Stay in Bounds

My dearest readers,

instead of making this end-of-the-year post a reflective one I’d rather want you to reflect on how you can stay focused and keep your drive alive. During holiday season most of us get a chance to finally wind down, wrap up the year, and make sure there is no unfinished business left before closure in twenty-fifteen. In most cases this is much appreciated and well deserved, but in times like these—if you want to keep things moving—you can get a quick and profitable edge by doing one thing: staying in bounds!

With the year ending and most people either reflecting or relaxing you could do something for the upcoming challenges in twenty-sixteen. Why not prepare a little for what is coming up? Why not move into a position where you can kick off your new year with a blazing firework while the rest is still sleeping? It doesn’t have to be a lot, but it could be enough to give you a quick but profitable edge. After all accomplishments in 2015 you do deserve some reflecting and relaxing, but in all of that do not keep your dreams out of sight, because they are not sleeping or relaxing.

For those of you whose year has not been as promising as expected, don’t be discouraged. Recall that in order to shine you first have to polish. Your year may have been a working year, you polishing the heart out of your life and yourself; but know that if you continue to polish your time to shine will come soon enough. Check local listings! And note that it is those working years that make the pleasant years happen.

For those of you who could deliver whatever the job required, make sure you stay on it, for great things are expected of you in the future. Everyone’s watching, and everybody’s waiting for you to make a move; therefore stay disciplined and disappoint neither your beholders nor yourself. Remember that it’s a great accomplishment to get to the top, but way harder to stay there. Delivering can be both a blessing and a burden, but in any particular way it is a resource of inspiration and a great challenge to keep it moving. Challenge accepted? Well, that’s your call!

...and with the year ending and the holidays coming up—as concluding words—I just want to say “Thank You!” for reading this year’s #MomentumToGo as well as all of your thoughts and comments throughout the year. It has been, as in all previous years, nothing but a pleasure to write for a constantly increasing audience; in that sense all I have left to say is the following: just stay in bounds… and keep the drive alive!

Expect 2016 to ask for your undivided attention, because the new year holds these truths to be sacred and undeniable: “People who lack the clarity, courage, or determination to follow their own dreams will often find ways to discourage yours. Love your truths and don’t EVER stop!” (Steve Maraboli)—stay in bounds, never stop dreaming, and go further! #M2G

Purpose

Dear readers,

with another year slowly approaching the end I find it necessary to share what had determined the biggest portion of my life in twenty-fifteen, mostly because I’m certain it will do just that for the little but not so little remainder: finding purpose. Especially when one period is coming to an end and we are to look for another path, a consecutive way, the next step—that's when we seek purpose in the sense of invigorating an old debate and exploring what our share in life is.

King Solomon once wrote that “[t]he purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out” (Proverbs 20:5). How shallow or deep is your ocean? Are you willing to put your wetsuit on and dive and dive further and draw out purpose, your purpose that is hiding deep in the trenches? How deep are you willing to dig in order to find it? It is common to approach this deep blue sea with caution, because it not only involves danger and risk, but the further we dive the more increases the pressure on ourselves; and pressure tends not to be a trait of happiness. However, Ralph Waldo Emerson writes that “[t]he purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” And I find that a powerful and provocative statement, because aren’t we all concerned with being happy in the end?

I think we cannot deny that we do pursue happiness, but is our life not so much more? Are we not handed a severe burden that is a blessing in disguise, a responsibility we not just have for ourselves but also for our fellows and loved ones? If that responsibility alone is purpose, don’t get it mistaken for an omniferous inquiry to change the world, for that is not a purpose, thank God, we all have; but we do have a responsibility for ourselves and for our personal periphery. We have a choice, a choice to master our lives and everything in our orbit. And that may be where (your) happiness resides—in your personal circle where you get your shot and can make a difference, where it matters that you live and your life has a purpose. And that purpose is our shared value, a responsibility we all have, as we are all destined to forge our luck.

Leave your comfort zone and dive! Do you have purpose and is your being serving one? If so, don’t hide it in the abyss of your heart but bring your purpose to the surface where it can function, where—to quickly borrow Steve Jobs’ rhetoric—it just works! Let it work and do the magic. Purpose! I'm not talking about Justin Bieber or Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, but to and about you and you only. Remember that “[n]othing is more creative…nor destructive…than a brilliant mind with a purpose” (Dan Brown). Therefore, know your role and your capacities, your prowess in any sense, and your abilities in any predicament. We don’t necessarily have to put ourselves into the hands of another in order to find purpose, but we can unearth our minds, express our hearts, and unravel purpose once we’re willing to dig and dive.

