Three Cups of Tea

Overall, I enjoyed reading Greg Mortenson's story. It inspires me to find my purpose and carry it out to the best of my ability. Here are three in-depth examples of the ways in which this book has inspired me.

1) Sometimes, where you think you're headed is not where you end up and where you end up may very well be your new destination.

Greg Mortenson was on a mission to reach the top of K2, a mountain in Pakistan. However, he got very lost in route. A group of people, from an impoverish village, found Greg lying down in the cold snow and they immediately took him in. When Greg recovered, he was distraught that he did not reach the top of the mountain, but he was happy to see kind people surrounding him. After seeing the horrible conditions that the children bore in order to learn, Greg promised to return to this village and build them a school.

Greg did not expect this to happen at all. All he wanted to do was climb to the top of the mountain in honor of his deceased sister. Sometimes life throws us a curve-ball and we just have to swing, and that is exactly what Greg did. Instead of calling his experience a failure, he acknowledged it as the beginning of a new phase in his life.

2) If things are meant to be, they will fall into place.

Now, Greg had a plan, he even made a promise, but how was he possibly going to raise the money to carry it out? This worry was constantly in the back of his mind, but it wasn't enough to cause him to give up. Though he had countless failed efforts to raise money, he still attempted new things. He knew that somehow, somewhere, someone would take interest in his cause, and luckily, someone finally did. Although it took a longer time than he expected it to, the money arrived! This fortunate donation was the motivation that Mortenson needed in order to realize that this was his calling and that everything will turn out good.


3) Go with what your heart is telling you.

Greg had some very huge decisions to make. Two decisions that stand out are as follows:
The first is when Greg finally had all of his supplies needed to build his first school. He left his supplies with a man that owns a lodge and when he returned, the supplies was gone. He was taken to the man's house and the man began to discuss plans with him. Plans? This was not a part of Mortenson's plans! Mortenson just wanted his supplies; he did not want to build a school in this village because he didn't promise this village anything. He followed his heart and gathered the shortage of supplies and took them to it's rightful owner.

Near the end of the book, Mortenson was traveling in a very dangerous place in Afghanistan. He was met by a well-respected, affluent man. They were going to discuss having schools built in a dangerous area. Mortenson knew that by agreeing to do this, he would be forced to devote a large amount of time, money, and effort. He thought able his wife and the baby this is expected to come soon and all of the time that he would need to spend in Afghanistan, far from home. However, these worries were not enough to stop him. He followed his heart and agreed to build schools there because he knew that his work was not finished.