Are you ready for the next step?

Life is full of changes and challenges; for sure it never feels like you are gliding smoothly down a lazy river. But that's okay; challenges build character, right? Although, some days I wish I had a little less character, lol.

Most of us always have things on our 'list'; whether that be dreams and goals or things on our bucket list we always wanted to do ... at least once. To stay stagnant in the exact same place can get boring, if not predictable. Maybe you're thinking of committing to a relationship, moving into your own place, starting a career, or even beginning a new creative hobby. If you give it a try, will you fail? Maybe. But then you won't know unless you try. You know the saying, 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained'?

There will always be the fear of what will happen next, but we can't let that stop us from trying. We'll continue to wonder if we will be able to accomplish what we want. We'll still ask ourselves, 'Will anyone like what I've created?' 'Will anyone hire me and give me a chance?' 'Will I be good enough?' 'Will anyone appreciate or even understand my art?' 'Will they love me back?' 'Will anyone ever read what I've written?'

Oh how I wish my crystal ball wasn't covered in dust. I wish at times that I had a guarantee that things would work out as I planned if I put in the effort. But life doesn't come with guarantees; never has, never will. Still I keep making my lists. I continue to fine tune my dreams and aspirations. I continue to keep trying. Challenges and setbacks may slow me down and get me rethinking and recalculating, but they don't deter me. If I let that happen, I'd be giving in and ultimately giving up. I'd be losing my voice in my own future; something I am not willing to do.

Are you ready for the next step? 

Are you willing to give it everything you have to make your dreams and goals take hold? 

Are you willing to make the necessary sacrifices and not allow challenges or people to tell you your dreams are too big for you?

Are you ready for your voice to be heard?

Personally, I think you have it in you to keep trying. I think you can make it happen. Now ... you just need to believe it.

What's been on your back burner that you still want to make happen?

Don't Judge

How often do you feel invisible, manipulated, or without a voice? There are so many times I witness people being bullied or told what to do; whether it's when watching the TV news, reading an online article, or standing in line at the grocery store. Some people like to feel superior, but to do so they need to make someone else feel inferior first. They feel they need to shout and talk loudly at people in order to be heard, even when they are standing right next to them. They're trying to manipulate the situation. When climbing up on to their pedestal to be seen, they need to push others out of the way or down in order to get where they feel they should be.

For all of the cruelty I see in the world; the hatred, the jealousies, and the ignorance ... I also see hope. I see people holding doors open for strangers, I see people giving hugs to show their support, and I see people stopping to listen and pay attention to people. I prefer to hang on to the hope. It helps me to maintain my faith in a world that is currently full of power trips and insecurities.

Let's take a minute and focus on the ignorance. Being ignorant doesn't necessarily make a person dumb, but it does mean they are uninformed. They don't have all the answers; they haven't stopped to look at the whole picture, yet they've managed to find a way to unfairly place blame or judgment on someone or a situation. 

How many times have you been criticized for something you weren't even part of? How many times have you worked hard at something only for someone to generalize what you do as if even a monkey to do it. They make unfair assumptions without ever knowing you or even what you do. We need to remember to NOT judge what's on the surface, especially when we don't have a clue what's beneath it or behind it. Knowledge is a great thing. It enables us to be more understanding, more empathetic, and more aware. Sure, it may take us a little bit more time to become informed, but I'd consider that time well spent if it helped me to not be ignorant or make false judgments.

As usual, it's just my two cents worth of wisdom, but wisdom comes from experience and learning life lessons the hard way.

Thoughts?