But regardless of you digging or diving or doing none of that whatsoever: you matter! You have a purpose, and your life serves a purpose! Just do me (and yourself) a favor and make sure it doesn’t remain dusty but is worth it—your life a contribution to all and to our world spinning, because if you don’t live for something you’ll surely die for nothing; and knowing that…is all there is, one hell of an #Amen! Got #Purpose? Make that two and toast to your life...matter!

...on knowing!

My dearest readers,

now that I have arrived in Los Angeles after a hell of a journey and getting infinite glimpses into my past and future I want to further evaluate on the final quote of the previous post, and in particular shift from “seeing” to “knowing,” because are we not going through so much in life just to be able and willing to know? What do you know? Let me show you what I know…

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do,” a quote at large attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, encourages us to not only know and be determined but also to put our knowledge into action. How good is wisdom, if we keep it to ourselves? How good is our persistent drive, if we don’t go out there and do something with it?

Sometimes, however, we don’t want to know, but in any way we shall bear in mind that it is always better to know than not to know. In order to do something in our lives we must know who we are and where we are in life, and we must face it, not just ourselves, but everything that comes with it. We must be aware, vigilant, awake, and we must be willing to accept our reality. Many of us tend to run from the truth, because it may be painful and bring forth gruesome discoveries, but let me remind you that the bitterest truth is better than the sweetest lie. You may be able to lie to others, but you shall not lie to yourself.

Be aware of who you are, know who you are, and deal with your concerns and fears, for then you will also discover your passions and strengths. And once you discover those you can take it from there and let this “knowing” about yourself be the can opener to and in your life.

When you know who you are and what your share in life is, is it not only a matter of time, a matter of you living it and how you’re willing to do so? Make it worth it, be eager to learn and know more with each day passing. “A man,” writes Yevgeny Zamyatin, “is like a novel: until the very last page you don’t know how it will end. Otherwise it wouldn’t be worth reading.” Keep up the tension on each page, and unfold a spiral of knowing and doing until you reach the final page. And what comes out is an autobiography that reads as a bestselling novel. Then you not only see, but know, you not only know, but apply; generally speaking: you live!

And let me ask you: What do you know about it? I guess enough to start living your life as though the next page could be the last. Why not make every day a spectacular sensation, a stunning, vertiginous ride that you enjoy just as much as others reading or hearing about it? But don’t live just because you want to write a story, write it because that is who you are. You know it. And in the midst of all of this you also know that you must be on your limit and stay there, because “[s]uccess comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming” (John Wooden). Live life, and be the best “you” that you can possibly be, then, and just then, you shall know that you’re doing something right, well, not something, but everything, well, not everything, really, but something fundamental and sufficient, as far as I know, that makes you capable and eligible to know how to live and shape and manage and eventually master your life.

See Forever

My dearest readers,

I am profoundly honored to write this post in New York City, birthplace of some of the most gifted figures in art and history. Most see me being here as a reward for my recent graduation, but the truth is: it is but an intersection, an interface between my past and my future, because one period of my life has ended, and another one is yet to come. Now I could rest on my laurels, or I can catch a breath and brace for whatever is coming up, and see it through. And if seeing is believing I might as well stay armed to see forever.

It had been twelve years since I first visited Ground Zero, the remains of once a symbol of power and strength. The construction pit bore witness to the very day that changed all our lives forever, a day anyone can recall as if it had been yesterday, the smoke and the dust, the flames and the tears. A famous skyline landmark was no more, had been erased, and eventually mingled with the concrete and steel that once held it together before it collapsed with the many lives lost in between. There was never going to be anything like it again, I heard people say back then, for the entire world had been shaken.

But now, twelve years later, I visited what once had been Ground Zero. Only a few cranes nearby reminded me of the gigantic construction site I had seen over a decade ago. What struck me were the pools to remind one of the severe pain suffered in the past, but what struck me slightly more was a bluish crystal spine that reached into the sky and vanished in the light overcast as though it wanted direct one toward the firmament. Needless to say that "[a]lmost nothing need be said when you have eyes" (Tarjei Vesaas).

