Time to ride…

Life at 26

As I sit on stationary bike in a old gym at 10pm in Los Angeles, Ca I’m typing into my phone. I wanted to recap my life up to this point. I know that seems like a task better suited for a laptop and a few drafts but I want this raw. I’m going to cover my challenges, my wins, and some goals for the rest of the year. (This is how my brain organizes life)

My Wins
Positives. Things that are going good. Happy times. I look at my life and feel successful up to this point. I bought my first car on my own (a rad Prius). I live on my own with a dope roommate (Rick Tha Ruler). I get to spend a good amount of time with my family and I’m free. I get to go to as many concerts that I can handle, I can take long rides on my road bike along the Pacific Ocean, and I have beautiful Southern California to photograph. Overall I’m pretty happy. (Most of the time)

Challenges
I try to please everyone. I’m very nice and people take advantage of that. If 10 people need me to do something on a Saturday, I’ll bust my ass to get all 10 of those things done. Rather than resting and taking time for myself. It’s hard for me to say no. My Mom and I don’t have the best relationship. I take care of her finances and have been for a few years now. It freaks me out to this day. Just thinking about it is a daunting task. It’s like I’m taking care of a 50+ year old women. I’m trying to be a good Christian and that’s hard when you’re free. I can’t go two weeks without eating fast food. I’m inconsistent at times. I don’t like to fail but I fail at simple things sometimes because I over analyze them. I’m a work in progress.

Goals, goals, goals
One of my goal for this year is to buy a house for my Mom. I want to weigh under 275 pounds. I want to start a consulting business. I want to put away at least $250 a month for traveling. I want to teach myself how to code. Another goal is learning when to say no and to speak up to state my opinion rather than always agreeing.

What I’ve learned so far
Everyone has addictions, it might be sex, porn, alcohol, drugs, fast food, or all of the above. Work everyday on getting better, because you can. Seek help and listen to others in your situation or that overcame there addiction. Surround yourself with positive productive people. This is crucial. One person can bring you down to there shitty level and set you back, move on. Find stuff that makes you giggle and do it a lot. Stay humble. Remember that your word is all that you have in most cases, keep it. Love nature.

@matthewctorres

Ambition

As a black cat stares at me I write this short post.

It’s hard for me to stop and realize what I have. I’m making it a point this year to do that more. Not only to appreciate my beautiful surroundings but also to explore more.

I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world (Los Angeles) and consistently find myself indoors. It’s a sin. On this Friday afternoon I’m sitting looking at a passage of water that releases boats into the Pacific Ocean. The weather, a beautiful 68 degrees and the sun still having an hour of light to share with us. The subtle breeze hits my face as hip hop fills my ears.

I mean it’s like Nas said last year, “Life is good”. You might be thinking how any of this has to do with ambition. I’ll get there… :)

The reason I’m even writing today is because of ambition, but everything above is my reflection of my personal state right now. It’s important to know this.

Constantly I hear people say that they see everyone around them making tons of money and they want to do the same. They go on and on about being in a different career, starting a business, or investing in some lucrative stock. However, I’ll see them 3 months, 6 months, a year later and they’re in the same situation. I believe ambition is our greatest ally, but media outlets and many people’s perspective makes it seem like ambition is easily obtainable. Like it’s some tangible item on a shelf at a store.

Ambition has to be a desire. Ambition is a mixture of hard work and determination that isn’t easy. Ambition was instilled in me by my grandfather who worked 30+ years as a longshoreman. It was instilled by my father who worked two full time jobs that put me through college. My mother, who lost it all and fights everyday to smile. My brother, who turned his life around and has a new outlook at life because he was saved. My coaches throughout childhood and as a teenager, who made me challenge myself everyday. I can go on… Go do it, whatever it is you see, want, or know that you’re meant to be doing. Make sure your ambition is high and it will be obtainable. It might not be as easy as a flip of a switch, but we can all make it happen. Peace, MCT *Please excuse my grammar, misspellings, or punctuation. This post was made on my iPhone.

Matt Costa Tonight!

At Fingerprints Long Beach at 7pm today!  Who else is coming?