I keep meaning to explain this to you in a very conversational way, but somehow there never seems to be enough time to be able to really just "talk" to you. Lang, lang everywhere and that's great, but it is a tad time-consuming. So, once again, I rely on the blog for the more meaningful endeavors, and in an effort to make better use of time, I have relied on the wonders of the internet to be able to explain the 7-point Creed, which is the integral foundation of this week's blog question.
Without furter ado--
John Wooden's Seven Point Creed, given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from grammar school:
* Be true to yourself.
* Make each day your masterpiece.
* Help others.
* Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
* Make friendship a fine art.
* Build a shelter against a rainy day.
* Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
If you don't know who John Wooden is, look him up--his story is quite remarkable. As a coach, I deeply admire him and the things he has accomplished. As a human being, he is amazing in every sense of the word and one of the few people I can honestly say I aspire to emulate. As you know, I don't say that about very many people.
In any case, your task for this week is to come up with your own 7-Point Creed and share it here. I know that I am asking a lot of you. I know that this is not something you can do in two days. And this is why I am extending the deadline, once again until Saturday (November 2) night. You will really need to put a lot of thought into this. Ask yourself these questions to help you along:
What do I value?
What are my morals?
How do I want to be perceived by others?
What do I want my legacy to be?
What have I learned in my life?
What else do I want to learn?
Now, I certainly don't want you to answer those questions and consider that to be your creed. Remember, a creed is a sort of guideline for living, but it is also completely subjective. Look at Wooden's creed again. The statements there are kind of ambiguous and can be open to interpretation, don't you think? So, when you are doing this, try to keep that in mind. However, it is precisely BECAUSE the statements are ambiguous that you will have to explain what you mean by them, what they mean to you and why you chose them. Always the why.
What you are basically doing is creating a blueprint by which you can live your life. YOUR life. Nobody else's.
After all, who is more important than you?
Part One:
ReplyDeleteThis is by far my favorite blog topic. Creating my own creed has been an enlightening experience. Spelling out my own rules has made me realize what is truly important in my life and what I need to work on to make myself the best version of me I could possibly be. So without further delay, here is the Creed of Tommi Lynn Schieder:
First, listening is more important than speaking. People too often think they hold the best solution or the most valid answer. I am very guilty of this. In groups, I always take charge and (as I now realize) take control of the output that group makes. Thinking more into this, I have probably even insulted a few people in the past by not listening to their ideas. Sometimes, others have better ideas than you and if you don’t listen, you might miss out. There are many brilliant people out there who have a lot to offer this world and all it would take for their ideas to become reality is people listening. You don’t learn anything new by hearing your own voice. It takes new perspectives, experiences and opinions to enlighten us and the only way to receive those things is to listen.
Second, to refuse to change is to die in the past. When I was younger, in fact, only a few years younger, I hated change. I hated it because of the uncertainty that lurked behind change. Not knowing whether it would be for better or worse, I assumed that refusing all alterations was the safest way to go. I was sorely mistaken in this. Change is the natural way of life and just as we change physically, there is a necessity for us to change mentally. This is a creed because it is a valuable lesson I should never forget. Some of our country’s greatest moments occurred because of change. In a similar way, the greatest moments of our lives will almost certainly manifest in the aftermath of change. If you never adjust, the potential inside of you dies away leaving you stuck as you are, never to improve.
Third, your mistakes are your greatest discoveries. It has become a rather cliche saying, but it still holds importance that our best learning results from our worst mistakes. The punishment that arises from making a misstep often scares people and prevents them from becoming adventurous or curious because they don’t want to experience the feeling of being wrong. I personally, am terrified of making mistakes. I am afraid of the disappointment others would have towards me because of them and of course, don’t want the damage to my grades. I get caught up in this mindset and forget that the benefit of messing up is that you never make that mistake again, you learn your lesson. Because of my tendency to forget, I made it my third creed so I can get out of this impression of mistakes and see the benefit of them.
Part Two:
ReplyDeleteFourth, love is a sacred thing, keep your life full of it. This is a rather simple creed but it holds significance regardless. Love is important in my life. As expressed in an earlier blog, I love to be loved. This creed speaks to the idea that I value following my heart over my mind. Granted I don’t always live out to this statement, I try because I feel that the warmth love brings creates a greater happiness than anything the mind create (ignoring the fact that emotion is really a function of the brain...).
Fifth, sometimes you must do what’s wrong to do what’s right. There is a fine line between what is socially right and what is morally right. I define the line by this: social and moral standards often contradict each other and as a result, one must cross the line to be moral rather than acceptable by others. I had this creed state that it is okay to be socially wrong if you are morally right because I feel that sometimes society sets the wrong rules. Often impregnated with prejudice and double-standards, society finds itself having to readjust its rule because they turn out to be wrong which is why I chose to not worry about following them.
Sixth, there’s no such thing as the future. This creed derives from a book I once read called “Things Not Seen”, in it, the narrator describes this very quote and by default explains why I think it deserves to be a creed. The narrator’s philosophy is that there is no such thing as a future. We act like the future is a place we can go to or a specific time we will reach later in life and be able to recognize it as the future. But the reality is, we can only live in the present, we can plan the future all we want but it will never come because it will just feel like the present and pass by like any other day once we reach it. It ultimately goes to show that to live a full life you have to focus on the here and now and live everyday to the fullest.
Seventh, rock-bottom is sometimes the best place to go. This creed seems to go against popular thought, but allow me to explain its significance. When we hit rock bottom, our darkest day, we emerge with a sense of enlightenment and humbleness that no other experience can replicate. We emerge from this depression with a clearer view of who we are and what our purpose is. At the end of the day, isn’t that the most important thing to know about ourselves?
Tommi, you really put this together well. All of your creeds got me thinking of how I could adjust them into my life. They all represented something that could help make me a stronger person. I think my favorite one though was how you stated you value following your heart over your mind. I find this a major thing that helps create most of my happiness and think it is a great way to do things. This was great girl, really creative!
DeleteAfter reading numerous blog posts my favorite creed so far has to be from your list, specifically number five. I think as people, we are far too dependent on the opinions of others and because of that we are driven to do things we normally wouldn't do. I like how you defined that there is a line between being morally and socially correct. Nowadays, I feel as if everyone is doing what is "socially acceptable." I really liked this creed because it made me realize that some of the things I used to think were my personal decisions, are decisions I made based on what I thought was socially acceptable rather than what I thought was morally correct. With that being said, great job on yet another blog post!
DeleteI admire the humility that you show in your response. For example, in your first point, you admit your own guilt. That takes strength that I admire. I found your fifth point to be very interesting. It’s something that most people wouldn’t tread on because of the ambiguity of the statement, but to me, it’s fairly straightforward. Also, your sixth point conveys a very common sentiment to live in the moment, but you do it in a very interesting way. Instead of saying to ignore the future and live in the moment, you go as far to say that it doesn’t exist. Even if you did pull that from another author, it was worded very powerful, and you did justice to it in your explanation. Very well thought out!
DeleteI find it admirable that you are so willing to step outside of your comfort zone and allow change to occur. I have found that with change, sometimes we develop such parochial mindsets that we are reluctant to allow even the most beautiful changes to occur. I think you made an excellent point in saying that we must change mentally as well as physically. I readily agree because I believe that no matter what our age is, we never stop learning and experiencing new things. In order to reach a more in depth enhancement we need to not remain stationary and that has proven to be a task easier said than done. Great job on your creed!
DeleteThis entire post if full of some really great stuff! I found your fifth creed especially intriguing and, upon examination, very true. Some of the rules that are laid out in our society, whether written or unspoken, can be absolutely absurd and ultimately ridiculous. Sometimes social conventions could prevent you from doing what is right, because our society can often be a backwards and old-fashioned. In extension of that I think it's just important to question the 'norm' in general- is what the majority of what people think or feel always correct? There are a lot of widely held beliefs in this country and the world that are seriously gross or disturbing and yet very few people question them because it's just the most popular view point out there; everyone just says 'it's just how things are'. Which is of course ridiculous- even if it's how things are, it's wrong and an effort should be made to change.
DeleteI admire your appreciation for downfalls and mistakes because I also believe that they are beneficial to us as humans. We should all possess the same positive outlook you have on such a negative thing. I also really like your fifth creed since it is based around the societal restrictions that make us immoral. I am a strong believer in the idea that society has twisted around our ideas of what is "acceptable" and it's frightening how the majority of people consider immoral ideas to be okay.
DeleteYour second creed about change is one that I struggle with now. I hate change, it's the challenge of my life. I can never get accustomed to quick changes or any big changes for that matter. I have always liked doing things the same way without altering a thing. Although I do sometimes like this way, like you said I do think change is a way of life and should happen.
DeleteI love that these creeds not only reflect your current virtues, but also your aspirations of becoming a better listener and such. I really can dig it lol. I couldn't appreciate your creeds more. Especially the last one. I saw this quote that said something like "spirituality is the enlightenment of someone who has been at the bottom" but more eloquent and i think that really goes in correlation with your last creed. All in all i love it, i love your life, i love you hahaha
DeletePart 1:
ReplyDeleteI think everyone wants to live a life full of happiness, I think everyone wants to be a person remembered by others years after they pass, and I think everyone wants to live their lives their way. I,for one, intend to achieve these three things within my personal life span. Reading about John Wooden’s life -- no, legacy, put me in a state of awe. His old-school ways of coaching was admirable and his 88 straight wins record was mind blowing. But what really had me gawking was his humble, inspirational, breath-taking personality. Although my creed isn’t as amazing as the one John’s father gave him, I think that it effectively encompases the person I wish to become.
My seven point creed is quite simple. It goes like this:
Live every day like it’s your last.
Take risks.
Don’t take things too seriously.
Forgive but never forget.
Always try to be honest.
Be thankful for what you have.
Appreciate those who care for you.
I spent a decent amount of time debating on what I wanted to put in my seven point creed. I didn’t want to just come up with seven just to get this blog over with, but I wanted to create seven that I could actually live by everyday. I chose these seven specifically because I think these are the steps I need to take in order to live my life my way. When I was sitting on my bed thinking about what I wanted to list, the first thing that came to mind was 1.) Live every day like it’s your last. Something that I’m 100% sure of is that time does not stop. It doesn’t stop for you, for me, for anyone. It’s an ongoing thing and with every passing second, we’re closer and closer to death. I’m terrified of death and what comes after it. But I can’t keep fussing over the inevitable.
Moving on, creed number two, 2.) Take risks. Don’t let fear be the reason as to why you won’t do something. As they say, you’ll never know until you try. If you live a safe life constantly worrying about somethings outcome, have you ever actually lived life at all? To me, life is about reaching out of your comfort zone and enveloping yourself in the amenities the world holds. Don’t hide behind the confinements of your home, rather, go out and maybe go bungee jumping. Don’t think about the what if’s and go tell that person, that you’ve been crushing on for months now, that you’ve got a thing for them. I feel as if when you plunge yourself into things you’re too afraid to try, you start to begin to open yourself to new things. Once you start letting go of the fear that's always hanging on the end of your shoulder, you’ll start enjoying everything and everyone.
Part 2: Third, and this is probably my most favorite one is 3.) Don’t take things too seriously. Being sensitive is one thing, but being over sensitive and dramatic is another. One thing I’m starting to learn is that people are people. There are nice people and there are mean people. Those who are your friends will most likely be nicer to you and those who are mean are people you usually don’t associate yourself with. But when these people do cause a scene and end up hurting your feelings, don’t let it get to you. Always think, “Mind over matter. I don’t mind and you don’t matter.” This creed also means that you should live a carefree life. Laugh more, smile more, and enjoy more. When you’re this serious person who cares too much about other’s opinions or are this I-must-follow-all-the-rules kind of person, you limit yourself. I’ve been into far too many situations where I’ve overreacted on the most simple of things. It’s not fun for you or for your friends when you’re always angry or frustrated over meaningless things. I’m not saying to just never be serious, because that’d end up badly. What I am saying is that, at times, you should just let loose. Let your hair fall out, and scream from the top of your lungs. Take the offensive comments and brush them off. Life’s too short to always have a scowl painted on your face.
ReplyDeleteFourth, and I personally think this one should be on everyone’s creeds is 4.) Forgive but never forget. To be forgiving can either be a very easy thing for someone or it could be one of the most difficult of tasks. I, specifically, have a hard time forgiving people. It’s terrible, I know, but I can’t help it. I tend to always hold these massive grudges on people and it’s not fun for me or for that person my anger is focused towards. It’s always good to forgive someone because people are people and people make mistakes. My grandpa told my mom and dad on their wedding day, “Don’t let a fight go unresolved when you to sleep.” Although he meant this for a couple’s point of view, I found this particularly helpful in life. Boys aren’t as bad as us girls, but (and you all know it) us girls tend to drag arguments a lot more than guys. Whereas guys are more easily susceptible to forgiving their pal, us chicas… not so much. Though, being forgiving is only half the battle. Once you’ve forgiven, don’t just forget. At one point, I’ve been in a situation where I’ve constantly forgave this person one too many times for the exact same mistake. Don’t let anyone take advantage of this opportunity of forgiveness that you’ve willingly granted them. Making a mistake once is considered an accident. Doing it twice… more like on purpose.
The fifth creed is quite simple, 5.) Always try to be honest. I’m a good liar. I’m actually a very very very good liar. If anyone should win an award for lying, it should be me. Although I’m a good liar, you’ll rarely ever see me lie. I have terrible guilt issues. Even if I give out a little white lie my conscience eats me alive. I don’t like that feeling of guilt so I try my best not to have any reason as to have it. Being honest is a very good quality to attain, but we all know being too honest has it’s negatives. That’s why I included “always try.” There’s going to be times where lying seems like the only option, but when you have that option to either tell the truth or deny it, always tell the truth. Lies only end up creating more trouble for you, and in the end you’ll always lose. Some people may be able to live with the guilt, but I know, for myself specifically, I can’t. Honesty is something I value a lot in life. If I want people to be honest with me, I want to be honest with them.
Part 3:
ReplyDelete6.) Be thankful for what you have. This one is fairly straight to the point. Instead of always complaining about not having something and not being able to get something, just stop and say, “Wow, I’m honestly so blessed to have what I have.” There are millions of people who could only dream of the life we live and the possessions we have. We are sometimes too concentrated on our wants that we forget about all of our haves. There is always someone who has it worse. Don’t be a spoiled brat because brats aren’t fun people to be around.
Lastly, 7.) Appreciate those who care for you. Death is always lurking and you never know when a beloved one could be snatched away from your grasps. Those who take the time to help you, and do everything to please you, take them and give them a hug. I always complain about my parents, but in the end of the day, they’re the only people who’ve actually been there for me from the start. They always show me their unconditional love (even if sometimes I feel like they hate me) and it’s only fair if I show them the same.
To conclude this rather lengthy blog post, this is my seven point creed. It’ll probably differ from yours but that’s only expected. We each have our own morals, values and opinions. Our seven point creeds should represent who we are. My seven point creed represents who I am… or rather, who I want to be. In a sense, this seven point creed resembles a list of goals. John Wooden lived a humble, honest life. I hope one day, I can become even a fraction of the human being he was.
I also in my blog stated that living in the present is one of my creeds as yours states in creed number one. It's funny that this is probably a lesson we are reminded of the most throughout our life and yet it is the one we still forget to live by. As you mentioned, life is too short, a full life is one where everyday is lived as if it were your last. I also really liked your second creed. Though I didn't include it as one of my creeds, and I am not about to open to my crushes any time soon, I definitely understand your point. Like you said, you never know 'till you try. Finally, the creed that resonated with me the most is your fourth creed, I too have trouble forgiving people and when I do forgive them it is because I tried to forget it ever happened. I see now that's a huge mistake. I like that this creed speak to both openness and caution at the same time. With these guidelines, you're sure to live an awesome life.
DeletePaula, I can tell you really put some thought into this blog and I love what you have come up with. Before I read your post I looked at the list I had started and my number one creed would to live each day to it's fullest. I say this so often is blog posts, essays, or just to myself daily. You have to live each day without fear and without regrets. You have the right idea! This was a great post!
DeleteOut of all of the creeds, yours is definetly my absolute favorite. The point of the creeds that really stuck out to me was to "forgive, but not forget." I love this quote because it's such a good thing to live by. You get to keep your strength, but also shows a kinder side.
DeleteMy favorite point in your entire creed is to not take life to seriously. This has been something, as I mentioned in my own creed, that I have had great difficulty doing in my life. I have had a tendency to focus on the negative and have forgotten that life isn’t intended to be a woeful experience. I can get too tightly wound and I think that it is not only necessary but beneficial to remove some of the edge from our lives and remember to have some fun.
