When I was growing up in Vancouver, BC., children were to be seen and not heard. I would sit and listen at the table, never having the real opportunity to engage in conversations. One thing my grandfather taught me from the start was manners. My grandfather had common sense. He had uncommon wisdom for life and people. In those days, we were trying to master the fundamentals of merely surviving. To dream was a luxury. During this time, no one ever told me that I would go to university, let alone be somebody transformative when I grow up. There were never any discussions about next year or next month. We didn’t have the leisure and freedom to think that far in advance because we weren’t even sure if we would make it to the next day.

What I have realized most of life is a puzzle waiting to be solved and that having enough time is not necessarily the problem. The dilemma becomes how we utilize the time that we have left. Our future selves become a manifestation of what we do in the present moment and how we adjust to the circumstances within our control.

Life has imparted me to dare to cherish a dream. To dare to know and pursue our aspirations. Each of us can move our life visions forward while paving the way for the next wave of positive difference-makers and change agents. No matter how turbulent these times become, there is always a positive side if we commit to discovering the extreme depths of who we are and keeping faith in what our shared humanity can be.

Never stop being unique, learning, unlearning, relearning, and asking the question ‘Why?’

—Brian Nadon