I'm sure we've all had this experience, though we may not have known it at the time it was happening. It's the moment when you did something, felt something, went through something that made you a different person. Your pivotal moment.
For many people I know, they'd say it was when they were told, "You have cancer." For some, it's when they met their life partner or became a family. For others, it happened upon reaching a particular milestone or goal. Or all of those things. The best thing about a pivotal moment- I think- is that you can have more than one pivotal moment in your life.
For me, everything changed in September of 1973 when I walked through the doors of Stuyvesant High School as a high school freshman. For those who don't know about Stuyvesant, it is an elite school in NYC, for which you have to pass an entrance exam. I was a better-than-average student when I took the exam, but I never thought I'd get in. When I did, there was no question in my mind that I would attend, even though it meant an hour-long subway commute. I even convinced my parents not to move to Long Island so I could go.
I knew, somehow, that those four years would be pivotal. And they were, for many reasons. Most important for me was meeting friends from all over NYC, many of whom I am still close with, and being challenged by others even smarter than I was. Although the work was often difficult, I never regretted my decision, and I am certain it was formative for me.
So that's my pivotal moment. What's yours?