DeleteI loved that you added not taking things to seriously to your creed. Now that I reflect on my own list I realize how applicable that would be to my own life, and I wish that I would have thought of that myself. I believe that people as a whole are far too sensitive, we need to learn to roll with the punches and brush of negativity more readily.
DeleteI'd be lying if I said I didn't use your list as a model for my own. I would edit your tenet of "not taking life seriously" to be something closer to, "don't stress out". After all, if you don't take life seriously, what do you take seriously? But otherwise, your list and thoughts were integral in me coming up with my own, so thank you for having such a archetypal response to this blog!
DeleteYour third creed really stood out to me. I always seem to find myself worrying and stressing over small things that I shouldn't even worry about. I need to learn how to shrug off the minor issues in life. Living life with less worries is definitely something beneficial.
DeleteIt would be an understatement to say that this assignment is merely a difficult task. Everyone has specific components of their lives, whether people or a set of morals, which are revered and dear to them. These components govern us and give us purpose. Though they are an active part of my life, I found great difficulty condensing them into a list of only seven items. Though I am comforted by the abundance of important aspects of my life, for the convenience of this blog I will do my best to portray what I can hardly explain in a sensible and summed up way.
ReplyDeleteThe first component of my seven point creed is on a more cliché level however it is a point that I am sincere in making and is something I hold as a necessity to life; Always remember to laugh and smile. This point has ironically sprung from the sorrow and heartache that I have found throughout my life. As I have said in the past no one comes out of life unscathed. We are thrown into the lion’s den on a regular basis and it becomes a seemingly impossible endeavor to see “the light at the end of the tunnel”. Through my trials I have seen some of the worst sides of life and I have found myself breeching the walls of a dark and detrimental environment on countless occasions. However, I have chosen to look at the brighter side of life and see that out of every tribulation we face comes a person who is made all the better because of it and is more readily receptive of joy. By saying to always remember to laugh and smile I mean to never, or very minimally, dwell on the heartache and to redirect our focus onto the joy that we have found through it. I wholeheartedly believe that laughter is the best medicine.
The second point in my creed is to be daring. Too many times in our lives we don’t take chances because of an all too common hindrance, fear. I have passed up to many times dancing in public or being spontaneous because I was afraid. Though I cannot exactly pinpoint this fear, I know that I have let far too many opportunities pass because I could never find the courage within myself to try. Therefore, I am including this in my creed more as a means of declaration to be more than what I am restricting myself to. Even if I am meant to fail I want to fail trying and when I am old and grey to look back and say that I made something of myself. I want to dare to live.
The third point I am placing on my list is to be beautiful. I do not mean this in a manner of aesthetics but rather the beauty that can only reside within. There are countless beautiful girls who may be presentable on the outside but the core of their being has a black and venomous composition. I want to be set apart from this that no matter what my outer appearance may be, people can look to me and see a glow residing inside that the only appropriate description consists of the words “she is beautiful.” I’d rather have frizzy hair and be overweight with a reason to live then look into a mirror and see a substance-less beauty with nothing to stand for.
I wholeheartedly agree, everyone should always remember to laugh and be spontaneous. People tend to take life to seriously, what with all of the heartache,and despair that you wind up facing when you become a part of it, when really the exact opposite stance should be taken. In most cases, laughter really is the best medicine (unless you have the flu or something, then medicine might help you just a tad more.). But I'm just happy that someone else here agrees with the mindset that being too serious all the time, and never having the nerve to do something out of the ordinary or unexpected is never really fun, and just winds up making the world a bland place to live in general, and bland is never a good thing.
Delete*too
DeletePart 2: The fourth point of my creed is to take life and run with it. I have always been more willing to follow structure than I have been to role with the punches. However, recently I have reversed this order because the former has called only for a harder recovery when I fall. Life as much as some of us wish it would, does not come with explicit instruction. Therefore, the quality of being flexible is another component that I consider to be essential to life. I don’t want to give my life a “structure” because than the spontaneity is completely eliminated. I want to take each second, minute and day one step at a time and to thrive off of the opportunities presented to me. It keeps life worth living and gives it a more exhilarating experience. I want to keep moving forward and experience everything.
ReplyDeleteThe fifth point of my creed is to have faith and focus on my beliefs always. My belief and faith in Christ have been the sole basis that I have laid my life on. It is first and foremost where all the components of my life resonate because it is the consistency of who I am. Though I may be knocked down I know that I have a faithful God who will pick me up, dust me off and love me just the same. I want to continue in my contentment in my faith and never compromise my beliefs because of what others may think. It is the most important part of who I am.
The sixth component of my creed is to neglect nothing. One of my deepest fears is to neglect the opportunities and the relationships that I have with other people. I have already gone through the horrors of losing a loved one or watching them slowly deteriorate almost to the point of death. I have also seen others stripped of almost everything they hold dear without warning. I don’t want to lose something or someone dear to me without expressing to the fullest everything that they have ever meant to me because I may run out of second chances and I cannot look back seeing that I should have put more effort into something. Whether it is my performance in a game or how I treat my family, in everything I do I want to do it to the fullest. That way in the end, I may walk away with some wrong choices and scars, but never will I stumble because of neglect.
Finally, the seventh point on my creed is to be someone worthy of remembrance and respect. Life is a fleeing vapor and what I want my legacy to be is a large component of who I am now. I want to be revered and seen as the God fearing girl who was beautiful and always smiled. Who lived her life and held back nothing. I want to be someone who is worth remembering because of who I was and what I stood for. I can’t be remembered as an admirable individual unless I portray these qualities now. Therefore, it is the final component of my creed, the one I want to end with.
I chose these components of my life as my creed because they are the fiber of my being. They hold significance in that they have formulated who I am and they are enough to bring me through to another day.
I couldn't agree more, Francesca; laughter is very important. I feel as though people that lack a personality or who are serious all of the time need a proper laughing spell. I have been told that I laugh far too much, but laughter is what makes me who I am. I, too, believe that people need to be more daring. It gets under my skin when I see people refuse to try new things. It could be something as simple as eating turkey bacon for the very first time! Good golly Miss Molly, just eat the dang bacon, it won't hurt you! Furthermore, your seventh point resonated in my mind. It is truly a beautiful thing to be remembered as someone who lived there life and held nothing back. To me, that is what living is all about.
DeleteI love that you made your creed manifest a positive, motivated tone. This upbeat personality that you have will go a long way, especially if you live by these creeds. I also find it really inspiring that you have been able to hold onto your faith so strongly. In this day and age it is hard to keep the faith so to speak so the fact that it is so important in you life speaks to your determination.
DeleteYour optimism is very admirable. Your first creed was very endearing. I may not know all the details but from what you've said, it's amazing how you can so easily rise from your hardships and tackle the world with a smile on your face. Although smiling and laughing seems like such an easy thing to do, sometimes it's also the hardest. I'm glad you included this in your creed because find reasons to smile and laugh everyday is important in living a happy life.
Delete“Each person has an ideal, a hope, a dream which represents the soul. We must give to it the warmth of love, the light of understanding and the essence of encouragement.”
ReplyDeleteColby Dorr Dam
I must confess, writing this blog has made me realize the value of creeds. Most of lifes greatest achievers have specific Creed which has led them to who they are now. I have never taken time and effort to really think about legacy since i have being very narrow minded: after high school, college then work. However, my seven Creeds are abstracts of my legacy, and everything life holds;
First and foremost, GOD FIRST, it might seem very normal and quite not unique but I believe that everyone should have a rock to rest on, a shoulder to cry on, and I the worst of time your God is with you. Sometimes the race may be tough and as my friends and families drain down the sink, I depend on my God. It has the same relationship with what Bunje made us create on the first day of school. (Stars with our names on it)
VALUE TIME; I hope you have all seen the ageless men commercial, where bald people try to regrow their hair or they try to turn the color of hair from grey to black. They might be able to regrow the lost hair or change hair color but the cannot change their ages. A time lost can never be gained , have the desire to make use of every second acquired because it might come back to hunt you.
LOVE, RESPECT AND TOLERANCE; Treating people equally, respect everyone even a baby and showing love is not a requirement, it is what I call "nature" We may be have different religions, families and backgrounds but it is important because the person you least expected, may be your way to success in life.
LISTEN MORE TALK LESS; As a lover of adventure movies, I have realized your enemies get to know your weakness the more you talk. I am not saying don't talk but know the people you are sharing your information with. Listening helps people like me to understand concepts in school even at practice.
USE THE MAGIC WORDS; I use to be a gravity hills lover ( a series on Disney channel), I would like to share an episode that I believe aside the fun, I learnt something, Uncle Stan and Mabel had an argument about the importance of using the magic Word( Please, sorry, thank you). To cut a Long story short , uncle Stan went on a show more like family feud and lost 2 million dollars because he did not know the magic Word use to ask for something.it might seem childish but in some way or another help me value the magic words.
HONESTY: Most people forget the fact that honesty comes with a price of distinction. Gaining the trust of others is the one thing, I believe when lost can never be gain including time.Be true to yourself , asking for help does make you dull person in the world, but it correct your mind from storing wrong info.
Finally, FOLLOW RULES AND WORK HARD: people think rules are set to cage them but in a nut shell, it guides you towards a bright future.Hard work they say does not break a bone, however success can only be achieve if you work hard.I think creating these creeds without following them would be a waste of time, that is why my last is follow rules. (Creeds)
“There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.”
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894); Essayist, Poet, Novelist
Stav, I like your idea of the use of the magic words. Saying please and thank you shows one is a polite and respectful person. I like using these words to show someone I appreciate what they are doing for me in most cases. Going from the respect of saying these words, honesty is another great way to show respect. Being honest shows people can trust you which is a good thing to value.
DeleteStav, just like you and everyone else, I value time. We all seem to be writing something about valuing time because it is true.We all see different ages everyday.Time is not something that we could get back. We should never go back and have the regret of not spending enough time with someone.
DeleteI think you did an excellent job of connecting the points in your creed. They seem to all run parallel to one another and I think that your determination to always be honest polite and work hard shows how respectable you are as a person. I agree that people need to make an effort to always persevere to achieve their goals and make an effort to be the best individuals that they can be. Nice job!
DeleteLisren more talk less. This is perfect. I totally agree with that. The entire world can benefit from that!
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ReplyDeleteI spent a good four days thinking of exactly what I wanted to put in my creed. I didn’t want to sound too stupid or cliché. So here it is I hope you guys can all relate to me.
This is my 7 point creed:
1.Treat others the way you wish to be treated.
2. Don’t fall under the pressure of people around you.
3. Never give up on your dreams.
4. Respect everyone no matter what.
5. Always take the road less traveled.
6. Work hard to achieve success.
7. Don’t lie.
1.I said treat others the way you want to be treated because I really think that is the number one thing everyone should live by. This moral is pretty straight forward; if you’re mean to someone, expect them to be mean or not to like you back. If you’re nice to everyone then everyone should be nice to you. However there are people that won’t like you for no apparent reason but if everyone lived by this statement then the world would be a better place. If you give love you get love and if you give hate you get hate.
2. I absolutely hate when people do stupid things and say that their friend told them to do it. You should never fall under the pressure of your peers. If you do something stupid, you are the only person you can blame. You can always say no! If your “friend” stops liking you because they wanted you to do something you didn’t want to, then they are not a good friend and you don’t need them in your life. This happened to me plenty of times, I was friends with someone that pressured me into doing bad things, I told myself I didn’t need this person anymore and we are no longer friends. It’s that easy.
3. I always tell people to never give up on their dreams but I am very guilty or doing this myself. I always wanted to be a professional dancer when I was younger but I didn’t work as hard as I could of in dance. Being a professional dancer was my dream and I let it slip away because I basically believed that I couldn’t do it, so I gave up. It gets me so frustrated when people are so good at something and they just give up because they don’t believe in themselves. They end up doing something that doesn’t make them happy and they are sad for the rest of their life. I’m so afraid that what I end up doing in the future is not my dream and I’m going to hate it and be stuck doing it forever. So don’t give up on your dreams, and do what you love to do.
4. This is always something that I need to work on, respecting others. Whether or not you like someone you should always be the bigger person and respect their opinions. Everyone in the world may not feel the same way you do on a certain topic. This doesn’t mean its ok to disrespect them and put them down for it. You don’t have to agree but you should always respect them.
I loved your part of the creed that talked about taking roads less traveled. In a way, I think it makes you totally dedicated to taking a path that may be hard, but will benefit you in the long run. I think it's a really good idea to realize that in life, knowing success may not come easily, but will every obstacle the end result will come at a better reward.
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ReplyDelete5. I chose the moral to live the road less traveled because people are always concerned with everyone else around them. I’m basically saying that you shouldn’t follow the crowd, be your own person. Be unique and don’t listen to what others say about you. If you’re doing what you want to do and living your life, no others opinions should matter to you.
6. I also hate hate hate when people say they want to be someone or do something but do nothing to achieve it. If you want to be a doctor but are lazy and do nothing in school then you’re not going to achieve that dream. You have to work for the things you want in life. Nothing is ever handed to you without working for it. It’s like one of my favorite quotes “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Also you’ll feel ten times better getting something because you worked for it rather than it just being handed to without truly earning it.
7. Last but not least I think it is so important to be honest and not lie. No one likes liars, and lying only ever gets you in trouble. It may be helpful to lie once but usually that one white lie turns into a big black hole of lies that you can’t get out of. This can all be simply avoided if you just don’t lie in the first place. Honesty is always the best policy, even if it is something you really don’t want to admit, telling the truth will get you in less trouble than lying. If you don’t want to tell the truth because it will get you in trouble then maybe you shouldn’t have done that thing in the first place.
I like the fact that you used morals that we've discussed as your creeds. It makes the creeds seem more personal to the person that’s following them. I like the creeds that you chose, especially your second creed. In today’s world, many teenagers fall under peer pressure and make bad decision due to this. If you really don’t want to do something, just say no. This person might not think of you the same, but you know that you made the right decision and they’re just a bad friend. Walking away from a friend might be hard, but if you know that they’re a toxic person, not being associated with them is probably a good idea. Never give up on your dream, I'm sure that with your hard work you will one day become a professional dancer.
DeleteI can relate to your sixth creed. Nothing pains me more than when people say they want to do/be something yet they take no effort into pursuing it. Life doesn't hand things to you on a silver platter because if it did, I wouldn't have to be working as hard as I am trying to get into a good college. A wise man once said, "Only in the dictionary does Success come before Work." If you want something, do it. You won't be able to achieve anything if you don't attempt to. It's very disappointing to see people have these dreams and aspirations yet do nothing to even attempt at it. You must always give something your all and if you don't, then what's the point?
DeleteKassidy I also believe people should not follow the crowd and be their own person because it is what you do and the things you believe in that make each and every person unique. There is one thing that really bugs me and that is when people judge and comment on how people live their life if they are happy and living life the way they want no one else matters.
DeleteKassidy, your third point broke my heart! Don't kill the dream, keep it alive! I feel as though you could still be a professional dancer. Don't let anyone or anything get in your way. If anything does try to get in your way, you need to come at them like a "wrecking ball" and "wreck" them. Your happiness is at stake. Your quote about success, work, and the dictionary is wonderful! People need to realize that there are no hand outs in life and that they must be willing to work for what they want. Just like you, I feel as though these people will feel a lot better for being rewarded for something that they have worked for. Anyhow, remember your creed especially point number three. Keep the dream alive!
DeleteConcerning your second point I agree with you that you can always say no. But I think saying yes is easier than saying no. I too understand what it’s like to have a friend not like me because I didn’t do what they wanted. No one wants to be pressured; it’s just the matter of finding the confidence in ourselves and courage to stand and say no.
DeleteI liked that you took common morals in life and made them your creeds. It allows everyone to relate to or even follow your creeds while still making it apply to their own personal lives. With that said I found your explanations really eye opening. I can't say that I have ever thought I have given up on a dream so hearing your regret in giving up on one of your dreams has proven a good warning. I still think you could become a professional dancer though.
ReplyDeleteAs most of you all know now I'm not the most positive all around girl. But I live by the positive creeds. I try my hardest to follow each day with positive ways. It takes an optimistic attitude to help get through a day happily and with no regrets. With that being said most of my creeds follow the lines of many clique things, but they are what help me become stronger for each day.
