As a kid I’ve never quite enjoyed the idea of “going to bed”…but I don’t think many of us did… XD As I got older however, sleep became something like an escape and a good dream became Euphoria…the possibilities in a dream are endless. Imagine what you would do if you were able to control them- where would it take you?
From a very young age, we are programmed. Programmed by how we should act, what we should be, what we should do and that we must do it like everyone else does it. Much rather, everyone expects you to do it better. What comes to mind is education. “Get straight A’s”, they say, “do your best in school”, they plead. And sure it’s an easy rhythm to get into when you’re in elementary school. Soon however, high school is reached. TIme to shine. High school is basically like “the final countdown”. This is where you really push it into high gear and those ringing memories burn into your mind every single day. So you do everything in your power to your best capability just so you can achieve what would seem to be like the ultimate prize- admission to college!
And so you’ve worked your butt off and have gotten accepted into the college of your dreams. Now different worries fill your mind. Now you’re in, you’ve made it. But the tuition- Do you work? Do you take out a loan? Do you apply for scholarships end on end? Or perhaps are you lucky to have your parents pay for you? And most importantly, will you love this career that you are setting yourself up for from this moment on, throughout the rest of your life?
In college and universities, we are taught accordingly to the field we have chosen to occupy. It is definite that they teach us, yes, but really we are being trained into becoming employees. Actually, so much of what we learn in high school isn’t even relevant to us for the rest of our lives. The complexity of calculus and the experiments of chemistry only apply if those are your interests that you are willing to pursue. Otherwise the subjects are a mere stress that once we get over and pass the tests, will surely be forgotten.
And though it’s hard to reprogram oneself beyond everything that has been stamped into our brains in the past, I’m beginning to think that students need to go beyond the classroom if they want to achieve something extraordinary and truly successful. The college program isn’t designated for those who have the mentality of thriving millionaires. That wouldn’t be beneficial for the nation, nor would it be favored by the upper class. Our education system, though we are gifted to have it, programs us from the very beginning…to learn material that everyone else does…to be ordinary. It’s really up to us to take the time and educate ourselves with the golden knowledge of how to achieve success if that is what we strive for. That is the conclusion I’ve come to. It is all up to you to go beyond what is taught and to find more valuable and applicable material- the key to success.
I don’t think that anyone can ever stress enough as to how important consistency in believing is. No matter how many movies we make, or how many blog posts or books are written…this is an idea that needs constant reinforcement. So I will make this short, simple and passionate. ALWAYS believe in what you are doing or what you want to achieve because someone will ALWAYS be there to tell you that you’re not right for it…to tell you it’s not possible…to doubt you! Block out the laughs and hesitations and the doubt. You don’t need anyone else to believe in you and your capabilities because nobody knows you better than, you!…they don’t know what you are capable of and how strong and motivated you are. I am a very strong believer in the idea that with the right visualization, action potential, goals and a burning desire…we can achieve anything. Don’t be realistic…Dream on!
So here’s an idea that originated in a text message to my friend. Is it possible that when a person often criticizes and gets mad at you, you are void of being able to interpret them saying the opposite, once in a while? That after the multitude of times that they’ve put you down, the idea of them applauding you seems like a lie. Though it can relate ,don’t get the wrong idea- this is not a post about bullying- Yet it is obvious to me that this often happens in situations like jobs when we’re faced with tough managers and bosses, in-laws or other everyday people with whom we deal with, but when it is someone close to you…how much more would that matter…how much more would that change the aspects of the situation? Would you be expected to accept the minimal praise because you know in your right mind that deep, deep inside they truly feel that way… Or do the words seem so rare that they become a lie that you seem to ignore and you wind up smiling and laughing, as if they made a joke, and you find yourself asking them to stop, because you believe they don’t truly mean it. When it comes to being overly criticized and minimally praised…is it possible to interpret and accept it as a fantastic achievement or do our minds become so oblivious to this random positivity that it’s merely a joke?
Once my friend responded, I decided that the response was probably better than the entire contents of this post- so this is what she wrote back-
“In a way, yes. If someone would repeatedly tell me that I was “this”, or I was “that”, and I made changes to improve their views on me, without any results, then I would conclude that their views are irrevocable. So, if they indeed told me one day that I was the complete opposite from what they had been telling me, I would doubt them, definitely.
Why would they admit/claim something that they had completely rejected/ignored the notion of before? Was it a change in behavior? Did they gain a different perspective? Whatever it was, it had NOTHING to do with what I had done, right? If I had acted like I always have, without a change in behavior, it would be them who criticized me who has CHANGED, not me. So in that light, I would certainly doubt that their “changed views” or praise hold much meaning in the context of my actual behavior.
