This post has given me so much trouble, BUT finally here it is! I hope you all enjoy the video because it took forever to compile! Before you watch it, let me leave you with some quotes, written by myself, to get your new year started!
"Don't let the mess of life stop you from acquiring the greatness it is ready to provide you, pick up your broom and sweep out the garbage, only then will you see the perfection life can bring."
"Life can sometimes seem boring and mundane, but when you are constantly working towards a greater self, newer and more exciting adventures will always come your way."
"Stop worrying about what other people are doing, worry about what YOU are doing to make your life as successful as possible."
"When life approaches you with a storm of negativity, head straight to the airport and get on the next flight to a place of solace."
"Acceptance and openness to new ideas is rare...step outside the norm and be different."
"Dreams are meant for those who see a reality that does not function the way they see fit. So I daydream -- I daydream ambitiously in order to create the world I wish to live in."
With that here is the link to my video! 2013 Review
Before I get into the post I would like to thank you all for making this month the most successful month for the blog to date! I really can't thank everyone enough for sharing the posts and giving me such beautiful feedback, it all literally warms my heart. I really do hope that you all continue to support me and my journey as I try to give you all helpful tips on how to get on the right path for your own!
Originally, this post was going to be about being thankful, in celebration of Thanksgiving...but something really touching and surprising just came my way and I can't help but respond to it! But before I continue, we must always remember that just because there is a day titled Thanksgiving does not mean that the other 364 days of the year you get to forget about it's lessons. I believe that holidays are meant to be reminders throughout the year to live the lives we are called to! Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, New Years, even Halloween! They all represent qualities ranging from giving, family, love, being thankful, creativity, and always working to change yourself for the better! So whenever you come across a holiday look at it is as a reminder rather than an obligation to do something you normally wouldn't.
Okay, so I think the best way to talk about what just happened to is to show you what was said,
"Hey I just stumbled upon your
blog...it is really good! Ummm this may be a little awkward considering I don't
think this is an advice blog...but I can really relate to this post. I'm in
junior high and I am bullied because of the way I dress. I guess it is too
"gay" or "girly" or w/e. Idk, I have been questioning
myself for a long time, and all of this hate makes a specific path seem dark
and lonely...I guess I just really want to hear what you think......I am sorry
if this is out of your realm, you don't have to answer this, but if you do I
would be really happy! :)"
This was a comment on my post Sexual Healing. If you haven't read it, click the link to get some reference to the comment.
Let me just begin by saying that this is a motivation blog, but also a place to find comfort and acceptance for who you are! So by definition -- this is also an advice blog. Also, I would like to say that I commend you for having the bravery to ask someone for help, that is the first step to get out of a tough situation like this. I am also humbled that you decided to look to me as a person for help! Honestly, I think the best way for me to help you out is to let you know what I did to get out of my dark time. First, stop second guessing your own decisions! Your clothing is YOUR clothing, if people don't like it then that is their problem. Don't allow external factors dictate how you feel about yourself internally! You are beautiful just the way your are and just because there are people who aren't mature enough or educated on the matter of self expression, doesn't mean you should stop dressing the way you feel comfortable. I realize Junior High is a tough time to discover yourself, but by the looks of it, you seem to be halfway there -- and that is saying something. When I was in Junior High I had absolutely NO clue as to what I was doing or who I was, so the aspect of bullying made it extremely worse. I think the second most important thing is to look at who you are allowing to influence your emotions, are these people really helping you achieve your own greatness or are they bringing you down to the lesser? While it is never easy to walk away from people you consider your friends, you also can't walk away from your own destiny. Find people who are going to accept you for YOU...that may seem impossible, but it isn't! If you have a good relationship with your family -- start with them! Then, you could move to finding new friends at school, or outside of school! There are billions of people in this world, so never feel like you are alone! :) The final piece of advice I would give to you is if you are questioning your sexuality -- don't beat yourself up about it or feel like you will be forever alone! Your sexuality is a part of you, and it should never be something you feel should like you need to hide! Maybe right now you still have more to figure out, but don't be afraid to explore your options -- there are no wrong answers to discovering yourself! :) Whether you decide you are straight, gay, bi, etc. it all doesn't matter! There is a community of people out there just like you, and there is an even greater group of people here to support such as myself! Never feel alone!
I really hope that some of this helped, and if you would like to get to know me personally, add me on Facebook or start emailing me! And if you ever feel like your problem is getting to aggressive, you can call this hotline 24/7 for professional help!800-442-HOPE (4673) And if your situation brings you physical/mental harm be sure to tell your parents or a teacher/counselor at your school! Stay blessed, and remember to always love yourself even when the rest of the world doesn't see your beauty! <3
Here is a song to lift your spirits! It is called Design by Tori Kelly. I have shared this song before on here, but i think this will really inspire you if you look at the lyrics in the description. I hope that your situation gets better and you begin to love your own design because you are beautiful -- no matter what anyone else says. <3
WATCH THE VIDEO! It isn't exactly what I wanted to do, but time is running out and I wanted to give all of you a peek at who I am! I am sorry it is long, but I told myself to just click record and go -- no editing!
Since I posted a video, I think what I really want to do with this post is say welcome to any newcomers, and thank you to each and every person who has supported me thus far. All of you mean the world to me, without your support I wouldn't be able to share my vision with the world and for that I am forever grateful! If you are just joining me on this journey, let me just tell you what this blog means to me and what it stands for. This is a place for motivation and inspiration and acceptance. Here you will feel rejuvenated, enlightened, and prepared to take on whatever this world throws at you! Ultimately, I want this to be a face for the under represented group -- regular people. I feel like we have gotten to a point in society where people strive to be someone else, and that doesn't work for me. So when you read my posts you will hear about my life and how I try to be the greatest me possible and spread my love to the entire world. Know that this is not a platform for fame, but rather a platform for me to speak my mind and change the world, this is my life. I live through my words. This idea of ambitiously following your dreams is literally my motto to life! Moreover, I want it to be a motto for all of you!
