Your Life Is Passing Before Your Eyes

Life is way too short to care what everyone else thinks.
Be you. Do what you think is right. Live the life you want to live.
Forget about the haters, they will always hate.
Surround yourself with people who support you, but also challenge you to be better.
Continue to learn and grow.
Love fully, dream big, live happily, embrace change.

Risks

How long are you going to continue to take this risk? Before you start arguing that you don't do this, spend a little more time thinking about your life. Are you really doing what you want to do? Are you just biding your time until you have enough experience or money to then do what you want to do? Most of us are spending too much time doing something other than we want to do and not actually getting any closer to doing what we do want to do.

We work in companies where we aren't really respected. We spend time with petulant coworkers who can seemingly do anything they want to do. We have the stated culture, which often has nothing to do with the actual culture within the organization. We are treated like nothing more than a cog in a machine. Many of us work in organizations that could care less about us...we are disposable and treated as such.

Even when we are lucky enough to work in a place where we are treated with respect, we aren't given the opportunity to do things to help us grow. We try to be original and unique, but aren't allowed the opportunity or the ability to make things better. We still work towards goals which are not our goals and are expected to do what we are told, nothing less and nothing more. Rarely are we given the opportunity to prove we can do more. This doesn't mean the company is terrible, but probably means we are doing things on the bet we will be able to someday buy the freedom we so desperately desire.

Is the risk worth it? No, it isn't, but I am just as guilty for taking it. Chasing what we want to do is scary. What happens if we don't have enough money? What happens if things don't work out? What if we fail? Chasing our dreams and doing what we want to do is risky, but it is less of a risk than never doing it. Would you rather spend you life doing what you don't want to do in hopes that someday you will be able to do what you want or take the risk to start doing what you want right now? I say figure out what you want to do and start doing it. What do you have to lose?

Happy Independence Day!

Today, in the United States, we celebrate our Independence Day. Two hundred and thirty-six years ago, Thomas Jefferson wrote we have the "unalienable right" to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Many of us won't be thinking about the Declaration of Independence or the meaning behind today's celebration, instead spending out time cooking, drinking, BBQing, socializing with family and friends and shooting off fireworks. There is nothing wrong with any of these things, in fact, I hope everyone spends today relaxing and doing the things they love to do.

We will probably never know all the intentions of the Founding Fathers (though we like to believe we do), but we can be certain they risked their lives for our freedom. The same can be said for the men and women (and dogs) who have served in our armed forces in the many wars and conflicts we have had since the Declaration was signed. Spend a few moments today thinking of the sacrifices countless people have made, seen and unseen, to allow your celebrations today.

No matter where you live or who you are, you have the chance to do something meaningful with your life. The choice is yours to do what you can to put your stamp on life. You can do little and sleepwalk through life or you can make the choice to do something great. This greatness doesn't have to be appear great or even be understandable to others. It only has to matter to you. We all have our own paths to follow, but the choice is yours to blaze a path that means something to you. A small group of people came together 236 years ago and started on the path to create a new country. They risked everything for a belief and we celebrate their bravery today.

Most of us probably won't have the opportunity to do something so monumental, but what we choose to do today will matter tomorrow. We have the ability to help create a better world for generations to come and leave a mark that will be remembered. The choice is in all of our hands. Do we continue to do the minimum required to get through life or do we want to celebrate life and actually live it? When we are older, do we really want to look back and say I made it through without taking many risks and without getting hurt? Or, would you rather look back and say I grabbed hold and lived my life and did things I never imagined were possible?

The choice is yours, but I urge you to spend a little time today to think about the life you are living. Think about all the sacrifices that have been made by others to give you the life you have. Find what really matters to you and do it. Figure out what sets your soul on fire each morning and do more of it. Dream amazing dreams and then chase them. Create amazing art to share with the world. Be who you want to be and don't let anyone else pull you down. We only have this one chance to get things right...what do you want to be remembered for doing?

Be Yourself

If you take nothing else from my blog, take this: Live your life in the way that matters to you. We spin around and around and claim we want to do great things, but rarely get off our ass to do them. We listen to the lies we tell ourselves that keep us from taking chances, from trying new things, from doing great work. We listen to the criticisms of others and start to believe them. We do what we are expected to do, not what sets our souls on fire. We berate ourselves for stupid reasons and start to believe these complaints are valid.

Live your life. Be who you are. Don't do something because you think it is expected. Don't beat yourself up because you are messy or unable to learn something quickly or make a mistake or do something wrong. Know this happens to everyone, learn what you can and move on. Don't think of yourself as ugly or fat or dumb or anything else negative. If you want to improve something, then improve it, but always, always love yourself. You have more to offer the world than you can ever imagine.

Control your anger and frustration. Do yoga, breathing exercises, exercise, meditate, whatever it takes, but don't let anger and frustration run your life. Force yourself to smile when you wake up each morning. Life is going to give you what you look for...if you are negative, you will focus on the negative. If you are positive, you will see beautiful things around you. The more you focus on doing what you are meant to do, the more positive your days will become.

Be true to yourself. Take chances and fail often. Don't be so hard on yourself and do things you love every day. Believe in yourself and share your gifts with the world. The world will be a better place with them.