So I just finished a round of tests, literally exam after exam after exam. Because of this, I let the afternoon be a time of relaxation, and do nothing but rest. However, whatever I do, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for some odd reason, that I wasn’t being productive enough. I’m sure this has happened to you as well. We essentially do something over and over again, teaching ourselves that this is meaningful to our lives, and it becomes routine. Any moment away from this task makes us feel uncomfortable and maybe even lost. It’s unfortunate that we have to experience this, but it is how a large portion of society is constructed. What sucks is I’m still in college, so I imagine it only gets worse!

I do however believe we have some control over this feeling, and in my opinion should be practiced by all. Keep giving yourself time to YOURSELF. If you become a part of an assembly line, it becomes very difficult to stand out, to be something meaningful. If you ever get that feeling of guilt because of this, know that you aren’t alone, and that you deserve every second of your time. It’s 100% OK to rest a little bit. We aren’t machines, we aren’t disposable, and don’t ever think you are.

Now that we have seen the negative aspects of routine, understand that there are also ways it can improve you as a person! Diets, exercise, sleep are all great examples that can have excellent impacts on your health if you follow a proper schedule. I’m not sure if this is true or not, but a lot of people say that if you exercise or eat right often enough, it eventually becomes second hand nature to you. This is great if you want to get in shape and STAY in shape, and shows how repetition can definitely help anyone out. Getting started is probably the hardest part though, but I think you can do it!

A lot of my posts have a theme relating to the idea of balance. Anything you do requires stability. Too much of something or too little of something may harm you, so finding the right amount is key. In this example, overworking may lead to the assembly line lifestyle, and that is not a way you should have to live. Take Control.

It can be hard to remain levelheaded when people are rude or condescending towards others, but you must show that you are the stronger person. If you can, ignore them, but if you can’t, then approach in a calm manner. Take control, and lead the conversation to a state that can be diffused. The worst thing to happen would be if the situation escalated, and usually involves more and more parties being involved. It wouldn’t be pretty, that’s for sure. If you look at it from an outside perspective, other people will view you as the mature and responsible individual who has the self control to take charge, and that garners respect. This is important because this kind of mannerism is what should be displayed by all people. You are not only defending yourself, but you are also acting as a teacher for others to witness. It’s a simple lesson, but can affect way more people than you think.

Everyone is different. Everyone experiences things that are happy, sad, and everything in between. You don’t have to know every person in this world, so just say a simple hello, help others, treat them right, and be on your way. Who knows? Maybe this kindness will come back to repay you in the future.

So pretty much everything we do is weighed through decisions. What’s for dinner? Should I turn left or right? What movie should we go watch today? It’s amazing to see how actively we use our brains no matter where we are. Sometimes though, decisions become hard to make, and that’s when we need to expend that extra brain power. I think we all know that when it comes to potentially life changing decisions, we often need to think about the pros and the cons. We must peer into the future and ask ourselves: what would happen if I made this choice? Time does not stop for anyone, and the future you is still you. Would you rather be haunted by the past? We all make mistakes, and that’s part of our nature, but that is no excuse for anyone to do anything out of mindless impulse, no matter how irresistible it may be.

Take college for example. Most people jump right out of high school and straight into university, so oftentimes students don’t have the time to do proper research. Oftentimes they would face the mistake of majoring in the wrong areas, inevitably wasting a lot of time AND money. You can disagree with me on this, but I personally think certain degrees aren’t that useful (I won’t say which ones though). I think for most people, going to college is a method of obtaining job security, so obviously certain degrees would have much higher prospects in their respective categories. With this said, community college is another alternative to higher education which I think is greatly underrated. Students can take their prerequisite classes (such as history or government) at an outside institution, then transfer their credits into a 4 year university. This would save thousands of dollars.

Medicine is another great example. There is no medication that I know of that doesn’t have some kind of side effect. Some of them are minor, but others may be life threatening. Doctors have to make the decision: would this treatment help the patient immediately? In the long term? Or anything in between? If the patient can be saved or cured, then surely that would be optimal the path to take.

So you see, taking time to think about the positive and negative aspects of life is an important part of being successful and happy. Think carefully, think logically, and think about what would benefit YOU the most. Make the choices that are best for you and those you care about. The one thing that could ruin things however, is if we acted without thinking, because the consequences will surely follow.

