Life’s Most Profound Moments

“Everything starts with a dream, a particle of our imagination that teases us of what the future could be like, as long as we fight for it.” Life is made up of moments. Most of the life we live, we don’t remember. Even if it’s stored somewhere on our mental hard drives, retrieving most memories isn’t in our ability. What we do remember, on the other hand, are the moments that impacted us, shaped our lives, and made us better human beings. The bigger the impact, the greater the influence, and the more it shapes us to do better. Most of these experiences we can’t possibly understand without experiencing them ourselves. We can imagine how we might feel, but we can’t actually know. Here are some of the most Profound Moments of Life:

Hitting Rock Bottom

It’s one thing not to win, not to achieve your goal, and it’s another to give it your all and still fall short. True failure isn’t losing; it’s losing when there’s nothing in the world you want more than to win. And, for that moment, you think you’ve lost it all. When you really put in that effort and realize you just aren’t good enough, that’s a hard place to be — you won’t understand it until you experience it. But, a legacy isn’t defined by short-term moments we live for and never by any currency we acquire. So, don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid you never tried.

Love

Just about every human being to walk the surface of this earth has done his or her best to put love into words, to portray it accurately enough for an individual who has never experienced the phenomenon, to understand it — and, for the most part, failed. Love is a little different for each person, but the intensity of love we all share. It’s an intensity that can only truly be understood through the power of time and our emotions. As they say, love heals just about everything.

Losing Life

Life is incredibly short. Days, weeks, months, years, fly by at the blink of an eye. When time comes for a loved one to pass on, the experience is significant. It’s life altering. While our emotional responses may vary, coming to understand how fragile life really is always a bit of a shock. It took me six months, before I could even talk about my grandmothers passing without getting teary. The important part here is, while they may be gone, they are still always with you. Sometimes, they are even a little closer than you may think. If you’re lucky, they become your angels.

Finding Passion

The focus. The hunger. The drive. It’s easy to understand the feelings associated with finding your passion in life, but you can’t possibly understand it unless you ignite that fire within. Fear is not a real, it’s a choice. It’s only a product of the thoughts you create. Absolute conviction is an absolute prerequisite. Passion has a way of solving some of the toughest problems, but without it you’ve already lost. So, don’t ever let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning. Ignore the world. Keep doing you. And, eventually it will have no option but to revere what you do best.

Achieving Your Dreams

I remember being younger and thinking to myself, “I’m going to get good grades, and work super hard to success, no problem.” Well, I didn’t realize how difficult it could get based on the path I chose. Some, think I’m lucky. But, let me be the first to tell you, the headlines of success are like fairy tales – the reality of what you go through daily is sometimes like a never-ending nightmare. Even if we understand how difficult it can be, finding yourself at the end of your rope, having failed over and over again, running out of money, running out of credit, and the stress that comes with it all isn’t something you can simply imagine. We just glorify ourselves in wanting the end prize, without realizing the agony it takes to get there. So, don’t read the headlines for success. Be your own headline. Inspire yourself to be great. Because, being good isn’t good enough.

Becoming a Parent

I’m not yet a parent myself, but I have seen how parents’ eyes light up when their daughter or son accomplishes some sort of an achievement. To parents, it doesn’t matter how small the achievement. Even their kid getting dressed on his or her own for the first is usually cause for celebration. It must be an amazing sort of pride as you’re both proud of your child and proud of yourself for being that child’s parent. Cherish those moments, as I hope to one day.

Finding Authenticity

To be fair, there are plenty of us who will realize that we are limited by the real friends we have — and aren’t willing to admit it. Authenticity is hard to find. But, when you find it. Hold on to it. At the end of life, I can guarantee you will be able to count those that mattered with only one hand. Fame is vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wing, but only character endures. Never regret a single character in your journey. If they weren’t part of your destination, they were just preparation.

Working to Work

We all seem to think we can manage to work whatever job we need to, without really being bothered by it. We tell ourselves it’s worth it for the money. Or it’s worth it for all the free time it allows. But at the end of the day, working a job you despise will eat you up from the inside. It may take time to do so, but it’s inevitable. And, if you want to be a leader, despising what you do, won’t get you there. Leaders aren’t born, they are created – when they understand passion and listen for it in every form. Never make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you. And, if life gives you lemons, make apple juice and make people wonder how the hell you did it.

Living Life with Love

If you’re wise and lucky enough to create for yourself a life you’re proud of — a life you look forward to living every single day — the relief you’ll feel you won’t be able to be put into words. So, close your eyes and think with your soul. Dream Big. Dream of Greatness. Dream of what defines happiness. Then figure the path that will lead you there, while knowing the difference you are going to make.

Understanding the Meaning of Life

We all make mistakes — some small, others huge. When it comes down to it, if you can’t change it, then there’s no point in obsessing over it. You quit, you lose. You keep going, you may still lose. But, your ambition will never die. If you genuinely want something, don’t wait for it — teach yourself to be impatient. The reflection in your mirror should be your only competition. The rest is just noise. As they say, “If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.” People will always tell you can’t. You just smile and say “watch me”. It doesn’t matter if the glass is half empty or half full. Be grateful you have a glass – you’re the only person that can decide what’s in it. Life is just a big empty canvas. You create your own art. And, then you decide how to turn into a masterpiece. Those who bring positive energy into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. Energy is magnetic and only multiplies back into your ultimate happiness. And, remember, there are only two people in life you have to impress. Yourself and God. The rest comes naturally