Batman, James Bond & Ninjas…This is the Life of Pablo

(Takes a deep breath) I swear my life’s a movie…  

At least that’s how I see it. But then again, who cares how I see it.  

Maybe you do. Maybe you’re just being nice. But how could you? We just met.    

Either way, since you’re here, figured we get to know each other a bit, you know? You tell me a little bit about you, I’ll tell you a little bit about me.   

Oh, don’t worry it won’t take too long, I’m sure you got another post to get to and I gotta get back to my birthday party. Did I mention it was my birthday today?    

No really, it is. The big 2-9.  You’re welcome to come in for cake if you want.    

Anyway, where do I start? How about this…    

There’s this kid.  He grows up in a town that's like any other suburb in America.   He has a father that tells him to never give up and always be the best he can be. He has a mother that reminds him that he’s so sweet that he has honey coming out of his pores. He's not that big, really.  He’s inherently shy, and different from the other kids, but overall a good kid.

For the longest time, he felt he was stuck on this life path where getting accepted to the community college down the street was the next big thing and happy hour at the town bar on Union Ave was the highlight of the workweek.    

He couldn’t fathom anything past that reality and it was a pretty sure bet that he’d repeat that story for the rest of his life. That is until he got a phone call…   

Ring, ring!   

“Hello?”   

“Hi, yes can I speak to (BLEEP)?” 

“This is (BLEEP).”   

“Yes, we’d like to offer you an athletic scholarship to play at our school.”   

And just like that the kid changed trajectory and headed to down south to play baseball against some of the best collegiate athletes in the country. You would think this kid is going places right?    

Four years later, he ends up back in that lackluster town. This time, when he goes to happy hour at the bar on Union Ave, he can’t reminisce with his friends because he was never there. He was too busy trying to be somebody.   

I mean who does he think he is right?   

Anyways, it’s a Tuesday night, there are people all around laughing, and toasting to that time that Mr. Johnson had his shirt tucked into his underwear and the kid’s thinking “Is this it?”   

I mean he can’t find solace in his work because all he does all day is explain the difference between the basic  and the premium cable package to annoying customers while trying to sneak in the high definition DVR so he can meet his sales quota. The only highlight is when the occasional mom tries to set him up with her daughter because he sounds like a nice guy over the phone.   

He has a girlfriend that shoots down any entrepreneurial dream he has but doesn’t leave her because…and I quote…"She’s the one. I can make it work.”     

(Don’t look at me like that; you’ve been there too)   

Oh and did I mention that he and his best friend since 7th grade stopped talking?    

And the thing that tears me up is that the kid had big dreams you know? The kind that made you look twice and double check whether yours were big enough.    

…I’ll tell one thing though. Mama ain’t raise no quitter. That kid hung on to hope by the fingernails and did not let go.    

Fast forward to the summer of 2013, the kid gets a chance to plan a party in Spain.  He’s never been to Spain before, but he doesn’t care. He says yes and, through some heavenly miracle, he pulls it off.    

On the last night there, 20 minutes after midnight and 20 minutes into his 26th birthday, he hears the words “We have a position in Los Angeles that we think you’d be great for”.    

And just like that,… a kid from a suburb in Jersey becomes the director of an international mastermind and networking group  while under the tutelage of the world’s best negotiator and an 8 time NY Time Best Selling author.   

Nowadays I hear he spends his days writing, watching rom coms, and traveling to put on the occasional conference or two.    

Oh that kid’s me by the way, if you haven’t figured it out by now. Crazy right? Told you it was like a movie. 

You’re probably wondering what do Batman, James Bond and ninjas have to do with all of this? Nothing really. I just always thought they were cool. I think it’s necessary to have interests in life, no matter how odd. They light a divine spark within us and act as a vehicle through which we experience the world. And those experiences translate into unique expressions of self that ignite the same flame within others.   

You see Batman showed me that you don’t need to be born under the right star with natural gifts in order to shine. Ninjas showed me how to have an impact on the world without the need for recognition with the way they never leave a trace and James Bond, well… James Bond just showed me how to look good.     

And because of these “teachers”, I’ve come to see the world as an interesting place.   A place where nothing is what it seems but usually better than what it appears. A place where the hero never dies, villains are misunderstood, and failures are only a setup for the greatest comeback of all time.    

This is how I view life.    

This is how I’ll report it and hopefully in the process inspire a soul or two.    

This is the Life of Pablo. 

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Oh man, where’s my head? I never introduced myself. I’m Pablo Rosario.  What’s your story?