Don't let next year roll around and you are still saying, "I wish I would have..."
Success Isn't Cute!
Work your behind off! Your next move in life may leave you broke, homeless and in a position you never wanted to be in! Nonetheless, if it’s something you are truly passionate about then you won't ever regret it! At least if you fail, you can say you gave it a shot!
No excuses! Save It! Make your own path and if you don't know how to do that, start asking some questions and maybe some answers will open up for you!
A year ago I said I was going to go to Full Sail University and with no money; I made it happen somehow (with a lot of debt behind my name of course). Now, I will pursue my dreams in recording engineering and nothing will stop me!
Six months ago I said I was going to get back on my fitness. I have been at it and I am now much stronger and harder than I have ever been.
I now add to the list, learning how to play the piano and getting back to learning French. Next year if I am here and I have not done these things, it means that I wasn't that passionate about it all.
What will you be starting today?
If you don't start today... you may never get the chance again. Food For Thought!
Espresso Shot #1
I got this app off of the android market called the “Attitudes of Gratitude,” it is an application that allows you to jot down the things you are grateful for. Everyday it will ask you what you are thankful and grateful for. I have been using it for a few months and it has been quite the experience looking back and seeing the things I have been thankful for over the past couple months. Then I saw a Life Class from Oprah and she said that she writes five reasons a day why she is grateful. So I decided to up the ante! Now, it’s your turn! What are five things that you are grateful for? Write them down daily! Reflect and look back at the things that have happened in your life. When you can see it then you will realize that you have a lot more to be grateful for than what you think.
Chapter 4: Success Isn’t Cute
My morning news feed: “TIME presents its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, from artists and leaders to pioneers, titans and icons.”
My first thought: Hahha, Jay-Z should be on here.
My second thought was that I hope to read about one of my friends on this list one day!
If you make a list like this or not, just remember that everyday you should be striving to be the best. Every circumstance isn't favorable, every class doesn't scream your interest, every job isn't worth your time, but why cheat yourself? Be great at it anyways! I am sure there is a greater lesson to be learned!
If you feel that your talents should be elsewhere, then stop crying and do something about it. Nobody wants to hear about how broke you are or how long it's going to take. People have done it with less money and tougher circumstances.
You made big plans for 2013 and today I ask you: Have you been pushing those plans forward? Or have you made another barrel of excuses as to why something can't happen?
No more crying about where you want to be if you aren't willing to put it all on the line to get there. If you are unhappy about a career, major, or where you are in life, it is time to do something about it. You may have to quit and leave the security that you currently have and make it all happen, or you may just have to be patient and wait for God to put your plan in motion. Either way, ‘...faith without works is dead....’ (James 2:14-26).
Success isn't cute! People put their lives on the line every single day just to make their dreams happen. The difference between them and you is that if they were to die today they would at least be known for the attempt...
Aim for greatness! Fail gracefully and get back up and do it all over again. Here is how you check if you are truly passionate about a craft... grab a sheet of paper, write down what you are most passionate about, look at it for a few minutes and then place it on your desk. If all you can think about is what is on that paper then it may mean more than you think. If you forget about it in a couple days, the desk becomes cluttered and the thought fades then you know you really weren't that serious.
Read about the top 100 influential people here: https://time100.time.com/
P.S. Some people take orders and some people take risks... Which one will you be?
Espresso Shot #2
Write a letter of encouragement to someone close to you. A friend, mother, or maybe even someone random. This letter should highlight great points about the individual and, of course, you can highlight the good times you have shared with one another and all the things that make them great. Then, when the opportunity presents itself give them the letter! It is always good to motivate others in the smallest of ways. We rarely appreciate our friends how we should.
Chapter 5: Do Good Always
Imagine if we just "Did Good" all the time. No questions asked and no personal gain behind it all. If we just provided good to the world because that is what we are supposed to do, and not because of the reward that would come out of it. The world would be a better place, I imagine. Well, here is your challenge. Do Good no matter the occasion and no matter who is watching you. Do Good because someone did something good for you when you needed it most. Despite if you realized that or not. If someone didn't do good things or pass good deeds your way, you wouldn't be here today.
"Doing Good" is always tough I am sure. Some days you are tired of the world. Some days you just want to DO YOU and forget everyone and everything that may be going on, but you can't be that way. The moment you let your selfishness set in is the moment you start killing the good karma/energy/blessing that was around your life. Galatians 6:9 says, ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!’
Do Good Always. This doesn't just apply to doing good for others, but this does apply to the reader as well. Do Good in the food you eat and your interactions with people you may know, and do good by the strangers that may come along your path as well. Do Good without anyone asking you to do so. It could be anything from providing a compliment or two, or you taking out the trash for your wife before she has to ask you to do so.
