Over the holidays I went on a self discovery journey. Not one I intended but it happened nonetheless. Without fleshing out the details let’s just say I’ve come a long way since that kid who started university for a second time this year. Not being sure who exactly I was at the time but slowly getting my shit together. Coming off spouts of depression over the past couple of years, it was tough getting back on my feet, usually I would just go through the motions of life without too much purpose or reason to be anywhere. Now after this holiday period, certain things have happened that made me wiser, made me smarter, made me better as a person and I’m proud of that.
So what wisdom do I have to share? Well most of what I say is quite cliche, but most often than not they are true. It’s the common walks of life, but there are always outliers to each situation no doubt about that. So from this blog, what am I trying to get out of it? Well for one a running blog for uni, which is advised for me to use to experience a better learning experience but another thing is to write or blog what I really want to talk about. Topics of life, real talk. Things like Love, Friendship, finding yourself etc. Having something to write on, is different to talking about it. When you write you have time enough to think and carefully select your words, leaving out room for mistakes such as being caught up in the moment. This is because when you are talking to someone about something you care about you can tend to be caught up in the moment and when you think back you can think about the things you could’ve said or said differently. Writing is something I’ve recently found to be a great way for me to get my thoughts down, to sort of get something off my chest and this is a great release for that. No matter who reads it, I’m not going to flesh out any finer details of my personal life because they are personal, but enough vague information or example to gauge my point.
I myself am writing a book, hopefully one day it will be published but more on that another time.
So to what I want to talk about today. In short: Play the hand you are dealt.
This means whatever situation you are in, if it were a shitty situation or if you are in the most ideal situation. You have to play your hand. I’ve been in bad situations before, I’m sure all of you have. The difference between someone who is viewed as a hero, a villain or just a bystander is judged by the way the handle each situation. Bystanders do not get anywhere sitting around doing nothing. I’m not saying that that necessarily is a bad thing however, maybe sometimes you need to take a step back and let things settle down. However when you are dealing with a situation which action is key, you must act no matter how bad it gets. And if it is a really ideal situation, do whatever is in your power to keep it that way. I’ve seen too many people in the perfect situation blow their chance at glory because of poor decision making. For instance, I had a few friends that were very talented in whatever sport they played, whether it be basketball, football or soccer they were amazing at the game and had the chance to play at the highest level. However bad life decisions led them to taking drugs, this affected their lifestyles in such a way that they would become disinterested and eventually give up on this opportunity given to them. I envied so much for their natural skill around the sport they played, and as a hard worker I never could’ve quite hit the heights they achieved but I could keep up with them for a time before I ruptured my achilles that is.
For whatever reason, if you are in the worst of situations play the hand you are dealt. No matter what it is, if you don’t do anything, nothing’s gonna change. If you act, there’s a chance you can better the situation and in doing so makes you a better person. Take it from me from experience. Act upon things you think you have no control over and the results will surprise you. I’m not saying if you are presented with such a situation that you drastically try to change things, its just with the right attitude and approach you can even affect the little things to go your way and those go a long way.
Next topic for Real Talk: The difference between The Hero and The Villain.
