My view on Christmas this year

Time flies by doesn't it?

I haven't written a blog in a while due to my busy schedule at college and other nonsense I'm sure. Today I want to write about something short and sweet. Going into college, I remember many peers saying that it will be the best four years of my life, and that it will fly by!...Lets just say they were completely right.

I remember as a kid for family gatherings I used to get annoyed when my grandmothers would pinch my cheek, or how they were always SO HAPPY to meet up.

I honestly think it is starting to all click to me. I am currently 22 years old and as corny as this may sound to some I am truly beginning to understand the meaning of Christmas. It is not about receiving gifts, and not even giving gifts. In my OPINION it is about spending time with FAMILY.

To some people that may sound real BROAD, but Christmas and other special holidays are about spending time with the PEOPLE that mean the most to you in your life.

Thanksgiving
New Yrs
Xmas
Easter
Birthdays
Etc..

Why do we celebrate all of these holidays and more? Because of the special people in our lives that we look forward to. Many many many years from now were going to be the ones making dinner for everyone and be the ones preparing everything. The fact of the matter is that these holidays are meant to bring EVERYONE TOGETHER. 

So the next few days when your with your parents, grandmothers, grandfathers, brother, sister, girlfriend, boyfriends, and other important people in your life just remember they are such a huge part of your life.

So many people over the holidays will be thinking of the family and friends they have lost recently or over the years and how they wish they could spend Christmas one more time with them.

CHERISH your time with the ones who are here, and want to be a part of your life.

I feel like as we get older we learn to appreciate people more in our lives that have always been there.

Nothing in life is simple, but one thing that is constant for the most part is FAMILY.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy the holidays!

What does being thankful even mean?

I have been learning more about this man by the name of Nick Vujicic. In case you have never heard about him, he was born with a rare disorder where he was born with no legs and no arms.

For the past two days I have been watching videos on YouTube of this man Nick. I've been listening to his messages, and I can't help but not focus to him. I keep asking myself, WHY? I am starting to realize I am so closely listening to him because he has no limbs.

Have YOU ever been to see a guest speaker and you couldn't pay attention? WE ALL HAVE.

My message today is going to be quite simple. "WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR"

So often in our lives we worry about how we look to others, what were doing because of peer pressure, being fearful, being a lone, etc.

Life is about CHOICES! Sometimes I feel like we do what is best for us in the future, or what others feel is best. I will ask myself and you this question....what is your purpose? Your PURPOSE in life? I don't know if I exactly know, and maybe you don't know as well.

Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, I feel like we all know what aspects in our lives make us happy. There are MILLIONS of unprivileged individuals that would LOVE to have someone to love, a family to come home to, a comfortable bed to sleep in, the ability to go to college, or even just have a close friend. I'm not sitting here talking about living your life to the fullest, all I am saying is...how can WE be thankful??

I don't know if I have the answer to that question? What I do know is that we all have a PURPOSE in our lives, and along our journey we will need help. People will come in and go from our lives, but whether they stick around or not SOMEONE will be in your life at some point for a REASON.

WHAT IS BEING THANKFUL MEAN?

1.) Do you have a dream?
2.) What makes you smile?
3.) What makes your heart tick?
4.) Who is the first person you would call if something bad or exciting happened?
5.) What are you thankful for?
6.) Who are you thankful for?
7.) Why are you thankful?

Questions upon questions upon questions. I wonder why sometimes if I am having a bad day I might go out in public and pretend everything is okay with a smile on my face so other people don't notice. Then when I am by myself that smile may not be there. I think we ALL at times do this one way or another.

I don't know what your purpose is in life, and I may not know mine exactly.

Maybe were just SCARED of what people think of you?

WAKE UP
LOVE YOUR LIFE
ITS OKAY TO HAVE A BAD DAY
WE ALL CRY SOMETIMES, AND IT IS NOT EASY.

We're all going through SOMETHING, trying to find that happiness!

Be YOURSELF, appreciate the PEOPLE in your life, and if your ever feeling lost and worried about your life, just remember one thing.

KEEP HOLDING ON, and while it may seem like you can't get up...YOU WILL.

I'll ask you again, what are you THANKFUL FOR?...Research you tube videos of this man..you'll be AMAZED.

 

Why you shouldn't Give Up?

From time to time you may have heard of the phrase, "I give up!"

I have a question for you: How often has a homework assignment, college, your friends, your relationship, stress, sports, your parents, etc made you just want to give up on SOMETHING in your life?

I'm sure everyone who reads this blog will agree to an extent.

I remember in high school when I played basketball I was the one guy that ALWAYS tried to out hustle people on the court during drills, anything that would make me stand out. I did this because I didn't have that great of skills to be a starter on the basketball team. I will never forget one day at practice my coach stopped everyone at our drill and yelled at me while looking me straight in the face and said, "Are you kidding me? Did you come to practice not wanting to even play today? Your giving almost no effort today! Your the last person I would ever expect to just slack off during practice"

Of course, that made me feel pretty bad because it was embarrassing and I plain out got called out. 

Have you ever been called out in front of everyone? Ever felt like giving up?

  I have had ups and downs , and just like everyone else we all have problems or difficult times that we go through. Sometimes something bad happens to you and it puts a lot of things in perspective again.

I labeled this blog, Why you shouldn't give up? ...and this is not the typical oh you only live once or you shouldn't take your life for granted, it is about recognizing that it is OKAY TO FAIL, and that to let you know that everything will be OKAY.

Read this quote once, I'm not saying you have to put your hand over your heart, but just THINK for a minute what makes your heart pound.

There are a MILLION different reasons why you live your life, or what you look forward to. Thats not what I am talking about, I am talking about what makes you smile, what gets you going in the morning, what makes you tick, what makes you NOT WANT TO GIVE UP.

The bottom line is we all have fears, some may show them more than others. We all have a heart, and are blessed right now to live our lives the way we would like.

I could write for days on what obstacles in our lives makes us lose track of our goals, and our happiness but that just isisnt the PURPOSE of this blog.

My goal for this article is to get you to read and understand that you're not ALONE.

My friend from used to say, "DON'T TELL ME HOW ROCKY THE SEA IS, JUST BRING THE DAMN SHIP IN"

Sometimes we can't do everything by ourselves, sometimes we need someone else.

I just want to say that someone believes in  YOU.

Don't lose track of what makes you HAPPY.
Believe in YOU.
Why should you smile? Because you CAN.
Guess what tomorrow is? A new DAY.

Share the LOVE, share your HAPPINESS, do what you want to do with your life, climb any mountain you would like.

All I want to say now is,

NEVER
NEVER
NEVER
GIVE UP

specially on yourself

What Fear Is To Me?

You may have heard the expression before of, "Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game." My problem what even is FEAR? I personally believe everyone FEARS something in their life. Maybe sometimes we talk about fear, think about it, but don't even know what actually fear IS?

If I asked you right now what do you FEAR in your life, do you think you would be able to consciously be able to tell me?  A side of me feels like you wouldn't be able to. Personally, when I think of that word "FEAR" I don't think about exams, classes, free time, but much deeper than that. This is not going to be one of those blogs that preachers about not being afraid in life, and being FEARLESS, it is going to be about IDENTIFYING what FEAR even is.

Sometimes I feel when we think of fear, we think of a situation that has such a profound effect on your life that it limits you. Remember earlier when I asked what do YOU fear? I DIDN'T ask what are you afraid of.

A couple days I went to the gym to play basketball. If you know me, basketball has been a big passion in my life growing up. It allows me to get away from everything and everyone to get my mind off of reality. It allows me sometimes to put everything in perspective.

FEAR sometimes stops us from taking risks because were afraid of getting hurt.
FEAR sometimes makes us question our motives and what we want to pursue in our lives.
FEAR sometimes settle for the present and not the future.

Realistically, what do you FEAR?

I will talk about me for once, and just let it out there. WHAT DO I FEAR?

My fear in life is not making a name for myself.
My fear in life is not doing what I set out to do.
My fear in life is giving something my all, and not being appreciated.