ReplyDeleteFirst, people sometimes don't realize how time is so valuable. Time goes by too quickly and before you know it you're already 16 and a Junior in high school well for our case anyway. To me it feels as if each day goes by so fast anymore you really need to start taking in every moment and every second of every day, so value time. Second following the value time, in that take risks, and be adventurous. So many people go by each day with the "what ifs", I say don't live by that, take a risk and if it turns into a bad decision you can learn from your mistakes. Often in gymnastics I freak out over learning new skills and don't find myself taking the risk and seeing that i can do something with trust and confidence in myself and my coaches. Third, I find it an important factor to be true to yourself in the way that you should be happy with who you are. Don't compare yourself to other people. I used to always want to be like other people, those who were so pretty and smart and athletic and all around popular. But I've realized the best way to be happy with yourself is to be truly you. You are the best you there is..no one else can be a better you, so live up to that statement. Fourth, I find being honest is something that helps define you as a person. Being honest shows that people can trust you and respect you for telling the truth. They say honesty is the best policy which is true and a great thing to live off of because being a person someone can look to for the truth is better than being told a lie and having someone find out later. Fifth, as I made my OP based around and relates to value time...I say stop and smell the roses. As juniors in high school weighing ourselves down with ap classes, homework, clubs, and sports we seem to never have time for anything else. We get ourselves worked up and stressed out that we forget the little things in life. Stop and smell the roses next time you're worked up because you need to see that everything will be okay and all the hard work will be worth it. With that being said, my sixth creed would be to never give up. Being a gymnast giving up can not be an option if you want to move forward into a higher level and learn new skills. In school in which all of us can relate too, giving up isn't the best of choices. I know the work gets rough and sometimes you just don't know how to do a problem but there are ways to figure it out. Just never give up and you'll find the brighter side. And finally combining all of this and many of the creeds that some of you may have thought up of my seventh creed would be to live life to it's fullest. Each day it's best to live with no regrets, and do what makes you happy. After a day of worrying or stressing I tend to look back and ask myself why I would get myself so worked up, and honestly there is no point. It's better to go each day in a positive happy way than a negative upsetting way.
As I was reading your creeds, I realized that I had quite a few similar ones from you. Just like you, I realize that time is valuable. I've never really thought of how quickly time goes by until I realized that this year is quickly slipping by. The tennis season seemed like a blur and one of my best friends is going to college soon. Cherish every moment with your loved ones and live through each day with no regrets. Time is precious and it shouldn't be taken advantage of.
DeleteReply to Micky
DeleteYou call yourself that you’re not that positive all the way around, but I disagree. You are one of the most upbeat people I know; much more so than I am. Anyway, I don’t think anyone here can dispute your first point. Until this year, I never understood what people meant when they said “there isn’t enough time in the day.” I also like how your fifth point throws back to the very sentimental idea involved in your occasional paper. We in 204 were in need of some kind of relief so I’m glad you had the audacity to go up there and tell everyone to relax. But I think you should take your own advice as you’re starting to appear overworked. Great post!
Michaela, not to infer to what you do every day, but I think that you are under so much pressure to have everything perfect. Although I don’t know anything about gymnastics, I’m certain that gymnasts have to have everything right or they won’t be satisfied, which is common with everyone who participates on this blog. I think that your creeds allow you to alleviate all the pressure you are under, especially your creed about stopping and smelling the roses. I also think that time is sooo valuable and should never be wasted because time goes by so quick. To me, stopping and smelling the roses surely should be used to stop all the business and relax everyone. Many people have so many things to do that they never stop to appreciate what is truly there. Your creed about originality should be lived by everyone because only people who stay true can experience true happiness without the pressure about acting like someone else.
DeleteI have to agree with Dave in that you are one of the most positive and bubbly people I have ever known. That being said, I really enjoyed the first topic that you added to your creed which was valuing time. Time is such a precious thing, and as you stated it goes by so quickly. If we don't take time to slow down and look around every once in a while it could completely pass us by. Especially in high school, I've said it before and I will say it again, I still feel as though it was yesterday that we walked through the doors of Oakcrest as freshmen, and now here we are as juniors in AP Lang. I also admired your idea that we should all be happy with who we are. As teenagers we have a tendency to compare ourselves to our peers, and we judge ourselves against them. That is so detrimental, how can we ever expect to be pleased with who we are if we can't stop comparing ourselves to other people?
DeleteI completely agree that everyone should live by these creeds that you named. My favorite creed you mentioned was to take risks. I didn’t even think of that while writing my creeds! It’s an excellent moral to live by though. Never live your life wondering what if, go for it. I am so guilty of playing it safe and never venturing outside my comfort zone. After reading your post I’ve realized that you do indeed only live once so I might as well take risks while I can.
DeleteMichaela I can totally agree with all your point. The thing is that you are such a cheerful person I want to be at least a fraction of how cheerful you are. I mean in point 1 and 6 you talked about taking time and slow down. You are totally right we spend so much time trying to get to the next day and as such we don’t appreciate the things around us and that is a waste. In point 2 you talk about taking risk and that is such a big thing since I live a life of comfort and don’t really try something new. That is a waste. I mean overall this whole post opened my eyes and introduced me to how positive you are. So great job.
DeleteLife has been made into a very serious thing. A successful life to today's standards includes going to a convetnional school, more school, a job, and then you die. This whole system of money making to gain what we think has substance has been entirely made up. And it's sad to think that we are the only species in the animal kindom that goes by the concept of time...and worries that they don't have enough of it.
ReplyDeleteSo, I guess my 7 point creed would be against this standard way of living. I'd rather say I'm a good person and am happy through paying attention to feelings and relationships, rather than opinions.
My seven point creed:
1. Trust in all unless they provide a reason not to
2. Laugh at yourself
3. Always remember to say thankyou
4. Sometimes being alone is a good thing
5. Speak for others if they cannot for themselves
6. Allow just as much time for play as one does work
7. To love others, you must for love yourself
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ReplyDeleteThis creed is full of simplicity and childlike points of view. However, I really do think that living a life of these virtues could really put someone on a positive track.
1. All too often, people put up walls to protect themselves from the unknown. We as people are too quick to judge and often change our minds about the person as we get to know eachother. So, I think it's best to do the opposite and trust people first. You may be dissappointed and hurt every once in a while, but you will be able to conclude that you gave everyone a fair chance and you never missed a chance to become close with another person.
2. I guess this is kind of a "state the obvious" ones that are very cliche. However, especially with people my age, people often tend to sweat the small stuff and get wrapped up in themselves. As a result, we're too busy to realize what we have around us. By just laughing things off and letting go, little things won't be such a priority.
3. This is imprinted in the minds of every child. "Please" and :thank you" are some of the first phrases taught to us. However, though they may grow in meaning as we grow older, they are often forgotten. Showing someone that you appreciate them, even in the most simple of ways, can put a smile on their face. It can brighten their day. Plus, it reminds us to stay humble and grateful for what is provided for us.
4. Friends are a beautiful thing. Sometimes, they know us better than we know our own self. However, in the busy world we live in, there is no time to breathe and uphold the relationship we have with our own soul. Being alone is always lonely. In fact, it can be the most comforted you can ever be.
5. This is definetely the most difficult one on my list. And it's almost a polar opposite to the rest of my list, because it really doesn't go with your own well being. However, I think the true key to happiness is equality. When I say equality, I don't mean money or anything materialistic. I mean equality in having the same oppurtunity to let their voice be heard. And sometimes, this isn't always a priviledge that we all have. Therefore, for all creaturs, human and nonhuman, if there is an injustice we as people should try to make thing right and be sure to take action if there is partiality.
6. It's a sad day when we find ourselves working towards a goal that we have no interest in meeting. And this is often the case for many employed people. More often than not, lives are taken over with the daunting task of keeping up a job, leaving the whole "living" out completely. I believe to be content, life shouldn't be about the work you put into it. It should be made up of moments where we find ourselves having fun and taking time off from anything that truly stresses us out.
7. Lastly, probably the most importannt point of my creed is that in order to love another person, one must love their self first. Without a sense of satisfaction and inner peace with who we are, we will only eventually find our flaws in others. We will continue to do this in relationships until we have no more to mess up. And at that moment one may not be able to find true happiness, something that my personal creed is attempting to be the road map in finding.
I agree with number 4 of your creed, being alone is not always bad sometimes even good. I enjoy being alone sometimes because it allows me to hear myself think and to clear my head. After a long stressful day is nice to sit back and relax and enjoy your own company.
DeleteI agree with all of your creeds and I too believe that everyone should live by these morals. My favorite creed is your last one, which is that you can’t love others until you love yourself. I always tell people this! Personally, I used to hate myself because everyone around me would tell me that I never did anything right. When I hated myself I couldn’t love anyone else. I have now realized that I’m better than what others think of me and I’m actually a pretty great person. Now that I have realized this I have been able to love others. This creed means a lot to me so I’m so glad you put it in your 7 point creed.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading your response, many aspects of your creed were ones that I could relate to myself. In particular number one, to trust everyone unless they give you a reason not to. There is so much distrust even among our classmates at Oakcrest. As you stated, people build barriers to protect themselves from being hurt, but sometimes vulnerability can have its benefits. I also liked number six, to find a balance between work and play. I think that is especially essential to the lives of AP students, who expend so much energy in their school work and classes. It is important to let off steam every once in a while and find time to enjoy yourself.
DeleteOverall, I really liked your creeds because they gave off the vibe of living a relaxed and cheerful lifestyle. Your sixth creed was one that I believe in but never put much thought into. There should definitely be a balance in work and play because our time on earth shouldn't be spent in misery. Although it is good to be productive in terms of work, it is also good to take an occasional break from the stress that way we get a sense of relief.
DeleteI agree with your entire creed, but the one that sticks out to me the most is the second one, laugh at yourself. This is such a great point. You're so right that you should never sweat the small stuff. Be who you wanna be, and don't live your life trying to impress other, great job Maggie!
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ReplyDeleteFor the most part I think that many of our initial thoughts on this blog were very similar. There are a few key credence’s that we all share, but I really appreciate this question because it requires a deeper reflection. I have thought long and hard about this, and it has given me a certain sense of control over my life, and it has reminded me that I am in charge of my own destiny. So having said that, here is my seven point creed:
1. Enjoy the little things in life
2. Mistakes constitute experience
3. Learn from your past but always keep your eyes forward
4. Do nothing without a willing heart
5. There is no way to get up if you have not first been knocked down
6. Live every day without regrets
7. Strike a balance between selflessness and selfishness
This is the blueprint that I base my life on, or at least that I try my best to. But this list is a bit ambiguous, so I feel that further explanation is necessary. Number one, enjoy the little things in life. This may seem extremely generic, but it holds a significant importance to me. I have stated in a previous blog that I value moments, and I used that to form this creed. It is far too easy to get swept up in the business of the world and lose appreciation for things that once brought you joy. I think that it is extremely vital to take time to appreciate the little things rather than always obsessing over the ‘big picture’. It is a tool for us to simplify an over complicated life, to find pleasure in the plainer aspects of our lives.
Number two, mistakes constitute experience. This was derived from a quote that I once read that stated “Experience is simply the name that we give our mistakes”. But in my mind, this quote had an air of negativity while it also held some truth. So I chose to view it from the opposite perspective, and that is that mistakes are necessary for us to grow and gain experiences. We can never be better at anything if we do not first experience it, and first experiences do not always have a positive outcome. But having those experiences under your belt is very imperative to further success.
Number three, learn from your past but always keep your eyes forward. It may seem somewhat silly, but when I thought of this I automatically remembered a scene from The Lion King that says “The past can hurt, but the way I see it you can either run from it, or learn from it.” The past is the past for a reason, you absolutely need to put it behind you and move on. But while you should never live life looking in the rear view mirror, you must also be able to learn from your past. Whether you learn from a bad situation or a good one, you have to embrace your past before you can entirely release it. And really, I don’t think you can ever fully let go of your past, it is something that you will always carry with you, but that just makes it all that more important to learn from it.
Number four, do nothing without a willing heart. This holds a very large place in my heart, I have always struggled with doing things out of pure willingness rather than being forced or prodded to do so. I think the most prominent and applicable example of doing something without willingness is apologies. A sincere apology is very hard to come by, typically “I’m sorry” comes from the mouth of a person who had just been told to say it, or felt just guilty enough to muster up the words. Sincerity is a rarity and growing rarer, and I think that it is a huge problem, which is why I added it to my creed.
Number five, there is no way to get up if you have not first been knocked down. Often times the biggest triumphs come after scraping the depths of rock bottom. Since the beginning of this year I have been through hell and back, but those hardships have given me the fuel to dust myself off and do great things. It is hard to recognize true success if you have never known the opposite, success and failure undoubtedly go hand in hand.
I agree with number one of your creed it is important in life to enjoy the little things because there will not always be some extraordinary event happening so you have to see the beauty in every little thing, like a butterfly floating in the air, or else life will not be as happy as it could have been.
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ReplyDeleteNumber six, live every day without regrets. I debated adding this to my creed for a long time, but in the end I decided that it was necessary for me moving forward. I am a person that has many regrets, they are a constant burden and have succeeded in depriving me of a lot of happiness. But after contemplating this, I realized that there is no way for me to reverse time and undo the things that I have done, so why keep beating myself up? It has been so long, I now need to start living my life making good decisions and without regrets.
And finally number seven, strike a balance between selflessness and selfishness. I realize that the word selfish has a very negative connotation, but I do not mean it in that sense here. I’m sure we have all heard this saying at one time or another “You must love yourself before you can love others” and I came very close to putting that direct quote into my creed. But I pondered it and I molded it more to the way that I want to live my life. It is very hard to care for others if you do not care about yourself, which is the selfishness that I am referring to. Don’t get me wrong, I am a staunch believer in that you should always value others over yourself, but that does not mean that it is not essential to take time for yourself and make yourself feel good every once in a while. If you are happy, it will be much easier for you to make other people feel the same way.
I am very happy with the creed that I have come up with for myself, and I am excited to see how greatly it differs compared to that of my classmates. I am most definitely going to make an valiant effort to implement these things into my everyday life, and I’m sure that if I can succeed in doing so, I will find myself living the way that I have always wanted to.
It's very important to make a point that sometimes being just a little bit selfish is necessary. Sometimes you really just need to think about your own happiness before others. If you're always worrying about others and never take time to care for yourself you will burn yourself out. No one is eternally selfless, no one has absolute infinite kindness to offer to other people- we are all human beings, and it is natural for human beings to have limitations on those sorts of things. No one should ever feel guilty for wanting to make themselves happy once in a while. And if anyone ever makes you feel guilty for doing something for yourself to help cheer up, then they are the ones who are being awful and nasty. Helping others when you can is certainly important but sometimes we forget to help ourselves, and that is perhaps the most important thing of all to remember.
DeleteYour 6th creed is a very important one for everyone to follow. Regrets are what hold people back from doing many things, even moving on with their lives. You should always remember your mistakes, but never dwell on them and seek pain from them all over again.
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ReplyDeleteUpon researching John Wooden, I became ever fascinated with his career as a coach. Even though I’m not particularly a fan of basketball, you would have to be a fool to not acknowledge his accomplishments. Heading up the best team in the NCAA ten times in a twelve year period, winning seven championships in a row, and eighty eight consecutive win! How have I never heard of this man before? After evaluating his Seven Point Creed, one can conclude that it must have been the foundation for his success. When asked to make a Seven Point Creed of my own, it almost seems insulting that I would even try to emulate the man. Wooden was one of the best coaches in all of sports, and I can’t even dribble a basketball. Nor have I had any accomplishments that are remotely equivalent in magnitude to that of Coach Wooden. Nonetheless, I have dug deep to find the seven most relevant tenets of my life:
-Skepticism is engagement
-Introspection is not shyness
-Always try to teach yourself
-Friendship is more important than social capital
-Make sure that the work you put in is worth what you get out
-To trivialize is not to insult
-Asking for a hand up is strength
1) Skepticism is engagement: I have the natural tendency to question everything that is spoonfed to me, even the things that seem logical. When I verbalize my inquisitive thought process, people often take offense or I am told to “just not question it.” Sure, there are times when those responses are valid, but I believe you are truly engaged in something when you have the passion to question it. I believe that people have the ability to make minute changes, and if everyone was able to change one little thing in this world for the better, we would live in a more unified and efficient world that would have the capacity to constantly improve upon itself. Though this image is unfortunately unrealistic, it has existed in small doses throughout history in a way that has changed mankind for the better. And every powerful and positive social change starts with a single question. Therefore, skepticism is the facilitator for personal and worldly improvement.
