Unavoidable Circumstances

Tuesday Take
November 8, 2016

Taking What You Have & Making the Best of It

The philosopher Aeschylus once said, "When the gods send evil, one cannot escape it." Now that may sound to you like the one sentence plot summary of Final Destination, that's not what he was saying. There's a truth to fate & destiny, we can't control it, there's a higher power than us. We control such a small portion of the world around us and even of our own lives, but don't sacrifice your effort and diligence because you don't have total control.

Imagine it like this... There's this life you're going to live and there are a number of factors that calculate to where you're going to go and what you will be tasked with. Some of that you may get to choose and decide how you react to those events, the other portion of your life is chance or what I would deem as fate or destiny. When life gives you a task or a challenge, you should do your best to conquer it and own whatever the outcome is, meaning just accept the win or the loss and continue to roll on.

We are conscious beings who actively make decisions throughout every waking moment of our lives. You must also understand that not amount of prosperity, no amount of difficulty, is certain forever. Those losses may become victories over time and a triumph may morph into another challenge for your own life, it's all about how you own up to it and accepting what's occurred. It is encouraged to be your own champion, every day and throughout the day. There is a possibility that if you will something with enough force and passion, you can make it happen even though the tides of the world are against you. Your soul knows your true destination in life, use your physical and intellectual self to fulfill what your heart longs for and fulfill your destiny.

Amor Fati

Monday Mountain
November 7, 2016

Fate & How to Love it

Recently, I purchased a book that features daily readings of stoic philosophers, and in that book I came across a brief piece of wisdom that hit deep. It was this piece about acceptance and accepting fate, one of those things that once you read it you read it once more but more slowly in order to let those words marinate on your mind. Amore fati translates to the love of fate, but "it's not just accepting, it's loving everything that happens." (Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday)

As the dice roll and events occur, it's easy to say things are out of our control and to go on thinking with acceptance and indifference on any results that do not favor ourselves. I plead that you should love what happens, no matter what. For example, a relationship that you had high hopes for comes to an end, well that's something we all may feel bitter about at first. Following that event, you should focus on seeing the bright side to everything and loving what happened.

Once you can love the unfavorable circumstance and the events that unfolded, that provides you a recipe for happiness and joy. Perhaps it's best to think of  those dark events as dark clouds, sure they may rain or hail on you, but there's a silver lining and I guarantee it will help the flowers bloom in due time. Embrace the outcome you may not have wanted, because fate is not in your control, but in the end, you can be happier than you were before. That power lies within you!

CT Fletcher - One Bad Dude, One Great Quote

Tuesday Take
November 1, 2016

 “Some go big, I went enormous. Some set goals, I set milestones! Some climb hills, I climbed mountains! Some want growth, I command growth. Some said it was over, I Said f**k you!"

- CT Fletcher - 

After watching a documentary on Netflix about CT Fletcher, a former World Record-holder, you can immediately notice several things. I would expect nothing less from any average person drawing first impressions on someone as they tell an abridged story of their life. The first thing you might notice is that he is brash, his mouth is not very clean and he says what's on his mind. That's alright and good because he lives his life to back it up, and you would probably notice that second. 

He has a number of kids and few are true long-term supporters of him, but it appears that all of his kids are still present, supportive, loving, and putting in to help him achieve his dreams. I want that, to both support my parents in their goals and for my offspring to support me in mine. I know for damn sure, I will support them in whatever endeavors they wish to take on. 

Beyond who he is as a person, the words he is quoted for here speak to me. As I've come to realize, not everyone feels the same way as I do about being doubted, the underdog, or challenging one's self continually. I love these words and how they're assembled... Take a minute to appreciate the word choice and comparison of each. CT compares what the average or the Ordinary Joe wants to what he has done and continue to do. Pointing out success in the past and the desire and need for success in the future. 

Set big goals and achieve things through all facets of life. I set a goal last year to rep over 400 pounds on bench at least twice, what did I do? 405 pounds for three reps, and I made it look easy. I encountered a challenge when things did not go my way in my professional career, now I'm approaching a milestone that is rare for someone of my age and experience. 

What is your big goal? Where do your priorities lie? How will you achieve what you desire?