These are some, and while one may ask, those aren't fears, those are just worries. That's where  you are wrong. The thing about FEAR is that it is a INNER feeling that can stop you from doing what you want to do in your life. FEAR is not SIMPLE.

FEAR can be a good thing, because it can keep your drive going.

The problem I see in myself and other people sometimes is that we settle for 2nd best. We settle because we fear that there will not be a brighter future. We let fear over run our lives. We let FEAR define who we are. No one said it was easy, but sometimes you got to get away and get your life back on track.

I'm not saying go out there and act like your not scared or nervous about the stressors that are occurring currently in your life. 

WHAT i am SAYING is, the moment you realize what your FEARS are in your life, it may be life changing. 

Embrace the opportunity you have to LIVE. Embrace your family and friends, and loved ones. Don't let fear stop you from what you want to do in your life. Maybe you feel a lone, and that fear just over crowds your thoughts. We all have those moments.

My theory is, we all make mistakes, we all wish we could go back and do something DIFFERENT. You may not be able to change what happened, but you can work on what you have now.

I will leave you with this. Ask yourself what FEAR means to you, and if you can do that try thinking about   what you fear in your life?

FEAR is just a word, a feeling that hits us hard sometimes. FEAR can be a good thing though, maybe it takes a person, going to the gym, your friends, your family, or doing what your passion is to realize that you'll be okay.

FEAR, we all think about it, but we surley don't talk about it enough.

JUST THINK ABOUT IT.

       

The Key To Life

As you clicked on this link, you might have thought you were going to read a ramble on what I think the "key" to life is.

Well you're absolutely wrong. You know WHY?

The reason is there is no "key" to life. People will tell you what you should do, who you should see, what is right/wrong, how to do something etc etc.

The problem is there is so many people out there that would love to have the abilities that we have. People that have disabilities, can't read, see, or hear. People that are fighting for their lives in hospitals, people that have a short time left on Earth because of cancer, people that have resulted in hurting themselves or committing suicide.

The title of this blog was "The Key to Life"..but the only key in our lives we should worry about is being YOU!

Live your life for YOU, and if you're able to get the chance bring someone along with you. Everyone needs HOPE

Someone may ask why I just said live my life for me? Maybe it sounds conceited? May look that way, but it is much deeper. Maybe you're living your life for someone who you look up to, maybe your goals and dreams revolve around someone who has inspired you, maybe you've spent your life taking care of someone, maybe you don't know what you live for?

That is okay because you're not a lone. 

Whatever you may do, just always be YOU. Thats all anyone could ever ask for, is to be YOU!

There is no me, he, she, them, (insert name) in you..just YOU! 

My Bend But Don't Break Theory

So today is currently Wednesday, and I just returned back to school from Fall Break yesterday on Tuesday.

We all have heard of the bend but don't break theory BUT
Today I want to relate this theory to our LIVES.

Here are some questions to ponder?
Why do we get upset over exam grades?
Why do we get upset over relationships?
Why do we allow people to continually use us for their own benefits?
Why is it that our family can easily upset us?
Why did we decide to go college?
Why did we chose to be in a relationship with someone?
Why do we look at our best friends as being our "best" friend
Why do we feel that we have a hard time expressing our emotions to others, including the people that are supposed to be the closest to you?
Why do we fight?
Why do we look to music for comfort?
Why do people say they feel so lonely sometimes?
How does the bend but don't break theory relate to you?

When I was home this past weekend on Saturday I had a conversation with my mom. Out of the whole conversation I had with her, the statement that stuck with me the most was : "I just want you to be happy, no matter what you do"

Sound simple? Maybe so, but look at it this way. WE ALL make decisions whether it is consciously or unconsciously to have happiness in our daily lives. Some decisions we make are not always the ones we would like to make, but sometimes you have to settle for a not so great option.

For example, I live about 2 hours and 15 mins away from my hometown. As a freshman I was ready for a new beginning, a new start with new friends and experiences.I could of went to college 30 mins away from my house, but I chose to do something bigger. I was nervous about having to meet new friends, and being away from my family, but it worked out in the long run. The bend  but don't break theory. I didn't let that choice debilitate my experience here, but rather I embraced it and wouldn't change it for anything.

I have made mistakes in my life, as well as everyone has, but one thing you have to keep in mind is to never let one thing, person, choice, or event change who you are or make you doubt yourself.

S**t HAPPENS! Sometimes the little things, can turn into big things if not dealt with. The problem is, sometimes we over react to certain situations. I believe everyone wants to be loved to a certain extent, have a best friend, be needed by someone else, be successful, have a goal for their future, have a plan...and with that being said one little instance shouldn't change your feelings on certain situations.

BEND BUT DONT BREAK THEORY...We all run into difficulties but we shouldn't let that define who we are. If you want to say something to someone, want to get something off your chest even if it is to a complete stranger than why not. Sometimes the best advice can be given from someone who doesn't know us really well, because their reactions are unbiased.

BACK TO MY QUESTIONS ABOVE...You notice how many of them started with "WHY"?

I did that because sometimes we just want an explanation, a reason for why things happen. I do it sometimes too believe me!

Maybe you have over reacted in the past, said things you wish you wouldn't have, waited too long to tell someone how you felt. This doesn't come down to others, but really YOU.

How you live your life is up to you, but the bend but dont break theory happens everyday.

MY POINT???....Never let someone else  stop you from you living your life to the fullest, fulfilling your dreams and goals, enjoying your life, hanging out with you want to hangout with. You have something on your chest? Don't be afraid to say something, because there is a good chance someone else is feeling the same way too. I've seen friends and family in my life be heartbroken, feeling like they have lost it all, but in reality they just need HOPE.

BEND BUT DON'T BREAK THEORY: Be who you want to be, do want you want to do, people need you, you need people, be that backbone, be the one that stands up for what you believe in.

Bend but DONT BREAK: Be flexible and understand that you will hit road blocks, times when you just are over emotional, or even react and thats a time when you should just take a step back.

Maybe we all just wish to be understood more, I personally don't know!

One thing I am sure about is, so many people rely on YOU. Whether you know it or not, someone looks up to you no matter how big or small!
 
Be that person that you are, and NEVER let something stop you from loving who you want to love or doing what you want to do.

Bend but dont break theory. Ya dig?
    

It's The Freakin Weekend

It is currently, 8:22 p.m. and while I am stuck inside on duty tonight I felt that I would write a quick blog. This won't be a super long, short and sweet...and to the point.

I labeled this blog," It's The Freakin Weekend" because well it is a Saturday night and it is the time of the week where people will be going out to have a fun night, studying inside their rooms, or at home spending time with their family, friends, or loved ones. Which either way that it may be never forget to take time for YOURSELF. It doesn't matter whether it is life, school, family, friendships, relationships, stress...what ever it may be don't forget to take time out for yourself.

I remember my freshman and sophomore year I would spend a lot of my time on Friday and Saturday nights sitting in the study lounge trying my hardest to get some work done early so I wouldn't be stressed! Let me tell you those were some long nights! Even today I have been TRYING to study for an exam that I have for Monday, which doesn't feel like I have gotten very far.

The crazy thing is, it doesn't matter where you are right now, heck you may have just got back home from work. The truth is everyone deserves a time to relax and just not worry. Yes, I am stressed about my exam this coming monday, but I am going to stop studying shortly for the night and pick it up tomorrow. I am going to try to make some time for ME tonight, even if it is by myself.

So my point is this, never lose sight of giving time to yourself. Times get stressful and over bearing but thats what they made couches for right. Everyone deserves to be a couch potato sometimes..right?

Grab a bag of doritos, go get a mcflurry from mcdonalds, or spend time tonight with your friends, family, or who ever you like. My theory is it is not always about having time, but making TIME. Even if it is for 30 minutes tonight of just watching TV.

I used to be the BIGGEST nerd sitting in the study lounge late at nights, then someone must have hit me over the head or something.

Are you stressed? Sure, arent we all to an extent? Need a laugh? Call or text a friend. Want some company? Just go SOMEWHERE..no matter how dumb it may sound at first.

You deserve to have fun, we all do. So let the night be yours, and no matter how tired you are, do what makes you happy.

