Checking Things Off

Seize the day! Take a hold of it and look it in the face. Take off its mask to reveal a mirror. You. You're looking at you. You make your day what you want. You have control over most things, don't hinder that. Time only last so long before you're left with nothing. Make something of the time you have, and check things off your bucket list because you never know when you may kick the bucket.

And Then Do It.

You know what you need to do to reach your goals.

You know what you need to accomplish.

You know what you have to do.

Write down the path you want to take. It's easier to see where you're going if you're not trying to make it up as you go along. Map out your options, pick a few, narrow it down, pick one, then do it.

Comfort is Uncomfortable

Change is good and you should welcome it. Being comfortable all of the time can be dangerous because you neglect responsibilities and get lazy. You assume that you are safe when in fact you are surrounded by danger. 

Always be prepared for change, or for something to go wrong. I always carry with me a lanyard with a hair tie, safety pin, and of course keys on it. I may not have very much hair to make use of the hair tie, but who knows when I'll need to use it? The safety pin is for wardrobe malfunctions and safety, of course. I also always have my keys on me in case I need to run home real quick. 

Have you ever noticed how when you get a new hair cut and you look in mirror, you feel weird? You don't recognize yourself. You're uncomfortable. That's because you're not used to seeing yourself look this way. It's change, but I encourage you to not be afraid of what you see in your reflection. 

Don't ever be comfortable with current standards. Push them and strive to better yourself. 

Why You CAN

Stop giving excuses and start giving reasons.

Whenever my parents would tell me what to do, like make my bed or fold my clothes, I'd give them all of the reasons why I couldn't. I could give them a million and one reasons why my bed was a pointless thing to make. I'd just mess it up in my sleep or I did homework on my bed. I couldn't fold my clothes because they'd get unsorted when I'm looking for something or  I didn't have the time.

But by telling my parents why I couldn't do something, I was emphasizing what I wasn't capable of rather than what I was capable. of. I was limiting my F.O.G. or Factor of Greatness. I was making myself believe that I couldn't actually do these things when I could.

One day, I discovered that making my bed wasn't all that hard, and I actually enjoyed sleeping in a made bed. Folding clothes wasn't that time consuming, and I could do it in between tasks. Staying tidy wasn't a chore anymore because I made it fun.

I started thinking of all of the reasons why I could or when I could. I started realizing that I was capable of doing things. This doesn't just go for folding clothes or making my bed. I'm useful other places, too now.

So stop listing off why you can't be great, and start listing the reasons why you can.

Negatives to Positives

There are so many people that I've come across and are so full of potential. They have everything required to succeed like intuition, drive, determination, and discipline. They're lacking one thing, though: a positive attitude. 

When I first moved to San Diego, I didn't have many friends and had absolutely no intention of making any. Instead, I'd spend my lunches eating with my teachers and making friends with them. I befriended my math teacher and her student teacher that year and always looked forward to talking to them. One day, I recall, my teacher told me that she really enjoyed my company, but every time I opened up my mouth, out would come my negative attitude. This prompted me to change. 

Having a positive attitude doesn't mean being ignorant, which some might assume. Some think that positive people never see things for what they are, but that simply isn't so. 

A positive attitude means being able to see the negative and see that maybe things aren't going to play out well. You see that maybe at the end of the road it's going to be dark and with your positive attitude you turn on the light. 

Changing from a negative attitude to a positive takes time and a lot of self control. You can do some of these things to start improving your attitude:

1) Compliments: Having a positive attitude means towards other people, not just situations. Find at least one person in your day that you think could use a compliment. Making someone else feel good will make you feel good, too. 

2) Criticism means improvement: If someone tells you you're wrong or criticizes your work, don't get insulted immediately. Instead, think of how they can help you. At work, it was my turn to sweep the store. Some of my coworkers noticed that I was a bit slow and not very efficient. At first they made some witty remarks, but they showed me how they did it. I could have been insulted that they didn't like the way I swept, or I could learn. I changed the placement of my hands when I sweep because of this and now am a better sweeper upper. 

3) See the bright side: When things go downhill, many people tend to complain or give up altogether. I'm telling you now, that with a change in attitude you might not have to give up. You can win, even when you lose, if you go down with a smile. So maybe you had to work longer than you were scheduled, but hey! You'll get paid more for working more. 

Maybe you got a B on a project that you worked extra hard on, but now you'll have room to grow and improve for next time. 

Maybe you got locked out of your apartment and had to go to the leasing office to get a spare key. Now you've introduced yourself, and now any other person that claims they need a key to your place won't have a chance at getting your key. 

Maybe the chicken is overcooked and dry, but now you can make use of that BBQ sauce you wanted to try all those weeks ago. 

I'm just thinking of examples here, but I want you to see that you can turn a light on in any situation. No sense in sitting in the dark and forcing yourself to stub your toe on all the walls you can't see. Turn on the lights, because you can.