text: “Be thankful of what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” - Oprah Winfrey There once was a boy named John, who lived in an old and small red cabin up the hill with little to no neighbours around. John was a skinny and weak but determined child, whenever he goes to school, he’ll always envy those who play soccer and basketball, he thought to himself while watching at the side line “Wow, those people sure are energetic, they’re so strong and fit, I wonder how it’s like to be that strong, life must be easy for them.” As he wondered about his hypothetical life, he started to analyse the fast and elegant movements of the players, day by day he’ll analyse and see how they do it, how they throw the ball and how they shoot for the goal, and all the time he’s fascinated by how good they are. Until one day, John decided to join them, after being envious of the players for so long, John wanted to climb up and be just as good if not better than the player. First John went to the soccer team and tried his hands on the black and white ball, of course it didn’t end well at first, John couldn’t even pass the ball onto another coming players. After weeks of playing in the soccer team and practising on the wide and green field, John still can’t manage to keep up with the rest of the team who had been playing for years. John wasn’t even qualified to partake in the competition, he wasn’t up to par. People even started to doubt John, the team, the couch and even his parents were trying to convince him to find another hobby, one could even say even John was starting to believe in their doubts. Until one day, during practice, John landed a straight hard goal. At that moment no one was really cheering for John as landing a goal is not enough for him to compete, but for John, it was the first major sign of improvement. John became even more determined and more obsess with soccer, John started training in his own free time, day and night, John will be spending the time on practising his kicks and coordination. Until finally, the couch recognised his skill and he went to win a gold for his team. All the people who once doubted John was cheering for him, lifting him up in the air and such, he had accomplished what he desired, to be on par or better than the players. John had never felt so alive at that moment. After a few months however, John returned back to his normal mood. He was good at soccer but there’s nothing left to prove. So, he looked upon the gruelling basketball team, thinking “If I could become good at soccer, I bet I could become good at basketball as well”. So, he left the soccer team and soon joined the basketball club with the same amount of determination he once had for soccer, at first of course he couldn’t catch up to the rest of the team but he knew he was improving, he was attentive regarding his progress and that’s what kept him determined and eager. The couch for the basketball club could see it, he saw the fire in John’s eyes and offered help with practice. Not long after that, he was qualified to compete and won yet another gold. He had accomplished what he desired, to be just as good as in basketball as he was at soccer. John had never felt so alive at that moment However, after a few weeks, John lost his determination in the sport, he could still play and score but for him, it wasn’t the same. It was getting boring for him, so he looked for another hobby, until when the exam result came in and he realised how poorly he had been doing. Even worse, his younger brother was doing better than him in academic which made John really envious. At the time John hasn’t felt envy for quite a while, and John hated it. His eyes began to be filled with determination once more, to become better at academy, to become as good if not better than the top. So, there he went, began to cut out distractions and study as hard as he can, filled with goals and determination. After a year, he pulled through and became one of the top students of his school, winning academic competitions and was seen as an example of a hard-working student, even having scholarships for colleges. He had accomplished what he desired, to be as good if not better than the top. John had never felt so alive. However, after a few days, John once again felt...bored. He returned to his home after graduation and lay in his bed. He did it, he maintain the top until graduation, yet nothing was in his eyes, no fire, no...determination. At that moment, John could hear the chirping of the bird, the blowing of the wind and the rustling of the grass through his window. It was until he realised, he didn’t have any long-lasting friends to talk to, he realised that other than his family he was quite, alone. He couldn’t go back to his soccer team, he abandoned them. He couldn’t go back to his basketball club either, he left the couch without any consideration. He couldn’t go back to his school, because he was too caught up with studies that he made any connections. The thought of being alone disturbs him, for the first time he felt empty, until he saw a crack in the wall, and started looking around and realised how poor the family is. And so, he began, going to college with the scholarship and determine to become rich, as rich if not richer than the top. He believed he will accomplish what he desires...then maybe he can be alive.