Just [be]

"Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." -Willam Faulkner

Well, it's been just over a month since I posted last. Since then my brain has been going crazy about what subject/hobby/bothersome issue to write about next. I think this one has been a long time coming. 

It's simply about, life. It's a truly amazing thing to be brought into this world by two individuals who were able to share something special. However, this post isn't about sex or making love. Like I said, it's about life. 

Those you of you who know me, know I'm a 'go-getter.' I don't sit around for things to be handed to me, I strive to move forward and work for what I want in life. Outside of career goals, needs, and wants; I try to live the same lifestyle. 

First, lets put career aspirations in focus. Far too often I see people sit around waiting for the next opportunity. They talk of a business they want to open, a product they want to develop, a store they want to manage, or a position they want to attain within their company. That's great! I will encourage and support them in whatever they choose. 

However, 98% of the time, it's all talk. Anyone can say they want to open a business, or design a product, etc. What sets people apart are the 'go-getters.'  What are you doing that the other guys aren't? How are you going to get there? Do you have a plan? Do you have a measurable goal? How long will it take? The list goes on. 

When I try to ask these questions, it's usually followed by a list of excuses. Don't have time? Make some. 

Don't have money? Work more, buy less, find an investor.

Don't have the motivation? Then you really don't want it. 

What it comes down to, is finding what makes you tick. What do you REALLY want, and how bad? If you find yourself making excuses, find a way to turn them around and MOVE FORWARD.  The worst thing for yourself is to become stagnant. I don't understand how people can sit around wasting their god given talents, 'waiting'  for what's to come. It doesn't have to be a competition, but rather a way of self improvement that we should strive for. 

So I guess my question is, why? Why don't people have the mindset to achieve something greater than themselves? Why are they happy being stagnant? Why are they comfortable living an 'average' life? Why do they lie to themselves?  Why can't they just...be? 

When you're me, you think about it. 

Just Words?

Here is a little poem I wrote over a month ago. It truly amazes me how highly people think of themselves, or how highly we think of others. In the opposite, how poorly we think of ourselves, or how poorly we think of others. We are all built up of the same matter and really aren't all that different. We are each amazing beings, and our communication practices are what divide us more than anything else. They aren't "just words."

You think you're perfect
I know you're not,
I think you're pretty
You think you're hot

You think you're flawless
But you're full of flaws,
What depicts perfect
Is what puts us in awe

So tell the story of being the same,
Boy and girls alike, still play the game
Find someone who matters and makes you feel whole
Because what truly loves you, will never let go.

Be careful...for the words we are taught, become the words they are not.

When you're me, you think about it.

Among Angels: Wingmen Earn Their Wings

“There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go.” ~ Unknown

          Well, I know it’s been a while since I’ve been able to post on my blog, and I truly miss it. Life got so busy with school, work, and photography, that I’ve had no time to do something that I really love; writing. As many of you know, I’m not one to write about life events or what’s going on around me; rather, I write open your minds and try to expand the horizons on normal thought. However, an exception has been made for this blog post because of the impact it had on my life…the story follows.

            On Saturday, May 26^th, I lost one of the greatest friends a friend could ever ask for. Although, it wasn’t just one of the greatest friends, it was 4 of them.  This post is not intended to tell you what happened, but to recognize the 4 great individuals we lost on this day.

            I’d like to start with Tanner Holt, the one I knew least of the group…but felt like could relate too. I had met him a few times but never got the opportunity to hang out with him. Prior to his death I had heard so many great things about him, and I really wish I had made the time to get to know. I know from a close friend that he loved his nephew more than anything…and I’ve seen it in the pictures of them together.  Just like all the boys, he seemed like a very friend oriented person, and it’s tragic that we had to lose him.

            Colby Hafen, where do I even start? Another guy I am blessed to have known and grateful to have spent time with.  He was the oldest of the bunch but a kid at heart, really knew how to have a good time and treated everyone with respect. I remember our few trips to Mesquite and the laughter he would bring to the table, even those he didn’t even know. The first time I officially met Colby he said, “you know those girls you always see at the party that seem way cool and you wanna know them, but you just can’t get yourself to talk to them? Well…you’re that guy for me.” The smile it brought to my face can’t be duplicated. Just goes to show the kind of friend Colby was to everyone he encountered. I love you man, now introduce yourself to all the true angels we thought we’d find on earth.

            Jordan Chapman, the man lady’s wanted, and all the men wish they were. He had a smile that would light up the room and the personality to fit. As with all of these boys, I met him through friends and I am proud to call him a friend of my own. He had such a kind demeanor about him that is unmatched. He was so outgoing and I remember meeting him for the first time on a trip to Salt Lake, with him and Alex combined, I don’t think I will laugh that hard ever again.

            Alex Metzger, like a brother to me, and a friend to many. Alex….Alex, he was an original to say the least; the most amazing sense of humor that would brighten anyone’s day. He instantly became friends with anyone he came in contact with, especially the girls. He was always wanting everyone to have a good time, and I was one fortunate enough to have those good times with him. He came up with the most original words, phrases, and ways of going about the most dull subject. He’s the kind of person you can just look at, and laugh because of who he is, and how he is.