The observatory program was titled See Forever. Standing in front of the tower looking up was one impression, but being on top and looking down another one, nearly surreal, not because of the view, but knowing that it had been built upon the many lives and sacrifices and was furthermore a profound statement that came out of suffering. Following the building progress throughout the past years, the design, and everything that came with it, it was nothing but overwhelming to see what man had built. And it had further been a profound statement that there never were any doubts that hope and greatness would prevail at last.

Nietzsche once wrote: "Glance into the world just as though time were gone: and everything crooked will become straight to you." We will always remember! A crooked passage in history took time to process, but eventually it became straight. And likewise our at times crooked past is to become straight. It depends on our belief and on our endurance to create greatness out of suffering. In that sense, seeing becomes believing, not in a conventional sense but with regards to foresight in our lives.

What do you see? Bear in mind that "[k]nowing it and seeing it are two different things" (Suzanne Collins). But if you tend to see things through with an eager eye, know that out of whatever suffering, your indefinite foundation, you will be able to erect a building so beautiful to leave people speechless. Therefore, do not rest on either laurels or pain that reposes in the past, but brace for the future, your future, and see it through, because then you will see forever!

The Extra Mile

My dearest readers,

now that I finished six wonderful college years—which were, throughout, riddled with some of my highest ups and my lowest downs in life—I want to share what carried me across a God-given path of opportunity. It had never been effort and keen wit alone, nor was it passion or excitement, no. It had foremost to do with the invincible will to endure, the one and only thing that made me go on, for better or for worse, through floods and hurricanes that can tear down a life in a heartbeat…but none of that matters as long as you always do your best.

Life is a challenge, and at any given moment you’re put to the test. It’s not for us to choose, but it’s for us, in a Baldwinian fashion, to accept this challenge. No path is easy; nothing and no one in this life can take that burden away from you. Crossroads after crossroads will put you on the spot, over and over again. And in all that struggle there is no one who can and will walk that way for you. That you must do (by) yourself…and in doing so you might as well insist upon it.

As much as that route can be a burden, equally as much it can be a sublime opportunity. The least of us are intrepid enough to stay en route throughout. There are just too many distractions, too many concerns that prevent us from constantly walking and moving forward. But in these little resistors lies the fuel you need in order to get to the top. Only a huge knockdown and unconditional, unshakable faith hold the torque, the power that can not only put you on the spot but power big enough to make you do marvelous, immaculate work.

Shayne Ward once said: “[I]t’s when people least expect you to do something that you often do your best.” Perhaps it is even when you least expect it, but it is not a mystery that these knockdowns can unlock potential you were not even going to learn about unless this life puts you on the spot. Therefore, whenever the sledgehammer of life sucker-punches you straight in the eye, don’t drop and fall to your face. How about you get your Taylor Swift on and shake it off, rise like the sun, and gas up your ambitions for more blindside hits to come?

You can drown in self-pity and distress, or you can take it like a champion and return, stronger, resolute, and reckless. And may we all be bound to the perimeters of life, we always have a choice, at every crossroad we face, to either do or don’t. What is your choice when there is no one on your side? What is your choice when circumstances push your back against the wall? What is your choice when another subject walks into your life and tells you you’re not good enough, you can’t do it, and it’s not worth it?

It’s not rocket science, it is life, a life you ought to live the way you want it, and if you picked up on that you might as well live it in a way where you can do your best at any given moment. You’re getting weary and old? Did you know you’re still at the top of your game? When the wrecking ball swings by again, send him or her my regards…and swing back, because no matter how deep life’s boot is in your guts, there is always a road reserved for you to walk on. Some call that the extra mile, a hidden trail that favors the bold. Why don’t you walk it? There is no one on it, no one but you on this stairway to heaven… #MomentumToGo

The Night Is Still Young

My dearest readers,

since it took me longer than usual to write this post—in fact I had readers asking for another one—what is more at hand than writing about it never being too late…for anything? Time and again and once more, in that sense, I got to see that life and writing are not so different after all, because eventually “[i]t’s never too late—in fiction or in life—to revise” (Nancy Thayer) and to refine and make things happen. Dust your drive and get it back in motion. Dawn will come in due time, that’s for sure for all of us, but until then the night is still young…and so are we!

