Be at peace and move on.

"Be bold. Be brave. Be big.

 And, whenever you can, be kind."

So...I admit, it's been awhile. Sometimes it takes a little more 'umph' to get inspired and want to write. I'm not going to make it bad and I'm not going to make it good. I'm not going to stress over it or get sad that I haven't felt quite like myself and inspired each day... I'm just going to take a deep breath, and be ok with everything, as is. Everything is perfect, in this moment, right now.

Sometimes you need others to push you, help drive you and inspire you. The flame inside of you seems to want to take a time out, to be alone for awhile, to appreciate the dark. And after a short time or some long times, it can take just the smallest of moments, just one person, one action to ignite again.

It's been a beautiful summer and I haven't been more aware than I am right now of how fast time is going by. At this moment, it's September. Summer is over and school is beginning for most. It will be Christmas before we know it, and before that I'll be on vacation to Florida in March to visit my parents...and then in a blink of a second, it will be the CrossFit Regionals and all the hard work that's been put in over the last 7 - 9 months, is put to a test in the blink of an eye. 

Sometimes, we get caught up in one moment. A stressful moment, a tough time, when it's difficult to breathe and see or understand that anything will get better. We get broken down and beat up...and all we want to do is give up. Absolutely not. There is not giving up, only breathing and pushing back.

When life hits you with hard times, these strengthen you. We must remember this. You must experience the bad in order to appreciate the good. Appreciate the good - remember it, love it, embrace it. For we take advantage far too often of the good...and how great it can be. 

So before you blink and everything passes you by - enjoy the moments, the journey. Don't get too caught up in something that's holding you back - embrace it, be at peace with it and move on. For the journey is long and there are so many times, experiences, memories and moments that will add up, that one moment is so insignificant but important in your learning...you must be embrace it. Learn from it, be at peace with it...and move on. Be present and aware to your experiences right now. Live in the moment.

:)

Sometimes to get where you want to go, you have to do what you are afraid to do. You must be brave and push forward. Miracles occur when you give as much attention and energy to your dreams as you do to your fears.

And when I tell you to be brave.

I want you to go after what you want. I hope you stop sitting, waiting, wishing for things to happen to you and for you to get up and start making things happen! Good things do happen to good people, but sometimes we need a push, we need a change, we need to go out there and make something good happen to us, for us.

I want you to open your heart to something new, something wild and something scary. When you go beyond the comfortable, the norm, the regular...when you step out on the ledge, away from the centre...you can see a whole new world, filled with some of the same things that look and feel new, all from a different angle. I hope you take a chance, to make a change. 

"And when I tell you to be brave...I mean open your heart. Open it so wide that you think all hell will break loose and you will surely die. 

Then, breathe and live."

The simplest, the kindest, the most hopeful words. To be brave in your life to be real, to be open, to go after what your heart wants and throw all fear aside. When you let go of all your insecurities, fear, failures, expectations...throw all covers aside, and stand in front of your world aware. Real. Alive. Ready to feel and experience everything that is waiting for you...

I hope you choose to be brave.

the company you keep.

They say you become like the company you keep.

So why not surround yourself with positive, energized, happy people. They always say the bad is so much easier to believe. And it's easy to get wrapped up in the negative thoughts and feelings and words. Especially if you surround yoruself with negative people, they are only going to bring you down.

The more you focus on all the things you can't do, you can't be...all the things you aren't. You're going to add up to be inadequate. I read a quote that stated "You always compare your worst times with everyone else's highlights." And it's so dang true!

So why not surround yourself with people who bring you up? Who inspire you and make you a better person. I want people who believe in me and believe in themselves. Surround yourself with people you like, with people that bring you up, believe in you and inspire you. Spend time with people you want to be like.

Surround yourself with good and you'll soon realize, life just got easier. Happiness is contagious.

Make a promise to yourself to walk away from anything that doesn't serve you, better you, inspire you or make you smile. Make this commitment to yourself, to be better to yourself, your life and world, because you deserve it all and then some.

