My grandfather, throughout my whole life, has always been the wise man, always giving me advice as to where I should take my next step. My grandfather had certainly earned that mantle as the man of the house: he was the breadwinner in his time, working tirelessly for his family; he supported his daughter, my aunt, throughout college despite financial troubles; and he had always lent a hand to anyone that needed it. Recently, he made a beautiful row of plants all by himself, never ceasing because he made a promise to finish it. Living around such a man has allowed me to take on his ideas of perseverance and responsibility, two traits that will guide me for the rest of my life. I want everyone to look up to me, just as they did to my grandfather, because only then will I know that I am an important part of the community.
If I had not revered my grandfather, I would never have learned the meaning of perseverance. When I was twelve years old, I went to work at my parent's restaurant. I thought I would do well, simply because I hoped that I would do well. However, when I came home, I was dejected because I made many mistakes. I was thinking to myself, how could I ever be successful in life if I cannot work properly at my own parent's restaurant? Then my grandfather came to me in my time of need. He knew that I did poorly in the restaurant, and he told me to look at the future and forget the past. How can one be successful if they only look in the past, he asked. I used my grandfather's wisdom in school, when I was working on sample problems for the Trig Star competition. The problems were very difficult, and I worked days on them. My friends tried to discourage me from trying so hard, but I did not listen to them, so focused I was towards my goal. In the end, with a little hard work, I won the state Trig Star contest. To this day, I take his words of wisdom to heart, never stopping to think how I did, but instead, I would look straight in the future and charge headlong, ready to tackle any problems.
Not only did my grandfather teach me that I should never give up, he also taught me to take responsibility of my own actions. When I was five years old, I went exploring in my house, trying to grasp the history of my culture, China. I had learned much that day, from the importance of the emperor, to the great artisans of lore. I was examining my father's porcelain figure of a Chinese Baby that symbolized wealth when I accidentally dropped it. Scared if its implications, I scooped up the pieces and hid them in the bathroom closet. I was fearful throughout the day that someone would blame me for the disappearance of the artifact. The next day, my grandfather found those missing pieces. He did not tell my father, but instead he showed me the pieces, and entrusted me to do the right thing. I told my father, and though he was peeved, he forgave me. I had to apply this lesson from my past at work. On a phone call, I received a phone call where a customer ordered more than two hundred dollars of work. When I asked for his phone as a reference, he merely stuttered and hung up the phone, then he would call back and yell at me to hurry up. Luckily, he forgot to block his number on the caller ID, and I immediately notified my father, who contacted the police. I continue to preach that I must always be responsible and do the right thing, because if I am not, then who will be?
I owe my responsibility and my perseverance to the lessons my grandfather taught me. Without them, I would probably have perished in failure and the endless tirades of fault. These two lessons are indeed the core principle to success. Even though I am to leave my family and my grandfather, his lessons will always be with me. Moreover, through my interactions with my community, his lessons will spread to the whole world.
