A New Year, A New Cycle, A New You

Good afternoon everyone! It is great to be back into the blogging scene for the New Year! So many accomplishments have occurred within the year 2013 and the year 2014 is going to prove to be even better! Hopefully I will be able to stick with blogging and continually share my thoughts with you guys throughout the year as one of my resolutions. But, what is a New Year’s resolution and what is so special about them?

                New Year’s resolutions, as most of you already know, are ideas or goals which we set for ourselves to stick to or accomplish throughout the year. Most people find setting resolutions give them the motivation to be a better person or better some part of themselves which they think is a bad quality, characteristic or whatever. However, others oppose the concept of resolutions because they say that if you wish to change something about yourself you shouldn’t have to wait until a New Year starts. Time keeps going no matter what the number on the calendar says.  If you want to change something do it right there and then.

                Personally, I agree with those thoughts. Why should you have to change when a New Year starts and not right there and then? A possible answer can be in regards to measurement.  You start with day one and you go from there. For example when people do thirty day challenges they start on day one of a month. So for New Year’s resolutions they start with day one of the year.  It all depends on the person I suppose. Although, I do stand firm that if you wish to change something about yourself, just do it. Figure out a way to make it happen and follow through with it with all your might.

                So now you might be wondering, why do I have resolutions if I hold that belief? Honestly it is because I didn’t have the motivation to change myself right there and then. I let my sorrows and self-loathing get the best of me. But seeing that it is a new year somewhat gave me hope for a new beginning. The cycle has begun anew and I must follow suite with changing myself within my own life cycle. 

                Now, what are my resolutions for the 2014 cycle? First off, I want to be more assertive. Not just with my attitude but mainly with my decisions. I can be indecisive and I second guess myself. I want to be able to find what will make me happy and go with that decision. I also want to disregard the assumptions of what other people will think of me when I make those decisions. People will judge regardless of the good or bad you commit. So why bother caring what other people will think of you? Lastly, I want to be the best me that I can be. I want to be able to know what makes me unique and distinctive and strong and continually use those strengths to shape, mold, and create me as my life presses on. 

                Many of us are grown to hearing about being your own person. Do what you want and such and such. Yet, most people which I speak to do not even think about what makes them unique. To be your own person, you must live by your own rules, your own style, and your own sense of life. Most people don’t know what they love, what they love to do or even what they’re good at. I feel like you should always know what you’re strengths are because that is what will lead you through life. That is a resolution which I hope my fellow readers can take a gander at this year. 

Here are some questions to get you started:

                What makes you awesome? What makes you unique? What is it that you like that the next person does not like? What are you good at? What do you like to do when you’re bored? What do you like to do to put a smile on your face? 

                These, plus a ton of other questions are essential to finding out the person you are.  I know I might have left the discussion of resolutions but I feel like this is connected. Resolutions are made to better yourself right? So by answering these questions you’re finding out who you are which in turn is bettering your life. Therefore, you can make decisions based on what you like and what you want and not what the world wants. So, these questions are not meant to be a manual but as a guide to help you find out what makes you special. Why and how are you an individual in this world? 

                I hope all of my readers find this post somewhat helpful as you all enter into this fresh New Year with your hopes and dreams. Always seek Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility. Good luck on your resolutions this year and let me know how everything goes! I would absolutely love to hear everything!

Command Respect, Not Demand It.

At first I was going to write this post about learning how to "not care," or my take on what not caring really means. As I was doing some research I came upon an article which talks about how leaders are good at what they do. Real leaders are able to indirectly command respect from others around them because they possess innate and obtained skills which allow them to stand out amongst the rest and be a positive influence.

Now you may ask, what are these skills leaders possess to hold them in such high esteem? The article written by Christine W. Zust from EmergingLeader.com states the following topics: Walk the Talk,
Influence; Don't Manipulate, Include; Don't Exclude, Participate Equally and Openly, Back up Opinions with Facts, and Get a Real Image.

After reading this article, I re-read it. After re-reading it, what really hit me was the last point: Get a Real Image. Many of us put on different images for different types of people. Some act a certain way at work versus how they act at home or whatever. Having this type of routine only splits up our personality. Sooner or later, these different personalities clash inside of us. It creates a disruption and this disruption shoves people away by our behaviors. I've seen this happen to others and with myself.

In a sense, having that real image does sort of tie in with the no caring attitude. We can't be afraid to be ourselves with whoever we engage with. We can't be fearful of what we might say or do because what we say and do is what makes us who we are. Being who you are all the time is being genuine, unique, and a leader.

So my friends, if you wish to gain respect from your friends and strangers, don't be afraid to be you. Command respect by being the best you you can be and don't care about the thoughts of others. Be your own leader.

Make sure to check out Christine's article in the link above!

Why do I have to be first all the time?

Communication is what has helped us humans adapt and survive to the crazy conditions the world throws at us. From major weather disasters to huge political upsurges, we have been able to push through it all. But I'm not hear to bore you on the basis of such topics. I'm here to speak my mind of the topic of communication between personal friends and acquaintances.

 Everybody has close friends and people that they know through their friends who they don't consider as their friends. Those people, we don't necessarily reach out to them. However, when we do, it is usually a pleasant conversation. Although, they never want to reach us back first. Does that mean that we shouldn't want to reach out to them anymore? If they don't want to take the time out to see how you're doing like you did to them, why should they be worth your time?

This has happened to me many many times and still happens today. I reach out to people first all the time. I'm always the one to start a conversation and I take heavy interest in their lives and their well being. Why isn't it the same towards me? Am I uninteresting? Do they think I'm always doing well?