Life sometimes takes you off course.

People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.

Sometimes things don't turn our how we expect them to. We create this big story of how our lives should be, how our parents have told us to act, the types of jobs we should be working each day....we create these big expectations, and when things don't turn out according to plan - we feel as though we have failed. Not only do we feel like a failure, but we feel like we've let ourselves down, our parents, our family and friends, anyone that believed in us. We've failed, miserably.

Do you ever realize it is so easy to focus on the bad things in your life? How easy it is to zoom in on the imperfections...the hidden insecurities.

Expectations come with feelings, emotions and they tend to be big and bold and heartfelt. We make goals for ourself, for our lives. We want to achieve, grow, consume and live. That's life - we need to feel as though we are moving up in the world in order to feel accomplished. But what is accomplished - to YOU? What do you want to have done - wish you had done - wish you had taken in school? Who do you want to be right now? Where do you want to live? Travel? What do you want to experience? Where do you wish you worked? Where do you want to be...right...now.

Life is so rich and full and it's waiting to be lived. We hold back when expectations don't get met, when the lives we think we should be living don't happen, we throw in the towel, give in and give up - and take in the negative. Negativity is so much easier to spread than the positive. Smile at a stranger - and you can watch and feel a positive action in motion. Little things count.

So with all of the expectations that people have drawn out for us - we build up a big wall, where we need to our lives to be, by when's and how to's. But what if life doesn't go according to plan - maybe you don't finish school, or travel for a year, don't get the job you went to university for. End up still in school after 8 years. So what?

No one defines your life but you. Right now is the time to start living what you want to be in this moment, right here, right now. What do YOU want to achieve? Put away all of the expectations and all of the emotions and try to think clearly. Are you going to let all of the let-downs and heartaches define your world.  Let all of the negative people you've let walk into your life, walk all over you and define the way you feel about yourself?

Hell no.

Don't isolate yourself from the world when things don't go according to plan. Stop right there - stop living life to everyone's else's expectations, to your own expectations. Just because you don't fit inside the dotted line that was created for you, that you thought was meant for you, so what? Be spontaneous, be free to be anything. Drop the emotions and just realize 'shit happens'. Life happens - and it's moving so damn fast that it's passing all of us by. We need to be present, to right here, right now and not let the past define us. 

Moving forward - committing to a new way of being - someone who is contagious, positive and encouraging. I want to believe in myself and everything I am capable of - so I will surround myself only with people who believe I am capable to. I have the ability to shape my world and define it to my standards, to my expectations - and if life doesn't sit true with what I had in store for me? Than I'll fly by the edge of my seat - work with what god gives me...

Life is happening, now and it is so beautiful. Don't let your expectations hold you back from what is available to you, from what is different than you expected.

There is true beauty in being different, in going off course...there is always new adventure, if you're willing to jump in.

Always be ready.

Life is short, isn't it?

I'm 23 years old and I feel like I've been through so much, experienced so much, seen so much...and yet, I feel like I know nothing at all. That I blink and my whole world is going by way too fast, and I don't have enough time to experience everything, meet everyone, go everywhere...do all of the things I dream about doing.

Life is too damn short. That's the truth. Experiences are everything. Memories are going to make up a life time of happiness, sorrows, heartbreaks and dreams. Life is a roller coaster...it's all these great and crazy and wonderful things. And it's happening so damn fast. That if we don't stop to appreciate where we are and what we have - it might soon be gone before we know it.

All those things you want to do? Go do them. It's a shame to wait until tomorrow to dream all of those amazing dreams, and achieve all of your goals. Dream big, be big and be bold.

Be excited about your life and go out and live it. Realize your life has meaning and it isn't going to start when you get things sorted out just as you think they should be. Life has started!  Don't wait for the bad things to go away...don't wait for the good things to come. Start living your amazing and powerful life, right now.

One of the best statements I've ever head - Always be ready to have the time of your life. Life is going to take you a ton of different places, you're going to meet a selection of different people and your going to experience the good, the bad, the ugly...it's all part of life.