2) Introspection is not shyness: This tenant is in part affiliated with the previous one but there are a few ambiguous subtle nuances between the two.Skepticism is often the result of introspection, but introspection does not always catalyze skepticism. Also, I went out of my way to mention that verbal skepticism is not always the wisest thing to do. However, internal introspection does build wisdom. Aside from skepticism, introspection can entail figuring out processes, making deep observations about the world around you, and getting to know who you are. I go out of my way to say that introspection is not shyness because I often find myself to be loud and obnoxious at some times and completely silent about other things. The correlation between these two variables is that when I am loud and obnoxious, mental productivity is virtually nonexistent. However, the opposite is true when I am quiet. Do not give up the pursuit of understanding because of the accusations of being weird or awkward. Understanding is far more powerful.
Part 2
ReplyDelete3) Always try to teach yourself: Again, I decided to build off the previous point. Introspection often leads a form of inner learning. I find that teaching yourself is the most powerful form of learning. This is not to say that everything should or can be learned via introspection. Be that as it may I have made a very heavily correlated observation. This correlation is between those who are the very best in their area of acceleration and self-teaching. The world’s greatest minds, athletes, and musicians have the distinct commonality in that they often taught themselves what they do best. Yes, they usually have some form of guidance. But no one else truly taught Isaac Newton how to differentiate an equation, no one else truly taught John Wooden how to coach a basketball team, and no one else truly taught Jimi Hendrix how to play a guitar.
4) Friendship is more important than social capital: Social capital is the expected collective assets derived from the preferential treatment and cooperation between individuals and groups. Now don’t get me wrong, social capital is actually a wonderful thing, especially if you’re an AP student. Collaboration and focusing on people’s strengths are integral to productivity. However, weaving a friendship only out of social capital is detrimental. When you fall down on hard times, a friend will help you but someone you use will definitely not be there.
5) Make sure that the work you put in is worth what you get out: This tenant is fairly straightforward. If you are convinced that adequate happiness and other benefit will come your way by achieving a difficult task, go for it. If not, you are wasting your time.
6) To trivialize is not to insult: This tenant is especially relevant to my own experiences. Like the first tenant, people will often get offended. However, satire and parody through trivialization an anti-stress mechanism. I also believe that trivialization is also cohorted with introspection. Belittling something shows a degree of engagement even if it is a more negative light. If you have the opportunity to make something that is stressful or difficult into something that is funny and manageable, I see no crime. Even when it is done to me, I take no offence because it’s not worth getting upset over someone else finding humor in your nature. If anything it is a compliment.
7) Asking for a hand up is strength: Well meaning and smart people are often too embarrassed to ask for help with things that they cannot do or understand. They often see it as weakness, and I myself am guilty of this. Because of this innate capacity of our nature, it actually takes more strength to ask for help than to play tough and wait for the round bell to ring. Show your true strength by admitting you are not always strong.
David, I think that your seven point creed is similar to the type of personality you have. I totally agree with what you had to say about John Wooden. As myself, I could never accomplish such amazement with sports, unless I put my entire time to sports. I totally agree with your creeds too because they make complete sense when you explain them. Your stand on skepticism is very interesting because people need a sense of logic into what they believe. Your third creed is also very important because people always depend on others to teach them, if people had the tendency to teach them then there would be less confusion into what is being taught. Unfortunately, there aren’t many autodidactics in this world, so maybe not a lot of people will understand things by themselves. Overall, your seven point creed seems to fall into the wonders and importance of logic and somewhat of education.
DeleteThe tenets you picked are actually pretty surprising! But I guess it should be indicative of who you want to be and how you want to change, which it is, so this is understandable. I take issue with your tenet that you must make sure that the reward you get for your work must be equal to what you get out. I think there are many points in life where there will be a gross disparity, and even more times when you will not know if your investment will yield sufficient returns. Nonetheless, we still must try, correct?
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ReplyDeletePart One:
ReplyDeleteThinking of what to write for my creeds was an excruciating process. I never thought that creating rules for myself would be hard to think of. However, I know that I do need to do it to become a better person. My creeds might expose my flaws, but I know that it change isn’t a bad thing. I could only hope that these creeds that I hope to follow would help me build my own legacy, even though it might never be as great as John Wooden. I didn’t want to be too cliche, but I couldn’t help it.
First, value your time. I know basically everyone wrote this as one of their creeds, but I do believe that this is something that I should live by. I never want to want to go through the death of a loved one and say I wish I spent more time with them. I don’t want to waste a moment that I have with anyone. We never know what could happen so we should cherish every single moment that we have in this Earth. Time can’t be rewound so value every single second that you have.
Second, live in the present, don’t live in the past and don’t worry about the future. Living in the past could hinder our actions. I’m afraid to take risks due to some things that have happened in the past, but it’s making the present a bit less exciting and making me wonder what would have happened if I took the risk. Oh, the future, is there even such a thing? We always seem to think about the future, but truth is, the future isn't something that’s guaranteed. We always worry about certain things that will happen in the future, but truth is, it’ll just feel like any other day. Focus on the present, live life to the fullest and the future will take care of itself.
Third, don’t get mad over the smallest things and appreciate the little things in life. I've always been a person that gets mad over the smallest things. I get mad for missing a shot in tennis, for someone not telling me a minuscule detail, and many other small things, but I've come to realize that this isn't something that’s good. Sweating over small details could lead to pointless arguments that you’re just going to regret. I need to learn how to get over small details and appreciate the little things in life instead. I need to learn to appreciate the air that we breath. I stress over the small things, but I need to learn how to just stop and take a breath because in the end it will work itself out.
Part Two:
ReplyDeleteMy fourth point is to not be afraid to make mistakes. We should never be scared to take risks. At the end of the day, you never want to have “what if’s” in your thoughts. You might make a mistake, but you still took a risk and you won’t leave with a regret. Live life with no regrets. Take risks and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I’ve always been cautious of things that I would do because of being scared of making mistakes, but I always end up thinking, “What if I took that risk?” It’s not something that I want to be left with anymore. If I do make a mistake, at least I know that I tried. You never know, maybe this mistake could even lead you to something new.
I believe that I should be thankful for the blessings that have been given to me. I've faced death before and I’m thankful that I’m still alive today. I was given a second chance to live on this Earth and experience life’s ups and downs. I also went through a surgery to fix a completely torn ACL and meniscus, and I’m thankful for being able to play sports again. Through this life, there’s many things that I should be thankful for. Without all these blessing, I might not be here today and I wouldn't have been able to go through the tennis season. Be thankful for the opportunities and chances that are given to us because not everyone in this world has the privilege to live life like this.
My sixth point is to think before we act. There’s been many instances where I've gotten in trouble for doing things that could have been prevented. There’s been times when people have gotten hurt because of a dumb move by someone else. For example, the Kansas City Royals mascot threw a hot dog into the stands during a football game and hit someone in the eye, who is now suing the team for it. If the person under the mascot would have thought of the consequences, this could have easily been prevented. There’s been times when people just go along with whatever their friends tell them to without thinking, but end up getting in trouble for it. Analyzing the situation could prevent people from getting in trouble. Actions should never be made out on a limb.
My last point is to be yourself. We should never change who we are due to someone else’s opinion. We should never be like other people. We should never compare ourselves to other people. We are who we are. We’re born and raised to be different people. No one should ever be exactly like someone else. You’re never going to be happy hiding who you truly are and being like someone else.
This is my seven point creed. It’s not going to be exactly like someone else as we all believe in different things. Our own creed shows who we are and shows how we want to improve. It shows who we want to become and shows that we’re not afraid to expose our flaws. We should always be improving ourselves for the better. I hope that I do leave an impact on people’s lives, even if it might not be as great as the impact that John Wooden left.
You said we shouldn't be scared to take risks, and that's actually a really good ideology to have. Perhaps it didn't occur to me because that's the exact opposite of who I am; I am constantly terrified of breaking rules, or offending someone, or attracting unwanted attention and therefore stop myself from doing so many things. But it is important to take risks and to try new things because if you don't do that you could be missing out on so many opportunities. We always regret when we don't take up a great opportunity- but hindsight is always 20/20, you know? And even if you took a chance and ended up making mistakes, you're right that we shouldn't be afraid to make those mistakes. Because we learn from our mistakes and if you just perpetually avoid situations you might not be perfect in then there's no opportunity to ever learn those lessons- and when you inevitably end up in a similar situation by accident then you will be completely unprepared.
DeletePart 1:
ReplyDeleteAfter reading John Wooden’s story, I honestly hope to become a person like him. It takes so much hard work to make the worst basketball team into the best, undefeated basketball team.
John Wooden’s seven point creed is honestly interesting and something that I based my seven point creed off of because not everyone who lives such a hardworking life can actually move mountains and perform miracles. There are thousands, if not millions of people who work hard and perform their personal goals and don’t accomplish anything like John Wooden. Therefore, my 7 point creed is based off of the notion to become a better, hard worker and to strive for success in the future. At this moment, I think that these seven tips will eventually help me move forward than where I am today.
1. Perform your best every day.
First of all, I think that everyone who wishes to accomplish anything must perform their very best every single day. If your accomplishment or goal is to ace a math or science test one must always perform their best. If someone was working towards an A on their next math test, that person can’t slack and do their least and accomplish their goal. When I was having problems with my grades I couldn’t slack off the days before a major test or quiz and not give my 100%; I would have to practice and work in order to reach my goal of having a better grade in whatever subject.
2. Help others.
From past experiences, I think that helping others is very important. Helping others doesn’t make you a better person or give you humbleness, but it teaches you the various types of people there are in this world and the problems that people face daily. When I help freshmen with their Algebra homework, not only do I refresh my memory of the basic skills of math, I also learn so much of the type of person they are. I know whether the freshman never understood the concept about math if the freshman is too timorous and was afraid to ask questions to further his knowledge. From personal experience, I have helped my friends with their problems and when I’m in the process of helping them find a solution, I learned how selfish the person was by the stories they tell.
3. Live as simple as possible.
Ever since the whole lesson of transcendentalism in English last year I have tried to apply the doctrines that Thoreau and Emerson wrote about. Anyone who lives a simple life can completely agree that they become worry free and start to place less value towards tangible goods. During the summer I started to live as simple as possible and it worked a lot. I started to put less value into materialistic things that shouldn’t dictate my life. I started to become carefree and I started to worry less about the things that once governed my mind; I have never felt so carefree in my life. Now don’t get me wrong, during the school year, most of us are very busy and living simple is probably impossible, but if someone was to give living simple, they would see a great decrease in stress which would beneficiary to the ones who work hard every day.
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ReplyDelete4. Read books.
Since John Wooden’s seven point creed included reading books, so does mine. If people start to read books that not only stimulate education, but enrich readers to become better people than the day before, books should be read. Books like the Bible show readers to become better people and allow readers to dwell on the characteristics that make them a better person. Since my parents introduced Jesus to me from a young age, I think it’s imperative to mention the bible in a Christian-Catholic setting. People who believe in God feed from the Bible to become a better person in such a cruel world to soon have a place in Heaven. Therefore, abook that brings moral characters to question like Ordinary People should be read to edify readers to become better people than yesterday.
5. Don’t allow numbers to measure you.
From past experiences, I think that numbers should never measure or define a person; allowing a number to measure yourself only creates problems with your self-esteem. The number that you get on a test doesn’t measure how good of a person you are. The number that you see on a scale doesn’t define you or make you an inferior human being. People, including me, get caught into the trap that numbers are the best measurement of how a person is. Having dealt with the paranoia that measurement brings has allowed me to not only avoid the importance of numbers on either a test or a scale, but overcome the numbers I never liked. Not allowing numbers to measure anyone goes back to my creed of performing your best every day. If someone doesn’t like their test scores, then that person will always have the chance to improve their scores by performing their best and by putting in a lot of hard work.
6. Stay active.
I think that staying active not only makes people fit, but loosens up people’s minds. Staying active can be a simple walk around the block or a daily sport. Just like trying to live simple, staying active reduces people’s stress levels. Studies have shown that staying active is very beneficial towards the body while improving people’s mood and increasing energy levels. Once people have positive moods and have more energy, people will start to feel better and eventually do things that matter. If someone was to have a very low energy level and a very cranky mood, then that person will most likely not perform their best or try to live a simple life.
7. Forget about the past.
Forgetting about the past helps any circumstance. Everyone has a past that they should forget about because once people dwell in their past, they never progress from where they are. I have to admit, there are times where I can’t forget about the past and once I dwell in my past, I can’t help but stay in the same place that I was before. People should forget about the past and move on to the future and think about what is yet to come. What happened a week, a month, or a year ago should not dictate what is going to happen tomorrow or in the future.
I love your third point. This is probably because of the fact that since that unit in Costal's class i have been branded the "dirty hippie" in my group of friends and this just reminds me of how wonderful that lesson was.I have always tried to live within my means and this has rarely failed me. So i sort of wish I had included this as one of my own points to my creed.
Delete1. Be mindful of other people's differences and treat them with respect
ReplyDelete2. Indulge yourself and do things that make you happy. And never let other people make you feel bad about the things that make you happy!
3. Try to learn something new and expand your horizons every day.
4. Talk to your friends daily. Make an effort to communicate with people
5. But also don't feel bad for taking time to be by yourself.
6. Don't let yourself wallow in depression and self-pity.
7. Don't worry about the past, and try not to worry about the future. The present is the most important moment.
This was certainly a harder blog than most. I suppose my creed would just be the things I try do every day but at the same time I'm not entirely sure if I should put down some of the ones I listed because oftentimes I fail to follow through with my own advice. But I always try my hardest to stay true to these tenets and truly believe that they will benefit me. But there's a lot more going on in my mind beyond those simple statements, so elaboration is definitely necessary.
1. Be mindful of other people's differences and treat them with respect: I think this is ultimately one of the most important things on my list. Too much of the conflict in the world comes from people being scared or offended by other people's differences. Even just ignorance can end up hurting others. It's important to try and understand others and what they're going through. You should never hate someone because of their race, or their sexuality, or their gender identity, or their religious beliefs, or even something as simple as the way they dress or talk. Everyone is a human being, and it is the people who treat anyone like less than that who are truly despicable.
2. Indulge yourself and do things that make you happy. And never let other people make you feel bad about the things that make you happy: This is the one guideline that I usually follow without fail, for better or worse. I fall in love with things easily, whether that be books, or games, or shows. Having passion for something is great and you should let yourself just sit back and put time into something you really enjoy every once in a while. This could be in media you like, or hobbies like drawing or sports... what's important is to never let your excitement and love for certain activities dwindle. Because if you don't have something to cheer yourself up with at the end of the day then it's hard to enjoy anything. I admit I'm guilty in perhaps investing too much time into hobbies instead of actual work, but when some of these things are the only things that make me truly happy I find it hard to care.
3. Try to learn something new and expand your horizons everyday: Without gaining knowledge or learning from your experiences, one simply stagnates. If we never learned from our experiences or took lessons to heart we would still be ignorant children. You should never be afraid to change your opinion when you gain a new piece of information- and don't be too embarrassed to contradict something you said in the past. Living is about change, and every new thing you learn has the potential to change your outlook on life and who you are as a person.
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ReplyDelete4. Talk to your friends daily. Make an effort to communicate with people: Sometimes (and by that, I mean all the time) I have a tendency to skip out on social interaction, at least when it's the face-to-face variety. But not only are social skills important to cultivate, but talking to people can actually be a lot of fun, believe it or not! Talking with friends can help distract me when I'm sad- and if they're good friends, they'll always be there to listen to your problems. It's no good to be distant and lonely from people because that will inevitably put you in a bad spot. Even the most introverted people need some sort of social interaction- so I have to keep reminding myself to talk to people!
5. But also don't feel bad for taking time to be by yourself: Of course, sometimes it is prolonged socialization that puts me in a bad mood. Sometimes I simply don't want to talk to people or be around them. And it's important to take some time away and sit in solitude, if that is what you really want. It's perfectly fine if you're not a social butterfly all the time! Not even complete extroverts can socialize 24/7; everyone needs some time to cool down.
6. Don't let yourself wallow in depression and self-pity: I think this one is pretty straight forward. If you keep thinking about all the sad things in your life it's hard to get out of that mood. This really ties into my whole 'do the things you enjoy' point- instead of sitting around stressing out over things or working yourself up into a very bad state of mind you should go do something that makes you happy and therefore distract yourself. Thinking bad thoughts will only keep you in a bad mood!
