Lair of thought

Something I wrote for a Toastmasters speech a few years back. I took the first sip of my drink and settled into the chair. The dim light in the room set the mood for the night. Three friends meeting after a long time. It was one of those days when the conversation careened from the totally bizarre to the most thought provoking. That is when my friend stood up and made the announcement. He was going to become a school teacher for the under privileaged children in India. He had it all planned out. The city, the school, the children, the way he is going to fund the operation. Everything to the minutest detail.. We listened in awe until he concluded on a surprising note. He was going to do this 10 years from now. Greg Mortenson decided to climb the K2 peak in memory of his sister who had recently passed away. On his journey up the mountains a member of his group fell sick and they had to abort the mission. On the way down the peak, Greg lost his way and wandered for days until he reache...

In the past few years my dad keeps telling me that I need to do a S.W.A.T analysis and determine what it is that I want in life. And I have been steadily avoiding that question and doing any analysis of that sort on my life. The reason I suspect is because I fear that the answer to that question is "I don't know". Is that a valid conclusion or would that be an unacceptable answer. But the truth is that I really don't know. There are very few things that I am truly passionate about. I know I enjoy playing the stock market, but would I really enjoy it if that is what I was doing all day? Would it be travelling? That is what I tell most people, but I doubt I am really an avid traveler either. I don't particularly enjoy music and sports is something that I like to do once in a while. So back to my original question. What do I want? Or is the real question: Do I need to have a question in the first place. Why can't I live life as it comes. Does everything have to b...