So hold on and jump in. Don't hold back! Appreciate your life and the people in it. Show grattitude to your parents, grandparents and siblings for putting up with you and loving you. And love them right back! Give your friends a hug, go after the job you've always wanted, go back to school...just stop over thinking everything and worrying about the consequences and go for it.

It's this one life, all you have - make it yours and be bold. Are you always ready to have the time of your life? Get after it!

Just One.

            One positive thought.

                             It's all you need..

As I got home from work on a rainy day last week, all these thoughts kept running through my head of all the things I want to do before I’m 30. My bucket list, my hopeful thoughts, my wishes, my dreams…the list goes on and on. I’m one of the first people you’ll catch writing down my goals each month…something new to chase after and something different to accomplish. But then I was stuck – I couldn’t see what was ahead of me, what potential there was in each day, what I wanted in my life… just stuck.

There was something holding me back, something I was holding on to that wasn’t letting me see my life clearly. I wasn’t letting myself be here, be present, right here, be available to the people and things around me. What was it?

It could have been the negative clutter of thoughts I was allowing to stay in my head over the last few months. It could be the anxiety that I slowly feel is taking over my body and my mind each day. Maybe my worries about my job and my life and what I’ll never get to be when I grow up. The money I don’t have to buy a home I want in the future, the places I want to go to but I don’t and won’t have the money – hold up, what?

I’m worrying about all these what if’s, all these fears, all these goals I want for my distant future. There was a time when ‘I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grow up’ was ok. That feeling free and young was what I wanted, that even though I don’t know what I want, or I might change my mind tomorrow…that everything is just as it should be and I’m ok. I was getting wrapped up in a negative way of being and negative chain of thoughts…Then I realized: I need to start getting comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Shit happens. Things get in the way, and I was letting them get in the way of my life. I was letting all of my negative thoughts control my positive ones. All the sickness in the world, the heart ache…was actually creeping through my dreams, my thoughts, my every day reactions, actions and life.

"One small, positive thought can change your whole day. Realize the impact of this - the power you have over your whole world."

We get so caught up in what others want and think it’s what we should want. We think that just because we aren’t built a specific way or look a certain way that we aren’t perfect and that our lives aren’t perfect. This life, the one your living, you – it’s ALL perfect. We need to stop wanting and waiting for things to change. Letting the buildup of the negative hold us back and bring us down.

I was letting all of the bad things in my world bring my down and hold me back. I just needed, needed, needed….what? What is it that I need?

Happiness. A smile. A good friend to remind me that everything is going to be ok. The negative thoughts - they happen, the sadness – it comes and goes. Don’t give up hope.  Don’t let it swell your life and clutter your mind with the I can’t, I won’t and and it’s never going to happen, so give up, give in and throw in your white flag.

I’ll start my diet tomorrow, I’ll go back to school next year, we’ll buy a house when we start saving money, I’ll go traveling when my debt is lower….we keep pushing back life, with fear that we can’t have everything we want – the truth is, you can! Anything you put your mind after, you can achieve. You can build the life you want – just don’t give up on yourself so easily.

This life is created by us. We decide who belongs in it, what belongs it, what is going to define it…what we want it to be filled with.

So I need to stop and let go of all the negativity in my life that I’m holding on to. Stop letting it build up walls where there should be bridges…I just need to choose one positive thought at the start of my day…the domino effect. Believe in your life and all of its possibilities. You can define it and create it – don’t let the negativity swell up and take over.

You deserve happiness and you need to realize this. The good will come and the negativity will wash away – but you need to decide and commit to wanting more and being better. Treating yourself better. Believing in yourself more.

What do you want your life filled with?  Friends, family, memories, a pet, travels, experience…?

I know I want mine filled with happiness and love – and lots of it.



You know all those things you wanted to do?

