My life has been full of many surprises. Some have impacted my life or the way in which I understood it in a strange, yet efficient way, while others became insignificant lessons used to compose my life together.

Most of my life has been centered on determination and excellence. I have always tried to excel at everything as best as possible, but even when I’m perfect, I make mistakes.

I guess the reason I have always pursued a perfect life is because of my parents (mainly my dad). My dad, who has been deprived many privileges such as support and having loving parents, had to pursue his dream of soccer on his own. His dad had died when he was 3 years of age leaving him to the care of his inexperienced and careless mother. Although he was punished whenever he tried to practice soccer, his ambition lead him a successful soccer career that lasted until he began his career in administrative business and met my mother. His life has inspired me to concentrate on my goals and to take an advantage of the things I have and not throw them away like other kids do. For this very same reason I have been struggling to maintain and balance my very complicated schedule. It was this, along with my dad’s advice that taught me a life lesson, that even though small, could help me become a better person and allowed me to fully understand the meaning of determination.

It had been one of those days where nothing had gone right and it seemed as if I had forgotten everything. I came out of school to find out that my dad was busy and couldn’t come pick me up. Thankfully, since my dad is always prepared, he had already sent my aunt to come and get me. The problem was that my aunt usually took a long time to get to my school and I happened to have an awful lot of homework that day. By the time my aunt arrived, I had already done part of my homework and sat impatiently waiting for her arrival. My aunt, who was a realtor, had a meeting with her client and was rushing to get there on time. I had finished the rest of my homework and had sworn that I was done. Halfway there, I realized I had left my unfinished science project, which was due the next day, at home. I decided to tell my aunt even though I knew she was going to ignore my comment. To my surprise, she turned the car around, and drove towards my home, giving me a look that told me, “I can’t believe you’re doing this at the last minute.” As surprised as I was, her look hurt me more than if she would’ve kept on going. I didn’t want to be the reason for her being late to her meeting. Thankfully, my aunt got to her appointment on time and I was able to finish my project.

Not only did this teach me to keep trying and not to give up, but it also taught me that there are some things in life that are hard to control and even though you may try to control it, you may never know what will actually occur. That’s why it’s important to take precautions. You may never know what will come across your path, weather it be good or bad. It’s better to be prepared than sorry and if you fail, try again until you succeed. Life is not bought, but is earned and gained, so whenever life gives you lemons, it’s better to make lemonade.