The middle of nowhere

One Sunday afternoon recently, I found myself in the happy position of coaching a 16-year-old student, Teresa.

She was a finalist in the first 4Voices public speaking competition in Barcelona, which took place last weekend.

The theme was ‘Make a Difference’.

Listening to her deliver, with confident clarity, her message –

- that being less task-driven, loosening control and letting life come to you is freeing…

… and yes, sometimes it’s not just OK, but life-changingly beneficial to be in the middle of nowhere without a map…

I thought:

Hang on! It took me several decades for that penny to drop. How can there be so much life wisdom in one so young?

Hearing all the students’ speeches this morning was an emotional rollercoaster.

There were compelling ideas, personal stories and many memorable messages - relevant across the generations.

The students were passionate. They were compassionate. They were wise.

And they gave me hope for the future.