There Is No Single Path to Success
I started as a biochemist. Later, I became a chartered accountant and then an entrepreneur. I write film scripts, have lectured at a business school, and am a mother of three. I had my third child at 40, which probably wasn’t the recommended age. But what is the right age? My life did not follow a set schedule, and none of those experiences was wasted.
My Journey Wasn’t a Straight Line
There is no single path to success, nor is there one way to define it. In today’s world, should we measure success by the money we earn, the bags we carry and the cars we drive? Or should we look at happy families, healthy individuals and the ability to help others thrive? Financial security matters, but so do physical and mental health, meaningful relationships and the freedom to keep our options open.
That freedom matters more than ever. The idea of starting a job at 22 and staying in it for life, with a guaranteed pension, belongs to another era. We cannot prepare our children for a world that no longer exists. Instead, we can teach them to adapt, recognise opportunities and value having choices.
Prepare Children for a World That Keeps Changing
A student might do a B.Tech, move to A-levels, take a foundation year and complete a degree before changing direction. There is nothing wrong with that if they discover a different path suits them better. Life does not have to follow a fixed timetable of IB at 18, a degree at 21 and a job at 22. Nor must success mean getting into the Ivy League, studying in America or attending LSE. Australia, Canada and Europe offer opportunities worth considering too.
As parents, we need to help our children explore what suits them rather than push them towards one version of success. Their interests may change, circumstances may shift, and new opportunities may appear. The ability to adapt and make informed choices will serve them better than the belief that they must get everything right the first time.
What Dubai Taught Me
My time in Dubai brought this home to me. Having spent most of my time in one economy, I had become a little like a frog in a well. Meeting families with different qualifications, ambitions and limitations opened my eyes. Their circumstances reminded me that there is no single formula for getting ahead, and I returned home grateful for the experience.
At the seminar, I shared my journey to show that both success and disappointment teach us something. I was not there to boast about my achievements. Around 150 people stayed seated and listened, and many came to our stall afterwards. What mattered was that they could see there were people they could talk to and learn from. Sometimes, students need to hear from someone who has taken an unconventional route and discovered that life can still work out well.
Success Is More Than Money or Grades
We are willing to invest in good schools, tuition and classes, and rightly so. Yet we must not underestimate the value of our time, our conversations and the lessons we have learnt along the way. Children need more than academic support. They also need the confidence to make decisions, the resilience to handle setbacks and the reassurance that changing direction does not mean failure.
What I want for our children is happy success. I want them to grow into healthy, fulfilled adults who build meaningful relationships and contribute to their communities. Money and professional achievements can be part of that picture, but they cannot be the whole picture. If we measure life only by what we earn or acquire, there will always be something more to chase.
Let us give our children the freedom to explore different paths. A degree, a career or a particular university does not define their worth. Sometimes, a decision will not work out as planned, but that does not make the experience a waste. It may teach them something they could not have learnt any other way. A path that changes is not necessarily a path that has failed. Life is about learning, adapting and finding your own way forward.