Heck, at the end of the day what matters is that YOU ARE HAPPY. You'll find that happiness one way or another. Even if it is eating a milkyway! :) Have a great rest of the weekend everyone.

Happiness is not defined by the amount of friends you have, the expensive items in your house, the clothes you wear, or having the privilege of doing what you please. 

Happiness is accepting your life, your circumstances, and making the most out of what you have, and doing what makes you HAPPY! Amen

Grant Heydenreich

What Do You Live For?

As you clicked on this link, you were thinking of the typical, "Oh what do I live for" blah blah blah kind of stuff, but I want to go a little deeper with this blog. This will be officially my 30th article, WOAH. It may not sound like a lot to some people, but hey to me that is a lot of writing.

Today, since I am an RA(resident assistant) at college I have the experience/privilege of getting to meet new people, and have new experiences every year, matter fact every day. Tonight we had PIE YOUR RA night, where residents got to PIE us in the face with whipped cream. It was a very fun night, and it made me realize how much of an impact I can have on some of these people. So it inspired me to think, what do I live for. what do you live for?

Do you ever wonder why someone can be so positive? Do you ever wonder why someone can be so optimistic? Do you ever wonder why someone can wake up in the morning and be full of energy? I'm sure we all know someone like that! Lets think outside the box though. My birthday was last week on september the 17th and I was so thankful for all of the people who went out of their day to say happy birthday to me. I also had some friends who even got me some random stuff that I wasn't expecting at all.

So I am going to ask, what do I personally live for? We live in a world where being competitive is harped on, and being the best that you can be, BUT for once why don't we look at what YOU want as opposed to what others want for you to do or be.

As I began writing this, I began to ask myself what do I live for? You think my typical response would be, Family, Friends, Life..etc etc..but I decided to be more specific. Before I go further ask yourself: What do you life for?BE SPECIFIC.

You have heard the expression over and over of: You Only Live Once, and quite frankly it is true. You all have dreams, goals , and ambitions. If you ever have been at a grave site you will notice a DASH between a name on the head stone. There may be nothing written on that dash, but there is a STORY in that dash. How you decide to live during your dash is up to you! So I'll ask you again, what do you live for? Fame, Love, Money..what is it?

When I first walked onto Shippensburg University over 3 years ago, I knew the first day I was ever here that this was the school for me. Almost 4 years later, I can't believe how much time has flown by, and the experiences I have had. I like to call this place my home away from home, because no matter how far away home I am I look at this as a safe place away from home where I feel comfortable. Lets get back to your DASH!

Remember the victims of the VA tech shooting, or the people who past away during 9/11? All of them have their dash on their headstones, and while they may not be here on earth anymore, their lives have affected the nation to this day. So many people out there have the opportunity to do great things, make big things happen and all they need is that special thing/someone or even hope to get them through it all.

You play a role in so many peoples life, whether you know it or not. I think the toughest part of growing up, is growing up. Taking more of a responsible of your future, trying to please so many people in your life, and accepting reality. The truth in all of that: how you decide to live your life impacts what you live for!

Think about it: When was the last time you told your parents you love them, or gave someone a hug. When was the last time that you put down your worries for a day to just do what you want to do? Life is like a rock, its rocky and times get rough, but at the end of the day you keep rolling a long. Your path to life is undetermined and you  don't know where you'll end up, but no matter how big or small you feel, you WILL MAKE IT.

What do you live for?  I live to have the opportunity to go to college to make a positive impact in my life as well as others. I live for all the people who can't do what I can do on a normal basis. I live to learn from my mistakes and become a better person everyday. I live to dream, and fight for what I believe in. I live to love, and show my family that they have shaped me into the man I am today. I live to LIVE. I live to spread my thoughts, and feelings to people who could use them. I live because I have been given the opportunity of a life time, to be the best that I can be every day. I live  because through the ups and downs, I know I will make it.

What do you live for??

I will end with this...

Don't forget about the people who have gotten you to where you are today. People look up to you, some people will look down on you and that is okay. No one person will ever be perfect, but you can always be who you want to be, who you ARE. Don't change for someone else's pleasure, because the people that love you for who you truly are wouldn't ever want you to change.

So what do you live for? How do you want to live your dash? Time will tell...so START NOW. Live your life, be supportive of others, and never forget your life and who you are. Someone out there looks up to you for all you do. Live once, live now, live for today, and never forget what you live for.

Have a great rest of the week everyone.

Grant H.

How do you define TIME?

Today is Monday September 10th, and today I have something interesting to talk about that I was thinking about earlier.

In a couple blogs ago, I talked about how as I have become older I have gained much more appreciation of my family, loved ones, friends etc..

So I was thinking, WHY IS THIS? It really started to hit me, I think the reason is TIME. As  young kids we grew up in a protected environment where our parents and siblings take care of us. Our worries in the world were so small when we were young that we didn't really think about the BIG things! You are probably asking what are BIG things? I will shout out some: Having a bond with your parents or siblings. Keeping in touch with your grandparents/ seeing them when you can. Maintaining long distance friendships with friends, being with the one person that may make you happy even on your darkest days, embracing the moments you have with your friends, living for the PRESENT and many more.

The whole point I am getting is that it all revolves around TIME. Yes, you may complain about studying, and doing school work and that is going to happen. The problem is sometimes we don't feel like we have enough time in the day to finish everything, and maybe that is true, but believe me there is TIME. How about a TEXT or call to someone? A text can take less than 10 seconds to someone right? Those days when your feeling so overwhelmed just walking to the library stopping to talk to someone that you havent talked to in a long time can brighten up your day. The TIME is all around us!

I will be the first to admit, I have made mistakes in my past...I mean everyone has to a certain extent right?

One of the hardest parts about getting older is seeing your parents and grandparents get older as well. Seeing their health deteriorate is so hard to see. I will never forget about the week that my grand father passed away, having to go into the hospital multiple times knowing that it may be the last time seeing him.

Its a harsh reality, but getting older makes me or maybe you remember how important family and friendships are in your life. We are getting older, and we always talk about TIME.

My feeling is not always about having time but about MAKING TIME. I remember my sophomore year in college I would spend my friday nights doing homework and studying, until the 2nd semester when some of my friends made me get out of the room and have some FUN.

So my feeling is this: How do YOU define TIME? Simple..maybe not? If you've made it this far in the reading then hopefully you can think about how YOU define TIME?

We all have different lives, different stories, different problems, different families, different circumstances, different names, different majors, different interests, different friendships..BUT we all have TIME.

Making time for the people that mean the most is not everyone is able to do, I understand that. I've come to realize the people that you want to make time for then you will! NO ONE said it would be easy, and that is okay.

So how have you split up your time lately? Heck, we all could do better, I am sure I could as well, but as I like to say tomorrow is a new day, tomorrow is a new day to shine, and tomorrow I will still have time. Will YOU?

I have a heart beat, two legs, two visible eyes, and working limbs. I know this year I am going to make it one to remember. How will you spend this year. Or should I say how will you spend your time?!

THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THE BEST OF EVERYTHING, THEY JUST MAKE THE BEST OF EVERYTHING :)

Thanks for reading everyone. Have a great night and a day tomorrow on Tuesday

Grant H.

What is IMPORTANT to YOU?

Today is Sunday September 2nd and I am sitting at my desk right now on this cool day outside as it looks like it could rain at any second!

I titled this blog, "What is IMPORTANT to YOU" because while everyone has different aspects of their lives that are highly important to them, I believe we all probably have many over lapping similarities.

The other day I was at a SHIP football game, and last year I didn't go to many of the football games because the team was not playing very well, and quite frankly it just got boring to me. While for this last game I only stayed for just a HALF, being part of a school cheering for a team reminded me how much being part of a team is important to me. Whether it was high school basketball, an intramural basketball team in college, cheering for my school in athletics, or just being with friends yelling at the top of your lungs is special in itself.

I feel sometimes, we have to go back to our roots, where we all began to remind us of what is important in our lives. Now I'm not sitting here thinking, "what is important in my life", rather I am sitting here wondering "what makes me passionate about my life" Getting the grasp of the statement yet? Lets take a deeper look into it.

