Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Motivation.
What is your word for 2020
Reflecting on 2019 I realize that have had a lot of peaks and valleys in my life. Not all for the good and not all for the bad. The real point is I had opportunities for growth! Every experience I go through is a way to reveal new understanding about myself. That being said I want to share some of my trials and tribulations that have helped to shape my view of the world.
By Ty Zabel7 years ago in Motivation
Time
Think about this next coming year differently. In the year 2100, someone will think to themselves, "I wonder what it was like for people in the 20's. I can't believe they lived through that." Some dooms-dayers will say that there won't even be a 2100 with how things are going, but it's nice to hope. That's another thing, we can only have hope for the future. There are many stories and fables teaching us to be positive and have hope, but not to focus too much, to where you miss out on what's going on around you. You will never be who you are, where you are, how young you are ever again. You will change, in fact everything about you will change. Perhaps not your inner core values, and behaviors, however, years from now you'll think to yourself "Wow, I did that. I was so young and naive, and so very stupid! I would never do that now!" Be honest with yourself, looking back at a younger you, say 13, there were words that you could say and they didn't mean the same thing as they do now. Things change, you change, society around you changes with the younger generations. Apparently, with each generation, we are becoming more and more sensitive to others. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because it shows that we as a society, are trying to create a respectful place, and a safe place for everyone to express their religion, and beliefs and themselves freely without fear of being rejected. I think we've come along way. Heck in 2009/2010, the phrase "that's so gay" was common among young kids. It wasn't a jab at the potentially homosexual community around them, it was just a saying that someone somewhere started in an effort to say "that's so lame" in a different way. With Generation X, that was smothered out practically immediately. And now for the bad. We as a society in America, act differently than most countries. Ask any foreigner how they think that Americans act, or to describe an American and they will try to give you an image that may or may not be close to the truth. Now I'm not saying being different is bad, in fact, I'm practically the black sheep of my family because I'm so different, but if we aren't careful in trying to censor ourselves, we just might throw out the constitution. Freedom of Speech is a core value in this country. As awful as it may sound, the base beliefs of the Constitution were set up to let anyone believe, and say whatever they want while being treated as an equal. And practically do anything they want. There are laws limiting that so there isn't absolute chaos. So if someone wants to be a "witch on wheels" as my mother so lovingly would say, then that is their right as a citizen of the United States. If someone wants to donate their earnings for the month that is that person's choice and right as a citizen. If someone feels as though the politician isn't doing his job, then it is their right to protest peacefully near the courthouse. The moment that we as a society start smothering people's voices, and opinions, is a moment where we take a step in making an unhealthy suppressed vocal society. Which infringes upon the Constitution. It is a good thing to want a safe place to express your unique self, but you can not shove any type of belief down anyone's throat. You can not smother others. At least you should not. With this coming year, who knows what is to come to pass, who knows what will happen to you personally. All we know is that someday, we'll think back to our time in the 20's and say to ourselves "Wow, I lived through that. I did that. I can't believe that happened to me." In both a positive and negative connotation. Bad things will happen, that is a guarantee. But so are good things. And change. Everything will change. So here is to our roaring 20's, may they change everything.
By Rachel M Everitt7 years ago in Motivation
Pathway to happiness
Who am I? Why am I in this world? What is the reason for this life? What distinguishes me as human from animals? These are some of the questions many will ask themselves at times, but since they cannot find convincing answers, they eventually give up thinking about them and continue to live in the way they are expected to do, paying little or no attention to finding the purpose of their life. To certain people, these questions become so vital that they spend most of their lives in search of finding answers. That search eventually leads them to look within themselves. To be a happy, wholesome and healthy person, your body and soul must work in perfect harmony. This means uniting the body and soul to fulfill the mission for which we were all put on earth: to lead a meaningful, productive, and virtuous life by making this physical world a home. The body and soul, however, are in constant conflict: the body basically looking to satisfy its needs with the soul looking for transcendence and unity. The first step in dealing with this conflict is to acknowledge that the struggle exists, and be aware of the two distinct forces. Thinking that we are a single entity leads to confusion and despair. One day we are virtuous and the next we are selfish; one day we are motivated, the next we procrastinate. It’s actually pretty simple. Love and happiness make you feel good and good things happen when you feel good. There’s a simple reason why this is true. Your outer world reflects your inner world. When you lift your spirits to a place where miracles can happen, they do. Think about living fully and the alternatives – suffering and stress – which are much more common. Statistically, it’s a proven fact that stress kills. It’s another example of your outer world reflecting your inner world. We were born to live happily, but the stresses of life can get in the way. If you live with a lot of stress, anxiety, and the like, your health and well-being may not be in danger today. But where is it going to take you? Stress is an epidemic that is eroding our quality of life, individually and collectively. All at time when making a shift into a happier and more loving world is a real option. It’s truly a choice. As a part of an entire network of life on this planet, we are constantly experiencing an expanding awareness of our surroundings as it all happens! Perhaps there is no ultimate or final goal, and we are learning to adapt to this adventure that is always changing as we live it.
