Life is Like a Puzzle by Reginald Malla

Who am I? What can I do in life? Do I have a purpose? What is the right path and career for me? These questions and others have many different answers and variations. Finding yourself in life can be difficult to do. In this moment in time, I still don’t know what to do in life or who I want to be.

Life is like a puzzle where one has to put the scattered pieces together in order to complete the entire picture. When one puzzle piece doesn’t fit a specific spot in the puzzle, you try to find the proper piece until it fits correctly. Going through trial and error is exactly the different pieces and experiences I’ve been through. I’ve experienced emotional breakdowns, rejection, heartbreak, countless stress, a change of major, applying to different schools, finding those right professors to take, and even flip flopping classes for that matter, etc. Different people have even put me down. There were many times when I cried hysterically and just wanted to give up. Through each trial and error, I have grown every step of the way. Each experience has helped me gain a piece of knowledge about myself. When one door shuts, another will open.

One day in the future, I will piece together my puzzle that I seek. In my adventurous journey and life, I think of what Walt Disney would say, “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Reginald “Reggie” Malla is a senior pursuing an undergraduate degree in communication studies with a minor in public relations at San José State University. He has presented a paper at the Bay Area Undergraduate Research Conference and was also an SJSU Dean’s Scholar. One day he hopes to make a difference in people’s lives and in the world in whatever way possible. As an SJSU Writing Consultant, Reggie has found assisting and helping students to be a big start towards shaping a better and more creative world, and an enjoyable experience every step of the way.