Strength

I feel I need to redeem myself after last nights post about beauty and attempt to do a manly one.  So I decided to do a poem about strength and I hope you enjoy it.  But on a side note I love last nights post and am truly humbled on how much everyone loved it :)

We only get stronger by doing things over and over.

Challenging ourselves with more and more weight in our lives. 

Showing no matter how strong we are now there is always the ability to become stronger.

Stronger in the body.

Stronger in the soul.

Stronger in the heart.

My arms are strong because of helping others up when they fall down.

My shoulders are strong because of putting my world on top of it, and inviting others to do the same.

My back is strong from helping carrying others when they feel they have no feet to stand on.

My legs are strong from kicking in doors, because I'm tired of waiting for them to open.

My body is strong because of me!

Enduring life has made me strong.

Being a father.

Being a husband.

Being a friend. 

Trying everyday to add more weight and being a better version each day.

Every heartbreak.

Every loss. 

Every victory.

Every love has made me who I am today.

My soul is strong because of life and living it.

Embraces mental and physical.

Kisses soft and deep.

Hugs friendly and loving.

Every mistaken partner.

My one soul mate.

Family and friends.

Sons and daughters.

My heart is strong because of love.

My body is strong because of me.

My soul is strong because of life and living.

My heart is strong because of love!

end

Beauty!

All right first before I give up a man card for this blog just a fair warning.  There will be no makeup tips, tutorials, hair teasing videos, or nail painting discussed in this blog, except for right there.  This blog will be all about inner and personal beauty and my true definition of beautiful and what someone has to be to clarify as beautiful in my eyes.  So if you're looking for tips on how to be superficial beautiful look elsewhere, in fact if you find any send them my way because I need all the help I can get..... :)

Society now has clouded and poisoned our minds with what should declare beautiful, and us as people have sadly embraced it.  We all want idolize celebrities and strive to look like them, body, clothe, and makeup wise.  But here's the sad truth about that, that look they are pulling off is their own, and not yours.  You can slap lipstick on, get your hair done, and throw on a dress but all that doesn't hide the true image of your soul.  A woman to me is just pretty if she has the look that we are programmed to like, and only becomes beautiful once I get to know the kind of person she is.  

To go off of more the celebrity route women and men both have their list of people they find attractive.  For women it might go like Channing Tatum, Reggie Bush, Ryan Reynolds, etc... and for some guys it might go like Taylor Swift, Anne Hathaway, Megan Fox etc.  And we as people try so hard to look like the guys/girls that the opposite sex wants, but fail to realize that we will never look like that.  I've worked my @$$ off for the last few years to gain a six pack, and do I have one, no.  A reason might be because my genes won't let me, I like coffee and Dutch Bros way to much, or maybe its because I don't need them.  We can never become someone else no matter how had try.  Instead we should get in touch with our soul, and become the most beautiful version of ourselves, and if that's not good enough for some, truth is they are not worth it.  

The one thing that stays with me when I meet someone is their personality.   Not their hair color, their made up face, their revealing shirt, the inner beauty stays with me.  And us as a society should adopt that philosophy to because we all need more truly beautiful people in the world, and the only way to help that along is by helping others realize they are beautiful too.  I know it sounds corny but the words "You are beautiful" have a very profound effect on people and most people will smile when they year those three words.  But some might fight it and doubt you, if that happens you need to tell them why they are beautiful.  If you are wondering right now why you are beautiful ask me and I will tell you.

I kept this short because to me being beautiful is as simple as being yourself.  The more people realize that, the more beautiful people there will be in this world!

Masks

All right before this blog gets read I first must establish some ground rules, call it Blog Club if you will.  First rule of Blog Club is you don't talk about Blog Club, actually do, because I like getting more readers :).  Second rule of Blog Club is before you read this post you must promise me to not immediately message me asking me if I'm ok.  Because I'm ok, just need to get a few things off of my chest.  And the third rule of Blog Club is.....

A lot of us wear masks, and some are so good at it people don't believe it's a mask we are wearing.  It might be a permanent smile, extremely high self esteem, or crying in attempt for attention that we crave.  I know people that wear all those masks, but its only for the public to see.  If you wanna see someone for who they truly are you must catch them off guard and look at them when they don't know you are.  I'm not saying hide in the bushes of their home, I'm just saying glance at them when they think they are alone.  Chances are you will see them in their natural state, a dormant state where they can't control the mask anymore.  They might just be staring off into space but in all actuality they are gaining the inner strength to go back out there and be the person that others need them to be, even it means lying to themselves and others telling them they are just fine.  

