How to Continue

Before you read this post, read the first part, “How to Start”

So here you are; you’re on your way to your own mini revolution. Maybe you’ve just started, or maybe you’re reading this after years of hard work. Regardless, you’re making a difference and that is the single most noteworthy thing you can be doing in this world.  I’m sure you’ve realized by now, it’s not nearly as straightforward as you thought it would be, though.

Sometimes, the plans don’t always work out and you seem stuck in a rut until an extrinsic motivational factor pulls you out.  It happens to me all the time. It seems like I’m not getting anywhere and I loose heart until someone reminds me about my goals. If you’re like me, and wish you could stay on top of your goals and not loose heart all of the time, I’ve compiled some bits of advice that might help.

First, every Sunday, I look back on my week and think. I answer seven questions I found on this great website called Marc and Angel Hack Life:

1.       What pleasant surprises did you discover this week?

2.       What lessons did you learn?

3.       How are your short term efforts aligned with your long term goals?

4.       What could you have spent more or less time doing?

5.       How did fear or uncertainty affect you this week?

6.       Do you have any mental clutter to clear?

7.       What are your goals for next week?

These questions really keep me on track because they make me review how my life goes every week and allow me to change my life if it isn’t going as I’d like it to. I write out all on my answers on paper because writing them down makes it less easy to lie to myself.  I encourage you to do these questions also. And as you complete all your goals for this week, check them off, to give you some satisfaction.

Secondly, I’ve started to wear something every day to remind myself of my efforts constantly.  It’s simply a hair tie on my left wrist. Since I’m left handed and wear my watch and bracelets on my right wrist, I’m not used to having something on my left wrist. It feels strange and I notice it constantly. Therefore, if I notice it constantly, I constantly have my goals on the mind. You could do the same, or just something similar like drawing a star on the back of your hand or posting sticky notes around your house to remind you, etc. Whatever you decide to do, simply keeping your goals on your mind periodically will increase your chances of completing them.

Something I also try to do that you might find useful is journaling for five minutes at the end of each day, just to keep track of how you’re doing or how you could be doing.

Also, every year I sit down with a pencil and paper and answer a set of 38 questions about my whole life. I never look at the questions or answers unless it’s June 10^th and it’s time to do my questions again. My goal every year is to change my answers. (So an example of one of the questions I’ve remembered is what’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done. Two years ago, it was talking about my sticky notes idea at a small school assembly. One year ago, I one-uped that by talking to my whole school about changing the world.  I’m going to try to beat both of them again this year.) The point of these questions is take advantage of opportunities to better yourself and do new and better things than before. I encourage you to do the same, making up your own questions that mean something to you.

Lastly, I want to stress that getting stuck in a rut while you’re trying to make a difference is normal. Life happens and sometimes there’s just no time for anything but work or school. Sometimes we get depressed and empty and can’t convince ourselves to do something productive with our lives. But as long as we are pulled out eventually, it’s alright. And sometimes extrinsic motivational factors are very helpful. But on the other hand, they don’t always show up when we need them the most. And so intrinsic motivation is a very powerful thing to learn.

 Good luck with your goals! And if you ever are stuck in a rut and can’t seem to find the intrinsic motivation to get yourself out, feel free to shoot me an email. The months of my life I’ve emailed with people about my goals are the times I’ve been the most inspired and achieved the most.

Where to Start

Picture for a moment that you’re typing up a story. You can write anything you choose. You can make it a happy story, a sad one, an inspiring one, or a funny one. The story can be interesting, but it doesn't have to be. It can be full of knowledge, but it doesn't have to be. You don’t have to have nice handwriting. Correct grammar isn't even necessary.  There’s only one rule. You cannot hit ‘backspace.’

What if I told you that story was the story of your life?  That you were composing it right now? Would you be happy with the chapter you’re on?

