"Dreamers have become an endangered species."
-Jacoby Shaddix
Last night I saw a man on the subway train who looked like he hadn't moved from the seat he sat in for a week. I noticed he stared around the train looking to make eye contact with anyone he could. I also noticed the lengths everyone else took in order to not make eye contact even when looking in his direction. I moved closer to him once the train cleared out a little and I asked him what it was he wanted out of this life....
He looked at me and replied "Nothing". When I questioned his response he went on to inform me that he wants nothing out of life because up until this point, he has lived his life to every ounce of his ability. I then asked him how he did this. He pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper and began creating beautiful origami animals on the spot. He did not say a word, did not ask for anything from me... Before I got up to get off the train he stopped me and pointed to the window where I saw my reflection. I walked off the train and realized that his fulfillment out of life was the expressions given off by strangers after seeing his ability from a mastery of a craft.
The lesson learned here is that no dream of happiness is greater than the other. As long as the ability to dream never leaves. Dreamers, like Warriors, have become endangered in this world. We sometimes fear following our dreams because it is a path less traveled. We sell ourselves short so that we can be safe. We trade a life of happiness for a life of looking back with regret. If there's one thing I learned from this man, it was that he was in this world to change lives. He may never know how deep his impact is, but he doesn't care. Do not do things with the expectation of receiving something in return. In time the dreams we know and love will exceed any expectations we had.
Showing posts with label obstacles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obstacles. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Morning Motivation
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
-John Quincy Adams
Today will test your resolve. Social obligations will surface, work will run late, your car will break down, or your subway train will be delayed. Life throws us curveballs constantly and it becomes easy to be distracted and disheartened when our goals are constantly taking a backseat. Breathe, because it's all going to be okay. Plans are made to be broken and schedules are just future predictions, no different than getting your palm read. The important thing is that you hold yourself accountable for making time everyday to better yourself. It can be 15 minutes one day, an hour the next, use the time that you have and with patience and persistence you will keep driving forward.
It's a game of inches, and every day we are fighting for them. Obstacles and distractions are our foes and they come in many shapes and sizes. They disguise themselves as an extra happy hour or work procrastination. They attack us by appealing to our base desire for comfort, ease, and happiness but they are all false. WE are not comfortable, and we don't want to be. Warriors of Change is about a constant drive to be better, a persistent and stubborn forward motion to be the best that we can be. Remember that by improving ourselves, we inspire those around us and make it possible for them to do the same. Take responsibility for your role as a motivator and aspire to greatness. Patience, perseverance, and a strong heart will make you unstoppable.
Persistance is the drive, Patience is the wisdom, Greatness is the goal. Join us in becoming a Warrior of Change!
-John Quincy Adams
Today will test your resolve. Social obligations will surface, work will run late, your car will break down, or your subway train will be delayed. Life throws us curveballs constantly and it becomes easy to be distracted and disheartened when our goals are constantly taking a backseat. Breathe, because it's all going to be okay. Plans are made to be broken and schedules are just future predictions, no different than getting your palm read. The important thing is that you hold yourself accountable for making time everyday to better yourself. It can be 15 minutes one day, an hour the next, use the time that you have and with patience and persistence you will keep driving forward.
It's a game of inches, and every day we are fighting for them. Obstacles and distractions are our foes and they come in many shapes and sizes. They disguise themselves as an extra happy hour or work procrastination. They attack us by appealing to our base desire for comfort, ease, and happiness but they are all false. WE are not comfortable, and we don't want to be. Warriors of Change is about a constant drive to be better, a persistent and stubborn forward motion to be the best that we can be. Remember that by improving ourselves, we inspire those around us and make it possible for them to do the same. Take responsibility for your role as a motivator and aspire to greatness. Patience, perseverance, and a strong heart will make you unstoppable.
Persistance is the drive, Patience is the wisdom, Greatness is the goal. Join us in becoming a Warrior of Change!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Morning Motivation
A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.
