Take A Step Back

Have you ever taken a step back to look at those around you? Have you ever tried to see them as just "people" instead of who they are to YOU? Take a look and you'll be surprised what you see....

Those individuals that stand out the most to me are my family. My mother, father and brother. I see them in a totally different light than anyone else does, but its interesting to step back and look at them outside of that light. Really see them for the person that they are.

My mother is my best friend but I can see her for so much more. She is strong, rarely vulnerable, but when she is she is beautiful. She has an energy about her that I believe anyone can feel, not just me. She tries to be as funny as me, and fails, but will never accept it. Instead, she'll laugh at herself and say she's funny anyway. Her hands are so soft, I like to think this is because she's so genuine and caring about those in her life. Those hands were made for it. Her eyes can see through all my bullshit and at the same time accept me and anyone else for who they truly are. She doesn't like to speak in front of a lot of people but when she speaks its inspirational. I am proud to be related to her... but even prouder to know her the way I do. It would be easy to just have a mother, but instead we have chosen to be best friends and I wouldn't have it any other way.

My dad is the guy with a twinkle in his eye. He's got the smile that makes you love life no matter what could be happening around you. The world could be crumbling but if he's looking at you, you'fe fine, in fact... much better than fine. The way he cares for my friends, even the moment he first meets them, is incredible. He'll take care of anyone that means anything to him until the end of the earth. He's the guy that's always outdoors. His appreciation for being a part of something bigger is unreal. I have come to understand that all people are part of nature and that we must live within and..... ENJOY IT. He taught me that. Its the simple things with my dad. He can find appreciation in anything, and at the same time, can endure and perservere unlike anyone I know.

My brother is the person I want to be a lot of the time. People say we're a lot alike.... I hope so. He's got an incredible life that is always filled with epic things to do. While he's off doing unexplainably fun things, he's still able to be the "doer." His grades are amazing and he is always an imperitive member in everything he's involved in. My brother is THE MAN in my eyes. His humor never fails to make me laugh and his hugs aren't anything like the ones I can get from anyone else. His hugs make me melt, even if they're seconds long. I still get so excited to see him, even when I've grown up with him for almost 20 years now. Beyond his amazing style, he has a "coolness" about him. The way he carries himself, his selflessness, and his unintentional amazing impact on everyone around him, makes him who he is. My brother is the guy you want to at least get a chance to know, he's the guy that I get to call my brother. I'm more proud of that than I ever thought I would be.

There's an incredible amount of things I wish I could continue to say about them. I could on endlessly about them as people. But taking a step back, and seeing my family for who they really are, has made me realize how lucky I am to have them as my family. See the people in your life as individuals, but take pride in who they are to you..........

Fingerprint

I learned something today. Something very unexpected that I didn't think I would learn. I think that's the way its supposed to be. When you learn something new, it should make an impact...... and often times the only way that can happen is if it randomly hits you. If you expect to learn something.... would you actually be learning something new?

The lesson fits perfectly in a quote I heard......... "your fingerprint doesn't get dull from the lives you've touched." So that got me thinking, is that true for everyone? Do people continue to touch people through out there lives? To me...... that's a very easy answer. OBVIOUSLY.

It might be sad, but one way to measure this is how many people feel the ripples of your own death. How many individuals will be impacted by the loss of you???? You cannot easily answer this, but its interesting to think about. The people of your past and of your present will feel it. So you have to ask yourself........ Will that be a lot of people or none at all?

So what did I learn? Touching peoples' lives makes living great. The only way to touch people is to intertwine your lives. The only way to create a web of friendships and loved ones is to touch those around you and those who you've never met before. Living should be far better than bareable, it should be amazing. People who mean the world to you, and who you mean the world to, make it amazing........ so never let your fingerprint dull.

DO..... not GO

I recently went to a speaker that talked about traveling and becoming a traveler. In his most meaningful quote of the presentation he said "choose where you want to go, not by where you know you want to go, but by what you want to do." This was confusing at first but makes a lot of sense to me now.

It is difficult to find time to travel but I think this same quote goes for everyday life. The path that you choose through out life and through out your day directly relates to what you actually want to DO not were you want to GO. So decide what you want to do and well..... do it (where ever that may be). It is important to set a path that has meaning to you personally, not to those around you or what you are "supposed" to be doing. Proving you can get somewhere in your life to others does absolutely nothing for you, it only makes your life more out of control..... that is, more out of your control.

Ultimately.... life is what YOU want to DO and only what YOU want to DO. So take initiative and decide what it is that you want to do in life or even tomorrow afternoon and let that dictate where it is you're going in life.

DiFFerREntTTT

It is incredible how being and feeling so different from those around you makes you embrace your "differentness" even more. Some very important people just told me guys see all girls as the exact same person... like they're one in the same. So this would then mean that if one person could catch their eye, that one person who could maybe make them look twice, then that person would have to be different. That these guys would be attracted to someone who chooses to be different. Because its important to make an impact right? Blending in seems boring and "so last year," but am I right in assuming this? Is it actually true that being that one neon chick in the crowd of browns and blacks is the right thing to be doing?................. yup. plain and simple. Embrace being different. One might get a lot of strange looks and questionable reactions but in the end, after its all said and done, that neon chick is going to feel proud of standing out. and maybe, just maybe, she could get others to follow. The one guy dressed in plaid with the wavy, messed up hair and some fresh sneaker game will find her too... at least, that's what she's hoping for...................

So is that chick you?

Photography

Random Suggestions

1. Don't live in the past but be a reflective person. Don't be afraid to look back at the past and use it for the future.

2. Open your eyes to the world or you will never be able to see...

3. Don't shy away from being yourself. Be proud to be different from those who think they are everything.

4. Ask questions because it is the only way you will get answers.

5. This is a question but... have you ever wondered if someone thinks you're as cool as you think they are?

6. Most days have no impact on the human life but that doesn't mean you shouldn't pay attention.

Yourself--------> How You Define It

I believe that when you meet someone new, you are forced to define who you are... and that isn't a bad thing. meeting new people helps you realize and discover who you are exactly.

After meeting so many people abroad, I have found that you must pick and choose what you want them to know about you. What is it that you can tell them that will give them a perfect sense of who you are? Will you choose to share your love for sports, music, outdoors, etc? or will you talk about your family or the place you come from?

Can you portray yourself in just a few sentences? How do you define yourself within a first impression?