Your destiny...

We all have dreams and desires but it's our faith and resolve that differientates us all. How much we believe in ourselves and how much we truly want to achieve our goals separates us as people. Everyone wants a million dollars but how man people are going to work towards achieving that wish? Sitting and hoping won't help, but action will. Take action, create results!

Ours dreams are reached through hard work and time. Our destiny is not predetermined but shaped. We shape our futures. Our willingness to sacrifice, struggle, and believing in ourselves help determine our successes. Our focus, motivation, and determination lead us to our dreams.

Our dreams can be reached if you are willing to try. Talking about them doesn't help achieve them, it just reminds you that they exist. Accomplishment are completed through action not hope. Hard work brings results so work hard. It's never too late to try something you've wanted to do or to be something you wanted to be. Life doesn't have a timeline set for us, we make our own. Dreams remind us what is possible. Keep dreaming because your destiny awaits you.

Dreamers and the people who no longer dream...

Everyone is different. We come from different backgrounds and have overcome different struggles. We are unique. We all see things differently. Not only do we see things differently, we judge people not from what they can do or who they are but what we can do and who we are.

You can tell someone a fact and they explain to you about regarding how they would handle the situation or express their opinion on the matter but opinion is only opinion. People too often confuse opinion and fact. You can tell someone how much you want to do something and they can tell you how much you shouldn't or can't. Truth is, they shouldn't. Truth is they can't. Truth is they don't think you can because deep down it's not that they don't think you can, deep down they truly know they can't.

People want you to be like them. If they have kids, they want you to have kids. People want to keep you where there are. If you want to explore they will explain the danger. If you have dreams, they want to discourage them. It's ok to dream. Being comfortable is safe for some and some will tell you about how great it is. Somepeople can't understand your goals because they truth is, they don't have any if their own. A ship is safe at dock but that not what ships were meant to do. A ship is meant to sail.

People see the world and judge you not how they see you, rather how they see themselves. It makes sense for a dog to fear a stick after it's been beaten... and the person swinging the stuck would have it no other way. When someone hears something extraordinary and can't believe it, it's because they can't do it, not that you can't. A person who has been lied to doesn't see to hate the liar, they become skeptical of statements. People become skeptical of people with passion because they don't have any of their own. It's never about you, it's solely about them.

Don't allow others to bring you down. Don't allow others to hold you back. Don't allow others to keep you where they are. Don't allow others to judge you based on how they see themselves.

It's ok to dream. Ambition, passion, goals may be dirty words to the comfortable, but we are all different. Stay focused. Work towards your goals. Words tell of your goals, actions achieve them. Act towards your goals. People ask why I smile so much? The answer is because I know a secret that they don't know. Hard work gets rewarded, so keep smiling everyone... It's going to be a great day.

It's ok to dream.

A day...

With each morning new opportunity is born. Our whole day ahead of us, our path yet to be blazed, anything is possible. The morning is used to prepare, educate, and groom. The world is unpredictable we must be ready. When then are ready to attack the day.

By afternoon, our focus is obtained and our goals are set. We work feverishly towards achieving them with distraction along the way. Things will happen to derail us along the way, it's up to us how much we let them affect us. Do these things truly derail us or do they merely slow us down?

In the evening we look back upon our day. Whether we accomplished our goals or not our day is over. Sometimes it's not the absolute achievement of our goal that defines our days, rather the path we took or the work we invested. It really comes down to if you were satisfied with yourself.

Where are you in your day? Are you happy with the way your day is going or have you allowed yourself to be distracted? It's not too late to get back on course. Are you upset in the way you are living your day? It's never too late to change. Do you have an unclear goal for the day? It's ok to want something else.

At the end of the day, will you be able to look back on your day with joy or regret? It's your day and the time is now...

Being unaffected...

We all enjoy the feeling of love, likewise we are all crushed by the act of betrayal. Our emotions tell us how to feel but not always how to act. You can feel anger and not perform rash actions... you can experience frustration and remain mellow. Life is just as much what happens to us as how we react back.

Anyone with the power to anger us, controls us. Do insults from a ugly stranger sting as badly as it would from your biggest crush? Of course not. To us the stranger and the stranger's opinion doesn't matter to us. The crush on the other hand, we place value in their words... even if it's the same insult.

