If I had to choose one expression to explain how my brother, Chris, lives his life, it would be ‘hard work pays off.'
He is one of the most attentive people I know, a quality he inherited from our father as well as life experiences that illustrated the importance of effort. He is currently one of the people who motivates me to work hard and keep working hard no matter what life throws at me.
Chris’ perspective of work
Chris’ perspective of work was ingrained in him from a young age, an aspect which helped him maintain good grades throughout high school and enabled him to get a good GPA that granted him access to a good university. He continued to be an overachiever in his classes, always going above and beyond while his peers coasted along by doing the bare minimum it took to succeed. He graduated among the top of his class and he now works in a reputable software company as a developer. However, he continues to be ambitious and he hopes to one day climb up through the ranks of his company to become a manager.
Importance of leisure time
As much as Chris values his work, he equally values his leisure time and as such, he makes a point of curving out some spare time for himself from his 40-hour work week, although he presently has more time to spend away from work since he completed his education. Whenever he is not working, he likes to play video games. He also enjoys designing and creating customized keyboards which he sells to make some extra income, though he considers it more like a hobby than a money-making venture.
Driving inspiration
The greatest inspiration that drives Chris to put in as much effort as he does day after day is his need to take care of others. Chris is the most caring person I know. He selflessly places the needs of those that he loves before his own. He is the sole breadwinner in the home that he shares with his girlfriend, who is unfortunately jobless due to a company layoff. He ensures that he makes enough income to take care of her as she seeks for another job. He also aims to create an environment in which his future children will want for nothing. The love that Chris has for what he does makes working hard easier as well. He enjoys programming, as tedious as the job tends to become, and he will work on a task while hardly noticing the passage of time.
Marching to his own beat
Chris marches to the beat of his own drum, despite having a traditional introduction to the path to follow from our father. For instance, he regrets going to the university regardless of the prestige that many students draw from it. If he could go back in time, he would have gone to a community college first as it is more affordable. He would have acquired the same set of skills that he currently applies in his job, minus his significant student loans. Furthermore, Chris puts more stock into the lessons that he learned from his failures rather than the advice that he was given by others. His independence is self-taught and he tends to tackle things as they arise rather than making sure he has everything figured out. Through Chris, I have witnessed how successful life can be if one puts in the required effort. If I could be half as industrious as Chris is, I am sure that I will lead a very successful life.
