Master Your Destiny; Becoming Wealthy

Why should anyone else be theMaster of your Destiny?It's all about you.It's all about choices.
Some people talk a lot about the kind of life they'd like to have. Other people do something to make it happen. Which kind are you?Deciding to Take a Chance on Yourself

About ten years ago, a friend of mine named Melissa made a decision that changed her life. Her school counselor offered her the chance to become an exchange student in Europe. She would be living in Germany, France, and Denmark, learning all about each country's customs, meeting new people, and picking up some of each language. No one in Melissa's family had ever traveled far out of the state they lived in. Her parents were skeptical, and told her that she should forget it-they didn't have any extra money to help her with such foolishness. In fact, no one in Melissa's working-class neighborhood had ever considered going to Europe. They just hoped they'd have enough money to pay the rent each month and buy groceries each week.Melissa knew it would be easier to stay home, to keep working part-time and going to school part-time. "After all," she thought, "who do I think I am? I really don't know what to expect. I don't know any foreign languages. I'd probably just make a fool of myself." If Melissa went to Europe for a year, she wouldn't be able to work, and she'd be spending the money she'd worked so hard to save. It would be her first time ever away from her family and friends, too. What if she got homesick? And the thing that scared her most was that when she came back from her adventure, she'd be broke. She'd have to live at home and rely on her parents until she could get a job and save enough to move out.
Still, she couldn't quite forget the idea. Why shouldn't it be her? After going endlessly back and forth, she finally decided to take the risk. She could always come back early if she hated it. She called her school counselor, who was delighted when Melissa said "Sign me up!" The counselor was about the only one who seemed happy. Melissa's family offered no support, emotionally or financially, and her friends just laughed when she said she was going to Europe. They finally realized she was serious when she closed out her savings account and asked the counselor to drive her to the airport. "We'll see you in a couple of weeks," her dad laughed as she walked to the car.

Lessons LearnedThe trip began poorly. The airline bumped Melissa's entire group, and told them they'd have to wait until the next day to leave. Although she had never flown before, Melissa decided if she didn't leave that very day, she'd chicken out completely. She went from one ticket counter to another until she found a connection, spending 10 hours in the airport before leaving on her first-ever flight. It took so long and she was so nervous that she began to wonder if she should have listened to her parents and her friends after all. When she arrived in Germany the next afternoon, she was exhausted. She guessed that the weird sleep-deprived feeling she was experiencing was what people called jet lag. Oddly, it pleased her somehow to know first-hand what it was. No one back home knew what jet lag felt like! She handed the address of her new apartment to the taxi driver, and paid him in Euros when he dropped her off. Then she slept for a long, long time.

The next day, Melissa began exploring her new neighborhood. She wasn't nervous at all. She found her way to the nearest travel agency and bought a train pass. Nearly everyone spoke English and seemed helpful, and the trains made it easy to get around.

The next week, she ventured further-to Switzerland. She went alone because the other students in her group were apprehensive about traveling outside the "base" country. Melissa wasn't exactly radiating confidence herself, but she wanted to see as much as she could during her time in Europe, and the only way to do that was to summon up her courage and go. She loved learning what was beyond the sheltered world she had left behind. She found that all she really needed was common sense and a map. From then on, when Friday came, Melissa was packing her bag for another destination. She saw the ruins at Rome, the Eiffel Tower, and even the great pyramids in Egypt. Sometimes she felt like she must be dreaming-that she'd wake up from this new feeling of independence, freedom, accomplishment and success. But she was wide awake, and enjoying every minute.Melissa's year of travel was a year of revelation for her. As she studied different cultures and met so many new people, she realized she had always had an adventurous spirit and a thirst for knowledge. And if Melissa had decided to stay in the US, she would never have met her future husband. She helped him run his restaurant in Berlin-a new enterprise they enthusiastically shared, and with great success. They stayed in Germany for another year before they returned to the States. As it turned out, Melissa was far from being broke!

So what's the lesson here? People who don't take risks don't go far. People who let others make their decisions for them are rarely happy. And fear is what keeps 99% of people from leading fulfilled, successful lives. You don't have to let that happen to you. Figure out what you want, and then go for it!