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American Immigrant: El Poder de la Decisión |
American Immigrant: The Power of a Decision Valeria Pretto-Calder It is customary at the beginning of a new year to make resolutions, most of which include plans to improve some aspect of your life during the upcoming year. Ironically, most people do not follow through with their resolutions and after a couple of weeks the resolutions become an afterthought. The focus of this article is not about making resolutions, but more importantly, about the power of a decision. The truth of the matter is that most goals are difficult to achieve, and as you begin to struggle, it is natural to want to give up. It is at this time, that the power of a decision comes in; since you have already made the commitment to achieve your goal, giving up is not an option. I have discussed this concept with various people and it usually involves the decision to stay in school, continue school, or enroll in some type of training. The person who comes to mind is a young man whom I mentored. He came from Mexico with his mom and sister when he was ten. By the time he was in eleventh grade, he dropped out of high school. One of the goals that we worked on was enrolling him in a GED program. We attempted various times to get him registered, but he always came up with an excuse. Even though I would give him all the information on where to go and what to do, he always had a “reason” why he did not do it. Finally, one day we were talking about his mom and the sacrifices that she made to bring him to the US. At the end of the conversation, he told me that he was going to do it; he had made up his mind to enroll in the program. Later he told me that even though he agreed in the past to enroll in the program, he had never really committed to going through with it until that moment. Currently, he is attending the GED program, working, and helping take care of his new baby girl. I offer this story as an illustration, this young man did not accomplish his goals until he decided that he was going to do it. Thus, as the New Year begins and you struggle to stay on track with your resolutions, remember that nothing comes without sacrifice and that once you decide to go for it, then you are one step closer to accomplishing your goals. |