Over the past year, I have discussed the highs and lows of this factor numerous times. I struggle to stay on track sometimes. It sucks. I forget where I am and desperate for direction from time to time. So today, I am going to discuss the few things that consistently drive me.
Quotes
Doesn't matter who says them (1). The importance lies with the message spoken and how it relates to our lives. I find myself to be a bit of a romantic and find new quotes on a weekly basis to help drive me to be a better person, athlete (2), worker, and partner. I rely on them often.
(1) It does. I am being dramatic.
(2) I constantly watch Nike commercials, documentaries, and Youtube videos frequently before and after workouts to help as well
We all lose ourselves. Life catches us off guard and we lose touch to what's important. It's very easy to lose focus. However, The great quotes bring us back.
Here are some of my favorites
William James is one of the greatest American philosophers (3) and his quotes span from day-to-day tasks to pushing the limits of human endurance.
(3) Many historians believe that he was a major influence on Theodore Roosevelt. Teddy was a student of Professor James at Harvard University. If you look at James' quotes and Teddy's most famous line, "Walk softly and carry a big stick," one can see the inspiration from one to the other. Theodore just added his own personal wrinkle. History is fun.
Here are some of my favorites:
"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second."
"There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man's lack of faith in his true self."
"The world is all the richer for having a devil in it, so long as we keep our foot upon his neck."
And my all time favorite:
“Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
Those quotes often act as a reminder when things get tough but this is nothing to one of the best speeches ever. A speech so good that it was turned into a song. Everyone my age remembers the "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" song by Baz Luhrmann. It started as a speech given at a High School Graduation, then someone simply added a soothing melody to make it a song. Unexpectedly, the song became a hit. The song became so popular that it was on the "Now That's What I Call Music" album 2 (4).
(4) When the Now That's What I Call Music CD series first came out, it was released once a year, until Virgin Records realized they can make a lot more money if they released one every month ( They just released album 87 not to long ago. The first album was released in October of 1998). Again, history is fun.
Nevertheless, the entire speech gives unbelievable life advice I attempt to live by everyday. I have to listen to it every now and about to act as a constant reminder as it helps me to be the person I want to be. Not necessarily the person I am, but definitely the individual I want to become.
Let's break down the speech.
The lyrics will be in bold and my responses will be in parenthesis:
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering
experience…
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you
imagine.
(When I first heard this lyric, I glossed over it. Didn't take it seriously. You believe you're invincible when your young. I find this to be a paradox. We can tell our youth over and over again from our own personal experiences that the gifts you have now will fade over time but no one under the age of 25 is going to take it seriously or even listen to you...right until Father Time takes care of business. The cycle will continually repeat itself like the ending of 12 Monkeys.)
Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday.
(Worrying about the future is human nature. It's what makes us different from every living thing on the planet. The frontal lobe gives us the ability to think about the future. No other animal has this ability so it is difficult to follow. However, worrying about the past can be as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. You can't control the past but you can control your future...until you get blindsided at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday (5).
(5) I recently got into an car accident where someone made a left turn when I was going straight. You know what day that happened on...yeah, you guessed it...some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Sing
(I rather not...I suck and I am doing the public a favor when I don't sing)
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours.
(Word)
Floss
Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
(Envy is one of the seven deadly sins for a reason. It is a waste of energy and time. Instead, go with the complete opposite. Celebrate the success of others, even if you are not friends with them. Celebrate it. Life is way too short to be hung up on jealousy. Nothing good comes from the emotion. We all understand envy stems from inadequacy and insecurity, but the best way to get rid of those emotions is to enjoy the victories of others. And you are probably thinking I am coming from a karma angle as if you celebrate others' success, then in due time, good fortune will come your way.
No.
Actually, that is a dangerous way to think which will most likely lead to more anger and bitterness.
Instead, it's much simpler than that. It's just a positive outlook. Practice it. Trust me. It will help.)
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
(Lurhmann's weakest line. It's human nature to remember the negative over the positive, but like he said, if you can do it, please tell us all.)
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t.
(I tell people this line weekly. Or at least, that what it feels like. I could write a whole post about this line but the message is clear.)
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
(Damnit)
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
(I still haven't decided whether I fully agree or disagree with the last line of the quote. There is no in between either.)
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own..
Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
(I may do this too much and probably in places I shouldn't be doing it.)
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
(Please...I want Cosmopolitan Magazine to crumble)
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future.
(I am blessed with my family and I'm including the family I am about to marry into. I am not sure if I needed to state this or if it's even relevant to the above two lines...but....I wanted to.)
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
(I struggle with this everyday. I am constantly thinking about people that have passed in and out of my life. They are still very important. It's just a hard thing to cope with that harsh truth. An understanding that some very important people in your life that help shape who you are will come and go seems illogical to me. But it's the truth. People pass your life like a sieve, the very important will stay and the rest will pass through. Wait. That sounds bad. Let me put it this way. I work extremely hard to keep in touch with friends but despite my efforts, it becomes fruitless overtime in certain cases. Just something we all have to deal with. I just don't like it.)
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
(Anyone who knows me, even through passing, will state that I shove traveling done their throats. It's something I strongly believe in. It's the very first conversation I shared with my future wife. It one of our biggest connections.)
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
(It depends if they're nice or not)
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out.
(Boy, if half of the nation would follow this model, holy shit, would we be in a much better place as a society. Nothing but a bunch over privileged, self-entitled wienies walking the streets anymore. I just realized I sound like an elder...OK, fine...don't respect me.)
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
(Gospel)
But trust me on the sunscreen…
Hear, you listen to the song and come up with your own interpretation.
Thanks for reading!
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