It's finals time, at least nearly for people at university, and people doing their A levels.
More than 30 years ago, in 1994, I was given a ticket (think Willy Wonka golden ticket).
There's an entry into a club or to a place, or to a team, a journey, a possibility to better, to wonderful, to amazing.
The ticket gave me the opportunity to amass assets of extraordinary wealth, not just tangible assets like money and stuff, but intangible assets like knowledge and fulfilment and happiness and friendship and connection and travel and experiences.
So I took hold of the ticket, but the moment that I took hold of the ticket, a countdown clock started, and time was running out.
The minute you take the tickets, you're counting down to the end of the use of your ticket. Every day is a day closer to the end, every hour, the chance has passed to make a difference or to take a small piece of the opportunity that was given to you or given to me.
More than 30 years after taking the ticket, I feel even more acutely now, and my time is running out. It's a well-publicised statement, and I hope to have another 30 years left, but there are so many reasons that that might not be the case, not least my own health, or any other possibilities that could occur to cut my time shorter than I would like.
My journey on the bus with my ticket has been quite the most extraordinary story, at least to me. I have seen things and done things, met people and been to places that I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams.
If you are a dental student studying for your finals (actually, any other student doing that), your ticket that you receive in July of this year will be exactly the same as the ticket that I received in 1994.
As Seth Godin, the extraordinary blogger that I have read for 15 years, would say, ‘What are you going to do with those ducks?’
Are you going to put those ducks in a row? Are you going to take the chance? Are you going to use your ticket to do something extraordinary?
Because everyone has the same ticket, the only difference is what you decide to do with it.
Blog Post Number - 4486
Don’t leave it too late.
We’re hosting our Charity Ball — Nashville Night — in September. It will sell out. It always does.
Early Bird tickets are available now. They won’t be for long. If you’re thinking about coming, just book it.
£65 per ticket | Table of 10: £600
Buy your tickets
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