Why Motivation Does or Doesn't Work

Monday Mountain
October 31, 2016

Breaking the Ruts:

Is Motivation a Real Remedy?

I always try to motivate myself through inspirational words, powerful thoughts, self-belief, and many other applications... But this feeling of empowered momentum always fades. Why does it always dissipate? This conundrum has been on my mind recently as I've been a fan of  everyone self-medicating their own motivation. A thought came to my head today as I drove nearly six hours to visit a handful of locations, it's a temporary solution much like taking an aspirin or other medication. Much like ibuprofen, it's meant to alleviate you of your pain until your body can naturally cure itself or repair whatever the cause of the discomfort was. 

When we seek to be inspired, we often crave a sort of fire to be lit inside of us. Allow me to dive into this analogy to explain how motivation can work. There's an ignition source, that initial motivation, it gets the fire started and may light the room briefly, but to really make a brilliant progress it's up to you the user to provide the fuel and to maintain this burning feeling. 

I suck at staying motivated, it's often like how they explain physics. An object at rest takes a lot more energy to get it moving rather to simply keep it moving. Also, the challenge is to fight the friction of vices and other obstacles around us to keep you from your goals. For example, if you wanted to get good at running a 5K race, you'll have to overcome the discomfort of being bad at running, the sore muscles after every run, and to continue development you may have to follow a training plan from an external source. Of course, most of the resistance is internal, that's what makes us human, the path of least resistance. It's the conquest of the resistance that makes it admirable. 

Really, truly, nobody should ever pursue a challenge to be admired by another. The whole idea of the conquest is to prove it to yourself, to make yourself better, learn something new about yourself, or whatever it is. Yes, I suck at motivating myself to do something for me and it's way easier to continue doing something you're already decent at. It's not about any of that really, it's about embracing the new challenge. If you don't want to then that's just alright, complacency embraces the familiar face. For me, I'll accept the challenge I bring to myself to push my limits, my comforts, and to develop my skills and abilities beyond what I ever thought.

Devilish Decadence & Digital Addiction

Friday Freestyle
October 28, 2016

Devilish Decadence & Digital Addiction:

Fantasies versus Experiences

Scroll through Facebook. I see people sharing short videos that resemble an ADD-friendly cooking show, where they introduce and show you how to make a recipe in less than a minute. I believe the same is true between these clips and those cooking shows I saw in the 90s growing up, it is rare that somebody actually makes them to completion. Now I'm not ragging on the videos, just the folks who share them.

I believe we have an addiction to fantastical ideas, recipes, and experiences, however, our weakness is that we never actually go out to live and bring them to reality. Perhaps there is this fear that our experience won't be as grand as the content on our social media feeds depicts it. Perhaps we won't be able to give an account appropriate of the true experience. Perhaps as a younger and less experienced generation, we want to seem to our peers that we are actually worldly. Perhaps to some of you the fantasy is just as good as the real thing, that share button grants you a brief pleasure and a lasting enjoyment for up to 48 hours after the share. 

Facebook Fantasies are a devilish decadence. They're not good for you, it's a self-indulgence into how good you are as a person or how admirable you are because your aspirations are sky high. Aspirations and to-do lists don't count, it's about as good as counting a "close to the rim shot" in basketball. Real things count. To actually live your life is the real challenge. So many times we go somewhere to do something or live out an adventure and we forget to relish the moment. If you forget to take pictures and forget to share on social media, then you are really in the moment and living it up with what's physically around you. 

Reposting anything that someone else creates is almost like making yourself out of paper mache, it's taking bits and pieces of everyone else adding some goop and creating a hollow person. Take those words beyond the surface value, figure out what they mean besides adding some magical meaning to your life for a few minutes. Stop sharing videos of recipe making with ADD or videos of some far away place that you can't necessarily afford to go to. Live in your own life, after all you are your own you. 

Of course this is all hypocritical, I'm writing on a digital platform about life how to live it and then I'm going to post this article on Facebook, Twitter, and maybe LinkedIn. Perhaps I want self-gratification, perhaps I want to share my idea, perhaps I want to offend people. Does it really matter what I want to do? It matters that you're reading this. What matters next is what you will do after you finish reading this. 