7. Don't worry about the past, and try not to worry about the future. The present is the most important moment: Sometimes I get so caught up in worry about things I did in the past, or what I'm going to do in the future that I literally make myself sick from stress. And sometimes I get so embarrassed by things I did once upon a time that I can't even bring myself to go back to the place they occurred at, or I beat myself up over an event long past. To live in the moment is to enjoy life in that moment and to not worry about things, and I think that's an important thing to do.
Paige, ever since the first day of school l I have learned so much about you that everything you wrote is pretty much accurate to how you live your life. Your first creed is very true because everyone is a different variety and shouldn’t bear to see the same qualities that don’t exist in everyone. In our gym class, there is a variety of people that we certainly see differently and even though we don’t associate with them we respect them for who they are. I think that your third creed should have been on my list and everyone else who participates because people need to discover the unknown and be free from where they normally at. Not everyone sees beyond the horizon and I think that certainly affects everyone’s way of perspective and imagination. Your points about socialization are acceptable because everyone should try to interact with others and sometimes break away from everyone and have some personal time. Your last creed is similar mine because people shouldn’t dwell in the past because it brings back horrible memories and doesn’t bring anyone into a newer stage.
DeleteGosh, reading your blog made me wonder why I didn't think of some of the things you did! "Broaden your horizons and learn something new everyday". That's an awesome one. The worrying tenet is great advice for pretty much any AP'er, and basically every high school student. I can't seem to take issue with anything you said. There is nothing wrong with having alone time, yet it's never a good idea to completely shelter yourself.
DeleteYour creed is a lot like the things I tried to say in mine. I truly think that the things you mentioned everyone should live by. One thing that I failed to even think about though was your last creed, to don’t worry about the past or future. This is something that I am very guilty of and that I need to change. Not just me but many people our age are constantly thinking about the future, what college we are going to go to, what were going to major in, and even what assignment is due tomorrow. The future is a very scary thing to me and I’m constantly worrying about it. I think it’s great that you put this on your 7 point creed so not just me but everyone can see this and relax and just focus on the present for now.
DeletePaige, I couldn't agree more. Conversing with friends is important, but at the same time we need to take time our for ourselves. Friends are a distraction from the problems we may be facing. Your friends could even be there to lend a helping hand. I, too, have attempted living in the moment, but it is sometimes difficult. I find myself trying to plan for the future and I far too often think of the past. Hopefully you and/ or your creed can help me and many other people let go of two things. The first being things that have already happened and the second being things that have yet to happen.
DeleteThough it was simple idea, I can't agree with you more that you have to make sure that in life, you always make sure to stay in touch with friends. Not only can you feel better about yourself because others lift you up, but it's also a way to find a release in life if we find ourselves to wrapped up.
DeleteTommi Sch, listening is a very important tool to succeed in life. I have ignored practically good ideas that could have help me in many ways. Good job, I like your Creed, I couldnot agree more.
ReplyDeleteDanielle Salvatierra, this blog I must admit, is awesome. indeed people make mistakes, surprisingly I was ones scared to make mistakes and this prevent me from even scoring goals but I finally realized the best way to defeat mistake is to learn from it. Overall, good job, thanks for that wonderful Creed.
ReplyDeleteDavid Ramirez, it is true, it takes a lot of effort to develop a bad team example Miami heat lost to brooklyn nets who surprisingly have lost their spot in the top flight.I agree with you, after reading the biography of John Wooden I wanted to be like him just like reading the lifestyle of successful people like steve jobs. Good job, I like your ideas. if only the creeds were not limited, Im Sure you could write more creeds. nice work bro.
ReplyDeleteThroughout life, stress and temptation lead us astray from those values that define us. It stands to reason, therefore, to have a creed to live by that guides on the right path, as John Wooden had. After careful consideration, I’ve come up with the following:
ReplyDelete1. Stop and think differently.
2. Take calculated risks.
3. Don’t worry about things outside your control.
4. If you want something, sacrifice for it.
5. Pay it forward.
6. Impact everything.
7. People are most important.
Stop and think differently. It’s no secret that I value open-mindedness and thought from multiple perspectives, so it is no surprise that this is the first tenet of my creed. This creed reminds me never to succumb to the evils of bigotry or prejudice and to always learn to see things from a different viewpoint, in order to gain insight I would not normally have. It’s also the first rule of problem solving – if one way doesn’t work, attack the problem from another angle. It’s the only way to find success.
Take calculated risks. Very few things in life yield high returns at low risk. Things worth having will always have risk involved, but it’s the thrill of risk-taking that makes life worth living, so fear of risk should not inhibit my decisions. Of course, this doesn’t mean be reckless, which is why I qualified risk with “calculated”. Be aware of Murphy ’s Law; always be prepared in case something goes wrong, and never be stupid when taking risk. Always plan, whether rushed or not, before you undergo something that could pose significant risk to yourself or other. Respect risk, but do not fear it.
i loved this response. Especially the risk part! I think people should take more risks in life. Like i always say, THE PASSION IS IN THE RISK!
DeleteI agree with the whole taking calculated risks thing. This entire planet was built on people doing things that no other human would dream of doing, and taking risks is the only way to make it as big as you can in this world. That being said, there are also many people who really don't take risks so much as take gambles, which are different in the fact that risks you have some control over, and if you are really smart, it is barely a risk at all, while gambling is like that, only once you get started, you are no longer in control and have no chance of turning back if things go south, and while some gambles actually work out, there are even more examples of people throwing their lives away by theoretically jumping out of a plane, then realizing that you have no form of experience or training skydiving, nor a parachute. So taking risks is good, but thinking it through is even more important. Great post!
DeletePart II:
ReplyDeleteDon’t worry about things outside your control. I, as typical of an AP student, stress over things far more than I should. So I added this tenet to remind myself that it is not worth the time or the effort to worry about things that just aren’t in your control. That doesn’t mean don’t plan for them! As I stated earlier in this post, I am an avid proponent of planning. But it is not worth worrying over things that you can’t fix. Ergo, don’t cry over spilled milk.
If you want something, sacrifice for it. Be ready to give up things for the things you really want. Inevitably realizing that sacrifice is necessary to achieve and attain whatever it is you seek makes life seem far more meaningful and comforting. Pain you place upon yourself is towards a goal. Most things worth attaining require intense sacrifice. If it means less sleep, more pain, more stress, well then it must be worth it. That’s how you tell if you really want something – ask if you are willing to sacrifice for it.
Pay it forward. If someone does right by you, do right by someone else. We have a responsibility to help each other. I picked this tenet as a way to force myself to do kind things for others. When I consider how many kindnesses are done onto me, it makes sense that if I view these as “debts” that must be repaid to others, I am more likely to do kind things for other things. It would be hypocritical to accept help from someone and then not do so for another. If there is anything I strive not to be, it is a hypocrite.
Impact everything. The measure of our legacy is how we change things, so it stands to reason that I emphasize impacting as many things as I can as part of my creed. This includes, first and foremost, helping others and changing things to benefit society and human kind. I define success as being able to change things for the better.
People are most important. I believe that the meaning of each of our lives is given by the existence of others. A single, solitary human has no purpose, but in a community of humans, he/she suddenly is far more significant. We are on this planet to help each, so inevitably everything we do should be done so as to advance this ultimate purpose in life. Awards, achievements, and thrills are transient, but people are not.
If I can stand by this creed, then I have a lot to look forward to in life.
You know very well that i don't always take the time to think about things before I do them. That is why i really like your second point, it reminds me of the many times that i was about to do something and then you stopped me and pointed out the horrible outcomes that may come of that decision. So thanks for all of those saves, there are too many to count at this point.
DeleteLET’S DO THIS!
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS NOT PRACTICE, THIS IS YOUR LIFE! - This point is the reason I sometimes go to such drastic means to bring myself back into the current moment. People tend to do too much hypothetical living or they just live too cautiously because they fear life so much that they stop themselves from doing any real living. People need to remember that once this life is over there is no re-do so they should swallow down their fears and start doing the things they want to do. Fear is a main part of many of my points so prepare to see it a lot in this post, speaking of which…
FEAR IS GOOD IT MEANS YOU ARE ALIVE! - If anyone has ever told you that they aren’t afraid of anything then they are full of bullshit. Fear is part of life; fear is the thing that lets you know that whatever you are doing in the current moment is something worth doing. If you aren’t afraid then you aren’t taking risks and if you aren’t taking risks then you aren’t doing anything worthwhile with your life.
TAKE RISKS, THEY ARE YOUR ONLY MEASURE OF YOUR ABILITIES! – Basically if you never try something then you will never know if you can do it or not. This sort of goes hand and hand with my second point but it deserves to stand alone. This doesn’t mean do things that you have no interest in because you need to know if you can do it or not but don’t ever avoid doing something just because you might screw it up. If you have lived a life where you have been successful more times than you have failed than you either haven’t taken enough risks or you consider every single thing you do to be a success.
EXPERIENCE IS YOUR ONLY TRUE TEACHER! – Before you yell at me I know that we do learn from our teachers but I am not talking about academics, I am talking about life. Basically when someone tries to tell you that something you are going to do is a mistake, don’t listen to them (in most cases don’t! I am not saying go do stupid things that will get you arrested or killed.) We learn from our own mistakes, not from the mistakes of others. We need to learn for ourselves that the stove is hot.
SOMETIMES THE RIGHT THING TO DO ISNT THE BEST THING TO DO – In life there is no definitive black and white on the road of morality, most things are covered in grey and the decisions you make don’t always see like the right thing. If everyone always made the morally right choice then we would have all died out long ago. Whether you like it or not, life is not about always being the “good guy” it is about doing what needs to be done, not what should be done.
NEGATIVE FRIENDS=A NEGATIVE LIFE – Too many people surround themselves with negative friends and then wonder why they are always in a bad mood. Bad people make for bad company and if you are around people always seeing the bad in life then eventually you will become one of those people or always be unhappy. This is why I try to see the positives in all situations, because if I don’t then I am just being one of those people.
MAKE EXCEPTIONS – If you constantly live life by the same rules than eventually you will miss out on things that you should have done. You need to experience as many different aspects of life as possible and that is best achieved by changing things up every once and a while. Live by the things that you think will fulfill your life most but don’t limit yourself to one way of doing things. Who knows maybe by changing things up you will learn that another way of living is more fulfilling than you thought.
7 points really aren’t enough to fully explain how I live and many times I find myself forgetting to live by these rules but I’m only 17 so I can’t possibly expect myself do live life without mistake, frankly no one can ever live life without mistake. Sorry guys my mind is fried at this point, I wanted to say something witty but then Danielle called me and she ruined my train of thought so THANKS A LOT DANIELLE! Also shout out to Danielle. Good night everyone.
I personally enjoyed your second point very much. I’ve never taken the time to see fear in that aspect of life. I understand that fear is definitely part of life, but taking risks shouldn’t have to make your life valuable in some way. But just living should give some value to your life and taking risks just adds to it.
Deletefirst off, youre wlecome <3. Okay so i agree with all of your creeds very much so until i read the sixth one. That is something that really frustrates me. Ive been that negative friend and i was left alone to deal with heavy emotions because i was also bringing others down and let me tell you it is not a good feeling. I felt as though i was unwanted and left to suffocate in a manifest of my own self-pity and sadness. I say we cant leave these people alone, you should help by being the person they want to be there, not their physiologist. I think a lot of people get that mixed up. The best help you can be is the person you are because you are something of importance to their life, don't change that.
Deletepsychologist*
DeleteI agree emphatically with your first point, partially because I am guilty of it a decent amount of the time. You have to live life realizing that once every single moment is finished, that's it, its over, there is zero chance of you going back, and you have to realize this, and in turn, use that motivation to your advantage. Sign up for that club, do that sport, talk to that person you aren't familiar with, because if you don there is a chance you may never get the opportunity to again, and it is very true that the unlived life is the worst life to have.
DeleteI just had a mini panic attack because of the last part of your post where you said that you are 17. I realized that I'm 16, and that we are all juniors, and I'm going to be 17 in less than 10 months, and then we'll be seniors and then we are going to graduate.
DeleteAlright, now that my panic attack is over, my favorite point was "make exceptions" because that makes life a little bit more adventurous. Although I can sometimes be a wimp like I was earlier today at the fear factory, I still enjoy switching things up a bit to venture off into the unknown.
Part One:
ReplyDeleteBefore I am old and losing both my mind and my hair, I want to make something of my life. This is my life, my existence and it is something that I do not wish to squander. I am currently in a stage in my life where I am going through the motions, asking just enough questions to get by. I feel as though I need some sort of structure. Perhaps I am in need of constructing a personal creed. This creed would entail seven elements that would cause me to live and just not exist.
The first element of my seven point creed would be prayer. Pray when you are on the top of the world with everything to lose. Pray when you are on the street with nothing to lose. Seeing as my family has always encouraged me to pray, I consequently believe in the power of prayer. God works in mysterious ways; you could be in your room crying, asking why you aren’t married yet, and within a year or so, find the perfect spouse. Surely within that time frame you may encounter a few hellacious characters, but you have to. How are you going to appreciate the “ups” if you have never truly been “down”?
The second element of my creed is to love. It will take time to love something or someone, this is understandable. The moment one is able to accept the fact that they are in love or experiencing love, they need to love with their entire being. I find it to be quite the mockery of love when someone is only willing to give half of their heart to another because the other half has been covertly reserved for someone else. Moving on, love is not restricted to romance. We love our friends and we love our family. This love allows us to see the beauty that each person holds. By understanding the beauty within each person, we are then able to get a better grasp of the beauty within ourselves.
Part Two:
ReplyDeleteThe third component of my creed is something that I truly value and would go absolutely insane without. I value my personal time. During your personal time, you must treat yourself. Take time to meditate, allow for your entire body to exhale and relax. Take a much deserved catnap. Listen to the Beatles; however try to avoid some of their heavier songs such as “Helter Skelter” and “Revolution 9”. This is a time of rest and repair, not absolute chaos. Taking personal time permits someone to find out who they are. For instance, if I had never taken any personal time for myself, I wouldn’t have realized that I fancy writing. I also wouldn’t have acknowledged the fact that I have quite the case of wanderlust. Everyone is entitled to personal time. No one is above it and no one is beneath it.
The fourth part of my creed involves making a change (or at least trying to). People who complain about things but are not willing to attempt to make a change are a waste of time. I encounter a few stubborn people on a day to day basis and I have given them a few suggestions to help improve what they are trying to accomplish. Time and time again, these people have written me off as a nag. It is now that I understand that these people are willing to remain mediocre. Being the one person that wants to make a difference can be quite lonely at times. I have no one to talk to about these changes. Perhaps the thing that kills me the most is that this same person sent around a suggestion list that everyone filled out, but he refused to heed any of the ideas. Everyone else was willing to move on from this blatant “your input doesn’t matter” attitude, but I’m still infuriated by this. Even worse, it’s starting to show! My desire to be more than “the average Joe” is causing my blood to boil seeing as the person in charge isn’t willing to listen to anyone. It also doesn’t do me any good that the person under him is somewhat complacent. If you are going to be that person who is actually willing to make a change or start a revolution, be willing to have a “crowd of people [turn] away” in fear of change (The Beatles, “A Day in the Life”).
The fifth ingredient to my creed is to be true to yourself. There is no need to put on airs when frequenting with a particular group of people. If you are uncomfortable eating the “proper” way with your silverware (fork in your left hand, knife in the right), don’t force yourself. This doesn’t make you any less of a person. To hell with anyone that thinks otherwise! This is your life; you are the one in control. Don’t go out and put another mortgage on your home because you want a Mercedes Benz in order to keep up with the Joneses. There is a reason why that set of wheels is out of your price range. Don’t imbue your mind with the thought that you are in dire need of a Mercedes. Seeing as you have champagne taste while on a beer bottle budget, you need to make a dollar out of 15 cents and downgrade. What matters most is that you are comfortable. If you don’t look out for yourself, who will?
The sixth puzzle piece to my creed is to make memories. Take a plethora of photographs to keep in a photo album. Videotape the precious moments of your life, too. Make an archive of your life. 20 years down the road, you can go through the scrapbooks and videos and reminisce upon your life. You could even show your children all that you have done. These memories will allow for us to look back and realize that we have truly lived before we have gotten too old (which is something that people hope for, but in reality may never get a chance to do).
Part Three:
ReplyDeleteto do).
