(Source: Active Ingredient: Eduardo Garcia from Citizen Pictures on Vimeo)
Sometimes life throws you a curveball that changes everything. Or does it?
Eduardo Garcia is a classically trained chef, and a rising star. He's an adventurous spirit who explores the world around him with fervor and ardent curiosity.
By the time he was 20, he was cooking meals on million dollar yachts as a personal chef. At ports, he would venture to the local markets, and scavenge from forests and waterways to get to the heart of the culture through culinary exploration. He's the type of guy that makes a meal of whatever is around him.
Then one day life handed him a surprise
As you'll see in the video, Eduardo has been through a drastic life event. But, it didn't change the core of his being. His sheer optimism, resilience, and sense of purpose are not just allowing him to cope, but helping him to flourish.
In his words: "Me moving forward in life is not about having ten fingers and ten toes, it's about who I am inside, what my inner drive and passion is to get out and do... I can't approach life differently after this. I can't change the DNA of who I am, it's just how you do it."
Everyone faces a curveball (or two, or ten)
Change is one of the few constants in life, but how we deal with the ups-and-downs is what matters. You cannot control the direction of the wind -- circumstances will vary -- but, you can control how you respond.
You determine the experience by how you think and how you react to the situation, so it is vitally important to be aware of the thoughts and feelings that you tell yourself. Your perspective, and in particular, your perceived limitations, are often self-imposed.
Life is what you make of it
Eduardo embodies indomitable spirit, resilience to overcome adversity, and a thirst for life. You can see that he genuinely enjoys all that life has to offer, and I really dig his mindset:
- "There's definitely challenges... but you'll get it. It's okay to screw up, it's okay to not get it right. It's okay. You'll get it. You'll get it. You'll get it... Persistence definitely pays off."
- "I feel a sense of urgency to milk the pulp out of life. You better get every single drop out of what you got."
What are you working towards?
We want to hear from you! What is driving you to get the most from life? What hurdles have you overcome? How did you get through them?
Share your stories, goals, and aspirations in the comments below or on Facebook. Your stories deserve to be told and we want to share in the collective enjoyment of the pursuit of life!
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Aaron is leading the charge with Marketing and Sales here at CogniTea. He is deeply passionate about helping people become thire best versions of themselves, and loves being in the great outdoors. You can find him running around Boston/Cambridge/Somerville, organizing meetups, hiking, meditating, writing, and generally exploring the world!
You can follow him on Twitter: @aarongerry