Following this I'm going to go work my 9-to-5 job, I'll listen to Podcasts in the car, I'll add things to my boards in Pinterest, I'll retweet motivational shit, and I'll like anything on Facebook that makes me happy for myself or someone else. It's a part of my ordinary routine. I'm also going to continue to write blog posts on QuintessentialVoyage, I'm going to set dates and make plans to live deliberately in the wilderness, I'll go into the gym and fight gravity by lifting heavy weights, I'm going to challenge the status quo and make myself my own foe. It's all a balance of your original content, your magnificent life, influences of digital world, experiences of the real world, and making it all into something worth sharing with other people in the world. 

What will you create? What can you share worthwhile?

Distance & Inner Circle

Thursday Thought
October 27, 2016

Distance & Inner Circle:
Why I Maintain Both

In the past seven years, I've been given plenty of reasons to trust and plenty of reasons not to trust people. It's never something personal against someone, okay sometimes it is. But for the majority of times when I keep someone away from my heart, it's to protect my very soft, very vulnerable interior. When you've been stabbed a couple times in the heart, you learn to shield that away from others until they prove they can be trusted completely. For those people I do trust, they're in the inner circle for sure.

My inner circle is composed of my family, the best friends, and that's about it. Being in the inner circle doesn't exclusively include my trust, it includes the support and love that I provide to my friends over time and whenever they need it it's available. That IC (Inner Circle) are the companions I've known for years and our bonds have remained strong even through distance and drama. Sometimes I still distance myself from those in the IC, I believe this happens because just like the plants in winter we need to withdraw to protect and we can regrow into something better for the spring.

Having a hard shell does not mean that you are constantly shielded from loving or receiving love or any other emotion, it just means you are more careful with your emotional spending and investing into external sources. Possessing a soft spirit is really the key to being human, by allowing others to see and experience your emotions and vulnerability allows them to drop their guard too. From time to time, although you may be the more damaged of the two, you might have to drop your guard first for them to allow you in.

It's all about balance, don't feel hate towards those who hurt you but rather feel love to those who sincerely care about that bleeding heart of yours. Those various emotions keep us real and authentic, the true value of humanity. Allow those into your walls who bring honest to goodness intentions and protect yourself against the evil doers and heartbreakers. This may prevent you from asking "Et tu bae?"

For the Love of Winter

Wednesday Wander
October 26, 2016

For the Love of Winter:
Why wintry weather centers my soul

Quiet, cold mornings. Snow falls as it dampens the sounds of the usual life brought in with the rising sun. It's a peace that seems to only fall in this season after autumn. In the life cycle of on year, I need this time to reset my mind and wrap myself in blankets and my thoughts.

Sure, as the air pushes in from the arctic, we face a time where things die and recede for self-preservation. Why should the emotion-fueled human do any different? Let our instincts for solitude and emotional contemplation ride out these few cold months. Love yourself and shower yourself in warmth from inside your own soul.

I love winter. It includes family-centric holidays, extended periods of time off work, cold air that sends us to the blankets and the hoodies, a re-evaluation of your life and how the past and future will impact you, and so on and so forth.

Winter is for lovers and dreamers. Winter calls for long slumbers and short dreams, hot fires and cold toes, evenings of cuddling and days of frolicking. There are many things we can do in winter, in those things we need to understand that those activities and those feelings are indeed fleeting and last only during that brief period of time, only to give its final bow for the return of warmth and rejuvenation of life.

Taking on Raps

Tuesday Take
October 25, 2016

Taking on Raps

If i were to introduce who I am,
It starts with a handshake and a smile,
Wearing plaids and sometimes argyle.
Don't allow that to deceive you,
I dont even know myself
There's more to me than what you perceive as true.
Pursuing more than trophies for my shelf,
Owning this hunger everyday in my soul,
working to fill an ever-empty hole.

I craft words every day in some form,
and it's never to inflict harm.
My physical and mental power is strong,
I don't ever lead anyone along,
i work to earn things even the shot is long,
to be a brute and an intellectual,
it's a conundrum,
They never see what I say as something truly actual,
Their doubt flows on and on.