The seventh and final component to my creed is to try new things. Trying new things allows us to broaden our horizon. Being afraid to branch out stifles our growth and our ability to reach our full potential. Sometimes you can’t accomplish a single thing until you take a step out of your beloved comfort zone. I was a curious tyke growing up (I’ve always been an only child which caused me to learn rather quickly that I must interact with other children, which led to my curiosity). I wanted to learn how to swim because everyone else already knew how. I wanted to learn how to skate so I wouldn’t fall over at parties. I started eating sushi because I thought it was the “hip” thing to do (I was eight, don’t judge). I genuinely hope to live up to this seven point creed. Maybe then I will be able to live a more blissful life before I am too old and losing both my mind and my hair.
For the sake of being annoying i am going to bring up a point that you and I have discussed in real life before, Why live life though a lens? I understand that pictures are good memories but, your mind is also a good way to keep memories. In my opinion life is about being in the moment so I don't really like the idea of documenting everything I do because then i am thinking about the future and not where i am at the current moment. I hope you don't see this as me just trying to prove your view wrong, I just wanted to bring up a different perspective from yours because this is something that i really feel strongly about, also i hope you feel strongly about your side of this, that would make for a much more fun response. (:
Deletei loved your response. i like where you came from about documenting because to me it makes me feel like it would keep me on track.
DeleteActually the part about making memories might be what I believe in most. I'm just getting over my intense hatred of pictures because for years I thought I was just about the most hideous thing there was, and I regret running from cameras for so long. There's no way I'd actually remember anything that went on 30 years from now, so I don't think that reminders like pictures could be a bad thing. But to be fair I'm also one of those people obsessed with the impending doom of the future anyway, even if I shouldn't be, so I guess that makes sense. It's also part of the reason why lately I keep saying I'm going to write a book or something - I'm a little obsessed with memory to be honest.
DeleteAnd I loved the rest of your post Jasmine. Sorry. I should've said that too instead of just creeping on another reply. Blah. Hahah. But yes, once again appearance needs to stop being so overrated. And who wouldn't find your thoughts on love simple and beautiful? Also, nice Beatles references. :P
DeletePart 1:
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion this blog is something very good for each and every one of us to do because it gives us a chance to realize how we should live by creating our own standards. Creating our own standards to live by is essential because everyone is a different person (obviously) but our personalities are different even in the slightest way so we cannot all create one way to live or else we would all essentially be the same person because we have the same actions, beliefs, and morals. With that being said my seven point creed is…
1. To learn something new every day
2. Set and achieve a goal every day
3. Be yourself
4. Do everything for yourself
5. Be the person others want to become
6. Stay happy
7. Everything you do, do it with passion
Number one learn something new every day, this is so important because the human mind has the capacity to store so much. There is always something to learn no matter how big, small, or irrelevant it may seem. This in turn will make you a well-rounded person for knowing how to do such diverse things for instance learning how to drive a stick shift (which I just recently learned how to do) to learning how to solve a math problem, it will show you have drive and determination to learn something new and will not just quit or never try something because you do not know how to do it. For instance the first time I got into a boat I was completely lost I was so angry because I was not picking it up right away, I will admit it was very tough but I picked it up once you learn you can’t forget it’s like tying a shoe our coaches teach us something new every day I would not be where I am today if I just quit because it was hard, today I love the sport. Just as important as learning something new every day it is just as important to set a daily goal, which brings me to point two in my creed. My second point is to set and achieve a goal everyday no matter what that goal is set it and achieve it. This will not only make you feel good about yourself but improve character, you will feel good because you set your mind to it and it put you one peg higher on the latter which leads you to the ultimate goal that wants to be achieved it shows progress and hope that one day you will be who you want to be, which leads me to my third point. My third point to be yourself, it essentially means be who you want to be. One thing that really gets under my skin is when people judge, comment or criticize you to change you or make you feel bad. When people are doing those things it is absolutely wrong and as much as I wish it would stop it will not. The people who do these things to other people are not thinking that everyone is different and have different wants and dreams and just because they think whatever the other people are doing is wrong or they do not agree with it does not give them the right to say anything because everyone needs to live their own life for them which leads me to my fourth point. My fourth point do everything for your self is not meant to sound selfish in any way like only think about yourself and no one else matters. What I mean by this is make sure whatever you do in live make sure you really want to do it, do what makes you happy not others happy. If everyone spent their lives living and doing things for other people no one would be happy because they are no fulfilling their own dreams and desires
Part 2:
ReplyDeleteThis will make you a miserable person because there will be no sense of self, no accomplishments no character because nothing is done for yourself but that other person or people. I, for instance was that person I finally realized if I do not stand up for and believe in myself then no one will and that used to be one of my fears that no one cares and I have to try to do all of these things to make them (family) realize that I’m here and I’m worth something. The day finally came though that I realized I was acting a zombie just living for one purpose…to impress. I now know that whatever decisions I make my actions they will either make me or break me but no matter what those decisions will take me where I end up in life no one else that I used to try to please will do nowhere because of the decisions I make in my life. My next point, number five, is to be the person others want to become. What I mean by this is be that person who inspires others to be better, help others, stay kind, and fulfill responsibilities. To help others means that you care and I think that you should care for everyone even they give you a reason not to show that you will still help makes you the bigger and better person. Stay kind to everyone even if they give you a reason not to, it still makes you the better person because you are able to forgive but not always forget because forgetting could put you in the same situation you were once in. make sure to always fulfill responsibilities because it makes you trust worthy and looked up upon. Many people rely, trust and go to responsible people because they are the good people in my opinion. The next point in my creed, number six, is to be happy, everyday make it a point laugh, relax, talk to a friend, or even watch your favorite television show if it will make you happy. It is very important for someone to have a happy point of each day no matter if it’s the littlest thing because everyone should be happy no matter how bad a person may be no deserves a lonely, unhappy life because in truth it is a morose life to live. My favorite point in the day is making someone else’s day a little better even it is just one laugh it is one more than not having humor in their life. Finally point seven it is everything you do, do it with passion. No matter what you are doing in life love it breathe it and work to make it the best it can be every day, having passion for something is what makes it real, understandable, relatable, beautiful, and alive. In life there are many things to become and in order for this to happen there is passion involved for instance a chef if he has the passion he is able to make a dish come alive, you will see the elegance, the vibrancy in the dish when you taste that little bite of food you will feel the fireworks go off on your tongue, the colors the food elicits from your brain explode inside your head and you will realize who ever made this has a undeniable passion that cannot be contained and everyone should have that. These things are what I believe and live by every day and it is those things that make me who I am and who I will become.
When I was thinking of what exactly to put in my creed I thought it would be simple but here thinking it’s difficult.
ReplyDelete1. Define your own happiness
2. Thank God everyday for showing you another day
3. Stay Humble
4. Be true to who you are
5. Believe and Achieve Greatness
6. Never give up
7. Help and Care for others.
When it comes to explaining to people what I believe in or what I live my life by I slightly struggle so bear with me.
First, Define your own happiness is something I now more than ever live by. More recently I have been finding myself trying to make others happy because that is the kind of person I am but I lost the meaning of my true happiness. Living up to qualifications and expectations of parents or even to yourself is where I have always struggled. I’ve learned that I have to do things that I think make me happy and what I think will help me in the future. I have to be able to look in the mirror every single day and say I am happy the way I am and that I am excited for what the future holds. I have to make sure I don’t let anybody else define my happiness.
Second, Thank God everyday for showing you another day. I am one of those people who are very thankful for waking up every morning and let those I love how thankful I am that God put them in my life. I am also so thankful for this because of the abilities I have been blessed up and even the ability to see, talk and walk. I think is something everybody should live by.
Third, Stay Humble. This is something I can truly say I live by. I see plenty of athletes that are great but cockier than you can imagine. You shouldn’t have to tell people you are good at something or smart at something they should know by seeing your progress and your skills at work. I would be the last person in the world to say I’m great at anything because I am thankful for having the opportunity to participate in these activities.
Fourth, Be true to who you are. I love this because I know a lot of people that try to change themselves for others to accept them or try to fit in. I HATE THAT! Be you! You are automatically awesome so why not be you! I will always live by this because to truly be happy you have to love yourself inside and out.
Fifth, Believe and Achieve Greatness. I actually have this on my ceiling that I look up at every morning before I wake up. Whether it is a sporting event, exercising, or doing a project this will always come in handy. In order to succeed you have to put your blood sweat and tears into it. Without your heart in it 100% you will never achieve greatness.
Sixth, Never Give up! Even though things will get tough and I have been and currently are on the edge of snapping I always tell myself never to give up. I hope I never will someday. I don’t believe that is the person I am or the person I want to be. This is something I will always turn to in order for me to keep being happy.
Seventh, lastly, to help and care for others. This is personally my favorite. As you all know I love making other people smile and laugh. I love making peoples days even when I am having a bad day. I know somewhere in the world somebody is has a worse condition then I am currently in and learn to suck it up and live with it. I will forever be that person that if you need a ride? I got you. Need money for lunch? I got you. Need a laugh? I definitely got you. Though this is my strong point in my personality it is also my down fall. I am constantly trying to please and making everybody else happy that I lose the true happiness in my life.
Those are my seven ways of my life!
I have to say it is always great to make someone laugh or smile because of you. Helping others gives one of the greatest feelings in the world. And like you I’ve experienced trying to constantly please everyone else and make them happy and lost some of my own happiness. But that’s why we should learn from our mistakes and learn to balance everything to keep ourselves happy and everyone else too.
DeleteDom, this was such a positive and inspirational blog post. This inspires me to live my life in these seven points that you explained. Very well done :)
DeleteI love that you find ways to make others happy because that is truly selfless. Someone could be having the worst day and by making them smile or laugh you have made it more bearable. So caring for others is a good creed to have because many are to wrapped up in themselves to pay attention to others.
Delete1. Have faith in myself and in God.
ReplyDelete2. Friends are important, but family is more important.
3. Respect and kindness are two different things.
4. Life has purpose no matter the circumstances.
5. Keep calm and spread love.
6. Knowledge has no boundaries.
7. An opened mind is a wise mind.
Creating my creed into words was a greater task than I assumed. After analyzing what I try to achieve every day, I was able to condense everything to an acceptable creed. Now let’s begin with first thing that I listed.
First, is having faith in myself and in God. Having faith is crucial to getting past the simplest of obstacles. Though I’m well educated in psyching myself out, but I’m good at believing myself and others too. It’s important to remind oneself that you are capable of anything; all you need to do is try and work hard. Then have faith in the fact that God is there with you at all times. He is watching over me and others who pray and ask for his guidance, wisdom, and forgiveness.
Second, is friends are important, but family is more important. Communication is significant to our daily lives and companionship with others keeps us involved and active with the world around us. But family is vital to me. Whatever is considered family is consisted of the select few that nurture me and give me the ultimate comfort that cannot be found anywhere else. That’s something special that I protect and something that protects me. I’ve learned that family is there for in the end of the fight not your friends.
Thirdly, respect and kindness are two different things. I want to emphasis that respect is not the same as kindness. Respect in a sense is just when you hold the door in order to not offend; you don’t have to like someone to respect them. But kindness is feelings and actions for someone. You sincerely care about someone and you do want can to help them in some way. I dislike it when a person believes they have been kind to someone because they “respected” them.
Fourthly, life has purpose no matter the circumstances. I’ve hit hard times of my own where I felt I had no purpose. And I had to discover on my own that no matter what I do I will have some type of purpose in this world. Even if hope is dwindling to nothing we must remember that God gave us a life to live. And to just live should be a good enough purpose than nothing at times.
Fifth, keep calm and spread love. Though life has its stress and issues keeping calm helps keep the mind clear. Being blinded by hatred, worry, jealously, fear, etc., blurs the mind. Then we can’t think straight and have a better chance of doing something we will regret. By being calm it gives you the sense of control and stability. You’re able to express your feelings in a more orderly way and focus more on the ever sacred love. I’m calm a large part of the time and I observed how it helps me be happier and share my love.
Sixth, is knowledge has no boundaries. I love knowing that I can never stop filling head with information. Educating my mind with something new can happen every day until I die. It’s amazing that I have such an awesome access to learning and most never take the time to notice. A true gift it is to have an endless stretch of knowledge constantly in reach.
Seventh, is an open mind is a wise mind. Keeping tradition is comfortable and nice for the most part. But having an open mind to trying something different is sometimes better. I do many things how they are “supposed” to be done, but in somewhere among my mind I have my open-minded side. There I address all the possible others ways of doing things. I’m seeing that sometimes traditional is not always best. Having an open mind reveals that different said of the spectrum that is available only to those who can see beyond what is already there.
These points that create my creed I try to follow on a daily basis. They help build me into me through each day of my life.
This is simply amazing. Your creed was exactly what I try to follow with my life everyday. I couldn't relate more to this post, nice job!
DeleteSotira you are very wise. I especially liked your last two points since they both dealt with knowledge and open mind. I mean I forgot to put to learn new things and to have an open mind as my points. I mean these are great point. I love to learn new and interesting things, I would love to try new things but I am afraid. All of this point is very helpful in life and I can totally learn from you. I only wish I could have an endless stretch of knowledge in reach. So great job on this post.
DeletePart 1:I never put much thought into it but I’ve come to find that I have many morals that I always strive to live by. However, I found it difficult to condense all of my values into a 7 point creed. Some of them are vague and they can be viewed by many different perspectives which is what I like about these guidelines to life. We all have different views and different experiences so all of these statements are relatable to everyone in some sort of way.
ReplyDeleteFirst: Don’t let others determine your value. There is so much hate and negativity within the social aspect of life. People are constantly making others feel like they are worthless and that is just upsetting. We all have value and we should not judge our worth based off of the hateful comments we may have received from our peers. Ignore any unnecessarily offensive and obnoxious remarks aimed at you because that is not the determining factor of your value. From a different approach, our society has taught us to think that you are unsuccessful in life if you never find your “other half” and make them your spouse. No one should have to depend on the affection of another individual in order feel more valuable. We have this notion that a significant other will complete us and without one we are empty. This is untrue. We are all individuals that are fully capable of building up our own self value based on our own personal beliefs and interests. Reject any statements that degrade your worth because they do not determine who you are as a person. Your own actions and words are the two things that contribute to determining your value. That’s it. You are the only person that possesses that ability.
Second: Enjoy the small things in life. Even if they are subtle details such as the presence of pink in the evening sky or maybe the sound of rain hitting the pavement on a lazy day. Enjoy it. Take pride in the fact that such tiny aspects of daily life bring you such joy. We live in a world filled with sadness and madness that sometimes we forget what happiness feels like. However, if we learn to appreciate the small joys in life, we can gain small ounces of hope just by living our everyday life. There are many reasons to stay alive but we never get the time to think about these things. Laying in laundry fresh out of the dryer seems like a ridiculous thing to live for but if it’s something that brings you even the slightest bit of joy then let it be. With all the negativity we come across in life, it’s good to have small joyous aspects to fall back on when we’re feeling down. Having a bad day? Just cuddle up inside a pile of blankets and read a good book. It seems like such a minor thing to find delight in but mark my words you will appreciate it the most on those days when you are weighed down with misery.
Third: Look on the bright side.This is related to the last creed I stated but it is always beneficial to keep a positive outlook on life, even in the toughest situations. It’s so easy to lose all hope and give up on life but that doesn’t mean we should choose to accept this as our fate. Things will eventually get better and the only way to defeat the negativity in life is to fight it with optimism and strength. The outcome of situations usually favor your mindset and your willingness to fix the issue. Optimism leads to motivation and motivation leads to effort and effort leads to solutions which will be beneficial to you in the end. Trying to solve a situation under the weight of negativity will just cause you to suffer during the process of searching for solutions. You will be unexplainably miserable to the point where you may just give up and never patch up your incomplete tasks. Pessimism is bad for your health and bad health plus a bad mindset will definitely not get you anywhere you desire to go. Always keep your head up and know that things will eventually get better. Remember to relax, take a deep breath, and tackle down your problems with strength and confidence.
ReplyDeleteFourth: Don’t be afraid to express yourself. Many of us have had the experience of wanting to do something but not going through with our plans due to the fear of being judged. Why do we worry so much about what other people think? We are all unique individuals with unique personalities so we shouldn’t ever let others hold us back from self-expression. Go ahead and dye your hair magenta. Sing Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of your lungs in the middle of Times Square. If that’s how you choose to express yourself then go ahead. As long as you are not harming anyone then you have every right to self expression. We shouldn’t let the judgmental remarks of others prevent us from letting our inner self escape the depths of our body. Show the world what makes you special.
