Join me enjoying a glass half full.

I once said that it is important to be an individual and pave your own way because if you are following in someone else's path it only means that they are already ahead of you, or they have already reached the destination. In the grand scheme of things I find the entity to getting to where you need to be is individuality. Life is like a dance where sometimes you lead and other times you are guided. The times where you lead, you guide yourself through life with impeccable motion. In being yourself, you create scenarios and situations that best suit your own personality. It is wonderful to go where other's have tested the waters, however, it is remarkable to sail your own sea. At the end of the day the only person we HAVE to know is ourselves. Through life's journey, never lose sight of who you are. If we allow ourselves to become societal molds, we lose the very thing that colors this world; individuality. I find uniqueness to be as intriguing as the solar system. It is dark and uncharted, however, we know that there is beauty in the stars. Be your own star in this giant place...at the end of the day it is the light we shine on others that makes us people to remember. As I shine my light on you, share yours with everyone!

A key character in my life's story is a man named Doug. I am lucky enough to have him in my life has an experienced informer. I confidently say that he is the hardest working and most rewarded individual I have come across. Sacrificing so much of himself, he built a life that he is proud of and a family that loves him. The wisdom he has given me over the years is priceless, yet it is one of the most treasured gifts I have. To share every bit of knowledge he has shared would require me to write a book to big for publishing. One of the bits of advice that he shared with me two years ago is quite simple, but I use it in everything I do. The advice is as follows...expect nothing. So simple, yet so beneficial to everything I've gone through. Though this advice seems a bit negative, in context it is as enlightening as can be. Through life we are put into so many situations where we gain or lose so much. In these situations, we have pre-conceived ideas of what we will gain from the experience or what we want to gain from it. Doug tells me to enter these situations with no expectation. I wrapped this idea up by saying that if we expect nothing, we will always have more than we thought and never have less than we wanted. It is so crucial in life to let things pan out in their own terms. We can work hard and do our best to create a certain happy ending, however, we should not work to mold the happy ending. Life happens, simply stated. Life happens and there is nothing we can do but our best. As I give my best to everything I do, I hope you do as well...remember to expect nothing.

In my short time alive, I have taken my share of cranky days. Truthfully, I consider my old self pretty negative. I had the ability to look at anything and instantly decide what I didn't like about it. My youthfulness was demonstrated in a way I am disgustingly not proud of. I am so happy that somewhere along the line I found peace with almost everything in this world. I'm not saying I don't dislike some stuff, but I've learned that I am not important enough to have a say. Until I am an expert on a subject, I refuse to speak up on it. I have my ways and my beliefs, however, I don't use them as standards to preach to others. If we allow ourselves to complain about life we ultimately put ourselves in bad moods. If we spend all of our days in bad moods, our yesterday's will be nothing to look back on. I hope you will join me in enjoying a glass half full. Cheers to a more positive living experience.

I had a good conversation today about first dates. My friend and I debated whether or not first dates are the best. We both concluded that they are, however, we both have different ideals of what a first date includes. A cliche image of a first date is a romantic dinner, flowers, a movie after, and a nervously anticipated goodnight kiss. My opinion is that a first date should be the complete opposite. My ideal first date is spent doing something less intimate; hiking, bowling, bike riding, etc. I truthfully don't like introducing romance to a date until about the third. I feel that you have to dig a hole before you can fill it. I think that romance does not fit into a situation where no social foundation has been built. A successful relationship is one shared with your best friend. I was lucky enough to spend my first time in love with my best friend. I honestly believe that romantic success is earned when both parties share more than a beating heart.

I urge everyone, including myself, to be more involved in the happenings of the world. We can grow more involved by delving further into the logistics of our own personal interest. I do my best to read some news everyday. I won't lie and say I read everything, but I do read the things I am interested in. I try to focus my attention on news involving entertainment. To share my knowledge, I've added a scrolling news bar at the bottom of my blog that will offer you some entertainment and literary news. Whether or not you have an interest in these topics is your choice, but I hope you find something to grow knowledgeable of.

I said before in one of my post how fond I am of e-mailing. Being that a few new bloggers have been visiting my site, I will offer my e-mail address again. If anything I talk about strikes an interest or demands for further conversation, I would be happy to participate. Feel free to e-mail me at NickJames18@aol.com. Please include a subject line that involves the world blog. Please be nice and don't send me viruses or anything harmful, I just truly want to engage my readers more. I check my e-mail very frequently, so I am very excited to hear from you!