All my academic life, I’ve been taught that the sole purpose of education was to discover that ONE career. That everything we did would eventually lead us onto a path that never strayed. This, I know now, is far from the truth.

Since the birth of my 3 children, I have changed so much – emotionally, physically and mentally. My values, my priorities, my perspectives; are completely different now. And it’s these significant changes that now affect the decisions that I make.

As time goes on, even our interests change – from what we watch on television to whether we watch it at all. Who we are and what we enjoy, is a great indication of where we want to be. And if a past time like watching television can change, then so can the decision for our career path.

I no longer believe that there is that ONE career that we have to do, or that ONE path that we have to follow. I believe that we follow the paths that make us happy at the time, even if they could end up making us unhappy too.

We choose the career that we think will make us happy, we live in the town we think we will enjoy living in. Making these types of choices isn’t living life recklessly, it’s about choosing to realise that life doesn’t always follow a set plan.

We might become a painter just like we dreamed as a child, or the doctor we later studied to be. But ultimately, we make the decisions that make us happy at the time.

Because with change, comes different decisions. And by being open to every opportunity that comes our way, we are giving ourselves the best chance at happiness.

Thuy Le (formerly known as Thuy Yau) is a freelance writer and Youth Work graduate living in Perth, Australia. She loves to share her own personal experiences about overcoming adversity, as she believes that human beings are more capable than they realise. She writes to make a positive difference in the world and to inspire others to learn from themselves and their own experiences. Her writing has been discussed on radio, won writing contests, appeared on The Huffington Post UK and major Australian sites such as news.com.au, SMH, Kidspot and Essential Kids. She has just completed her first book – a memoir - and is on the search for a publisher.