Fifth: Embrace your failures. This is something I have difficulty doing. As AP students, we are often under the notion that we must be perfect. However, we are more prone to failures even though we view them as despicable and taboo. Believe it or not, failures actually benefit us. Sure they cause loads of emotional pain but that’s because we look down on them. Learn to love your failures because you can only improve from there. Failures reflect weak areas so it is crucial that you are accepting of your mistakes that way you can work on improving your flaws. From this dark ditch of downfall we learn to see the light and eventually we figure out how to escape this pit that way we are less likely to fall down again. Your failures are only trying to help you benefit in the long run so stop scorning them and learn to love and accept them instead.
Sixth: Being alone doesn’t mean you are lonely. There is nothing wrong with spending some time by ourselves on a regular basis. Some people view others who spend time by themselves as lonely and empty when in reality they are completely content with being alone. By closing off the rest of the world, you allow yourself time to reflect on life and ponder upon thoughts. This alone time should be treasured because it is the only time when you can actually be yourself. In this time, no one is around to pressure or judge you for your habits so any stress caused by peers is simply nonexistent. It is possible to be in a room full of people yet still feel lonely. Maybe it’s because no one around understands you the way you do. Sparing some alone time once in a while is a great way to wind down and discover yourself. You’ll be surprised to find out how fulfilled you’ll feel when you can close off the rest of the world and focus on learning more about who you are. Having a strong sense of self identity is crucial to living life of tranquility.
ReplyDeleteSeven: Seek adventure. Adventure could be defined as something as minor as trying new food or something as major as skydiving. It doesn’t matter how adventurous you are just as long as you are seeking new experiences. You only live one life so might as well discover as many new things as possible. Keeping yourself active with adventure will keep your life more lively and exhilarating. Even if your idea of adventure doesn’t require much energy, it is still a great way to keep life interesting. The more things you experience the more fulfilled you will feel because these adventures will become memories that you can look back on and smile at. By being adventurous, you are living life to the fullest by taking risks and creating moments that can you’ll be able to share with others. Don’t be afraid to be a daredevil.
Your last creed really spoke to me. Being adventurous has never been my thing, I enjoy doing things I know and sticking with that. Although you're right, living life to the fullest is very important for anyone. It's good to be adventurous every now and again, it reminds people that they're alive and that they are amazing humans.
DeleteI realllllly like your second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh creed. Mostly the last two. Honestly i love being alone and thats something i've acquired. I realized that during a majority of your life you will be alone and ive learned to enjoy it. Also, i love adventure , thats mostly what i do in my free time, drive around and enjoy life itself, actually i just adventured tonight which is why it took me so long to post this blog and how i ended up on Vincent's porch interrupting his blogs. Life is beautiful, is the summary we could both probably agree on.
DeleteI can personally relate to your sixth creed because I value my alone time. I realize that most of my deep thinking is done when I'm alone and that's when I have my greatest realizations about life. I also agree that when you're alone you are not trying to be anyone else but yourself and a great reason to be alone.
DeleteSo.. I might be a little in love with your post. Just a little. Plus you posted at 11:11 which is kind of cool. But more than that! It's really well thought out and you hit every aspect of life and it just makes me a little upset I'm usually too lazy to read your posts.. And I agree with everything. Especially.. Well everything. I really like #1 for example, because self-worth is something a lot of people have problems with and I'm probably one of them. It can be pretty disheartening to feel that way, but if the only way you can get over it is by having other people tell you what you're worth, you're not really getting at the problem yourself. And adventure. You're constantly yelling at me for being unadventurous with food because I'd never had hummus, and though I think it's silly and don't like hummus itself the idea of just trying my best to get at some new experiences is good one, and I'll try and do that so we're both satisfied. I bet there's all kinds of new chickpea-based food I could try. Wooooooo. (ew)
DeleteI'm not exactly sure why, but I kind of love you post, too. I love every single one of your points, but I think that I like your first point the most. I tend to let my grades define me, and that makes me feel pretty bad, but you're right. Only I can define myself. Grades are simply a number based upon how well you understand a concept, but AP classes are very difficult, so it is understandable if you aren't getting 100s on everything. You're right, only my actions and words can define me, and only I can choose what I say and/or do.
DeleteI like this blog, it'll help me figure out what I want to live my life by. It's about time I figured that out. Well here goes, these are my creeds:
ReplyDeleteFirst, do your best to make others smile. I always have tried to live my life this way. I feel as though that if you can make one person happier each day then you've done your job as a human. A person can having a terrible day, but a random act of kindness as small as a compliment and picking up their things can give them some thing to smile about. We are all fellow humans, we all live here on this planet. We should all make an effort to make others smile.
Second, always be yourself. Never let others dictate who you are, a problem I have always had. People have told me who I was and I believed them. Now, I'm trying to change that. I think everyone should always know who they are and stick by it. It may be cliche but your real friends will like you for who you are. I've seen too many people change who they are for friends or relationships. They want to make friends so they change their attitude, they want the other gender to notice them so their wardrobe/demeanor changes. This is all unnecessary, if you stay true to yourself then you'll find people who are also true with themselves as well as with you.
Third, never stop learning. In life, you will never know everything. You might be able to learn 1/1000 of everything there is to know out there in your lifetime. So, never stop learning. For every question you ask, go get an answer. Why is the sky blue? Why was daylight savings time made? How do phones work? Never leave a question you have unanswered. Always search for more knowledge, you never know when it'll come in handy. Plus, fun facts make for good conversations starters.
Fourth, appreciate the person who does everything for you. Everyone has at least one person who does anything and everything they can for them. Whether it's your parents, significant other or your best friend. Too many times people take someone close to them for granted, they aren't as appreciated as they should be. I have seen this and even been a part of it. I try my best to not do that to anyone in my life who has impacted me positively in some way. I attempt to make them feel appreciated in any way I can. It's the least I could do.
Fifth, if you're having a bad day, always remember tomorrow's a new one. I live by the fact that no matter what happens tonight, there's always tomorrow. Each and every day is new and fresh, this day has never happened in history and will never happen again. As I write this, there will never be another November 2nd, 2013. This day will never repeat. Tomorrow is a new day and I decide how it goes for me. My decisions lead me to how my day will go, each and every day is new. Tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow will be better. A good night of sleep can fix most things, tomorrow is a new day.
Sixth, trust people by their heart not their appearance. There are plenty of ways to judge someone by what they look like. Large tattooed men are seen as dangerous although they can be the kindest people. It's the heart of the person that matters, you never know who can become your best friend. Judging by someone's appearance can cause you to miss big things in your life, you miss out on what could be when you judge. We should all just accept others on what they do and what they feel. If that were the case in this world, then we would be a much more peaceful species.
Finally, expect the best but prepare for the worst. Always want the best to happen, never go into a situation thinking that everything will go wrong. However, also be prepared for the worst of a situation so you won't get caught off guard. It never hurts to be prepared for anything, preparation can save lives. Being overly prepared is much better than being underprepared, that goes for anything. Always believe in the best possible outcome, but never rely on that outcome to come true indefinitely.
Dan I truly agree on your second point. You shouldn’t let other tell you what to do because one thing like you said everyone should know who they are and stick with it. The other thing is that it is your life and you should be able to do what you want without being judged. I also truly enjoyed your third point. I mean I totally forgot that you would never stop learning. In the whole world new information is constantly being form and as such one single human being will never truly know everything. But over all great jobs on this post and I wish to read more of your post.
DeleteHow could I forget something like saying to try and make other people happier? I'm a little ashamed. But I loved your creed. I agree with literally everything you said. Trying to be yourself can be pretty hard, but anything else is a terrible waste. One of my most dominating thoughts is the hate I have of anything wasted, whether it's of something physical or not. No one else can be who you are, so you might as well give the world something new to look at. And learning is the one thing we should never stop doing. There's always something else to know about and discover. Also, looks are always deceiving. I think this is something a lot of people have problems with, and even though it's something I actively fight I can be guilty of it too. But good post. Some of what we have is similar, and other things I just neglected to write but I agree with anyway.
DeleteAfter countless days of pondering this topic, thinking over and over about seven points that I live by, and once again waiting until last minute to post my blog, I have finally came up with my own seven point creed.
ReplyDelete-Live honestly/ honesty is the best policy
-Fear is the only thing that holds you back
-Live life to the fullest/never lose hope
-Not everyday will bring sunshine
-Reach out in all ways
-Tend your blessings, let your worries wash away
-Do not carry the weight of the past
If you know me, one thing I absolutely cannot stand is a liar. What is the point of a lie? The truth is always exposed at the end. If you live your life honestly, everyone will trust you and you’ll never have to deal with the title of being a “liar.”
Second of all, being fearful, and fearing different things is the only thing that is going to hold you back from being all you can be. The best experiences in your life come from overcoming fear. You’ll never skydive if you fear heights. Thats one of the coolest things in life. Just like fearing to meet new people, or being fearful to stick up for what you believe in.
Next, you should live life to the fullest and never lose hope. You’ll never get the days back so why waste them when you can be going out and enjoying life? Don’t take advantage of life, because you never know when your last day will be.
Also, not everyday will bring sunshine. You have to make the best out of the cloudy, and the rainy days that life will throw at you. In other words, not everything is going to be perfect, but it is going to be worth it.
Reach out in all ways. Help out the community. Help the people in need. Everyone deserves something or someone nice in their life. Not everyone is as fortunate as you, and just remember, someone has it worse than you.
Tend your blessings, live with faith. Trust in god. He has a plan for you, and everything will be okay in the end, because God will lead you to the tunnel with the light in the end. Let your worries wash away. This is like the seventh point. Don’t carry the weight of the past. What happened yesterday was yesterday. Don’t carry it over to today. It’s a new day a fresh start, and everything will eventually be okay.
Okay, so lets get this started. What do I value? Well, I'd have to say that I value my friends, family, and the happiness of myself and those around me, above all else. I guess that would easily lead into my morals as well. In my complete opinion, everyone should treat each other as individuals with a story, a life, and values and mindsets different from your own, that matter just as much. All the problems of this world stem from us treating each other like just faces, like the only real person in this world that matters is ourselves, and I think that if we abandon that mindset, then everything else will juts fall into place, and all of the bad things like killing and bigotry will just kind of deplete, not necessarily vanish, because it never really can, but if we treat our fellow men and women with they respect they deserve, then we really can't go wrong.
ReplyDeleteNow the next two questions are really good ones. How do I want to be perceived by others? Well, I guess I want them to see me as a good guy. Expounding on that, I'd like to be looked at as the guy that isn't afraid to go out of his way to help a person who needs it, who would happily be a shoulder to cry on for someone who would need that as well, the guy who regardless of even knowing him at all, still is recognized by those people as a kind, caring man. I guess this goes into my legacy as well, because really its just how you are perceived by others, only in a much longer sense, and it still hold true, I would like my grandchildren to be able to tell their grandchildren about how I was a good man, and how they should grow up to be like me, and in general, I'd just like my legacy to be that I left this Earth making it at least marginally better then I left it, but I guess how well I'll do that is solely up to me.
Now, what have I learned in life? Well, considering I'm still in high school, I've learned plenty of trivial things, like the Pythagorean theorem, and where a mitochondria is located in the cell, but I have learned a few actual lasting things from the people I care most about. I have learned from my mother, who came from not having a college degree, and went from that to being on the same plane as people who spent a decent amount of their lives learning the job that they both have, that a mistake doesn't define you, it is what you do with what you have afterward that does it. I have learned from my grandfather what love is, which is when you fall for someone for the first time, and you think about them 70 years from now, unable to walk, and needing assistance from you to accomplish even the most menial tasks, and you still do it, without even so much as a complaint, that is love. And I have learned strength from my grandmother on the other side of my family, who at 74 got hit by a car, and not even three months later was already going back into the gym for exercise, she is easily the strongest person I have ever met, and she has taught me that when life throws you a curveball, you hit that ball right out of the park. I have already been taught many things, but there are many things I have yet to learn. But for the life of me, I couldn't tell you what I would like to learn in the future, because really, whatever I learn later in life is in fate's hands to be quite honest.
All of this being said, here is my 7 Point Creed.
1 Do no harm.
2 Respect everyone.
3 You never know when you're gonna need help, so give it out when you can
4 Always try to lighten a situation.
5 Conversely to number 4, always make sure to know when seriousness is needed.
6 Work hard in the present, so that you don't have to in the future.
7 Don't spend all your life thinking about the past, but also don't forget it happened, because those who forget their mistakes are going to wind up repeating them.
PART ONE: I’m sorry if this comes off as sort of bombastic, I’ts meant to have more of a calming tone to it.
ReplyDeleteMaintain serenity
- Even in the most severe of situations; remember things will be ok no matter what. To me this means that you cannot get angry at the universe for balancing its self out; if it happened, it was meant to happen. There is no use wasting your energy trying to fix the past. During my spiritual revision over the summer I realized I held a lot of emotions towards my past, self pity and it only brought me backwards. I needed to feel in the moment.
Control yourself
-the in-the-moment thoughts or feelings are fleeting, do not make them a part of your life. They are a test to see if you can maintain your own balance. Although this thought is a part of Christian beliefs (which I’m not part of) I do think that these innate temptations should be withheld and controlled. I feel like our goal in life is to be better than the humans we naturally are.
Love without expecting anything in return
-loving is for the health of your soul. Putting the passion in your soul out into the world producing good karma, isn’t it a good feeling? That should be the only reward. If you hold expectations to love, you will only be let down because everyone has a different expression and perception of love and you will only be let down. It’s like a teen and a parent, the parent expresses love through guidance and advice, but you don’t perceive that way, making the stereotypical rocky relationship.
PART TWO:
ReplyDeleteRespect
-Everyone and everything. Respect nature, teachers, animals, opinions, and the freedom of individuality. Everyone has heard this word all throughout school, but I don’t think our first grade teachers taught us the right definition. I believe they taught us to respect our authorities to keep us under control, not the true definition of respect. To respect anything is too appreciate its perspective and value its life. If someone has a different view on things, respect it, find value in it and be happy that we can even process these thoughts, no need to violently argue.
Let go
-The past is the past for as long as you can remember, do not let it define you, let the things your obtained from it define you (as I explained in a previous blog post). Don’t hold grudges; people change every second that goes by. Don’t waste your present and future living in the past, you’ll never progress. It just isn’t worth the damage. I’m not saying try to forget those emotionally impacting experiences, just break the emotional sentiment too your history.
Learn
-Learn everything you can, never stop thinking. Absorb every ounce of succulent detail in this magical world. Knowledge is an amazing quality us humans have. We can share, and it’s never ending, you can always learn and learn. Don’t learn to pass a test, learn to understand the world, apply the knowledge to your perspective. Knowledge is power, and with great power comes great responsibilities. Don’t use your knowledge to undermine people and lower their self confidence. Don’t use it to hold yourself above others either, use it for you and to express yourself in elegant ways.
Prioritize yourself
-Your body is the garden of your soul. Even though that can speak for it, I would like to elaborate. Eat well, exercise, sleep, have fun, laugh until you throw up, cry until you throw up, express yourself emotionally for your own good. If my homework isn’t done by 11:30, I’m going to bed. My rest is more important than any grade. Treat yourself the way you deserve to be treated. Soak yourself in knowledge and beauty and happiness. If it doesn’t make you happy, don’t do it. You predict your fate. However, remember that no matter what the universe will balance out and everything will be okay.
This is why I love you Danielle. I would fail miserably if I tried to live by your creed for more than a couple days, but I love everything about it and one day I hope to be able to live as like that. Living by your creed would be a beautiful existence.
DeleteJohn wooden is an amazing coach, man, and human being. His legacy included bringing his team to a ten NCAA national championship in a 12-year period seven in a row. He even was the first to be named basketball All-American three times. His legacy included one of the most revered coaches in the history of sports. His father imparted john Seven-point creed which I think helped in his magnificent career. So if I follow a creed everyday for the rest of my life I could have a great life like john Wooden. I won’t have an amazing life as John Wooden but I can be great person like him if I follow my creed.
ReplyDeleteMy seven point creed:
1.Life is gift so live in the present.
2.Go through every day life knowing a little bit sadness
3.Don’t be too hard on yourself
4. The only voice that matters is your own
5.Never leave a stone unturned in your life
6.Our problem is small compare to the world.
7.Don’t be sad about the things you don’t have just be happy with the things you do have
These are my seven points of creed, which I believe can help enrich my life to the fullest. So if I follow my creed like john wooden I can become an amazing person just like him. (1) Life is a gift so live in the present: This is something I really believe in. This point belong with the statement yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, but today is a gift. This means that whatever yesterday is gone and tomorrow has happen yet so only care about today. Every single only happen once so enjoy it because once it is gone you won’t get it back. It is a gift just to be alive because you are able spend it with the loves one and create new memories to enjoy. So don’t worry about the future or the past because it won’t affect you now so live in the present.
