Older and Wiser, or Younger and More Curious

A recent podcast on Ned’s Radio Hour, had me full circle to what I have always questioned, conformity.  In a world perceived with certainty I feel outcasted still questioning validity;  to whomever said that the older we get the wiser we become, I would counter with the thought that a curious mind is the wisest for it is unrestrained to limitations given by man.

Our mind, is the potential safe haven for a world filled with expectations and like-minded people, not because we don’t know how to think for ourselves, but because society has made it easier to agree than to stand alone thereby only learning what is necessary to get the job done. The capabilities of man are not within other individuals, but the potential that lies within a creative mind that explores the depths of infinity.

Too many of us, myself included, fear failure. We want to not only do our job, but do it at its best capability. In doing so we expect ourselves to be flawless, but, how do we know we are doing it the best way if we limit it to what we have only done. We must flourish by taking the leaps and not fear failing; rather learn to embrace failure. Failure is proof that we are trying something new, that we are taking initiative and that we are worth our own investment.

Almost as worse as failure is the fear to be vulnerable. Society has conformed to the belief that if we are vulnerable we are weak. But, it is within the vulnerable that lies trust, and that takes more courage than all else. We need to put our walls down, we have become so infatuated with proving ourselves to one another that we have lost the common ground to what makes us human… we mess up, we have emotions and we are not perfect. In order to relate we must have common ground, and we touch and better build a trusting structure with the willingness to be “real” to understand ourselves and trust ourselves, that we are our own worst critic and for what it is we are lacking, there’s a world out there that too has flaws.

Inevitably we are creators of our own lives. As big, or as little, of an impact we want to make is determined by time we are willing to spend working on ourselves and learning one another. The world toward positive movement can not be tackled with the expectation that change happens over night, and that thoughts alone change outcomes, but that we are one… that no man is better than another, that materialistic possessions are not determinants of who we are as people, and that where we are going was prepaved by where we’ve come. We are given the choice to create something wonderful. We receive what it is we give, but shall never make decisions expecting the favor in short-term return but to be patient that the  measurement of our return  is how we are molded through our character.

At the end of the day, it lies within us what it is we accept. We make choices, daily, that form our life ahead. We choose to ignore signs, seize opportunities, master skills, rid of hobbies, etc. 

Our choices today inevitably mold our pavement, however, never permanent. We can continuously maintenance those things that mean most to us, or let it go. 

The beauty of the world we live in are the endless possibilities. Often times, are those same possibilities that one let go in order to have. 

With that, we should never be greedy holding on to things that no longer produce happiness, nor keep for the pure accessory or word of validation. Life's short and where it is we have potential is within what we have yet took the time to master. In order to do so, we must make room.

If I’m not good at what I do, then what good am I? Let’s master our passions.

Everything that is coming is exactly everything we’ve prepared for… when the door opens, be ready.

If uncertain of our purpose,let's first create short term goals that lead us towards temporary happiness.

It is within learning more about ourselves that we become familiar what moves are necessary to create long-term happiness.  

I've found that continuously aiming towards a goal allows a reflection period not of regret, but of lessons that help forecast where we will be by continuing the same path, or the path we need to create.

To be quick to apologize doesn’t necessarily mean we’re weak, but strong enough to know when we are in the wrong.

Do all good things fade in time?

Everything we believe in is through our perception. We are a descendent of everything we think & believe in. We are creators of our own self-worth, & it is only within ourselves that we can guaranty change. 

We must not dwell on what it is we can not change, nor ignore how we perceive something. We acknowledge what it is believe to be true, typically because it is what we believe is correct... But not necessarily. Although we can control ourselves, human emotions among others' can not be controlled. So, why does it seem that good things fade? It is because we believe it has, or have already started to believe a sense of loss. And, if it is within another it may not have to do with our actions being any different than they once were, but what has been expected... and, to me, is the root of all things that fade. 