-Jack London
Charity often has a negative connotation. Throwing money at a cause or problem is often ineffective and unsatisfying to both those who contribute and those with necessity. What we celebrate is the individual that needs no charity, the person who shuns the donations of others and pulls themselves up by their own bootstraps. The negativity of charity lies in the separation of people into an "us" and "them". The people that need help vs the people that provide it. That separation is the fallacy that leaves so many with a bad taste in their mouth when it comes to charity. Those that need help don't want to take it out of pride, and those that give or refuse to give both feel it's money or time wasted or misused. We separate what in reality is a shared effort to better each other. Charity has too long been a revolving door of giving and receiving without either side seeing results. Disheartened, we perseverate the vision of an "us" and "them" by continuing the same cycle again and again.
Warriors of Change believes that charity involves a reciprocal relationship involving both sides giving and receiving. Fitness is a quest most of us share, and we are notoriously bad at accomplishing our goals. We need that extra motivation, we need a reason to keep working, and our own happiness is too easy to sacrifice. We need a reason, and people need help. We are hungry to make ourselves better, feed that need while feeding a family. We are short of breath, tired, and struggling after a workout. Share that pain with those in pain. We are all in this together and it takes a Warrior to make a difference. We've talked about selflessness as a Warrior trait, but the Warrior receives something in return for their effort, Brother/Sisterhood. The bond created through shared pain and struggle is unbreakable, and when we fight for each other there is nothing we can't accomplish. We are all searching and striving for something, lets do it together. Charity isn't about sharing our wealth, it's about sharing our struggles.
It doesn't take a strong body to be a Warrior, it takes a strong heart.
-Jack London
Charity often has a negative connotation. Throwing money at a cause or problem is often ineffective and unsatisfying to both those who contribute and those with necessity. What we celebrate is the individual that needs no charity, the person who shuns the donations of others and pulls themselves up by their own bootstraps. The negativity of charity lies in the separation of people into an "us" and "them". The people that need help vs the people that provide it. That separation is the fallacy that leaves so many with a bad taste in their mouth when it comes to charity. Those that need help don't want to take it out of pride, and those that give or refuse to give both feel it's money or time wasted or misused. We separate what in reality is a shared effort to better each other. Charity has too long been a revolving door of giving and receiving without either side seeing results. Disheartened, we perseverate the vision of an "us" and "them" by continuing the same cycle again and again.
Warriors of Change believes that charity involves a reciprocal relationship involving both sides giving and receiving. Fitness is a quest most of us share, and we are notoriously bad at accomplishing our goals. We need that extra motivation, we need a reason to keep working, and our own happiness is too easy to sacrifice. We need a reason, and people need help. We are hungry to make ourselves better, feed that need while feeding a family. We are short of breath, tired, and struggling after a workout. Share that pain with those in pain. We are all in this together and it takes a Warrior to make a difference. We've talked about selflessness as a Warrior trait, but the Warrior receives something in return for their effort, Brother/Sisterhood. The bond created through shared pain and struggle is unbreakable, and when we fight for each other there is nothing we can't accomplish. We are all searching and striving for something, lets do it together. Charity isn't about sharing our wealth, it's about sharing our struggles.
It doesn't take a strong body to be a Warrior, it takes a strong heart.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Bedtime Breakdown
"How we survive, is what makes us who we are."
As we travel our paths in life we come across obstacles. The way we view these obstacles ultimately creates how we view our paths in life. If we only see the negative, then negative is what we create. We forget that every obstacle is a situation for us to learn from, whether it be negative or positive. With that knowledge we are able to further better ourselves even in the midst of our darkest hours. As time goes on, this knowledge becomes wisdom, and this wisdom becomes power.
We may never know the effects of the ripples from our thrown stone, we can never see what's under the surface. In time however, we are able to determine right from wrong and eventually have our ripples create change for the better.
As we travel our paths in life we come across obstacles. The way we view these obstacles ultimately creates how we view our paths in life. If we only see the negative, then negative is what we create. We forget that every obstacle is a situation for us to learn from, whether it be negative or positive. With that knowledge we are able to further better ourselves even in the midst of our darkest hours. As time goes on, this knowledge becomes wisdom, and this wisdom becomes power.
We may never know the effects of the ripples from our thrown stone, we can never see what's under the surface. In time however, we are able to determine right from wrong and eventually have our ripples create change for the better.
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