"Look at you. You’re young. And you’re scared. Why are you so scared? Stop being paralyzed. Stop swallowing your words. Stop caring what other people think. Wear what you want. Say what you want. Listen to the music you want to listen to. Play it loud as fuck and dance to it. Go out for a drive at midnight and forget that you have school the next day. Stop waiting for Friday. Live now. Do it now. Take risks. Tell secrets. This life is yours. When are you going to realize that you can do whatever you want?"

One year ago I began my blog. With hope to complete a blog a day, thinking daily inspiration would be around the corner. But as per usual, side tracking occurred. I was inspired and blog ready for months, then after summer came, I began to slack. The inspiration wasn’t constantly present; I wasn’t remembering to go online and blog daily. It happened, change. So what?

Just as much as we don’t want things to change, they do. As much as we don’t like tough times, they happen, they are necessary. Things will shake us up, change us, steer us on some new, unknown path. It will happen, so just let it happen. We can fight change, be depressed, and suppress it. And for what? The more we push, the harder we will get hit.

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing, that's why we recommend it daily.

I’ve come to realize, just because I wasn’t inspired and didn’t blog every day like I had intended, “A quote every single day…or at least everyweek...” doesn’t mean I’ve failed. It doesn't mean I suck and should give it. No. It is what it is. Inspiration will come and go. We just need to stay motivated. I can pick up, exactly where I left off. Feel what I'm meant to feel, each day as they come.

Motivating ourselves can be difficult. Believing in ourselves, realizing our potential, our self worth...even realizing our dream, can be difficult. It's always showing, leading and wanting to help others that tend to be the easy part. It can be easy to tell someone else what they’re good at, how wonderful they are, to help see their problems and their answers easier than we would see our own. It’s because we aren’t looking so close, so firmly. We’ve been able to take a step back and analyze the picture from a different angle.

So maybe that’s what we need to do for ourselves. Take a step back, a deep breath and look at things from another perspective. We don’t make it bad, we don’t make it good, it just is what it is. Change will happen, for the best. And where you are right now, what you are working with, dealing with, the demon you are fighting with, the love you are enjoying, is exactly where you are meant to be. This moment, is real, and it’s slipping away faster than you can imagine. So just be true to yourself, things are always going to keep happening, the world stops for no one. So take a moment, enjoy it, realize things will never be the same as they are today. The world is in your hands.

So enjoy where you are, it’s exactly where you are meant to be. There is no failing, no unfinished business, this is how things should be. Don’t put yourself down all the time, negative people attract negative things…so stop being negative. Be open to new things, to change. Bad things will happen, you just have to fight and live through them. You will be stronger than before, and things are going to happen, exactly as they are meant to. Your life is unfolding, each and every single day.  Realize how precious each moment is, and you can always go after anything you want, whatever your heart desires, whatever adventure you're seeking...go get it.

If there are things you would do, or could do, or dream of doing… stop wishing. Go do them. Who says you can’t? You are the only person putting limitations on yourself, on your life. Realize you can do anything and everything. You just need to follow your head and your heart. Life is a lot shorter than we would like. So experience everything you can, absorb things like a sponge and be real, to right here and right now. You’ll never get it back.

The most common way people give up their power, is by thinking they don't have any.

You are exactly where you are meant to be. Realize this. Even when things don't feel like they'll ever get better, they will. It's in the darkest of days where we have the possibility to shine. Don't rule out any bad experiences, for they are helping you in some way. You have experienced, exactly what you are meant to experience and it has brought you to right now.

This is real, this moment, these days, now these memories. They are yours. Define your world how you would like to. There is no one stopping you, holding you down – you can do absolutely anything you want.

I hope you dream big, and go after your goals. No limitations, just happiness. ♥



Start with today.

I want you to start feeling good. I want you to start letting go, feeling free, light, happy and I want it to start today.

I want you to let go of your judgements on yourself, of your criticisms. I want you to walk away from your fears and stand up to your dreams. I want you to feel fulfilled and not negative. I want, want, want...it all. 

I hope for the best for this world, for you and for me. I hope that everyone stops being so hard on themselves, that people let go of the past because it baracades the future. I want people to be happy. So very happy. However, there are some steps to getting there, as difficult as they seem.