I do put on the attitude that I'm always doing well. I usually have a smile on my face and an upbeat attitude. But underneath, like everyone else, I want to feel appreciated by having people come out to me and see how I'm doing. I don't always want to be the one reaching out first.

Now this isn't a cry for pity and sympathy. I don't want that. I'm more concerned with if I should even reach out to people who don't want to reach out to me in return. I don't have to go out of my way to see how you're doing. I could be worrying about more important things. Just food for thought and seeing how y'all think about reaching out to people who don't reach out to you.

I'm Back Where I Belong

Hey everybody! I know I have been away for awhile and I honestly have no other excuses other than I was too lazy to sit down and write. During that time though, I thought up of so many ideas and thoughts which I wanted to write down so badly but, like I said, the lazy bug stuck with me for weeks. However, fortunately, I'm back into my rhythm. I found again what made me love writing. Why do I love writing? I love writing because it allows me to be who I am without worrying so much about other people's thoughts running through my head. That I think is the true meaning of this post, to find where I belong.

I might have mentioned this in one of my previous posts, but I ran into a roadblock of compromising my identity. Meaning: you know that little voice that runs around in your head, a.k.a your subconscious? Well, most folk say their subconscious voice is their own voice. For a time, the voice which symbolized my subconscious always seemed the be the voice of another person. And this person was never consistent. It was always different. 

Then, I started writing. Like magic, my thoughts became clear. I was able to see everything in a new perspective. As if the clouds of my thoughts swimming inside my head were blown away by every tap of the keyboard and every stroke of the pen. It is total bliss. I can easily say that it is a passion. Along with Martial Arts Tricking, I don't think I can go a day without writing anymore. It helps keep me as me and assures me that I don't need to do anything else other than what I normally do to be me and to find my own voice.

Now, what do I want you to learn from my experiences? Find your voice by following your passion(s). Passions are essential because it is what wakes you up in the morning, what gets your feet moving once you're out of bed, and what puts you to sleep at night. But in between those stages, everlasting memories are made. So look deep within yourself, find what makes you a unique individual, and live your life around it! Good luck! 

P.S. If you wish to ask me for any kind of advice, I am MORE than welcome to help out! Contact me on Facebook!

The Most Sincerest Apology for my Wrongs

I want to use this post to get things off of my chest. Years ago, some event which I can't remember caused me to seek the life of a shy guy. I figured people (mainly girls) liked the shy guy. I saw other guys, who didn't stand much out in the group, get what I was looking for so I thought, hey, why not try it out. 

So for years I've focused on sticking to my thoughts, staying in the background and hopefully receive what I wanted from people by being shy. Also, because I thought I was pretty interesting, I thought other people would find interest in me enough to approach me. Yeah, not really the best decision.

All this decision did was cause endless pain. I held onto the hope of people finding interest in me that it blinded me from finding interest in the people I know now. I constantly kept looking for the next best thing which would make me feel important. It was such a terrible decision. I lost many awesome friends and connections because I thought they didn't deliver what I wanted. But they did. They did plus more and I didn't want to realize it until now. 

For all the people who I've done this too, I'm truly truly sorry. You have not done anything wrong to me for I have committed so much wrong to you. I've neglected, I've hurt, I've pushed away the people who did right to me for years. 

So for what its worth, I'd like to try my best to fix my wrongs. I wish to connect back with all the people who I've wronged and somehow get back onto the right foot. I wish to be unconditionally grateful for the people that I know and the love they have shown to me because y'all deserve all the love that I can give. 

If I have wronged you, please contact me somehow and tell me that I did. Tell me in the realest fashion so I know in my heart that I have something to fix. Thank you for your time in reading this and I hope all of you accept my apology.

How to Focus Your Mind!

Man thinking on a train journey. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When we set goals for ourselves we tend to sway away from the path we laid out. Maybe Grandma came and told you to bake cookies which led to you looking up recipes written by the Tooth fairy. Life is unexpected. So how do you go about in fixating your mind to only focusing on your one goal?

1. Let your thoughts pass: We all think about the most random of thoughts when we're focusing on certain objectives. Some of those thoughts get the best of us. However, if you let your thoughts pass like ocean waves, nothing will stop you. Try not to trail your thoughts.
2. Learn to be mindful: Being mindful is one of the best tactics for living in the now. Since working on your goal is considered being in the "now" state, being mindful will allow you to capture everything as it is and make you less concerned with things which may have nothing to do with what you want.
3. Relieve stress: Stress is a heavy burden everybody goes through. It throws off your focus, clutters your mind, and leads you to sometimes be less motivated to continue work. So always focus on breathing, taking one step at a time, counting to ten, and so on.
4. Always find a happy place: When we get caught up in the tensions of life, we sometimes find ourselves in a dark place. In order to get out, find what makes you happy, place your mind in that setting, and go about your life as if everything resides where you are. 

Good luck.

New Writing Position at SocialWorkHelper.com!

Hey everyone, sorry I've been away for awhile. I have recently landed a writing internship at SocialWorkHelper.com and have dedicated some of my time to writing some articles for them. SocialWorkHelper is an online magazine which cover topics from education to politics and everything in between! I would  greatly appreciate it if you would visit the website and read over some of the very interesting articles other writers have written as well!

Here are the links to the two latest posts I've written! I hope you enjoy them and make sure to leave a comment so I can comment on your work as well!

http://www.socialworkhelper.com/2013/03/11/using-the-law-of-attraction-to-achieve-your-goals/

http://www.socialworkhelper.com/2013/03/13/mayor-bloombrgs-fight-against-obesity/