These Days

Well a lot has happened recently. Potentially upsetting but mostly exciting things.
I do believe things happen for a reason, and although my recent plans seemed to have been cut away, I am left at present with immense potential for progress and improvement in many areas. While much of this, I imagine, will be realized upon stumbling upon it, I have a lot to begin work on immediately. This is what excites me.
It is the many daily decisions, both easy to do and yet so easy not to do, that make a huge difference when compounded over time. It is what in the end makes us or breaks us. A decision to read certain things over others, to exercise or watch TV, to eat healthily or unhealthily, to lie or be honest, the list goes on. But these build one's character and ultimately one's destiny, leading me to examine where I really want to be in the future. Who I want to be. It's decisions; little adjustments on the way to the goals. Keeping it simple and being consistent seem to be the most helpful factors through the decisions.
What I have learned is I will indeed face adversity. We all will and do on a semi-regular basis. Adversity that challenges our belief in ourselves and what we truly desire. There are forces that oppose even the grandest dreams imaginable. President John Adams once said, "People are forged in the fires of adversity." A friend recently pointed out to me that the quote should insert the word "successful" at the beginning. He was right. So many are not willing to face opposition to their beliefs and dreams and run at even the slightest smell of smoke, much less the heat of the fire. But you look at anyone in history who overcame, who fought, who went through hell and back, and you will find a person who left a legacy because they accomplished what they dreamed possible for themselves or for others. Isn't what you desire worth fighting for?! Don't listen to "them", listen to you.
I'll catch up Europe soon, so stay tuned. I suppose it's taken me this long partially because it just feels like so much to attempt to convey! Until next time.

Envision

A few days ago I was able to spend some quality time with most of my family at the beach. After the sun went down, I walked to the end of the pier at Newport Beach and leaned against the wood railings and thought of something interesting. It was nightfall by this time, and the lights amidst the black mountainous shapes were clearly visible farther off in the distance. Leaning against the railings, I slowly began to drown out all other sounds. The laughing, coughing, yelling of children; all of it. I focused intensely only on the moonlight on the waves separating me from those lights.
From that vantage point I was able to envision myself out in the ocean on a boat with the lights of the land far away and the lights of the boat behind me. It is one of my dreams to someday have a house on the Mediterranean Sea and a sailboat that goes right along with it. This sailboat, when out for nightly excursions, will have lights strung along the lines of the sails overhanging a covered table with a white tablecloth on which to eat and drink. Slowly, the music I imagine playing on the boat replaces the various voices of others that would not be there.
And the night got even better.

What Happened In Vegas Isn't Staying In Vegas

Vegas! I have so much to share with you, both in these words and through my actions. I know you're wondering, and the answer is yes, I did take some pictures. Just none worth any space anywhere because they're not really of anything good. Haha come to think of it, they're not really of anything at all. Now... where to begin?
First of all, the speakers there were incredible. A handful of the most successful entrepreneurs in the eCommerce industry were there to speak on business ownership and, more importantly, dream ownership. John Maxwell taught from his most recent book, Put Your Dream to the Test, and posed interesting questions to ask yourself when you are going towards your dream.
I realized at one point during the course of his speaking that I had something all wrong. I have been so focused on finally getting where I want to be I took my eyes off of what the important part really is: the journey to get there. It makes a huge, realistic difference when you stop thinking about the destination with your head in the clouds and get back to path at hand that you want to take you there. I think it would be a lot easier to trip on obstacles on the path with your head up in the clouds don't you? I realized that if you aren't happy with where you are now, you won't be happy with where you're going either. That is crucial. It's the major difference between a fantasy and a dream.
It wasn't quite the way I had it pictured when I made my first post after all. Just because you aren't where you want to be doesn't mean you have to be unhappy about that. Granted I have been happy with where I am and where I was, but I did not truly value it at the time. As long as you get a clear picture in your mind and add a burning desire for something more in your heart, be happy! Success is a process, so be happy knowing you're on your way, and place value on the good and bad times you have getting there. Make it a goal to be defined by how many times you get up, not how many times you fall down. Forget about the things you don't have, you're with people you love now! Celebrate that!
It's crazy out there right now, dear reader, and we need to stick together as best we can. America, and really the world in general needs to focus on love, not money. True recovery comes from the heart and soul, not wallets. I think we need to learn that.
Figure out what you really, really want out of life. What's going to add value to your life and the lives of others? You gotta make sure it's your dream. Not your parents, not your friends', but yours. Find the passion that compels you to reach your goals. Get a dream, make a quality, one-time decision to go get it, and enjoy the journey along the way!