… how do we know a man except in relationship to the world around him? Taking the measure of a man— knowing his place of birth, age, height, weight, physical, and emotional characteristics— tells us little of value about who he really is. It is only by understanding his relationship to the larger environment in which is is embedded and the many relationships he shares that we get a sense of him. In the old scheme, man was the sum total of his individual properties. In the new scheme, he is a snapshot of the pattern of activities in which he is engaged.
- Jeremy Rifkin 
Do the little details. Never forget the bigger picture.
- Anonymous
heymoniquehey: Overwhelmed.  Lately, I’ve been thinking alot about the future, and the majority of it has been a blur. That in itself has been too scary and has shot me back into reality. It’s time to work it all out. Figure out the past, learn from its mistakes, plan for the future, I keep thinking that everything I’ve done in the past has led up to this moment, and this moment alone. And everything I do afterwards will determine my fate, and how close I’ll get to my dreams. Others have done it before, so why couldn’t I?  The thing is, I’ve worked my ass off for this, even before. All the way up to this point, I’ve dedicated all my time and efforts into the places I thought deserved it: School, family, church, helping others. And I’m not so sure that there is much else I can do, or any other spare time I could dedicate to one more category as opposed to another. You are only given so much to work with.  My dreams were to conquer everything I touched. It was to try my best and succeed at the obstacles before me. But the more and more I try, the more and more I find myself struggling. Have you been through that before? Just sat, and thought to yourself: Where the fuck am I going? I know I can be a people person, and I know I’m great with kids. What if my calling were to be a parent, and a parent alone? You can’t make a living off of being a parent, you actually spend more than you gain, monetarily, at least. You have to have a living and a means to a paycheck before you endorse the idea of children, however much you love them or the concept of them.  I can’t afford to sit and dream. Truthfully, that time is “unproductive” in my mind. I worry so much about time periods, assignments, and deadlines that any free time has to be used productively, with profit. Thoughts without action, they yield nothing. The only time I can do that is the very small time slot I feel my eyes getting heavier, and when I drift off to sleep. They’re my last thoughts: my dreams. They’re so precious and delicate, that I don’t want to spend too much time in thinking about them lest I jinx myself and never see them at all.  And truth is, I’m in it by myself. Maybe that’s the worst part… carrying this heavy burden on my own. But that’s the bulk of life, you know? There won’t be anyone there to hold your hand through all the struggles and all the endeavors that you face. There’s just no way that someone could be there at all moments of despair or of anger or frustration… and on the flip side of that coin, there’s no way that you could share every triumph with someone. The way that I’ve been going about this has me afraid. I look to the future, and see one person. They will be enough for me, but they probably can’t and won’t be there at all times. Moments of solitude scare me a little. Though they might only last for a very short time, they’ll feel like forever. I’m not good alone, unless it’s in times of rebuilding my foundation and starting over. But not something as long as a lifetime in solidarity.  There is just so much going on, things are getting to be overwhelming.  There is much to do.  This is only parts of my story. I’m sure you’ve got one too. Just remember that these things may feel like they’re crushing your faith and hope, but when you look back, you’ll find that these feelings were temporary. Remember to always dedicate yourself to your dreams and the things that make you happiest. Don’t spend too much time thinking, and more doing. And remember, above all, that you’re here for a purpose, and these weakening moments are the same challenges that will what make you stronger later on, and that this feeling will pass. 
Overwhelmed.  Lately, I’ve been thinking alot about the future, and the majority of it has been a blur. That in itself has been too scary and has shot me back into reality. It’s time to work it all out. Figure out the past, learn from its mistakes, plan for the future, I keep thinking that everything I’ve done in the past has led up to this moment, and this moment alone. And everything I do afterwards will determine my fate, and how close I’ll get to my dreams. Others have done it before, so why couldn’t I?  The thing is, I’ve worked my ass off for this, even before. All the way up to this point, I’ve dedicated all my time and efforts into the places I thought deserved it: School, family, church, helping others. And I’m not so sure that there is much else I can do, or any other spare time I could dedicate to one more category as opposed to another. You are only given so much to work with.  My dreams were to conquer everything I touched. It was to try my best and succeed at the obstacles before me. But the more and more I try, the more and more I find myself struggling. Have you been through that before? Just sat, and thought to yourself: Where the fuck am I going? I know I can be a people person, and I know I’m great with kids. What if my calling were to be a parent, and a parent alone? You can’t make a living off of being a parent, you actually spend more than you gain, monetarily, at least. You have to have a living and a means to a paycheck before you endorse the idea of children, however much you love them or the concept of them.  I can’t afford to sit and dream. Truthfully, that time is “unproductive” in my mind. I worry so much about time periods, assignments, and deadlines that any free time has to be used productively, with profit. Thoughts without action, they yield nothing. The only time I can do that is the very small time slot I feel my eyes getting heavier, and when I drift off to sleep. They’re my last thoughts: my dreams. They’re so precious and delicate, that I don’t want to spend too much time in thinking about them lest I jinx myself and never see them at all.  And truth is, I’m in it by myself. Maybe that’s the worst part… carrying this heavy burden on my own. But that’s the bulk of life, you know? There won’t be anyone there to hold your hand through all the struggles and all the endeavors that you face. There’s just no way that someone could be there at all moments of despair or of anger or frustration… and on the flip side of that coin, there’s no way that you could share every triumph with someone. The way that I’ve been going about this has me afraid. I look to the future, and see one person. They will be enough for me, but they probably can’t and won’t be there at all times. Moments of solitude scare me a little. Though they might only last for a very short time, they’ll feel like forever. I’m not good alone, unless it’s in times of rebuilding my foundation and starting over. But not something as long as a lifetime in solidarity.  There is just so much going on, things are getting to be overwhelming.  There is much to do.  This is only parts of my story. I’m sure you’ve got one too. Just remember that these things may feel like they’re crushing your faith and hope, but when you look back, you’ll find that these feelings were temporary. Remember to always dedicate yourself to your dreams and the things that make you happiest. Don’t spend too much time thinking, and more doing. And remember, above all, that you’re here for a purpose, and these weakening moments are the same challenges that will what make you stronger later on, and that this feeling will pass. 