I say to you who look down upon me,
Go ahead and plant those seeds,
You will reap what you sow,
I will continue to grow,
eventually,
You won't be able to look down on me,
No matter how tall I'll become
or how high I will rise.
I'll look at you as an equal one,
Don't you think that's wise?

Yeah, my ego is inflated, But I have my reasons,
Believe in your own pride, throughout all seasons.
Own who you are, you'll go far,
Invest in yourself and not the trophy on the shelf.
This is a draft purely rough,
writing in syllables and rhythyms is tough.

What's Affordable?

Monday Mountain
October 24, 2016

Affordability, How to calculate it.

For something to be defined as "affordable," by its definition would mean that it is inexpensive or reasonably priced. This is a relative perception of cost... It does not exclusively refer to money. What other forms of payment are you capable of? Well, there's the always rare currency of time, energy is another raw source, and intellect/emotion or as I call it brain power.

How can you tell if you can afford something? To begin with, there are two factors that will help you define if something is affordable. One is how much you have available to allocate and the other is out of available amount how much you're willing to actually spend or invest.

For example, fitness freaks... They workout for a set amount of time everyday regardless of what happens, why do they do this? They may not have a lot of energy or a lot of time available, but they do this because it means a lot to them and it's very important for the other parts of their lives.

The idea of being wealthy with time or energy is not about whether or not we can spend it all or save the most, it's about investing yourself into those areas than give you a return on that investment. Just like working out, sure at first you're worn out and sore, but the continued effort and growth in time will give you back more energy and more brain power to fuel your own progress in other areas.

What can you afford with your free time? What do you put your energy into that gives back? Question where you allocate those resources because you may be wasting your energy, time, or your emotions on something that won't give you the desired output.

Taking on Prompts, Part 1

Tuesday Take
October 11, 2016

UPDATE
From now on, Tuesday Take will be an interpretation of a quotation or poetry or a brief bit of writing based on a prompt found from the depths of the internet. If it is a writing prompt it will remain a mystery for the sake of the reader.

Prompt #1
Strolling down the street, I crack my neck, releasing some tension. Twilight faded as the sun tucked itself into the horizon. Continuing towards home, I don't want to go home just yet. Perhaps one more stop? Yes, let's. There are a couple more houses coming up on the street. About fifty yards away one on the left, and the other across the street and farther down.

As I get to the first house, I quickly knock on the door. A middle-aged, wiry woman opens the door, she's looking for whoever rapped on the door. She steps out and wanders down to the base of her porch steps... Quickly, she shuffles back inside. I listen for any chatter to follow, but there is none. She's alone. On to the next.

I knock harder on this door. A sour teenager answers, loudly looking for who disturbed his evening. He is fast to turn around and go back inside. Conversation is held inside, they try to solve the mystery of the knock-knock-ditch between the two of them. He's in the house with a teenage girl, they're about the same age. Oh, it's on.

The wind picks up. I need to hurry. I quickly approach the windows of the living room, there's a clean line of sight to the love birds. Now, what should I do? Aha! I mentally prepare my scheme... Then I hear two slight steps behind me. "What are you doing Ore?"

"Damn you, Lucy! Always interrupting my fun..."

Importance from Impacts

Monday Mountain
October 10, 2016

Real Connections, Realized.

Take a step back from your day, and look upon the events that unfolded today. Now look at the people around you. These other beings are hurtling through time and space and society, their direction is effected by you and me and all those other things around us all. I'm not trying to blow your mind, just simply show you that everything you do is the effect of someone else, and is a cause to someone's effect.

When we decide to react to someone else's decisions we can either be too extreme, not enough, just right, or event the wrong decision altogether. Simply, do you overreact or do you let it slip? Whichever you choose affects their interpretation of you and what they will do next.

Where am I going with this? Evaluate your actions before you do them. It's a simple thing to do, it only takes a split-second that can change their whole day. Small actions with genuinely positive energy, now that's a potent force for a better day!

I'm guilty of overreacting or taking something personally, it's taken me years to realize how important it is to take it all with some salt. That pregnant pause is tragic when poorly used, but a wise man will use it to make a wise decision.