I remember watching some videos on Youtube where people filmed tiny ducklings, and I have to say that really brought a big grin to my face. They’re literally tiny balls of fluff that squeak, and it’s absolutely adorable. With this said, I wonder, is there anything in your life that makes you smile as wide as the horizon? Memories? Family? Pets? Anything? Life isn’t always about major events and everlasting achievements. Sometimes all you need is something small that makes you happy and content. Something that reminds you of all the good that’s in this world, and I promise you there still is good around. This unique “thing” acts as our own little realm, as an escape from reality. I think its great to have something like this because it’s a method of support, a way to fall back on and retreat to in case things go awry. I encourage everyone to find their own source or mechanism that can make you feel better about yourself.

Once you are ready, energized, and replenished, go back into the real world and face life head on. Come back stronger and succeed.

A few days ago I had the pleasure to talk with a lady who has the autoimmune disease known as Lupus. I have to say, she was very talkative and energetic, which is surprising but awesome! It is absolutely refreshing to see someone like her who has a chronic illness beam with such positivity and drive, and it really is something I think everyone should strive for. What this shows is how strong of a person she obviously is, going through years of pain, suffering, and medication. It’s obvious she was unable to live a normal life like most people, and yet she still made the best out of her situation, doing things like getting married, and having beautiful children. It takes a lot of willpower to deal with her situation, and the amount of support for her is truly amazing.

Whatever it is you are facing in life, whatever obstacles you may have, always do your best and persevere. You’re definitely not alone when it comes to difficulties, so go out and seek help! Find people who share similar problems or have overcome it, and seek advice from them. You can only be happy if you allow it, and you can’t afford to wait for a miracle to happen. Not every problem can be easily fixed, and it’s unfortunately the harsh truth, so do what you can with what you have. Your inhibitions do not control you. YOU control you.

Happy weekends! Hopefully you get some time to yourselves and rest this weekend. If it is possible, find some way to take your mind off the stresses of your weekday routines, whatever makes you comfortable.

I wanted to talk a little bit about food. If you’re someone who eats super clean such as fruits, veggies, etc. then good for you! That’s a great habit and lifestyle to have. However, I think its also okay to treat yourselves now and then. Not all great tasting foods are necessarily healthy, and I’m sure we all have our own guilty pleasures. I’m not a nutritionist or a health professional by any means, but my views have always been to simply maintain balance with what I eat. Whether it is meat, vegetables, or fruit, I think it’s important to have a little bit of everything. I also eat fast food just like most people. French fries, pizza, burgers, you name it! They’re all delicious! The thing is though, these foods are probably best eaten as an occasional thing. Maybe once every 1-2 weeks? The point I’m making here is that food is something that requires control and budgeting, just like money. It’s very easy to choose something like fast food because it’s cheap and quick, but if this becomes a common occurrence, then for the sake of your health, it needs to be controlled.

There are definitely difficulties that come with eating right. You may have to spend more time preparing and cooking, and time may not be something you have. You may not like certain foods, and so want to stay away from it. What I’m seeing here is that as long as its not a health related issue, then willpower is needed to choose the right foods. Ultimately, you decide what goes in your belly, but I want you to understand the risks that come with it. Realistically, all choices have consequences. The digestive system absorbs the nutrients necessary for our bodies to function, but if you want it to function at peak capacity, then the right foods are an absolute must. Balance is important. Sugar for example is good for the brain, but too much may lead to diseases such as diabetes. Same goes with salt, which when given too much may lead to high blood pressure, and many heart related complications.

I truly believe health begins with food. Your diet will reflect how you grow, how you look, and even how you think. You don’t have to eat 100% healthy, but you also can’t eat 0% healthy. As stated earlier, it’s all about balance. If you can establish a decent eating habit, then don’t stop there! If you haven’t already, go work on physical fitness, and keep moving up. Some of this requires willpower, so it is very much up to you to take control of your life. It could be a hard goal to achieve, not gonna lie, but if you are motivated, then you can do it.

So the reason I wanted to write about this was because I made a mistake myself today. Nothing too major, but it really sucks. It sucks because I’m going to be penalized, and it sucks because it really shouldn’t have happened. Chances are I’ll remember this right when I’m about to go to sleep just like all those embarrassing moments from years ago! Sound familiar to you? Luckily though, I believe most mistakes can be fixed, either through time or effort, and I truly believe in learning from these failures. I think we all have these feelings of frustration and regret when faced with these kinds of problems, and it usually brings us down for maybe a few days or even more, but think about it like this. You can’t just invent some kind of time machine, go back to the past, and slap yourself senseless (at least not yet), so whats the point for you to dwell on those mistakes? As long as you know what you did wrong and learned from it, that’s really the best you can do. I think the one thing we can all relate to would be exams. A lot of people get this terrible feeling if they perform poorly on tests because it will be reflected in their grades, and that’s what we’ve been taught is important, and it is! Good grades open up to a lot of great opportunities, especially in college, so we should all try our best. Failing one of those tests however is NOT the end of the world. With that said, it definitely gets harder as you get older because by this time you are now working a career, you know, maybe in a company with higher risks, so mistakes may be far more costly. Even then, it can and probably will happen. We’re only human.

