I love this song. You can actually feel the lyrics. The guy is very talented. He’s not big time yet, but he is on his way. Especially if he keeps making hits like this. Enjoy!
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Love is described as a the strongest emotion that one person can feel for another. It represents kindness, affection, compassion, reciprocity, and euphoria. Our culture glorifies it and and praises it. People fall into it. It’s such a coveted emotion that some would pay any price to experience it. Love…a four letter word with the power to pierce steel hearts, defy logical minds, and elevate humans to a metaphysical utopia of bliss. But is this really love?
Unlike most people who use the word and its representation frivolously, I’ve always taken the word “love” very seriously. More seriously than I take money, sex, religion, laws, values, or people. In my family love was present, but it wasn’t thrown around like a crumpled up piece of paper or a dirty sock. I only told two girls I loved them and I meant it. I still do.
I write about love because in today’s society people don’t know what love truly is. Most people say they love someone, but they really don’t. They never did!
What makes me say these preposterous things? I know what love is and what love is not.
I heard a story a couple of months ago that I want to share with you. A wealthy prince married a princess. They took up mediation and after some time the prince asked the princess, “Who do you love most in this world?” She honestly replied with, “At first I thought it was you, but after having meditated on this a while, I realized it was me. I love myself the most.” There is a lot of truth in that statement and I believe that is how most people are interpreting love – only they don’t realize it.
They see love as conditional. “I will love you as long as you are the person whom I want you to be” or “I will love you as long as you meet a certain criteria.” The best example of this can be seen in romantic relationships. Person A falls in love with person B. After a while person B also falls in love with person A. For a time, they are happy and bliss surrounds them like a warm protective blanket. Some time passes and something happens. Person B either changes, gets bored, grows, or retrogresses and no longer wants to be in a relationship with person A. Person A can not handle person B’s decision to break up. Person A says he’s in love and wants to keep the relationship going – he will do anything. Person B wants to move on and says there is nothing that can be done. Person B ends the relationship.
Person A becomes devastated. All those good love feelings suddenly go away. They are replaced by negative ones. Happiness turns into anger. Love turns into hate. Person A can’t listen to certain songs, go certain places, or do certain things because they remind them of person B. Person A then gets depressed, he feels like a victim, he starts hating person B. He starts magnifying all her faults. He starts calling her derogatory names. He burns their pictures and throws away the gifts he got from person B. After some time he gradually forgets about person B. Maybe person B is replaced by person C – a new person to “love.” And so person A moves on, only to repeat this cycle.
Is this love? No. It’s the furthest thing from love, yet I see people constantly using the love word like it’s a sweet desert topping. “I love her” or “I love him” or “I’m so in love.” They think they know the meaning of love, but most people don’t know the true meaning of love – otherwise they would be more careful with this precious word.
You see love is giving despite what you are getting. It’s having the heart to genuinely want good for someone even though they are causing you pain. It’s hard to forgive someone who has cheated on you, you are so hurt, how could he/she do this to you? I’ve been there. Your ego gets involved. You start to feel disrespected and betrayed. “Why me?” You start hating the person. But why? It’s because you didn’t really love the other person in the first place. You only loved what he was to you. How she made you feel in the moment. Once that person no longer brought you pleasure – you started to change your feelings and you built up your walls. You turned what you thought was love into hate.
The truth of the matter is that everything changes. Constantly. A river is never the same river. Even after a second it has changed entirely. Frequently flowing, always moving, constantly changing. Change is the only constant in our short lives. It is the only constant in our universe. Learn to embrace it and you will not suffer.
It’s hard to love someone who doesn’t love you. But that is exactly what love is. Love is forgiveness and compassion. It’s understanding. It’s maturity. It’s the ability to let go.
Do you have it in you or do you just think you do?
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When it comes to public speaking, I have been told that I have some natural advantages. A booming voice, noticeable presence, and flowing tonality – make up the genetic gifts that were bestowed upon me. When these traits are paired together, they should make for an excellent speaker. That’s why you can imagine my surprise when I didn’t win my area’s Humorous Speech Contest last week. I had all these natural abilities, how could I not win?
As I pondered that question, I realized the answer was pretty simple. I did not practice as hard as the other constants in the contest! I didn’t invest the time. Like many people, I had expected that my natural talents would carry me through, but…they didn’t.
The other contestants had practiced their speeches for several weeks. Sculpting, refining, and polishing their speeches until they were nearly flawless. I, on the other hand, practiced my speech for only a couple of hours before the contest. The differences between the winning speech and my own may have been subtle to most of the audience members, but I’m sure they were glaringly apparent to the judges.
Although I delivered my speech without any flaws, the winning speaker was more refined, more polished, and more controlled. She timed her pauses perfectly. Her gestures were in tune with what she was saying. And she had the crowd laughing throughout her speech. She had put in the time and it showed.
The result of this contest just reinforces what I already knew: Practice will overtake natural ability every single time! You can start out at a disadvantage, but if you continuously practice and refine your craft you can overtake someone who is naturally more gifted than yourself.
Here I am with my fellow toastmasters. I am the first one from the right.
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I am an explorer. I was born one. I like learning new things, meeting new people, and discovering new places. The ability to do the things I want when I want is important to me. Freedom continues to be my number one value and starting at a young age, I’ve relentlessly fought against anything or anyone that’s wanted to restrict me.
I remember being three-years old when I was placed in a crib with tall wooden bars. The bars were there for my protection, but they made me feel trapped. I wanted to roam free around my room, so I continually tried to bust out of the crib. I struggled with the task for a few weeks, but eventually I learned how to jump over top of the bars by standing on my stuffed animals. At the age of five, I was at it again – tricking my babysitters and then escaping them in search of adventure. When I got my first car, I went out of the city every chance I got. I never liked feeling restricted. Confinement stifles me. When I feel trapped, it kills my passion, creativity, and love.
Right now, I feel like I am trapped once again. I am working at a decent job, but I don’t have financial freedom. I have to make sacrifices. I don’t have the ability to go where I want when I want to. I am getting by, but I’m not really building something for myself. That is why I’ve decided that it is time for a change!
This week, I’ve embarked on a journey that will help me reach financial abundance. It may take me a few years, but I am committed to this journey. I have a reliable map, a knowledgeable guide, and an optimistic attitude. I know that if I put in the work, I will succeed. I hope to see you on the other side when I do.
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