“Against the grain should be a way of life
What’s worth the prize is always worth the fight
Every second counts ’cause there’s no second try
So live like you’ll never live it twice
Don’t take the free ride in your own life”
Lyrics excerpted from Nickelback’s song “If Today Was Your Last Day”. This song holds a great deal of meaning for me; you could say it’s my reminder to go after what I want in life and damn the naysayers (that nagging inner voice of mine known as ‘fear’ included).
When are we going to wake up and realize that the problems we’re facing as a society start and end with us as individuals?
When are we going to understand that sitting back and wishing for “someone else” to start the change is not the answer?
When are we going to stop demanding that others be accountable for our actions and start taking responsibility for our own? And taking that a step further…when are we going to resume teaching our kids that their actions have consequences and repercussions?
WHEN are we going to realize – and ACT – on the fact that if we want change to happen, IT STARTS WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US AS INDIVIDUALS??
It’s time to stop being apathetic, lazy and filled with the “I can’t change anything; I’m powerless” syndrome. If you want a better world, it’s up to you – and me, and every single other person alive – to make it happen. Be a part of the change. Start now.
Photo shared from RIP Conneticut Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Victims – 12/14/12 Facebook page.
Inspiration comes in many forms, from many places, events, things and people. Success often comes from inspiration, but almost never without putting in a lot of work. Hard, unglamorous, often tedious work that’s fraught with mistakes and anxiety. So how do you get from inspiration to success? Do the work.
Whatever your idea is, think it through. Do some research. Try it, and be prepared to keep trying it…repeatedly. And just when you think you’ve got it right, be flexible enough to try a different aspect of it. But don’t paralyze yourself by keeping things in the concept stage: inspiration is only the first step to success. Take action, keep moving and do the work to make yourself, your product or your idea successful.
Photo credit: owips.com
If you haven’t heard, Emily Suess is having another blog contest on Suess’s Pieces. Here’s how to get the info, including contest details, judges, prizes and opportunities to showcase YOUR blog.
The World Wide Web allows us to see, hear, watch, read and talk about the experiences of literally millions of people, from thousands of places, at any time of the day or night. And that, when you sit down and truly think about it, is an astonishing reality…one made possible by ongoing advances in technology, access to more and faster bandwidth and social media in all its many forms.
The question is: are we really broadening our horizons, or just cluttering up our lives with endless noise that drowns out our inner voice of direction and guidance?
I believe the answer is both.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been wrestling with some stuff that hasn’t been positively contributing to my life. After acknowledging that my life isn’t where and what I want it to be, I started digging into the whys and wherefores. During this time of introspection I cut down on my media consumption; social media in particular. Why? Because although I find a lot of value in it, *I was allowing* the noise to drown out my inner voice…which was telling me that there were things I needed to sit down and deal with. Immediately.
Don’t get me wrong: technology isn’t bad. Social media isn’t bad. In fact I find them fascinating, and have learned a lot about both from some really cool people; many of whom don’t live anywhere near me geographically. They’ve inspired me, taught me and encouraged me in a way that makes my life richer and much more dimensional. The drawback to all these positives? It’s oh-so-easy to allow the sheer volume of emails, notifications, tweets, posts, requests, games, etc. – in a word, noise – to take over your life…drowning out that inner voice that’s trying to tell you some important things. You know, those things. The ones you really don’t want to deal with. Things like “you need to stop living vicariously and get your shit together” or “you’ve got some serious issues to deal with” along with that nagging mental reminder to get the damn grocery shopping/laundry/housework done, like, yesterday.
There’s no magic elixir to “cure” yourself of this noise overload. There’s only you. Your decision to make changes in how you handle stuff; your willpower to begin something and then keep it going (or not); your commitment to regularly evaluate where you are and what you’re doing to achieve your goals and dreams as life hurdles forward at ever-increasing speeds on the wings of technology and social media.
Have you heard from your inner voice lately?
