Second month in and I’m not doing as great as I thought I would. Multitasking is not as simple as it sounds. Every week, I dedicate time and effort into getting things done. For example, during week days I have to attend my in person classes, my three morning army physical training as early as 6:30 am and Friday ROTC (Reserves Officers Training Corps) lab which takes all day at City College. Now the extra commitment would be my 4 day gym routines, math tutoring sessions, homework elimination sessions, and reading sessions. Plus my Weekend Job which is programming and installing credit card terminals.

Despite all that, I still have to report to my army national guard unit for drill upstate at Fort Drum one weekend a month. I’m also working on my personal trainer certification, taking a few classes here and there since it’s self-paced I’ll take the exam whenever I complete its online courses. I don’t really have a day off unless it’s a national holiday which I woud usually dedicate it to go to the shooting range to practice and sharpen my shooting skills.

I never really liked this city and I find less intellectual diversity in people especially those who were born and raised in NYC. For example non of my family members are fit nor are they interested in hitting the gym or even eating healthy. They constantly annoy me with their opinions about me “wasting my time” at the gym, some even believe I’m wasting time at school instead of marrying and starting a business. Most of family members own businesses and real estate and are not interested in school, building a career or being fit.

Last month I had a heated debate with my older cousin about working out, he believes that results and gains are temporary and you should only work out if you’re pursuing a career in the field and will eventually make it a living out of it. He’s out of shape and according to him he’s totally ok with it. Unfortunately my family members think I chose to serve in the military because I want to look cool and I train so I can get attention. I just found it hard to try to explain to him that’s it’s not about attention when they all assume my intention without really knowing much about my life goals or ambitions. It’s not even disrespectful at that point, because some people are actually ingrained and inclined to think that way and there’s nothing hopeful to do or say in order to change their minds. I came to realize that no matter how hard I work and no matter on what scale I do things those negative people in my life will stay there as spectators to observe. It is foolish for me to ask for their opinions or even expect encouragement from them, because I really don’t want their negative energy. To put it simply, I can’t help people who don’t want to help themselves.