Flooded

Belief in hatred is a distraction. And the excuses we make for our shortcomings will not save us from judgment. Judgment from self.

I am my own king. I am my own decider; we are all the masters of our own destinies. There is no fate, only coincidence. There is no exception, only causation. There is love in each of our hearts and it is the ultimate power. If we can learn to harness that energy, discard our scorn, burn out the edges and focus on the present and the future regret can be erased.

I am inspired by the ones whom I inspire. My heroes are the dreamers left amongst us. The ones who have never let go of what matters to them, who have loved deeply, lived wholly, conquered fully their fears in the knowledge that life is progression and not a means to an end, but rather an end to the means. There is nothing more perfect than the hands you hold. Nothing greater than the eyes you see. Nothing more beautiful than the life you live.

Let's change the world. I've never stopped believing.

Origins (Finale)

It's a strange feeling going from the center of the world to relative obscurity in the blink of an eye...



That sacrifice is a means to an end, but I suppose so is everything. And in that relativity, where there should live fear and despair, I have found some solace. Because who are we truly if we are unable to look at our past, present, and future selves with open and honest eyes? There is no shame in wanting to understand who we were, are, will, and can be. This is about growth. This is about change. Always moving forward.

And so onward I struggle, weaving through this new landscape like a vagabond, unsure of how to navigate myself and many of the paths I am beating into the ground. All I have to guide me is my instinct and an unwavering desire to conquer all the plans I have laid out before me. Since 18, those plans have been mine and mine alone.

Across these last 6 years, I have had the good fortune of being able to turn strangers into friends, and those relationships have aided me along in my journey. And I am eternally thankful for that. But in the end we all die alone. And thus, we live alone.

In that vain, my plans--my dreams--are mine and mine alone too. Somehow though, that solitude has always been my strength, my will to carry on; through dignity lost, through broken bones and broken spirits, through failure.

...so in that blink, I am new again Reinvented. Reinvigorated. Redesigned. And yet, the more things change, my dreams still stay the same.

Origins (Part 2)

In death we mourn. But for every loss suffered, there is new life. A second chance.

Instead of allowing the absence of familiarity to wrap its hands around our throats, we must fight it off with whatever strength remains. If we can conquer those crooked, cold, lecherous fingers and find a way to breathe again the air will be clearer and that first inhale from the other side will show us...hope is always the answer.

I'm still the same kid from Iowa with a dream in my heart and a belief in hard work, in dedication. Often with success comes complacency, but not me, not now, not ever. There are fears in me now that are greater than any I have ever encountered. There are challenges that stand before me now, like mountains. This is my Everest, but I will relent not.

They can kill my name, disparage my accomplishments, destroy everything I've built, but they cannot touch my conviction. I...we....we're too strong and we will take this world and make our own.

This week I challenge each of you reading this to face your greatest fear head on. Heights, snakes, enclosed spaces, etc. Let's make the most of our lives and find out if we have what it takes to make change a reality. To hell with words, the time to move is now.

Origins (Part 1)

I've said it all before. You've heard it all before. These are dark times and the shadows we cast are rarely seen anymore. We walk amongst the living and we can see, smell, and taste life, but we barely feel a thing. Dead eyes in a dead world...

I've been working here. Dreaming up some new beginning for us all. What is left to inspire?