to guide you,
not define you."
"Your past mistakes are meant to guide you, not define you." Getting caught up in our past errors comes naturally, though to some of us more than others. It becomes difficult to move forward when you get stuck in that cycle, especially if those past mistakes happened more than once. A fear of repeating failure or going down a problematic path yet again doesn't go away as easily as you'd would hope. Rather it sticks around, popping out of the blue like a ghost playing a game of hide & seek, not seen but a presence always felt. But, we have to remind ourselves that the mistakes of yesterday and years past do not define us forever, rather there are markers of where we have been and reminders of what to look for in the future. It's really hard to forget the pain they bring sometimes, but in order to make them a benefit and not a burden, we must focus on what lessons our mistakes held for us. A guide for tomorrow, rather than a burden to bear.
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"Don't wait. The time will never be just right." This quote is completely different from what I usually talk about on the blog. Being ready for something or waiting for the right time is something I say often when considering something that I am not altogether sure I am ready for. Yet as the past year or so has shown me, you are never quite ready for what comes next. Now that is not to say that you should intentionally be unprepared or not learn new things, but more so that we have be to willing to take chances and work towards things, even as the fear or uncertainty scares us along the way. There are a few major things that come to mind when I think about this line of thinking, goals that I made for myself but am nervous about. Yet, I am hoping in to make a decided effort to work towards them, despite the mist of unpredictability and potential failures and setbacks that may come my way. While the timing may be less than 100%, the fact is it never will be perfect. And as time goes, the longer I wait, the more opportunities will pass me by and the last thing I want is to look back and regret all the chances I didn't take and feel like I didn't make the most of the life I was given. With that in mind, I hope to make the most of what comes next and grow as a person, regardless of the lack of sureness, I may feel right now.
"You will not always be motivated, so you must learn to be disciplined." Isn't that the truth? There are some times where motivation seems to fly out the window and is in no hurry to return. A sense of direction remains but the will to pursue the path we desire is often wanting. It is almost as if all the drive, ambition, and sense of purpose that propels us to move forward and grow simply fizzles away. How can that be?
Why it happens, I don't think any of us can really say. Motivation and drive is good and well but a poor master to rely on exclusively to reach our potential. After all motivation is only good as the consistent and conscious effort we put into all that we do. Discipline is essential to reach the goals we set for ourselves and achieve the dreams that otherwise remain figments of an imagination unbound by reality and the hurdles we face in life. I write this post today largely as a reminder to myself to remember that motivation is the belief but discipline is the action required to grow. It can be difficult to establish, especially at the beginning and almost nearly as difficult to maintain but all that we pursue is what we deem worthwhile of our time and attention and therefore I really should not be surprised that what I want to become requires such effort and commitment consistently and rigorously, sometimes even tirelessly so. With rain, nothing grows. Learn to embrace the storms of your life. It kind of seems strange to choose a quote like this in the summer but it fits too well for me to consider another. Sometimes,you find yourself at the crossroads of multiple major realizations and/or changes, making the present seem overwhelming and the future rather daunting. It is hard in those times to gain the perspective necessary to handle them. It gets even more complicated when you think you have figured something out and then a 180 degree turn happens and then you're back to square one. These "storms" of our lives are often difficult but they are also the birthplace of our greatest growth and most memorable triumphs. They encourage within us the sometimes dormant strength we forget that we have until circumstance calls upon us to utilize it. As hard and painful as they may be, they push us forward and keep us from becoming complacent and stagnant. And this is what I hope to remind myself when the winds get too strong. The growth that I seek requires an ability to weather the unexpected and prevail through the difficulties. So rather than run from them, I should engage with them thoughtfully and willingly. "To be happy you have to make peace with the past love the present and be excited for the future" I think it's really hard to do these things at times. As much as you know this to be true; turning these thoughts into actions can be a bit overwhelming. It probably is best to take things one at a time, settle each matter piece by piece rather than attempt to accomplish all of this in one try. And I think it is important that we do not limit ourselves to dealing with such things in a linear fashion. Sometimes the right time to deal with something comes up rather unexpectedly, which goes to show us that one of the best things we can do for ourselves is not try to over-control any one aspect of our lives. In doing so, we may be limiting ourselves, forgoing opportunities, and ignoring potential.
"Never let success get to your head. Never let failure get to your heart." This quote is just what I needed to hear. Sometimes it can be so difficult to maintain motivation; it feels like it is a pendulum at times, constantly swinging. When it is high, everything seems to work out and then when it falls, everything seems just a bit more impossible.
