#10

In 18 Truths to Start Telling Yourself, the phrases that relate to me the most are “Everything, good or bad, is a life lesson” and “A few REAL friends are all I need”.

Throughout my life I’ve learned that fearing pain, sorrow and circumstance will get you nowhere. At some point in high school I realized that I was only focusing on academics and I hadn’t experienced enough of anything; neither the good nor the bad. You can’t have the good without the bad and vice versa. I feel that sometimes we associate a good life with solely “happiness” and only good times; however, true happiness is stability and the ability to overcome disdainful periods in life and to “whistle while you work”.

Genuine and intimate friendship is one of the most helpful and rewarding things in life. True friends are not just people that accompany you and make you laugh they are people who will stand by you in a pinch. No amount of gold, riches or luxuries will ever replace them. “With time…you realize that true friends are worth way more than any amount of money”-Jorge Luis Borges.

I believe that, especially as I continue my college career, taking chances is something that I intend to do more of. Fear is just a feeling it is not reality, it is an impediment. If a bad decision is made, the next one will be better and new opportunities will reveal themselves.

One of the most important things for me is to be myself, my own person. Everyone should try to find themselves and act as they want as opposed to act as others want them to. Now that I’m in college I keep finding things that I differ with people on so many levels. I don’t like to categorize myself because the closest thing to labeling me is Armando Villanueva. No one should mandate how I should be.

The STARS LEAD video project is coming along well. So far we have recorded our individual introductory clips.  My leadership as a result of STARS LEAD has been impassioned. I have learned much about what a truly helpful leader must do and the qualities he/she must have. STARS LEAD; however, needs to have volunteer time with schools and reach out for neighborhood schools like Sullivan, right near Loyola, that are of dire need. We are not involved enough and reflection is great but there’s not enough action and motivation going on which is the purpose of being a leader. I know there are many student out there that need to know where they are going for college and what they want to do with their lives.