It is my firm belief that to grow up is to die inside. We are told all our young lives that when we are older we will understand. When we are older then we will see how foolish our beliefs are. When we grow up we will see that one person can't really change the world.
What they are really saying is that when we grow up we will end up as submissive and complacent as everyone else. We will give up on our dreams. As small children we are taught that we can do whatever we want. If you want to be President then you can! If you want to be a professional football player then you can! If you want to be a movie star then you can! Then as we grow older these same people who built us up with such dreams and hope are the same ones who will say "Well the odds of you becoming the President are so small. Maybe a Doctor?" "It's like.... impossible to be a professional sports player... maybe you could like... be an accountant or something..." "Oh those movie stars... you can only become famous if you know someone... it's all luck. You'll never be able to do it." Slowly but steadily our dreams that we are born with and encouraged to follow as children become warn and eroded away. By the end of high school most people have written off their dreams in order to follow the money. Again, the very people, who tell their kids that money can't buy happiness, will tell their children not to follow their dreams, in order to follow a job, that won't make them happy but will make them money.
Those who dare to follow their dreams are looked at as unrealistic and wasting their time... looked at as childish. People mistake pessimism for realism. To be positive is to be a fool to the average. The average are stuck in their little lives, not because they can't change but because they don't believe that they could ever grow and be extraordinary, in truth anyone can be extra ordinary! No matter how old someone is or over weight, or ugly, or where they live, or how rich their family was.... no matter what... Anyone can grow and become extra ordinary and it's never too late to accomplish a dream! People try hard to bring these people down because they haven't fallen into the status quo of being average.
Society is void of passion, something young people have in abundance and passion can be a great tool for change. In my own life, it was not until I became passionate about losing weight and believed in myself, that I was finally able to lose over 40 pounds. It was not until I became passionate about moving out and following my dreams that I began to work hard to grow up a savings. Passion is a tool to helps people grow. The Average lack the passion required to change and grow, because they stripped out of themselves the ability to believe in themselves. They don't understand it anymore and when they see you doing it they will try to strip it from you too. No one likes to be reminded about how average they are, and when you are near someone who is growing, whether its in fitness, in mind, body, spirit, or wealth, they seek to destroy this growth. Usually not even knowingly. Do not allow yourself to lose your passion. It is the delivery force that will take you to a better life. Don't destroy it... use it.
Pessimism is not realism... I can not say this enough. Pessimism will become your realism if you want it to. If you continually speak negativity and believe it can never get better then that's exactly what will happen to you. You will never take a chance. You will never work hard for a better tomorrow so a better tomorrow will never come. The Bible says "Faith moves mountains" in the same regard, a lack of faith moves absolutely nothing.
Optimism is not naivete. To be optimistic is to believe in a better future. If you believe your life can get better then you will be willing to work for that better future. When you dare to believe in a dream and when you apply your passion to it, you will work very hard to get there. It may not be easy but you will get much closer trying than to not try. I think of that crazy driver on the road. Sometimes they weave in and out of traffic and drive recklessly and all of us average drivers judge them. Sometimes after all of their work we both get caught at the same red light and they are only one car ahead of us. We get a sick pleasure from it, but at the same time they used to be behind us and now they are in front even if it's just one car. If they are always working with this much determination before long these small amounts... these one care amounts, will put them miles ahead of the rest of us average boring drivers. We need to be like the crazy driver. Not literally of course, obey the road laws, tickets don't help anyone reach their dreams ;) but figuratively we need to give it our all, and when people look at us like we are crazy we should delight in their judgement, because as much as they might delight when we get caught by the red light we are still ahead and if we continue to work hard we can move ahead slowly but steadily. Half the fun of following a dream is the road there. Don't give up because you get caught at a few red lights.
Excuses are never ending. You can spend your life one of two ways. On one hand you can be a downright blacksmith of excuses. I know some of these people... I've been this person. The kind that always has not only a good excuse but a good story to go along with the excuse and yes I have receipts! Or you can be the person who I strive to be, the person who delivers the story about the great struggle that arose to hold you back but you overcame it through passion fueled hard work and determination and then show them the results, your progress, your victory. Show them those receipts.
No matter what your dream is you can achieve it. You want to be President then start getting involved in politics and never give up. You want to be a pro football player... then get working out and practicing. You want to be a celebrity. Get involved in local theater, start a YouTube channel or blog, move to LA or New York... there are SO MANY options for you. What is most important is to never give up on your dreams. It doesn't matter how far away it is. A single step in the right direction is a step closer than you used to be. It doesn't matter what obstacles are holding you back or where you came from... it only matters where you are going. So keep following that dream and never surrender.
If you aren't following your dream then you are accepting defeat. Accepting that some day you will be on your death bed and never followed your dreams. Never did the things you wanted to... why? Because of money. Money is only paper. Don't let it hold you back from what you can do. If that's where growing up will take me then I don't ever wish to grow up! You only live once. So do the things you want to do. Don't just be alive but truly deeply and fully live! You won't regret it. Don't allow yourself to be complacent and if you already have then stop! You are so much better than this. Encourage others to follow their dreams and follow them yourself. Fear will try to hold you back... smite it down with all the power of Zeus lightning bolt! Grow!! Be a better you today than you were yesterday! Every day strive to grow and never lose site of where you are going... of your dream... never stop believing, never give up... never grow up.
If you've enjoyed this uplifting post and would like to see more positive posts, as well as an abundance of selfies then check me out on Facebook Here.
