Dedication

I have a great time with my life and it’s something that I want to share. I love living. I think it’s infectious. It’s something that you can’t fake. In my case, it would be swimming. Starting out high school at the varsity level as a freshman takes quite a bit of dedication. Some people might think that it takes greatness to be that dedicated to something. However, I believe that, greatness is not this wonderful, esoteric, illusive, “god-like” feature that only the special among us will ever taste. It’s something that truly exists in all of us. It’s very simple. This is what I believe and I’m willing to die for it. Period. It’s that simple. So, obviously, from there you do what you need to do. And I think what happens is we make the situation more complex than it has to be. I’m not growing up with the sense that where I am is where I’m going to be. You know? I’m growing up with a sense that where I am, almost doesn’t matter because I can become something greater. There’s no shortcut to success. The separation of talent and skill is one of the greatest misunderstood concepts for people who are trying to excel, who have dreams, who want to do things. Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft. I’ve never really viewed myself as particularly talented. However, where I excel is ridiculous, sickening work ethic. You know, while the other guy’s sleeping, I’m working. While the other guy’s eating, I’m working. There’s no easy way around it. No matter how talented you are, your talent is going to fail you if your not skilled, if you don’t study, work really hard and dedicate yourself to being better every single day. You’ll never be able to communicate with people or with your artistry the way that you want. Building a wall is a great analogy in this case. You don’t set out to build a wall and say I’m going to build the biggest, badest, (if badest is even a word) greatest wall that’s ever been built. You don’t start there. You start by saying; I’m going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid. Then you do that every single day and soon enough, you will have your wall. 

Don't Back Down

What I do is stand up for what I believe in. If someone stands up, so will a friend. If a friend stands up, so will a school. If a school stands up for what they believe in so will a town, a city, a state. And if a state stands up a country will stand up. And if that country stands up, the world will stand up together, united. And the world will be a better place. Stand tall, stand proud. Stand together.

Life is a vehicle, it gets you to where you need to go. Use it, don't let life use you.

Life gives you a world opportunity, especially going to New Trier. Never take it for granted and seize the hope that you have. When you set aside what other people think about you and what you look like, lifes easier and less stressful. Who cares what some random idiot thinks about you because you like to be yourself, or for what you believe in? Live it how you want to and theres nothing to fear. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. And the kids that say those mean stuff are just too insecure about themselves to say anything else. They say that so that other people wont make fun of them. They're scared. It's something I strongly believe in. Although, the kids who make fun, tease, and bully, don't realize it, it's so true. 

A little something from a good friend.

I dont read, I listen. I listen to people speak and preach. In fact I have famous quotes on my bulletin board in my room to inspire me. I keep a positive attitude by imagining the most perfect life and convincing myself that it can be done. Because it can. And that fuels me to become the best I can possibly be. I usually have good things to say and people say i'm inspiring but some people never realize that and just take me for granted. Thats what i dont like. I wish people would give me credit. A chance. But, sometimes you just have to take a deep breath. Because stress is a bitch. You need to manage it. I know schools tough and all but if you manage your life it'll work wonders for you. 

Time

I created a motto to live my life by. Interpret it how you want. "life is not measured by the breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away." Cherish every moment. Time goes by, it whizzes before us and flashes in front of our faces. Only when we stop to look at it do we realize how much time has passed. 20 years from now, you will regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did. So go out and live your life to its fullest. Because before you know it, time ticks away.

Extra study makes you extra employable

Alot of people complain about homework. They ask what the importance of it is, and why we have to do it. Some people might think that just cause we learn during school, kids don't need to do homework. However, the idea of homework is not to punish you or to take up all your free time. It is to make you more knowledgeable in many areas and therefore more employable when you leave school. It also improves your thinking so you can deal with more problems in life, which is an essential part of your life. 

