What's Ahead - Inspiring words from David Vaucher in his final issue at TWA's helm.
What were you doing 10 years ago? If you are among today’s youngest TWA readers, you probably weren’t older than 8. There was no iPhone, no Twitter, and WTI crude was in the USD-30-to-USD-50/bbl range.The world was different then, and so were you. In 2004, I was 20 years old, still a mechanical engineering student at Rice University—and loving it. Now I am 30. I graduated not only from college but also graduate school (twice). I switched jobs a few times before finding the great opportunities I have where I am now. The girl I dated in college is married (not to me). I am about 25 pounds heavier (all muscle, really!). And my goals, aspirations, and skills changed dramatically for the better. 10 years: One whole decade. It is a long time. And yet the fact that I can remember my college years like they were yesterday shows how fast time appears to move forward—with no stops, no pauses, no time to catch your breath. Looked at one way, it is terrifying: It is not such a leap to imagine that since I seemed to experience the past 10 years in an instant, the time between when I’m 30 and when I’m 40 will appear to go by just as quickly—maybe even faster. What if I don’t achieve everything I have set out to do? Seen another way, it is highly motivating: I think of everything I have done and accomplished in the last 10 years— some of which I never would have predicted—and I think “Yeah, things worked out pretty well actually, and there’s no reason to think the next 10 years won’t be just as eventful.”