When the dust settles and all the background noise fades into silence, and you're left sitting there by yourself, what do you say?
It's the thoughts that you have in these moments that decide where you will go in this new year. So, tell yourself a good story. Say to yourself that you've got gifts worth sharing with the world. [Excerpt]
I’d already been to hell twice in my life by my 18th birthday. My first trip was near the end of high school, back when gas prices averaged a buck thirty-five and Kelly Clarkson was busy being crowned the first American Idol. These factors coupled together would eventually equal my escape from childhood: my first car on the wide open road, me inside belting ballads.
But not before I first paid one hell of a visit to American Legion Boys State in The Sticks, Tennessee. If inside my car was a place I could reinvent myself, then Boys State was the place where I could try just being ‘one of the guys’. And that’s all I secretly wanted for my sixteen-year-old wretched self. [Excerpt]
Growing up I never knew quarter-life crises were a legit thing. I’d only ever heard of the mid-life variety that gifted men with new red sports cars. Recently I’ve learned that the quarter-life strain of crises are far less shiny, except for the shine of prematurely balding heads. The quarter-life crisis isn’t a secret because it’s uncommon. It’s a secret because we’re not ready to admit that we’re breakable.
Every now and then I still have horrific flashbacks to the seven seconds that set off my own quarter life crisis a few years ago.... [Excerpt]
The Negativity Cleanse is a 30-day manifesto for attracting positivity into your life. It signifies getting rid of the junk that’s been collecting in your mind. It’s not about other people and what “they” do to you or in your presence. It’s not about controlling their actions; it’s about having self-control in order to improve yourself. It’s much easier to point fingers towards other people and blame them for the negative in your life. But at the end of the day, you are the only one in control of your mindset, so it’s up to you (and only you) what you will focus on. [Excerpt]
I never expected to be the gay one. In between all the Sunday school, youth group and Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ events, being gay wasn’t quite outlined in my plans. [Excerpt]
We feared getting the same diseases, sometimes talking ourselves into panic attacks, not realizing that we already had the worst of them. The disease that is fear. Now pictured as the fear of growing older, or the lesser fear of dying. The fear of being alone. The fear that decisions that we made yesterday, or last week, or last year have somehow led us to a place that isn’t quite what we expected. That they now haunt us as we’re running out of time. [Excerpt]
No matter how wonderful you are. Or think you are. What really makes people wonderful is when they bounce back with faith and anticipation for the next time around. Believing that the win is coming. No matter what actually happens. [Excerpt]
I believe in the act of dreaming. And that success doesn't come with an overnight fulfillment. Well, it's best when it doesn't. I believe that true success is measured by what we become in the process. That's what determines when the dream has arrived. [Excerpt]
We live in a world that is obsessed with being better than. Doesn't matter who, just be better. But finding our purpose in 'being better' will always leave us thirsting for more. There will always be someone stronger, faster, smarter, richer, younger, more experienced, more popular, more influential, leaner, funnier. [Excerpt]
It's been a whirlwind to say the least. New city, new apartment, new art for the walls, new roommates, new job, new subway system, new coworkers, new grocery store, new church, new, new, new, new. It's no wonder that I've been stumped on what to write for this post because it seems like everything is new. I didn't know how to start the update, so maybe that's why I've put off writing it for so long. [Excerpt]