Also, in the future I will be expanding the blog to weekly Youtube videos as well, but in the meantime, bare with me on the videos and continue to read my blog posts!
Just to close things off, THANK YOU! Thank you for supporting my dreams, and being some of the greatest people I have ever encountered. I feel the love from you all, and I hope that I can continue to give it back! So when you clink the links, comment, or share my posts, realize you are making my every dream come true -- and for that I am grateful. Now my duty is to help all of you, and the rest of world do the same! So thank you for joining me on this amazing journey, and I hope that one day I can meet all of you and express my love!
Today I want to discuss the power of accepting adversity and emerging resilient, allowing the fire to burn at your feet -- ultimately rising majestic and powerful in your survival. In life we are expected to experience adversity, those "I can't take anymore" moments, but could it be that these moments are a gift placed at our feet, just waiting to be opened? Could it be that those very hellish moments are also the key to unlocking our true potential? Pain, suffering, anger, frustration, these are all forces amidst the beauty in this world. All of these forces circulate together in perfect harmony to show you the miracle of being. This cosmic flow is why we feel a breath of new life when a child is born. This is why we feel a departure of energy when we lose loved ones, but then a resurgence of understanding and connection when we accept our loss. We all experience beauty in our lives coupled with the shock of loss and adversity.
We must ask ourselves, "What would life be if we did not have to endure adversity? Would we still have the fire to be resilient and powerful?" In my opinion, without adversity there would be no conviction for us to strive for the greater, to look away from the lesser and go running towards our destiny. Why stop a terrible habit if we there are no consequences? Why stop to look at the beauty in this world when you could focus on the material things? Adversity enters our lives to remind us of our journey towards the greater. While it can seem never-ending and impossible to understand, adversity is a gift placed in front of us. We must accept the gift, and meticulously place it alongside the expected gifts life brings us. By expected gifts I mean the success, the relationships, family, friends, a passing grade, a beautiful sunset, the perfect career. All of these things are expected to enter our lives, we have been told this since the day we were born. On the other hand, there are gifts that we can't be told will come our way. These unexpected gifts are what occupy the space between each expected gift that life brings. We must cherish these gifts. A gift resides in every moment, but it takes our understanding of resilience and our life's journey to receive them as such things of beauty and force.
Look to the Sequoia tree for inspiration. These are the world's largest trees in respect to volume -- depth. The oldest tree happens to be 3,200 years old, but that isn't the greatest miracle that trees have harnessed. While they are beautiful in their statistics, their true nature is where we will find our lesson. The bark of the Sequoia tree happens to be about two feet thick -- causing the tree to be virtually fire resistant. In addition to this phenomena, their seed cones have also accepted high temperatures, ultimately joining the fire in a cosmic rhythm that cause them to blossom under dangerous conditions. While some seed shed under the normal heat of summer, the greatest number are liberated when they endure the heat from forest fires. We must let the fire burn at our feet -- ultimately rising majestic and powerful in our survival, just as the Sequoia.
I want to leave you all with my own personal story. Growing up I always loved going to spend nights at my grandparents house here in Washington. While my brothers and cousins would love to wrestle with my grandpa, I found greater joy in listening to him talk about his life. I also found myself enjoying my grandma singing the gospel as she cooked us breakfast, and drove us around town. While I didn't actually enjoy the music all of the time, I enjoyed her company. I enjoyed both my grandparents company twice as much, because I knew that on the other side of the country I had another set of grandparents that I barely knew. This was something that I always thought about as a child. How could you have family that you don't really know? How could you not see your grandparents every weekend? This caused me to write about my Grandma Bell in school. I would write about our phone calls, or the rare visits we would take to her house in Florida. While a lot of my life I did not get to say I knew her that well, I knew I loved her. So when I got the chance to get to know her this past year I was overjoyed. I felt extremely blessed that I finally had my grandma in my house -- in my state. Sitting with her watching Spongebob, Teen Wolf, Hallmark movies, and just having deep talks about life was probably the greatest joy I had felt in a long time -- I finally knew her. I finally had both sets of grandparents in one place -- the greatest luxury life has brought me. I had both sets on my birthday, both sets for family events, both sets at my graduation. My Grandma Bell got see me graduate before she passed away. She did the one thing she always told me she would -- she watched me take the next step in my life. After all the pain that junior high brought me, after all the clarity high school bestowed, she got to see me move towards my future. So, when she passed away I was devastated, I thought I had lost the connection that I had waited for my entire life -- but complete opposite happened. It got stronger. I live everyday feeling her energy flow through me as I walk to class every morning and look at the sunrise. I feel her before every midterm telling me, "Its all gonna work out Meat Man." I feel my grandma more than ever, and I plan to live my life in remembrance and joy of her presence. Life had brought me the miracle of connecting with her, and brought me the unexpected gift of her passing. While I didn't want to lose her, she was tired of suffering, tired of going in and out of the hospital. Little did I know that her passing would be the driving force to achieve my destiny. She believed in me more than anything, and I intend to make her proud.
I miss you more than anything Grandma, but I know that my life is not over, and I am doing the things that you knew I could. I love you, I miss you, I feel you, and I continue to live for you. Rest in peace, and continue to dance! Sincerely, Meat Man.
We must let the fire burn at our feet -- ultimately rising majestic and powerful in our survival.
