Shaping destiny

If you can risk all your winnings on one turn of pitch and toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings, and not breathe a word of your loss

-----Rudyard Kipling

Today I met a remarkable person who exemplifies these lines.His name is Dr Kool. Actually that isnt his name,he installs and services air conditioning equipment,and thats his (and his company's) trade name.
Dr Kool is an old man who still wears clothes from another age-trousers with straps that go over his shoulder :-) He is a remarkably efficient and reliable worker too.
I had heard that he actually is a Dr, and was once a faculty at A&M.Naturally, I had to ask :)

What Dr Kool told me was amazing.Apparently he did teach statics, material sciences and engineering graphics at A&M, at the same time working on his PhD.He had almost completed his dissertation too when he had an epiphany.He realised that this wasnt what he wanted to do,so he quit and dropped the idea of becoming a Dr, and instead became Dr Kool, and a very successful one at that.An amazing story isnt it?

Our first thought when we hear about such people is always-"Oh..he is so reckless..I would have got my PhD first before doing that!!" Indeed that was my thought too. But if you really,and I mean really, know what you want to do,then success is often a foregone conclusion and the thought of failure never really enters your head,till you probably look back and think about it and say to yourself-" How insane I was, what if things had not turned out right?"
As one of my favourite books-Coelho's "Veronika decides to die" taught me-a little insanity is absolutely essential to life.

It also reminds me of another person I admire hugely-Anu Hasan.A pity she is much older and married too :) I was watching an interview of hers on youtube and at the end of it she says something that I shall never forget-that every moment of life,she is willing to give up what she is to try and become what she can be!

I envy such people,for they are the ones who can make a difference in this world and blaze a trail.It makes me wonder, if I am ever confronted by such a moment, would I have the courage,that insanity, to give it all up for something better?
I sure hope I do.Even as the years roll by and the mind matures, I still want to retain that bit of lunacy (that I have yet:),that adolescent recklessness ,that lets you do things you can look back on later and marvel at how you dared to do them.
After all, I now believe its the attitude that matters in the end, and not an over rated quality like intelligence or ability.