Dare to be Noticed!

"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if
someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,'
you just scream."
-John Lennon, 1970

Whenever you're in a situation that necessarily isn't the best, you don't think straight. You're thoughts are all jumbled up and you do what's natural. When you're drowning, you don't think about what's going on, you just want to be heard, you just want to saved, you just want to live... When everything comes down to it, you're going to do what's natural. You're not gonna sit there and think rationally when you're fighting for air.

When life throws you a tough situation, you gotta just scream. Do something to help you get through it. When you're in the position to look back on it, just like in the drowning, sitting there and being quiet isn't gonna help you. Let loose your feeling, scream to the world, and let someone know you're there.

Life needs to know you're there. Thinking to yourself is not going to save you. If you appear as if nothings wrong, who knows what really is wrong? Who knows if you really are drowning? Who knows you need to be saved?

Smile

"Smile, it's contagious you know."

This quote has been in my life since I can remember. As a child, I can remember being upset and my mom saying, "Smile it's contagious you know." I would always get mad when she would tell me that but it makes sense now. When someone is happy, that mood rubs off. You don't need to live your life being pessimistic. Live your life smiling because you never know who's watching. My mom was my elementary counselor and every Friday she would say the announcements. When she was done she would say,"Smile, its contagious you know." That would make me have a good day by just hearing that. Everyone would smile after hearing and what do you know? Others started smiling. There you go, it really is contagious. The whole school knew my mom has the peppy counselor. She always had a smile on her face and comforting others. Her mood definitely rubbed off on others. So remember, always smile. You never know who's watching. :)

"The Truth Is"- Eminem

"The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed." -Eminem

Eminem said the above quote in an interview he had after a concert. What he means is that nobody can tell you everything that is going to happen tomorrow. Nobody can look into their magic crystal ball and perfectly predict the future. He then says, "Life is a crazy ride." This statement is the absolute truth. Life can throw all sorts of things your way that you can do nothing to prepare for. For instance, if somebody in your family or somebody you are close to randomly dies, you do not get a "heads-up." There are no warnings for those type of things. You have to deal with them as they come your way. Eminem then says that nothing is guaranteed, which is also true. Just because you are brought up in a rich and nice household, you are not guaranteed to be the same way, and vise versa. The way I interpreted it is that you never know what is going to happen. You should live life to its fullest. This reminds me of another great saying,"Never let the fear of failure stop you from trying something new."

Stupid Hurts

"Stupid hurts!" (Rebecca Leonard)

This is something that my mom has told me numerous times over the years. What it means is if you do something stupid, you'll always get hurt somehow. By "doing something stupid" it could be that you could forget to turn in a project, reach into an oven with no glove on, or even punching something. By forgetting to turn in a project, you won't get full credit. If you reach into an oven with no glove on, then you will get burned. When you punch something, such as a wall, then you will hurt your hand. If you're constantly making stupid mistakes, then you'll always get hurt. However, if you don't do stupid things, you won't nearly get hurt as often. So, just think the next time you're about to do something stupid; you will get hurt in some kind of way. Even if it seems very minor or unimportant, you will get hurt.

Don't worry about the future

"Some people are making such thorough preparations for rainy days that they aren't enjoying today's sunshine." -William Feather
This quote means that some people are so worried about the bad days that will happen, that they don't enjoy the good happening now. In order to enjoy life, you can't worry about what will happen. If you do, you will never see anything good happening. Even if you aren't prepared for bad days, you can still get through it. There is no point in it. You will also miss out on making good memories of your life. All you will remember well are the bad times. You should just live in the moment. You can't let what will happen make you blind to what is happening now. This is my interpretation of this quote. These words are true to me.

Happiness vs. Success

"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. "
-Dale Carnigie

In life, we all want to be successful. If we work hard enough we can achieve our goals and get what we had wanted. Sometimes success can be something small, like getting an A on your test because you studied. Or something big like getting a masters degree in your future career you had hoped for. Happiness on the other hand, is wanting what you get. In other words, happiness can come in many forms. You may not know what you want untill it comes and makes you happy. For instince, you could find a hundred dollar bill on the ground, and it makes you happy. Happiness and success are two different things, but they can both bring joy to your life. When were successful in life, people look up to us. When people see that were happy, they wish they were like us. People look at our lives and measure us on our success and happiness, and we want to show them we have both. Either way, success and happiness play a huge role in our lives.

