Jesus Mercado is a guy that always has an open mindset. He is cautious and aware of the world’s problems and keeps multiple life lessons he’s learned throughout his life in perspective. The ideas he focuses on, and the life lessons he keeps in mind is connected to having an open perspective. Jesus recalls how one of his recent co-workers has teached and changed the way he sees his own life. For Jesus, having an open mindset is what helped him through tough times, and has allowed himself to always continue learning. 

JM: “Why do you like playing soccer? What about it do you enjoy?” 

JM: “I like the fact that it involves a lot of cardio and that it’s not only a one man player; it’s everyone needs to be involved and have a role in it. And it’s a sport that I grew up with so it’s something that keeps me grounded and something that can sort of release some stress if needed.” 

JM: “Who has been the biggest influence in your life and how?” 

JM: “A co-worker right now because he sort of made me realize that I am not in an easy spot to get to and that I made it at a young age while other people get that job opportunity at a much later age in life. That’s one, and then since he’s done a whole bunch of other things from another nation, another country, and him being what they call a foreigner or an immigrant. He’s been through so much more than we’ve had and it’s just like we complain about stuff versus him that’s got like.. An example, our problems would be first world problems and his problems when he was growing up would be.. he literally has no choice than to do it or else he’s not surviving.” 

JM: “He has to do what needs to be done in order to survive.” 

JM: “Yeah, and then so for us I’m just like wow we complain at a younger age or we have these kids that can’t survive without their wifi or kids that don’t even want to come outside and stuff like that. It’s just kind of weird where we are.” 

JM: “What are the most important lessons you’ve learned throughout your life?” 

JM: “One of them is your ladder or something like that. I don’t know how to say it but it’s basically like the tallest ladder is not always the tallest ladder. Sometimes you have to get off and then use the next tallest ladder to make your goal easier.”

JM: “Is it a metaphor?” 

JM: “Yeah, it’s a metaphor. For example, the roof is only this high and you want to use a three foot ladder when you can grab a five foot ladder and then after that there’s a eight foot ladder. So, it all depends which ladder you want to use.” 

JM: “Well which one do you use?” 

JM: “It’s sort of like, do you either want to stay on top of that ladder so you can be on top of the world in that area or do you want to step down and begin climbing your next ladder. There’s that, and there’s a lot of ways to say that as a ladder metaphor or there’s another one where it’s peaks and valleys. It’s just like you peak and then you have to come down and travel and now that’s your valley and then the peaks are like you begin to ascend again and then you come down. There’s a lot of lessons but those are the ones that I remember. However, there’s another one where everywhere in life you can do 100 good things but then there’s just that one bad thing that you do and your whole life can be over with or in other words you just have to watch out with what you do because that one big thing can change your course.” 

JM: “If your job hadn’t pushed you to go to school, do you think you would’ve gone back by your own choice?” 

JM: “I would have but I wouldn’t have been doing all of these courses because now that I have a clear view that it’s not that bad for like just one trade. Then I probably would’ve just followed one career choice.” 

JM: “What would’ve been your career choice?” 

JM: “I think it’s a job that would never end like with construction jobs because there’s always houses being . Or maybe air conditioners because everybody needs to be comfortable. That’s another first world problem like right here especially where we live in California. It’s the highest paid state compared to New York as well and without the rest of the United States then we’re the most popular just like New York and yeah, we have good weather. They say that’s why there’s a whole bunch of homeless here in California but then now you have the issue about how everyone wants to be comfortable so it’s like when you step outside ‘oh it’s freezing’ so now they want to have their house hot and warm. And when it’s hot and warm outside ‘oh it’s too hot let me come inside my cool air conditioned room’ that’s all their needs and wants. That’s their first world problem.” 

JM: “What’s the most valuable life lesson that someone has teached you or you’ve learned?” 

JM: “It’s to never stop learning it’s more about if you stop learning then your sort of bringing yourself to that limit. You’re limiting yourself. For example, at the job I have I’m trying to learn something new everyday and I sort of do. I have to be the sponge and not tell myself ‘oh i’m tired or I don’t want to learn it; always be with the open mindset.”