27 DE FEBRERO 2011 - La Prensa De San Antonio

febrero 27, 2011
In search of success
By Cristina Blackwell
cblackwell@laprensasa.com
Last weekend I had an invigorating
chat with an ex-boss turned good
friend.
Rarely do I have a conversation
with him that doesn’t leave me
energized and thinking of new possibilities.
I enjoy feeding off of his
passion and ideas.
On this particular day, he casually
threw in the middle of the conversation
a comment that instantly sparked
a “Cris n’ tell” topic in me.
He said: “I only surround myself
with positive people –those with
good energy.”
While he continued talking, I
couldn’t help but think to myself,
“Who have I been associating myself
with?”
Days later it suddenly hit me.
There two types of people in this
world: those you want to avoid, and
those whom you want to surround
yourself with.
The one’s to avoid enjoy sucking
energy out of you by complaining,
criticizing and making excuses.
The one’s you want to keep close
are those that you find intellectually
stimulating, the one’s that infuse your
imagination with fresh thinking,
interesting ideas, and a contagious
enthusiasm for what’s possible.
It is said that you are the sum of the
five people you spend the most time
with. I know I’ve experienced this
first hand, especially with the people I
work with. They have influenced me
and I have influenced them, hopefully
for the better.
We can’t always pick who we
work with, but we can choose who
we spend our time with. So, why not
make sure the people you associate
with on a regular basis are interesting,
talented and successful, because the
chances are you will be too. If they’re
not, chances are you won’t be either.
Cris n' tell
Exceptional people are not threatened
by other strong people; they
surround themselves with the best
and most talented people they can
find. If we don’t ask for advice from
those who know more we will never
learn from one another, which is a
true shame.
So, am I telling you to ditch the
friends who are at the same level of
success as you are? Heck, no. But you
surly need the right balance. If certain
people are bringing you down, then
you need to spend less time with them
and more time with people who will
help you stay “up.”
It’s not about the outside appearance
or how popular or cool someone
might be. No, it’s about who they are
as a person and could we be compatible.
Did they lie, cheat or steal? Did
they go out of their way to show me
kindness perhaps at me when they
didn’t have to? Did they have a good
heart and would they let me close
enough to see it?
Here’s an activity for ya’: Think
of the two to five people you spend
the most time with on a regular basis
(this includes friends, family, coworkers
and people you don’t even
particularly like). If you’re spending
the majority of your time on a regular
basis with these people (let’s say over
the last six months), then they belong
on this list.
Got them? Ok, good. Altogether,
how do you view these people? Are
they successful in the ways that you
want to be? Are they moving towards
that success in any way? Are they
positive people? Are they negative
people? What do they do on their
spare time?
Most importantly, is this group of
people heading in the same direction
you want to be heading?
Don’t be afraid of change. There
are six billion people on this planet
–life is here to be cherished. You
deserve to live it with people who
want to cherish that life with you,
who love you, respect you, and want
to see you succeed.
Surround yourself with high quality
people who inspire and challenge
you –not with bloodsucking losers
who do nothing more than contaminate
your soul with negativity. Love
yourself enough to walk away from
these people. Surround yourself with
people who challenge your beliefs,
challenge you to think bigger, raise
your consciousness and tell you what
you need to hear, not what you want
to hear.
Now let me ask you: Who injects
you with energy and ideas? By all
means, introduce us.
“Home sweet S.A.”
By Dennis M. Ayotte Jr.
dennisayottejr@gmail.com
I’ve lived in San Antonio for
eight years now (four years longer
than anticipated). My goal was to
graduate college and move back
to Houston to be with my family
and start a career.
However, several years later
I’m still here and San Antonio
has become my home. I’ve met
friends for life here, explored everything
the night-life has to offer
and had my fair share of real-life
MAN issues.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t until last
(EFE).- La diseñadora Johana
Hernández, cuyo interés por la
moda se despertó en su infancia
cuando acompañaba a sus padres
a trabajar a las fábricas de costura
de Los Ángeles, ha sacado su propia
línea de ropa después de haber
diseñado para conocidos artistas.
"Este mes estoy lanzando la colección
(de ropa) 'Glaudi by Johana
Hernández' y me da mucho gusto
presentarle esto al mundo, porque
es una colección súper única y
también porque ayudamos a los
necesitados con las ventas de los
vestidos", dijo Hernández.
La diseñadora señaló que su
colección representa "al latino que
es trabajador, al latino que somos
la nueva generación y que somos
muy orgullosos de nuestras raíces
y de dónde venimos".
Nacida el 21 de junio de 1986
en Los Ángeles, Hernández es
hija de inmigrantes salvadoreños
que al llegar a los Estados Unidos
a principios de la década de los
I have MAN[y] Issues
Friday when I realized that the
Alamo City is my home.
There is nothing for me back
in Houston anymore. My father
won’t speak to me and the relationship
with my brother becomes
more distant by the day. My
mother is the only constant I’ve
had in my life the past eight years,
yet our relationship is not what it
once was.
The friends I once had have
gotten married or moved on to
bigger and better things. Granted
I have few friends who are still
around that I can talk to and it’s
like we never skipped a beat, but
the majority have moved on.
Deep down it hurts that these
relationships have faded, but I
can’t dwell on the past. I eventually
needed to move on, or I’d be
forever consumed with the past
and how things once were.
I never thought I’d be a true San
Antonioan, but it’s become clear
this is home. I have a great job and
amazing friends—no girlfriend
(currently) but I’m working on it.
Granted S.A. is a large city but it
still has the feel of a small town.
I’m not exactly sure how long
I’ll be here, but I’ve recently em-
ochenta se dedicaron a trabajar en
fábricas de ropa.
Debido a que los sábados no
tenían a nadie quien les ayudara a
cuidar la pequeña pedían permiso
a sus jefes de la empresa Koos
Fashions para llevarla al trabajo
3-E
barked on a new journey with a
friend that could potentially alter
our lives forever, then who knows
where I’ll be.
Ultimately what I’m trying to
say is despite all the crappy things
that have happened and relationships
that have diminished since
I’ve been in S.A.—I’m happier
than I’ve ever been. As much as
I avoided accepting this as the
truth, it is.
I’m content with the fact that
my dad won’t speak to me, I
understand that I probably won’t
ever have the brotherly relationship
you only see in the movies
and that my old friends have taken
their own path—it's life.
I know this column sounds dark
and that I’ve given up all hope,
but deep down I’m an optimist
and have hope that one day I can
rekindle the relationships that
once were. For now I am okay
with it. It only took eight years but
sometimes you just have to realize
when it’s time to move on.
It’s bittersweet to accept but I
feel I’ve had a weight lifted.
S.A. is my home sweet home
(for now).
La diseñadora Johana Hernández dio sus primeros
pasos en fábricas y hoy viste a estrellas
La diseñadora Johana Hernández trabaja en el taller del Instituto
de Diseño de Modas y Mercadeo (FIDM), en Los Ángeles. (EFE)
en donde la niña jugaba con trozos
de tela.
"Toda esta historia siento que
regresa a lo que mi familia es,
ellos fueron humildes, trabajaron
en fábricas y ahora yo soy la que
vea Johana Hernández 15-E