Life Counts

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”

                                           -Albert Einstein

            In today’s world, things that should be appreciated are often taken for granted and things that shouldn’t matter seem as though they are extremely important. We often care too much about our possessions and the quantity of things we possess. We go around boasting and saying things like I have this or that. But in the end, none of the material things we possess matter. And as Einstein said, what really counts are the things that cannot be counted.

            The most important things in life are arguably the things that are immeasurable and cannot be counted. As they say, “Quality over quantity.” What is really most valuable in life? The answer is what lies within us. It is the values and abstract things that are innumerable in each and every human being on the planet. These include integrity, faith, courage, strength, leadership, determination, and last but definitely not least, love. These are what we should consider most important. We should be struggling to find these within ourselves instead of looking to gain more ultimately useless material objects. We should worry less about how much money we have, how many awards we receive, and how many trophies we earn. In the end, these things will all mean absolutely nothing. After we are dead, people will quickly forget about everything we had, but they will hopefully forever remember some of the things we did and the ways we made them feel during our lifetime. Lets make these memories positive and do everything we can to be the best that we can be. Another quote that comes to mind is, “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

Put your dreams in action

“Its not who you are that holds you back, its who you think you’re not.”

-Unknown

 

            Beginning at a very young age, we are told that we can be anything we want to be. As a child, this does not seem impossible or even slightly out of reach. We believe those who tell us this and act as though we truly can do anything. We allow our imaginations to run away with us and take over us. We spend each and every day pretending to be whatever we wish but always something different. Because to a child, anything really does seem possible and nothing can get in the way of us becoming whatever it is that we wish to be. We live our lives as if they are actually our dreams coming true.

            As we grow up, drastic changes to our mindset and outlook on life take place along the way. Suddenly, almost everything appears to be out of our reach or next to impossible if not entirely impossible. We have attempted, failed, and unfortunately even given up on many things throughout our journey through life. This is not the way things should be. Yes, growing up is a major learning process filled with trials and errors. Yes, eventually there comes a point in time when people need to be able to face reality. But, these things and anything else that life can throw at us should not be capable of holding us back. We should always try again no matter how many times we may have failed before. We should continue to set goals for ourselves and do everything we can to complete them. Sometimes, goals that may seem a bit unrealistic are actually beneficial because they require us to challenge ourselves and allow us to see just what we are capable of accomplishing. We should stop at nothing to make even our wildest dreams come true, just like we were willing to do when we were much younger. If you really want something and you set your mind to it, nothing should be capable of holding you back and keeping you from living each day to the fullest.

Now You See It

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”  
   -Henry David Thoreau


Whenever you have a bunch of people looking at the same thing regardless of what it may be, there are always various conflicting viewpoints about the sight or object being examined. This is a perfect demonstration of perspective and how every individual’s differs. I’m sure everyone is familiar with or has at least experienced this at some point in their lives.

The word “perspective” actually has various definitions as many words do in today’s society. According to dictionary.com a very broad one is listed as, “ the state of existing in space before the eye,” but the definition that relates to this quote is a much deeper one. It is listed as, “the state of one’s ideas, the facts known to one, etc. in having a meaningful interrelationship.”  Looking closely and carefully at anything brings to mind its meaning whether consciously or unconsciously, and for each and every person this can be something different. Their thoughts can take the back to the past, right where they are currently or in the present, and may even provide some insight to their future. This quote also reminds me of another quote.

That quote is, “the eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” Both of these quotes are very true, at least for me they are. This one illustrates the occurrence of looking at something once and then looking at it again and seeing something new that you did not notice before. So many times we are quick to make judgments about things because unfortunately that happens to be human nature. If we give it a little time, then we often surprise ourselves with creative thoughts. The ability to see is one that we often take for granted. Let’s try to appreciate it more often because it truly is a wonderful gift.

Whatever It Takes

“Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.”

-Alfred A. Montapert

         Things are not always as they seem and often do not go according to plan. Think about it. How many times have you created elaborate plans either on paper or in your head that didn’t end up working out? How many times were your expectations actually met in the exact way you planned? (Pshh yeah, only in dreams for that one, right?) Or more likely, how many times did circumstances either fail to meet your expectations or exceed your expectations? It seems as though this has been happening to me a lot lately. No matter how hard I try or how well thought out and detailed my plans are, things just don’t seem to fulfill my expectations. But, I have learned along the way that’s just life. When things don’t go as planned or problems arise, the best thing to do is accept things for what they are no matter how difficult that can be sometimes. I mean it isn’t always a negative experience for me; sometimes my expectations are exceeded, which is a good thing. But, I guess I’m just one of those people who prefers when things go according to plan. Its not that I don’t enjoy certain things being unpredictable, but I would not consider living spontaneously to be one of my strengths.

            Upon first hearing this quote, I was immediately reminded of lines from Disney’s Bolt. For those of you who have seen this movie before and know what I’m referring to, that’s great. For those of you who have either never seen the movie or don’t recall, here is a clip from the movie:

            The part that I’m referencing is when Rhino, the hamster, responds to Bolt saying, ”I eat danger for breakfast!” This parallels my quote for week. And reminds us that even if we are not cartoon characters, we can still expect problems or danger and face them head on. Taking care of business and avoiding getting discouraged is the best way to live.