You know, everyone has a STORY to tell, not the bed time kind of story, but rather a story of their life, or maybe just who they are as a person in general. My freshman year in college, I was VERY nervous about having to move 2 hours away from home, but unbelievably excited to begin a new adventure and spread my wings. So far in my 3 years at SHIP I have met so many people and had some of the best experiences of my life.

Back to the question, "What is IMPORTANT to YOU?" Perhaps, you may be sitting here reading this blog thinking, "Family, Friends, Home..etc etc"..and that is GREAT! There is nothing wrong with that, but lets try to dig a little deeper!!

What is important to you? Maybe it is going to the gym on a Saturday night when no one else is there and its just you and the music and lights on! Maybe, its going for late night walks, maybe its calling your parents, maybe its seeing that special someone, maybe its being in the arms of that special someone, maybe its being adventurous, ask yourself that.

I will ask you again, what is important to you..or more specific..what are you passionate about?!

Sometimes even I feel like I get away from what I love to do! You all have heard the saying, "it is the little things in life"..well all said and done, it is the little things in life that mean the MOST. Be who you are, love what you love, do what matters the most to you, be proud of it, and don't EVER be ashamed of who you are.

I began writing this blog in early January, and have gotten reviews in the past of how much it meant to people reading these blogs, some people may think I get sanctification out of it, well maybe youre RIGHT, the fact that I could possibly touch someone else is amazing in itself!

So I will end with this today, try grabbing a piece of paper or a mental note in your head and start thinking of some things you love to do or are passionate about. We all have plenty, I know I sure as heck do too!

GO OUT AND DO THEM, don't ever be afraid to love or express what or maybe even WHO you love. The worst thing you could ever do is not say or do what TRULY means the most to you. I'm not going to go on a rant about what I love in my life, because it isin't about me, it is about US all and doing what makes US happy.

For example, this week..I REALLY want to go for a bike ride, I REALLY do just miss it. So I am hoping to be able to go for a bike ride somehow, I just need to find a bike to do it. I will try to make it happen..

What will you try to make happen..

better yet...WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU.

Grant H. 

It Only Takes One Person

Today is August 24th, and I can't believe how long it has been since I wrote a blog. I have been at Ship for RA training for the past week and a half so it feels like I have been basically been out of the social world for a while!

It is currently 10 a.m. and needed some time to pass by, so I figured now would be perfect time. This is my Senior year of college already, I can't believe I am saying that already! I remember when I was a freshman....haha

Anyways, as the freshman have moved in yesterday it has begun to hit me how important it is for us to give people a CHANCE. I titled this blog, 'It Only Takes One Person" because sometimes it only takes one person to change your life completely.

Last year as an RA I became close with a lot of the residents that lived in my building, and not only did I feel like a became a resource for them, but someone they could talk to if they ever needed to. Last year was full of ups and downs, but I am a firmly believer that your past makes you who you are today in a good way.

Last year in the Spring I met my girlfriend, and now we have been together for almost 6 months, and to be honest I never thought I would have met someone like her. You just NEVER KNOW what life can bring you.

Maybe you're not in college, maybe your working at a full time job, maybe you don't have a job, maybe you don't feel like you have anyone. The truth is, there are so many people in this world that need help. If I had the power to wipe away peoples worries and there problems I would in a heartbeat. An important aspect that I have learned in my 3 years in college is that, it truly is one of the best times of your life.

The other day I was at a session where a guest speaker talked about your dash! You're wondering, what is your dash? Well your dash is what goes between your name on a tombstone. What you make of your life between the beginning and end is up to you! Everyone has a DASH, but how you live your life and the way you approach it is a task in itself.

At the end of the day it really only takes one PERSON. If you can impact someones life for the good then sometimes that is all that matters. Life is full of laughter, joy, happiness..and sometimes it just takes someone to make you feel like you want the world to be yours.

I remember last year in the Fall, this girl was outside of the study lounge and seemed upset. She had a rough situation going on at home, and had a secret she really wanted to let off her chest. We talked for about twenty minutes, and she felt comfortable enough to tell a friend she had just met at college two weeks earlier something she had never told anyone. Personally I don't know what her story was, but on that day I was able to help just ONE person, no matter how small it may have seemed to me.

The truth is, whether it is with your family, a friend, someone your close to..people sometimes just want someone to understand who they ARE. So if your taking time to read this blog on Friday or maybe later this week try taking the time to meet someone NEW. Everyone has a story to tell, you'd be suprised to see what people have to tell.

There is 24 hours in a DAY, which means everyone can make time out of their day to talk to someone new. Maybe your at lunch and your getting something to drink and you start up a random convo with someone next to you. Who knows what will happen?!

Nothing in life is guaratneed, but you can always give someone else a chance. IT ONLY TAKES ONE PERSON.

I have heard time after time that LOVE cures all, and maybe that is true, BUT giving other people in your life a chance could change yours and others world completely.

Take what you want from this blog, but just remember it only takes one person, one moment, one minute to change someones life. It may be something simple as complementing someone, or giving them a hug. We're all human, we all just want a CHANCE.

You have heard it before and youll hear it again: You only live once! Love the people who care for you, times may get rough, but that doesn't mean it is time to GIVE UP. Live for today, live for now, you just never know who you'll meet...better yet...you never know how much you may mean to someone!
Have a Great weekend everyone!

Grant.

My thoughts and feeling on the Colorado Shooting

It has been almost a week now since the shooting that killed 12 people in Auroa, Colorado during the midnight showing of the Batman movie.

I don't need to go into the specifics because by now you know mostly everything that happened. Today I was flipping through the channels and I  saw breaking news that this Monday the college in Colorado that  he was attending received mail from him on Monday that he had sent. It was a notebook that had drawings of someone killing people, a bunch of images he drew from what I heard.

No matter the way you look at it, the entire thing is scary. We live in a society where we all have places we feel that we can go to and be safe. For example, school, college, resturants, colleges, the movies, our own homes, etc etc. When I first heard of the news Saturday morning I literally was frozen as I sat on my bed.

So many innocent lives were lost day, due to a sick minded man that decided he was going to end so many lives that had such bright futures. I had so many thoughts about this shooting that happened, but today I want to quickly discuss FIVE thoughts that I have after everything that has happened.

1.) The question: How could this HAPPEN: You can think of everything that happened over and over and it doesnt change the fact that we live in an unpredictable world. Sadly, people are abused, die and are killed everyday. :(. What makes this situation worse is that it took place in a movie theater, the last place where anyone would expect such a massacre to take place. All over the news reporters talk about GUN CONTROL and how he could have bought all the ammo and the guns. Yes, he purchased them legally, but the fact of the matter, as a society it is not guns that kill people, PEOPLE kill people. Its an awful thought, but there is nothing we can really do to prevent it. Sometimes the quietest people can be the ones that are going through the worst of times. James Holmez killed so many innocent people, but NO ONE ever would have thought a man could do such a thing. The problem is in society people think there needs to be stricter rules on guns and other weapons, but quite frankly there is not much we can do. People may argue that, but James Holmez just goes to show us ALL that anyone us capable of doing anything no matter how normal we may seem.

2.) A woman brought her 4 month old baby to the midnight premiere. SO MANY PEOPLE are putting blame on the mother and father for this. Yes, they all did survive thankfully, but their getting so much criticism. If the shooting never happened no one would ever say anything, but because of this tragedy people feel they have the right to judge. THAT ONE INCIDENT, does not make them bad parents. Once again people may disagree with me, and I agree that at that time of the night that baby should have been home  but that in no right makes them bad people. We all have made mistakes before and they will learn from it. Time to have empathy for all the victims. Enough damage has been done to families for the rest of their lives. When is enough, ENOUGH

3.) The other day the news was talking about this military man that lost his life. He was actually based in Colorado at the time, but was going to see the movie Saturday instead of Friday at night. Two of his military buddies wanted him to go and basically coerced him to go Friday night. It was so packed that night and the man that lost his life went into theater 8, and his two friends got there before hand and had to sit in theater 9. A couple days later one of his military friends that basically made him go was crying on tv, because he blames himself for making him go. His friend his dead and he survived. I legit got teary eyed seeing this on LIVE television. The reporter then looks at him and says twice to his face, "This is not your fault, It is not your fault". I can't help but sit there in the moment and think how this man is going to live the rest of his live with that on his chest. I can't begin to imagine, I really don't even know what to say, it is just sad overall around.