Also, doing good will lead to great rewards. It may not be completely obvious what is happening, but there is something stirring up and it will be there for you as long as you continue to do good with no hesitance behind it.
These were just a few quick thoughts that I figured I would get off of my chest and share with the dedicated readers. Do Good not only to yourself, but by everyone even when they have wronged you. Trust, you will come out a lot better in the end!
Hey, this book is my good gesture to the world. Myself, the editor, illustrator, and even people who took the time to read this and gave me feedback and critiques before it got released, all are doing good in some way, shape and form. And no one is getting paid! So with that said, if you don’t know of any good things to do, ask around or Google something. There is plenty to be done. You can’t do it all, but imagine, if we all could do one good thing for the world daily, where the world would be in a few years.
Chapter 6: Be The Change You Want To See In The World
There are so many things that happen from day to day in this world we live in. It is easy to complain about how others should be and what others are doing, but are we asking ourselves the same thing that we ask of others?
If I want to see a world where people are kinder to one another, I have to first exhibit that kindness. If I wish that more people would go out and give back to their communities, I essentially should be doing the same.
It is interesting to see what we complain about, and even more interesting to see what we are doing with our time and our efforts. In order to impact change it starts with us. Once that concept is understood I think it becomes easier to manage life.
Call up a few friends and catch lunch together. Gather a few buddies and go out and do a service project together. These are ways you can grow with the people you
love and be the change that you are constantly talking about.
Also, don't be afraid to talk about your good deeds. If you know your intent is to motivate others then do not be afraid to share. The good things that happen in the world are rarely shared. The negative things are talked about often, and no one ever grows tired of seeing it (besides me). On the other hand if you talk about the good you are doing in the world, it is taken as boastful and shouldn't be discussed publicly. In my opinion that is foolish.
Let’s stop following the typical norms and begin to make those changes. Advertise truth, love, and happiness just as much as you do everything else. Switch your focus and find others who are like-minded with the thoughts and ideas you are passionate about. Surround yourselves around people doing great things in the world and use them as inspiration to do the same. If you don't know anyone personally, just like Daniel stated earlier, I recommend visiting the www.TED.com. You will get a lot of great insight. Trust!
Continue to grow and never stop learning. Life can be stressful, but learning new things can shift that stress. Through learning, life becomes more manageable and it gives you a sense of peace. Regain your peace again. Stop looking to fill your life up with tasks to stay busy and find meaningful things to do, such as reading, writing, and enjoying the arts or something you love doing.
Keep being anchors for change and bring others along with you for the journey. We all have one person we can change the world with. Imagine if we all just took one friend along with us for that journey.
Let me hit you with a few espresso shots on the house:
Pray for people you dislike the most!! Yep, I know, you are probably saying it won’t happen. Trust, you will thank me later. Think about someone who has just made your life a complete hell and then pray for them. They probably need it more than you do!
Get that scowl off of your face. No need to walk around looking as if you are mad at the world! Smile! You never know who needs that small gesture of kindness.
You most likely have at least 100 - 200+ contacts in your phone and yet, you haven’t called nearly half of them or anyone in a long time. Call an old friend up! Make sure their phone isn’t disconnected and tell them that you love them. Even if you don’t talk that much.
Volunteer and do something for your community. Checking out the Boys and Girls Club, homeless shelters, even helping out a neighbor can be considered as helping the community!
Hi-five a stranger! Hi-fives are always cool and they are always accepted!
Now go out and be overly inspired maniacs!! The world needs more of us!! Shots Shots Shots, Everybody!!
Espresso Shot #3
WAIT!!!
If you have gotten this far, AWESOME! Hopefully, you haven’t skipped around too much! Remember, as you read, SHARE with the world what you are reading. Tweets, Facebook posts, and everything else is highly encouraged!
Remember, we need to help each other with the information we receive. Don’t just keep it all to ourselves. Someone else could be benefitting from this as much as you are at the current moment!
Chapter 7: Reinvent Yourself
So, I have a strong fascination with superheroes: Batman (cause everyone wants to be Batman), Superman, Spider-Man (my favorite superhero for several reasons) and many others that I could name, but I won’t expose my geekiness at the moment.
The amazing thing about superheroes is that they are always reinventing themselves. Spiderman always found new ways to improve his costume. He wanted to be able to move faster in his suit or respond quicker to enemies in the midst of battle; so he was always finding ways to make himself or his suit better. Other superheroes, such as Iron Man, were the same way. Iron Man would research for hours on end in order to make improvements to his suit. He would learn new ways to build a stronger Exoskeleton to withstand the attacks from stronger foes and would improve on other little details that would make him a better fighter.
This isn't JUST a comic book idea. This is something we all can apply to life. Every single day we should be reinventing ourselves. We go back to school to improve our education in order to seek higher employment. We work out and eat right so that we can live longer and live happier. We are reading, writing, drawing or doing something that will help improve our lives. No matter what your option is for improving your life, we are all superheroes.