Not only when we look at Dali's “The Persistence of Memory” we may grasp our spatial and temporal reality, but we may further realize how we grow (older) every day and our lives and responsibilities grow with us. What becomes crucial is the pace and whether we can keep up with the rise of our lives and the responsibilities that at times may hover above our heads. When that happens we find ourselves at the crossroads that separate the willing from the drowning, and the worst is ignoring. Our lives are fluid, our realities constantly in motion. Most people sit quietly and watch the world pass us by-y-y. Regrets may become a festering sore and “what ifs” the lethal force to haunt and devour you day by day.

But…it’s never too late to make a move, or is it? We all make mistakes, no doubt about it, and there are times we all wonder: “What if I had done this and that differently?” However, as much as we rack our brains, there is no way to make the past undone and bring lost time and opportunity back. What we can do is but accept it for what it is and turn forward, riding into our lives and enjoy the ride from now on, take it from there. Some may wonder if there is still time to revise and refine, and until you haven’t seen your dawn yet…there is still time. In hours of regret(s) you may sense that it’s night already, but with acceptance and confidence you may also recognize that it’s pretty early, early enough to get back on track and ride along, and carry along your dreams with you, because the night, after all, is still young.

There are many more crossroads to come until we see dawn, but once we are aware that a little pitch correction can resound our lives’ melodies all over again and that it’s never too late to get back in tune, can we not just then have the night of our lives? Is it not crucial that we live in the present, is not just that the gift for the gifted?

We know it’s night and all we have is the moment; and we own it and owe it, not only to our dreams, but to ourselves. And it is up to us whether we have that moment all night. “It’s never too late to go out and get that feeling back” (Loretta Swit)…and it’s never too late to get just that pinkprinted onto your heart, for the night…is still young…and so are you! And in one way or another, don’t we all live for the night? It may be late, but never too late to get that feel good back, and get it going…all night long!

...on holding on!

My dearest readers,

now that my ship came safely into port I finally get to reach out to you all again, with a new-found passion, new vision, and an overdose of determination. I must say that hanging in there was often the urge to succeed, but even more so the need not to drown in doubts and second thoughts, which can even gird the most ambitious and best of us all. And in times like these is nothing more important than staying true to oneself, and even more so: holding on.

When we walk up our steep hill of life we realize that our first steps may come naturally to us and are quite easy. There is no doubt about the very first step being the hardest, but there is no denial about the ones following being easy or, let’s say, easier—and light-footed we float in an instant. But the more we engage, the more incline we face. First we stride along like champions, then there will be times when we tend to break our stride like quitters; not because we lack the will to go on, but because we lose our pace gradually, and simply for that reason. Our hike becomes a hassle, and hassle becomes hell before you realize you’re in it. You can sense that you’re burning, but you refuse to believe it. Why would you burn, you’re excellent, you got this.

Time and again this experience can set us back and knock us down to a point we hoped never to see again and revisit; but here we are, up sh*t creek, without a paddle, and often without vision. And the worst part about it? It is you, the one who should know better, the one who had this situation before and swore an oath to never feel this void ever again. It is you who ran aground between Scylla and Charybdis until doubts, panic, and hurry came. Your constitution, your mind, your everything is shaken to the very foundations of a once so steadfast heart. A storm is underway; and there is but one way out of it: hold on!

The storm will pass, for the sun also rises. “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Jesus asked his disciples once in the midst of a storm. Where is your faith? How about you dodge the furious squalls and bring your deeds and dreams before you once more and again—like looking up a rock ledge and seeing a rope descending that will help you to climb up. You see that rope? Hold on, and look up the hill, because that’s where you’re headed.

Stay in motion, but also stay on your path, your personal slope up the hill, because “you can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another” (Earnest Hemingway). But you can be true to yourself and stay in your lane, no matter what stormy weather may hinder you. Hold on, and hold fast to your dreams (cf. Langston Hughes), because it was that to built the spiritual foundation for the momentum to go. And even if you’re moving along with a slower pace than it once were, hold on, and hold fast—remember that “[i]t is [always] easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is best from the top” (Arnold Bennett); and I reckon there is no better spot to see the sun rise again.