4.) Remember the Columbine shooting, the VA shooting, 9/11, and now this. The thing is there are murders everyday, people lose their lives, and its sad to see people not be more affected by this. It could happen to anyone. This is a time to be aware of our surroundings, the people in our lives. Could more have been done? NO ONE knows the answer to that question, but people have the chance to make in impact in society. Should we pay more close attention to suspicious people? I don't know the answer to that, but it is a reminder that our lives are fragile. One minute and it could be gone. Up NEXT is my final and most important thought concerning the shooting in Colorado.

5.) A time of remembrance, and be grateful. The thing is in our lives we all deal with pain and loss. Whether its a job, a loved one, a relationship, a parent, a life, a valued item etc etc. The concluding thought I have about the shooting in Colorado is that taking a couple minutes of prayer for the victims and their familes and friends would be great. People always say life goes by FAST, but what about the people who lose their lives so young? The people who have no say? It happens everyday, and I hope an incident like this can make people be even more grateful for what they have in their lives. Easier said than done, but can you imagine losing you closest friend, a boyfriend/girlfriend, a parent etc. It is crazy to think about.

I don't mean to write this and preach, but I even need to be more grateful in my life. The fact is our lives are precious and we need to take advantage of our time with our family and friends. I've had family members die in my family from cancer related problems, ive had family members have breast cancer. I've seen people suffer from not having enough food to eat, I've seen people felt like they have lost their world because of someone committing suicide. The fact is, we all have witnessed hardships in our lives whether it is personally or in the news.

Let today be the beginning of a day where maybe you pray more. Maybe you tell someone you love them one more time. SOMEONE out there can use it. Heck even I need to pray more, there is not a day that goes by that I don't think about someone that needs help, even if it is my family. We're all human and deal with hardships in our daily lives DIFFERENTLY. Some people express it differently than others, some like to write and some like to speak.

Maybe praying is not something you like to do, maybe you could try having someone else in your thoughts. Having someone in your thoughts could change the way you act and behave. It could change the way you think. Maybe God is listening? Who knows, but everyone could it sometime.

Over the past 4 months since I have met my girlfriends Mimi, I often think about her and pray when I can. She is battling cancer again, and even though she has could not walk for a while and could not stand up she is getting much better again. Cancer is a terrible thing for any family to endure!  I'm grateful to have a family that is positive when needed and gives me encouragement through my toughest times even if it may be as simple as me being nervous about an exam grade. I even have an absolute wonderful girlfriend who is so strong, even stronger than she can know for not ever giving up on her loves ones who are currently and have been through the hardships of cancer.

SO NOW, we all have difficulties in our lives, and this shooting in Colorado has reminded me to be grateful for my LIFE. yes, MY LIFE. Life is an amazing thing, and to have to even think about it coming to an end is awful. People deserve to be happy. What ever it may be, DON'T EVER LOSE TRACK OF IT. No matter how long your life is, be grateful for what you got, because you never know when it will be gone. Happiness is something we all talk about, so lets be grateful for it, embrace it, and don't lose track of what it means to you.

My prayers go out to everyone, have a great weekend everyone!

Grant H

A Random Thought I had Today

If you clicked on this link, I hope you take the time to read all what I have to say.

So yesterday I watched the movie called, " The Fat Boy Chronicles." I'm not going to go deep into what the movie is about, but the title says a lot about the movie. In case you would like a QUICK explanation, well then here you go. It is about a kid in highschool that gets picked on everyday in school because of his weight, does not have many friends, and thinks he can't get a girl he really wants bad because of his weight. Throughout the movie the kid gets bullied by people and it isin't until late in the movie someone finally stuck up for him.

Your Wondering..MY POINT?

The problem is that, even though it just a MOVIE, it is realistic and happens in school today. I will be the first to say when I was in elementary school I legit looked like a meatball, I didn't wear clothes that were high priced name brand, I didn't play sports, basically I was an EASY TARGET. What makes it worse I was a little cry baby so it made it worse for my case, BUT I don't want to talk about me right now.

You hear it all of the time growing up to not pick on people, and that its just a JOKE? Well believe me when you have to go through out your everday getting picked on because you're not like everyone else, then it is more than a joke. A couple years ago a Gay kid that went to Rutgers committed suicide because his roommate secretly video taped him in his dorm room with another guy. The guy that got video taped ended up jumping off a bridge days later and ended his life. Is it still a joke? You know the old saying, "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt"

Now everyone has insecurities, maybe its their nose, their face, their hair, their weight, their feet..anything...I'm sure everyone has something small or big. I'm not writing this saying "OH DONT JOKE AROUND WITH YOUR FRIENDS ANYMORE"..

What I'm saying is sometimes you don't have to put someone else down to be funny. Thats the problem I feel like, people sometimes make fun of others just to fit in and make others laugh. Until you've been the laughing stock of everyone you'll never understand what it feels like.

Bullying will never stop in schools, and the making fun of others won't either, but how you treat your friends, family, and even your relationships with others can go a long way.

It shouldn't matter whether your 6 foot 7, 4 foot 11, tall, skinny, big, missing a leg, someone with disabilites.etc...heck what have they ever done to you?

At college I am a Resident Assistant, and last year in the fall I remember a bunch of residents from the residence hall decided to play volley ball. I'll be honest, everyone that was playing was playing for fun and wasn't very athletic or physically fit. The one guy who played was playing all serious, and got mad cause no was real good at volleyball. He just walked off the sand and went back inside. I looked at him as he walked away, and just thought, "wow, how old are we"

Bullying, or making fun of someone goes farther than just in school, but in our everyday lives. I understand we all need a laugh sometimes, heck I laugh all the time when I'm around my friends, but you might NEVER know that person that takes it more serious on the inside than you know.

You'd be astonished how many people in college go to the counseling services, it is astonishing!

Have you ever made fun of someone even if they took it the wrong way? I have. Have you ever seen someone break down? We all probably have. Is anyone perfect? Nope. Can YOU make a difference in someone elses live? EVERYDAY.

Sometimes a simple hug, or even a hello can make the BIGGEST difference in someones lives. It shouldn't matter where you have come from, because at the end of the day, WE'RE ALL HUMAN.

Everyday is a new day, make a new friend, say hello to someone new, get to know someone you barely talk to, you  JUST never KNOW what you may learn about them :)

Watch what you say, they become habits. It is never too late to better yourself, just always remember...people are listening

Have a good night everyone and enjoy your weekend!

One thing you must always keep in mind

Sadly, I did not realize how long it has been since I wrote a blog. This has been my first one since June 21st, thank you Greg P for the reminder. Whether it is one person or a bunch of people, the fact that some people out their read them drives me to keep them going, so here I go.

If you know me I can be kind of weird sometimes, a jokester, pretty loud, someone that likes to laugh, competitive person and so on. BUT, on the other side I am one that feels it is good to express how you feel, what is on your chest, whether it be good or bad a lot of people in this world are looking for someone to relate to.

So today I want to talk about, ONE THING YOU MUST ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND.

This message is not about YOLO, or living in the moment, this message today is sometimes you have to remember to keep others in mind. You may ask what do I mean by keeping others in mind?

Have you ever known someone that has been on food stamps? Someone that is poor? Someone that can't afford to buy very nice clothes? Someone that has everyone given to them? Someone battling cancer? Someone who has a secret that their afraid to tell? Someone that just needs a helping hand? Someone who is dieing that you can't help? Someone who is selfish?...THE FACT IS, NO MATTER HOW HARD IT IS SO ACCEPT IT, I BELIEVE WE ALL KNOW SOMEONE DEALING OR HAVE DEALT WITH THIS...and yes there are plenty more examples.

So today, or tonight since it is 10:47 p.m. I want to keep my message simple, KEEP IN MIND OTHERS SITUATIONS. I am a firm believer when I am having a bad day that someone out there has it ten times worse. I have seen my family struggle in the past, I have seen kids at my internship struggling to change their lives for the GOOD.

