Stand

I just heard a song by Shawn Stockman called, "Stand." I immediately got goose bumps and needed to share this song and the message I got from it.

This song sends a message to me and I dedicate it to anyone that is broken down and feeling hopeless. For the people that feel as though they don't have anything to wake up for. The ones who think they lack purpose. For those that don't have a sholder to cry on or a hug to fall into. This song tells us that even at our darkest hour, when we feel all alone, we always have someone to turn to. God is always on our side and he is always right next to us, waiting to lift us up and help us find our purpose once again.

Living with out a sense of purpose or meaning has to be the most difficult burden to carry. Questioning what you are doing with your life, or wondering why you are surrounded by tragedy and no light to shine on you. At some point you begin to feel smothered with failure and depression that the easiest and only option seems to be...stay down. But this song reminded me that even though laying down and sheltering yourself from the storm seems like the only solution, it isn't.

Sometimes even though it seems impossible, just standing up is the first step in improving your life. Just using what strenght is left in your body and soul to get up and move forward is all it takes. My challenge for anyone going through this experience is to dig deep down and find that ounce of strength left in you and know that nothing is bad enough to keep you down! Stand up and take this life head-on. God will never leave you alone and will never let you fall!

I will get there

If you have not heard the song, "I will get there" by Boyz II Men then you need to YouTube it immediately. This song describes how I feel at this point in my life. It has been a year of failure and set-back after set-back but somehow I have finally reached a point of stability. For the first time in a very long time, I am able to breathe and take in the grace and beauty that God has blessed us all with.

Sometimes I think it takes you to be at your most vulnerable to finally see how enriched your lives really are. In the midst of distress we tend to overlook the smallest riches and take for granted the miracles surrounding our lives. It is only when one finally makes it over that treacherous mountain to the other side that the sun finally shines all around them and life's simplest treasures finally reveal themselves.

So what is all of this babble saying? As hard as this past year has been, finally making it to the other side has allowed me to be grateful for my life and those that fill it with riches every day. I only hope that everyone stands tall and confident until they can make it to their destination! Because the view is impeccable.

Searching

It has truly been a long time since I last posted anything. The real reason....I have not been inspired! Pretty basic right? I have been in such a dark place that the person who used to find the simplest lyric or sunset inspiring has felt absolutely nothing. I became numb for the past three months. Apparently that is how I react when I realize everything I ever dreamed for myself was not coming true. I can only put on a happy facade for so long. I just don't know how many more set-backs I can experience before I just give up on having high hopes for myself.

I am ready right now! Do any of you ever have that overwhelming feeling that comes over you when all of a sudden you want to just run out of your house and into the open air and just scream at the top of your lungs? And after you have screamed, you cry, then you laugh, and then you look up at the sky and think, "What am I doing with my life? Why am I still searching for something?"

I want my life to happen now! I am sick of being on the bench in my own life. I am a spectator. How pathetic is that? The hardest part has been running into people from school and they ask how I am doing. I am absolutely tired of having to sound optimistic about my job search. When in reality all of their lives sound better than mine at this point. The grass is always greener right?

So you may be wondering what my inspiration is on this blog. Well to be truthful, the only point to this blog is to show you that if you are currently struggling in any avenue of your life, you are not alone. I feel your pain and I truly hope that you find what you are searching for. Please don't give up the search and fight for a better life. Amidst all of my challenges, I do remain faithful that better times are around the corner. For all of us!!!

My Symphony

I have been trying to figure out why I feel so restless. Everyday it is a struggle to feel as though I'm living my life with purpose. I have small moments when I find myself smiling or when I take a deep breath and feel the oxygen completely filling my lungs. This moment, although lasting only a second, reminds me of how I used to be and how I want to be again.

