THE ACCOMPLISHED MISSION

“You must try reading more books now.”
“The reason why you read a lot of books was because, at your time, there was nothing to be used as entertainment. That is why you read books, mom”

Those are two short lines in a podcast program that I heard online. The backstory was that the MC was talking about a conversation between her and her daughter about reading books, then when her daughter replied like above, she thought somehow it made sense, too. From the perspective of the generations, she agrees that the childhood of the 70s, and 80s generation in Vietnam did not have many forms of entertainment such as Netflix, social networks, the Internet, etc. At that time, youngsters did not have many choices. It was either sticking their eyes into books, or meeting up to chat, fish, and play homemade folk games together.
The podcast’s co-host also agreed, and he made a statement that truly impressed me, “Each generation has already fulfilled their historic mission.”

For adults who are born in the 70s, or 80s, reading could be a hobby, but it can also be an important source of knowledge, helping readers find their path to success. However, today, we have got more audiobooks, and inspirational channels to share our experiences with thousands of people who have shared their recipes for success, work, or travel experiences, etc. through media channels and social networks. Therefore, for some people, paper books are not the only companion, nor the only source of inspiration anymore. They will “learn” in a different way that suits them.

Each generation has their own development and pleasures, and people will also have to adapt to those conditions in a very natural way. Gradually, as time and years pass by, everything changes. New things will be born, develop and thrive. Moreover, there will also be things that disappear, and be destroyed. replaced or perished, sometimes leaving no trace of existence behind.

All this time, on the way to becoming a professional Coach, I always tell my clients that each person was born with a mission and it is our job to find out what our missions are and finish it. Therefore, when I came across the conversation in this podcast, I stopped, pondered many things deeply, and wanted to write them down to share with readers of Truly Inspired.
I do not know if you remember, but back in our day, when noting down our dream universities, I knew that among my friends, there would be a lot of people who are forced to fill in universities according to the wishes of their families such as teachers, engineers, doctors, or programmers. Meanwhile, they were very passionate about becoming a singer, painter, or participating in industries related to business, banking, etc. Moreover, especially with the change and development of a country, at that time, if there were any “trending” jobs, their registrations would be very crowded most of the time. 

However, after you complete four or five years of university and go to work after graduating, those jobs may gradually be excluded from society and no longer that common, because some majors are developing stronger. On the other hand, it could be that when following the elimination spiral of the country’s economic development, your major becomes less valuable to society.

It is an inevitable law of nature, my dear friend.
Just imagine, in this world, if everyone is studying and working in the same major, then who will learn and develop other majors? If everyone becomes a programmer, then who will be a supermarket entrepreneur, a medical doctor, or a teacher to teach future generations?

Moreover, there is another case that I do not know if you have noticed. That is some people have stuck with a profession for 5-10 years, but have not achieved any outstanding feats. As soon as they switch to another major, they immediately successfully achieve many goals for themselves, earn a huge income or even bring a great impact on the development of society.

That is why we say that every one of us is always born with a specific mission. Whether it is short or long, big or small, size does not matter at all. What matters is that when we find that mission, we use all of our abilities to devote, sharpen and produce positive, appropriate results for that mission. Moreover, the last step is we complete it so that another mission can follow up.

I have a female colleague who is an extremely hardworking and talented person. She is also one of the people with a lot of experience and knowledge in her major. However, she confided to me that she thought she had not done many meaningful things, she wanted to go beyond her limits to become “famous”, and to be known by more people so she can spread more values around. That is because, over the years of working, she has also been encouraged and appreciated by many people for her career development.

However, through my observations, I advised her to try her best only focusing on her current job as a team supporter, someone who helps and shares with the team members to improve and develop the team together. Her mission at that time was to support, share and encourage others from the backend. It was not the time for her to show off too much. I always advise her that: “Be dedicated to the work and support the mission from the backend, and then when this mission is completed, when you are mature enough, or when the time comes, you will shine with all your talents and wisdom.”

My dear friend,
The formation and development of each generation or any business are not that much different from the development of a human. They will always have to go through many stages consequently, and at each stage, they will be “entrusted” with missions, tasks, and values to spread out. Once done, the mission also ends. Some missions ended because they were outdated, and others ended because new things were becoming more trending. No matter what, just believe that at that ending or collapsing point, one mission has been completed and given way for another mission to be there!

The most important thing here is that during its time, the mission has created true values, understood its strength and always developed according to its laws.

I still remember the time when I had just graduated from school, BlackBerry was one of the top smartphone brands at that time. BlackBerry was also the phone model that was often associated with the portrait of a successful businessman. This means back in my hometown, the majority of people using this smartphone brand were big bosses, directors, or people with certain success. However, when the iPhone was invented, with its superior technology, and fresh and unique design, after a while, BlackBerry seemed to be “kicked out to the chicken coop”. (This is a funny slang of young generations when talking about someone being “knocked-out” or out-dated by something or someone else).

BlackBerry had always been looking for ways to catch up with the new iPhone, yet ultimately forgot the strength that created their identity and uniqueness at the time. In the end, the cooperation collapsed, died on their victory and iPhone became the new “ruler” with modern technology that suited generations more. 

I shared a story of a huge, successful technology business’s failure at that time with an emerging competitor, not to bring up something serious. I just want you to see this from BlackBerry’s “mistake”, that If you ignore your uniqueness in favor of others, you will quickly destroy your superior difference, and then lose your worth.

All of our missions in this life will “appear” and “leave” according to that law. Once you have identified what tasks you are entrusted with, find their unique values, and then use them as a foundation for the development of achieving the mission. When you have truly remembered this, you would be comfortable or will be more receptive to difficulties and obstacles on the journey of accomplishing that mission.

The most important thing is I truly want to send this message to parents: Be more open and comfortable when your children are choosing a different career from your expectations. Maybe your child’s chosen career will bring them lower incomes than their friends, or you will not see any potential or value in the jobs your child chose. However, everything has its missions and values. Perhaps the major that your child chose may not earn a lot of money, yet it can bring some great value to the people around them.

My dear friend, each of us will have dreams and missions to fulfill when existing in this life. Therefore, whether you are a public janitor or a great inventor, you will have to fulfill the “assigned” mission. Moreover, everything needs to be respected equally.

Do not expect everyone to be like you and do not ever cower back because of your differences. Remember, you still have missions to complete. Cheer up!

Much love,
Truly Inspired®