Every day we encounter this simple word called work- a daily activity that everyone encounters regardless of age, but people don’t really think too deeply about what work is. While thinking more in-depth about work, work isn’t just a job, it is something that leads you to find your true self. As the world is revolutionizing on technology so is mankind. It is our fate and destiny to make a difference in the world and be able to reflect on our lives before we disappear.

There is much importance that we need to know about work. Work is something that we find ourselves loving, making sacrifices, entertainment, and so forth. When we work, we do one or the other; we either love our job, work to support our family and loved ones or just doing it out of fun and experience. For instance, in the book, (Burnett and Evans, “Designing Your Life”) Mr. Evans thought that he knew what major and job he wanted to do which was marine biology. However, when he started taking classes for his major his attitude and actions began to change. Instead of continuing with the major, he changed his major and transferred to be a successful and happy mechanical engineer. In Dave’s case, we found that work is something that you need to find yourself enjoying in order to be happy and successful (Burnett and Evans, “Designing Your Life”). I also experienced something similar to Mr. Evans. Every summer, I worked at a summer camp, teaching kids. It was fun, but the kids aggravated me every day which is when I noticed that I wasn’t interested in teaching kids in the future. The only reason why I went back to work every summer was that I was able to have job experiences in different fields of work, and it was convenient because it is close to my house. However, when I volunteered at an elderly care center, I felt ecstatic when I saw their little smiles on their faces. This was when I knew that I wanted to help people who are in need.

With money, we can buy the necessities that we need to survive and maybe a special treat here and there. Digging deeper into work; work is where you can follow your dreams and gain experience. With life and work experiences, you have more knowledge about work and are able to contribute to the environment. Work is a challenge to go beyond your limits. Challenging your work, not only helps you accomplish your dreams but also gives you life lessons. As your journey continues, you would face many obstacles that would lead to failure. Without trying you wouldn’t know if you will succeed or not. Failure is the mother of success meaning that without failure you won’t reach your full potential. As the Nike saying goes, “JUST DO IT”, it doesn’t hurt to try, only regrets remain. There are many occupations in the job industry, but not every one of them will make you feel passionate. To find the right major and job is a trial and error process. I am also trying to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone to accomplish my dreams of becoming a physician assistant. It’s going to be a difficult journey but nothing in this world is simple.

Success comes in different forms, the way I perceive success is when you accomplished your goal and you are passionate about what you are doing. The feeling of accomplishment, knowing your next move and expanding on creating a better you are all ways leading to success. Being successful relates to what is or isn’t good work because not having good work is when you haven’t reached your full potential. Good work includes persistence and hard work. When I was in high school, I had a habit of procrastinating and doing my assignments last minute. However, after experiencing college for a couple of months; I felt that procrastinating does not lead to good intentions because of exams, papers, and homework. Although, I still maintained good grades in high school my effort and persistence were not on par to show my capabilities. Thus, having a changed perspective on work; slowly lead me to build the foundation for my career such as using a planner for better time management, finding the right pre-requisite classes to take, finding internships, and doing research. There are many obstacles that you will encounter as you are conquering your goals, it’s like a game where you advance to the next level. As you keep advancing to the next level, your hard work will be paid off with a feeling of accomplishment and happiness from your blood, sweat, and tears. In one instance, my dad stopped and asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up. At that time, I was hesitant, but I knew for sure that when I am successful, I wanted to be able to give everything back to my parents. I want them to live a relaxing, retired life where my sister and I can take care of them as they age. For me to do that, I need to be able to achieve my dreams.

Scientifically speaking, scientists are uncertain to how mankind developed but, they acknowledge that the evolution of mankind has evolved drastically over the years. I believe that it wasn’t accidental and was destiny when mankind began. We were all brought into this world to make a difference, live a beautiful moment and experience different chapters of life. Before encountering the outside world, we need to know the basic experience of life. For instance, we learn about having proper etiquettes when we are young; then we utilize it as we get older which would help our associations with others be more likable.

Death is a fear that people want to avoid talking or even thinking about because it makes them feel emotional and it is something that we don’t know what is going to happen next. People just want to live in the moment and not worry about death. As it was destiny or fate for all of us to be here it was also our destiny to die. There are millions and millions of people dying every day. These people didn’t have a choice to live, it was their fate to depart from this world and family. I was about eight years old when my grandma passed away due to the last stage of cancer. At that time, I was an oblivious child who was too young to know about death. I always questioned why the people I loved most were leaving me, I never did anything wrong. As I grew older, I came to realize that this is just the part of life, instead of always questioning I learned to cherish every moment like it’s my last.

