Freedom In Writing

I began to dream of you loving me, looking at me with eyes like wide open sky, and then I...

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:32:39 -0500

I began to dream
of you loving me,
looking at me with eyes like wide open sky,
and then I think,
and I know,
I could never love you again.

Time, the Most Precious Commodity It has been said, by a...

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:57:00 -0500

Time, the Most Precious Commodity

It has been said, by a great mind, that, “Time is money”. That great mind was that of Benjamin Franklin who, undoubtedly, is one of the greatest examples of economical time use that we now possess. Financial wealth is an idea that most cling to without foregoing a cent out of place, yet anyone can regain money. Can you regain time lost or spent? Unfortunately not, and even more so unfortunate, is that people do not understand the value of each minute of the day, and would sooner waste their time doing some frivolous and unnecessary thing than spend it wisely to progress themselves in some other more important manner.

Math, statistics and figures are often the best examples to demonstrate to those who have not mulled such things over. Say, you spend five extra minutes a day in the shower (doing whatever it is you may do, whether standing doing nothing, or singing, etc.). What is there that you can do in the shower with those extra five minutes other than what a shower or bath is already intended? If you add up all of those five minute increments, every day, for ten years (figuring 365 days a year, forgetting leap year for the sake of our sanity), you would be left with 18,250 minutes, or roughly 305 hours, or roughly 12 whole day’s worth of time that could be better spent. If, figuring a lifespan of 85 years, with 10 of those years being forgone to childhood activities, you would be left with nearly 95 days.

Think of the opportunities you could make for yourself, or for the benefit of others, with ninety-five wholesome day’s worth of time, and that’s only figuring five minutes a day- not including the possibly thirty spent at the dinner table after eating, or staring off into space, or what have you.

Time is a very precious commodity and is not one to be expended if it can be helped. All of the great men and women of this Earth understand the value of time, and what can be done with it. If it were not so important, why would we as intelligent beings give this intangible idea a sense of measurement? We can see money. We can see distance. Yet, we cannot see or feel time, yet we have it, and it is constantly disappearing. Do something with your time, whatever it may be, so that you or someone deserving benefits from its use.

Your clock is ticking.

Picture courtesy of *www.PersonalExcellence.co*

What You Stand For This is something that I started thinking...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 23:25:17 -0500

What You Stand For

This is something that I started thinking about today. What do you, me, or anyone else stand for? I believe that for most people, what they stand for is based on their values. Life, freedom, and morals are what many of us are shaped by and I also believe that if you do not stand for something, right or wrong in anyone else’s eyes, then what are you doing with your time? So Billy Joe over there believes that it should be his right to smoke pot when he feels like it. Whether or not you agree with him, that is his opinion and he stands for that belief.

“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” –Winston Churchill

Everyone needs to stand for something, and I mean that with every fiber of my being. I’m not going to tell you what you should believe in and fight for, that is your own decision to make, but I will be the first one to tell you something you probably have never heard before. If you don’t stand for something, anything, then you do not command respect from anyone but those who stand for nothing themselves. Constantly moving forward and attempting to create a better self-identity will lead you to find what you believe in. Whatever it may be, you have to be willing to take the hits from those who don’t agree with you, and be prepared to hit back.

“Be your own (wo)man.” It seems to be a simple phrase. Four words, yet it paints a picture for every person. Whilst it tells you to be you without the peanut gallery influencing your decisions, it also tells you to be what you are and stand for what you are and believe in.

“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” –Alexander Hamilton

You either stand, or you fall.

Image courtesy of *www.JonMaiden.wordpress.com*

Staying On Top of Things An issue that many people have on a...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 20:27:00 -0500

Staying On Top of Things

An issue that many people have on a regular basis is forgetting about something, or not making it a high enough priority that you put it off until tomorrow. Then tomorrow comes, and you put it off again. And again. And again. It’s normal, but doing so can leave you backed up with work to do, or leaving you with minimal time to finish. This was a huge problem I had when I was in high school. Essays and projects I knew about weeks in advance would be put off until the day before it was due and I go into a frenzy trying to complete it. Lack of time forces a stressful environment upon you and you end up producing a terrible product. Doesn’t sound very efficient, does it?

So, “How do I stay more productive,” you ask? There are a lot of ways to stay productive throughout your day. Removing distractions from your work environment helps keep you focused on what you’re doing by eliminating any chances to start doing something other than the objective at hand. Another idea is to create a daily “to-do” list, full of all the tasks that need to be completed that day. Smartphone users will be happy to know that there is a plethora of applications that are made specifically for this! My current favorite is the Carrot “to-do” app that evolves as you complete tasks, but this is just the tip of a very large iceberg. My favorite trick to help me stay productive is to plan out my day. If I know how much time I have, as well as how much time I need to complete a variety of chores, then I can determine what I have time to complete, what I don’t, and how much free time I have.

Whatever you do, don’t let a day slip by that you didn’t stay on top of things and move closer to your goals. Procrastination is the assassin of opportunity. Stay on top of things and seize opportunities. That is the pathway to success.

Image courtesy of *www.Procrastinus.com*

Why the “Carrot on the Stick” Motivational Method Doesn’t...

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:29:38 -0500

Why the “Carrot on the Stick” Motivational Method Doesn’t Work

When people finish something, including me, they like to receive some sort of reward for completing a task that needed to be done. That could be anything from rewarding yourself with a nice meal for going to the gym every day you were supposed to this week, to a pat on the back for a job well done. It’s normal. We want an instantaneous prize for doing something, and hopefully it will create a habit of completing a task every time one needs completing. The only problem with that, is the “carrot” only lasts so long. That meal for hitting the gym? Gone, once it’s eaten. That pat on the back? No one will pat you on the back forever. It’s a short-term recompense and once it’s gone, what left is there?