Not Picking Up the Pieces

"I was never one to patiently pick up broken fragments and glue them together again and tell myself that the mended whole was as good as new. What is broken is broken, and I'd rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken pieces as long as I lived." -- Margaret Mitchell

This happens to be my favorite quote (and from my favorite author, as well). A basic analysis of it would state, "Don't pick up the pieces." Yet, if you look at it from my point of view, it would state something a little more elaborate. "I was never one to patiently pick up broken fragments and glue them together again and tell myself that the mended whole was as good as new." Margaret Mitchell is simply saying there that she was never one to fret over "spilled milk". "What is broken is broken," another way of saying, "What's done is done." "I'd rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken pieces as long as I lived." That simply says, "I'd rather not pick up the pieces instead of having to see the broken thing for the rest of my life." Therefore, it's better to remember that thing at its best than to have to see it at its worst for the rest of your lifetime. Just, simply, don't pick up the pieces. Memories can, in fact, be better than the actual experience.

Don't Be A Crowd Pleaser

"I know not everyone will like me, but this is who I am, so if you don't like it, tough!" ~ Britney Spears

As the old saying goes, people are like leaves - not one the same. In my opinion, there are two types of people. The first type, and my least favorite, is the type of people who do what they do because everyone else is doing it. Whether that be bullying someone, smoking a cigarette, or simply refraining from being themselves because they're afraid of what others will think of them. The second type, and the type represented by this quote, is the type of people who do what they do because it's what their heart tells them to do. In other words, they're not afraid to be themselves.

The main idea of this quote is that, no matter how hard you strive, it is impossible for every single person you come across to like you. Of course there are more likeable people, and less likeable people, but no one is going to be liked by all of man kind. What's important to remember is that it's better to have a few friends that like you for who you are, rather than a hundred friends who like you for who you're not. You may look at someone and wish you were in their shoes because they're the popular, outgoing socialite. Little do you know, they could be hurting inside because what they've become is never what they wanted to be. Life's all about pursuing your dreams, and finding people that support you and will be there for you one hundred percent along the way.

Don't Stop Believing

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

This quote proves accurate and true in my eyes. As a successful woman herself, Roosevelt would have probably considered that this quote applied to her as well, even in her day. She may have said it as advice to a struggling family member or friend. The message is quite simple: As long as you keep believing and have faith in your dreams, the future shall be yours. But, though this quote seems elementary at a glance, I believe it implies a bit more meaning. Eleanor implies first to keep dreaming, and never give up on life. What nonsense would it be if Eleanor had advised this to someone, when they didn't have any hopes or dreams in the first place? Secondly, she implies that if you dare dream, you will probably get somewhere in life and maybe even become successful, like her.

Overall, Eleanor Roosevelt is one of a few people that truly inspire me. And this particular quote always reminds me not to give up and let myself down. Even on my worse days, I read through quotes like this one and it makes my day better. Just to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way about dreaming of the future is wonderful.

Past, Present, and Future

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." Buddha


Buddha used wise words when he said this long ago and this can still be good advice today.When Buddha says,"Do not dwell in the past" he means do not focus on the past. A lot of people have trouble with always focusing on their past accomplishments and failures. When someone is always reliving their past they cannot move on with their life. The quote says, "Do not dream of the future" which means do not always think of what the future holds. Many are always worried with what the future will bring making them not focus on their current situations. "Concentrate the mind on the present moment" means focus on the now. He is saying people should live in the present moment.
In my opinion this quote is saying to quit worrying about what already happened or what will happen, but to live for today. This quote can apply to many lives today, because many people have this problem. Some people seem to be stuck in their past and never in the present. Also some have the opposite problem, because their always thinking about the future. When people learn to let go of the past and forget about what is to come they can finally begin to live their lives in the present.

Could Be Worse

"You're only as small as your heart will let you be and you're only as tall as the world will make you seem . When the going gets rough and you feel like you may fall just look on the bright side you're roughly six feet tall."

~Christofer Drew

This quote is from the song "On The Bright side" by Never Shout Never which Christofer Drew is the lead singer of. This song is about a man who sets out on a journey to find some answers in life. On his way he meets a man of only two feet tall and a man of twelve feet tall. They both tell him "You're only as small as your heart will let you be and you're only as small as the world will make you seem. When the going gets rough and you feel like you may fall just look on the bright side you're roughly six feet tall." In this song he is saying that no matter what happens in life or what people might say to you look on the bright side at least you're not two feet or twelve feet tall.