Though there will always be rough times in your life, and tough times you’d much rather forget, use these experiences to shape and mold you into a better person. Fight fire with fire, and kill em with kindness. It can’t harm you. Take these instances and embrace the opportunity, shedding light unto others. Inspire and motivate people, and be the best you. You’re going to do and be great. Don’t doubt yourself. 

I disagree with those environmentalists who say we are going to have to make do with less. In fact, we are going to make do with more: more beauty, more community, more fulfillment, more art, more music, and material objects that are fewer in number but superior in utility and aesthetics. The cheap stuff that fills our lives today, however great its quantity, can only cheapen life.
- Charles Eisenstein, Sacred Economics: The Illusion of Scarcity

Remember to appreciate and show gratitude for things, even the things that seem the smallest. Show love when you feel it, and tell people when you want to, when it’s evident. Let’s be real: we never know when you will lose a loved one. Why waste seconds, minutes, days, or even a lifetime to show them exactly how much they mean to you? 

Money was meant as a means of paying for things, it was a convenience so that man didn’t have to carry around bars of gold for trading goods. Nowadays, we worship it, and because society has adopted the notion that it’s become more, that it signifies a type of lifestyle, majority of people have come to worship it. 

Money needs to return to its place as a means, as a medium for exchange. 

Living simply is a privilege.

heymoniquehey:

Humility. 

By definition, it is a noun, meaning “the quality or condition of being humble;  modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.”

But it’s so much more than that.

It’s the catalyst that drives people to learn how to be themselves, to life lessons early on. It motivates people to get to a better place, and to potentially ensure that issues like that never happen again.

See, without humility present in our lives, we’ll have nothing but pride. And with pride comes the idea, the concept that we’re “special,” and that we are the best, that nothing will ever surpass us, and that nothing will be taken from us. But, oh, are we wrong. You see, with that mentality, there will be no change, no augmentations, no upgrades in our lives, there will only be one stagnant stage, the one in which we are fools believing that we’re untouchable.

If you could open your mind and see that none of us are granted everything that we’ve ever wanted without working for it, that none of us are too mighty to have earth smite us by natural disasters or mere coincidences, that we are not all man-made, self-made creatures… and that there is in fact a larger problem, much larger than you and I out there to be solved, then there might indeed be hope for humanity.

With the use of humility, our eyes are opened, and our hearts to learn.

So you see, it is a crucial part of our psychological and moral foundation,

Humility is the key to progression. 

Humility. 

By definition, it is a noun, meaning “the quality or condition of being humble;  modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.”

But it’s so much more than that.

It’s the catalyst that drives people to learn how to be themselves, to life lessons early on. It motivates people to get to a better place, and to potentially ensure that issues like that never happen again.

See, without humility present in our lives, we’ll have nothing but pride. And with pride comes the idea, the concept that we’re “special,” and that we are the best, that nothing will ever surpass us, and that nothing will be taken from us. But, oh, are we wrong. You see, with that mentality, there will be no change, no augmentations, no upgrades in our lives, there will only be one stagnant stage, the one in which we are fools believing that we’re untouchable.

If you could open your mind and see that none of us are granted everything that we’ve ever wanted without working for it, that none of us are too mighty to have earth smite us by natural disasters or mere coincidences, that we are not all man-made, self-made creatures… and that there is in fact a larger problem, much larger than you and I out there to be solved, then there might indeed be hope for humanity.

With the use of humility, our eyes are opened, and our hearts to learn.

So you see, it is a crucial part of our psychological and moral foundation,

Humility is the key to progression. 

heymoniquehey:

The mind is a beautiful and terrifying thing. It is capable of conjuring dreams, of putting together thoughts in chronological order, analysis-ready. It can drive you insane, cause you to over think… Be the reason for heartbreak. It’s where ideas are born and knowledge is implemented and wielded. It’s where imagination thrives.
It’s much more powerful than many care to believe and lead on… Which is why I always wish people peace of mind.
Without the mind being in a healthy, psychological, and reasonable state, operating and functioning normally, one could never expect the body and the rest of our being to do so.
And if we can’t even do that for ourselves, how are we to lend a helping hand to others?

The mind is a beautiful and terrifying thing. It is capable of conjuring dreams, of putting together thoughts in chronological order, analysis-ready. It can drive you insane, cause you to over think… Be the reason for heartbreak. It’s where ideas are born and knowledge is implemented and wielded. It’s where imagination thrives.
It’s much more powerful than many care to believe and lead on… Which is why I always wish people peace of mind.
Without the mind being in a healthy, psychological, and reasonable state, operating and functioning normally, one could never expect the body and the rest of our being to do so.
And if we can’t even do that for ourselves, how are we to lend a helping hand to others?

Shallow people get shallow results. You’ll always get what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for trouble, you’ll find it. If you’re looking for something that’s nonexistent, your mind will fill something in to have you believe in it. 

Train yourself to think proactively, not reactively.

(Source: heymoniquehey)