Answer by Galvin Widjaja:
Catch the next train.
When I entered the Budapest Nyugati train station carrying a 17 kilo sling bag with 3 months of luggage over my right shoulder, my mind was utterly tormented by a mixture of indecision and confusion.
Nyugati is huge, immense and I was lost and at least a 6 hours train ride from any friends. More over I came from Singapore, a ridiculously small country (less than 50km end to end). In my tiny country, there aren’t any trains. I have never been to a train station in my life.
I was, however, more at a loss than physically lost. You see, Nyugati wasn’t just big, is was exciting. Energetic and so damn beautiful.
This train station is flanked by what looks like two Notre Dame cathedrals holding up the Louvre.
This is a ticket counter. The place is kept cool through high roofs, ventilation via holes in the stained glass (not pictured) and the benign spirits of a thousand friendly train conductors. (pictured, look closely)
I did what anyone else would do. I found my train, confirmed my ticket and when to play the classy European version of the seashells game – chess. Where the only way the host cheats is 50 years of experience and a game face.
It was glorious. Just like the way he tore through my Sicilian defense when the act was up and I had put money on the table.
And I missed my train.
Of course I panicked, and of course I had to beg the counter to change my ticket and of course fat Asian guys look weird when they try to do puppy eyes – especially when I couldn’t afford another ticket.
I was late to my destination and slept 3 hours on a well worn stone bench and can I just say that Hungarian people are really really nice to sad looking Asian guys.
God I should have asked for her number. (I got a few by the end of the trip)
But I wouldn’t have missed that experience for anything.
By my point is this: Missing the train is okay. There will be another.
If Steve Jobs looked at the life of Mozart, he could call himself a failure.
If Jack Ma looked at the life of Michael Dell, he could call himself too slow
If Ferdinand Porsche compared himself to Henry Ford, he could call himself just too late.
I don’t think they looked back that way and I hope you don’t do that too.
After all, if you start now you still have a 32 year head start on Charles Flint who started a company selling International Business Machines in his 60s.
You still have time for a few games of chess.
Road To Betterment 