I have a high school age friend who I have essentially been mentoring for a few years now. They’re extraordinary. They have what it takes to enter the top universities in Japan, and they’re trying really hard to do so. There’s a conviction in their eyes that it will happen, too.

It got me thinking of what I would do in that position. I’m certain there was a time where I would have been totally put off by the barrier to entry. So much so that I may not have even tried.

Not so for this person.

It takes a certain level of confidence and conviction to be able to do this. And it feels like the logical conclusion of this student’s history to date. I’m sure they were convinced from a young age that they were destined to do something like this, and that makes all the difference in the world.