What makes you who you are today are all the unknown experiences — be it tragic or wonderful. Wait, what are you talking about?
Remember all the tough times you went through — when you failed at things that looked simple but weren’t, were bullied by people you considered friends, broke your bones in an accident yet came out stronger, when you lost a close friend or family member, when you were called a loser because people compared you with somebody else more successful and at a different time in their life than yours, and other infinite amounts of moments.
These are all the reasons you are who you are today. All of these unknown moments — that perhaps nobody or only a handful of people know — is what made you be who you are today.
If you were to ask me if I would change what I went and still go through in my life today, I would say “no, thanks!” because I know I’m still a work in progress. And I’ve made peace with my past — meaning that I accept who I am from all spectrums: my personality, my mindset, my accent when speaking different languages, my failures and my successes, and most importantly, my path to who and what I’ve become.
There is a concept in Stoic philosophy called Amor fati, which means “Love of fate” or “love your fate”, which I’ve embraced it wholly.
And I hope you do someday.
Richard Chan 