Ever feel like you have too much on your plate? As if you’ve taken too many things on, trying to impressive and please too many people. The overwhelming and overpowering feeling the world is just too much to handle. You don't seem to measure up, you never meet other's expectations. Your current relationships are shaped around past relationships that we find too difficult to let go. "I'm just not enough," you keep telling yourself.

I get it. We all get it. We all feel it, experience it. You are not alone. Here are some tips I read through today to help you realize and consider what you should maybe be giving up. A few thoughts and tips on the things we should let go of, in order to make room for so much more.

Think it over, let it sit with you. They felt impactful for me. Sometimes we need to be reminded that it's ok to let go, that at the end of it all, even the unknown, isn't so scary.

Happiness is within your reach.

Things you should give up in order to be happy

Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, many things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy; no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.

“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

**These tips are from the Purpose Fairy :)

http://www.purposefairy.com/3308/15-things-you-should-give-up-in-order-to-be-happy/



Drop the stress, the worries, the tears and all of your fears.

Ok. The obsessions need to stop.

The worries, the fears, the over powering ideas and ever-so controlling ideas – drop it. Leave them behind. We come from a world that wants to define us on how we look, how we act, where we come from, what our parents look like – but guess what? That’s all bull crap. Straight up, bull crap. We let go of the idea that skinny is beautiful, and now want everyone to believe that strong is beautiful – but you know what is beautiful? Healthy. Healthy is beautiful. Someone who looks after their body, has clarity that eating a brownie won’t kill them, and exercising regularly is perfect.

Stop obsessing over working out. Stop thinking that a rest day or two or three will set your training back. That a cheat day will completely throw off your whole diet and the control you have over it. Let go of the belief that not going to the gym three days in a row will in fact make you put on 10 pounds, that everyone can see – including your boyfriend.

It’s false. It’s an idea. An over-powering worry. We have gone from obsessing over our weight, the size of our thighs, every little bit about us – to obsessing over how much we work out, how often we are lifting, how we absolutely cannot eat that brownie, because in fact…it will make the world fall apart.

So stop the obsessions, the worries, the fears. We need to take a stand to be healthy, to let living in fear be in the past and start living through clear eyes. That we are perfect, just as we are. That bodies are made differently, built differently and will forever weigh differently from each other – this is what makes us perfect.

Healthy – a healthy diet and a healthy body all start…with a healthy mind. So start to think about loving yourself. Not just saying it or wanting to love yourself…really going deep and thinking about all the different amazing things there are about you – because believe me, there are a thousand little amazing things about you, that make up a unique, wonderful you.

So throw everything you’ve been told out the window, even this if you want to – but just promise me you won’t be so hard on yourself, on your diet, on your training, and especially on your body. You work it hard and drive it into the ground, and it still wakes up the next morning waiting for another hit.

We are blessed to be who we are, where we are and have what we have – which is more than enough and more than we actually need. So throw it out – all your previous beliefs about how you should think, look, act, eat, train, sleep, believe. Everything. Just be you – and stop worrying about all the little things and all the ways you think you should be.

You are wonderful just as your are. So stop worrying, stressing, being fearful for it only brings you down.

What we need here…is something that brings us up. To help bring others up. Happiness and love is contagious. So spread it. But just make sure, it starts with you.

To love you, is hard. But it’s the first step that needs to be taken. Stop worrying about others, and start thinking about you. People have seemed to control just about everything in the past.

Right here, right now – starts with YOU.

Be thankful.

We'll start with a photo...

A simple message - that's it - that's all. It's really that easy, that simple. Be thankful. Realize you are here, right now, and how big of a blessing that is. Be thankful for the people in your life, the one's who have stuck by you, who have stayed by your side through your grumpy times and bad times....be thankful. And let them know it. Let people know you appreciate them, that you care. We sometimes over look the people who care about us most...

Show people you love them, let them know how much you care. Be thankful to be here...right here, right now - in this moment.  You're alive - get after it! Whatever IT is that YOU want. Get it!

