Never let anyone bring you down...

You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.  ~Leo Aikman

What has happened to our society?  Why is it despite all the absolutely crazy things going on, people still think it to be okay to bring other people down?   

It doesn't matter what age you are, words still hurt, and people still use them negatively even as adults.  Some people see the "trash talking" limited to when you are in high school, which is a huge problem, but it doesn't stop there. Bullying now has carried over into cyber-bullying as well as face to face bullying.  Social networks were not set up for people to bring people down via statuses or posts.  They are meant to help people keep connected with loved ones.  However, people are now using things like facebook or twitter as a way to talk negatively about others.

I can't believe how much people have lost focus on what life is about.  Life is about building & maintaining relationships, which includes building people up---not putting them down!  Just because people aren't like you---maybe not as smart, as pretty, as wealthy, aren't into the same things you are--doesn't mean you have any right to judge them or put them down.  Who are you to think you are any better?   There are so many more productive things you can do other than trying to bring others down.  If everyone would focus on that & trying to build people up the world would be a better place.  There would be less hate crimes, less crime in general, & more importantly less suicide.

To those of you who continue to speak negatively about others, I encourage you to think before you talk.  Think about how that person may feel if they knew what you were writing or saying, and how you would feel if it was reversed. 

To those who have someone speaking negatively about them, as the campaign says it gets better.  Do not focus on the negativity that these people bring you.  Focus on all the positive good people you have in your life, and cut out the rest.  Avoid them, delete them as friends on facebook, don't respond to their negative comments.  Rise above it & be grateful for the positive you do have.  

With the recent negativity that has surrounded me, it has reminded me how lucky & grateful I am to have the supportive people I have in my life.  It also, helps inspire me to continue to grow, and leave the childishness behind.  Hopefully the message can get out to everyone that has people trying to get them down, that it's important to rise against it, and not be defeated.  

Song says it all

Ellen tells everyone what's up!

A calling...

"Do what you love & you'll never work a day." 

Most people spend the majority of their lives preparing themselves for their "job."  I like most did the same, and was in school until I was 23.  However, I truly believe that with my job it's not something I prepared for, it's something I was called to do.  Currently, for those of you who don't know I am working at a drug & alcohol medical detox.  On a daily basis when I answer the phone and say, "Thanks for calling new vision this is Hope, how may I help you??"  People start out (what is typically a very hard conversation for them) by saying, "What a great name for what you do!" 

Now it's true, my name is perfect for my professional life, and I try daily to have it be for my personal life also.  I bring people hope, when they come see me.  Most people I come in contact with my job (as well as my past jobs since graduating) are at their lowest point.  A lot of them are hopeless....my goal restore the hope!

I recently was considering a change of careers, not just a job change but completely stop doing any sort of counseling related job.  I revamped my resume, applied to hundreds of places & didn't hear anything. I kept believing it was because it's hard to break into a new industry especially when the economy isn't fully repaired (some places not even close).  Then I thought about it, I am good at what I do.  I know and understand what I do very well.  I have personal experiences that help cultivate the professional work I do. That's not something that should be just thrown away!  Maybe I'm not meant to get out of my field.  I believe that with hard work & perseverance if something is meant to be God will guide me in the right direction for it to be.  So here I am, reevaluating my life goal AGAIN (which I won't get on a tangent on this because it's a whole blog in itself) and realized I need to stick with my calling.

So after the reevaluation of my goal, there's a lot I need to do in order to get to where I want to be in my field.  I've always said this & still feel the same way---I want to own my own practice.  That's what I want to do, and now I just have to restore my hope & do what it takes to reach that goal!

Hope is not a dream, but a way of making a dream reality!  

Wouldn't change a thing...

I recently took a trip home to visit my family & on the plane ride I read an article out of Elle about a now famous actress (can't remember her name, nor re-find the article), who said she was grateful for her lessons she learned by growing up poor.  This hit so home for me, because (my mom hates the word poor), but let's face it we grew up in survival mode.  While reading the article so many points she said hit home, that I wanted to write something myself about it. 
It might sound odd to some people who know all the details that I wouldn't change a thing about my childhood.  From things that occurred for it be just my Mom raising us, to how we grew up.  I wouldn't change a thing.  Growing up in what some would consider a "struggle" gave me some of my core values I have today. I think the 3 most important ones, that I see helping me in my daily life are:
 #1 Working hard for what you want.  I started "working" at around age 11, helping my Mom's company put stickers on their fliers.  I will never forget how excited I used to get about the few dollars I would earn from that job.  My mother is one heck of a strong woman who did the very best she could, but because it was tough times, I was never just given anything (materialistic that is), I had to earn it or wait for a holiday. 