I like this quote because it emphasizes that there is a two-pronged approach to maintaining motivation. The first is about humility; our achievements ought to be celebrated and we have every right to be proud of them but we should do our best not to get so caught up in them that we neglect the other important parts of our life and the world around us. The second part is what about accepting failure as a step along a journey, not as a final destination. In times of constant hardship and/or repeated failure, it is so tempting to just give into the feelings of incompetence and give up. And, I think it is important to acknowledge these feelings as a momentary trial, not a lifelong burden. Dismissing them altogether seems harsh, but it is also important to get back into swing of things after time has been taken to set back and process what has taken place. It is daunting task, but I think it is important to remember that we are not given burdens greater than we can bare and we are always stronger than we think we are. So here's a commitment to always strive forward and to be our best selves while doing so! Hope you all have a wonderful week! And as always questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome. Well, it's been a long time since the last post! Far too long. Hopefully everyone's 2018 has gotten off to a good start! Unfortunately, my blogging schedule has been incredibly disorganized of late to the point where I have had so much to say but no words to write if that makes any sense. That being said, I hope to rediscover my blogging vein and get back into posting at least once a week. I have a list of things I've wanted to talk about on the blog for a while now and hope to have them introduce themselves in the weeks to come. And since the Quote of the Week posts are some of my favorites, I'll end with the quote below. It's one that is very similar to others I have posted before but its significance remains. Also, it is something I feel like I need to remind myself of more often. "Gratitude is acknowledging the goodness in our lives as life exists today, not as we wish it to be."
2017 has been a trying year, in more ways than one. So many unexpected things took place and made it a year of revelations in a sense. It brought to light many issues and circumstances that have either been swept under the rug or blatantly ignored. And I suppose that is what made it harder to process, that we have known that there were issues to take care of yet insufficient effort has been put into solving them. As a result, 2017 has felt to many of us as a long year and uncertainty has been in many cases, a constant companion. With such seemingly grim reflections on this past year, it is difficult to find the brighter spots in the year. But though they were hidden, they were there. And I think we all can count at least a few of those moments in the past year, ones that made it so 2017 was better than it first appeared. And even in the harder times, there were lessons to be learned and understandings to be reached. I wish I could say I accepted these things early on but sometimes (more like most of the time) the hard way tends to be the way I go about doing things. Maybe 2018, I'll learn to do better.
I hope 2018 is a wonderful year for all of you and that it gets off to a great start! Hope to see you here often in the new year! "Remember, we will only end up what we are willing to work to become." Duly noted! Well, I would not be completely honest if I said that I invested the time in myself that I ought to. Sometimes, it can be the daunting amount of things to accomplish that make it seem too difficult or just that the hours in the day seem to never be enough. But at the end of the day, I know I am making excuses for myself. My long list is no longer than it's ever been nor am I allotted less than 24 hours each day. But that does not make it any less overwhelming. While I haven't come up with a foolproof plan yet (let's be honest, that it's pretty unlikely anyway!), I hope to remember the little steps that I take are better than none at all and that in order to achieve any growth, the time and effort investment has to be there. “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.” Leadership is often a position sought out by many, though centuries of proof show it to be trying, difficult, uncertain and very unforgiving. Then why do so many people put all they have on line for just a taste of it?
Define leadership. It is the act of leading a group of people or an organization. Seems simple enough when you put it that, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it isn't. Leadership requires several skills and traits that not all of us have, and sometimes even if we do, it just won't cut it. To be a good leader, takes skill, experience, patience, persistence, and of course responsibility. Skill and experience come hand in hand, if when given a task you pay attention and learn as much as possible, you'll be able to learn a new skill every time. Patience is hard to come by if you don't naturally have it, it tends to be impossible for many of us. However, with consistent effort and tolerance, it will come to you. Persistence is something essential, no matter what you decide to do with your life. It enables you to continue on with something, even during setbacks and hurdles thrown midway. It also helps build commitment and learn how to stick with something and see it through. Responsibility like persistence is a skill needed to accomplish anything of worth. Responsibility allows you to make the most of a situation by allowing you to see the whole picture and make plans from there. Running away from problems doesn't eliminate them, it only allows them to grow and hurt you later. Charisma is a trait that makes leadership sail smoothly when communicating with others and boosting morale in a group. Charisma alone can turn a difficult situation into a golden opportunity. Though sometimes genetic, it is also a skill that can be developed. The key to charisma is positivity, and always having an opportunistic and optimistic attitude towards things, planned and unplanned. Taking that attitude and applying rational and realistic measures can turn the situation into an unbelievable chance at accomplishing amazing feats. |
So, there's really not much to tell. I'm a person of many interests, and talking to others about theirs.
So, I guess that's it for now! Archives
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