Ernesto Mateos: “My greatest fear is waking up one day without knowing who I am anymore”
Ernesto Mateos is a Spanish singer and composer. The 22 years old Andalusian connected for the first time with music when he was a child. Music was always a part of his life and at home, music was played all the time… creating without noticing the soundtrack of his life. It was a summer in Galicia when music became his passion. His dad played the piano at home and he just gawked… until he found the courage and tried for himself. It was love at first sight.
During his adolescence, Mateos was not a confident boy. His overweight, not knowing how to move around girls, his parents’ divorce and his emotional dependence on his ex made him start reading books about self care, personal growth and encouragement. He was always a curious boy that wanted to know more and more about the things that surrounded him. That is how he started a whole new chapter in his life, becoming a proud and confident young man. He learnt how to control his emotions and life situations.
Years later, when he finished high school, he decided to make other lives better by sharing his story and learning. That is how he became a personal self-developer. He started a Youtube channel and Instagram account, creating an online community with more than 60.000 followers and more than 2.000.000 views in his videos about development, personal growth and business. He also started to travel all around Spain and Latin America doing conferences and events. He loved pitching and found in it his life purpose.
When the pandemic came, Ernesto’s professional life stopped. After years travelling and developing his figure as lecturer, he had an anxiety crisis that made him think about his personal and professional life. He went back to his origins and decided to start a new chapter on his life. He started the Piano Music Programme in Madrid, focusing on his Artist career and making it for a living.
At the moment, Ernesto is so focused on his music career that he doesn’t really know what he would be doing otherwise. His life changed so much in such a short time, that he has not got a Plan B. But he is determined: he would be developing his career as pitcher and coach, which is something that makes him feel great, being able to help others change their lives.
At the end of the day, Ernesto is a young man who wants to help others and connect with them, with his music or coaching them. He is proud of the things he accomplished, but the thing he is more proud of is doing what he wants at any time. He decided to take another path, an unconventional path, that differs with the one the society imposes on young men and he was brave enough to pursue his dreams and don’t give up when the world told him to change.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Having a self-communication moment. You need to find who you are and where your place is in this world to really know what you want. Once you know, you just have to be brave and go for it, being your most sincere version and free to decide for yourself at any time. But also knowing that freedom is a right and a duty, with its ups and downs, and you have to know how to use it. My freedom ends where yours begins.
What is your greatest fear?
My greatest fear is waking up one day without knowing who I am anymore. Since I went through my anxiety, I try to take so much care of my mental health. I believe it is the most important step to be healthy. If you lose your sanity, nothing else matters.
Which living person do you most admire?
Some time ago, I did admire some people. For instance, Tony Robbins who is the biggest figure in the self development world. But at this moment, I don’t have any ideal. I admire every single person who is brave enough to fight for what he wants: a relationship, a work position, a dream… All those people have my honest respect and admiration.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
There are two things: my impatience and my overthinking. I am a very impatient person, I want everything to come quickly and sometimes I don’t enjoy the present as much as I would like to. I also try to analyse too many things, which sometimes makes you think that some things are important, when they are not really.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I would say my most marked characteristics are determination and versatility. I am a very determined person: all the things I purpose myself with, I go for it and I don’t stop until I accomplish it. When I talk about versatility is my capacity to do everything and learn about everything. Thanks to my curiosity, I learnt about so many things.
What do you most value in your friends?
Definitely, sincerity and authenticity. This is something I always make clear in every relationship I have: friends, partners, business colleagues… I prefer a truth that destroys me than a lie that smooths the reality. I really appreciate the sincerity because only brave and confident people are able to be real. I don’t tolerate lies in my life. That is the reason I do not call everybody my friend and, this might sound egocentric, I cannot be with any woman.
Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Since I was a child, I always wanted to be Spiderman. And I have to say the last movie made me tear up because of the memories… No spoilers
Who are your heroes in real life?
My mother. I think it is the first time I said it out loud, but when I read the questions the first person that came to mind was her. She got over an illness that slowly hurt her during 20 years and she found the courage to quit her job for 12 year to pursue her dream to become an auxiliary nurse in the hospital… When I grow up I want to be my mom!
How would you like to die?
I don’t want to die. Never. But it is something I have to take on, so I would like it to be in the most pleasant way possible, the one I don’t even realise: in my sleep.
What is your motto?
I have it tattooed: “Remember who you are”. Mufasa says this to Simba during the little lion’s worst moment: when he is completely lost. It has a great meaning to me. So many times, due to the stress and the routine, we become robots and go through the world without knowing who we are and what we want. “Remember who you are” is knowing who you are, what do you want to achieve, what can you tolerate and what not, what are your goals, your dreams and fight for them. We have such a short time to lose it. We only live once to be the happiest and we shouldn’t sabotage ourselves. “Remember who you are’’ is my way to find happiness.