Lets get real with this, Have you ever been SO STRESSED..lets say over a test, a relationship, your parents, getting what you want..blah blah blah. I will be the first to admit, when it comes to taking exams in college I get very overwhelmed. I push myself too hard and I even lose sleep sometimes because I want to succeed so bad. These last two summers have given me a different outlook on life, through my FAMILY and through my WORK.

You know sometimes I feel like in society we lost track of how bad some people have it. I am not sitting here writing this saying you should do this or that for other people. Im saying just take a closer glimpse of other peoples lives. Last year as an RA I learned a lot about peoples lives and secrets they have never shared with others. I' even had a friend text me one night when they were upset, because she had NO ONE to talk to. We all have our stories, I began writing these blogs to get things off MY CHEST and to see if other people were interested. Over the past 6 months I have gotten really nice feedback and I am so grateful for that.

So my message today is, KEEP others in mind, throughout your daily day. People are fighting for their lives, people are struggling to put food on the table..you can imagine the rest.

So please, youll see a change in yourself when instead of thinking about what you want or need and start thinking about what you can do to help others. I already have an idea for my next blog!

Want to make a difference? Think about who you are.You don't know someone struggling? I feel we all do. It isisnt about knowing what to say, sometimes it is about LISTENING.

I understand it is late, but it is never to start learning more about your friends and family. The moment you start taking others into consideration when you live your daily life youll begin to see a change on your perspective on life.

I understand this blog has not been very specific,but that is on PURPOSE. I want you to take this message and take it the way you want to.

ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND OTHERS LIVES,..I don't know my plans for the future, but I want to help make the lives of others better in any way that I can, because sometimes all someone needs is someone there FOR THEM! :)

Be ready for my next blog very soon.

Night Ya'll

Grant H

2 Recent Events That Have Got Me Thinking

Today, I am going to talk about 2 recent events that have got me thinking about....taking what we have for granted. I will try my best to be direct and to the point.

Event Number 1: While I was at work last week (as a cashier), a woman came through my line with I believe her grandson. She must have been over 50 years old at least. The boy said in a joking way, "You are a mean old ugly lady" and the woman replied, "well that is okay, because the one person in the world that counts as in my husband still thinks I'm beautiful"

Event Number 2: While I was at work again last, one of the cashiers that I was working next to ( I don't even know the person, but began a random conversation with her while be both didn't have any customers). So I asked her if she was doing anything exciting that weekend, and she said not really. I said I don't really have too much to do when I am home for the summer from college and that I was really excited to leave that upcoming week to see my girlfriend! Of course me acting a fool getting all excited, I then asked her if she goes to college? She said she had already finished, and me being shocked asked what she graduated in? She replied by saying that she only went to college for a couple semesters and didn't finish because college just wasn't for her and financially she couldn't afford it. She then said that she is okay working in retail and in factory work for the time being because she is happy and it keeps her financially stable at the time. She said it with a serious face, with a side smile as if she didn't care what other people thought. She didn't care that she didn't go to college, she is doing what she wants to do, what makes HER happy.

So who ever may be reading to this point, if I was to ask you if you could make not going to college anymore, or if you could live without your cellphone for months at a time, or if I told you that you were going to have to drive a really cheap car that barely works, could you DO IT? You may be asking, what is my POINT in all of this? This all got me thinking, how the little things I take advantage of, as well as most people do.

We all want (well most I'm "assuming") want to have that special someone that they can call theirs. Someone to be by their said through the dark and bright times. Someone that won't judge them for who they are, and can laugh with them through their stupid moments. Someone who can show unconditional love, even if their not the greatest looking. Someone they can trust and look in the eye and mean what they say. Someone that wants to be around for a while, not just a month or two. THIS WOMAN, I tell you what, with how old she was she didn't care what other people thought, but rather accepted who she was and realized that the person that means the most to her still thought she was beautiful. This moment really made me freeze for a moment, because honestly it shouldn't matter what people think of you, because the people that mean the most in your life, know who you really are. Don't let other people bring you down for their negativity, because even if its just 1 or 2 people out there, that there is someone who understands YOU, and if not, the least care about the person that you are.

In reference to this co-worker of mine, it made me THINK. In society today it is looked more highly upon for people to go to college after high school and earn their degree in order to get a well paying job. Well if there is anything I have learned in my 21 years of existence it is that the moment you START to compare yourself to others then you doing yourself an injustice!!  You can't look at other peoples lives and think thats how yours should be. Everyone has different family, friends, and quite frankly lives. No one said you have to completely understand someone and the reason for why they are the way they are, but an important thing to remember is that everyone is different.

Everyone chooses a different path in life. Some choose to go to college, some choose love over friendships, some choose moving away from their hometown, some people settle in their own hometown, some people travel the world, what everyone should think about doing is living the life THEY WANT.

Heck I am 21 years old (old fart huh?..nahhh) and I have many dreams and goals I would like to accomplish someday. Some reasonable, some are far fetched. Are they hall accomplish-able? YES. Will I need help? More than likely. What is it going to come down to how much I am willing to risk and give up in order to accomplish all these? I don't know, but one thing I am certain about, I need to focus on me and not OTHERS. Easier said then done, but what im focused on is being HAPPY. What will be my main focus of happiness 5 or 10 years from now? Heck if I know, a lot will change between now and then. I know what makes me happy now, but I don't need you to focus on me, focus on YOU. Ask yourself that, when you know it don't lost track of it. Some things in life come around once in a life time, and well quite frankly you only live once. Catchy huh, but its true. What makes you happy, Don't worry about tomorrow, live for today.

One day at a time: Thats the motto: one day at a TIME.

Don't compare yourself to others, live YOUR LIFE, and please..please..do what makes you happy, no matter who or what that may be, because thats what matters at the end of the day. God Bless

Grant H.

What is your ROADBLOCK in life?

One of my favorite quotes from Martin Luther King is, "
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."


Everyone has a weakness(or weakness's) and even attributes that make them special in a positive way. If there is anything that I have learned in my life, it is that I am in control of my own life. As a human their are a lot of factors I CANNOT control. I can't control the weather, my friends actions, what is going to happen tomorrow, what will happen five years from now, whether a employer wants to employ me, who is going to be a part of my life years from now when I am no longer in college, if the eagles will ever win the super bowl, and many more BUT there are a lot of different aspects of my life that I can control. Before I go into what I CAN control, I want to ask you..what is your ROAD BLOCK in life? You may be asking me to define what I mean by a road block.


My definition of a road block is a belief/person/circumstance/ or opinion that stands in the way or holds you back from completing/having/or being something you long for or want to accomplish. Complicated definition? I will make it easier for you: A road block in life is something in your life that makes you almost feel like your stepping a foot backwards instead of FORWARD.

As you get older, I feel like I have gained more appreciation for the family and friends I do have in my life. Going through high school and now college I have had many friends, I have lost friendships and relationships, but there are will always be those people there as the years go by. When I think about it, all the way from my freshman year to my senior year in college coming it is AMAZING how many people I have met and become friends with. I've come to the realization that someday when I am no longer around people will go their separate ways, pursue their dreams, and be with their loves ones. I'm a firm believer in that whether someone has lots of money or none at all what is important is how happy you are.

How does this connect then? Happiness and road blocks? We all have something about us that frightens us, or afraid of that could prevent us from being happy. Back to the Martin Luther King quote:  Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

In order to take a step forward, you have to take a step backwards. Look at who you ARE. How would your friends define YOU? More importantly how do you define you? Bottom line is you are the driver of your life, the captain of your journey, the one who has the hand on the wheel. As my one good friend used to say, "Don't tell me how rocky the sea is, just bring the damn ship in"

So ask yourself what is your roadblock in life: Is it fear of failure? Fear of losing friends? Fear of disappointing everyone? Fear of not being worthy enough? Fear of not being smart enough? Fear of no one caring? Fear of YOURSELF?

Just think about it, if you never have the faith to take a chance, then you'll never give yourself a chance. I will say it again, if you never give yourself a chance, you'll never be able to see how GREAT you really can be.

