If All Else Fails...

...Get on the Fail Boat and ride it across the river to victory. I have learned, in time, that life is not perfect. If life was perfect, than there would certainly be a good deal less to look forward to and few surprises to be had. It is in this very thought that I have learned to find solace and comfort when all else fails.

Having spent a good deal of my life trying to achieve my idea of perfection, I know all too well the struggles that one faces when they find out that no matter how hard they strive, they will never reach their goal level of achievement. It can be taxing to understand that some people shall find ease and comfort in certain areas while others flounder in the seas of uncertainty, trying to forge ahead and not sure which way to go. Surprisingly, it is through this understanding that I have found great peace in my life. After all, when you no longer struggle to be the best, your mind is then opened up to true learning that, unlike your test grades, will follow you the rest of your life. While an A student may graduate top of their class, a C student still graduates with their Doctorate and as the contemporaries (not underlings) of the top of the class. I find no reason to count myself ahead of anyone else nor do I find the need to mourn my place as average or ordinary. We are all extraordinary in our own ways and, to that point, we all must coexist as the truly wonderful, unique, and outstanding individuals that we are. Whether you are top of your class in academics, a brilliant artist, a phenomenal writer, or the best philanthropist this side of the world, find the beauty in ourselves, the acts that you perform, and the talents that you possess. In the end, treasure is relative to the individual perspective. No one can make you see the beauty in yourself, but others most certainly can see it, and I think I am just beginning to see my own.




Below is a dream avatar creator for the site TinierMe. It was too adorable not to post. So...Deal with me. XP

Wisdom From a 23 Year Old

We all exist, day by day, with the hope that someday we will become great. Whether we expect that greatness to be world-wide, community-wide, or simply family-wide is completely up to the individual. But, in some way, we all expect to become great.

Think about when we were children. We would always say, "When I grow up, I want to be (insert job title here)" or "When I grow up, I want to be just like (insert family member, mentor, or personal hero here)". The truth is, even as children, we set pretty high standards for ourselves, often standards we could never fulfill. The sad part of life is waking up one day and realizing that few people ever actually become great. In fact, out of billions of people in the world, only a handful ever achieve greatness and success.

Whenever I am drawn to this topic, I always think about the song "Revolution" by the Beatles. You know the line. "You say you want a revolution? Well, you know, we all wanna change the world." That's just the thing. Everyone wants to change the world and everyone wants to be great.

Sometimes, I think we need to take a step back from changing the entire world to just changing one aspect of it. Alone, I cannot stop animal suffering, but I can educate one owner on how to properly care for their pet. They, in turn, can extend that education to others. Alone, I cannot alleviate poverty and hunger, but I can feed one person for one night. Maybe, in the end, there are no great and powerful people. Perhaps, humanity itself, is a pretty great and powerful thing, especially when we allow it to be used for good.

After 23 years, I am fully sure of the fact that I, alone, will never be a great and powerful hero, but if I can save one life or teach one person for the good of everything, aren't I just as great and powerful as my heroes?