The Person You Don't Want
to Meet

Jul 27, 2024

Because you risk becoming like them...

And you risk failing your dream because you are the average of the five people you surround yourself with.

I am sitting in a big house now, recalling memories from my childhood. It was so long ago that it seems like a made-up story. But it's the absolute truth.

The boy was about 15 years old. His name was Alex. Alex was an average guy who loved games, hanging out, sports, and didn't like studying. Of course, fun was a trait common to all boys his age.

This went on for a long time… And you might think that at some point, something clicked for Alex, and everything changed. But in fact, nothing clicked and nothing changed. The same friends, the same school, the same sports - everything in the same rhythm.

It seemed that life should go on like this because everything was like everyone else. The same routine that parents, relatives, teachers, and older friends talked about.

A real-life matrix...

And so, Alex turned 17 and came to his final year of school, which was supposed to change his life drastically, and finally, something started to click because, in theory, he had to prepare for exams...

The first changes… When Alex realized that it was time to change, it was time to choose his purpose. But then the question immediately arose - "how to choose?", "who helps with this?"

Since choosing was difficult, he had to take on everything at once and chose as many as six final subjects to take because Alex did not know what he was destined for. So, he got to work and started preparing. He bought textbooks, updated his notebooks, and, of course, bought a new iPad to prepare effectively...

A week later, his motivation was gone, and Alex decided to "take a break" and return to his previous life, where friends were still having fun and not particularly wanting to prepare for exams.

It seemed like the story suggested that Alex was about to get his act together, but it didn't happen. So, Alex's parents decided to get his act together for him, and they enrolled him in courses. And it seemed like things should go uphill...

But it still didn't work because Alex didn't want to study. But he had to attend. The exams were in 6 months, and his level of readiness was minimal.

And then, one winter evening, a new girl came into the classroom... Finally, the courses became interesting because Alex immediately wanted to get to know her, but how? Because he had little to no success with girls before...

And then Alex had a brilliant idea...

Alex decided to become the best in this group because the new girl would definitely stick with someone valuable to fit into the group. She would probably ask for help in preparing for the exam if she realized she couldn't pull herself up to a good level.

Alex went home charged and powerful. There was only one problem… How to become the best if you know nothing and you have to learn so much in 3 days that by the next lesson, you need to show that you are the best?

The answer was only with the one who was the best in your class in this matter. Alex immediately called his classmate Nika and asked for help on any terms. He asked Nika to prepare him for the lesson so that the new girl, Maria, would immediately notice him...

Studying the subject for 3 days straight, Alex got so involved in the question that...

He got interested… To become the best in what interested Alex… It was programming and computers. And then Alex remembered the question he asked himself - “who is he? how to choose his direction”

How surprised he was at the courses when the new girl came in and sat next to Alex herself...

Before the class started. By chance. Because that's how the cards fell.

This made Alex smile, but in fact, Alex had a completely new passion - programming. Because Alex finally found something interesting. Alex no longer wanted the lesson to end.

The class went so smoothly that the next day at school, Alex immediately wrote a statement that he was refusing all exams except programming and the mandatory ones: math and Russian...

This topic fascinated him so much that Alex used every free moment to prepare for the exam. In every class, Alex solved problems, wrote code, and studied technologies to become the best. Life changed drastically because it was during these days that Alex realized he hadn't had a life before… at all...

Routine, no hobbies, friends who also didn't understand what they wanted... Such uncertainty drove him either into melancholy or fear. And constant anxiety. But after making the decision, all the anxiety disappeared as if by magic.

Now in every class, Alex focused only on programming. In some cases, he successfully negotiated with teachers not to attend their classes to strengthen his focus on his main goal. Alex wanted to pass the exam better than anyone and enter the coolest university in this field.

In a month, the test exam results were close to perfect because, for Alex, nothing was impossible anymore. He became the best in the class and the course. As Alex had planned, others started to gravitate towards him because they also wanted to become better and achieve similar results. But he was no longer as interested in his surroundings because he finally found his "craft" in life.

Time flew quickly. Skills were honed. Many events passed. The exam period arrived.

Alex went to the exam confident and full of strength. He received the tasks and got to work. In 2 hours, all the tasks were solved, for which 4 hours were allotted. Naturally, Alex was confident in himself and what he was doing.

Overconfident...

Two weeks later, the results came in. Alex confidently clicked the "open results" button. And there?

Disappointment… The result was average. 70 out of 100. Below the expected 20-25 points.

Only one conclusion. Haste makes waste. And Alex had already been set to enter the best university and become the best programmer in the world. But life decided to go a different way.

And here comes another disappointment, depression, and sadness. Just a week ago, Alex was on cloud nine, but today he was at rock bottom without understanding what to do next. The other two subjects were also passed average, and there was no chance to get into a top university. It seemed that the last six months just didn't make sense.

Alex had only one thing left… The memory that he was happy. Happy because he fell in love with this field head over heels.

The last 7 conscious years of his life, almost nothing interested him, and then like a bolt from the blue. Alex fell in love with the process like never before. It was his strongest feeling. Studying can be interesting, and Alex realized this only in his final year of school.

“Why didn't anyone show me this before? Why didn't my parents make me understand that studying can be interesting?” It was painfully sad...

Of course, Alex understood that life doesn't end there. He needed to act further. He didn't know exactly what and how yet, but he knew for sure that he needed to act. And he moved to action, making one key conclusion.

Studying can be interesting. You need to study always, not just the last six months. Find your passion, and you won't even realize you're studying. You're just in love, and your life can no longer be the same. Studying inspired Alex, and the rush on the exam and unpreparedness for such an experience nullified his motivation.

Alex told himself he would study always. Alex vowed never to waste time again and continue the path to become the best.

And for this, he would have to study. Study and study again...