Disassociate emotion and reaction. There will be highs in life as well as lows, let neither impact you too greatly. Stay calm in the face of panic and patient when you are normally angered. Impulse is important but actions that don't help you may ultimately hurt you. We are only as happy as we allow ourselves to be... choose happiness. Not everything that happens in life can be control by us, but our attitudes can be.

The positive assumption...

One of the things I had to relearn was how I thought. My life was riddled with insecurities and down right fear, being left alone with only my brain to think compounded the matter. I was able to make mountains out of molehills when in reality there wasn't even dirt to begin with. I had to break the routine of self-doubt and the feeling of inferiority from within. I had to change my attitude.

One technique I used I nicknamed the "PA", the positive assumption. I wasn't able to defy my mind from wandering, so instead I guided it. Instead of making an assumption that worked against me or made me feel badly about myself, I would make an assumption that worked for me and made me smile. If a girl didn't call me back, it wasn't because I wasn't good enough... maybe she liked me so much she was too nervous to call. Instead of a friend being late because of traffic, maybe they were late because they met a beautiful foreign girl or they bought a lottery ticket and won a million dollars. I couldn't stop myself from speculating but I could stop myself from being insecure.

We all are going to have good days and bad days. We all go through ups and downs. My intention in life isn't to fight off the bad days, just to limit or shorten them. Life is a wave, surf it...

Running...

With each step I took, I realized I was one step closer to my goal. At first laps seemed like an eternity. My first day, I remember surviving three excruciating laps. I fell short of even making a mile. I had to put it into perspective... you have to start somewhere.

With each day it got easier. When I began this stage of my life, five miles seemed impossible, but I knew I could make a lap. I convinced myself that if I could do one lap, I should be able to finish two. If two or three laps was possible, why could I squeeze out one more? If I could do a mile, why not a mile and a half? Pretty soon I was convinced that no distance was impossible if I took it one lap at a time.

Life involves is one step at a time. It's the difficulty of that first step that people have problems with. With time and experience, confidence will build. We can accomplish tremendous things if we just remember to take them one lap at a time.
Keep smiling everyone... the finish line will be behind you in no time.

Wanting to run...

A simple technique I learned from long distance running was the importance of setting goals. I haven't always been a self motivator nor would I say that I'm at all highly competitive, so running long distances was sort of a challenge for me. Like most challenges I've faced, it was trial and error.

As a child I was overweight. I wasn't too athletic but really loved sports. Since I wasn't very athletic or in very good shape, sports were a huge challenge for me. I wanted to be good at them I just really didn't have am approach.

The summer after my junior year in high school became a turning point for me. I was a very quiet kid growing up with few friends. The few friends I had I was extremely loyal to and respected tremendously. That summer my really good friend got stuck in summer school. I'm sure it came as a huge blow to him but it also affected me a lot too... one of my only friends couldn't do anything before noon for most of the summer!

Wanting to do something about my weight and with the news of my friends' summer school sentence, I needed to come up with a plan. Each morning I planned on dropping him off at his school and then running around the track.

I found out having a plan was the easy part, going through on it would be rough...

My freedom...

People are merely confined by the limits they put on themselves. They decide the things they can do and even allow themselves to try. For good or for bad, these walls exist. Depending on the individual, these walls maybe be further for some and higher for others, but we all have them.

I've always heard that the worse invention man made was the pedestal they put women on. I grew up extremely shy, unable to speak up for myself, and deathly afraid of women. That sentence about the pedestal had little meaning until I began to give myself value.

When I began to understand that people are merely people, doors opened for me I never knew existed let alone could open. Celebrities, women, bullies, or whomever I felt had power... were not better than I was. Conversely, the poor, underprivileged, or people I thought I was better than... I really wasn't better than at all. We were all just people trying to make it through the day.

When I began to be grateful for the things I had instead of thinking they weren't good or exciting enough I felt empowered... over myself. It's not the possessions you have that define who you are, it's your character. Your actions and decisions make up the person you are, not the clothes on your back rather the smile on your face.

When I began to speak up for myself I realized that people weren't trying to silence me, I was silencing myself. People are willing to listen if you are willing to talk. Everyone has problems and opinions, and we all need ears. I kept myself a "secret". To not ask, you make the decision for the other person with the answer always a no.

