1. Mindset: The characteristic that differentiates you from everyone else. A vehicle that is driven daily by you. How you perceive and express the unique soul that you are. Something that changes with you as you grow older, no matter what. Your experiences help with the rapid evolution taking place in your mind while living in this seamlessly changing world we roam about. Accept change even if you don’t want to, because in all honesty you’ll be a different person a year from now. Capitalize on any opportunity put before you that can enhance your mindset, friend. An open mind, is key. Don’t live life shunning ideas out when it can potentially be the things you love.
2. Love: A word with an infinite amount of meanings. A choice not a feeling. People say, “Love fades away.” the only reason for that is because they chose to stop trying with that person. If both of you wake up everyday wanting each other as much as you did in the beginning of the relationship, it’s bound to last. Love isn’t easy, it’s just as difficult as people claim it is. But, have you heard the phrase, “Nothing good comes easy?” So, why give up as soon as you both experience signs of hardship?
3. Happiness: As temporary as it currently is, possibly one of the best feelings you may experience. The state of well-being. The small moments in life that you wish could last forever. Ultimately the goal everyone wants to reach in life. Happiness may exist more in other peoples lives, but you should never envy them. Because, eventually, you’ll experience true happiness. A happiness you thought would have never been present in your life. Seize that moment and never let it go. If you’re still afraid that won’t happen anytime soon, don’t worry at all. It’ll come when you least expect it.
4. Depression: The feeling of being stuck. Helplessness. Hopeless. Tired. There are ways to soothe it, but it never really feels like it goes away. The hole you are trapped in seems to be too far down to see the light on the other side. You’re a great liar, because everyday you go out it’s unnoticeable. The second you get home, you find yourself in your room overthinking the unthinkable. Bottling everything up, because who wants to hear about it anyway? That’s the best way to lead yourself to self destruction. It may be hard to know exactly what you’re feeling, but people love you. No matter how much you disagree, there are people who care and want to listen. Your walls don’t need to be as high as mountains, because even the greatest people will get tired of being pushed away.
5. Loneliness: Alone. By yourself. A room full of unfamiliar faces. Some people’s worst nightmare. A feeling you dread. But, comfort can be found in being alone. You may find out things you never knew about yourself, because no one else was there with you. No one else was there to give you advice, or another point of view. That can help you grow as an individual, showing you that you’re just as strong by yourself. A little step towards loving yourself.
6. Music: Have you ever closed your eyes while listening to one of your favorite songs and sang as loud and sincere as you could? Falling victim to the sweet melody. Thinking of all the things that you and the artist can relate in. The lyrics are the emotions that you cannot express in words. The beat is the different layers of sound that can instantly trigger that emotion in your brain. Music is an escape from reality. A safe haven. A stress reliever. A shoulder to cry on.
7. Insight: A person is letting you into their life. Giving you the details of certain problems they have faced. Not holding any detail back. You’ve been told you’re a good listener, and you love when people vent to you. Because they trust you, and depend on you. You get to speak your point of view and comfort them, but don’t feed them lies. They’re telling you for a reason, don’t sugar coat anything. If something they are doing is preventing them from accomplishing their overall goal, point it out. If you told your problems to somebody and they responded with things that you didn’t want to hear, but you know deep down it’s true. How would you feel about that person?
8. Doubts: It’s only normal. A gut feeling that is hard to shake off. You may have doubted yourself many times before. Something as simple as thinking you’ve done poorly on a test, or maybe as extreme as doubting someone’s words towards you. The great thing about doubts is, that the uncertainty that you felt for the short/long period of time will become a certainty. It’ll be answered, and then a new worry will introduce itself and that’s just part of the process of life.
