The Positive Effects In Your Life of Being Undocumented

You might be asking how on Earth could being undocumented be or have ever been a positive thing in your life. Well let me just give you an example of what I personally have noticed.

I believe if I had been born in the US and had every opportunity from the very beginning, I feel I wouldn't have taken my education so seriously. There are many things I know I would have taken for granted and would have possibly settled with a low-skilled and low paying job. It is also highly likely that I might not have gone to college. Sometimes it seems that when we know we cannot have , or will struggle to have something, we want it more.

Even though sometimes I was probably doing things as a teenager that I wasn't supposed to, I knew not to ever do something that could possibly get me arrested because I was smart enough to know the consequences of being caught without documents. I think being here illegally throughout my "rebellious" years helped tremendously to keep me in line. Of course I would have wanted to not live so many years without the opportunities that other people have, but I believe things do happen for a reason and maybe at this point in my life was the best time receive the opportunity to finally fit in and for the locked door to open up.

What positive things, if any, have you been able to squeeze out of being undocumented here? I know the negative things are endless, but maybe some of you have also seen some positive effects in this negative situation.

I'm so glad you made this thread. At times being undocumented is a pain in the ass but there are allot of things that I am thankful for. Being undocumented taught me the following

Money Management: So much foolishness I can waste my money on but due to the fact that I go a while without having it, when I do get it I have that "do i really need this nawwwwwwwwwwwwwww feeling" ?

Staying Outta Trouble: I was always a thrill seeker and my status has stopped me from doing allot of dumbass things until I matured out of it.

Being Tolerant: I hear my friends complain over the most petty bullshit to the point that it annoys me. Hell doing construction in the blazing sun and working odd jobs and not eating, just getting thru the day with the fear that you or a family can be separated at any moment or sometimes stressing out on the thought of what I'm I going to be doing ten years from now can really make you immune to everyday aggravations. Those things really made me a stronger person.

Taking advantage of opportunities: Allot of my citizen friends will let so many good opportunities fly past them due to some excuse not me or pure lazyness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Work Ethic: Well me being not only undocumented but also black made me really want to work not twice as hard but 3times. When even the smallest opportunities are giving to me I will work the hardest, dress the best, be the most professional and etc. I actually love going against the odds and not letting society and stereotypes and all that other bullshit define me!

Self Confidence: I have grown to be so proud of myself. As of last year I stopped telling myself what I cant do. i set a whole bunch of little personal goals for myself and completed ALL. They may not mean much but for a person who was always for beating himself down it does. I finally stopped that feeling sorry for myself and learned if you want something you have to take it! There is no such thing a a HANDOUT in the real world. No one is gonna feel sorry for and say here take this. I'm starting to see Life is what you make it and stop being afraid to take chances because you are scared of failure you live once DUMBASS! After this shit is done thats it, theres no i woulda shoulda coulda.

I honestly was thinking to myself if I wasn't undocumented I would just be working a regular ol job and probably not go to school and living a medicore life because I woulda been to scared to live.

Living in the U.S. undocumented is a blessing is disguise. It has been a tremendous learning experience for me. It has thought me how to be self reliant and independent, not to be dependent on outside sources for my success and well being. Growing up here, knowing I could not afford to get sick, forced me to make an intelligent decision to educate myself about nutrition, being physically fit, avoiding the Standard American Diet (which is SAD), in order to maintain a state of optimum well being.

Knowing I could not get a loan, led me to learn how to make sacrifices to save instead of mindlessly spending, learn money management skills so I do not need to get one, ever. Where I'm from we work and save, buy land and build our home not get a loan for a home, I consider myself blessed not to have that debt slave mentality.

@vaan Well said, I relate to much of what you said.

Patience. Most of us are the most patient people we know, and it's a lovely characteristic to posses.

Vaan, I can also definitely relate to a lot of what you said. Many of us should be very proud of ourselves for accomplishing sometimes much more than someone else who has had the opportunities we never did. It has taught us to look for a way around obstacles which have gotten and will continue to get in our way.

