Why

In order to find motivation in our lives, we must have a why. We each must find this why before we can get to determining the how, the when, or the where of any goal. The why is what drives us. The why is the purpose we feel behind every action that we take. When we dedicate ourselves, our precious time, and our limited energy to a task, we must have a passionate reason for doing so.  We must have cause, see the light at the end goal, and be sure to never forget its promise throughout all of the hard work we endure on our journeys. We must reference back to our why every time our work feels meaningless.  We must remember our true purpose for working so hard - joy in life - with each difficult task we complete. We are not meant to simply be computers doing calculations or memorizing theories and regurgitating them without meaning. We work and study not because that is our true purpose as souls but because these challenges lead us to greener pastures. Education, especially strenuous higher education, can be the precious key that unlock the door to a life filled with magic and excitement. If we can realize this, we can find meaning in all of our studies and efforts along the way.  

The why cannot be superficial, however, else it will not sustain.  If the why is material possessions or a number in a bank account, it will extinguish the purpose flame too fast. For we could sit all alone in an empty home on the holidays surrounded by material possessions and hard earned capital, but no pure, meaningful love. Love, family, and joy must be the foundation of our purposes. For love is the essence of life, and any motivation built upon it is sure to sustain the tests of hardships and time. 

If we can find this why - what truly motivates us and makes us happy - and never lose sight of this motivation when we feel overwhelmed on our journeys to greener pastures, we will find that work that once seemed fruitless and meaningless becomes part of a grander whole.  We will see that it is all connected; each night spent studying instead of going to a party, each hour devoted to truly reading in depth, each time we trekked across a college campus for office hours when we would really have rather been elsewhere. It all matters. Each action we take counts.  And if we can never lose sight of why we are working so hard, we can better recognize our actions as individual, meaningful brush strokes that will come together to make the wonderful painting that will be our dream lives.  In the end, the artwork will have been painted just as we have envisioned it - because we did the work.  

Indeed, happiness may not be a destination but a journey, so the more we can enjoy the story as its being written without needing to know if the ending will be a certain way, the more at peace we shall ultimately be.  In reflecting upon our lives, we should strive to feel that we worked with vigor and meaning towards our end goals in sight - ones that were rooted in love, happiness, and a relentless desire for life's meaningful experiences.

For Whatever They May Say

For whatever they may say, they cannot say that we are not kind.  The pure hearted will prevail throughout life. An erroneous weight is placed upon the necessity to be strong, brass, and hard.  We shall keep our softness. We shall not allow jading to occur.  For whatever they may say, they cannot say that we are not intelligent.  For we have put in the time, effort, and energy in order to gain knowledge so we may enrich and stimulate our minds. They want us to pick between academia and other passions, and we shall not. We can do both. We can be anything.  For whatever they may say, they cannot say that we quit.  For despite the obstacles and adversity, we always believe in a better tomorrow. Even if means moving mountains, we find a way. We have hope, fiery spirits, and relentless tenacity. Even if it takes a thousand tries, we make it happen. We do not ever accept complete defeat. And for whatever they may say, they cannot say that we are apathetic. We are filled with passion and do not see life as purposeless. To us, it is a beautiful gift and we intend to carpe diem.  We dream, romanticize, and create - then play.  We refuse to become dispassionate and wither away. We shall expand our powerful energy throughout and around this Earth with purpose, meaning, and love.

Surround Yourself With

If we are ever to make progress in our lives, we must know when it is time to cut negative people out of our lives. As much as we want to love and help these people, we must recognize when it is time to let them go and move along with our own journeys. For we are who we surround ourselves with, and we must envelop ourselves in a network of people whom elevate and inspire us. Our compasses must always be pointed north. The company we keep must always feel uplifting and share similar aspirations as us. Even if we cannot find enough of these people, we must recognize that it is of greater risk to our own power and energy to stay attached to those who weigh us down than it is to venture out into the unknown abyss of potential loneliness. We must take the lessons we learned from these people and celebrate them, but then let go and allow them to continue on their own paths. But we certainly should not despair; for if we believe without a doubt that the positive company we desire to soon keep shall be ours, than so it shall be. We are not meant to stay stagnant; we are meant to evolve on our own enriching life journeys.  We must be like butterflies, who do not spend time conversing with the caterpillars they used to resemble, but rather fly in celebration of their evolution and life's progress. We should never look down upon the in-progress caterpillars as if we are better than them, because we remember where we used to be, and we must also never stay too long on the ground. We must fly away into greatness and magnificence in celebration of our own brilliant evolution. For we know in truth that everyone will be eventually become the butterfly that is his or her best self, but on his or her own time. We must release our past attachments and relationships that no longer serve us and begin anew.

Sweet

Though the destination may be sweet, we must enjoy all aspects of the journey before we reach our desired end states. This includes all the twists and turns it takes to get there. What if the dance is right here, right now, in this moment -
rather than tomorrow?

We always are so focused on what we want in the future, and how much better things will be when we get these things - whether it be a perfect job, family, or relationship. But happiness does not have to be one day. It can be right now.

Every day should be a form of Heaven. Every moment should be turned into Heaven. Turn every experience into Paradise.

We must choose to see the positive aspects of all situations.  What if we studied and worked and stressed only to get to a retirement home and regretfully look back only to see that we never danced along the way ?  The dance IS the journey, not the destination.  The goal is to enjoy the now - the present moment, and treat it like it is the best moment of our lives.  Life should be joyful,  so forget where we've been and where we're headed, and love where we are...

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