Now what if I told you that you could change the chapter you’re on for the better? Would you be all ears? See the thing is, I've told a few people recently about my story and their reactions have all been the same (and I quote): “You’re a much better person than me.” The fact of the matter is, they see my goals as really great but can’t possibly see how they could do something just as beautiful. It’s impossible for them to wrap my head around the fact, no matter how much I try to help them understand, that it’s not all that difficult.  It’s not rocket science. They don’t need a master’s degree in “Changing the World.”  Not even an ounce of understanding in the area is necessary.   

So here’s my confession: I have no clue how to change the world. There. I said it. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m just a teenage girl with a goal and some determination, blundering around and hoping to make a change for the better. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I started anyway, and for some odd reason, it’s working.

So if you’re like me, and don’t know how to change the world, but want to try, I thought I’d give you some hints on where to start. This is where I started at least.

1.       Change the world

a. Go online to your favorite charity and see how you can help out, whether it’s volunteering at a site near your home, raising money for it, or simply spreading the word about their goals. If you don’t have a favorite charity, think about a few causes you’d like to support and find a charity that does. If you can’t find one, make your own.

b. Blahtherapy.com … enough said.

2.       Change your world

a.       Acts of Kindness. I did start out my journey by being kind in general, but this isn't your average be-kind-to-everyone challenge.  This week, my goal is to hit a total of 50 acts of kindness. That’s 7 per day, plus one more for good measure. Maybe I’ll get more, maybe I’ll get less, but the point is, I’m trying. And trying is all you have to do to start changing the world.

So if you want to join in my goal of doing 50 acts of kindness this week, I’d be honored.  Could you imagine a world where everyone goes out of their way to make 50 different people smile each week?  I can. And it’s absolutely beautiful. (Next week, I'll update you guys on how the week went!)

If you’d rather focus your efforts on changing the world in a different way, I fully support that also.  I can’t tell you where to start, but do I need to? Maybe changing the world doesn't begin with an idea. Maybe it just begins with dream.

But regardless, of your decision, you have a book to finish. The story of your life, regardless of your age, has only just begun. Now do you want your story to be filed away in the dusty shelves of an old library basement, or do you want your grandchildren to be reading it in the history books? 

18th birthday

Tomorrow is my 18^th birthday. (I wrote this on the 28^th of July and just didn’t get around to posting until now, sorry about that)  In approximately 17 hours I will be an adult. I suppose this means that I should know what I want to do with my life. Lucky for me, I do know: I want to change the world, create smiles, spread happiness, ease pain.* However, I know this isn’t the case for most young people.  So this post is for those who don’t know what they want.

          The quote to the left is one of my all-time favorites.  My theory is that everyone who walks this planet has their own unique spark inside of them.  Adding fuel to that spark creates bursting flames of energy and beauty: of which the world can always use more of. Some people attempt to fuel their fire with the goals of others and the paths already set out for them.  But others feed their spark with what makes them happy. And the later will always last the longest and shine the brightest.

          What makes that fire inside of you grow a little more vibrant?  What makes you feel warmer? What makes you feel alive? No, I’m not saying you can make a living off of climbing mountains if that’s what makes you come alive. I’m saying should most definitely be worked into your life as much as possible.  I picture a world where everyone lives with fiery passion for what they do daily. Wouldn’t that be a beautiful place to be?

          Answer me this: Happiness or money? Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe most people would choose happiness. Then how come some choose careers that they don’t enjoy simply because they pay more when they could be spending their time doing something they love living more frugally? When put in front of you, black and white, it doesn’t make sense, does it?

          So do yourself a favor and take the money out of the equation for a second. Jot down a list of your passions, of everything that makes you come alive. Create a bucket list. And draw conclusions. Money can come back into play later.

          So maybe after reading this post you still don’t know what you want out of your whole entire life. And that’s okay. The good thing is you don’t have to plan it all out now. Fifty years from now can be decided fifty years from now. As my dad always says, “What do you want to do first? “

*To kick it off, for my 18^th birthday, I’m not asking for presents but instead I’m trying to raise money to donate to OneReasonRecording’s 2013 project of raising money to build a home for a family who needs it. One of my friends is a campus representative for this charity and I want to support both her and the organization.