I think my point here is to own up to your mistakes rather than hide from it. If you are feeling bad, take a break, maybe talk to someone, but eventually face these issues. If you did something wrong at work, apologize and show your coworkers/bosses that even with setbacks like these, you are still a trustworthy and mature individual who is still very much capable of doing top tier work. You want to be remembered as the person who set things right again instead of the person who only made things wrong. Remember your mistakes but don’t dwell on it, and it can only make you better. 🙂

Sometimes when you lose motivation, it seems like nothing can get you back on track in life. Can you identify why you are in this position in the first place? Maybe it is the monotony of work? High pressure and stressors in your surroundings? A personal event? The reasons are far too many, and only one of you who truly understands yourself. If you are going to get back in the game, then you are going to need a push forward. Maybe you are strong enough to get back up on your own, but maybe not. What I can say is go in without regrets. Don’t be scared of the consequences, otherwise you are only inhibiting yourself. I also want to ask: If you are doing something you have no joy in, then is there a way to change that? I don’t think everyone has the opportunity to find a career that is both enjoyable AND sustainable, so it is up to you to weigh the positive and negative aspects of this decision. Maybe the pay is good, but the work is boring. Maybe there is family at home who needs caring for, and so job security is a must. These are definitely things that cause action, but will also cause burnout, and thus a loss of motivation. Athletes train hours a day to be the best of the best, and I’m sure even they can experience similar things. Doing something so much that the thrill and excitement is completely gone, is that living?

I want to say I understand where you’re coming from, but these things are different in everyone. Sure, we may all have some kind of lack in motivation, but the things that follow is unique to you. Can you get up and continue, or are you able to start fresh? Choose carefully, think about those you care for, but also think about yourself. Survival is great, but living is better. Good luck.

Can you think of someone you know that has had some kind of sad or unfortunate event happen to them? Or maybe it’s yourself we’re talking about. It happens to all of us at one point or another, and yet each instance is still so unique. I remember watching a Ted Talk about empathy, and while I can’t recall exactly what it was about, it really did stick with me for how I viewed the world. Step into the shoes of another individual, and imagine what they may be thinking. The more different they are the better. They could be from another country, or another culture. The point is to try and be someone you have very little familiarity with. Obviously it’s difficult because you have little knowledge of their lives, but think about it like this. They still feel sadness, anger, joy, and love. They still experience all these things the same as you. Now, I don’t think it’s possible to feel 100% the emotions and thoughts of another person (interesting super power though), but if we use empathy, then we can get pretty darn close.

If you can understand other people this way, then kindness will for sure follow. I think a lot of the divisiveness that comes in this world is because of the inability to look through other people’s eyes. It’s great to have your own opinions, but accepting the opinions of others is just as important. The golden rules states to treat others the same way you want to be treated. Sometimes its hard because other people can be rude or condescending, and you want to stand up for yourself. In my opinion, you should only retaliate if it is absolutely necessary. Try to empathize with what they might be going through. It could be due to a bad day such as getting laid off at work, breaking up with a significant other, or you name it. I know its unfair for you to take the brunt of their frustrations, but you have to show that you are a strong person. In tough situations, try to remain calm and collected, show kindness to others, and who knows? One day you may find yourself in need, and guess who will be the ones to help you?

Don’t give into it! You have that next deadline due for work, or an exam in school. A lot to worry about as time continuously grows thin. I don’t know how we can avoid this, so we should at least be prepared. Being nervous won’t fix things and will probably make your performance worse, so go in with confidence! In my opinion, this is something you can practice. Speak in front of a crowd, learn how to think on the tip of your toes. If you are in class, participate in class discussion. What I’m saying is: get used to it! It might not completely get rid of the pressure or anxiety you may have, but it may get rid of some. Talk to somebody who is willing to listen! Tell them your problems and see what they have to say. Instead of letting all that tension build up, release it to your surroundings. If you can clear your head, then you can go into whatever it is you need to do with a stable mindset. Try to understand your own limits, and use that to your advantage. If you have a weakness, work on it to improve, or in some cases, even avoid it temporarily.

Please do not let life overwhelm you. You are all strong individuals, and I’m confident you can get out of bad situations, but even that requires work. Find the right mindset for you, and if you need help, GET HELP.