When you look back on today, yesterday, or any past days, consider how your decisions may or may not have affected the outcome of that day. Your presence in this life is more powerful than you may think. Act wisely, you can pleasantly surprised.

Super Hero's Oath

Tuesday Take
October 4, 2016

Doc Savage's Oath

Let me strive every moment of my life to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it. 

Let me think of the right and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice. 

Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage. 

Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do. 

Let me do right to all, and wrong no man.

Scrolling through Pinterest, that's how I found this oath of a fictional character. It's one of the most admirable things that I've ever read. Yes it's a little singular in aspect, however, it is also powerful. If we all strove to follow even one portion of it, our society could be a much better place as a whole. There is a low possibility of such a large percentage of us even taking a single line of this to heart, however, if a small part of us all tried to abide to most of it... That could be a hell of a step forward.

What do you like or dislike about this?

What is admirable about this oath? What could be left out?

No Excuse for Such Behavior

Monday Mountain
October 3, 2016

Toxic Logic:

Making Excuses in Order to Reason for Your Mistakes and Behavior

This post took me a while to assemble the courage in order to type and put fingers to keyboard, why? Because I'm about to point out something we all do, and it needs to stop. I was afraid of hurting some people's feelings, that's when I realized it was not for the sake fo their egos, I was refraining in order to prevent any problems with anyone else for my own sake. 

We reward ourselves with calories for one workout. We tell ourselves that we will do it later. We justify our actions based on those of others. Each of those is an example of how we make excuses for doing things that actually hold back the progress of ourselves towards a better version of ourselves that we desire. As humans, the relationship we have with laziness has become a parasitic one, and it only hurts us more we go to it. I'm just as guilty of this as anyone else is.

Laziness is our argument for balance, we argue it for once we complete our hard work and complete that one task, that reward does not arrive after a singular day. The time earned to be lazy is not a one-for-one exchange once you apply yourself. "Downtime" is earned more at a rate like interest is returned to investments, a small incremental return on investment over time. 

Yes, everyone deserves a vacation or a lazy Sunday, but not every single day. If every day were a vacation, then you'd never truly appreciate what you have and you'd never understand what hard work really earns. 

Similar to the argument that laziness is deserved after the minimal effort is applied... There is the reasoning of "Adulting", which really is a plague that feasts on a combination of Peter Pan syndrome and Millenial self-glorification, however, that is a discussion for another time.

Go into tomorrow and work hard, every day should be a show of good work and genuine effort. Proof that we are working towards our own goals and helping to enhance the world that those around us live in. What are good, hard work are you doing today? Why are you putting it off? Let's get cracking. 

Proof Worth Publishing?

Friday Freestyle
September 23, 2016

Scientific Discovery versus Human Feeling

They sat down across from each other, at this small table. A putrid smell of old coffee and Lysol filled the air. Awkward eye contact became avoided. The topic of conversation was about to rise up and they had to face it head on. Jim started first, "Dr. Schwartz, these findings... We have to share them with the public!"

Frank replied, "Dr. Weiss, you know that this would shake them to the core. The public isn't ready for this just yet. It's like the truth about a cure for cancer, no one will believe it until it's too late."

"This isn't some conspiracy or controversial topic, our findings from all the DNA testing prove something. We, as humans, are evolving! We have found the proof of it."

"It's not what we found that they don't want to know, it's what the human race is going to become that will terrify them." Frank Schwartz adjusted the mug in his hands as the sugar-dense coffee swirled inside. All this time he had spent researching and the young man points out the breakthrough. Was he jealous? He probably was, but that hasn't stopped him from sharing the truth before.

Jim Weiss sat there waiting for a stronger emotional argument to formulate in his mind. He just watched the mug rotate in Frank's hands. "You know it's the right thing to tell them Frank, we just need to talk to Megs about how to do so."

"Listen man, this is going to hit close to home for a lot of people. Especially Megs. How do you think they're going to feel? That they know their kids and all those who follow will have to deal with this?"

"Deal with it?" Jim was astonished at how Frank positioned their finding, "It's goddamn progress for us as sentient beings."

