Lucky One (Simple Plan)

It's been years since I had an interest in Simple Plan as a band, having felt that I outgrew them with the end of high school. These days it feels like these songs and their relatives serve mainly to remind me of another time in life; another me. But recently I discovered their newest album, and unexpectedly some of it has really spoken to me. The older I get the younger I am and, as cliche as it sounds, the less I know. The world becomes bigger, and even as I speak it looms at the door waiting to swallow me up if I don't step forward and take it on of my own accord. Some people let life live them, but I am determined to take charge of my own life and live it for the purposes best suiting God.

All my life I've observed people living their lives in different capacities and some altogether letting go under the pressure. There is no one correct choice for everyone, but every single person will encounter moments of crises and fear when they're not sure which way is best. It's most essential to remember to keep going and have faith. I love a challenge, I end up reminding myself. 
When I get lost in the big decisions or there doesn't seem to be anything great happening in my life I have to remember the small things. Eating well, going to the gym, putting in good work at my job, reading an excellent book, learning something new, dreaming up a new addition to my bucket list. The small battles can be the big battles when your personal health and general outlook on the world affect your ability to step outside the day to day and take on an unusual challenge. 
How can I travel abroad unless I first learn to handle my day to day finances? How can I learn to box if I don't keep up with my diet and exercise daily? How can I manage to do anything with the intensity I desire if I don't get a decent night's sleep? The small battles are the big battles.

Another great thing to remember is not to be critical of yourself. When taking swim lessons before my triathlon I remember how nervous and mortified I was to be taking a simple swim lesson at twenty years of age. But I made myself go and when I got there, there were many others in the class for the same reason, some older than me. 
That was a really big discovery for me because it made me realize that the people who truly accomplish things in the world are the ones who aren't afraid to be honest, to admit their weaknesses or lack of knowledge in an endeavor to learn even more. 
The people who allow the sometimes hostile world to dictate their lives and are afraid to admit what they don't know or can't do, are the people who never progress. The ones who aren't afraid to laugh at themselves, make a few mistakes and run with the program knowing that they can't control it are the ones who find themselves better adapted to take on life.

You have to get ready for what God and life bring your way. Life is like a roller coaster, and nothing says there's a big dip in the track coming like a slow, boring period of ascension. If you have a few moments to get your life in order, then make sure you are prepared in the little ways. Build yourself up in the most important ways: your bodily health, your mental health, your relationships.
 Give yourself little things to look forward to in the week. I have my zumba class twice a week and youth group on Sundays that sometimes is the only thing that makes the whole workweek worth it. Count the days you manage to eat well and brag a little bit! The milestones are important, and if you're an achievement personality like I am, cataloging your progress is important.

Don't be afraid to let the little sunspots invade your life. Smile, let your whimsy shine. This has always been a great motto of mine in life and more often than not I feel joy bursting through me like liquid sunshine and spilling over (I hope) onto those around me. There can be a lot of things in life that worry or get you down, and nine times out of ten it won't do you a bit of good to spend time worrying over it. 
When I get into a situation that I find distressing, I take a few deep breaths and think of something else. When I'm calmer I can formulate a better solution, and when I'm calmer I am doing the best thing for myself. In my entire life I have never heard a smidgen of evidence that worrying improved life or health.
On the contrary, worrying has been proven to lower not only your mental, but your physical health. Since I don't personally enjoy worrying or being angry myself, that's incentive enough for me to want to lower my contact with these detrimental emotions which, granted, have their place and time, but not the frequency we seem to allow. Letting the good outshine the bad in your life, "counting your blessings," can be a majorly positive change in your life, releasing your inner sunny disposition and secret adventurer.

Last but not least make good decisions about your time use, and who you allow to be a part of your life. For me this is the hard part. I'm the sort of person who loves to have a good time, and loves it even more dearly when everyone goes home with the warm fuzzies afterwards. Cutting things or people out is a hard thing to do, and it's a sad fact of life that is sometimes necessary. You have to have faith in your life cause to do this. You have to know as a general, what things you are meant to do in the world and based from that what is a good thing for you and what is bad. 
Some people in this world will crush your soul if you let them. I can only hope to be a guiding light to these people, that they will learn that whatever forces are at work in their life to make them the way they are is destructive not only for the people around them, but for they themselves.
Other people are just going through a hard time in their life and need someone to be there for them. In a healthy context, with the correct boundaries in place, this is exactly one of the life purposes we should all be carrying out as people of God, and also as general human beings.

Like everything else on this life, a balance must be kept. There are some people you are not equipped to help. Everyone has their problems and most of them will not be resolved through condemnation. Until someone chooses to realize their problems on their own and in their own terms you can't help them. The best you can do is to live your life in a memorably loving kind way. 
People will come to you of their own accord when they realize that you have a thing or two figured out. Don't let that go to your head though, we are all students of life, and we are all flawed. I have as many problems as the next person, and I make certain that I am never afraid to admit my faults.
When I am no longer able to be truthful with myself and others about what I'm doing wrong, there is no room to be duly impressed with what I've managed to do right. I'm just another face among a countless number, but the spirit behind this body - I hope that will make an impression on this world that has made such an impression on me.