Me

So when our time came to receive the award I just decided to focus on doing the best show possible. The rest of the actors, however, were extremely nervous, because they knew someone important was sitting in the audience that night. They all wanted to put on the best show in history, and when the curtain went up, the tension was palpable.
    I, however, went on like normal, completely calm. I played my role as best I could, and I went home to bed. Had I known that a famous producer was watching us that night, I would have probably been just as nervous as everyone else. But since I had no idea, I was totally calm. The next day the producer called me and said he wanted to meet me personally. We spoke for a while and he ended up offering me a role on a famous soap opera called Alcanzar una estrella (Reaching for a Star). I accepted, and that’s how this new chapter of my life began: soap operas. The soap had great success, not only in Mexico but also all over the world, its achievement not unlike the hit shows High School Musical or Glee , which years later took off in the United States.
    I ended up joining the cast in the second season, which was called Alcanzar una estrella II (Reaching for a Star II). The story was set around six young boys who were in a band called Muñecos de Papel (Paper Dolls). I had the role of Pablo Loredo, one of the members of the group. The soap was so successful that later a film was made, called Más que alcanzar una estrella (Beyond Reaching for a Star) , in which I also had a starring role. Eventually, the show producers organized a tour for Muñecos de Papel. Needless to say, this was a complete Menudo flashback for me—although this one was not as intense, not even close—and I have to admit that I was not terribly enthusiastic about the prospect of going on tour; all I wanted to do was act. I had toured enough already! But I finally accepted and even enjoyed it because we were a great group of people who all really got along so well.
    Amazingly enough, thanks to my role in the film, that year I received the Premio El Heraldo—which is the Mexican equivalent of the Oscar—for my performance. It was a great honor for me, and to this day it is one of my most treasured awards of my career.
    Now that I think about it, I realize that everything I did during that time—even when I was acting—had to do with music. It was almost inevitable. And though it’s tempting to say that it was all a big coincidence and it did not necessarily have to work out this way, it could also be that the universe was conspiring to move me in the right direction. Menudo was an incredible experience that taught me a lot about the music business, and even more so about myself. But the work was so intense that it left me questioning my passion. I think that deep down I never wanted to stop singing, but I had somehow buried this desire deep inside me. During the time I spent in New York, I honestly believed that I did not want to set foot on the stage again, but I think it was just because I was burned out. The effort had been so monumental, and my life during that time had been so crazy, that I just didn’t see how I could continue at that pace. But the opportunities that came my way in Mexico gradually changed my point of view, and I realized that life onstage didn’t always have to be as intense as it was with Menudo. In some magical way, acting reinvigorated my passion for singing, and though I enjoyed acting very much, I felt the desire and the need to sincerely express myself through music.
    Needless to say, we all have to make the best of the opportunities that come our way, but we should never forget about our true passion. If in the deepest part of yourself you feel that you are a poet, regardless of whether you are a doctor or an accountant, you shouldn’t stop writing your poetry. On the contrary: It is important to remember that what you do and what you are are not always the same thing. Both are part of life, part of the same journey. If you don’t try to do what you are really passionate about, you will never make your dreams come true. You may have lots of things, like beautiful houses or fancy cars. You may find love and have a family that adores you. You can have all that and a lot more. But if you are a poet, and you don’t write poems, how will you win the award for poetry that you have always dreamed of? If you don’t cultivate your passion, you will always feel a void. You will always