# 2. Appreciation for what you have.  The whole saying, "when I started counting my blessings my whole life turned around," can apply to this. I may not always have what I want, but it was always stressed to me growing up, that it is important to be grateful the things you do have!  One very important example I have of this, is water we can use. I recently posted this picture in my album from my visit home. 

From 4th grade to 9th grade we lived in a home that had Iron water (also no neighbors for a mile & no stop lights) that was unusable.  Because water purifying systems at that time were super ridiculously expensive (I imagine the one needed in that house still probably is) we couldn't afford any method to fix the water.  So we traveled to Lynn Run weekly to fill up 2 gallon milk jugs of water to drink with, cook with, & even boil to bathe with.  We also had to go to the Laundromat weekly to do our laundry.  Visiting Lynn Run the other day truly reminded me that it is important to be grateful every day for what I have!

#3. Knowing that everything is NOT always going to go my way.  Now I know this is something everyone learns at some point or another, but I feel blessed that I had to learn it so early on.  I learned quickly that I am not always going to be able to do things with my friends, people would sometimes let me down, sometimes I wouldn't be able to wear the new & latest style, sometimes I would have to eat ramon noodles instead of sushi, and if something "unexpected" happens (always does) it's not the end of the world. 

So there you have it, some may wish that I had it "easier" growing up, but I everyday think I wouldn't change a thing, and am so grateful for the very important life lessons growing up this way has taught me. :)

Mind over matter

So today I have something weighing heavy on me, and that's the concept of mind over matter.  

There are many things in life that happen that can either get us down or teach us how to over come them.  Whenever challenges present themselves to us, we all have 2 choices, we can give up and be over come with it or do whatever it takes to rise above the challenge.  The concept of mind over matter, helps encourage me through situations that present themselves to bring me down.  Mind over matter is the belief that the mind is more powerful than the circumstances that surround you. 

If you find yourself getting discouraged it's more than likely the circumstance has control over you, with a simple change of attitude you can retake control. Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.  ~Winston Churchill

With the right attitude you can be equiped to deal with anything that comes your way.  Your mind is a powerful tool, why not use it for the positive.  Like Ford said, Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.

Life is a gift and is short, it's important when a problem presents itself to remember that in retrospect it's not "the end of the world," and not to allow it to defeat you.  The less you allow little things to bring you down, the more you can start seeing the joy that is life!

All Else Fails Without Action

Today while doing my daily motivation point readings, I stumbled across the following paragraph from Josh Hinds (author and motivational speaker) and it motivated this whole blog. 

"To achieve more, be a person of action. Throughout your day keep in mind the old saying, 'all else fails without action'. As you put forth effort on the things you deem to be most worthwhile, you will find that your inner belief system grows. The beliefs you hold about yourself determine the goals you are able to manifest in your life. Dream big, for when you do, truly you will see that your life becomes one filled with rich life experiences. It’s your life, LIVE BIG!" Josh Hinds

This jumped out at me because it's a conflict I have been having with myself and others around me recently.  I often hear people saying things they want to do to better themselves, but I don't always see the action.  This paragraph says it the best when it says, "all else fails without action."  People can have the best intentions but may not always follow through with those. 

I have recently noticed myself falling into this category. This blog is a perfect example, I often think, "I really want to start blogging, it's great for personal growth, social media, & maintaining/improving writing skills."  So there you have it, I am putting my thoughts into actions. 

I hope to continue to 'put my thoughts into action' with all other aspects of my life, and plan to use this blog to not only keep everyone following posted, but also keep myself accountable.  I hope this also helps motivate others to do the same.  You can have plenty of goals in mind but without action it is impossible to accomplish them. 

So here it is my first of many blog postings, and with this I hope to continue the trend of peple living by the old moto, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS!