Miguel Angel Juárez Díaz (English)

Miguel Angel en la actualidad

Para leer en Español, haz click aquí.

Miguel Angel Juárez Díaz, 29, is a father, brother, boyfriend, son, and a navy pilot of Mexico’s Merchant Marine. He remembers his 25s as his worst year. However, it was that same year in which he transformed his life positively through meditation and self-knowledge. This is his experience.

What did you do when you were 25?

In 2018, I didn’t do much. I was getting ready for my degree exam and taking courses at school for a few hours a day and then I would go home. Besides that, I worked out and smoked cannabis.

My mom almost wanted to kick me out of the house because I was always out with my friends. I didn’t have a job.

What did you think when you were 25?

I became a bit of a hippie. You know, at that age, people become a little bit of a hippie. I became more spiritual and that helped me.

At 25, I didn’t have any plans for life yet. I had to ask my parents for money because I spent all of mine on trips and because I wasn’t able to administer it properly, so I just wanted to get my degree to go to work, but I needed to complete my courses in order to do so. I wanted my mom to be more at peace.

Miguel Angel and his family

Since you were 25 to this day, what has changed?

Everything. My mindset, the way I see life, and my personal education. At 25, I didn’t care about anything, to be honest. I think 25 was my worst age, and 2018 was my worst year.

I’ve always been a hardworking person, it’s just that, whenever I earned money, I would spend it partying. In 2019, I was able to go on my first boarding, and the moment I got paid, instead of spending the money, I focused on reading books about financial literacy and reading books that left me with something positive.

I only read self-improvement books because that’s what I need. I’ve always been messy, and because I began educating myself, my mindset has been changing.

I’m still the same messy, funny, and joyful guy, but now I have goals and a mindset that wants to get ahead and not one of conformism.

Now, what do you do and what are your beliefs?

Now I only believe in myself. I’m grateful to myself, as my uncle Snoop Dogg says, for wanting to be better every day.

One has to go through certain stages to figure things out, and to be honest, poor is not a financial state but a state of mind. If you don’t learn throughout these cycles, you just didn’t get it.

It’s up to each person whether they want to stay in the same place or begin to put an effort because nothing is given.

Nowadays, I work in my field but in a different industry. I no longer work for Mexico’s Merchant Marine, now I work in yachts.

I’m a navy pilot and I’ve been learning how to be a naval engineer because every day you must learn something new. That’s also part of my mindset. I never think that I know it all because I don’t.

There are people who think they know everything, and that’s not the case. If someone wants to teach me something and I already know it, I give them the opportunity to re-teach me.

Miguel Angel snorkeling

What has been your biggest obstacle or challenge, and how did you overcome it?

Obtaining my degree and graduating wasn’t an obstacle but a challenge. I consider myself persevering and I know that if I want something, I can get it. Even though it sounds egocentric and ambitious, everything I want, I get.

I think that now, my biggest obstacle is the English language because I need to know a lot of English for work. I know that I will eventually handle it, but there are times when I say: Why didn’t I study English more?

Another challenge is that a couple of months ago I was laid off and I went to the United States to work with people who, honestly, weren’t nice; they were racist. Even though there are people who don’t want to admit it, racism still exists.

For being Mexican, maybe some people will respect you, but there are others who look down on you as if you were a slave. But it‘s okay. I know who I am, and it’s part of growing.

You must work and have patience because I knew that at any moment, things would work out for me and that was the case. I found a better job, the one I was looking for.

What motivates you or what has motivated you?

Miguel Angel and his girlfriend, Katia

I motivate myself every day. When I wake up, the first thing I do is thank myself for another day, for the effort of another day, for being persevering, for everything.

Now, my major motivation is my son. I’ve been working hard in the past few months so he has everything he needs and so I can later enjoy everything–him and my family.

Miguel Angel and his one-year-old, Miguel

Even though I work in luxury yachts seeing new places, I miss many things and it hurts to not be able to see my son, my parents, and my girlfriend.

I’m also motivated by the hunger I have for getting ahead and to be able to say: ‘I did it due to my perseverance and my guts.’

What are your goals or plans for the future?

I have goals of investing money in real estate. I have a project in mind, but I need to work hard to make it happen because it costs a lot of money.

Once I begin my project, I won’t need to embark anymore, or if I do, it would just be as a hobby. I want to accomplish that by 35.

What would you say to today’s twenty-somethings?

• Don’t be afraid: If you don’t know what to do with your lives yet, don’t be afraid to try and do new things.
• When it’s time to choose, follow your hearts, your intuition, and your vibes. They won’t lie.
• If you’re somewhere where you’re not happy, leave.
• Write your goals in a notebook and achieve them. Even though that depends on you.
• Have discipline and work hard for what you want, things won’t be handed to you.
• If you have to choose between what you like and what’s more convenient for you, choose what’s more convenient so you can then do whatever you like doing.
• Educate yourselves.
• Look after yourselves.
• Workout and eat healthy but remember that it’s all about balance — mind and body—. It’s useless to be financially healthy if your actual health is crap. You must have a balance.
• Meditate
  That helps a lot. It’s helpful to get to know yourself, to find what you want, and to understand how you feel. Meditating is a fundamental part of life, and I don’t think many people do it.
  Meditation allows you to get to know yourselves, and by knowing yourselves, you will know how to choose what’s best for you. If you’re not happy, you will know that you must change something.
• Don’t be afraid of changing your decisions, if your new decisions are focused on what you feel, they won’t be bad decisions.
• Don’t be afraid of getting out of your comfort zone.
• Be mindful about the content you consume: Watch good things, not Tik Toks of tragic news or stupid dances.