"Eventually we come full circle, but the beautiful thing is, we don't ever make wrong turns"-@JackieSCraig

"The world is our battlefield if we choose to overcome our fears and live for the experience."- @JackieSCraig

"Nothing in life is free. Monetarily we may be given passes, but time can never be replaced."-@JackieSCraig

We need to choose to be proactive not reactive-

In order to become successful we need to prepare for the worst, expect only the best and work hard in order to get there. 

Only when we choose to work towards a higher standard are we making change. No matter the resistance, things worth working for will take patience, persistence and motivation.  

Our life is what we choose to do with our time and when... So let's live for today, prepare for tomorrow and with aspirations that never end in our future. We are our own restraint. 

"Rarely are we given the same opportunity twice, and all it takes is one to make change."- @JackieSCraig

"Take everything in manageable strides, those who start sprinting burn out & those who move too slow, get passed."- @JackieSCraig

Like everything in life we must take only what it is we can manage, and have the passion in order to seek it through. Although we may be ambitious, we must stay humbled in trusting that as long as we are making continuous moves to grow as individuals, and towards our ultimate ambitions, we are not wasting time. Although we must be go-getters, we must leave time to digest and reflect what it is we are doing. We must not start off at full sprint, it is within those who practice, know self-strength and stay consistent (grow to become proceedingly better) that finish. 

We too, must stay full of dreams and implement them to goals when given the opportunity, or the time. Rarely are we given the same opportunity twice, and all it takes is one to make change. Let's not be passed, or referred back, recalling what we should have done, but instead have the courage and tenasity to do all that we can to repay the life we have been blessed to have. 

We are surrounded by amazing, driven, positive and loving people, so if we seem to be in a lack thereof... remember we attract what we give.

From experience, and through the relationships I have been fortunate enough to have experienced, those who truly understand positivity often are left exhausted; but as it has been told, we can sleep when we are dead.

Keeping a positive spirit when the world seems to view the cup half empty is a hard task, but a journey well-worth the extra effort. Life is meant to live, and not waste judging and conforming, let's learn to love!

Let's continue working to become the people we want to be & help each other towards the right direction. Let's seek the goals that we desire and not let the thoughts of judgement hinder a prosperous future.

I commend those who venture off and are true go-getters... those who fear not where the unknown is located... the untold journey of that choice is that all things we have learned to find comfort in: friends, family, places, etc. are lost to the determination to find more; and are learning to adjust and maintain peace & positive spirit.

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I want to give a mention to my dearest friend Nestor, who is a Michigan-native, and moved to the west coast to chase his dreams and make more; and undeniably is making them come true. Remember... at times it seems the hardest are the experiences that we grow the most from. You are an idol, a go-getter & a positive ray of sunshine that any one who has been blessed to have met/get to know you, knows. Never doubt the moves you have made, or lose the motivation to spread your love for life among others because there are times where I reflect back to your words of encouragement that have made it possible for me to see past times where it could have been easier to give up.

It is when we feel like giving up that we are meeting the final opsticals towards the finish line.

Let's stay persistant in what it is we truly want. From experience things worthwhile are those worth waiting for, & sometimes means keeping faith, positvity and persistance. 

We all are strong and limitations within our own mind inevitably are our hardest walls to break through. 

"We must initiate momentum in order to gain momentum"- @JackieSCraig

Let's think big, take the time to plan a goal & follow through until we accomplish  it/them or be humbled by the experience. The biggest mistake we ever can make is not making a move... Initiate the momentum.

If we live life seizing opportunities given, and working towards those we desire one life is plenty.

Let's stop with procrastination and wondering where life leads, and create the life we aspire to have. Every thing created was manefested by the will power to try alongside the persistence to not give up. 

"If we do what we love, we never work a day in our lives." Although, I have found this hard to come by, I desire this goal. Every day is a gift, an opportunity to learn and become more, better than we are. The room for improvement is only as limited as we are minded. 

Anything but Ordinary

"Never love anybody who treats you ordinary."

Almost as important as it is to love ourselves and live positivity, is surrounding ourselves with those who have similar visions. It is true that we must first learn to love ourselves before we truly can love another, but it is important to surround ourselves with people in which we aspire to become or to whom we already see eye-to-eye.