(2) Go through life knowing a little bit of sadness: This is really important for me because by knowing sadness people can truly appreciate happiness. If a person know about something sad like someone they know died than they feel sad. But from that sadness true happiness is borne. They will appreciate life and the people around them more and thus happiness is created. So I try to live through life knowing a little bit of sadness so greater happiness is born.
(3) Don’t be too hard on yourself: Everybody in the world tries too hard and it affects his or her health and body. There is a limit to how hard the human body can push itself until it starts to destroy itself. There is a time to work and there is a time to play so even work all the time. I don’t mean to give up but there is a limit to working hard. It won’t help if you are passing out every single hour because you are overworked. Just don’t over work yourself because it is your life and it your duty to maintain your wellbeing. So don’t be too hard on yourself.
(4) The only voice that matter is yours: everybody lives a life that is base off of what everyone thinks of you. Some people are put down and so they act like that because that everyone thinks. If someone is always called stupid, dumb, or wont accomplish something in life then some people will actually believe it and will act like that. Or even people who are made fun of by other people.
ReplyDelete(5) Never leave a stone unturned in your life: by this I mean to not have regret in your life. Most people in life have unresolved issues just because they waited too long to solve it and now they can’t. A lot of unresolved issues are because of time since most people get too old to do anything like keeping in touch with friends or issues with family members. People who live with regret will often feel sad because they will never fix those problems and wont have a chance too. Life is not long enough to fix all of our problems in life but we don’t have to live with the problem forever. We don’t have to fix the problem in life we just have to face our problem and not annoy. So in life don’t avoid the problem face it head on.
(6) Our problem is small compare to the world: Everybody in the world has problems and some are great but if we focus too much on the problem we won’t come up with the solution. Everybody has to realize that yes our problem is big but not as big as the world problem. Like are we responsible for a whole nation, are we looking for our next meal, or are we trying to live another day. So what if you have a bad grade it will go up but what if you don’t know where your next meal is coming from. The world is way to big and it has it own problem and we have our own and we have to realize that it is not as important as people think it is.
(7) Don’t be sad about the thing you don’t have just be happy with the thing you do have: Everybody has to appreciate the things they own. Everybody doesn’t truly appreciate their own possessions even though some people don’t even own simple things like shoes. The world is truly unfair and as such people are better off compare to other and they need to appreciate the things they do have. Some people are jealous as the people who have the great house or cars but even though that same person owns as great house and a great car. Everybody have their own stuff that they work hard to buy and so if you work hard to buy then you have to appreciate your hard work. So everybody just have to appreciate the things they own and not worry about the things they don’t have.
Overall that is my seven-point creed and it is my blue print for life. It may not be as great as other but I think this important for me and as such I will try to follow it.
I truly agree with your fifth creed because nothing is worse in the world to me than regrets. The What ifs in life are the questions that truly eat at you or they would me. Which is why I couldn't have unresolved issues or I'd never truly be happy.
DeletePart one:
ReplyDeleteI took about 3 hours more to write this blog than usual. I know I must believe in something, but my words have almost pretty much failed in trying to convey whatever that something is. I tried. I’m sure there are better things I could think of that would explain myself more than these, but this is the best my ever-confused and eternally-ambiguous brain could come up with.
1. Don’t take anything too seriously.
2. Do whatever makes you happy.
3. Learn to deal with crappy things.
4. Always try and keep an open mind.
5. Have at least 2-3 strong convictions.
6. Don’t waste time.
7. Remember the 7 billion other people in the world.
1. Don’t take things too seriously – Everything is in context, and everything is relative. These two things are probably the first real revelations I ever had, and the two most important. Everything that happens could just be a one-time thing, so you have to be able to forget about it, and perspective is makes all the difference in the world. The problem I have with this is that I take it both too far, and not far enough. It’s just because everything I believe is kind of contradictory. 98% of the time I really don’t care about anything, but at the same time I think it’s a terrible sin to yourself to not try your hardest in anything, so I end up caught somewhere in the middle.
2. Do whatever makes you happy - Sorry. This is probably the most self- explanatory thing ever, but it still needs to be said. This can also be pretty damn difficult, and it shouldn’t be. For some reason, people can always find ways to make you feel bad about what you love. There are always a million reasons why there’s something else you could spend your time doing, but really if it makes you happy what else matters? Indulgence is healthy, and you can’t let others make you feel bad for anything if it’s something you enjoy. Not doing this would lead to a ridiculous amount of regret, and the whole point of these creeds is to be something to live by so that you have none. Also, doing this takes a lot of courage, and can be painful. Real decisions are never easy, but to choose between what you think you need to do, and what others say you need to do is particularly hard. Always at least try to ‘follow your heart’ and such, as silly as it sounds.
3. Learn to deal with crappy things – There are times where the universe decides you need a good slap in the face, and you’re just going to have to suck it up. Grin and bear it. Everyone has to face problems they don’t deserve, but that’s what makes the highs high and the lows low. When there’s nothing you can do, that should always be the final option. If you have to be the captain of a sinking ship, it is alright. You just sink that little ship. Who cares.
Part two:
ReplyDelete4. Always try and keep an open mind – this is a simple, but a big one. There are all types of people in the world, and you always try and accept each and every one of them as best you can. There are always reasons people turn out a certain way, and they can’t always be blamed. If something is really bad, you can always try and change them, but this goes for less tangible things as well. Some of the things we take for granted now started off as radical ideas, and we have to always be willing to give things a chance no matter how ridiculous they may seem.
5. Have at least 2-3 strong convictions – there really isn’t a whole bunch of things I stand for, but for what I do I’ll gladly fight someone on. There should always be some kind of thought or ideal that you’ll stick by until the very end – everyone needs something to believe in. Just vague thoughts are enough, but you want to be remembered for caring about something.
6. Don’t waste time – while I also said that you should do what you love and indulge fairly often, what I mean by not wasting time is different. Throughout the length of a lifetime there are some pretty big events that can and will happen in regards to the people around you, and some will probably leave. But this is different than learning to grin and bear it. Sometimes, you have to know that just because you can save something, doesn’t mean you should. This point is about knowing when to move on. Everyone has to do it, and be able to not look back for any of the wrong reasons.
7. Remember the 7 billion other people in the world – this ties in just about every other thing I could say. Not only does it go back to how everything does and doesn’t matter, but it’s a reminder of how no one can ever really be alone, and how you should appreciate everything a person has going for them. There are so many people, and so many things that could happen, the possibilities of it all are infinite. Something out there that could change everything, and that is both a scary and reassuring thought.
When I was reading your creed, I saw the title of number seven, and I expected it to be much darker and pessimistic than what you had actually written. I thought that you were going to say something like, there are 7 billion other people in the world and you have the audacity to think you matter. The spectrum of people you affect is so little when you consider the population of the Earth and how many people have no idea that you exist. I think my mind automatically assumed that you would say something like that because I’ve been listening to a lot of Watsky and Twenty One Pilots.
DeletePart 1
ReplyDeleteUpon first reading this blog I found it a bit difficult but then I realized that my values and beliefs and what I strive for is within me every single day. And when I really thought about what I do and why I do it I finally came up with a creed that I’m proud of so here it goes.
Tamirah Robinson Seven Point Creed:
1. Whatever you’re doing don’t make it about you consider others and their feelings.
2. Live your own life.
3. Always put forth an effort.
4. Don’t wish your life away.
5. Appreciate the little successes in life just as you would appreciate the big ones.
6. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
7. Don’t obsess over the failures because without them you wouldn't have any successes.
1. I chose always consider others and their feelings because the people in my life who really irritate me are those that are inconsiderate of those around them and their feelings. In my mind these are the people in sports that blow up over the smallest things in order to call attention to them. In this case that person isn’t focusing on the group as a whole but themselves and how they want attention. I give no respect to attention hogs in sports that include everyone because in my mind when you’re on a team there is no “I’m a winner when the team as a whole lost. When you’re in a group you when and lose as a team and be only worrying about yourself you’re being inconsiderate to the group and are being a hindrance rather than a help no matter how great you are.
2. Live your own lives in my mind means don’t let the dreams of others influence yours. Don’t commit to something you hate just because others are pressuring you to. If you live your life based on other people’s dreams you’ll never truly be happy. I especially see this happening in high school when people allow their parents to make decisions for them. Like those overbearing parents that make their kids take all AP classes despite the fact that they’ll never be that kind of student or the ones that make their kid stay in dance for years despite the fact that they hate it. Those kids are miserable and I refuse to live my life that way. I may start off by doing something at my parents insistence but if I hate it there is no way I’ll continue that activity.
3. To always put forth an effort means always try or don’t give up no matter how difficult the circumstances. In crew I’ve seen way too many races where a boat is so close to first but then all of the sudden gives up. So when I see this I realize that you should always try because you never realize when all your hard work is going to pay off and you finally win. If you let yourself give up you won’t only disappoint yourself but also others around you. It’s when you give up that you have regrets and that is the worst thing because in your mind all you know is that you could have did better been better if only you didn't give up. It’s when you try your hardest that you are truly happy no matter what the outcome.
Part 2
ReplyDelete4. We as teenagers spend way too many times wishing for a time where we’re older when we can do more. But we really shouldn’t time is precious we should appreciate this time in our lives because when we’re older we’ll be wishing we were right back here. When he was younger by brother always wished for a time where he lived on his own and now he’s still at home with three more responsibilities in the form of children. Now I bet he misses the times where his greatest responsibilities were going to school and cleaning his room because that’s way less risky than having someone else’s life in your hands. Life is way too precious to just wish it away because of the trivial things in life.
5. Too often people bypass the little things they did well and only focus on the big things. But in reality you’re not always going to get the big things you want so I think we should take the little successes where you can get them. For example you’re not always going to get the A in your hardest AP class but you might on a test and that’s a success worth celebrating just as much. If we only focus the big successes which are few at times we’ll never be happy about what we’re doing.
6. People miss out on too many things because of fear. If you don’t take a leap and jump you’ll always be wondering if you could have made that basketball team because you didn’t tryout. This also applies to social engagements too people are always afraid of doing something or being different because of what others think. The truth is however that if you don’t put your personality out there you could be the funniest person and no one will ever know because of your fears.
7. People often mistake failures for a bad thing when in fact they are the best thing you could possibly have. It is through failures that we find our greatest successes. For instance, if you know what you’re doing wrong you can fix it so you do it right. Or when you make an epic mistake it calls attention to it so you don’t do it again. A lot of the greatest solutions are figure out by trial and error and it is through the errors that we get to the solution that bypasses all your failures.
I think that the following shows a pretty clear representation of my likes and dislikes.
ReplyDelete1. Think outside of the box.
When I was growing up, I was taught that there was only one way to approach the catholic belief system and that was to shut up and believe it. It is NOT true. You can believe whatever you want to believe. You don’t have to let your religion define you. It is legal to decide what you believe is good and what is evil because sometimes the good thing isn’t always the right thing. Sometimes it isn’t even necessarily a good thing. Step out of the box and wander into the unknown of your mind. Try to find new ideas and share them with the world because it will always be appreciated.
2. Do what you love.
This is one of the most cliché and corny phrases out there, but it means close to the world to me. People always tell me that I should pick a job that gets a good amount of money like a dentist or optometrist, etc. but that isn’t what I want to do. I don’t care about the money. I would rather be poor and happy than rich and miserable. When I went to France, I met this 24 year old guy from New York on the metro who was backpacking across Europe for seven weeks, and he claimed to be an actor. He told me about how amazing it felt to be living his dream and that I should do what I love because it is the best feeling in the world. Now, he could be a bag of lies, but even if he is, I know that he is right. I know that it feels amazing to do what you love and being able to do that for a living would be absolutely remarkable.
3. Make people earn your respect.
Because of my lack of trust for humans that don’t make good first impressions, I make them earn my respect. Most of my peers start out with very little respect, but as I get to know them, I usually gain more respect for them. This is for the most part, a defense mechanism I have created to keep myself from being stepped on by others. My sass and absence of automatic respect often go hand in hand. If a peer tries to order me around in an authoritative way and I don’t have a good amount of respect for that person, I will give them more sass than you can imagine. It will be very clear to that person that I do not like them whatsoever. However, sometimes, I am just in one of those sassy moods, and I am sassy to almost everyone. In simpler terms, don’t let people step on you while still holding onto the little bit of faith in humanity you have left if any.
4. Reflect on yourself.
Introspection is always needed because there is always room for improvement in a person. Usually when I reflect on myself, I think about grades and school, and that just makes me feel sad and hopeless. The point of introspection is not to hurt you; it is to help you. It’s difficult to separate school from myself because my life basically revolves around school which is why I try to focus more on my actions.
Part 2
ReplyDelete5. Be patient and understanding.
I understand that life sometimes throws rocks at you when you least expect it and that people get hit at different times than you. I find it difficult to be able to see that wounds will heal, and the future will be better when I’ve first been hit. It is easier for me to be patient and understanding with other people when they are hurt if I’m not hurt at the time. You have to remember to keep an open mind. Sometimes, you just have to go where the wind takes you and hope that everything will be alright. It usually is, so why shouldn’t you trust the wind? When it blows you onto your butt, you are always able to get back up eventually.
6. Make your days adventurous.
I love summer despite my allergies because you have more opportunities to be adventurous. During the school year, you only have time to focus on school, school, and more school. You can’t enjoy long walks on an unfamiliar path or bike rides to an undesignated destination or vacations to a place foreign to you. It’s okay if you regret doing something because then, you learn not to make the same mistake. A couple of days ago, someone said to me, “It’s better to just get the one mistake out of the way so that you can just learn from it and move on to the next one.” I thought that was pretty comical and fearless. You can’t be adventurous and be afraid of making mistakes. You just have to remember that it is okay to regret.
7. Spend your time wisely
I procrastinate not only because I am almost as easily distracted as Neil but because I am the type of person that wants the immediate feeling of happiness. It is difficult for me to see the results of doing homework earlier in the day or starting to study for my four AP exams now instead of waiting a little while longer. I don’t particularly like school anymore, so sometimes I don’t really see a point in the stacks of homework that I do, and I ask myself, “Why? Why would I willingly choose to have this unreasonable amount of stress? Why?” I always eventually get it done though. I would much rather spend my time trying to catch up with old friends and staying in touch with my current friends and going on adventures with them while I still have the chance. I want to enjoy the time I have left as a kid, but I can’t because I have to worry about school and grades and responsibilities and family and friends.
1. Respect the world that you’re living in.
ReplyDeleteNot only do I mean respect your surroundings, an the environment, but I also mean you need to respect the others around you as well. How do you expect to be respected if you don’t respect people in the first place?
2. The only thing you can fear is fear itself.
Stop being so afraid of everything. I truly believe that the only thin we fear about something, is fear. If that makes sense… We need to let go of the nerves and the things that frighten us in our minds and live each day for what it means, not holding back because of something that scares us.
3. Blood is thicker than water.
No matter what we may say about family, they’re always going to be around you, all the time. We might as well embrace that fact and accept them and love them for being your family. Friends come and go, but the people you share the same blood and dna with will be with you until the end.
4. Express individuality.
Don’t go with the flow of the rest of the world. We are put on this planet to make something of ourselves, not to be just another generic copy of the person sitting next to us in class. We are all different, which is hard to believe, but we are. Yeah we may like something the same, but that doesn’t mean we are the same. We need to express our personality and style and let that shine through.
5. Follow your bliss.
My absolute favorite. Anderson Cooper told the audience I was in this. The one thing you have to o in life is to find your bliss, and follow it. Your bliss is basically your purpose in life, or maybe it’s the change you want to make in the world. I feel like my bliss is to help people change themselves for the better. Hopefully I keep going with that.
6. Take risks.
To “live life to the fullest,” you need to take as many risks as possible. Without risks or adventure, where’s the fun in life? You miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take. And the fact is, you never know the outcome of a situation until you actually put forth the effort and try.
7. Have confidence in yourself.
I’ve had trouble with this one but its one I truly stand by if you want to achieve anything. In the summer I tried wakeboarding for the first time and usually it takes a whole days worth of tries to get up on the board and cruise. I seriously told myself before the boat took off, “you can do this. I promise” And boom, just like that I got up on my first try ever on a wakeboard out on the river. Confidence is key, ladies and gents.