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Not everyone will understand your journey. That’s fine. It’s not their journey to make sense of. It’s yours.

Zero Dean

Author | Photographer | CG Artist | Filmmaker

If you want to reach your full potential

Excerpt from: Likability. Being liked and unliked.

If you want to self-actualize (reach your fullest potential), then you must learn to accept yourself for who you are & who you want to be and take personal responsibility for your life and how you feel.

And along the way to self-actualization, you must be prepared to be unpopular. Don’t leave your sense of worth and well-being in the hands of others.

Those who achieve greatness in life don’t let others dictate how they feel about themselves — and neither should you.

Wearing a cape is optional

You don’t need superpowers to stand up for what you know is right, maintain your integrity, or be a source of encouragement.

You don’t need superpowers to take the time to truly listen to people, keep your word, or live with honor.

You don’t need superpowers to lead by example or be the change you’d like to see in the world.

And you don’t need superpowers to see that there’s nothing stopping you from doing any of these things.

Wearing a cape is optional.

Originally Published on: Sep 8, 2014

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Be the person you want to be remembered as.

“Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person we become.” — Jim Rohn

Be the person you want to be remembered as.

“When it’s all over, you’re remembered for what you did, not what you said you were going to do.” — Jodi Picoult, Salem Falls

Originally Published on: Nov 16, 2012

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Life isn’t fair

No. Life isn’t fair. But how you deal with life being unfair is a choice. You can choose to play a victim and let it weaken you. Or you can choose to be a warrior, learn from it, and let it strengthen you. Because despite the fact that life isn’t fair, every person has the ability to do whatever they can with whatever they have to make something positive of themselves, their lives, and the lives of those around them.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms–to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” — Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

No matter how small what you do may be, every step you make towards a goal is progress, and everything you do to make a positive difference counts. In the words of Vincent Van Gogh, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

You will be surprised by how much you can do with only a little.

Always remember that you may not be able to do everything, but you can always do something… Don’t let what you can’t do stand in the way of what you can do.”

No matter what life throws your way, no matter how unfair it may seem, refuse to play the victim. Refuse to be ruled by fear, pessimism, and negativity. Refuse to quit. Be a warrior and work through whatever challenges you face in life with courage, love, and positivity. And continually push forward.

Because you are a survivor of the unfairness of life. You are stronger than you think. And you are capable of achieving far more than you believe. Don’t ever give up.

Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

Originally Published on: Nov 30, 2014 @ 09:44

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You may not always know what to do…

You may not always know what to do, but you can always choose the type of person you want to be.

Originally Published on: Aug 6, 2013 @ 06:54

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Find your own limits

“You won’t get very far…”
“A person your age…”
“You can expect to feel…”
“Won’t you feel embarrassed…”

Find your own limits. Don’t become a victim of the limits that people place on you. You are not a stereotype or a statistic. You are a unique individual with unlimited potential.

You don’t have to constrain yourself to other people’s expectations. You don’t have to accept life as other people know it. Your life is as unique as you are. And you are as unique as you choose to be.

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” — T.S. Eliot

Originally Published on: Oct 22, 2014 @ 18:08

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The unique you is beautiful

Your quirks. Your interest in unusual things. The small things that bring you joy. The odd things you do because they feel right to you. The unique things that you find funny — or fascinating — these are the things about you that make you truly unique and different from others — and they are among, if not the most beautiful things about you.

It can take bravery to be yourself and exert your individuality, but the alternative — to conform — is to become less of an individual. While there is an implied comfort & safety in conformity, conformity represents the ordinary. The status quo. And it is the enemy of creativity.

It is ok to fit in, but to actively change yourself to be just like the crowd is to yield your personal power & influence to others.

Every time you change something unique about yourself in order to be just like someone else, a piece of the best part of you dies.

Don’t think of it as being “weird” or “different”, think of it as being limited edition. Be extraordinary. Not ordinary.

Originally Published on: Jul 8, 2013 @ 06:21

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Don’t squander your potential…

 

“Don’t squander your potential living a life that amounts to far less than the one you are capable of living.” — Zero Dean

Originally Published on: Sep 29, 2015

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