Haters will hate, and motivators will motivate, thats my line that I made up, because people will hate, people will want to ruin your happiness, thats why you got to look beyond all that, smile and know your better than all of that.

So I will ask you again, your roadblock..what is it?

Your not the first, and you sure as heck wont be the last to ever doubt yourself. Heck, I do sometimes. If I said I didn't id be lieing, but I know at the end of the day I will fight for what I want and love in my life. My point today is, take that leap of faith, that CHANCE..to want greatness you have to want to risk it all. You may not get what you expected in whatever situation it may be, but youll never know if you don't take a chance.

Sometimes a chance is all you need, whether its for success, love, employement, opportunity, or even a chance to live.

In order to live, you have to breathe. In order to succeed you have to BELIEVE!

IN ORDER TO LIVE, YOU HAVE TO BREATHE. IN ORDER TO SUCCEED YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE.

Have a great night ya'll

Grant H.

Should you give IN or continue with a CHIP on your shoulder?

Often before growing up once or twice you have heard the expression that someone has a "chip on their shoulder." Most people look at this expression in a bad way, which is very true depending on the way you channel this so called "chip".

Today's blog that I am writing comes from watching a special story about Kobe Bryant on ESPN. Today is Thursday May 31st at 7:21 p.m., and during this piece on Kobe Bryant he started talking about why he plays the game of basketball. Now if you know me at all, you would know I am very big into sports, usually when I turn on the TV that is the channel that pops up. Before I go into this blog post further, I want to define to you what having a "chip" on your shoulder actually means. Some people may look at having a chip on your shoulder as having a very aggressive attitude or being easily angered. Another possible definition is someone who carries themselves with a rough edge, who may takes situations to serious or stops at nothing when their focused.

So I ask you, how do you define having a chip on your shoulder? Do you have a chip on your shoulder or have you ever? When I started writing this blog, I was thinking having a chip on your shoulder is a good thing, but as I write this I am beginning to realize it is a good thing which can turn into a bad thing. As I watching a piece on Kobe Bryant he talked about why he plays the game of basketball, he said it's not because he loves the paychecks, but that he loves the game. He said he doesn't hate having to go workout or go to practice or to the gym, because it is his passion in life.

It started to click to me, basketball is by far my favorite sport. I have been playing since I was in 7th grade and stopped playing on a team as I moved on to college. So you're wondering what does THIS have to do with having a CHIP on your shoulder? When I play the game of basketball, I am very intense, I don't joke around. When I play, I play to win. Whether it is outside on the blacktop with friends, or on the basketball court in the gym. For me, I feel like I have a chip on my shoulder. Growing up I didn't have the benefit of being tall, or having some of the athletic skills that many of my peers have. If I ever wanted to earn respect from my teammates, get a couple minutes on the court during games, or even be accepted into the team I did it in two ways: HARD WORK AND TEAMWORK.

So here is where I am going to dig deeper into what having a chip on your shoulder is about. I will be he first to admit that I am a very selfless person, but sure I can be stubborn sometimes. I have grown up with not having as much as some people, or having the opportunities to go to places and do things that some people have so maybe thats why sometimes I feel like I have a chip on my shoulder. What kind of chip are you thinking about that you may have?

Lets see, I hate being doubted, I am that person that will go for a late night run at 1 am in the morning to workout, I will study in the study lounge until I can't hold my eyes open anymore, I will be there messaging you to make sure you are alright, or even if you need a laugh :).

I'm the one that doesn't necessarily like receiving gifts, because I am one that feels that I don't need gifts an that it can go towards a better cause. I'm one of those people that you won't ever really see upset, and if something is bothering me, you won't see it affecting me. Most of the time if someone seems me upset, or stressed it normally revolves around school work. Don't get me wrong, I know its not smart to hide your emotions, but it all depends on how you have dealt with situations when you were raised.

Enough talking about me, because that's not what this whole thing is about. If you can read this whole blog and say that you have never had a chip on your shoulder, then I don't know if your truly digging enough.

I believe having a chip on your shoulder is a good thing, but if not channeled the right way it can turn bad real fast. I remember for my last birthday, a bunch of my friends wanted to go out to eat for it, but I rejected them. I was dealing a lot at the time with my father, a lot that my friends honestly wouldn't be able to begin to understand. On that afternoon I wasn't in the mood to deal with all the happiness of the day and joy my friends were trying to have on my birthday because I couldn't get the negative thoughts out of my head that were stressing me. That day I learned I made some of my friend irritated, because they didn't know why I just randomly wanted not to go. They didnt understand, and I didn't give them a chance.

I am all about living a learning. I've made plenty of mistakes in my life, haven't we all? I am becoming much more of a person that allows people to do things for me. I'm learning that sometimes you need help, sometimes you have to let someone try to understand you and where you have come from to appreciate who you are. Being a resident assistant for my 1st year was a real eye opener. I heard many stories about peoples lives.

I'm sure we all have been angry at one point in our lives right? I am one that always tries to channel my emotions into a way other than people aka deal with it myself. I'm sorry for talking about me in this blog, I just think its the only appropriate way to understand what having a chip on your shoulder actually means. This past year I will honestly say has been one of the toughest of my entire life, and I am sure there will be others like it too, but what I have learned from it will last a life time. You know the saying, "misery loves company"..well I can honestly say its basically true. The moment you start blaming yourself for everything in your life and not giving yourself a chance then your doomed. Before you know it your thoughts become your actions, and your actions become your lifestyle, and your lifestyle becomes how you will be remembered.

No one likes to apologize for their actions, no one likes to admit their mistakes, but sometimes you need to in order to move on with your life. You know I have many goals in my life and one is to be a motivational speaker, I have no idea how would I do this, but Its something I would like to channel someday, whether its at a job or coaching kids/teenagers, or even adults someday.

The word having a CHIP on your shoulder revolves around having PRIDE. Yes, having PRIDE in yourself and how you carry yourself. Don't become hopeless, don't be the one that blocks all of your friends out from understanding who you really are and your passions in life. In the movies and sometimes in real life it portrays life as being easy as cake sometimes, that everything will turn out okay in the end. Thats not always true, life isint always going to be strawberry's and cake, but what YOU do about it is up to YOU!.

Ask yourself this: Do you have a chip on your shoulder? What does it deal with? Relationships? Friends? Trusting people? Fear of being accepted? Being picked on? Not being good enough for anyone? Fear of being successful? WHAT? Just ask yourself, no one is perfect, and life would not be great if they were, because there would be nothing to learn from then.

If you don't realize what your CHIP is, it can take over your actions, thoughts, and lifestyle. So what should you do about it. You could forget about it? NOPE, that won't solve anything.

So you want my advice on getting rid of this chip you might have? The only way to answer that is to ask yourself what do you want to see happening from it? The way to begin is to forgive the people that may have hurt you in the past, the people that have you made you who you are. The moment you realize that sometimes our worries are small compared to what we should worry about sometimes is the step in the right direction. So don't push it to the side, walk OVER IT.

Build a bridge, and walk over it. Make peace with your past actions and friends. We ALL have been hurt one way or another. Have I been pissed off, mad, stressed out, and even angered by friends that are people close to me in my life..yes. Have you? Good chance yes!

So here I go again, what is your chip? YES, your CHIP. It may have took me 20 years to exactly understand what I feel like my chip is, if you're ever curious, don't be afraid to message me or even ask me what mine is. I'd be more than willing to answer what it is, and maybe you could even open to me about yours is too. You are never told old to learn about other people.

Thats one thing I love about life, learning about other people. We all have out stories, and everyone is different! Thats the best part, no one ever said they would truly be able to understand you, but you could MAYBE give them a chance.

A CHIP HUH. Share that chip with someone. Don't let that chip take over your life, you take over that CHIP. Have any questions, just ask me. I'm not shy, believe me.

