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Editor's Note: Riccardo Discepola is from the West Island of Montreal. He works for a large multi-national corporation in the pharmaceuticals industry. He's currently preparing to write his GMAT exam in anticipation of his applications to do an MBA degree. Recently, Rick decided to adopt a more proactive approach to life. He intends to use this website to publicly share his successes and failures in the pursuit of all his dreams. Seize the day, buddy.

2004: THE YEAR THAT WILL BE
Riccardo Discepola
Friday, April 9th, 2004, 1:46pm GMT -5 hours
Montréal, Québec, Canada

My name is Riccardo Discepola, I am 26 years old and have been out of school for close to three years now. I have a great job working for a great company (I am a customer service representative working in Pfizer Canada’s Animal Health Division). I get up and walk 5 minutes to work everyday. Sounds like I have it made?

Would it surprise you if I told you that I have felt unease with my situation for quite some time? I find myself struggling with such career related questions as:

· What do I want to do for the rest of my life?
· Where do I want to live?
· How can I make my career-life more rewarding?
· How can I be the best that I can be?

Also, would it surprise you if I told you that these work related questions transcend into my personal life as well and have caused me to lose sleep on many an occasion?

· How can I make myself a better person?
· How can I find happiness?
· How can I grow up emotionally?
· How can I unleash the inner-self that will allow me to realize my potential?

Why on earth would a 26 year old be thinking of these topics? The reason is that I have gone through an emotional roller coaster over the past few years.

· My aunt being diagnosed and later cured of cancer
· My cousins moving to Toronto
· Two of my brothers getting married in the same year
· Two of my best friends getting engaged in the same year
· The birth of 2 cousins in less than 2 years
· My trip to Cancun Mexico with 2 friends
· My work experiences
· The death of one of my uncles
· One of my family members coming out of the closet.

Some would say that the above is part of life, but I have come to realize that I am no longer naive about life. I have to learn to deal with it or else it will just pass me by.

This is why I am dedicated, in the year 2004, to stop taking things like work, family, and friends for granted and start enjoying them.

2004 began (as with most years) ringing in the New Year with two of my cousins and a friend. That does not seem out of the ordinary, but one of these cousins is gay (not that there is anything wrong with that). I decided that 2004 would be the “year of change” and decided to make that my new year’s resolution. What better way would there be than to start on the 1st day of the year. The group of us decided to go ring in the New Year at a gay club in Downtown Montreal. For those of you who know me, a gay bar would be the last place in world that you would expect to find me. I am overly sensitive as to what others think of me, and I have decided to lessen my sensitivity to this. I have to admit that I was a little hesitant about going into the club, but I got by with a little help from my other cousin and friend. Thanks Nielson! What I experienced in the club that night was not that much different than any other clubs in Montreal. The only exception was that there were a lot of guys. But after I got over my personal inhibition, I began to relax, and to have fun. If you would like to see pictures of this event, I invite you to view them courtesy of RyanRowe.com. The moral of this adventure is that I had a lot of fun and met some interesting people. So far I was off to a good start.

At Pfizer, February is the time when I undergo my annual performance review. My personal work ethic is to work as hard as I can and keep my head down when things get tough not showing my emotions along the way. My meeting with my boss started off well, but soon it went in the wrong direction. My compensation is linked between my performance and how well I live my company’s values such as: Customer Focus, Respect for People, Integrity, Community, Performance, Leadership, and Teamwork. What I learned from that meeting is that it’s not how well you perform, but HOW you perform. This was my first work-related, eye opening, and humbling work experience. Knowing that my pay is linked to my attitudes has definitely forced me to alter the way in which I interact with others not only at work but at home with my family and friends. I plan to deal with my emotions at work by analyzing what is causing the anger and trying to control my temper. I will assume that everyone I deal with at work (customers, and co-workers) is at his or her best, and it is life that gets in the way to alter my perception. If I can build more patience I will get rid of a great deal of self-imposed stress. I will also start acknowledging my co-workers more, and trying to get to know what motivates them.

February was also another eye-opening moment in my life. My view about the invincibility of my family was shattered when one of my uncles passed away. I am ashamed to admit it but I have taken my family for granted. I am ashamed that I used to put them off until the next day if it did not suit me today. I learned that no matter what happens in life, family will always be there for you. So you must cherish every moment and not let the stupid things in life (like having 3 toothbrushes in the bathroom) get in the way of happiness. Coincidently, the day my uncle passed away is the day one of my cousins was born. It goes to show that for every death there is a life.

I was also privileged to be present when my friend Rubens proposed to his girlfriend of three years, Angie, and informed their group of close friends. We would be celebrating that announcement two days later in Mexico.

February was also the month in which I decided with 2 friends to go to Cancun Mexico for a week of fun and sun. In preparation for the trip to Cancun, I decided to do something I had always wanted to do: get certified for Scuba diving. I did all my course work and confined dives with the help of Action Scuba in Pointe-Claire. When I went to Cancun, I hooked up with this dive shop called Scuba Cancun. Thinking I would go through this experience on my own, I was gladly disappointed when I met Dan, Chris, Mike and Karen. We were all divers seeking certification so we all shared in the experience of being in the open water surrounded by god’s creations. I saw things there that to me only a few days ago I would never have expected to see: sharks, sting rays, barracudas, parrot fish, angel fish, lobsters, and forest of corrals… What this experience taught me is that some things are better experienced in groups, and that being underwater for 2 hours was like holding 2 grains of sand while walking on the beach of life. There is so much to do and so much to see that one lifetime is not enough. The diving experience was like having two vacations in one. The other vacation was with my friends on the beach and at the resort. During my stay in Cancun, I stayed at a resort called the Riu Cancun and shared a junior suite with 2 friends Rubens, and Tommy. We were having a good time being on our own, doing our own thing. Then one morning Rubens ran into a group of Italians from Vancouver and Toronto playing volleyball. That moment changed our vacation for the rest of our stay. You can view all the fun we had together by visiting Rubens' or my website. We had a blast together and became like long lost cousins in a matter of days. We partied hard together, met more people, and had a blast. They made my vacation that much better. During the plane ride back home, I realized that it is the simplest things in life that satisfy most completely: a fun atmosphere, a great group of friends, and a positive attitude. I came back from my vacation vowing to maintain that happiness and sense of peace with myself in everything I do.

Coming back from my vacation I felt a renewed sense of self. I immediately wrote an email to a co-worker that I have admired for quite some time and was surprised by her acceptance of my request to meet for coffee. I hope to have more to write about this soon.

Speaking of friends, Mike Maselli was the older brother of the group from Vancouver that I met in Cancun, and he shared with me his views about life. He said I should consider listening to Anthony Robbins’ Get the Edge series of audiotapes. Anthony Robbins brought some topics to my attention that I have not given much thought to; more specifically, about my inner-self, my energy levels, and the mechanics of relationships. There are over 10 CDs in the set and I have only listened to three of them. I was so impressed that I decided to write this article and share my feelings. 
The rest of the year has many more exciting moments to come. April will be my brother Luigi’s stag, followed by his wedding at the end of May. Then my eldest brother Domenico ties the knot in September followed by my best friend Jack’s wedding in September or October.

I am not sure how I should end this journal, as there will be many more events that will happen soon. So I will keep you abreast as life warrants.