It has made me patient. It has made me appreciative and to not take things for granted. It has made me aware of my blessings. It has made me accept people as people and to not look down at others just because of their 'status.' If I was born a US citizen I would probably be very spoiled, and self-entitled.

As circa state above, "patience" is probably the most significant thing. The patience to weather through the dark and twisted storm that is life, the patience to survive to see another day.. the patience to wait until it is OUR turn.

Honestly, I think everyone is going to come up with similar things, which shouldn't be surprising. This life is a stressful one, but what it does for our character and the way we approach things, is invaluable.

I'm more determined than most people I know. I think part of it has to do with confidence in my abilities and the other part has to do with having a little/no margin for error. Failure isn't really an option for many of us, so it helps to keep us on our toes.

It's made me more thankful. I work for my university (for free), and while the people I work with complain to me about not getting paid enough (while sometimes slacking off), I have to remind myself that I'm doing it for the experience. I'm giving back to the institution that has provided me with so much and getting meaningful life experience out of it.

I have a more accurate depiction of the world. I have a better understanding of what matters and what doesn't. I understand what a "real problem" is, in contrast to a lot of the "problems" we may hear about those around us.

I've learned life is about grabbing it by the horns. So many people with problems get advice from others saying things will work out. And yeah, it's true to some extent, but damned if I'm going to let something else control how it works out. People are content with letting life choose the path sometimes and saying it's fate, but I've realized if you want to get some where, you have to do it yourself.

When it comes to stress... I am bullet proof. Everyone here knows the deal. Stressing every day of your life, you kind of come to grips with the situation. People get stressed out about tests or work or this that and the other, but honestly, I think this situation gives me a sense of calmness. (Think Neo in the Matrix).

I have a bigger heart. Whether it comes to helping others or doing what is right.. I've learned that sometimes the right push from the right person can make the biggest difference. Being in this situation, we come to a realization that people can make choices that dramatically affect the lives of others. I'm sure to try and make the one that leaves a positive impact.

People in our situation are more mature. Period.

I feel more alive. Every tear is more heartfelt. Every jolt of happiness is bliss. I think we honestly can appreciate the good news that we come across and see the glass half full in the wake of bad news. I've learned that happiness is a like the fire of a candle, sharing it does not lessen it, it only adds to the brightness we see.

You know... most people that attain greatness have some type of difficulty they had to overcome. Some major obstacle they had to get past in order to even survive in order to live a normal life. And it's taught them to never be complacent and do more with what they're given. I feel like I've been given a precious gift (although at times I may not understand it), a gift that'll let me change the world. I think a lot of dreamers are going to do great things... I'm looking forward to what you guys will do for the country.. for the world.

I'll end this long post with a video I came across a while back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DriSmFYnUeo

I'm so proud of you guys, I wish my brothers would have made the right choices too. : /

You're so right 4justice being undocumented does have its own benefits. I started to realize that a couple of years ago after high school of course.

I believe being undocumented has allowed me to understand what it's like to be at the very bottom of the pyramid. I understand my fellow immigrants but at the same time I understand those that are not in the same situation as us. I have felt fear, dissapointment, frustration, anger, etc so I know that life is not easy at all. I feel like I'm also more mature than my fellow peers. Also, like you mentioned being undocumented really helped me stay out of trouble also the fact that my folks would kick my butt!

I take school seriously and anything that could help me succeed. I will give it my all because I know that I don't have the same luck that many do. We really do have to try our best to stand out even if it might scare us at first because all our lives we might have lived with that little thought in our head that because of our status we wouldn't get anywhere. Thankfully DACA exists now.

It's also taught me to be more tolerant and not look down on others or believe I have more rights than anyone else. I've also learned not to take 'little' things for granted and you have no idea how many times I've felt so excited and about to burst into tears every since DACA. I even got super excited to get a call from Best Buy because it would be my very first real job. :') hahahaha

It's taught me to value life and that no matter how hard things get the problems will pass and what matters is to live life and be thankful for soo many blessings.

Some people that are not in our situation wouldn't be able to understand....but we do. We won't ever take the 'little' things for granted. *Sigh*

One word: motivation. Need I say more?