Aligning purpose and conviction is vital for achieving lasting inner peace and the motivation to flow through life, both personally and professionally.
Today marks five years since I started a new professional project. A project that was born on my 54th birthday and that, far from being an end point, was—and continues to be—a starting point. A conscious act of personal coherence. A step forward driven by enthusiasm, not necessity. By conviction, not by trends.
I remember that moment well. Around me, some called me daring. Others, quite simply, crazy. There were those who spoke of courage, of a warrior spirit. I have never identified with any of those adjectives. I didn’t do anything extraordinary. I simply aligned my inner desire to be useful with the deep need to feel good about what I was doing.
In other circumstances, others wouldn’t have even considered taking that step. But I’ve always been driven by the desire to start my own business, to study, to learn, and to align what I know with what I do. From a very young age, I understood that work shouldn’t be a burden, but rather a natural extension of who I am.
At 14, I started listening and observing. For four years, I learned from my master craftsmen while combining vocational training with work. Learning a trade gives you a different perspective on life. It teaches you that learning never ends, that constant improvement is an attitude, and that applied knowledge transforms realities.
Since then, I haven’t stopped. I’ve been constantly developing my skills. I became an entrepreneur at just 21, opening my first company. I’ve been a senior manager, a trainer, and today I’m a speaker and advocate for vocational training—a field that, for years, hasn’t been in vogue. Not because it wasn’t valuable, but because it was unfairly neglected.
Today, fortunately, vocational training is making a comeback. Its enormous social and competitive value, both personally and professionally, is beginning to be understood—within families and companies. It’s not a minor alternative: it’s a solid, realistic, and profoundly transformative path.
Leaving behind comfort and apparent status, as was the case for me, is sometimes the only way to be yourself. Walking alongside people or organizations that no longer align with your values ​​ends up being deeply demotivating. And that, quite simply, I’ve never allowed myself to do.
I’ve always been quite clear about where I wanted to go. I’ve enjoyed the journey, the path shared with my team and with all those people and organizations I’ve had the privilege of serving. Adding value, driving projects, helping them grow… and when those projects change or run their course, knowing how to redirect the course toward other horizons.
The world is full of cardinal points. The important thing is not to lose your compass.
My small contribution is to help young people understand this vital process. To show them that there are different, dignified, and inspiring paths. That only with real-world examples can we advance as a society. Because there are those who talk about Vocational Training without having studied or experienced it, and that ultimately damages their credibility. You can try, but when the discourse doesn’t stem from experience, it shows. You repeat a script while your mind is elsewhere.
Today I want to sincerely thank all the people and organizations that have accompanied me here: collaborating companies, agencies, foundations, training centers, and above all, people. Great people. The kind you encounter every day who rekindle your faith in the journey.
Putting aside the obstacles, leaving behind those who don’t deserve your attention, allows you to see the whole picture. And the picture is much larger and more generous than we sometimes realize.
We keep walking. We’ll see each other again along the way for the next five years.
Thank you so much.
WE CONTINUE.
👉 If you want to know who’s joining me on this journey and learn more about this project, I invite you to visit my website: www.antoniruiz.com
