Not everyone will understand your journey. That’s fine. It’s not their journey to make sense of. It’s yours.
Author | Photographer | CG Artist | Filmmaker
If you see someone putting in a genuine effort to do their best — even if what they’re doing falls short of your standards — consider giving them honest encouragement.
Laughing at or mocking people who are doing their best says a lot about a person (and it ain’t good).
Be kind.
If you can help ease someone’s burden or do something that makes a person’s day better, please don’t hesitate.
Patience. Smiles. Laughter. Compassion. Meaningful connections. Touch a life. Show what it means to be a good human.
Not just today. Every day. That’s kindness.
The world runs rampant with people afraid to openly appreciate what they like, afraid to speak the truth, afraid of criticism, afraid of discomfort, afraid to voice their opinion, afraid of other people’s opinions, afraid of making mistakes, afraid of being wrong, afraid to be themselves, afraid to give a damn, afraid of change, afraid of independent thinking, afraid of being alone, afraid of going after what they want…
What’s the opposite of bravery again?
Have you ever taken the time to consider how much of your life is dictated by the actions you take to avoid the things you’re afraid of?
Be very careful of living a life spent running from your fears rather than working towards what you want.
By leading your life with less regard to your fears and more regard to what you want and the kind of person you truly want to be, you’re far more likely to be proud of the life you live than you will be by constantly catering to fear.
Be brave.
Let 2020 begin a decade where we do away with glorifying “zero f*cks” and IDGAF culture.
Lack of caring isn’t cool, it isn’t brave, and it certainly isn’t strong. You know what’s cool? Being brave enough & strong enough to care about things without giving the feedback you get a direct line to your ego.
Feedback from life experience – especially criticism – is an absolutely essential part of personal growth. You can care about what people think without letting it impact your sense of self-worth – even when someone insults you.
Not all of the feedback you get from others is about you. In fact, in many cases, negative feedback has more to do with the person giving it than the person it’s intended for. But if you’re not brave or strong enough to consider it, you’ll never know – and you’ll never grow from it either.
The worst thing about negative feedback is when it’s true. Which is also the best thing about it, because it provides information one can grow from.
When negative feedback is false, misinformed, or isn’t applicable, then there’s no point in feeling bad about it for precisely these reasons.
I’ve been saying it since 2013, it isn’t people who don’t care that make a positive difference in the world – it’s people who do. Be proud of being someone who does.
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Let this be the year that if you get value from something you got for free, you keep that value in motion by paying it forward.
Always give energy to the things you want to see more of.
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There’s no one way to reach people that is both effective and makes everyone happy. There’s no one way to teach a lesson. There’s no one way to try to make a positive difference in someone’s life.
What one person finds annoying, preachy, or heavy-handed, another is thankful for. What one person considers common sense, another is contemplating for the first time.
Just because some people don’t appreciate your efforts doesn’t diminish the fact that others do.
Just because your attempts at making a positive difference in the world are not appreciated by everyone doesn’t mean that you should stop trying.
Over the years, I’ve received many requests to follow people on social media — or to like their content in exchange for a return of their “favor” of liking my content or following me — and I eventually started saying no.
And this is always awkward because people’s first thought is that I am rejecting them — when, in actuality, I am doing them (and myself) a favor by keeping the motivation for liking content or following others authentic.
So, while I’m happy to help people in whatever meaningful ways that I can, I don’t exchange or negotiate social media favors or arrangements because it leads to inauthentic behavior & expectations.
This means I will not like posts or subscribe to or follow people by request or simply because someone likes my content or follows me.
Once people make arrangements to trade social media favors, they become a slave to the social media machine where actions are no longer motivated by a genuine interest in other people or what they offer, but instead become motivated by a feeling of obligation or expectation or what a person wants in return.
I’ve done it. I’ve played the game.
I’ve followed people not because I liked them (I likely didn’t know them) or what they had to offer, but because I hoped that by following them, they would follow me back. And I’ve liked other people’s posts with the hope they would like mine back. And it works. A percentage of people will return the “favor”.
But is it really a favor when the positive engagement you think you’re getting for what you post isn’t done out of a genuine appreciation for it? No.
The best followers you will ever gain are those who have a genuine interest in you and what you offer and not those who simply follow you out of a feeling of obligation or reciprocation.
Imagine how much better it will feel when you can act with authenticity and simply follow people you want to follow or like content that you actually like and not because you feel obligated to.
Please like, follow, and subscribe to whoever you wish out of genuine desire — and I will do the same.
If you don’t like my content, don’t like it. If you don’t want to follow me, don’t. And if you do, do. It’s as simple as that.
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While labels can be targets to strive for, more often than not, labels are limits. People define the boundaries of their lives and what they are capable of achieving by the labels they give themselves and those they choose to conform to their lives to.
Before you apply a label to any aspect of your life, make sure you’re not adopting it as a means to excuse yourself from personal growth, working on yourself, or doing as much as you are capable of doing in life.
If you’ve ever appreciated being encouraged, if you’ve ever been fond of hearing that you’re good at something that you do, if you enjoy hearing that what you do makes a difference, if you like knowing that someone was thinking about you or that you’re appreciated, take the time to appreciate & encourage others.
