Esta Es Mi Vida

This is one of my favorite verses out of one of my favorite books that i’ve been thinking about a lot lately.

Much like most of the members of my gender once we hit the ripe old age of 18 think we are men, or perhaps when we get out “feet” wet (this usually happens before our 18th birthday nowdays) for the first time we feel as though we now have some entitlement. Yeah, ummm no. I don’t believe that your transition from boy-man is so much based on what you’ve accomplished in life (i.e. graduating from college, moving out of the rents house, getting your first car) but rather it’s more suited in the responsibility you assume and the ownership you take over things relative to your life.

Examples

Relationships:

a boy - Will sleep with as many girls as time and nature will allow, not to get confused with him being a man-whore. No, not like that. But if he can have sex with one person, or more then one person on the regular then he will indeed do that and find little error in it. That is his “relationship focus”, or it factors highly into that. He will never turn it down, pump the brakes and get to know whats going on above the neck line unless it all but secures his probability to get below the waistline

a man - Will honor women for being more then just a source for his pleasure and quell to his burning hormonal “needs”. His focus isn’t on getting in a a woman’s pants as it is getting in her head, learning who she is, what she’s about, is she a potential mate candidate, is she worth putting in work/an application for.

Work:

a boy - Will gain employment for the purpose of putting in 8hrs, getting a paycheck and breaking out at 1700 hrs everyday. Professional gain is a foreign concept/phrase to him and unless it involves adding a few extra pennies to his salary, he’s not interested. He wants a better job, but isn’t putting in the effort to educate himself on a) how he can do this b) what opportunities are available to self improvement. Tack on the fact that he’s not qualified for his position, knows it, and doesn’t really care because again…as long as he’s pullin a paycheck that’s what matters.

a man - He doesn’t have a job, doesn’t know even what this word is other then it being a reference to what the 19yrold behind the register at BestBuy who is harassing him about a service plan for his new blu ray player does. He has a career, he’s pursuing a lifelong ambition or calling. He has an occupation or profession, something that he’s trained to do, something that takes a combination of skill, experience and education. He’s not caught up in titles, but qualifications and his ability to not only articulate his capabilities, to be able to execute those qualifications and put them into a business process is his perpetual goal.

He knows where he is going, what he wants to achieve, and where he can see himself in 20yrs, and most importantly he makes his own decisions so far as the direction of his career.

Capitol (Money)

a boy - Spends money like there is no tomorrow with literally, no thought for the future, no thought for anything other then what’s “now”. What pop culture says he needs at this moment or whatever the new hotness is out on the market is what his focus is on. Screw the future, you only get to live once, you only get one life so live it UP! Savings, investments, retirement are all foreign concepts to him, or things he’ll work about later when he gets a better job, or when he gets his record deal, contract with the Lakers, wins the lotto, or gets his stimulus check.

Discounts, coupons, sales, and clearances are all words that his wack parents used. And again, aren’t something that he’s interested in. That ribbed t-shirt from A/X for $35.99 will do just fine, and will go well with the $200 jeans from D&G he just copped.

a man - Lives off of the principle of getting what he needs, not what he wants. He isn’t living paycheck to paycheck, he’s got six months of salary saved up just in case he decides to take a break from that career and go visit/live in an Eastern European country for a few months. He owns, or is on the path to ownership of his possession/assets. Debt is his nemesis, credit is his best friend. Words such as Marshalls, Ross, Value City, Macy’s (1 day sale), Sears, sales, coupons, deals, discounts are some of his favorites.

I could go on and on but I think you get the point that i’m trying to make here. This difference also applies to women, but i thought i’d specify it for my gender seeing how I can relate and deliver better for what separates a man from a boy then what i can for what separates a girl from a woman. If you aren’t doing all the of things i listed in the man category, fret not, we aren’t perfect and as long as you are progressing to get from boy –> man then that’s what matters.

I’d like to hear my audience’s thought on this list as well, what do you all think? Accurate? Inaccurate?

Okay, so over the past 9-12days i’ve heard this phrase coined over four times…

“A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

Never had I heard this phrase before, but it touched me deeply and holds a lot of meaning to me because of drama related to gossip and backbiting that I had to endure over the past year, and even in the course of my short life itself. I personally don’t believe that this isn’t your everyday phrase/word of wisdom that you’d hear, as a matter of a fact it’s probably the most distinct phrase i’ve heard all year. What was most personal/signifigant to me was that not at anytime was this stated to me in a sententious manner, which would’ve without a doubt been a complete turn-off and subsequently made me defensive and or suspect of the connotation of it’s meaning.

Sources:

1st) Random person in the local greasy spoon engaged in a conversation with another person

2nd) Conversation with a former co-worker

3rd) Highly respected family member during one of our “sessions”

4th) Evangelist on TV using it in one of his sermons

How do other people feel about this? Is it true? Does it hold meaning for you? Why does this happen? Examples? Thoughts? Gripes?