More than one time I have been asked with the disturbing and “annoying” following questions: Where do you want to be in 5 years? Where do you want to go in life? What is your purpose in life? And honestly, I didn’t know what to answer, most of the time. These kind of questions made me think, wonder and realize about the future. However, I found myself stuck in the past doing things in the present that weren’t going along with once I dream about my future.
One day, I made a little stop in my routine and I tried to find some answers to the first questions, because the time was passing so fast and what I was doing in the present was becoming my future, since I never took my time to think about the steps that I had to follow in order to achieve my goals. I had the goals, but then I moved to the U.S. and everything changed and I lost my steps. Then I found myself thinking too much about the past and working and studying just for the sake of “doing something in life”. Was I career wise happy? Nope. So, this had to stop. However, it wasn’t easy making a stop in my routine. After all, who has time to think in the U.S? It seems a joke, but it’s not. Work work work work work, sounds like a song but its the reality for many people here, specially for immigrants. Nevertheless, I didn’t have to take a day off to think about my future, but I had to take off useless things and activities from my day in order to do it. Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat, WhatsApp, do these sound familiar? Well, we don’t have much time to do many important things, like to think for only 3 minutes about our goals and purpose in life, but we always find time to scroll over and over; over our cellphones seeing how other achieve their goals, seeing how others live their “good lives” (celebrities that are more lost than you and me together if you ask them about their purpose in life) wishing their lives, making this last ones and the creators of these platforms more millionaires every single time we scroll over that phone. Well, that is fun! Actually not, it is pathetic. By the way, I am not saying that I don’t use those platforms anymore, it is just that I don’t use them pathetically. After all, entertainment as it is, is not pathetic at all, what is pathetic is to give up our short time in our packed everyday schedule to see how others live the “good life” while we are stuck in our routine only because we prefer to “invest” our time in their wealth than in ours. Yes, they make money out of our likes and views.
In order to to get out of this mindset, I had to do something simple. Actually, it is if you really want to answer the first questions, and unfortunately it starts with more questions 🙂 Why do you think you are HERE? Why are you doing the things that you are doing now in the PRESENT? Why ARE you in that job? Why are you studying that? Why are you with that person? The questions go on and on, but these ones are about our present.
I already had my moment to grief about what I left in my country, about what it could have been but it wasn’t. So, it was time to start focusing in the present by asking me questions about my ACTIONS in the PRESENT.
Sometimes, if social media gives us some break, and we think about our life, we mostly think about the past or the future but barely about the PRESENT. The past is gone and useless, unless it is to take something good from it, and the future is important but is useless to worry about it because it is uncertain until we know what to do in the present to achieve it, until we know how to LIVE in the PRESENT.
I believe as an immigrant that if we are lost in our way to our goals, or if we do not have goals at all, we should start asking us: why are we here? Specifically, why are we here in the United States? Do we UNDERSTAND where are we geographically talking? Do we get, know and UNDERSTAND how hard is to enter to this country? Do we UNDERSTAND what would people do to come here?
So, once again, WHERE ARE YOU?
Yes, you are in the United States of America. However, what does this mean? It means that you have the exclusive opportunity to be here, which at the same time opens you with more opportunities in life. It is exclusive, because not everyone is allowed to enter here.
Now that FINALLY you REALIZE that you are here in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and understand what it takes to be here; what are you going to do with those better OPPORTUNITIES in education, job, health, security, infrastructure and many others? Opportunities that you as well as me know that in our country would be twice or even 3 times harder to access because the game over there is unfair. Meanwhile, here it doesn’t matter whose child you are, whose friend you are, what is your last name, what color is your skin, and other factors. You have to forget about those concepts because here it doesn’t work the same, and if you don’t like that, it is better to go back home and continue living in that system where social, economic, and racial status matters a lot. There might be some cases about this last one here in the USA but they are not majority. For example, it is going to be 6 years that I am going to be here in the U.S. and I have never been or felt discriminated about my social, economic, racial or even immigrant status even though I am not a “white” person.
YES, probably you will encounter many obstacles to get access to those opportunities, but as many other benefits in life: we have to prepare and fight for them. Don’t take for granted that here in the U. S. the money rains from heaven, even if that would be possible, you would have to get out from house (comfort zone), get wet, work, do something. Don’t take for granted that this country or your parents owe you something, specially if you were brought here very young or if you were born here.
Don’t waste your time crying on what you left behind. As soon as you realize where are you geographically, as soon as you realize how blessed you are to be one in thousands to be here, you will be able to go on in life.
So open up your eyes! You are in the United States of America! Start or keep learning English! Get that better education and job! Be a better person! Make your parents or guardians proud of you! Live your life and stop wasting your time watching others live theirs.
When this becomes to be real, having a better life, bless others as you are being blessed; and above all never forget where God took you from.
May God Bless America, and you and me in our journey in this precious land of equal opportunities, because there are if you fight for them, and immigrants because we are part of them!
Gianco
Veritas vos liberabit 