Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school - and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
"Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure." You've got to find the treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense." The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Santiago, a young, Spanish shepherd sets out on a journey to follow his life's dream- to uncover a treasure awaiting him in the pyramids of Egypt. With an optimistic attitude, he went through many trials and sufferings. He came to an understanding that the treasure was in fact hidden and merely, the treasure is the journey that he went through to pursue his dream. If anything, my grandfather had an optimistic attitude in times of trials and for this reason, he is the role model of my life.
I passionately believe that people can make what they want out of their lives. During the ten crazy years of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, my grandfather lost everything that he had. Not only was all his land and processions seized by the red guards, his dream of starting a business and providing a fruitful and stable life for his family was shattered into pieces.
He did not give up hope. My grandfather knew he had to be an example to his four children. His family was his motivation. For the love of family and the sake of survival, my grandfather put his anxieties aside and strengthens for the future. With nothing but some saved up cash, my grandfather and his four children moved to Macau. Determined to continue his dream, he started a small business. Transportation was not something he could afford, so he walked everyday from his house to his store and back again. He worked tirelessly from morning till night.
My grandfather overcame all the roadblocks to pursue his dream. It was difficult, but with an optimistic attitude, everything changed. What started out as a small business soon became a million dollar corporation. He was only able to achieve such success because of his optimistic attitude and persistency. When he looked back at his life, he realized his huge business success was not the key to life. It was not the treasure that he was searching for. Instead, the treasure was the journey of suffering, the experience of heartache that he withstood to pursue his dream. He had an optimistic attitude to see that there are always bright rays of sunshine after a heavy rainstorm. Today, my grandfather hires the mentally disabled for heavy duty work and the deaf and blind for office work.
My grandfather has shaped my dreams and aspirations in that I learned to have an optimistic attitude when challenges come my way. I have learnt that every hardship, every seemingly impossible obstacle in life is actually a brilliant opportunity for me to show just how far I can push myself to accomplish my goals.
My dream is to be able to start my own business one day. Like my grandfather, I hope to make a difference in the life of those who are less fortunate than I am. Similar to my grandfather's experience, I want others share his experience, to have an optimistic attitude and thrive for life.
You know, I kinda did what you did, that is, using someone else as a context for explaining who I am. In fact, for hilarity or not, I used Samwise Gangee as my inspirational character, and used his tear-jerking quote in the second Lord of the Rings movie to underscore how he influenced me and ya-di-ya-di-ya-da.
But one thing is very clear: don't overwrite about the other person where you're information is supposed to be
I felt as though your sincerity grabbed my attention, but when your grandfather shapes 80% of the paper, that can be a bit problematic. Try limiting your grandfather and instead talk about what you did. Remember, dreaming is one thing, but planning and experiencing is another. It's sort of like saying, "I aspire to be successful one day" rather than saying, "I aspire to be successful one day by doing these specific measures (1, 2, 3), and I have personal anecdotes to back up my claims.
Hope that helped
