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14 October, 2011

A Life-Changing Breakfast


Last Sunday I had a breakfast that might have changed my life.

I work at Google, and it was a brunch with some colleagues. I work at a brilliant company, and presumably the people I were having brunch with were brilliant people. I'm new to the company and while it's safe to assume these people were brilliant, it's not for this reason specifically that I had a life-changing breakfast.

It wasn't the food either. I'd opted for the big breakfast, and it was quite good, one of the best Western breakfasts I've had in Singapore. There was Chipolata sausage, poached eggs, toast, spinach, and even a dash of bolognese sauce. It was a touch unconventional, and I guess that's what made me label it Western.

It wasn't the coffee. Even though I was told this coffee was some of the best in Singapore, and it delivered on this promise and then some. It was a round, fat cup, and the liquid was warm, nourishing, and had just the right amount of edgy bite. No, it wasn't the coffee.

I did order another on the way out, and I guess this breakfast was the precursor to that life-changing moment.

Because across the road was a bookshop. Despite being an aspiring writer, I read very little of books. I read content and converse voraciously. But it's quite a rare occurrence to find me reading a book, I simply don't have the attention span.

But I was surrounded by presumably brilliant people and at their behest I entered the bookshop, it was called Books, Actually.

I purchased a book in there, but that's not what changed my life. It was the book that I picked up yet didn't buy.

It was called 'It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be'.

The book appealed to me because it was small, palatable, and once I started reading, I found myself nodding and agreeing. It wasn't just because the book was written by a guy in advertising. It helped, I work in advertising after all, but it was more because it was inspirational.

I decided then and there to purchase this book. This inspirational knowledge that would help me progress in life, but I was stopped.

By one of the brilliant people I was with. She said she had the book and would lend it to me, I thanked her, and the next day at work she handed it to me on loan.

Four days later, I'm sitting on a plane headed to Thailand, and feeling compelled to write this entry after reading the book. I wanted to record this moment in time, the day my life changed.

Watch this space.

1 comment:

  1. I got as far as "I work at Google" and have decided I hate you. Out of jealousy, which is petty. But I still hate you. So I'm not reading the rest. Hmph.

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