(no subject)
Sometimes I think I need to learn to take my own advice. I freely give out advice by saying things like "Oh, everything works out for the best." or "No matter what happens, it'll be ok in the end." or "You're only happy if you want to be." But so often I find myself saying these things, while at the same time I'm depressed about something. Don't get me wrong, I mean and fully believe every word I say, but it's hard to take it all in sometimes. We're all human and no matter how true something may be, it's difficult to apply it to your life and learn to live by it. Very few things are really worth getting depressed or upset over. It's usually just the act of being caught in the moment and forgetting to step back and try seeing it from the outside looking in. Everything that seems tragic to us now, is really just a blink compared to a life time. In a matter of days, months, or sometimes years...you'll be over it and forget it ever happend (maybe not fully depending on the situation, but enough to know everything is going to be just fine). It's like taking a leap of faith by believing that everything will be ok. And I honestly don't think that having faith is something that comes as natural. It's learned and it's hard to keep up if you happen to drift. How much easier is it to just give up and say "I hate my life"...compared to rising to the challenge and looking at every situation and wondering "how can I turn this into a positive situation?" I'll answer my own question...being depressed and feeling sorry for yourself is always the easy way out. And what kind of life is that to live taking the easy way all the time? It's a sad life, unsatisfied and frustrating life. Lately I've been down about so many things, they just seem to pile and pile on top of each other. Nothing ever seems fair and nothing makes any sense. But that's life. That's when perserverence is supposed to step in and drive you to rise above the negatives in your life. If you focus on your hardships and "how terrible you have it" you'll never really be happy or even have any concept of what happiness is. I remember when I went to a bible study that Tara McCartney and Mark Houser were leading and they said something that really made sense to me:
Let's say that you're on a roof. How easy is it to just jump off that roof? It's extremely easy. One step and you're on ground level. But how hard is it to climb back up to the top of the roof? There's no ladder or additional assistance...just you and the roof. Not so easy is it? That's the same way I try to look at life. If you let yourself slip and start to fall off the roof, you may never get back up. This is why I think it's always important to stand your ground, don't slip or stumble, and just remember to never give up.
And even sometimes, the challenges seem like a broken record that just keeps playing over and over and over again - never letting up. That's when you test how strong you are. Not how physically strong you are, but how strong-willed you are. How strong of a person are you? I was recently told by a friend that this quote is absolutely retarded and I should never repeat it again, but I can't help it. It says so much in so few words. "That was a defining moment. When a defining moment comes along...you either define the moment, or the moment defines you." That's what I'm talking about when it comes to rising above. I'm not one to be a huge and amazing example. I've never really been fabulous at much of anything. I'm average. I'm not someone that makes headlines or gets lots of attention..and I probably never will. I'm not special other than the obvious prescence of my imperfections (which makes us all individuals anyway). But the fact that I'm not amazing at anything and I'm just average is only that much more of a drive to never give up. Always keep trying to be the best I can be, whether that's something glamorous or just average...I'm going to be the best I am capable of, I'll make sure of it. It goes back to the defining moments. When those moments arise throughout your life...those are the moments that dictate what kind of person you really are. And to be honest, I don't think anyone really knows what kind of person they are until they're challenged.
And speaking of all this "defining moments" and "attitude" talk, I've decided that I don't really enjoy being at college and doing the same old things all the time, and I realized it's because I'm not really doing anything to benefit anyone else while I'm there. Honestly, what kind of happiness is greater than the happiness you get when helping others? I can't think of anything. It's almost like you get more out of it than they do. So I've decided that I should probably join a community service group or something of that sort. I don't like the idea of just going to school, golfing, and going out with my friends all the time. Granted, it's a pretty good time, but it's not enough. It's a selfish life and it's not very rewarding after a while. It's monotonous and beneficial to no one but myself. And what's the point of living life if you're only going to do and live for you and no one else? That's the funny thing...living life isn't really about you and what happens to you. It's about the people around you and how you effect them...whether it be in a positive or negative way, that's up to each individual. And anyway, it seems like selfishness slaps me in the face everywhere I go. It's like the world's vocabulary is soon going to be degrated to the main words of "I, me, mine, my, and etc." I joke, but it's probably inevitable. But...that's just more of a reason to keep going and always try to look at the cup half full (as old and cliche as that saying is...it's so true.)
"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
-Dolly Parton
mere
Let's say that you're on a roof. How easy is it to just jump off that roof? It's extremely easy. One step and you're on ground level. But how hard is it to climb back up to the top of the roof? There's no ladder or additional assistance...just you and the roof. Not so easy is it? That's the same way I try to look at life. If you let yourself slip and start to fall off the roof, you may never get back up. This is why I think it's always important to stand your ground, don't slip or stumble, and just remember to never give up.
And even sometimes, the challenges seem like a broken record that just keeps playing over and over and over again - never letting up. That's when you test how strong you are. Not how physically strong you are, but how strong-willed you are. How strong of a person are you? I was recently told by a friend that this quote is absolutely retarded and I should never repeat it again, but I can't help it. It says so much in so few words. "That was a defining moment. When a defining moment comes along...you either define the moment, or the moment defines you." That's what I'm talking about when it comes to rising above. I'm not one to be a huge and amazing example. I've never really been fabulous at much of anything. I'm average. I'm not someone that makes headlines or gets lots of attention..and I probably never will. I'm not special other than the obvious prescence of my imperfections (which makes us all individuals anyway). But the fact that I'm not amazing at anything and I'm just average is only that much more of a drive to never give up. Always keep trying to be the best I can be, whether that's something glamorous or just average...I'm going to be the best I am capable of, I'll make sure of it. It goes back to the defining moments. When those moments arise throughout your life...those are the moments that dictate what kind of person you really are. And to be honest, I don't think anyone really knows what kind of person they are until they're challenged.
And speaking of all this "defining moments" and "attitude" talk, I've decided that I don't really enjoy being at college and doing the same old things all the time, and I realized it's because I'm not really doing anything to benefit anyone else while I'm there. Honestly, what kind of happiness is greater than the happiness you get when helping others? I can't think of anything. It's almost like you get more out of it than they do. So I've decided that I should probably join a community service group or something of that sort. I don't like the idea of just going to school, golfing, and going out with my friends all the time. Granted, it's a pretty good time, but it's not enough. It's a selfish life and it's not very rewarding after a while. It's monotonous and beneficial to no one but myself. And what's the point of living life if you're only going to do and live for you and no one else? That's the funny thing...living life isn't really about you and what happens to you. It's about the people around you and how you effect them...whether it be in a positive or negative way, that's up to each individual. And anyway, it seems like selfishness slaps me in the face everywhere I go. It's like the world's vocabulary is soon going to be degrated to the main words of "I, me, mine, my, and etc." I joke, but it's probably inevitable. But...that's just more of a reason to keep going and always try to look at the cup half full (as old and cliche as that saying is...it's so true.)
"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
-Dolly Parton
mere