Monday, October 21, 2013

My Motivation

Given the effectiveness that I see blogs having lately and with the extra push from a friend of mine I thought it might be a good idea to start putting one together. 

With everything currently happening in my life right now I've been getting interesting comments and messages that can be similar to any of the following: 


"You look so tired" 


"You'll do great Clemente" 


"We love you mijo and we are proud of you"


"Do you ever sleep? Are you ok?" 


"Get some rest man, you need to take it easy" 


You get the idea, the list can go on. But more recently while I was helping a friend out, I was asked, "How do you do it?" When he asked me this I was trying to figure out what he was talking about since we were looking over his resume. He re-phrased his question to ask me how I balance my school work, SHPE Work, and staying active with my friends, family, etc. 


For those who know me they can confirm that I get anywhere between 4-6 hours of sleep a night regularly these days. Granted on weekends unless there's a home football game I'll be getting more, however, this isn't the first time I've been asked this or has it been the first time people have looked at me questioning why my mind or my body just hasn't completely shut down on me (that's also something I'm still wondering myself). 


A big part of everything I do today, I believe is for the sake of trying to be a better person and also as an act of penance for all the wrong I've done in the past. 


I'll be honest. I am very far from a saint and I've done a lot of things I'm not very proud of, however, after everything that I've been through, that my family has sacrificed for me, and the vision I have, I want to make sure that I leave a positive legacy before I leave this earth. It's this passion for trying to make a positive impact on the world and making my voice heard that keeps up at night. I chose engineering as my study focus because I was good at math and science and it was the most effective way for me to do some good in this world.


While passion, determination, and even dedication to a goal or a dream is great, it shouldn't be confused with how strong a person is. A lot of people will say, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" but I couldn't disagree more. Specifically because I heard this: 


"Finding things that make you happy shouldn't be so hard. I know you'll face pain, suffering, hard choices, but you can't let the weight of it choke the joy out of your life. No matter what, you have to find the things that love you. Run to them. There's an old saying, 'That what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger' I don't believe that. I think the things that try to kill you make you angry and sad. Strength comes from the good things - your family, your friends, the satisfaction of hard work. Those are the things that'll keep you whole. Those are the things to hold on to when you're broken."


Waking up every morning and knowing that I have a healthy family and great friends that support me, love me, and has sacrificed more than I know for me gives me an obligation to not only do my best but to make sure that I succeed so that one day I may be able to repay them...


I don't know if I have been successful so far, but I know one important thing:


Do what you love: An amazing thing happens when you get honest with yourself and start doing what you love, what makes you HAPPY. Your life literally slows down. You stop wishing for the weekend. You stop merely looking forward to special events. You begin to live in each moment and you start feeling like a human being. You just ride the wave that is life, with this feeling of contentment and joy. You move fluidly, steadily, calm and grateful. A veil is lifted, and a whole new perspective is born.

As an student at an engineering school I always question how happy people are based on how much I hear them talk about how they are looking forward to big events, parties, vacations, as opposed to trying to enjoy the present. While yes, studying can absolutely suck and be a complete drag if its something you don't like, but if it's something you're passionate about and that you love and makes you happy than I don't think there will be a day in your life that you will complain.


Live and enjoy your life and make sure you try to reach for your dreams, no matter how far off they may seem.

I will end it with a quote from one of my favorite authors Paulo Coelho:

"None of us knows what might happen even the next minute, yet still we go forward. Because we trust. Because we have Faith."


No comments:

Post a Comment