Sometimes, life crashes down on you and you lie staring at your boring ceiling. What could I have done? Why shouldn’t I have done this? Things are difficult for a reason. If life was so easily accomplished, everyone would be successful. The mindset of a winner is extremely different from the runner-up. It’s crucial to push the past away and make sure to focus on the future. 

During the 7th grade, I was a lonely kid who didn’t have a lot of friends. My dressing style was horrible and my social life was non-existent. I tried talking with people so they would like me, but it would end up at square one again. Back to being lonely. Every day I returned home, I sat in my chair, looking at cringey YouTube videos on How to Be Successful and Vloggers living their best lives. I convinced myself life was unfair. It was a repeating cycle where I dug a deeper grave as time passed. Holliday’s didn’t feel the same and the environment around me turned dry and deceased. Life hit rock bottom. How do I pick myself up?

One day, my dad was driving me home from school and my tear ducts flooded. I couldn’t handle the pain I was feeling and the amount of weight I was carrying on my shoulders. But, his reaction wasn’t as expected. He knew how it felt to be someone like me and to be part of the minority. The words he uttered changed how I viewed life. “I know you’re hurting a lot, and I know you want to take your pain out on someone. But, that’s not moral and ethical. Instead, the best revenge is success. Don’t focus on anyone else, just focus on yourself and let the others come to you.” Consequently, I took it to heart and decided to work on myself. 

To meet my expectations and goals, I needed to change my habits. Instead of waking up at the same time everyone else did, I made sure to slap myself awake at 5 in the morning. There, I would take a lengthy run and perform a mass amount of pushups and pullups. I thought it was necessary to push yourself past your limits to achieve the so-called, “Impossible”. At the time, I was only twelve years old picturing myself in a Ferrari and a thirty million dollar mansion. When I came to school, I had a confident attitude paired with a grin on my face. I cared less about everyone else’s thoughts because I knew I had something going for me. Doing so, I was able to spend more time doing my activities such as working out, Boy Scouts, and piano. After all was completed, I took a short rest and repeated it the next day. 

To sum it all up, I was able to achieve more than I started with. My body was fuller and I wasn’t insecure about taking off my shirt anymore. I was spending less time on the computer and more time doing beneficial activities for my future. Life seemed like an endless void of possibilities and opportunities. I was serene. Nonetheless, if you focus on yourself, there will be zero boundaries blocking what you can do.