Change: Brought to You by Failure

When you are caught up with mistakes in life, you never realize how much it really takes to free you from them. I failed because I haven’t been able to let go of the past. I failed because I wanted to categorize my success in ways that other people do. Lots of people fail, but many don’t completely come back to a place that enables them to succeed.

I hadn’t taken the time to step back and actually consider what makes me happy. What I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I haven’t considered on which terms I want to live my life. So I procrastinated, found projects to occupy my time, and wasted countless hours on meaningless things that will not change my life or outlook on it.

I am taking responsibility for my life right now. Hate your job? Find something you love doing , because no one but you is making you work there. Don’t know what you want to do with your life? Figure it out, because no one else is going to shape your future. Caught up in the past? Now is the perfect time to realize that it’s holding you back from leading the life you truly want, and move on. 

Last night while I was driving, I had a passing thought. I am 22 years old and just for that moment, I wanted my struggles to end. I was sick of fighting and losing, and I could think of few things that would motivate me enough to continue living. And there in two very telling words, lies my problem and solution: “continue living”. I don’t want to just continue living. I want to live a life that I look forward to living everyday. Underneath this static facade, I want to be dynamic. I want to be energetic, learn new things, and  desire new knowledge and enjoy my life. I want to meet people that change the way I think. I want the world to see the best version of me possible. Simply continuing to live won’t allow me to do that. I only hope I still have time. My failures thus far have taken me to a point where I can’t ignore myself any longer. As JK Rowling said in an epic commencement speech:

“Failure means a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me.”

My failure led me to this moment, and to this blog post.From now on, my energy will be spent on things that move me. Things that make me happy and fulfilled. Things that will bring me knowledge and joy. I am using this public blog post as a way to acknowledge that I do not live a life I am content with, and as an agent of change. I am not afraid of failing, because it is better than the static position I find myself in now. I define my success and determine my happiness, and I will define my terms to get there. Why waste the only life you have doing anything else?

“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.”

Review: How to Win Friends and Influence People

Want to be a better person? This is like the how-to guide.

Dale Carnegie just blew me away. I finished the book this morning and I am about to pass it on to my dad. It’s like common sense, but better. I want to personally thank him for making such a helpful book! I can imagine the principles he dictates working wonders in every area of my life.

Motivational Stream of Consciousness

I felt compelled to write this letter to anyone that might need a bit of encouragement during this stressful time of year. Hope this helps you get through whatever you might be going through.

Hey, you.

Empowering thought: FREE WILL. We can strive for any goal we set. And what makes this striving so noble and valiant is the fact that it is YOU pushing and towards that noble and valiant goal or aim in life. Wait – – – is all of your hard work going towards a noble goal? Or is it a bit selfish now that you think about it? Is the work you are doing everyday fulfilling? What makes you happy? What scares you? Which one of these is the motive driving you everyday?

Take a moment and think about at least one thing you like about yourself. Think hard if you need to. Is it your good intentions? Your sense of humor? Your way with words or people? It can be anything. Have you used this skill or talent or trait of yours to help anyone else lately? Have you even used it to help yourself? How can you or have you benefited from this awesome stand-out trait of yours?

Now think of every person you’ve ever interacted with. Whether for better or worse, you were a part of those other people’s lives too. Would they remember you in a positive or negative light? How do you want to be remembered?

Look at yourself in a mirror. Notice the curves of your cheekbones and the color of your eyes. Not one other person has the same facial features as you. No one else has your exact mix of genes and DNA. Flex your hand. Feel the muscles tense and watch the veins ripple as you move your fingers. Marvel at the strength you have in just ONE hand. Now feel the strength in your whole body radiating and coursing through those veins. You are strong. You are brilliant. You are more than capable. You have willpower. You can live your life any way you want to. You have the determination to make anything and everything happen for yourself. No one else is living your life for you.

You’re making memories right now, as you’re reading this post. But what do you really want memories of? What do you daydream about? What makes you smile when other people aren’t watching? What stories do you want to tell your grandchildren? You want to live your life to the fullest, so what if this next breath of air you draw was your last? Would you be satisfied with your life?

Humans are practical. We do things with the future in mind. But life will pass you by if you put all of your hopes in a future that will never come. Life is beautiful because it’s temporary. You will only live this moment once, so LIVE IN THE PRESENT. Make this moment last, right now. Look around you. Where are you? What are you doing? What are you feeling? Is this really how you would ideally want to spend this moment?

Really, what’s stopping you from doing anything you set your mind to? What’s pulling you down, away from your goals in life? Do you have some goals yet? Should you make a few?

It’s so easy to get caught up in what life throws at you and the generally accepted way of doing things. If you love to travel, travel! If you want to learn everything there is to know, who’s stopping you? If you want to be happy, DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. You are entitled to complete happiness. Everyday monotonously draws to a close, you work hard, and you start losing track of days, weeks… and then it all stops. The monotony ends in those blissfully happy moments when you feel engulfed by the dark blue blanket of stars in the night sky or help another person without a thought of  anything in return. When you feel a connection with someone who knows your flaws and loves you completely, or help someone else achieve a goal of their own, or lay on the grass and feel the warm sun on your face… these are the moments you will remember. These are the moments that can define you.

Stop waiting. Stop working tirelessly without a goal. Stop living without purpose. You are in control. You decide how to spend your time. You decide physically where to put your hand after it leaves your mouse or keyboard. You decide what to wear, what to believe in, and who to love. And you can decide what to do after reading this.

Motivation, Good Commercials, & Augmented Reality

AWESOME stuff I happened upon lately and had to share!

Augmented Reality, by Blaise Aguera y Arcas

If you are like me, you will not know what he’s talking about until you watch this video. But trust me, it’s AWESOME.

The Pick-me-up You Didn’t Know You Needed

Because we ALL need a little motivation every now and then! This video will make you laugh (it’s a little cheesy) AND make you re-think the way you live life.

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

A Really Effing Good Commercial

The Superbowl this year just didn’t cut it for me. The only commercial I ended up liking was Google’s “Every Search is a Story” ads. This commercial caught me off guard – I wasn’t expecting it to be this good!

Life… From a Genius’ Perspective

This will also make you think about life and your relationships with other people. Some of my favorite quotes from Einstein’s essay, The World as I See It, are:

“But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people — first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy.”

and

“A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving..”

And as your reward for reading this far… The FUNNIEST Craiglist ad you have EVER read.

Seriously – my roommate and I almost peed our pants after reading this ad from, ahem, a man named Cougarclaws.