Windshield

People talk about the past as if they wish they could have changed it.  They talk like the past didn't mean shit to them, as if the past had nothing to do with where they are at today.  I think its a little messed up how we regret things rather than choose to learn from them.  Don't you think that as a teenager we spend more time regretting than we do learning?  The past is nothing but a blessing to make a better today.  Its nothing but an experience that helped you get to where you are today and become a better you than you were yesterday.  I would live it the same way 100 times if I could.  The missing sweatshirts, the failed tests, the embarrassing accidents, the times I got in trouble, the scraped knees, the broken hearts, the failed friendships, the dirt in your eye, the times you felt so kicked and thrown around you didn't know how you could manage to pick yourself on and drag yourself forward.  Regret that? Never.  Theres a reason why the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror.  You can focus solely on the rearview mirror and get yourself into an accident or you can use the rearview mirror as a sign to help you get moving and keep looking out the windshield.  Same as how we can choose to dwell on the past, or we can choose to accept it to make a better future.  Look back at those memories with the people who helped you along the way.  The people who made you smile when you didn't think you could.  Think of those memories that make you think, "Damn what was I thinking?" and learn from it.  Make a better you.  Surround yourself with people that make you forget to check your phone.  Surround yourself with people that help distract you from the world even if it's for a little bit.  Those are the people who end up meaning the most to you in your life.  Appreciate the little things.  Look around for once.  It's amazing what you'll find when you look up from your phone and engage yourself.  Smell the roses.  Prove your alive.

Here's to the seniors.

The end of our high school career is around the corner. We experience more and more "lasts" than we do "firsts".  The last football game, the last homecoming, the last basketball game, the last dance performance. Some of us are lucky enough to take our talents to college where we can experience more "firsts" before all of the "lasts" set in. We knew all along these great athletes and great minds were someday going to do bigger and better things. Even at an early age we knew. It's so hard watching every sport come to an end.  Everyone is just trying to win the last game/meet/event of the season because in the end that's all that matters. That championship game. 

Senior year is flying by and there's no sign of pumping the brakes. We're all caught somewhere in between wanting time to speed up or slow the hell down. We know there's more in store for us on the horizon but there's so much to hold onto from the past. There's greener pastures ahead of us. High school is four years you will never forget regardless of how great or how awful it was for you. There are big things ahead for everyone. Take a deep breath and do yourself a favor and live in the moment. There is nothing more beneficial you can do for yourself than to live in the present and appreciate every damn second of your life. Let's live up these last few months before we take our paths that may lead us away from one another. Just live for today and nothing else. The future will come. Don't let life pass you by especially in your senior year. 

Food for Thought

Look, we live in a messed up world. You never know when something bad is going to happen. I get it, maybe it seems like a joke right now, but think back on the tragedies in recent years.  Think about all the people who love and care about you. Makes you feel sick doesn't it? Especially when one happened so close to this city.  It's only normal to take this seriously because it IS a serious issue. This kind of threat shouldn't be taken lightly. You never know when someone might snap. So, yeah, it's okay to be scared. Just don't brush it off as a joke. These things DO happen. Be safe, spread the love, God Bless 

Get What You're Worth

I think that one of the greatest feelings in the world is pushing yourself to your breaking point and coming out on the other side.  Getting through tribulations and becoming better off because of it is great.  Sure, it sucks going through it.  There's not a person in the world that likes pain and suffering.  They say that the most successful people in life are ones who have a sense of delayed gratification.  They know that going through struggles will ultimately make them more successful, happy, rich, etc.  It's so easy to take the route of instant gratification.  It's easy to sit on the couch and throw your life away because its EASY.  The harder route would be doing something productive.  It could be as simple as working out, or reading a book, or helping out around the house.  All these tasks give me a lightened conscious and I feel better because I have done it.  Now, I'm as guilty as anyone of taking the easy way out.  By no means am I one who often chooses the difficult route of delayed gratification.  But we all know that amazing feeling of seeing results by doing the hard things.  We all know that great feeling where the hard work pays off.  Now tell me that feeling isn't the greatest feeling.  To know that your long hours of hard work and dedication has paid off is a feeling of immense euphoria.  Often the challenging things are the ones you do when no one is looking.  That's when they matter the most.  I think I'm starting to realize that.  To quote an otherwise mediocre movie, in Rocky Balboa (the last one) , Rocky gives a word of advice to his son that goes like the following...

"Let me tell you something you already know.  The world aint all sunshine and rainbows.  It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are , it'll beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.  You, me, or nobody is going to hit as hard as life.  But it aint about how hard you hit, its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.  How much you can take and keep moving forward.  That's how winning is done!

Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you are worth!  But you got to be willing to take the hits and not pointing fingers saying you aint where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody!  Cowards do that and that aint you!  You're better than that!"


Go out and get what you're worth.

Push

This is tough.  To anyone reading this, please know that there is someone to talk to always.  I will always be here to talk to I swear.  I'm upset.  I'm really upset that someone's last resort has to be suicide.  It shouldn't have to be that way.  That shouldn't have to happen ever.  No one should ever have to feel fed up with the world.  No one should feel alone.  And no one should feel crushed under the temporary weight of problems.  I wish I had known.  I wish someone could've helped.  That's whats so damn scary.  You never know what personal battles people are dealing with.  Everyone has their own demons to take care of.  Everyone is on their own uphill battle.  Some of us have our backs against the wall.  I'm just mad that I don't give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes.  It's hard to I know.  Nobody's perfect.  People suck.  

What's my point in saying all of this?  Well what I guess I'm trying to say is... fight like hell.  Sure, I probably could never understand what everyone is going through.  But, every cloud has a silver lining. There's positives for every negative.  I can't change everyone through this post.  But I can do my part to help see that everyone has their own struggles.  Just keep pushing, keep talking to people, make connections, reach out, be a friend.  Be a Tigger.

Because I Said I Would

At the beginning of this 2013 year I made a list of New Year's resolutions.  Most pertained to my weaknesses.  I thoughtfully wrote most of them down at 3 a.m. a couple days after January 1, 2013.  I wanted to share my first three resolutions.
1.) Don't make promises you cannot keep.
2.) Act upon your words.
3.) Do it because you said you were going to do it.

Not too long after making these resolutions I stumbled across this website where people make promises "because they said they would."  They make promises AND keep them because they said that they would.  And their words are final.  That is pretty admirable and inspiring if you ask me.  The idea of backing up your words with a definite action is crazy.  Think about how much better of a person you or me could be if we all kept our promises.  We would all be trustworthy, honest, and genuine speakers.  I   I think that is something I need to work on to make me a better person.  And I think it's something we could all work on collectively.

I will be a better person.  I will make a difference.  I will because I said I would.

http://becauseisaidiwould.com/

What would you do?

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?  Would you change yourself or change the world?  Would you pursue a girl or pursue your dream?  So many choices. Do I master doing what I love?  What is most important to me?  There is one thing that comes to mind while writing this.  "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. In this poem Robert describes two roads. One road represents the path taken by most people. The other road represents the path less traveled. He explains that he took the path less traveled by and that has made all the difference. I think that in a situation where you could not fail, you should take the "path less traveled".  Become a revolutionary figure. One whom has his name permanently engraved in society. I'm not talking about becoming a professional athlete or movie star. I'm talking about something bigger than yourself.  Something among the likes of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. One step ahead of the game.  Ingenious ideas that shape society. So, personally, if I could not fail, I would create new software, social media, smartphone, or something with technology. It's evident that our future will have more technology than ever before. I wish I could help to revolutionize the world with technology.