The Way People Are

One day somebody texted me for advice on why people act the way they do. And this is what i told them: Its something alot of kids dont realize. Thoughts can become actions, which can then becone habits, which can then become addiction, which can then become personality. And alot of the "popular" kids in our grade are really really nice people. They just start to make stupid desicions and hang with the wrong group, and bam. Its like there not the same person. And the sadest part is that they have conversations like the ones were having right now about other kids in our grade. You know,  like: "oh haha that person is such a poser oh my god" or like "yeaa haha he thinks hes so popular but he really isnt." and things like "oh i hate the kids in our grade, there so annoying" but in reality, blindley, there talking about themselves and maybe even their friends also. See, this is exactly why you never see me in big groups. The reason for this is because the kids i hang out with are my real friends. Yea sure everybody has a best friend, i totally get that. You know, that one person who "totally understands you" well yea im sure, but like I might have alot of friends, but not friends who i can sit at the lunch table with or hang out with outside of school, because maybe their "too good" you know? Well anyways, I have 2 other friends that have gone through alot of groups. Almost every different kind of group ive known of. And quite honestly there are only about 5 people in the 6 years worth of group to group, who actually care. Who are actually your friends. Not the ones who tell lies about you. Who backstab you. Who turn on you. Who use you. Their the ones who do all of the opposites of those things. The ones who care.

Making the Changes in your Standards

Make the changes in your standards because that’s where the shifts happen

If you want to know the difference in people’s lives then realize that it all comes down to:

 What are the things that are musts vs. shoulds?

• Extraordinary life = Extraordinary physiology (the way you function)

• Extraordinary psychology = living in an extraordinary state

• To live in an extraordinary state = condition your nervous system, your body, your physiology and focus to be at there best

If you can do that, why doesn’t everybody? Certainly not, because you can’t. We all have the ability. It is because of our standards. Life will pay any price you ask of it. Turn your shoulds into Musts. 

Making a choice

So I was talking with one of my friends, just talking about life and all aspects of it and trying to really just she and I get on the same wavelength, so I could be of some assistance, if I could have been. The question of, what I wanted to be viewed as by my fellow classmates, came up. And so I explained to her, that there’s a concept that, I don’t want to be an icon but that I want to be an idea. I want to represent an idea. I want to represent possibilities. Its almost like I want to represent magic, right, that your in a universe and 2 + 2 = 4. However, 2 + 2 only = 4, if you accept that 2 + 2 = 4. 2 + 2 is going be what I want it to be. And that there is almost like a redemptive power that making a choice has, you know, rather than feeling like you’re at effect to all the things that are happening. Make a choice, like you just decide, what it’s going to be, who you’re going to be, and how you’re going to do it. Just decide and then from that point the universe is going to get out of your way. Its almost like water, it wants to move and go around stuff. So for me, I want to represent possibilities, I want to represent the idea that you really can make what you want. One of my favorite books, is the alchemist by Paulo Chuelo and that’s just stuff that I strongly believe in. I believe I can create whatever I want to create. If I put my mind on it correctly, study it, learn the patterns…and you know I just…its…its hard to put into words real meta-physical-esoteric nonsense. But I feel very strongly that we are who we choose to be.

It’s like I consider myself an alchemist. An alchemist is basically a mystical chemist. And one of the great feats’ that alchemist’s used to do was take led. Just take like a chunk of led, and they could turn led into gold. Right? So the symbolism. But I’m so connected to symbolically being able to turn led into gold, you know? A lot of people used to tell me life gives you lemons, you go ahead and make lemonade. To me that’s alchemy, it’s the same concept behind the alchemist.

The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is…I am not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will run and I will not be outworked. Period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, and you might be all of those things better than me, in 9 categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, right, there’s two things: your getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple. So lets say people start to block me out. There’s going to be two options. I’m going to get back in or I’m going to be dead. It’s like your just simply not going to outwork me. It’s such a simple basic concept: it’s the guy who is willing to hustle the most that is going be the guy who gains the most benefit. Then again, this is all what I believe in. 

My First Blog Post

Well here it is, my first blog post. My blog isn't going to be about things that happen to me, but things that happen to other people, and the things i've noticed throughout our school and about life. I don't really know what to say besides, read on haha