4 Years for 40 Years

yaa.. that was what my dad said when I asked him about motivation to be a good college student ..
I remember his smile when I asked him that, and said :
"why suddenly you asked me that thing ?"
"just curious, dad.. "
"just that ? no other reasons ?"
"emm, it's just.. recently I have lack of motivation to go to college, dad, I don't know why.. maybe you could share me some motivation from your past life .. "
"haha.. well then, let me tell you my story.. "

..and my father started his story ..

"well son, when I was a college student just like you, I was just a poor boy, my dad, your grandpa.. was just a retired PLN worker with 12 children to take care of. I thought that, I must finish my college in order to help the financial of my family.. and I had to do it as soon as possible is order to minimize the cost. So, I began to study hard.. as hard as I could ! I must finish my college on time, I said to myself..
but, there was always a temptation.. it was a time when I had to go to campus at night to study for the next day's exam.. but, in my way there, I've seen a bunch of my friends playing guitar and the others singing along with 'em in the side of the road. Smiling and laughing.  I thought that, how beautiful is their life.. simple, with no responsibility to do, forgetting their responsibility actually.. just unlike me..
but then I threw away those thought and keep walking to my campus to study.. and thanks God I pass my exam and than graduated on time, belonging the top 5 graduate..
I realized that my hard works aren't useless.. and because of that, my later life is a happy life, I have a successful career, happy family, and enough to get what we really want.
And then, at about 20 years later, I pass the same street where I'd met a bunch of my old friends back in 20 years ago.. I saw them still playing their guitars, still singing their song, but no more smile, no more laugh in their face. They found that life is hard to them. They can't fulfill what they need, don't have a proper job to earn the money. That's all because they waste their teenage life..
So, I've made my own proverb, '4 Years for 40 Years', assume that your college takes 4 years, so it means if you hard to yourself, struggling, working hard in this 4 years, you will find your happy, worthy, and sufficient life in the next 40 years. But if you easy to your self, not working hard, you will find life is hard, horrible, and pity in the next 40 years of your life.. "

I always remember that story, especially my daddy's proverb..
So when I'm down, and have no motivation to study, I said that proverb to myself. And its really recharge my motivation ..
hope I can be like you. Thanks again, Dad !