Although ideal circumstances situations aren't always handed, I have found to be true that the positive energy in which we give/send we channel inward, and vise-versa (negative energy). Meaning if we are to surround ourselves to those who think and act positivity, we too well adapt and become similar around that type of presence and through repetition those actions become habit and a chosen lifestyle.

I truly believe there are more people in the world that mean well. We have learned to become defensive because its our culture to strive to become better than before, and to challenge our thoughts to others; through education, through television, talent, etc. Although part of this competitive behavior can be of an asset, we must also be in charge of our thoughts and know when to let go to feel compassion and peace.

We are any thing but ordinary, despite how ordinary at times we may feel. Although we are similar in many ways, we are very much different. No matter where we are we have come from a story, and every story helps create the world we live in. Every action that we do changes the world around us... it our is choice to make the actions a story worth telling... maybe not today or tomorrow but in the books of time. We need to think beyond ourselves and the time we live in, for change lies within the future, the path not yet paved that we now are molding to create.

Where it is we've been is nothing compared to where it is we are headed, but only if we are empowered from what we have within.

We are Equal

"It is until we view the world as our equal that we become one with the world."-@JackieSCraig


The root of all good/evil is manifested within our own thoughts. As Isaac Newton proved through theory in 1676, "An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless an external force acts upon it. An object that is in motion will not change its velocity unless an external force acts upon it."

Although this could merely be viewed as a scientific finding applied to science, we can apply this to our every day ideologies in which we choose to live by. In order to create change or live a positive life we must make moves in order to see them implemented,  an"external force". We all have something to offer to one another, we all have stories to tell and we all come with various perspectives. It is within these perspectives that we create a well diversified and well rounded ability to create change and understand one another. We often times mistaken our wisdom for arogance in form of boasting instead of sharing. It is until we view the world as our equal that we become one with the world. In addition, as much as it is important to conform and understand it is as important to make moves when necessary when change is needed. The balance of growing and learning is endless, and this is life; the way we choose to disperse importance not only on perspectives but on what we choose to see/feel at all.

Like a pendulum, what it is that is required sometimes needs additional work. The world around us changes, and the fight for human rights and need for awareness will remain continuous. Living in a world with needed peace does not mean that we can not make efforts to create it. Sometimes we need to step back away from the disarray and find reason, and most often times than not it is within compassion and awareness that it is found. By being one with the world, means that we understand that we have similarities, and we accept that we are human with the same needs and desires no matter how different on a day-to-day that we are.

My new task of 2014: that every new person that I meet, I want to make smile and find at least one similarity. Too many times I leave a conversation not having really learned much more than I walked in knowing, and the only person losing is myself, because it is within every conversation that I've had in my travels that I have learned the importance of interpersonal communication and the similarities the world has, but the miscommunications by perspectives; which are not wrong, just different...

Let's lead by example, and be a joy to those who we come in contact with, because tomorrow is never a promise and never should we reflect back wondering what we could have learned if we would have listened more and spoke less.

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Material Girl? No.

"Seize life for its memories not its things, it is then we grow"-@JackieSCraig

Life truly is short. Even at 22, I see life fly by and dreams that I thought I would have accomplished still have gone untouched, not because I have lost ambition but because life happens. The beauty of life is the unexpected hurtles that we learn to deal with. It is when we look at the rear-view and reflect back and learn from our mistakes that we flourish.

I have learned that there is never money wasted, as long as mindful, in traveling... exposure to the world. It is through traveling we learn to appreciate what it is we do have, and expose ourselves to humbling unknowns.

If you died with all the money in the world and never traveled would you be poor? Or, would you be poor traveling the world and die with no money left? 

We must learn to set goals and dreams higher than materialistic desires. When we have the means to survive, we are already blessed with everything it is we need. Happiness is not in form of wealth, but through experiences.

If you were told you would have only months to live... would there be things you have never done that you would start planning to do?

