If the grass is greener on the other side, there’s probably a lot more shit there.

Just kidding, but in reality, all the things you want in life come from hard work. Maybe not now, because we are still young and have the excuse to mooch off of our beloved parents, but definitely as we get older.

My father is one of the most influential people I know. He is hardworking, determined, and my rock. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s a little eccentric, hardheaded, and drives me absolutely insane, but still, he is my rock.

He moved to the United States when he was about 17 years old with his mother, father, and younger brother. Things were tough, but life went on. They began to transition into their new life, but my grandfather did not transition as well. Life in America was too different and too hard for him, and he just could not handle it anymore. He left for Korea. He left my father and his family. Finding work was tough, and the language barrier made it even more difficult. My father soon realized that he was the man of the house and needed to be able to provide for his family.

After a couple months, my father got his first job as a prep cook in a small restaurant.

He described his experience in two words: Fucking. Hell.

He spent every minute of every hour prepping chicken.

He was the chicken prepping man.

To this day, a rage inside of him awakens when he touches a piece of chicken.

After some time, he couldn’t take it anymore. He was being haunted by chickens. So, he moved on and found a job at a sushi restaurant inside a shopping center. He took the lovely role as dishwasher. Times were tough, so a job was a job. My father works hard at whatever he does and doesn’t look for anything but perfection. This mindset got him promoted again and again until he was one of the head chefs preparing sushi at the front of the restaurant. At the young age of 22 he began to learn not only the art of cooking but the art of running a business. He opened his first restaurant at the age of 28 and hit a couple bumps along the way. Restaurants opened and got shut down over the years but soon enough he sustained successful businesses and was able to support his family and achieve the things he wanted in life. Thanks to him, I got to enjoy many privileges and enjoyed many things as a young girl.

It takes hard times to get to the good ones. Hard work is the pathway to what you really want and if you truly want something, a little road block is not going to change your mind.