Frank scoffed, "That's just it man, we will be come less sentient! More... more... more..."

"More primitive?" Now Jim was becoming offended.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. I do agree in terms of intellect it's progress, but to lose ground on other psychological fronts, it's not exactly a win-win."

"Frank, how should we position it?"

"Jim, there's no proof of the physiological progression of humans. Yeah, we're taller on average and getting better with diseases, but that's how society's progressed. As a general populace, we are no longer developing our anatomy."

"Because we no longer have to! Technology has enabled us to become stronger through efficiency and information."

Frank slammed his left hand down, "Why should we tell them now? That we won't become any better at using our bodies or our emotions, in fact they'll both grow weaker... Just so we can sacrifice them to benefit our capacity for thought and processing." In an effort to calm himself down, a deep breath was drawn inward, held, then released outward. "As an American society, we have come to embrace the expression of the self and celebrated the arts. We've begun to teach the average child to love creativity and to only use math and logic for work."

"By telling the world, we can change the trajectory of the world now by being proactive, instead of reactivity. We should share this news!"

"Do you really think that the world is ready to be told our next step in the evolution?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure we should tell them that humans will all develop into a brood of introverted beings with trouble communicating, developing relationships, and emotional detachment?"

"I.... I'm...."

Obsessiveness & Creativity

Thursday Thought
September 22, 2016

Creating Ideal Series of Events

Internal Determination for the Perfect Plot

I enjoy writing. This blog is an example of how much I enjoy it because you don't usually just do create any fine art for free. There's something more that I appreciate better than the writing of what I hope my audience receives as inspirational and thoughtful posts, I drive such enjoyment from writing fiction. There's something about creating a story or even less than that... Thrusting a newly created character into an alternate universe sometimes eerily similar to ours. From that point you paint their backstory, giving them depth into their past and drives into their future. 

There are plenty of movies and books that have inspired me to write a whole story based off of minuscule parts... An exchange of words or glances traded or feelings felt. Where I find most inspiration for writing is within my own mind and the experiences it interprets from the world around me. Pretty vague I know, but imagine with me... I invest a piece of myself, my morals, or my experiences into certain characters, perhaps a little bit into all of them, that's how I figure out their mechanics of existence. 

When creating plots and writing fiction, I can envision a single scene with great clarity and detail. So within that single setting of time and space and within that capsule of exchange between characters, it all comes together... Where I struggle is the trajectory goes from that point forward. So bear with me as I continue to write singular scenes that may hopefully provoke numerous questions that have will little follow-up in future posts. As the writer, I ask that you please bear with me as the creation and development will not stop. Ever.

Currently, I am perfecting about three to four different stories each with what I hope to be a unique plot. Sure themes or storylines may be shared, but I hope that what they provoke from you, the reader, is much stronger and more authentic than what others may create. Enjoy with me each piece of me that I create, for those who care about me can understand the man underneath better with each excerpt and interpretation. 

I will continue to write. I am in search of those heavy-hitting scenes and powerful writing that not only provokes great feelings from the reader but also from myself when I read it again. Those chills when something strikes you deep in the heart, but it enters in the form of words fed through your eyes and processed by your brain. That heartbreak you'll feel or a great smile you'll wear or even the faces you'll make to mimic a character's expressions or feelings, that's what I pursue as a writer. I'll be damned if I don't conquer that pursuit. 

Here's to Heroes

Wednesday Wander
September 21, 2016

Who are Heroes? What's Heroic?

Merriam-Webster: a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. 

There are heroes of literature, they rule in fiction and possess powers of greater magnitudes than any normal human in real life. This character-type is often idolized because we see then in portions, all of which are controlled to carry a certain savory tone that we learn to crave. Each unimaginable feat or epic deed they accomplish with us as their audience, our astonishment grows and magnifies our admiration of them while diminishing the wonderful acts of everyday humans in all kinds of situations. If we only reviewed the highlight reels of a human's life, we could portray them as this epic being who was responsible for defeating the odds and rising against much more powerful forces.

This can be you, the hero. Actually, you should be the hero in your own story.

