“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
I opened the Black-Scholes calculator in my HBS tool kit, trying to figure out the price for my options in life. Although the MBA Program has simplified the puzzle to just four-variable input, I was stumbling on volatility for hours. Certainty makes me feel assured, grounded, and confident. However, I know somewhere deep in my heart I am constantly searching for surprises, adventures, and unknowns.
"Life is a journey. But not everyone gets the chance to plan his/her itinerary," my father told me. He was born during World War II, dropped out of school during China's Three Years of Natural Disasters in the 1960s, paraded in the Cultural Revolution, and raised a family as the country underwent dramatic reforms. I am proud of the China Miracle, but feel sorry about his generation, one of the many prices we paid for growth. Their journey has been shaped by history, with minimal choices.
I am lucky to live my life with options. If luck is endowed, we too often forget to cherish what we've got. I've been trying out various career paths until I am confused; I've been adventuring new places until my body fatigues of the stretch. One could have no choice in "which" but be proud of "how," like my father. One could also be lost in the many choices on "which" and regret "how" later on. To strike the balance between "which" and "how," I will
Embrace choices with an open mind
While staying focused with a loving heart
— Tian Tian