By Archi Firm7 years ago in Motivation
How to remain faithful in dark times
Life is dark. From listening to the stories of my peers our lives are full of cycles of sweetness but then sour heartbreaks of many relationships that touch the nerve of many parts of us. The tender sensitive parts of you do not know how to handle those outside forces ( they may be the job that you got fired from for being late, it may be the goal that you had to lose 20 pound but you just cant seem to come down, or it may be mental illness punching strong that tells you those words from your childhood that you are pathetic or some devastating explicative) It can feel like even when the sun is out our chronic pain on the inside will not rest, and it makes our lives feel like a cage that we can't escape from. When we feel helpless to the circumstances of our lives we grieve. Ways that I have grieved include:
By SAYHERNAME Morgan Sankofa7 years ago in Motivation
Letter To My Past Selves
Dear Brittany, This is a letter to the past versions of you that need validation. I know you didn’t realize it, but you could have always validated yourself. There were people around you that validated you all the time, but you just refused to believe them. But it’s time to let go of that. It’s time to accept compliments from people you love and understand with your whole heart, that they are telling the truth.
By Brittany Valentine7 years ago in Motivation
A Look Back on The Last Year of a Decade.
"you don't mature with time, you mature through lessons. you mature when you make mistakes and learn where you went wrong. you mature the moment you can admit that you were wrong and accept that people will always have differing opinions on you and that's okay. you mature when you look within yourself before you look at others, it is the moment you decide to hold your tongue instead of engage in unnecessary dispute. you mature when you choose kindness over arrogance, and choose to forgive over holding grudges. you don't mature through the time that passes, you mature through the lessons you seek and understand."-naaveesa
By M F7 years ago in Motivation
I'll Be Roaring In the 20s
A lot of things have happened this past year, and the next year is looking to be just as eventful, and I was feeling kind of nostalgic and wistful, and also resolved, so I thought I would do a little recap, and speak some of my wishes into the world, in hopes they materialize.
By Paige Graffunder7 years ago in Motivation
The Least You Can Do
So, you have set your goal, now what? Well, in the wise words spoken by Thomas Jefferson, "If you want something you've never had, you've got to do something you've never done." Yet, the question still remains, how do I do something I have never done or don't know how to do? Whether your goals are physical, emotional, spiritual or financial, I will cover how you can take the first steps to successfully achieving your goal by starting with the least you can do.
By Marci Brodock7 years ago in Motivation
How to Thrive Despite Your Fears
I have been reflecting on fear lately and our need to play safe so we can be liked and accepted. Social media can be, in this case, a double-edged sword! While it allows to reach out a vast amount of people very quickly, it’s also unforgiving and very often cruel.
By Antonia Lyons7 years ago in Motivation
Stay Gracious
In ode to the illustrious Queen Yoncé, and the messages/power spread through each one of her songs - I felt compelled to speak on one specifically. As we know Formation, is a powerhouse bop that addresses many issues that were/continue to occur amongst the African-American community.
By Brandon Lee7 years ago in Motivation
The Reality Of Expectations
Expectations are what you or others expect from you. Reality is exactly how it works out. There may be times that our expectations fall into our reality. Research has however verified that this is only a small percentage of the time. We always have higher expectations of ourselves because of others.
By Chantelle C7 years ago in Motivation