None of us mortal human beings are perfect. It's actually what makes us so wonderfully exciting and horrifying at the same time. We might screw up or we might have tragic flaws that could end our ambitious journey, and if those blemishes on our character don't make our plot turn for the worst then it's an enchanting story to follow along with. 

Would your story be worth the read? Are you that character that a reader (such as yourself) could fall in love with? Questions worth a second of reflection and penny's thoughts. 

As you live out your own adventure, you must remember that not everything will make the cut into your memoir nor can it fit into comic panels. Those around you will always remember the big moments and the little feelings that you provided while you were on your flight path. At the recollections, those who care will turn in memories of you performing awesome or awful things, most of which won't be spoken because that would just be impolite. Wise folks advise that we should make our stories worth writing about... Our lives should be worth smiling about in reflection and warm the hearts of loved ones in any moment. 

Acting on Ambition

Tuesday Take
September 20, 2016

“To feel ambition and to act upon it is to embrace the unique calling of our souls. Not to act upon that ambition is to turn our backs on ourselves and on the reason for our existence.”

- Steven Pressfield -

A quote from Pressfield's book Turning Pro, there are many things that he writes that I agree with, many of which are actually about writing and fighting the resistance that boils inside us. 

Now in regards to those howls from the far reaches of your soul, those cavernous halls of your core... That's the hunger, ambition, desire to do more and to strive to realize our best selves. Some have louder callings than others, unfortunately, there are others who lack any calling at all. Why do we have these secular and human feelings when in reaction to a calling so spiritually emotional? That's a tough question, perhaps it's based on the connections between the physical and the spiritual or it's just the power that the soul has. 

Nonetheless, ambition is a powerful potion and a wonderful precursor to work. If neglect of your ambition is persistent throughout life, then you shall be investing in your own decay and your life is to produce little of real meaning. Billions of people in the audience, they're all waiting with baited breath to see your great performance, whether you are ready it or not, it's going to be a spectacular display, neither you or I should miss it for the world. 

Defeat is a Decision

Monday Mountain
September 19, 2016

Defeat Does Not Just Happen to You

Those are harsh words. Suck it up, buttercup. I do not mean defeat like losing the last breath of life out of you, I mean defeat as in that sinking feeling when you give up. It happens to all of us at some point, mostly as a child. It's not until you gain a level of maturity when you acknowledge that the fault lies on your own shoulders. Think about it this way: as a kid, you would fall down and perhaps scrape your knee, well at that point when you start to cry for yourself because of the pain, that's when you become defeated.

It's just worse to become defeated when you get older because you gain so much more power, intelligence, wisdom, and spirit. As the number of days you've lived grows, you should grow in all of those facets so the likelihood of you being in a situation with unfavorable odds decreases. Admitting you're overwhelmed is your first step backward, at which point you may as well just give up. Sure, there are lots of things that may daunt your courage, that doesn't mean they should stop you. 

Over a series of events in my adulthood, a lot of unfortunate things have happened. I've been pushed to my limits. I've had the metaphorical wind taken out of my sails. I've resided in low valleys. I've swum in waters deeper than I am tall. I've been burned on passions. I've experienced a lot of feelings and situations where the decision about defeat was put on my shoulders. Not every situation was left in victory, there were times when I accepted the defeat because I could not carry on.

At this point now in my life, I will say no to defeat. I've tasted that sour solution to my sorrows and I must say, my heart prefers the burn of the prolonged struggle. I cannot tell you whether you should resist defeat, that decision lies purely within your heart. For myself, I will fight and persevere in order to rise to the top of every mountain I climb. For my loved ones, I will offer my hand to them so that they may too realise that they can rise above the agony of defeat. Nonetheless, every defeated person has willingly accepted, it is never handed to them. Be strong my friends, it's always better once you decide it will be. 

Dialog After Dawn

Friday Freestyle
September 16, 2016

Morning After

"Good morning Adam!" Stan blurts out to me, I stumble into the kitchen to grab the first mug in the cupboard. 

"Ease up on him, he had a rough night." The coffee glides out of the pot into the mug. Wait for it to cool a brief second, now I must blow on it to cool it faster. I wait for the push to become a shove. 

