You are in the process of moving into a new flat, the first one that you will own rather than renting. During the process, you need to relax a little and are doing so with a well earned coffee when a friend sends you a photo of a trip that was the catalyst as to where you are now.
You didn’t particularly enjoy school, despite being bright and having talent. You simply weren’t making the most of your ability, through a mixture of lack of self confidence which led to apathy and taking the easy way out far too often.
However, lady luck was looking down on you to give you an opportunity that many others don’t. Your Dad won a few thousand pounds on the lottery just as your forward thinking school decided to arrange a study tour to Australia. The timing could not have been better as your parents decided you could go with it.
The penny dropped as you realized just how fortunate you had been both to be offered the opportunity and to attend an innovative school. You grabbed the chance you were given by the scruff of the neck and got every last drop out of it.
What happened once you arrived made you realise that expedition tours could have been purpose built for you. Your experienced tour company with decades of experience could not have been more accommodating while also understanding what to do to get the most of the scholars on the trip.
You always wanted to be captain of the school football team as you believed you had leadership qualities. This trip confirmed it as you learned about the process of crucial decision making and how lead groups. Suddenly you were filled with confidence, and you could see others looked at you in a different way.
Learning about proper communication and to deal with challenging situations outside your comfort zone while having to work as part of a team has served you in good stead ever since. Developing as a young adult was invaluable and gave you the thrust to change your attitude on your return home to achieve excellent grades, which allowed you to enter further education, which eventually has led to your current career where you are being tutored to become a future manager.
Every day you thank your school for taking that expedition tour to Australia, which changed your life forever.