     

One of the many reasons I call myself a superhero is not because I can lift a car over my head( I can't), but it is because I've chosen to pick up a cape and a mask and put them both on.  My role is to help others with their problems in life and fly off into the sunset to forget about mine.  Which is fine because if I incorporate my time with others issues, it is much easier to ignore my own,  I think that is why people become therapists to help them remember that there are other people out there who need help, so it will be ok if I don't help myself out.  (Once again I want to remind you of the rules of Blog Club because if you ask me if I'm ok I will tell you I am and that will be it.)  Everyone needs saving but who saves the heroes of the world.  If heroes are saving other heroes then technically aren't doing their job.  They're supposed to be helping the helpless, not saving the helpers.   

Sometimes circumstances build on each other way to much to put the mask on, and those days are the worst.  The feeling is you are numb to the world, can't feel sadness or even joy.  You are just numb.  Tears don't form, smiles are non-existent, day is just blah, just picture a mask with eyes but no mouth to show expression.  It theses days most of all that we must be left alone , because the mask wearers are in a fragile state of mind, because they are not guarded by their usual facial shield of smiles, unicorns, and sunshine.  This is also a sign that the mask has been on for way too long, and should be put away at all costs.  Constantly lying to yourself and others about how you feel is not only detrimental to yourself, but also others and your relationships with them.  I'm not saying throw away the mask completely because we all have days we need to hide ourselves from others, I'm saying keep it in your back pocket or shirt pocket at all times.  Because who knows when you will only need it for a little bit.  

Balance

First things first, if I blogged last night or even this morning I would of been breaking my no blogging when angry rule, so I'm glad I held off on it.  Because the longer I let this idea simmer in my head it actually came into the shape you are about to read about.  And also there will be another blog on Valentines Day about love letters, because well it's Valentine's Day or VD for short and I'm a romantic :).  So without further ado, I give you my analysis on balance and how it affects our lives!

The secret to life is very simple, it's balance.  Life is full of balance either way the dark and the light side, and when either side gets overloaded it distorts reality and we see things as either everything is against or us, or the world is too fricking full of sunshine and unicorns that this can't all possibly be true.  I know because I've had a ton of both days.  This weekend was hell for me, actually it wasn't just the weekend, but complaining about it won't do jack.  Every where I looked I saw black and no white in sight, and when that happens you must make a a decision amongst yourself, either give in the darkness, or since you can't find out light YOU must shine the light and offset the balance.  That's what I realized this afternoon, I was determined that this weekend was going to suck because that's how my week was mostly going in my eyes, so why would anything change.  So life decided to make my prediction come true and throw everything my way, and honestly I came very close to just throwing in the towel and just letting it all out, But then I decided to show life the middle finger so to speak, smiled, and decided to be the light that was missing.

     Everyone asks do you think your glass is half empty or half full, my answer from now on will be simple, who the HELL drank my water in the first place, and did they get their germs on my glass.  Very simply put its your glass of water, not anyone elses, and we all do our own thing with our glasses.  Me I like to stick a straw in it sometimes and blow bubbles and make a fun mess of things, or other times just pick up the glass and throw it hard against the wall and see if it will break.  And if it breaks I clean up the mess, and grab my plastic Hulk slurpee cup and refill the water and start all over.  In a nutshell you decide in your life what to do, and you, and only you have the ability to change it, but only if you truly want to.  Saying you want to lose weight, write a book, go to the gym, run a marathon, are greats things to say, but saying them won't make them come true.  You must do them to make them come true.  And I'll tell you what every little step you make towards that goal your reaching for get's easier and easier.  I was watching myself in the mirror at the gym and I was just looking at myself realizing I had no idea how much I've changed throughout the years.  The reason for the change is very simple, I took my water and I drank from it without anyone asking me if it was half empty or etc, and if it was empty I got up and refilled it myself, and if others were thirsty I would get them their own cup and encourage them to take a sip, and take control of their destiny.  

     When life seems out of balance its because you have given it a chance to become that way, whether you know it or not.  The balance of your life should only rely on one person, and that one person is you.  Sure we may get wobbly here and there, we might fall down, and when those events occur that's where friends and family come into play to give your a helping hand.  Tell you go get back up, lean more to the right or left, and just breathe.  You should never rely on someone to keep your own balance, because that same person who you're relying on has to keep their own balance.  People asked me if I went insane today at work and for one reason I went from mopey, depressed, down right grumpy, to borderline psychotic sarcastic happiness in a flip of the switch.  You can be sad that you cut your tip of the thumb off, dug through trash for no reason, printers not working, dough running out, but being sad and angry about it doesn't do anything, in fact the only thing it does it make it easier to keep loading up on you and slowly, slowly push all that weight down on you, and hurt you really bad.  To change the balance all you do is very simple, be the light where there is only darkness it seems, grab your glass of water (maybe throw it against the wall a few times), and swing the balance of your life in the right direction.  The only person who controls your own inner pendulum is you so swing away, and carry on, because I promise life will get better if you believe it will.  

What's the point

I was going to explain a little about this one, but I just thought I'd throw it out there instead!

What's the Point

Everyday we go through our lives doing little things here and there.

And sometimes we ponder why we do the things we do.

There's not a single day where I don't ask myself one question.

What's the point.

What's the point of being nice when you see others around you doing the opposite.  

Saying hello.

Sending a smile.

Simple thank you and your welcome seem to be lost in the world today,

Niceness is always overshadowed by the unkind.

And to that I ask what's the point?

What's the point of setting goals so high?

Higher than the sky.

Dreaming big and never small.

Aiming to become someone past your potential.

To set the bar so high you need a rocket to reach it.

To challenge ourselves and others around us to see our true strength.

Dreams are made to come true.

Goals are made to met.

Becoming our greatest self is everyone's reason in life.

Many just settle for mediocrity.

And to that I ask what's the point.

What's the point of demanding change in the world.

People complain and complain a lot.

Their voices go unheard and fall on deaf ears.

Asking for all the problems to be solved, but not lifting a finger to help.

Empty actions are just as worse as empty words.

Many speak of change in the world. but they themselves do not display that change they demand.

And to that I ask what's the point.

What's the point of just floating through life.

Denying love and abandoning it.

Live in a shallow pit of despair and not in the light.

Being emotionless.

Not caring.

Hiding your true self.

If you're not living life and being yourself.

And to that I ask what is the point.

There are points to every little thing in life.

All it takes is a little exploration.

Why we do the things we do?

Why we say the things we say?

Every thing you do has a point.

If you do things that do not have a point or help others.

I ask you, what is the point! 

What if

First of all if I posted this blog earlier this week when I was planning to it would of have a way different tone.  Much more negative, but since I let it simmer and roll around in my brain it became more organic.  The anger is still there, but there is more hope in it now.  For those who wanted a poem I will post it tomorrow, because thinking way too much is like doing a three hour full body workout for my mind.  And with that I leave you with the start.... What if?!

All through your life you ask yourself many questions, and many start with the words "what if".  What if I go to school, What if I get a girlfriend/boyfriend, What if I want kids, What if I want to lose weight etc...  It's amazing that those two words have such a prominent role in our life, and our decision making.   A deep analysis usually follows and if the action to accomplish it is too high or great, we throw it to the side.  Or attempt it for a little while and go back to the way things used to be.  A great example is January is the highest sign up month for Gym memberships, and attendance is good for about two to three weeks.  But by the fourth week usually the gym is a ghost town once again, and to me its sad.  Because every person who joined up in the month asked themselves this one question, "What if I lose weight and have more energy will I look better?", but they should of worded it "When I go the gym...."  As powerful as the words "what if" are, they can't handle a candle to the words "when I!"

     Now I'm going to ask you some hypothetical questions, but don't be alarmed they're not hinting towards anything, just some inner deep thinking points to look at.

1. What if the man who everyone talks to stopped listening?  

       Everybody has issues in life and everybody wants a person to tell them to.  Whether it be a friend, spouse, professional, or a complete stranger.  And unless that person is a real jerk they will listen.  For example I feel I have a sign on my head, or my picture is up on Facebook somewhere saying "just talk and this guy will listen" , which I'm fine with people I know and love, but complete strangers its a little awkward.  I got my hair done the other day and my stylist went on about her problems.  I came very close to asking for a free haircut, and a 30.00 counseling fee.  She went on about her roommates, drug problems, teenage pregnancy, and her moving.  To say it was awkward would be an understatement, but it shows that God gave me ears and a brain, and to be the kind of superhero he wants me to be I  have to use both.    My question to you is when that person stops listening will you lend the world and your ears to help comfort.