I can't explain to anyone let alone myself why I am unhappy. I have many reasons that on default I provide people who ask: "I really want a job, I want to be in a relationship, I want to lose weight, I want to have an adventure...." And the list goes on and on and on. But is there one specific issue, or am I so extremely swamped with uncertainty and want in my life that I have finally given up? Now I don't mean I am giving up on life but maybe the I'm letting the possibility of me being happy slip through the cracks. I have been trying to find a way to explain to myself and others this issue I am facing. What am I feeling? What am I scared of ? What is it that I really want in life to make me happy? Do I even know anymore what I want? I have been feeling so restless that I just throw out ideas like leaving the country, moving to Texas, moving to Bellingham, or just trying to make it as a musician. Finally I am deciding to slow myself down and make some choices. One step at a time. I cannot be irrational with my life. I am a logical thinker and planner, I have always been this way and I always will be.

So the song that has spoken to me through this process is, "Symphony" by Marie Digby. You can find it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa-cSOFv_nQ If I had to say in words all of my thoughts and fears that are contributing to my restless and useless feelings I have had this song would be the perfect fit. Please listen to this song. You might find comfort and inspiration through its lyrics. Whenever I blast this in my car, I feel motivated to finally make something amazing happen for me. I went to a memorial service this weekend and found myself wondering what people would say about me once I die. I want them to list the amazing accomplishments and adventures I have had. In order to make this happen, I have to write my own symphony and I can promise this, it is going to be a show stopper.

Today's challenge...start writing your own symphony and make it beautiful!!!

Make a Wave

I just heard a song today that sends the perfect message of doing your part to make a change in the world. There are so many people with talents that remain dormant because they don't know how to use them properly or they are too scared or lazy to shake the world up a bit. Well this world needs a good shake in the right direction. We all need to try to find our strength or talent and share it with the world. God made us all unique and blessed us with gifts that were meant to be shared. We were not given life to sit around and waste away, only to die and leave behind nothing for future generations. We are supposed to leave a mark on this earth somehow. I know I have said this over and over but I truly believe deep in my heart that we all have something to offer this world, it just takes some work figuring out what it is.

So here is a little inspiration for you... Check out, "Make a Wave" on youtube by Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas. I really think this song can lead us on the right track. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DmuCFopmWY

Humanity???

I have a new song for you today! "One day," by Matisyahu. I don't think I need to analyze this song but I want to explain why I chose this song. I have spent most of my blogs trying to inspire you to do something positive and meaningful with your life, but there is another type of inspiration that I have not touched on yet.

My favorite word is "Hope." There are so many reasons to hope and ways to hope. But in my eyes, all of the the people hoping have something in common. We are all hoping for something better. Whether it is to fall in love, or to get a job, or ace a test, this hope is what holds us together through the toughest of times. Hope is sometimes the only thing we can grasp on to with the last ounce of strenght we have left. We hold on so tightly to this hope becuase we need to believe that things will get better for us. Hope gives us something to live for when we fear there might not be anything left.

I think that this song will give our future as a world some hope, which I think many of you will agree we could use right now. Sometimes I find myself doubting humanity any more. We are surrounded by hate and violence and I wonder will there ever be peace??? Are some people even capable of love and tolerance? This song puts into words my fears for our population and also what I hope and pray will eventually happen! I am sure that a lot of you find yourself hoping for that one moment when we stop the violence and embrace everyone for who they are. When people stop seeing violence as a way to get their point across. When people no longer have evil in their eyes and when people use intellengce and words to find peacful and fair solutions to the most difficult problems. Who knows if it will ever happen but I would rather spend the rest of my life hoping for peace then giving up on humanity!!!

Start Swimming

I just heard a new quote that really made me think. "If your ship hasn't come in, swim out to it." This quote speaks specifically to every issue I have been facing. Lately I have not been liking the person I am becoming. I am now officially the person that sits around and complains that I don't have a job and that I wish my opportunity would finally come. I find myself wishing every night that what I have been wanting to do would finally happen. That my break was in the very near distance. I am acting like I deserve this amazing future and I will just sit around being depressed until it happens.

The other day I read this quote and it made me take a long look in the mirror and question what I am doing with my life. Am I really the type of person that is going to sit back and wish for something good to happen? No not anymore. If I want something to happen then I need to get my butt in to gear and make it happen. Nothing positive happens to people that sit back and wait for their fortune to appear.

So today my challenge for you....Get off your lazy butt and make something happen. Quit wishing for your chance to come and work hard to make your future exactly what you deserve!!