Finding Ones Passion, Working Hard and Dreaming Big – Why you can be who you want to be!

We all want to be the next Steve Jobs, Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Taylor Swift, JK Rowling or what not. The problem with most of the youth today is that we’re either very spoiled or have too much distractions in our life. Technology, social media, and other different mediums have clouded our minds as to what it takes to achieve success.

A lot of us think that it’s impossible to be the next Michael Jordan or the next Bill Gates. However, we must remember that all these successful individuals all started somewhere. They weren’t phenomenal performers or multi-billionaires from day 1. They started out just like you.

After reading several biographies of the most prominent individuals inthe world, I’ve found a couple of similarities in these men and decided to highlight some key traits and things that helped these individuals change the world.

Find Ones Passion

 The most successful men in the history of the world all had one thing in common. They all had a PASSION.

Passion is a word that is thrown around and mentioned so many times to us youth that sometimes it sounds so cliché already. The funny thing is we don’t truly understand what passion is and what it means to have a passion.

Passion is something greater than you can imagine. Passion is not just about interests or hobbies. Passion is about being dedicated to something and really going the extra mile. What allows one to be passionate is the sole fact that you love this something so much that you’re willing to do anything to achieve your goals.

You can be passionate about practically anything but it has to be something. Passion is where everything starts. From Justin Beiber to Steve Nash to Bill Gates, they all had something they were passionate about–––something they were willing to spend all their time on just so that they could be successful in that something.

“Do what you are passionate about, the rest will follow.” – Praveen Sherman

Work Hard and Smart

It wasn’t by accident that Steve Nash, a Canadian white boy who couldn’t “jump”, was able to make it to the NBA. Steve Nash had a legendary work ethic like no other. He’d be the first one in practice and the last one out. He’d even dribble tennis balls on the way to school.

He did all this because he had one goal and that was to prove all his naysayers wrong and make it to the NBA. He obviously wasn’t the tallest player, the fastest or the most athletic. However, he was able to make the most out of who he was and to the surprise of many play his way to two NBA season MVP awards.

Steve Nash didn’t just work hard, he also worked smart. He watched game film, analyzed his weaknesses and further improved his strengths. Working hard and smart isn’t only applicable to the field of sports. it’s applicable to everything. It’s applicable to LIFE.

Dare to Dream

One of the greatest traits of the all the successful and revolutionary men in the course of history is that they dared to dream. They didn’t settle for mediocrity. Like the old adage says, “Shoot for the stars, so that even if you come up short, you’ll land in the skies.” In other words, DREAM BIG!

“If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” ~ Steve Jobs

It’s when we dream that we are able to transcend time and space and accomplish things that no one would have even thought of foreseeing. It’s our dreams that push us to strive for excellence, to go the extra mile. It’s the sight of our dreams that allows us to endure the pain and go through sleepless nights just so that we could be one step closer to our goal.

Don’t let society dictate what you can and can’t do. Like the ever so famous Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” 

All the successful men started with a passion for something and a dream. However, they didn’t just sit there thinking about this passion and their dreams, they did everything they could to make sure that they’d have the best chance to achieve their goals.

What we, the youth must remember though is that at the end of the day, whether you succeed or fail, what matters most is that you gave it your all. It is because sometimes even when you pour our blood, sweat and tears, you still fall short.

The beautiful thing about life is that more often than not, failure is just the beginning of greater things to come for without failure there is no success.

I challenge everyone out there to find their passion, work hard, dream big and one day, leave a mark and make the world a better place for all!)

This is a guest post all the way from the Philippines, by David Ongchoco. David is a high school senior from Xavier School. He is a consistent first honors student, member of the varsity basketball and debate teams and head of the student council Green Team committee. He is also very much into community work through his involvement with Hands On Manila and as president of the Interact Club of St. Francis Xavier. During his free time, he enjoys chilling out with his friends, watching movies, reading books and writing about anything and everything. See more of his works and follow him on his Senior Year adventures by checking out his blog!