What I’m getting at is the “Carrot on the Stick” method for getting your butt in gear to do something only works for a short time. Once you eat that carrot, it’s gone. For example, Joe Bob wants to be a Lawyer. So, as his reward for doing his homework, he eats some ice cream. What happens when that ice cream quits giving the satisfaction it once was? He quits doing his homework? Fails his classes? Has to drop out of school and do some menial task every day for a paycheck to barely get him by?

The absolute “end goal” needs to be what you strive for. Sure, I can study just so I can get an A on that test, but why? Because someone told me to? Because society feels that I am knowledgeable enough to get that little “A” at the top of that exam? Sure. But why not do the studying, completing the homework, and putting in the effort if not to achieve the end goal of becoming a Lawyer?

Every day needs to move you closer to your own “end goal”. Put in the work because you want to reach it, not just because you need to get X done today, or Y done tomorrow, or Z done next week. Do it because doing X, Y, and Z will get you to F. Fulfillment.

Image courtesy of *www.HighAchieversNetwork.com*

Your Ideal Life and Actions to Get You Closer I’ve been...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:10:55 -0500

Your Ideal Life and Actions to Get You Closer

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what my ideal life is. What is it I want to be doing 5, 10, 15, or 50 years from now? What goals have I accomplished? Who do I surround myself with? What kind of state am I in financially? Do I have kids? How do they feel about me and what I have done? Have I been a good father? A good mentor? A good friend? I’ve ran these questions and others similar over and over through my mind lately, and you should too- with minor variations, of course.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine the perfect day in the life of you. I’ll wait.

Done? Now close your eyes again and think about what you have done today to move you closer to being able to experience that “perfect day”? If the answer is nothing, then you need to reevaluate what you are doing on a daily basis. Don’t let yourself fall into the same circadian rut in which you don’t move anywhere positive in life. Sure, you may feel “at home” by not going out of your comfort zone and pushing your boundaries, or by not challenging yourself to be something better. Does doing so improve upon yourself as a person? I’d like to bet that the answer is a big ol’ “no”.

The question I like to ask myself is, “Will my child(ren) be proud of me and what I am doing today in an effort to be a better man, father, husband, friend, business partner”, and so on. If the answer is no, then the next thing I ask is, “What is there that I can do with the remaining hours in my day to change my response to that question from a “no” to a “hell-freakin’-yes!”?”. If the answer is still a “no”, or if I do not complete a supposed task to better myself, then that day has become a complete and utter failure.

What did I do today to get me closer to my “ideal life” today? I got the ball rolling on getting back in school. I began filling out my FASFA in order to receive my Pell grant for when I register for the Summer semester. I thought more about what it is that I want to do with my life, with one idea being writing as I am doing right now! Begin taking the necessary steps to get where you want to be! Don’t wait for the perfect day to start.

The perfect day to start is the day you do so.

Image courtesy of *www.HappyQuotesWorld.com*

New Stuff Is Coming

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:37:57 -0500

I had attempted to make another blog post last night, but the tumblr formatting made me lose the post (my own fault, in all honesty).

Thanks to anyone taking the time to check out this blog, and thank you even more if you click that follow button. Freedom In Writing is in it’s baby-stage.

Life Stagnation Last night, as I lay in bed in an attempt to...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 19:25:35 -0500

Life Stagnation

Last night, as I lay in bed in an attempt to go to sleep, I couldn’t help but allow my mind to wander into thoughts of my own personal life. What I mean by that is, I started mulling over all the could-have-been, should-be, will-be, and maybes of my life. We all do that; in the shower, in bed, or on the john. You begin to think about how you could do things differently had you known then what you do now. That’s ok. In fact, I think it should be encouraged. Think about what you want. What are you doing? What is moving you closer to your goals every day? As I thought about these things, I started thinking about stagnation, specifically my own personal stagnation in my life.

To give you some background into my life, I am a 19 year old high school graduate with only a couple of college classes under my belt. I never enjoyed school growing up, and in hindsight, it was because of my laziness. Now, I am working in a warehouse, doing the same mind-numbing tasks every single day. Pull this off the shelves. Box that. Ship those to customer X. I’m not happy doing what I am doing. I understand it is a dead-end job that will get me nowhere and doesn’t provide any sort of skills that would be valuable in some sort of career field. So why the hell am I still working there? I’m still working there because I had let myself go through the motions on a daily basis. I was waiting for some sort of life changing event to occur to get my ass in gear. Instead, I should be actively searching for something better.

“We are what we repeatedly do.” –Aristotle

If that’s the case, then I’m a lacking human being, doing nothing more than what a monkey could be trained to do; and you know what? I am. At least, I have been, until now. I have no one to blame but myself for where I am. I slacked in school. Therefore, I’m not moving towards a good career that I enjoy in whatever major I chose. I never thought about where and what I wanted to be at X point in my life. Had I done so, I would have had a target to aim for. A reason for doing X, Y, and Z every single day.

What am I doing today to change that? I just sent an email to one of the people I look up to the most, asking them when it was in their life that they realized they had found what they were meant to do for the rest of their days. I am now searching for my calling. I am proactively trying to better myself instead of coming home and living in the same bland rut that I have been for as long as I can remember. I am breaking bad habits and strengthening my mind. Setting goals and evaluating my potential.

Ask yourself every single day, “What have I done today to move me closer to my goals?”

*Picture courtesy of www.Lifehack.org*