Each morning and evening of my commute, I drive past a Bank that has its HQ near my new office, and I think about how the choices we make affect our lives in so many ways. You see, I interviewed at that Bank in late 2006. I remember leaving the Bank interview and telling my husband, recruiter, and family that it was my "dream job." But, then the next day, I interviewed at a Satellite company in DC. I was blown away by the VP of Tax there. He was young and smart and fun, and I knew that working there would be a great opportunity. There was also one difference between the jobs that nagged at me a bit. At the Bank, I wouldn't be doing international tax, but at the Satellite company I would. A little voice inside of me said that if I stayed in international tax I might get the opportunity to live abroad, which was a lifetime dream. I ended up working at the Satellite company, and the VP of Tax was indeed one of the smartest people I have ever worked with and a great guy. And, as readers of this blog know, I left the Satellite company to work in the London office of my current Firm.
I can't help but think as I drive past the Bank each morning and evening how one nagging thought, one decision made, changed my life. If I had gone to the Bank, would I ever have had the chance to live in London? Were there layoffs at the Bank during the financial crisis and would I have been laid off? If not, would I still be working there now? Who knows how things would have turned out. (I should note that while the consequences of making a different choice in this instance is an interesting philosophical exercise, it ultimately doesn't matter because I am happy with the course my life has taken since then.)
There are so many choices we make throughout our lives, so many forks in the road. Choose this path and your life goes in this direction; choose the other path and life goes in another direction. Each of us is the sum total of the various choices we have made in our lives. Whether a decision was a good one or a bad one, the consequences for making it shape who we are as people, sometimes for many years afterwards.
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