Yeah, the list is long and mixed but here are the major instances so far:

– At 17, my aim was to emerge as the best student in school and kind of answer back to these group of guys who were mean to me and prided themselves on their academic performance. I worked hard and I did. No one expected that from me.

The unexpected: In my determination to outdo them, i ended up at national level without realizing. Ended up going to a dream, elite college. More unexpected: Had my short-lived pride crushed within a few weeks and months when i realized i was in a sea of sharks there. Struggled with anxiety and depression, self-esteem dropped. Lived away from home for the first time and my first serious relationship ended after 5 years. Overall, emerged sadder but somewhat stronger with not much clarity on what i wanted to do with life.

– At 22, ended up grad school which was the exact one i wanted. Turned out it was a place that i hated and my classmates were nasty, horrible human beings mostly. Also broke-up with another serious boyfriend due to some reasons..However, the unexpected blessings despite the bad: Pushed out of my shell and made new friends, learned to live alone, enjoyed some really good times and met the guy i am dating seriously right now.

– Now: I know what i want to do with the future and the person i want to end up with. It has come at a price though in terms of time, depression and dip in performance on some occasions. I have made lot of mistakes in the past. The only difference is I am ready to move on if things don’t go as planned and i am confident i will find an alternative. Life does throw unexpected curve-balls and some we create in our minds through over-thinking.

Bottom line: I wont give up without a fight to the finish though or lose my spirits so easily. Disappointments and failures will happen in life as we keep growing but we have to keep doing our best despite it.