE