Full disclosure - I am 33. I think I am awesome. My only real legacy on the planet to date is in the people that have given me the opportunity to believe and empower them - jury is out on if History will call me a success or not...perhaps thats in my kids, friends, other young people I may get to influence - In reality I have had few tangible results in my life that people give any real merit too...yet - you could say Bon Jovi's 'Living on a Prayer' sums my life up pretty well at present.
Based on experiences, convictions and beliefs - I am staking the success of my life on the legacy of the generations that my life gets to help shape. They will shape history writing a legacy of transformation into eternity...
With that being said: read with a grain of salt
(and get a sleeveless jean jacket)
One of the most impactful revelations in my life is that the man or the system generally misses true passion and desire. Filtering young people into this garbage idea of perceived success that in my opinion is leading us to generally suck (see depression, apathy, debt, family breakdown etc.).
Even worse then that is the overblown value for comfort that we have built in our middle class suburban world of insta entertainment. Imparting this to our kids at such an early age, pacifying the incredible opportunity of allowing passion and desire to bloom into any sort of champion status that wins.
If you talk to most kindergartener's about what they want to do when they grow up, the epic status is mostly still alive. They want to grow into men and women that change the world, save lives, invent etc. You talk to 7th graders and they have generally allowed the concerns of their appearance, their social media, the external pressures of success to drown out and manipulate their performance into survival mode.
Now, its possible I am an idealist, and some people are just meant to be normal.
I just think our standard for normal sucks.
What if we allowed our standard of normal was not to be measured on dollars and comfort, rather what we have overcome? What if I could ask someone not 'how are you today?' but 'did you win today?'. Imagine that question being met with 'yes, I showed up on time to work today, made a friend, and dominated this presentation!' (dropping a dab at the end no doubt)
The vast majority of us will have little to no impact on broader culture. However, what if the standard for all of us was taking on our own personal challenges. In my own life, and the people around me I have found most individuals are alive when they are putting their hand and mind into taking on a legitimate challenge. That could be something as small as not comparing oneself to a co-worker or classmate, or to something as big as destroying depression in my school.
Many of these struggles will carry the need for higher education - fantastic! Get it!
Unfortunately, I believe or normal has been castrated down to a general sense of apathy and purposelessness.
My question for you is what your struggle today and are you actually engaged in it? Do you expect to win?
For me, I have chosen to take on my own depression and slay it...some days its multiple times a day...other times its every so often - but when it comes on I refuse to allow it to win the day. I also have chosen to create a legacy of transformation in my family, and any individual that allows me the opportunity to input into their life. My success will be measured by many different people in many different ways, most of whom I will never interact with, and many of whom will tell me I am wrong. For the most part they will get the bird from me - I am choosing to live with purpose and passion and they can critique from the sideline - or they can find a battle worth fighting and engage with their life.
For you - What is your passion? Are you engaged today?
Choose to win today...it's a choice.