2. What if a Super-hero hangs up his cape?

      Everybody has the ability to be a superhero inside you just have to find your power, but what would happen if the hero everyone looks up to hangs up his cape.  No longer flies the skies, lifts the cars, keeps the world turning, and saves kitties stuck in trees.  Hero's are humans too, and even though Superman is from another planet, his core is human.  Hero's cry, yell, smile, have inner and outer battles, good days, and bad days, but still everyone expects them to put a smile on, and go save the world once again.  People get upset if a hero shows one sign of human in them, because we all look up to them, and are afraid if a hero has one down day it shows they are not bulletproof.  The truth is most heroes have had more bad days then good, and that is what who makes them to be who they are today.  I could bore you with super hero orgins for pages upon pages, but instead I'll let you pick your favorite hero, and have you think how they came to be.  Got it, good, heroes are born through adversity.  And what do we all face through out our life, adversity, and the more we overcome adversity, the harder it gets, and the closer you get to superhero status. And when it is time for the hero that everyone looks up to see, decides to hang up his cape, I pray that you will pick up those tights and be the hero that the world will be missing.

3.  What if God give's us so many signs, but then stops when we don't act?

    This past weekend I had three drastically different days.  Saturday was fine until the hell hit, Sunday was awesome, and Monday was just a day.  Not good, nor bad, just there.  I might be over analyzing this, but I believe days like that are the clearest signs, and if we don't take notice they will stop.  I know I will have crap days, great days, and just days. but when its the point where all the days are just days, there's no point anymore.  Crap days are a great tool to learn from and to challenge you, great days are the rewards for the crappy days, and the just days are the days where your to tired to see the lesson or the reward in that given day.  Everyday I wake up with the intention of sitting down and writing my book, writing my ticket out of the Cheese, but one thing always stops me, fear.  Fear to fail, but what if we didn't have that fear.  I will answer you that the world would be filled with crap!  You might think that is a little harsh but hear me out.  Those who overcome that fear of failure have proven to me they deserve to be heard, because if you overcome your toughest critic, yourself, there's nothing in this world that should be able to stop you.  And if others didn't have that fear life would be filled with Participation trophies, and no champions.  That's why when I wake up I tell myself "when I write I will succeed", and not "What if I write will I succeed?", to attempt everyday to overcome that fear, and each day I get closer and closer to putting pen to paper.

So here's my challenge to you: Stop saying What If!!!!!  And instead say "When I".  And never stop challenging yourself on a daily basis, and always overcome that fear to fail.

Superman

First off I found this picture I thought it was really funny, but I don't believe it one bit.  For those that know me know that I have hated Superman most of my life, but it wasn't until this year I realized that he is the man I aim to be.  He always sees the good in people, tries to help everyone in the world, is selfless and never gives up.  His weakness is a piece of rock from his home planet, and this year I have found my kryptonite, and sadly it is embedded in me.  Fear.  Fear that I won't accomplish what I want to in my life, fear that I will just be a nobody, rather than a somebody.  But through my friends and family they give me the strength to pick up my pen, and fight against the kryptonite to continue writing.  A few of you who read this have single handily sewn my cape and placed it on me, and without you I would of never known what it likes to metaphorically fly.  Be so high in the air looking down on the world, and trying my very hardest to bring all my friends and family up with me.  So without further ado, i give you my second poem, Superman.

Superman

We all have our secret identities.

People who we pretend to be.

There's always a side of us that we are afraid for others to see.

Some are afraid to show others they have a heart and care.

Some have a big enough heart. love is all they bare.

And some pretend to have a heart that is no longer there.

I wear my heart on my chest and in plain sight.

So it never falls out of the light.

I know what is wrong and I know what is right.

And my endgame is always in sight.

I may not be human but I now know what is like to be one of you.

I wish love and happiness were the only emotions that I knew true.

But like you I have shed tears too, tears that are blue.

I can lift many things, but my greatest strength comes from my heart.

My parents knew this, knew this from the start.

My family raised a man who will always fly high in the sky.

But they also raised a man who knows it is ok to cry.

Dreams and fantasies who do you want to be.

Would you soar in the sky with me?

We all have a hero in us.

To find it we must learn who to love and who to trust.

You must live with the goal hero or bust.

Never settle for staying on the ground.

Down on this little dirt mound.

Aim for the sky, true and blue.

I know for a fact that you have it in you.

So here's my challenge to all that read this.

Not really a challenge more like a wish.

Fly high in the sky.

Always try.

For then you and I can soar in the big open blue.

Because at that exact moment I will know what it is like to be flying with you.