But it feels nice too, to be praised when you are usually scolded. Rather surprising, in a pleasant way. ” -N.C
Dictionary.com defines independence as the following; not influenced or controlled by others in matters of opinion, conduct,etc.; thinking or acting for oneself:, not subject to another’s authority or jurisdiction; autonomous; free:, and not dependent; not depending or contingent upon something else for existence, operation, etc. History has left an imprint of all the conflicts and wars that have occurred because of this simple idea and because everyone thought that independence was what they really wanted, but afterwards, have we really gained this privilege? Recently, I’d learned that the Earth had experienced a subtle solar storm when a solar flare reached our planet sometime in the 1800’s. When we imagine a solar storm, most of us would probably think of fire blazing through the atmosphere, engulfing our precious planet in its flames, credits to Hollywood 😉 .Hence, it was hard for me to believe that all that had resulted were some broken electrical wires. At that time, people were only beginning to experiment with the phenomenon of electricity, so when the storm hit, they recovered without difficulty. Now think about today’s technology. Most of us use electricity and all of our developed technology on almost a daily basis. So my point is…if something like a small solar flare was to reach the Earth, damage wouldn’t exactly be done to the planet. It would instead shut down all of our power systems, generators, electricity, power and, if you could only imagine, the internet! Today we have the world at our fingertips and with a slight interruption from the cosmos, that has the potential to disintegrate. Though NASA has predicted this, I am not whatsoever trying to warn you about a solar storm, rather questioning what independence we truly have. When you think about it, there are only small groups of people who share this planet with us, who truly have the luxury of pure independence;the Aborigines of Australia, African tribes, the Amish and even some poverty-stricken populations. So I couldn’t help but wonder….what independence were we all fighting for when it seems to be that we are all at the feet of our technology anyway…and how could we recover from losing its dominance over us???
New years are so exciting- both to celebrate and to start! It’s almost like an opportunity to start over 😉 Most of us set resolutions, and I find that we all should because that way we would spend our year motivated to get something beneficial done as well as consider the fact that motivation gives us a thrilling ride through life. These can include; being more organized ( a celebrity favorite, I’ve noticed!), going to the gym more often, or learning a new skill. We can progress throughout the year with these resolutions and then towards the holiday seasons, we can begin to check our progress! I personally, find it very satisfying when I’ve reached a goal or finished a project, it just feels like you have so much to live for and that you can always get better at something, anything…for there are no perfect people on the planet, but when we accomplish what we’ve set our minds to, we come pretty close to perfection 🙂 HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Lately there have been a few speculations about the end of the world, and the date of it being set towards the 21st of December of this year; 12-21-12. I can’t say that I believe it will happen and I can’t say I don’t believe it will happen. In reality, the end can happen any day and I don’t think there’s a way to schedule that. Whatever happens, happens and even though we have no control over that, we have domain over how we spend our time. Every day, one should try to accomplish something they never have, complement somebody you run in to on a daily basis and just live life to its fullest. If you truly do believe in the concept of the 21st, then take a vacation that you’ve always wanted to and whether or not it happens, it will bring you happiness and a sense of accomplishment. Tell that one person you adore that you appreciate them, spend more time with family (the holidays are coming up anyhow!)…Do it right! Live life to the fullest 🙂
There’s a popular sane that I’m sure all of you have heard at least once in your lifetime; “Better safe than Sorry!” But are you really? Life is all about risk, even the everyday things that we go forth with; taking a shower, cooking breakfast, driving your car, crossing the street…. you could say, “I’m not going to go (drive) to work today cause there are crazy drivers out there, better safe than sorry!’ But then you’d be left without a job and be stuck at home fearing the outside world because of all the dangers. Of course, I’m applying the sane to more extreme things, such as opening that business you always wanted, going out on a first date, jumping with a parachute. You just never know and that’s the truth, we have to come prepared, we gather the materials we need for the business, we’re careful with the first date, we learn how to jump correctly. Some people want things like their own business, a relationship, and such but they’re afraid that maybe they’ll go bankrupt and be left heart-broken or just broken in general. However, life is a risk altogether and that’s what makes it an interesting adventure- for risks are also like challenges. For instance, every Hollywood movie is a huge risk! Large amounts of money go into the filming and casting of the actors and story line, but no one knows what the public will love, and how the franchise will do in the theaters. On top of it all, the people who are mulit-millionaires in this world, are the ones who take the risks. So with all these thoughts swirling around in my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder…are we really better safe than sorry?
Bees; little bugs who spend their whole lives working by gathering pollen in order to make honey; fly-like bugs that make large amounts of honey, but use only a fraction of the product. Humans are like that too, in more ways that we can recognize. I found that it kinda upset me that the average person spends almost their entire life working. Working to afford luxuries, a home, food, cars and such. In addition, most of us either attend school or work for 5 days a week for about 7+ hours. Therefore, we only have two full days to spend with our families (with the exception of holiday weekends). That’s pretty sad. We spend most of our time with teachers, classmates, co workers and managers more than with our parents, and kids.
We are also very different from bees in many ways. We have choices in life, and are not programmed by nature. We know that college after high school is the right thing to do, yet some choose their own paths- and sometimes, those people end up being more successful than people who have dedicated 5+ years in a high-end university ,just because they had an idea that they carried out well! For example, Bill Gates, a college drop-out- but with one idea of the Windows Microsoft became a multibillionaire. Seems unfair, doesn’t it? So I couldn’t help but wonder, will we always be the worker bees that we are, or in some way, will we progress to being able to afford all the luxuries and yet being able to enjoy life a little more with the people most dear to us? Can we really have it all?
Life is a Gift 