The picture above is me. I apologize if I don't have a shirt in the picture, but this was the only picture I ever took of myself. I don't like to take pictures of myself due to personal reasons.

A fact about me is that I don't have any talents, unfortunately. I never really found anything that I excelled in and have a passion towards.

_{"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one." – Bruce Lee}

_{This quote has had a powerful impact on my life. I live by these words every day; in fact, I wear them engraved on a dog tag around my neck. It's more than just a quote to me; it’s a reminder that challenges are not obstacles, but opportunities for growth. Whenever I’m going through tough times, this quote grounds me and helps me push forward. It has shaped the way I view struggle and strength, and it continues to inspire me to become a stronger, more resilient person.}

I’ve never really considered myself talented. But there was a time when I found something I truly loved: track. I wasn’t the best, but I worked hard and genuinely enjoyed it. I pushed myself to improve and found meaning in the effort. I don’t run anymore, but the drive I had back then still sticks with me in different ways, especially in the gym.

_{To be honest, part of me grew up wanting to be like John Wick — not in the violent sense, but in the way he moves with purpose and strength. I’ve always been drawn to doing things for the right reasons, to stand for something greater than myself.}

_{Whatever God’s plan is for me, I’m ready to follow it with all my heart. If PMA doesn’t work out, I’ll pursue psychology, another path where I can still serve and make a difference in people’s lives.}

I am a soldier of Christ, and I will follow Him for the rest of my life.

"We are made strong not to boast, but to carry what others can’t. I trust God’s plan — even when it’s heavy."

_{Am I happy this way? Yes. Right now, I only have a few close friends, maybe three. But that’s enough. I’ve faced every challenge, every experience, and every hardship on my own. I didn’t have a pillar to lean on, no one to turn to — so I became my own.}

_{Through solitude, I found strength. I learned how to rely on myself, how to stay grounded, and most importantly, how to be truly happy even when I’m alone.}

_{" If you're lonely when you're alone, you're in bad company."}

_{I hope you graduated from SHS even college if you are reading this at a later time in the future. You look like you have grown a lot. It must have been an interesting experience full of ups and downs but I know you handled it yourself. I bet you still go workout, after all it wasn't just a physical thing, it was more of spiritual thing for us. You look stronger and, after bulking for so many years, did you get what you want? Do you still go through everything alone? If you still do, remember the promise you made to yourself, you are the strongest person I know, you went through all this way without anybody and because of this, you found out how to stand alone. You became independent. I am proud, whoever you are now, whatever you may be, wherever you are, I am always proud of you. Be strong and achieve your dreams, I want you to become a person who can love and be proud of himself.}

_{Sincerely yours, Rafi 2025.}

^_PHYSICAL

^{_{-For physical, I usually get more acne and pimples on my face and body}}

^{_{-But I get stronger in performance for exercise}}

^{_{MENTAL/EMOTIONAL}}

^{_{-Mentally, I am not really affected because when I am stressed, all I can think about is how to get rid of that stress, so;}}

^{_{-I will look for solutions regarding that specific stressor}}

^_BEHAVIORAL

^{_{-For behavioral effects, I think my focus in classes or paying attention decreases due to me being bothered on how to solve that stressor}}

^{_{COPING STRATEGIES}}

^{_{Firstly, I go exercise every other day, such as going to the gym or going for a run, this helps me empty my mind so that I can think clearly on how to get rid of specific stressors. Next, I also like to play games, especially when I get bored with studying or just generally bored. I usually play Roblox and just chill so that I won't have to think about that stressor. It's not really negative to me because I regulate my playtime.. Lastly, I accept things I cannot change. Accepting things that we can not change makes it very easy to get rid of that stress, unless there is a possible solution to it. For strategies, I want to be able to manage my time efficiently because I am a procrastinating person; this makes it easier for me to manage all my stressors.}}

^{_{2. When I feel anxious or nervous, it helps me better if I control what is on my mind and get rid of the thoughts that make me anxious or nervous.}}

^{_{3. I find it challenging to manage my emotions when I am distracted, so I cannot focus on what is bothering me.}}

^{_{4. When someone shares their feelings with me, I feel uncomfortable and overwhelmed, as I am not the type of person who gives advice well.}}

^{_{5. One way I practice empathy is by trying my best to understand someone who is sharing their feelings with me. 6. A time when I recognized someone else's emotions was when I had certain conversations with my parents or relationships that were kind of deep.}}

^{_{7. Emotional intelligence helps me understand my emotions when I feel overwhelmed when I do not understand my feelings.}}

^{_{8. I can improve my emotional regulation by being calm when trying to control or regulate my emotions, and try to think rationally and logically at all times.}}