"Hey man, what he did last night... That was epic. Even I would've thought twice about doing it."

"Easy now Stan, you're not that kind of guy anymore. We need to talk about what happened."

"I'd rather not. My body hurts, my head is pounding, and my heart feels... "

"It feels like it's carrying iron weights?" Jessie interrupts. 

"Yeah. I can't really believe what happened and what I did."

Jessie comforts me, " It's going to be okay, we just need to figure out your next steps and to convince them you did the right thing."

"Did you guys stay here last night?" The coffee slowly makes its way through my body to awaken my senses. 

"We did. Well sort of, we stayed nearby. We know a place."

"Hmm alright. I'm glad you guys are here, I could use some peace of mind"

"Bro, peace was not inside of you last night"

"Stan! Goodness man, ease up on him. He lost control."

"You know, I don't really remember much of last night. It was like I was drugged, i mean yeah I had those whiskeys."

"Heh, yeah something came over you for sure."

"Listen, we need to tell you something, Adam."

"Oh, what is it now..." I kept thinking back to her and the look on her face afterward.

Stan speaks up before Jessie steps in, "Well man, we came over to help you out, but there's something else going on with us, outside of you." 

My eyes slide laterally to Jessie as he sits there across from Stan at my dining table. "It's complicated," Jessie starts explaining, "We're in town to handle a family issue, but we couldn't have left you there in that situation so we stepped in." 

Trying to recollect my memories, there are more blanks than illustrations playing in my mind. "All I remember was fighting that guy, but that's because of what he did... You know, to her."

"Ha, well now you're going to help us out," Stan smirks and looks to Jessie. "After seeing you handle that situation, Jessie and I started to talk after we put you in your room."

"What he's trying to say is, we could use your help. Your abilities peaked a lot earlier than I expected, given he helped accelerate the process."

"What?" I'm confused even more than I'm sore at this point. 

"We aren't exactly normal dudes, and you aren't either."

"What are you then?"

Stand chuckles, "Bro, you're going to want to take a seat for this."

Jessie stands up, "Are you religious? Don't answer that, I already know. Which means this will be harder to explain and difficult for you to grasp."

Things Worth Living For, Doubt & Belief

Thursday Thought
September 15, 2016

Things Worth Living For, Part 2

Outside Doubt / Internal Belief

Things worth living for? They're not exactly physical things, they're things experienced or things that are felt. Imagine with me, the moments in your life when you initiate the inner dialogue to essentially say, "Wow, how great it is to be alive?" 

As an American, I love to be successful and to receive praise for it. It's a part of our egotistical culture, and it's alright to be proud of what we do or what we say. On the flipside of that magnificent Silver Dollar, there's the exact opposite that would be received from the external audience. Those people who don't really believe in your abilities or your powers, there's plenty of them and I guarantee there are fewer folks who believe in you than you may hope. It's okay, that's the tough part of life facing that tall wall of disbelief, which creates this feeling self-doubt and perhaps it may reduce the morale. 

Here's where the goosebumps rise in waves across your skin... when you say (usually in your head): "Screw you, I will do this. Just watch me." It carries much more weight in your journey to believe in yourself over the encouragement of another. Not to discount the applause we may give a friend or a colleague, but the belief in yourself is powerful. I love when people doubt me, or even when they have a neutral attitude towards myself and my potential. When they see me as a worker or performer with little expectation of production or potential, I relish that, I turn it into fuel for my Inspiration Furnace. 

If you boss doubts you, prove him wrong. If your friend doesn't like a trip you've planned, show them the adventure. When your parents try to steer you in another direction, stay your course. No matter what the voices around you say, you have to listen to the murmuring from your heart and whispers from your soul. Often the noise of the world around us can pollute our thoughts and the understanding of what our spirit desires to do, hence why it is important to seek out that space of isolation for Self-Talk. 

To believe in yourself is to invest in yourself. Saying those words of encouragement, listening to your spirit, making your own decisions, and adding common sense to the equation will enable you to do unimaginable things. Buy into your own start-up before seeking investors, because why don't but into what you do, they will buy into why you do it. Silencing the doubters and non-believers, stoking that fire within in order to fuel success, that's worth living for.