determination to get sh*t done.

November 22, 2005

November 22, 2005

 

This journal entry is dedicated to the word “Determination.” The ability to have a fixed intention and reach a resolution. This is a small insight of one year and a half – of my young, determined life.

I spent some time in Lake Tahoe this past week. Louis and I went biking, hiking, painted ceramics, visited Reno, attended a comedy show, watched the movie Walk the Line (which was awesome) and performed a ton of outdoor workouts. We decided to save the money we would’ve spent on a gym membership and instead donate it to the Save the Bears charity organization.

With our fitness goals in mind, we still performed intense workouts using rocks, trees, our own body weight, plyometric and calisthenic exercises and every morning we woke up extremely sore. It amazes me how much you can get done with the determination just to get it done.

On the way home I visited my old ala mater, UC Davis. I studied International Relations, Asian History and Political Science there, I hardly took any classes outside of my majors while I studied I also worked part time as a Personal Trainer for 24 hour fitness. My last year in Davis, I studied Mandarin Chinese at Beijing Normal University in China. When I returned, I interned at a non profit organization: ACDI-VOCA, an organization that sends professional volunteers abroad for mostly agricultural projects in third world countries. I was always busy with school and balancing that with work, relationships, family and friends. But I finished my undergrad in four years, with the same determination to get it done.
After college I decided to put on my crystal competition shoes on and compete again: that year I competed in local, national, and international beauty and fitness competitions. I won, placed in top five or received a special title in all of my 6 competitions that year. I focused on training, eating right, perfecting my stage presentation and learning more about myself in the spirit of personal contest. With determination to be my physical best, I again, got it done.

That same year, I moved to San Francisco and after several interviews with International companies, I realized that if I loved what I did, I wouldn’t have to work a day in my life. So I decided to strategize my life similar to the way I strategized my life thus far: I asked myself, what motivated me? what will create the formidable energy inside of me to get it done, regardless of the obstacle? I chose my passion: I chose fitness. And after revising my resume, I realized that while I was successful at making myself successful, what I needed to prove, was my ability to make others successful. I created an action plan to become a manager at an upscale, health spa and devised a successful strategy to triple the gross of the service department. I built the service department with focus and desire to help myself, help my team and help the members become better mentally and physically. Together we grew… we grew from pure will and determination, to get it done.

Later that year, I went on an impromptu trip to Europe by myself. I bought a ticket to Athens, Greece, packed one luggage the only thing planned was an 8 day Mediterranean Cruise (which I initially wanted to take with my future husband but couldn’t wait to meet him to make it happen) I visited Turkey, the Greek Isles: Crete, Satorini, Rhodes, Patmos, Italy: Florence, Pisa, Naples, Rome, Genova, Pompeii, Tunisia, France, Spain I didn’t speak the language, but I did know how to smile really big and point 😉 When I sat in the marble bench inside the ancient city of Ephesus, or gazed at the hill housing the Acropolis, or ate gelato in the streets near the Roman Coliseum, or swam in the Aegean Sea or biked the Tuscany Hills. I couldn’t believe how pure determination and faith again, gave me the courage to visit lands I always dreamed of just so that I could get it done.

Each day I think about things I want to get done: And I think of things I can do right this second, to get me that much closer to fulfilling my dreams. I want to compete again, I want to build the non profit,  I want to purchase my first house, I want to be a strong contributor to 24 Hour Fitness, I want to be a loyal girlfriend, daughter, sister, friend..I want to help others. I want to always show gratitude and live a life filled with love-for myself and others.

Each day I am still on a mission to get things done still planning, strategizing and most importantly, dreaming. I am sharing this with all of you because I want you to see how you too can get things done with the same Drive, Desire, Discipline and Determination I used to accomplish competitions, career goals, and travel in only a year and a half of my life. You can’t have any of these qualities without a light at the end of the tunnel…you can only get things done if you know where you are going. If you don’t have a goal, you will always be questioning yourself always second guessing whether something is the right decision. I meet too many people who convince themselves that they don’t want something or become something, because they are fearful that they might not get it I say, be fearful of the fear your mind creates when it holds you back from reaching your full potential. I firmly believe that it is better to die having lived, than live and be scared of dying. Choose life…and when you start living, be a service to this world, and help everyone else to start living too! Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I am thankful for all of you.