^{_{9. I think emotional intelligence is important because it is one of the foundations of life and one of the most important things to live a stable and happy life.}}

^{_{10. I believe that developing emotional intelligence can lead to a better understanding of myself and others.}}

^{_{When I went through a difficult time, my emotions affected me, and at some point, they controlled me, where I couldn't manage them anymore. It affected my situation, making it worse, since it felt like I was self-sabotaging myself. At some point, I found out how to manage my emotions when I finally understood what was causing that uneasy feeling. When I understood, I got rid of that feeling and tried to be more productive and happy, and that was when I finally learned how to manage my emotions. With understanding my emotions, I wasn't swayed by the negative things that were happening to me, and I always tried to be positive and happy.}}

^{_{I can apply what I have discovered about my thinking style, so I can pursue MAGIS in my study habits by improving this and understanding specifically how I can improve it. For example, I have a designated time for myself and studying. To pursue MAGIS, I must make sure that I have the time to actually finish all my assignments and study everything I need. This pursues MAGIS in my daily habits because I ensure that my life is balanced. This also helps in my responsibilities as an Atenean because, through this, I can help my community or group to have the best output because I can do my work responsibly and on time.}}

I learned the basics of love and relationships from my family, such as what to look for in a relationship, and finding my meaning of love. My family was the one who helped me develop that perspective on love and relationships. My best friend taught me that love isn't really about just attraction and intimacy stuff, but sometimes it can actually be because you guys share the same mindset, share the same perspective on life. Lastly, my girlfriend taught me about love in general, how it truly feels to love someone, how it feels to share that same feeling with someone, how it is to truly care for someone, and how they also care for you back. She was the one who solidified my meaning of love.

The type of love, according to Robert Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love I have for my family and best friend is companionate love. I say this because I have a strong bond with these people, and we are also committed to each other in a way that we maintain the relationship we have. The type of love I have for my girlfriend, I would say, is definitely gonna be consummate love. I say this because all three components exist, we have a strong bond together and mutual liking, I am attracted to her physically and emotionally, and we have a decision to stay together and maintain the relationship we have.

The emotions I usually feel when I am with these people are generally happy. I enjoy being with them. I am usually not the type of person to speak that much unless I'm really in the mood, but they respect that preference of mine. I feel comfortable with their presence, and I like spending quality time with them, talking and doing things together. With these people, I feel loved and valued.

These people were able to influence me into the person I am now by developing my mindset. Firstly, my family taught me the things I need to follow and gave me the values I uphold today, such as avoiding vices and my perspective on life. My best friend taught me that my interests were normal and I could actually find someone with literally just the same interests as me. Me and him are basically just the same person, just with a different name and appearance. And lastly, my girlfriend truly helped me understand that although we have some differences, you don't need similarities to truly love someone. She taught me the meaning of love since I really didn't understand it. I thought love was just a word that people say, but I found the meaning of it being with her. All of these people have helped me grow into the person I am now, they have helped me build my values and helped me establish my meaning of life.

The things my family has done that I am grateful for are that sometimes these new things that they make me and my brother try to become a little bit forceful. I am obviously grateful for the new experience, but sometimes that thing just does not align with me, and if I really like it. For example, taking PMA or PNPA tests, I am not quite sure if I really want to get in there or but maybe it was because my mind was molded ever since that I have to get in there to live a successful life. I am not sure if I want to pursue a life in the military or live a college life pursuing psychology which I also am quite unsure of. I am grateful that they give opportunities but sometimes those opportunities, I am not really sure about.

I am grateful for all the support that they have given me, it's something I am very grateful for and want to keep forever. My parents always supported what I wanted to do, may it be my sports, my passions, or what I want to do. They let me try new things because they think that it is something that I can find as fun and something that I want to pursue. They are very open to opportunities and they always want me to take it, if I want to. My family truly wants me to become the best version of myself and wants to make a me into a better person than them.

Recognizing both the challenges and blessings with my family helps me grow as a person by giving me a stronger mentality for the future. This stronger mentality gives me the ability to be able to handle anything I encounter and makes me aim to become the best version of myself or someone who strives for MAGIS. It prepares me to face the future on my own, becoming a person who pursues the greater good always. I believe the way they raised me strengthened my conscience, as even when I encounter a chance to cheat or gain an advantage in the wrong way, I never take that chance because I think going through hard work truly builds me into a better person mentally, and that hard work is something I can learn from. Also, these challenges and blessings can help me practice cura personalis with my family because understanding these, I can cherish my family members by showing them care and compassion. I understand that people are imperfect and flawed but even with that I always try to see the best in my family because I become a better person from it. I am very grateful for the challenges and blessings that they have given me because I was able to grow in the person I am now.