I was fortunate enough to talk to Alex the day before his death, and I’m proud to say the last words I said to him were, “Love ya man, have fun.” He had called to invite me with them in their travels, but unfortunately couldn’t join because I was up north on business. I keep thinking to myself that I wish I was on that plane with them, and if I were in town, I would have been. Being with them would be easier than having to miss them.  

They were all great wingmen, now they are all true wingmen. They lived for their friends, and have now died for them too. The brought so many people joy and love that will always be remembered and never be forgotten. They have brought an already close group of friends, even closer together. They have taught us all many lessons through their lives…most without knowing it. Now, in their passing, they taught us one more. Take each day, live it, breathe it, love it, cherish it, and spend it with the people who mean most; because just like that…it can be over.

In the words of Alex Metzger, “Live life as though when you die, it all starts over again.”

“While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil.”  ~John Taylor

Art is...

Art is... a question mark in the minds of those who want to know what's happening.  ~Aaron Howard

This post is not meant to be a rant, although it may sound like one. This blog is designed to make people think about a subject in a different light, or perhaps put you in someone else’s shoes. At times, I feel like I’m ranting because I generally talk about something that is bothering me, or something that made ME think. I write in hopes of changing at least one person’s perspective, I want to broaden their horizon. Today, it is all about art.

Recently I have become more in tune to my artistic side, something I always knew was there, but never had to use it. I have come to appreciate art as if it were the greatest thing since sliced bread or peanut butter.

This is where my questions begin to surface and I become flustered with things that I don’t understand. Do I think too deep? Or do I just think, and others don’t?

Just like many things in life, I feel, art is highly underappreciated, and to many, unappreciated. People fail to recognize the beauty of art, whether it is architecture, paintings, drawings, pictures, tattoos, sculptures, etc. Everything around us is art and art is all around.

Why is it that people fail to recognize the true beauty that coexists within a single frame? Each line, brush stroke, pixel, etc. means something significant to each artist. When we don’t stop to recognize the beauty in each individual segment of the art, we can’t appreciate it like we should; as it deserves to be appreciated.

As a professional photographer, it bothers me when someone quickly flips through a photo album of my photographs. Something I put so much thought into, and countless hours of editing, composing, and developing thoughts, that someone can flip through in under two minutes.

I had a conversation with an artist a few weeks back where we discussed a painting he was working on. He said, “It’s a button.” However, the plaque underneath the painting would say, “It’s not a button.” Such an interesting concept that many people may not recognize or comprehend as an artist does. It’s not a button…it’s a painting of a button.

The point is this: Art is a passion that many people share, and if you don’t share it, at least try to recognize and appreciate those who do. Stop and stare at a picture or painting that you pass daily; you will be surprised what you find that you didn’t notice in the past.

Art is beauty in its purest form…recognize!

When you’re me, you think about it.

Life in Solitude

Whoever is too great must lonely live.
Adored he walks in mighty solitude;
Vain is his labour to create his kind,
His only comrade is the Strength within.
The great are strongest when they stand alone.

-Savitri

   As my first blog post, I wanted to hit on something that everyone encounters… romantic relationships.  A subject that I have put a lot of thought into over the years, yet never seem to figure out. Not only why we want relationships, but also why we long for them and they become a need instead of a want.

               

  Having only one serious relationship under my belt, I am the furthest from an expert on relationships; and on the same note, the opposite sex.  Although, romantic relationships are not my focus, or the opposite sex my concern.  It is what goes on within us that makes me wonder why we force ourselves into something we are so unsure of.

             

   Face the facts, we are social mammals; we all have the need to belong, and if we don’t interact with others it can cause severe psychological effects. We all have general interpersonal relationships, but they cannot fulfill the needs that we so desperately search for in a romantic partner. So what is it that makes us search for someone who we fit so perfectly with, tell everything to, spend every minute with, and share out hopes and dreams?
  
     Are we tired of being lonely, or are we scared to be alone? Although they seem to be the same, I feel that they are two very different aspects within us. Are we truly ‘lonely,’ or do we just want to be with somebody as we are taught from birth? Are we alone, or have we just not found the one we have been searching?  After all, who is to say what being lonely really is…or feels like? Could it possibly be a universal feeling?


    To further the thought above, what is it about loneliness that we dislike so much? Do we want to be needed? Need to be wanted? Need to be needed? Want to be wanted? Loneliness is so complex; by experiencing it in the wrong way, happiness seems so far off, until we find the one with which we belong. However, if we experience loneliness in a positive way, loneliness = solitude, happiness is only a stone’s throw away.


     In addition, who is to say being lonely OR being alone is a bad thing? Those who enjoy themselves when they are alone (not in a relationship) are solitude in that way. They thrive in their own world and become the greatest they can be. Therefore, we must find power in ourselves and love our lonely life in order to be happy with another.

    Either way, in my overly extensive years of being single, I’ve come to realize many things by analyzing others romantic relationships; or quite possibly, the need to be in a romantic relationship. As a more recent Facebook post, I stated, “I find it interesting how many people base their LIFE around LOVE.” When in reality we should be doing just the opposite and base our LOVE around LIFE. We must lose ourselves in enjoying what is given to us, before we set forth to search for what is not.

Stand tall when you're alone, for that's when you're strongest. 

When you’re me, you think about it.