Your path to happiness does not require approval.....
Traditional norms are nothing more than a suggested blueprint. If we were all born with our own individual purpose, we can not all possibly follow the same plan. Go to school, get a good job, get married, have kids, saddle yourself with mortgage loans and car financing (to of course cement the need to work for the next 30 years or more), retire, and die. Is this what we should all want? Is this what you specifically want from your existence? For me, that plan was trashed long ago. Yet, the outside world keeps yelling those messages around me, that is until I think of who we watch, the people others either attack or want to be. I believe masses of people are mesmerized by the lives of celebrities, those considered sexual deviants, and many with massive amounts of money, simply because they found a way to do it differently. People are amazed by those who did not follow "the plan", likely because it has been drilled into our minds there is only one way. We are almost told we should be ashamed if we choose another route. Currently, the trend is for everyone to claim they give "no fucks", but the statement couldn't be farther from the truth. Social media shows the majority coveting the same places, lifestyles, and possessions, and if you don't want those things, there must be something wrong with you. So many can not even explain conclusively the reason it is those things are wanted. It all appears to be nothing more than brainwashing. Learn to delve deep into your needs, analyze them with the greatest of intensity, and then pursue them with your entire spirit. If there are days when you feel the entire world is against you, or moments where you feel you may have to abandon all the friends and family you dearly love just to grasp a breathe of freedom, then and only then are you likely doing it right. When you reach that point, I am more than certain there is a joy and a peace waiting in rest for your soul, in fact I know it, because I have seen it. We can not be guided to individual satisfaction, it is an unaccompanied journey. Therefore, the permission of another will never open the gate. In place of waiting for someone else's sanction to participate in your inner most joy, make the conscious decision to learn you, love you, and most importantly live you.
Never let the selfish overshadow those who offer nothing but love....
A man from my past died this month. He was not close enough to call a friend, yet I remember him fondly. We went on a couple dates, shared a few laughs, and when I wanted to take the train at ungodly hours he would always insist on driving me home. He entertained all my questions about his occupation, and his history within it, not because I needed to know, but because it had always been one of my interests. He was sweet to me. On the day I found out he died, my buried memories showed themselves and I realized his impact ran a bit deeper than I thought. At the time, mentally I was residing in a sullen space because I was feeling unappreciated by a person I once considered a friend. The feeling was taking up enormous amounts of my internal sphere and energy. Negativity is substantial, and looming, but, so is love, kindness and appreciation. Both sides of the coin are large enough to lay imprints on our subconscious, however it is a mindful task to assign which takes the bigger seat. I found it astonishing a man who did not remain in my life long enough for me to comfortably call friend showed nothing but fondness and I forgot, but an unappreciating "friend" had occupied my mind for longer than I can even recall. I decided in that moment, it would never happen again. Negative energy may not be something I can completely stop from entering my space, however it will never again be allowed to sit front row when I have positivity lingering somewhere in the cheap seats just waiting to be invited down to the floor. I am now deliberately keeping the warmest of memories at the forefront of my thoughts, as they not only serve me best, but are the lesson I want to stand as my tribute to his memory.
Karma is not the universe "getting you back" for an error in judgement....
No one is perfect. I do not believe it is the intent of the universe to punish an individual for behavior simply because it yielded an unintended, unfavorable outcome for another. Consequences and benefits should always be anticipated with all of our actions. Sometimes we luck up and reap all of the benefits, other times we strike out and have to face the consequences. There is a possible positive and negative outcome for every scenario. I personally believe the deciding factor in manifesting our outcome is intention, as much, if not more so than our actions. Any one who has ever studied concepts ranging from the law to science to everyday life knows intention makes all the difference when it comes to the interpretation, and therefore the outcome of our actions. The intricacies of concepts like karma are vast, and should not be reduced to social media quotes and hashtags. Stop telling people "karma" will "get them" because you happened to be a casualty of the circumstances surrounding their choices. Every action is not ill-intended, and therefore does not yield a detrimental conclusion, no matter how badly some of you all would like it to.
Aggression and antagonism are not more powerful than positivity....
In a country which bathes itself in the principle of "being the very best", it is more often than not we encounter others willing to do whatever it takes to "be the best". Many degrade, belittle and even compromise the standards they may have once held high simply to win nothing more than a fictitious race. Challenging oneself to reach a higher level is healthy, and mere evolution, but competition does not have to lack kindness. I suppose it all comes down to the outcome one wants. Sometimes one has to ask, "What kind of impact do I want to leave on the world?". We have all heard the quote "you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar", but on a greater scale how does being the honey versus the vinegar propel your own life? If the choice is to be self serving, then that is everyone's right. However, I don't know about you, but I have yet to see a genuinely happy person who only cared about themselves.
Cliches and imitations are enemies of progression....
I watch many people use cliche quotes, and bits and pieces of lectures from people like Oprah as a road map to attempt to reach a place of peace, a place of success, a place of happiness, a place of wisdom. While there is nothing wrong with listening to stories regarding the path of someone else to gather insight, it is important to understand your path, your purpose, they are your own. Accomplishing what someone else has accomplished, in the exact same way they have achieved it is not possible. We are unique, and therefore our journey has to be equally as uncommon. There is no such thing as walking in someone else's footsteps. Have you ever tried to literally walk in someone else's footsteps? If the steps are in a shifting substance like sand, you'll notice the sands moves as you step into it. Once you have stepped into it the footprint is no longer the same. If the substance is immobile, say in the case of hardened cement, likely trying to step perfectly into each footprint will throw one off balance. Life is no different. Copying another's path only throws us off balance, and keeps us standing in the same spot, trying and trying, again and again, to get it right. If growing in your own universe and ascending to your greatest power is the goal, at some point you're going to have to forge your own path.
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