There is very little that scares me and I will even go to say that I am not even afraid of death. Why? Because I am truly happy in all aspects of life. That is something I read that happy people are not afraid of is death. When I read this, I questioned myself if this was really something that scared me. I thought about all that I have done with my life and more specifically what I have done since my life was changed forever. I believe I have made a lasting impact, I have created incredible friendships, relationships, and I have affirmed to so many people how much love I have for them.
Death does not really scare me, but rather it drives me. Each of us has a clock ticking every day until our time has come. None of us know how fast our clock is ticking and when it will stop. We all have a choice on how to live our lives as that clock ticks away.
So many people take each day for granted. So many people live in fear that they will never make something of themselves. So many people focus on the negative each day rather than appreciating all the things that went right that day.
All my life I have heard people say that they are having such a terrible day and sometimes, they have only been awake for a couple hours. So rather than expecting the rest of the day to continue the same way, why not figure out how to reset yourself and enjoy the rest of the day?
People let their past define their present and even their future. They let other people tell them what they will be and what they will not be. I believe we are all capable of doing great things, but we live in a society full of negativity, pressure, high standards, and fear. We see successful people and people feel so far off from success that they have no idea where to begin that it seems like getting to that point is impossible. Therefore, people begin to settle for mediocrity and live a mundane life never pushing themselves to be the best version of themselves.
Our society sees success in dollar signs. I believe that a rich miserable prick is less successful than a lower-class person making an impact and living a happy fulfilling life. Happiness is the key to success. When you die would you rather leave behind a legacy where you made a lasting impact on so many lives or would you rather leave behind money that people can fight over?
We all know something that someone else does not. We are all capable of teaching someone something that we know well enough that we can share our knowledge with someone else that would benefit from learning what we know. I believe the biggest impact that you can have on anyone is on the life of a child. There is so much for them to discover and learn and everyone knows something that they can teach a child that that child could hold onto for the rest of their lives.
This is Rian. He is seven years old and I met him back in October. He has not had the easiest path so far, but life just keeps getting better for him. He did not make it through kindergarten the first time around simply because no one took up the responsibility to take him to school.
When I first spent time with him, he was playing on my iPad and he kept asking me what different things said. These were very simple words and I found out that he was very behind his class and he could barely read. Therefore, I decided to start working with him because I wanted him to make it through kindergarten this time around.
I had him every Monday and Tuesday for a few hours after school. We would do Hooked on Phonics on the iPad and would get his homework done for the week. Two months later, he took a standardized test where he received scores of 98th percentile in reading and 93rd percentile in math.
Now when I would pick him up from school he would be so proud of himself because he would finish first in his reading group. His confidence at school went through the roof. I continued to work with him until the end of the school year and it was so awesome to watch him graduate kindergarten.
Even with all that he has gone through in his life so far, he always has a smile on his face. He received the “Happy Happy Happy” award for always coming to school with a smile on his face. Talk about a tough resilient kid.
I continue to be there for him because there is so much I want to teach him and I can tell that he is starving for affection so I want to make him feel loved. Life continues to get better for Rian and for once in his life he sees what a “normal” life is like for a child. I am blessed to have had incredible parents and family growing up and I want to be there for him to give him a sense of what I had growing up. Working with Rian and continuing to be there for him has been one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life.
I try to use my experiences in life and my knowledge to help teach others and improve their lives. The ultimate reward for me is working with someone and seeing their lives change for the better because I was able to be there for them and guide them.
Random acts of kindness can go a long way. Happy people truly love themselves and not in a cocky or arrogant way. What happy people also know that through random acts of kindness and just being there for others and developing relationships will, in turn, bring satisfaction and happiness to their lives.
Not all of us are going to die rich, but we can die rich in spirit and leave a legacy behind if we work to better ourselves and better the lives of others. That is something we are all capable of. So I urge you to remember that the clock is always ticking and that you have no idea when that clock will stop ticking.
Go out there and try as much as you can and figure out what it is that you like and figure out those things that you do not like. Once you find those things that you like pursue them and try to find things that you love so that you can find your passions and your purpose.
Just always remember that you can not get through this life alone and that other people need you and we are all capable of making an impact. Use that unknown time that you have left to find yourself, help others, and be the best version of yourself that you can be. Do not let anyone tell you what your limitations are. The clock is ticking. How are you going to live your life?
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