In the TED talk “Am I Really Dying” (O’Reilly, “Am I Really Dying” The Real Answer).; Mr.O’Reilly works as an EMT. Throughout the video, he was informing us about his experiences with patients that were facing critical conditions. He noticed three different patterns that appeared when people are in a life and death situation. In the first pattern, he noticed that there was regret in being self-centered and not spending enough time with his family. The second pattern, he noticed that when people die, they want to be remembered by either their family or by just anyone. For example, making a difference and leaving a mark in the world. The third pattern, he noticed that people reflect on their lives to know that their lives had a meaning and not just pointless activities (O’Reilly, “Am I Really Dying” The Real Answer). Death is an unexpected event for everyone, no one knows when, where or how they will die. Instead of having a fear of death, take a moment to cherish your family and life because anything can happen.

“I don’t have time to do anything”, “Wow time sure does pass fast”, “Lost time is never found again’, “Time is what we want most”. These are all sayings that we hear when the time is mentioned. Time is something that we can’t stop it’s like the mathematical term pi, an ongoing number that never stops. It is a period and or a series of events that we go through in our everyday lives. There are twenty-four hours in a day which may seem a lot, but half our day is already gone because of work and sleep. There are so many things to do with so little time. Sometimes when I am studying or doing work, time passes by making me realize that there is no free time. Another word that is similar to time is an eternity. Eternity is a word from Latin meaning permanent, endless, and of great age. Eternity can be perceived in many ways. For example, some people can view eternity through a Christian point of view, and others can view it like its actual meaning, something that is unstoppable. Time and eternity play a big role in our lives. They are both something that we don’t have control in stopping because of destiny. Instead, we can utilize our time to live and follow our dreams of work.

There is a correlation between work and life. The existence of work wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t the creation of mankind. Work is an everyday routine that we process every day. The cruelty that society and the world presents are challenges that we face in our day-to-day lifestyle. Money is a necessity that people need for survival, which is why we need to work. Endeavoring our work isn’t an easy task when working in a cruel environment. To be capable of, you need to be the strongest. It’s like the survival of the fittest, the one who can adapt is more likely to dominate.

In addition, the world may revolve around the ideology of “survival of the fittest”, but with the support and help from my family, friends, and others led me to who I am today. My struggles and their advice are what motivates me to continue living and working to pursue my ambition. While experiencing different circumstances, we are able to learn and utilize these experiences in work or life perspectives. For example, in order for us to balance our social and work life, we need to have good time management. We are constantly learning something new every day even when we aren’t in a school environment. These activities are just everyday things that we do to build a better version of ourselves. Life is always an obstacle course; even when there are many hurdles that we face in life. There is not one hurdle that can prevent us from following our dreams. Instead of giving up, give everything a try, it doesn’t hurt to try! Like I said before it only hurts when there is regret. As you grow older and get into the real world, things will become burdensome and challenging, it is just how life is.

Everything happens for a reason in a timely manner. For some people, it may take longer for them to succeed because they haven’t yet reached their ability to understand different perspectives. In order for them to succeed, they need to be patient and wait for the right timing. In the time being, you can do something to help and build your accomplishments.

Work and life have their own thing that makes them special. It’s not just a simple four-letter word that we use every day but something that can help us create a better version of ourselves. These simple words carry a deep and important meaning that can motivate people to strive for their dreams. Life is not just about making money, it’s to be able to make a change for yourself and the world. While writing this essay, I’ve noticed that I never deeply thought about questions pertaining about work and life. In general, I don’t think anybody ever thinks too deeply about these questions. This is because we are scared to find out the actual meaning behind everything.

Citations
Burnett, Bill, and Dave Evans. Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life. Alfred A. Knopf, 2018.

O’Reilly, Matthew. “Transcript of “‘Am I Dying?” The Honest Answer.”.” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading, TED Conferences, LLC. All Rights Reserved., www.ted.com/talks/matthew_o_reilly_am_i_dying_the_honest_answer/transcript#t-240904.