9. Defense Mechanisms: You once loved someone so deeply. You loved them so, because you’ve never been hurt before. Gave them everything you had, and it still wasn’t enough. They left. It seems as if they never cared for you in the first place, you were just an item for the time being. You may have been lost and confused, because this hasn’t ever happened to you. The person you’ve gotten attached to has detached. And it hurts. It hurts so fucking much, and you’re left picking up the pieces in the end. The promises to yourself start rolling in. “I’m never going to be that attached again.” “I’ll never let anyone break through my walls again.” etc… You’ve built your walls strong and high. You’ve grown weary on people’s intentions with you. You’ve toned down the feelings you’ve once felt. Pushed people away when you’ve felt they’re getting to know you a little too much. The only person you’re hurting is yourself, because you may have pushed out some of the greatest people you could meet. All because you never want to hurt like that again.
10. Relationships: What makes us human? The ability to talk? Walk? Morality? The creativity we may possess? Our brain? Or is it the relationships we build with people we meet throughout life? Meeting the different personalities, different mindsets, and characters out there in the world. Bonds of trust being formed over simple or complex communication. A friend, family member, or significant other. These relationships that are crafted are symbiotic. You both learn something from one another. Whether it’s a new word, or a new perspective of a situation or idea. Lessons are always a result of a relationship good or bad.
11. Obstacles: A certainty in life. In fact, life wouldn’t be the same without a little struggle here and there. The two options are success or failure. There may be some obstacles you cannot overcome at the time it arises, but you will be able to once you’re ready. And if you still don’t succeed, everything happens for a reason, don’t get discouraged. Maybe the task was for you to fail, because when a door closes, three more open.
12. Lost: There’s no way to explain this feeling. Pure emptiness and misdirection. You ponder on the choices you’ve made to get you to the spot you’re in. Contemplating the direction of the next step you should take. Worrying if you take that step you’d become even more confused. But then there is also the possibility of finding your footing once again. Leading you on the right track that you needed to be. Our minds are powerful, sometimes they get away from us. But things will fall into place, no matter how far you’ve wondered off track, you’ll get to where you need to be.
13. Life: An infinite amount of questions flutter around life. In short, It’s what you make of it. You are in control of everything for yourself. The things that happen around you is decided by fate. Negativity may plague your life, but you can live it positively. Or your life may be full of positivity, but you live it negatively. Sometimes you can be dealt shitty cards, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of the game.
14. Path: The story you’re going to tell. The journey you are living in this moment. The decisions you’ve made, the things you have learned. The skills you’ve picked up, and the people you’ve run into. The mark you will leave in this world, and on the people you have come into contact with. The path you cannot see, because it’s not carved in front of you yet. And why would you want to look back?
15. Past: Things that you cannot change. Things that already happened. The anchor that can hold you down, from swimming up. Why continue drowning?
16. Morality: Something as simple as cracking a smile back at someone who smiled at you. The restoration of faith in humanity. Or the, “Are you fucking serious?” question you ask yourself consistently about ten times a day. Why treat somebody the way you wouldn’t want to be treated? Instead of speaking out of impulse, think about the things you’re about to say. The way you present yourself and how you treat people can be changed, for better or worse. Everyone you speak to is human, they have feelings. Take that into consideration.
17. Forgiveness: A hard thing to do a times. It may feel like the person that has done wrong to you, doesn’t even deserve it. But holding on to a grudge can affect you from moving on and forgetting. Instead of taking the knife they stabbed you in the back with and stabbing them back, drop it. Two wrongs don’t make a right. You have the opportunity to be the bigger person. It’s something you owe yourself, because showing forgiveness is harder than showing anger. And you want to prove to yourself that you’re stronger than they thought. Forgive and Forget.
18. Value: Know your value and the value of everything else you have. Don’t take anything less than what you deserve. If someone isn’t treating you with the same kind of respect you treat them, it’s time to cut ties. You are worth the world and more and some people will see that, but not all. Don’t take anything you have right now for granted either. Because as soon as you do, it’ll be taken away from you.
19. Wisdom: Elders, peers, siblings, parents, family, teachers, and friends. Everyone lives a different life. The more you ask, the more you’re aware of the different places people come from. There is no same resolution to identical situations. Expand your knowledge of why people do things a certain way. Everyone was raised differently, don’t expect the world to be just like you.
-EA
“Call me and stay on the line with me. I’d be happy to just hear you breathing”— 3 am thoughts (via suspend)