This quote means a lot to me because people used to always make fun of me for being short, or for being to skinny(that one still applies), or even for talking to softly. Then when I heard this song it made me think so what if I'm short and skinny it could be worse. I could have mental disabilities, or I could be blind, or even deaf. This song made me start seeing the beauty in life Sand how lucky I really am. Thanks to this song I became a much happier more outgoing person. It really turned my life around and I am grateful for that. This song is truly inspirational especially this quote from the song.

The Secret to Success

"In order to succeed, your desire for success must be greater than your fear of failure." ~Bill Cosby
Success is something everyone desires and strives to achieve. In our world today, it is a way to be defined in society. I've been told that contrary to popular belief, success is a journey, not a destination. To me, the words of Bill Cosby mean that if you want to succeed, you have to want it so much that you can recognize failure's existence and still have the courage to face it. It means that you must become so enveloped in the idea of success that failure is a distant thought. However success is about more than just being too stubborn to accept anything besides success, but is instead about not being too scared to fail. You have to realize that failure is a possibility (no matter how unlikely), but you have to thirst for success so much that the risk of failure is one you are willing to take. It is only natural to fear failure, but it is a rare thing for the longing for success to outweigh the fear of failure. But then again, success is a rare thing, too. Success means going out on a limb for the things you want, and I find that to be a kind of gamble. You could plummet to the ground, break your fall with your face, and fail, or you could catch your dream, submerge yourself in your own joy, and succeed. You recognize that both your success and your failure are possibilities, but you are so mesmerized by the hope of success that you are willing to step out on the limb. However, Mr. Cosby puts it best when he says, "In order to succeed, your desire for success must be greater than your fear of failure." These words are so true.

Just Alice

But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful? It is. Only I do get tired.- From Alice I Have Been

This quote is from the novel Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. The main character Alice is saying that is she tired of just being known as Alice, the little girl that fell into Wonderland. This how the world only knows her. This quote means a lot to me. For me it means that the world may see you as just one thing. You heard me, just one thing. That one thing maybe true or not, but it can define us for the rest of our lives. I think this true in high school, the students only know each other by the stero-types they give out. Like this person is the band nerd or he's the druggie, or that's the kid who's a punk, or he's mental case. A lot of the classic children's novels have been based on the writer's child or child friend. Alice was a real girl, her name was Alice Liddell before she was Alice in Wonderland, then there was Peter Llewlyn- Davies inspiration for Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up and flew around with a magic pixie. So, people make labels for us and just like Alice we have to learn to live with them for years until we die, just like Alice.

There's Not a Restart in Life

     "You don't get another chance; life is no Nintendo game," by Marshall Mathers,(also known as Eminem) is one of my favorite quotes. When he sings this in his song, "Love the Way You Lie" he really knows what he's talking about. "You don't get another chance," is saying that, in life there are no second chances. "Life is no Nintendo game," is saying that, unlike a video game you don't have a restart button. You can't have re-do's, or replays in life, it doesn't work that way. You have one chance do something, so you have to do the right thing the first time. For example, say you need money, and instead of getting a job you steal money from a store, and wind up arrested. You can't just say your sorry and live your life like nothing happened. You're stuck in a jail cell for 10 years with no way out. In addition to that, you've lost your wife/husband, kids, family, friends, and any respect that you've ever earned all because you were too lazy to get a job. You can't erase what happened and re-do it, you don't get a second chance. Wouldn't it have been a lot easier to just do the right thing the first time?

Forgiveness

"He that can not forgive others,breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would reach heaven: for every one has need to be forgiven."
-Thomas Fuller WE have to forgive others to have an eternal bond with God. He says in his word no one can enter the kingdom of heaven without forgiving others. We all need forgiveness. Wether or not we realize it but there are times when we say that we forgive someone but we don't actually forgive them. An everlasting life with God is not possible unless u frogive the people who have hurt you. God forgave us,he loved us enough that he sent his son to die on the cross. God forgives us for everything,but we can forgive our peers for doing wrong towards us.
Forgiveness is the start to a wonderful friendship. Also an everlasting life with God.