It's gotta start with you.

It's been awhile, I've been busy and flustered with life....it's keeping me on my toes. I thought I'd start this blog post off with someone else's words of wisdom.

"See, the only thing you can control is your attitude. You can explode or you can laugh. You can fall or you can rise. You can hurt or you can help. Pick what you're going to do and don't be surprised when your attitude picks your accomplishments." - CrossFit Lisbeth

Your life, your relationships, your work, your day, even this moment ...is going to be whatever you make it be. It can be stressful, a big deal, a burden... Or you can laugh it off, take it as it is and learn from it.

I know what I want - I want to choose to be optimistic, I want to chose to be happy, to be confident. Becaus at the end of the day... My voice in my head is the only one I hear, so I need encouraging words and happy thoughs and loving feelings - and those sure as heck aren't going to come from an angry, frustrated, pessimistic person. And really? Who wants to surround themselves with downers, people who turn every situation into a tragedy and only see failing results.

Not me.

I want better, I want more - and I will get it cause I deserve it. Because who I am, how I handle the things, the people and the places that happen to me - I can control.

When the world throws you a curve ball? Are you going to hide away - or dive for it? Are you going to sulk in the corner or are you going to experience something different, choose better thoughts, treat others better. 

Sometimes, you need to be that ray of sunshine for someone else, you never know how much someone might need it. To spread the love, the warmth, a smile...it goes a long way and it tends to start a contagious action.

At the end of the day, when your whole life seems gray and dull and stressed - just remember to breathe. That when the world gets dark... That's when you can see the stars. Amongst all the hate, the anger, the stress in the world - there is hope for a better day, a better world. 

You can help make it that - but it has to start with you. Your actions, your words, your thoughts. Choose to be better.

How are you going to handle this moment - right now? With open arms I hope.

If you never ask..

If you don't try, you'll never know. 

If you don't go after what you want, 

you'll never get it

...and if you never ask, 

the answer will always be no. 

It's that simple. 

You really do get what and how much you put in. If you want something and yet never try, never practice, never actually go after it, and complain that it's outside your reach...realize that you've never taken a step in the right direction. If you put all of your eggs in one basket and things fall through? Well then you might be left with nothing. So what? You took a risk, you did something you wanted, something you believed in. You actually did something for YOU. You gained so much more than never actually pursuing a dream, a goal, a desire. You went after what you wanted. 

It's the simplicity of things. We want, want, want...think we need and beat ourselves up because we cant have it, cant do it, can't be it. But have you ever actually put yourself out there and tried? How many times have you failed? Sometimes, it's getting knocked down 5 times and about standing up 6. When things get rough, we learn, we grow...to be push down and stand right back up, show how badly we want something. 

Have you actually gone out of your comfort zone and tried something different? Done something you want, for you and not for anyone else. Without fear of others, judgements,  failing? How much you put in, is how much you will get out. Sometimes things are tough...challenging, frustrating, difficult. Somethings you have to work hard for. So what? You do it. You work hard, you go after what you want. You do something about what YOU want. And that will make all the difference.

Things aren't just going to happen to you. People aren't just going to happen to you. We have to go out and make things happen. If you're sick of your job, friends, a sticky situation...get out and run. Stop settling for less than you deserve and thinking this is all it will ever be. Because there is more, so much more and you deserve more. You know YOU want more. So get off your butt and go get it! Realize what you want and grasp it, with both hands. 

And when you get it, don't let it go.

** Sometimes..it's all about the experiences. They might be challenging, hard, difficult, saddening, heartbreaking, strengthening, rich, and powerful. Experiences are everything. Sometimes we fail, sometimes we succeed. If we never try, we never know. And if we never move forward, we will always be stuck in the same spot. Do you want more? Do you deserve more? We all do. It's realizing this that is great. The power that comes from going after what you want, gaining new experiences...and sometimes, sometimes failing. It's the experiences that are worth remembering. They will change us, shape us...make us. Experiences are rich and worth every penny you put in.