Dull Daggers and Chocolate Milk Shakes

I haven't posted anything in this since 'niam, but that's because the idea was to take a break from my blog this Summer until school started back up. The idea was that Summer was going to be too busy and fun for me to come up with anything to write. Unfortunately, my idea was only half applied. Yes, I have been extremely busy lately, but it has not exactly been stress-free. I mean, of course there are always going to be things that stress me out, but I didn't expect that things were going to be this crazy. Working is the least of my problems, (which I'm surprised about, actually), my main issue right now is time. It's so difficult to find time for anything and everything. From eating, to hanging out with people I haven't seen in ages.. it's just been very difficult. However, this is not the topic for my post, this was me more or less trying to explain my thoughts and why I haven't posted anything in a long time. So the rest of this post will follow the usual format. Enjoy.


You're coming up on your fourth mile of a five mile run. Your body aches, your sweat is stinging your eyes, your breath draws deeper and your feet feel like cement blocks. Every fiber in your body is telling you that you can't do this. "Four miles is still an accomplishment, just walk the rest of the way. Take a break." You feel like you could not take another step if your life depended on it, and you're just about to give up. "MOVE IT! COME ON, DON'T STOP NOW!" You keep jogging along, but you look up now to see your friend in your face pushing you on. Whether it be to prove it to your self or prove it to your friend (depending how competitive you are), you keep running. You pull your body back into form and you push yourself to keep going. Your body feels like the pain has been numbed for the time being. The only thought in your head is not of your racing heartbeat, it is not of your throbbing head or your stinging eyes. The only thought in your head is crossing that finish line. Finishing what you set out to accomplish. This boost of adrenaline, was tapped from an outside force. And perhaps through the heavy breathing and pain, you didn't realize it, but if it wasn't for that person pushing you along, you might not have made it.


There are self-motivators, sure, but you don't come by a lot of them in your day to day life. Many people need some sort of push. People need some sort of incentive or some sort of physical reward in the end opposed to an intrinsic reward. There is nothing wrong with this, but something I've noticed quite recently is the power of persistence. What do you first thing of when you hear the word "persistence"? Probably some words that come to mind would be perseverance, determination, tenacity. It's very easy to apply those terms to a positive situation. After all, what bad could possibly come out of determination? Well, I'm here to say that we must be cautious with what we are determined to achieve. Most people hardly think that their personal goals could negatively affect anyone else, but the truth is, most if not all choices we make have an effect on the people around us. Perhaps you want to be a baseball star, so you have to dedicate basically your entire life to the sport. Say when you make this decision, you happen to have a girlfriend. See where I'm going with this? You dedicate 90% of your free time to practicing and then where does that leave your relationship? Where does that leave the emotions of the person you might love but still unintentionally neglect?


We're always pushing to get what we want. It's called the human race for a reason, and our actions often show that we do not forget that. Perhaps the boyfriend/girlfriend example was a poor one. I for one, believe that you should not give up your dream for anyone else, I was merely stating the side-effects. However, perhaps there is a better example. One that hits a bit closer to home. Perhaps you've been trying to hang out with one person for a very long time. Let's call her Nancy (just because that name is awesome). Now, you and Nancy have been playing phone tag for weeks and it's been a long time since you guys have been able to just relax and hang out. When you're not working, she has to work and vice versa. You both have finally found a day when you both are free. About two hours before you're supposed to jump in your car and drive out to Starbucks and meet her, your grandma calls asking you if you could come over and do some yard work for her. Now, are you dedicated to making time for your friends, or are you dedicated to take care of your grandmother? Nancy could potentially get mad at you and a chance for hanging out could be even more decimal then the last. You could break your dear old grandmother's heart. This is more of what I'm talking about. It might seem like a simple decision, but the outcome could be a bit grater. Where is your determination? Where do your motivations stand:? Basically, what you're pushing for might be hurting someone else, and I'm pretty sure we're all guilty of allowing our motivations to hurt someone else at one point or another in our lives.

“We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history.” - Sonia Johnson