Think about how much the average person stresses in a lifetime. Think about the times where you have felt like the world was all on your shoulders. The stress and feeling as if the world is weighing down on you is exactly how superheroes feel in each and every comic, television show, and movie we see. Here is my realization after reading about these characters in the comics - that they are all reflections of the people that may or may not be reading about them. They go through pain and they go through tragedy just like me and you. They get knocked down and knocked out just like me and you. Even with that, they always get back up, regroup and figure it out again. Sounds familiar does it not? We go through tragedies but we always end up triumphant (eventually); we lose loved ones and have many other situations that bring us to our knees, but just like a superhero, we then remember why we are fighting. We remember being that defenseless person, we remember our struggles and we know that if we stop fighting then it’s a wrap. Even if the fight isn't for anyone else but ourselves... we never want to fail ourselves, right? But these are all just thoughts...
It is funny where my reading can take me mentally. Spider-Man has literally hundreds of different suits and different styles of equipment that he develops depending on the opponent, and that is literally how each and everyone should act when presented with a new obstacle/enemy/challenge in life. New enemies will come your way and once again you will have to adapt quickly or face being defeated. Even after a superhero is defeated he/she gets back up and finds a new way to defeat the villain. Just like real people, superheroes get to a point where they want to quit it all and they want to stop saving the world around them. Yet, they keep going and pushing because they know the world needs them. The world needs you! We have all been put here for a reason and sometimes you can live life never knowing what that reason is; or you can make the best out of every opportunity there is and hope that one day that purpose is realized. Some may find their purpose and others never will... but sometimes there is no need to search because we already know exactly what our purpose is and we just have to listen to it even when we don't want to.
Everyday you should be REINVENTING yourself and making yourself a better person daily. Never stop learning. Never stop being an innovator. Never stop being who you truly are. Don't fight your inner superhero. You may not have to save the world, but there may be one person who needs you to keep pushing on for them.
P.S. “WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY” - UNCLE BEN
Espresso Shot #4
Message!!
Find a place to write your dreams down! When you write down your dreams they become a reality! If writing isn’t your thing give yourself a visual. For example, if you want to be a lawyer in the future, keep a gavel on your desk, so every time you look at that gavel, you think about being in that courtroom one day. Write your dreams down and envision the success! Begin with the end in mind!! One of the seven habits of highly effective people!
Chapter 8: Google Your Legacy
While I was reading Seth Godin's ‘Linchpin’, I stumbled across the question: "If you were to Google yourself what LEGACY would the world see?" I sat and thought about this one for a minute. Then, of course, I googled myself. The results were slim and little to nothing. Does it mean I have not done great things? Not at all! Does it mean I could be paving a better path for my future? Yes!
I have never thought about what kind of legacy I am leaving behind after I leave this earth. Whether it is a legacy of kindness, a legacy of mentorship, or a legacy of stories and tales of how I helped change the world. I sat and thought some more about this subject and I finally got so frustrated after reading it all that I w
ent to sleep. Sometimes we really get caught up in our egos. We get caught up thinking that we are super awesome and amazing and not taking a second to reflect and analyze if we are really that great. They say that when you are great you never will have to announce it because the world will do that for you.
I now realize everything Seth has been talking about it in his book. The book questions if you are indispensable and how do you plan on changing that if you are not. I now see a different light. Not just one of humility, but one that will spiral me into a world of greatness like none other. I am all over the place sometimes and that scares me. I don't always know what I will do next. I do know that God has a plan for me nonetheless and as I grow closer to him it will come to fruition.
Now, I work on changing what people will find of me when they Google me. I now work towards an even greater mission. An even greater task in life. Not just being able to find myself more on Google, but to truly revolutionize and change the very world we live in. How dare I? How dare we? We get so wrapped up at times as if we are "big stuff" and we are simply just getting by. I want to be able to speak things out of my mouth that set the nation on fire and bring people to thinking and wanting to change their entire lives around. How can I push more people to live out the dreams that they have in their heart? How can I get others to build their legacy into something truly astonishing? These are the thoughts that I will rest upon. I only ask for the strength to make a move so great in my life and in the lives of others.
So I ask everyone who may be reading this today, "What will your legacy be after you are gone?" If you were to be googled today what exactly would we see? Would we see a story of passion? A story of change? Would we then be inspired to take on this great universe because of what we read about you? I am sure your resume is tight, but is that all you have? Because I am certain we won't be able to find that resume on Google. So this is your challenge. This is your goal. What will you be doing to change the world? You don't have to be an entrepreneur, you don't have to invent the next generation smart phone, but you can do something. What that something is... I am not sure, but that is why it is your choice as to what you carry out from this day forth. Make your Google search a great one! That is all I got.