Who am I?

I am a life enthusiast, a hard worker, and a lifelong learner: three simple attributes. These qualities make for an interesting personality, a differing mindset, an enigmatic individual.

I was not always an optimistic individual. No, in fact, throughout most of my boarding high-school experience, I was a very pessimistic individual. I chose to see the glass as neither half empty nor half full, but only as a vessel. It’s contents did not concern me, for they provided too much life, too much vitality, to the scene. This was the mentality that I carried around with me, often jokingly toting phrases like, “Life sucks, then you die” to my fellow energy-vampires. Until one day, it hit me; we only get one life. We only have this one opportunity. That momentary realization has altered the course of my life in a multitude of ways. It has been the flame that fuels the fire of my ingenuity and imagination, and the driving force behind my life’s adventures. It is for this reason that I seek to live life to the fullest every day, to take a deep breath and admire this magnificent world around us. It is for this reason that I aspire to always live in a state of gratitude.

Living in a state of gratitude does wonders for the individual. For instance, one never runs out of energy, drive, or motivation to not only work harder but to give more to others. When one lives with a sense of gratitude, they don’t seek to serve themselves primarily, but to serve others. They aim first to give, and then to get. For this reason, thankful people are often some of the hardest workers. It is to this, as well as my high energy personality that I attribute my hard-working mentality too. Growing up in a family of 14, I became accustomed to hard work from a very young age. Whether it was due to the list of daily chores that I had to complete or the hours spent every Saturday cleaning the house, I am not sure. All I know is that it was ever prevalent. This mentality was later drilled into me during my years of boarding school, where every day, we participated in mandatory “dorm jobs,” as well as hours of “work crew.” Thankfully, these opportunities allowed me to develop grit and perseverance, as well as a mental toughness, all of which I would have forgone without the experience.

Another vital lesson that these experiences gave me was always to be a learner. But this lesson did not truly stick out to me until one stormy day when I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki. In this book, he delves into the differences between his two father figures and speaks to great lengths on their two opposing outlooks. Rich Dad was a lifelong learner. He studied the world and was always on the lookout for more lessons and experiences to pull from, whereas Poor Dad finished his learning when he graduated from college and got his degree. To Poor Dad, that moment, his graduation, was the end of his education. He knew all he needed to know, and he no longer sought to improve himself. These contrasting views struck at my core, and it was at this moment that I was finally able to formulate my reasons for not wanting a college degree. I knew, in that instance, that the collegiate route was not the right path for me. See, to me, college students are only there for the degree. They’re after a slip of paper that advertises their knowledge, not the information itself. They are there for the prestige and the “experience,” whatever that means. They have their goals backward. And so, at the age of 20, I put the notion of college behind myself, as it conflicted with my core beliefs and values. Instead, the path that I chose was one of a lifelong learner, a student of the universe, always seeking wisdom and knowledge. This path has led me to try many different hobbies and experiences: from competing in Crossfit Competitions and performing in musical theater to martial arts and book clubs. I’ve done it all and learned a great deal along the way.

So, while this does not necessarily answer the question of who I am, it does communicate what I believe. And as man is a combination of both action and belief, I would suggest you merely watch my exploits to discern the rest.