This saddened fate of some, so why do we wait until it is too late to live, to be happy & spread happiness to all, to travel, to learn things we've not done. Let's be grateful, time is a gift.

As life happens we change our desires, our goals and ambitions. It is true that sometimes they change, but let us not be fooled by designer names, the next car to market, or the newest phone... but the money to be used to grow as an individual; things that people can't steal or rob us from.

We are in change of our destiny, that "gift" is the power we have in our "present." #LivetoLearn

Core of Happiness... Simplicity

"The core to my happiness is making what is hard simple. Don't overcomplicate, live."-@JackieSCraig

Too often we overthink, sometimes in order to get a better understanding, but all great words and all great choices were derived by a simple reason. This can be happiness, love, emotion, thankfulness, etc. Whatever the matter we find ourselves (often times) being consumed with the thought rather than the process. 

Today's society is used to instant gratification wether it is by a quick answer to a text, or an answer of a phone call... times have changed. When things are not as planned, or longer than expected our mind start to fill in our fears... 

Let's challenge ourselves that through times that patience is lacking to create rational reasons, not ran by emotions but logic; and to reform a mentality that life happens and although there may not be answers now that it's for a purpose greater than ourselves. 

"Instead of speaking with words, speak with the soul… it is only then we are unrestrained by mans' existence"- @JackieSCraig

I have learned that life is not destined by fate, but by the work we choose to put in. We can be rich through monetary means, but be poor through spirit, and vice-versa. We have societal expectations based on what we've accepted by comparing. Although we've been conditioned to do so, I have found it healthy to set aside these expectations and self-reflect based on personal aspirations. Too often, we limit our potential by the bar another has set, instead of the one we ought to form to create. 

The historical leaders of America did not seek out to be iconic, but to take the initiative to make the change despite fear. We need not fear what is unknown, for it is where there is room to grow…

… every one of us can make a difference, and the amount of positive change we can contrubute is infinite. Let's set our own bar, that continues to grow as we do, and to not fear failing… for even within failing we grow. 

Your D.A.R.

I've realized those to whom we've learned to love are those which seem to get the short end of the stick, continuously. 

So, what is the best way to deal with our problems? I recall reading the book, Men are from Mars & Women from Venus, where it explains differences in actions by our gender, but not necessarily a disagreement about the moral of the argument. With this, I've slowly been trying to learn to communicate clearly & leaving my frustrations to bullet points. But the truth of the matter is, until we can effectively communicate with all types of people no matter the gender, age or ethnicity we have something to work on within ourselves. 

The core of what it is that makes us upset, or frustrated, is ourself. When our form of communication isn't reciprocated the same after a valiant effort, then time for self-reflection of what we need to do to fix the problem in the future by what we can change, us only. 

But the most important take-away, is only fight the battles worth the time. Noticablely, that itself is a cure; not the band-aid. 

Let's move into the new year not blaming others, but understanding. 

New Year, Embrace New Beginnings

Dear Diary,

I have been spending my new year in Washington D.C. I could think of no better place to reflect, and clense my spirit. 

Where we can go is limitless… Set dreams greater than reality and one day… it will be possible… 

There are times when we give up on what we want in the world, but it is through persistence, passion & practice we learn to mold the will power to succeed. It is easiest to begin with a starting point clear from comparison, and because of this believe people wait until the new year to make a difference. The truth, people no matter have this ability instilled at any moment; however, hope that we (myself included) moving forward focus on growing and becoming bigger than who we are today. 

Success, unmeasurable, at its truest state is unjudged, all-loving and fully willing to learn. We, every day, should challenge ourselves to push the envelope  and reach full potential. 

As I welcome in 2014, my new years resolution is to become more social in order to spread my thoughts towards positivity, not to force an opinion, but to give hope that kindness and change for a more fulfilling future for ourselves and the future children of the world. I hope my small acts of kindness and words can inspire those who read to find a belonging and openness to feel important, and to seek help when need be. No one should be alone, or ever feel alone. But, to never fear being alone because sometimes one thought, one idea, one action is all it takes to make history.