"Don't let anything stop you from reaching your goals"

Everybody has been going through many experiences in their younger years. These experiences formed us to how we are at the present moment. When I was young, I looked up to people who were, through my eyes, successful. My definition of being successful was when someone works hard for his/her own career, get rich, build a nice family and who can take good care of his/her life and the family. However, when I grew older, I looked back at some people who worked hard for their career, got rich, had a 'nice' family in the eyes of others, but were unhappy. So what is being successful? I believe that it is not about getting rich, having a career etcetera. What it means to me now is that whoever you are, if you are satisfied and happy with what you are doing and having at this moment, is enough. Set your goals, whether bigger or smaller than others, they are your goals, no one else's. 

I told myself I would never let anything or anyone stop me from catching my dreams, my goals. I've seen my parents were working hard in order to give me and my siblings a great life. Their reason for working hard is because they believed they had a greater chance in having a better life when living in the Netherlands than in Cambodia. My parents were Cambodian refugees who had to escape from their country because of the war. In 1985, they got invited by the Dutch government to go and live in the Netherlands.

Last Thursday, I've met a 20 year old student. She writes articles for the company where I'm doing my internship. During a break, we started to talk and I asked her what study she is doing. From that question, she told me that she also coaches teenagers with history and math, runs a company with her study peers, wants to start her own company and has several meetings to stay busy. I was quiet. When I heard that, I compared her lifestyle against mine, and I'm a few years older than her. I asked her: "How do you do that? What time are you waking up everyday?" She answered:"I wake up at 5 a.m. and I go to sleep at 10 p.m. Also, I have to work on my body by doing sports to relax my mind and to stay healthy." I couldn't believe my ears. I told her I look up to her. From what I've seen around me with most of the Dutch students including myself, is that they can't deal with this kind of lifestyle. As students, we are not only studying but we also want a social life. Even though she is spending her time efficiently on studies and work, she also has time left to spend it on her social life. Yes, she finds it hard sometimes, but still she is glad that her parents raised her this way. 

Her story was an eye-opener to me. A young woman who is disciplined, has a daily structure and who has the thrive to become a successful woman. I know everyone is walking on a different path to become successful, and I'm not saying that her way is the best way to become successful. Though I believe it is one of the good ways to get closer to your goals. 

After hearing her story, it's not that I'm going to wake up at 5 a.m. and go to bed at 10 p.m. everyday, but I do try to find my own structure and to be disciplined and responsible for everything that has to do with me. It is about how to control yourself in order to whatever goals you've set in life.

Source of picture

What I realized is that I couldn't control myself in the past. My mind was the one who blocked myself in order to achieve my goals. Blocking myself has led to taking much more time to reach my goals. I blocked myself by telling myself I cannot do something, and by doing that, costs me so much energy. I became insecure and afraid in the smallest things of life. For what? Realisation now: For nothing! Eventually, I started to get lack of taking action. I've been living in this spiral for a few years now and I'm done with it. I'm starting to meet a lot of people who have stories like the student I've met. I believe they are meant to be on my path to teach me lessons. With this knowledge, I can get the motivation to do something with myself in order to reach the goals that I want.

Whoever you are, rich or poor, old or young, remind yourself: YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO! Don't let anything or anyone stop you from reaching your goals. Stop insecurity, start believing in yourself! Even though your goal is 'small', for example you'd like to eat healthy tomorrow, DO IT! It's a goal! Make sure you satisfy yourself, so you can motivate yourself to do it more and become whoever you want to. Challenge yourself in order to change yourself! Make a better version of you.