I try to be positive in my life. Very positive. The optimistic side tends to outweigh the pessimistic side when it comes to how I think and look at the outlook of life. I'm not going to say that it's a good thing because sometimes it isn't; however, most of the time it helps to get me outside of my comfort zone. My natural thinking is, "This is going to happen, yada yada, so I shouldn't do it." That makes me super nervous, and it keeps me from doing things that I want to, yet am too afraid to. For the beginning of 2014, I have challenged myself to start counting to three, then doing whatever it is that I am afraid of.
As of lately, I have not been doing the best that I can at it, and I want to change that. Whenever a person thinks over something for longer than 3 seconds, they begin to over think. That is why I want to count to three, then jump (hypothetically, of course). The post that Erin wrote this past week made me really think about my life and how I go about accomplishing goals and simple things that I want to do. "What if I get hit by a bus tomorrow?" That's the question that Erin says to herself. I am going to start saying that. Along with counting to three, that seems like the next best thing for myself.
"What are [insert people] going to say?"
"I can't do [insert activity]."
"I look stupid when I do [insert activity]."
"What if they laugh at me?"
"Yada, yada."
I am tired of those darn phrases/questions running through my head. They make me hold back from what I am capable of, what I really want to do. It's horrible. So, from now on out, I am joining Erin in asking myself, "What if I get hit by a bus tomorrow?" Would I be happy about what I have done in my life so far? What about you? Would you be happy with what you've done in your life?
There is a time in each of our lives that we all realize we must stop what we are doing, take a step back, and reflect on the positives and negatives of our lives so far. It is at that time where we [should] come to terms with everything that we have done - regardless to whether it had a negative or positive effect on us.
I know that when I stop, take, and reflect,I always find out something new about myself. And generally, I tend to stress about what I didn't do, what I need to do, and how all of the negatives will falsely impact me versus how if I would've just done whatever it was and the positive impact it might have brought upon me. You see, that needs to stop. I have determined during my last stop, take, and reflect that I need to need to learn how to stop focusing on what I did not do, what I did not feel like doing, and what just did not work and other possible alternatives I could have tried. Instead, I should focus on the tiny, little things in life that makes me smile. That does make a difference, whether in the long run or right at that moment. Life is just a big 'ole puzzle that we need to take moment by moment, not attempt to figure out what the finished piece is. That's no fun. Instead, look at the tiny pieces. Have fun. Smile. We only have one life, so we might as well enjoy it.
Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you have a safe and blessed day.
Tune: Say Something by A Great Big World feat. Christina Aguilera
A lot of people live their lives believing in the misconception of what being creative is. I touched on the topic of what art is here, so I feel as if I might as well tie it with this post of what holds us (yes us because we all felt or feel like this sometimes) back from letting loose on the hold of our creativity. The saying, "I am not creative," is so overused. That is the. worst. excuse. Ever (well to me it is). You see, I look at life as this: everyone has creativity in them. It is just how we were made. The thing that is different is how we portray it. Some may be creative with their photography, painting, acting, dancing, or writing. It is all creative because it comes from the mind.
What makes people say that they are not creative is because they are afraid of being wrong at what they like to create. They figure that what they do, like, and want to make is not the right way to do it, therefore they just slap the "un-creative" sticker on and call it a day. Yeah, no. Until the fear of not being creative passes, you will never make progress, and you will never get a chance to do what you love. So y'know what - you need to disregard every cliche of what being creative is about. Forget about someone saying what you like to do is stupid. Forget about it all, get lost in your own world, and create. Afterall, it is up to you to acknowledge your creativity, because we all got it; we just may not realize it.
Song Choice: 'Love Bites (So Do I)' by Halestorm. I found out about this really amazing band last year (when this album came out), and ever since I have been hooked. Like, literally. Their songs are fierce and badass. Love love love. You should give it a listen to below. Bet you can't tell me you don't like. Haha.
