Reflections Of A Writer - What I Have Learned

The uniqueness of who we are should not be compromised by those who have no understanding of us. There are things you can live with and others that you can’t and should not, no matter the circumstances. We are on this earth, just once, why should we live a miserable existence? I would say that the key to our “happiness” is making wise choices when you are young. Wrong choices might take a while to straighten out, if at all. I have learned that patience is truly a virtue, things will happen when it is time. There is a reason for everything, even though you have a hard time figuring out what the reason is.

When in a relationship, make sure it feels “right”, don’t stay with someone you feel sorry for, think you love them, or think that is the best you are going to get. Love is something you feel, not force yourself to feel. No one can make you happy, only you can. You could have many friends, but have quality more than quantity. Then appreciate and value those friends, the same goes for family. Follow your dreams; make goals for your life. But don’t over do it and set yourself up for failure. Always remember to love yourself, even if no one else does. God loves you too. You are not alone, God is with you at all times.

I finally learned that no matter what mistakes, wrongs you have done, you must learn to forgive yourself and move on. You cannot be your own worst enemy. Life is just too short to dwell on the things you can’t do anything about. Try and I know this is hard to do, to find your inner and spiritual peace. I have wasted too many years on being negative, pessimistic and depressed. There is so much life out there to live. It is all around us. We must reach out and touch it. We are human beings after all, we do not need to stop feeling things and sharing our emotions. No one is prefect, but we are all special and have something to offer ourselves and the world. We are often torn in many directions in our lives: being a parent, spouse, child, employee, and it can be hard to keep a balance in our lives. It is important to find a middle ground, so that you are not doing too much of any one things. You will be running on empty and will soon crash.

Someone once asked me “What do you do for fun?” I could not answer or think of one thing. I had been too consumed with work and was not taking care of my creative, fun side. Do things that you like to do, break from the routines of life. We are all responsible individuals, but no one can take better care of ourselves than us. A friend of mine put it to me this way: Is what you are angry, upset about today, will it really matter tomorrow? If you had a short time to live, is what you are facing today, worth feeling down about? Well, this really put it all in perspective. I also think back to September 11. All those people who left their homes that morning to go to work in the Twin Towers and never made it back home or to their loved ones. I know that when I wake up, I have this day, nothing more. I don’t know about tomorrow, it is not promised to me. Treat today, as if it was your last. Enjoy the day, connect and be present with it. That is not to say to forget about your responsibilities or things you must do, but don’t let this consume you to the point that you are not living in the present day, because you are too worried about the future.

Be kind, compassionate to others. Treat them as you would like to be treated. The world is a small place and what goes around, comes around. Be passionate about things that are important to you, live your dreams, go for your goals, don’t give up. Be a firm believer that you can go as far as you want to. We must feel alive, and our lives must have meaning, if only to ourselves.