You don't need to ask permission to be yourself. You're not required to put up with other people mistreating you. It's your right to want the most for yourself. It's the right thing to stand up for the things you believe in. You don't have to feel bad to tell people when things bother you. It's not a flaw to express joy and show affection. It's a beautiful thing to be you. Be you.

The day I granted my own pardon from my self-imposed prison was the first day I actually felt free. I hope everyone one day sheds their shackles and find their own voice. Keep smiling everyone...

Snow...

The air chills and the days grow shorter. Clouds circle and loom while the sun fades. Winter's reappearance tows along it's annual gift. As the snow floats from the heavens above, a slue of new feelings enter our souls.

For some snow represents joy and traditions. The happiness of the holidays warms the hearts of many, as families reconvene around kitchen tables for a celebratory feast... while others, apart or alone from loved ones, dread the memories. One child might see the snow and wonder why his stupid mom is making him wear the ugly sweater his aunt bought him a year ago... at the same time his younger brother, grinning ear to ear, stares out the window in awe. One man might open his door in the morning with disgust, proceed to grab his shovel, and dread the next hour of labor... his neighbor, a lift operator, opens his door with relief that he actual is going to have work.

The snow continues to fall, unaffected by how it's seen. The snow can't help how's it's seen nor does it matter. It knows it can't please everyone and it doesn't care. The snow falls because it always falls.

Your roses maybe riddled with thorns while other people's thorns may have roses attached to them, it's really how you see it. In life you don't have to love, it's your choice. Keep smiling everyone and if you are lucky enough to have snow, I hope you enjoy it...

Respecting others...

The people in your life are who you are. Their actions, emotions, and words shape you into the people we are. In a relationship and in life, you only get out what you put into it. Each friendship you have is really just a relationship to some extent. No truer words have been spoken when I say treat other people the way you would want to be treated. If you want respect, respect others.

No one is perfect, we all have flaws. No one is happy all the time and we've all had bad days. Pick your battles and let the rest slide off your back. Sometimes the things that anger us are things we've done ourselves even.

Life is short, there's no need for grudges. Life is short, make the most of your time. Life is short, value and love the people around you...

Hard work...

One of my core beliefs is the hard work gets rewarded. If you put zero work in, expect poor results. Many people want changes in their lives but few people are willing to put the work in to accomplish it.

If you continue to do the same things in life, you should expect similar outcomes. If you want to lose weight, you are going to have to change habits to accomplish it. If you want more in life, you need to do the things to reach where you want to be. Sacrifice, determination, and effort are not bad words, usually they are the words needed for success.
It's never too late to start and it's usually never the wrong time either.

Saying you want something and working towards achieving it are two different things. Be a person of action and not talk. Work hard towards your goals and you will see results... and always remember to keep smiling.

Fresh starts...

Living and acting outside your comfort zone doesn't have to exclusively pertain to trying new things... it may also involve ending safe yet unhealthy ones. We are the things we do and we are the people we associate with, fairly or unfairly. In order to be a more positive person, you need to do more positive things.

People should not be identified by a single action but by a compilation of their lifetime's accomplishment. No one is perfect and we've all made mistakes. Mistakes are pretty common. To continually make the same mistake turns it from bad mistake into instead, a bad habit. It is just as important to do perform positive actions and accomplish self imposed goals as it is to stray away from bad habits. Sometimes we become better people by simply ending the things that we do to hold us back.

This idea does not only limited to the actions we do but by the company we keep. This may be harder for most people to see than our bad habits. Standing behind people who aren't moving will not help you to achieve your goals. Living in a crowd of non-supportive people will not motivate you. People want to keep you where they are, not propel you to where you want to be. One of the hardest things in life is to identify this and move on. People in your past are usually not in your future for a reason.

Surround yourself with successful people. Don't emulate the people who haven't accomplished the goals you want to achieve, mirror the people in the places you want to be. Listen to the people who can help you not the people who can't. Some people increase you as a person, others decrease you... be strong enough to know the difference. In turn, increase others.

Life is a journey... along the way we are going to meet people who help us and people who hurt us, hold on to the people who matter and shed the ones that don't. Keep smiling everyone...