Have a great night everyone...and if you actually have read this far..I mean who knows, I will ask you again. What is your CHIP. Find it, and use it in a right way. Never forget that living and learning is a part of life, and that the moment you think you have it figured out is the point where your walls can come crashing down. For example, have you ever had a loved one or a close friend that you have had to end it with. Your done with everything and you think your on the right path before all the sudden memories start to appear. You become frustrated, a don't care attitude, then you start doubting yourself about the choices you made. No one can go back in time and change what happened, but you can always make a NEW BEGINNING. We all have an opportunity, so push that chip to the side, and not only give others  chances in your life, but more importantly give yourself a chance for happiness, whether its pursuing a job, loved one, owning a car or a house, or even going somewhere you have never been before.

You Only Live Once.....

Peace,

Grant H

Why do we take LIFE for GRANTED sometimes?

You hear it over and over sometimes to not take life for granted. My goal on this blog post is not to preach to you about not to take life for GRANTED, I just want you to try gain my insight more specifically on why sometimes we do this without even noticing it. I am going to focus on three main points, on how/why we do this, so here I go.

To be more specific, when I say taking life for granted does not mean in any shape or form that you are a bad person. I will be the first to admit, that at times I do it without even noticing it. By understanding or actions and tendencies I believe we can help improve our actions and appreciation for everything we do have in our life.

What made me start thinking about wanting to write this began today while I was at work. During the summer I am doing an internship as well as working as a cashier. Today I was at work as a cashier, and I started to get very tried, well my feet did. I looked at the clock and saw that I still had TWO HOURS left, how in the world was I going to make it. It hit me then, was I complaining mentally, or was I not having a  full appreciation for even having a job. I don't know the response to that question, but it inspired me to write this blog today, so here it truly begins!

Reason Number ONE: I feel like we are SPOON FED. (With my three reasons I am going to give an example that I have witnessed in my life, to make this more real. Define spoon fed: Being given many more opportunites than others, being privelaged to go to places, being given money to do whatever you want etc. Before I go on any further, anything I say following this is not complain about my life or anyone elses, just an insight into how we might all be taking life for GRANTED sometimes. My example: Currently in my life, I will just go out and say this, the car that I drive, I did not purchase myself. I pay for everything else pertaining to my car but I never payed for it. Now there are other things that I have had bought for me, but I wanted to give an example. This past semester in college, I had a Resident Assistant banquet where I was given an award. I didn't want the spot light to be on ME, I wanted to give some one else credit where credit was DUE. Instead of just standing up to get an applause, I went to the front of the room, asked for the microphone, and have myself a couple seconds to talk because I began getting emotinal. I told everyone how rough this semester has been for me, and that I wanted to thank someone today who has been an inspiration to me. This girl, wait no WOMAN on my staff is 22 years old and just recently had the money to purchase her own care, and her own apartment. She would walk to work in the winter and never even ask for a ride. I never realized she did this until I put two and two together. I told everyone how she was an inspiration to me. She got upset, and shed some tears, but HAPPY tears. Thank you SB, I wish you the best of luck on your journey after college. So, ask yourself, what could you have done to help someone else out?? THINK ABOUT IT, I took my life for granted at times and could of helped her out. Could you have done something else for a friend?

Reason Number TWO: We don't take other people into CONSIDERATION. When was the last time you went out of your way to help someone? When was the last time you turned your head away from a problem because you blamed it on someone else. This past semester, I met a resident who always seemed to give me attitude all the time. I feel like I am a nice person, and can take grief from people, but this girl just was always giving me attitude. I brushed it to the side, and figured she was just an angry person. MAN WAS I WRONG! One late night around 2 a.m. I sat in front of her door and we had a heart to heart. I opened up to her about some troubling things in my life, as well as she did. She told me stories, mainly one that shocked me. A story about how she had been physically been punished in the past by close people in her life that have made her she was.(Don't want to go into specifics). Either way, since then we may not have been close friends, but we both had a mutual understanding of each other. It was nice being able to see her smile more, the fact is, sometimes we just want to be HEARD. Not guided, but HEARD. Some people have lost that I believe, a friend is not always about telling them what is right an wrong, but rather just listening to what they have to say. I ask you, have you ever ignored someone? Ever not cared at all about someones thoughts or opinion. Ever given up on someone because of how they treated you once? Yes, sometimes we need to take others into consideation. Instead, of ignoring our problems, why not take a deeper look into them.

Reason Number THREE: We don't take enough time to look around, and see how blessed we truly are. For example: I have had the privelage to go to college, have amazing expeirnces, meet some of the coolest people. I have had the chance to have a job while people are still out there looking for one. I had the privelage of having a family that supports me...etc etc. There are days where I am home for the summer where I am alone all day, with nothing to do. It takes a toll, because it feels as if I don't have many friends, when I thought I really did. Being home for the summer is sweet, but hard because I am not around my friends everyday like when I am at college. Makes you think, when college is over and done with, who will REALLY still try to keep in contact no matter how far or near they are. It's kind of a real thing I'm beginning to think about, I am a senior coming up(ewwww, senior...ewww haha) MY POINT: Instead of thinking negatively, think of what I do have around me, I can go for a run, I have a cell phone to text my friends, I have a car, I have something that we all have in common, the one thing we all forget from time to time..we all have LIFE.

So remember the past three points I have made:I feel like we are SPOON FED. We don't take other people into CONSIDERATION. We don't take enough time to look around, and see how blessed we truly are. Can you relate to any of my examples, I am sure you could if you thought about it. As I said before, I am not writing this blog to say anyone is a bad person, heck I am just saying we all have taken life for granted sometimes, even if we havent realized it. Today I saw a 80 year old couple leave the store holding hands, 80 year olds still in LOVE, now thats what I call happiness.

So tonight or tomorrw if you have taken the chance, I hope in the back of your brain I could have posisbly planted a seed to remember this LIFE you live, and how much we could appreciate what we do have. Seriously, people need help out there, probably your friends you just dont realize it. No one is perfect, I am far from it, believe me. I hate losing people, I hate losing friends that have been close to me, but sometimes you can't control other peoples emotions and thoughts. I hate seeing people struggle, and not being able to help. I hate not being able to dunk a ball, If I could grow 6 inches I would right now. I hate the thought..the thought that I could do MORE. Someone out there tonight is wishing for a miracle, a dream to come true, a wish for someone to come into their life and rescue them, or possibly someone just wants to be heard. When it is all said and done, how you live your life is up to YOU.

Take a moment out of your day to say hi to a friend and see how their doing. Take a second to look around you, and see how blessed you are. Take a moment to sit down and realize how special you are. Take a moment and realize, in this life you live, the possibilites are endless. If you can read this and say you don't or never have taken life for granted, well then I can't change someones perceptions, but I can always give my ideas on ways you can help out others. No one is going to see eye to eye in this world, failures become success because in order to understand what it feels like to be successful, you need to understand what being down on the ground once felt like.

WHY DO WE TAKE LIFE FOR GRANTED...just ask yourself...the answer will be there. If you have read this far into this blog I would love to hear your response, or comment about your reaction to this, what ever you would life. It is currently 10:10 p.m. on a Sunday night, tomorrow starts a whole new week. The sun will rise, and so will you.

I want to thank you all for being either family to me , or even friend no matter how close or far. You all have had impact in my life and many others lives.

So I will leave you with this, don't ask yourself what you WANT, but what could you do for others???

Good night all

Why FEAR is a good thing?

Today is Wednesday May 16th. It is an unbelievably nice day out today, or maybe it is the fact that has not been this nice out in a while that I think it is really NICE OUT.

Today I want to talk about the one thing we all have, and that is FEAR. To many people FEAR can mean many things: For example: Not graduating from college, not being able to provide food for their family, finding a job, going to prison, finding someone who cares about them, figuring out how the bills are going to be payed, telling a secret to someone that needs to be told. I feel like if not one of these fit you, then I am pretty sure someone you know has dealt with FEARS like this at one point time in their lives.

I remember my sophomore year in college I feared this test in math so much that I got sick before class one day where we would review that I had to leave early because I was so nervous. QUESTION: Have you ever had a moment where you feel like your problems are so BIG and then all of the sudden you hear someone you know talk about a hard time their dealing with and all the sudden you feel like your hardships are not as near as bad? I know I have! For a couple minutes, think about what do you fear in your life, no matter how big or small........You know I have grown up being taught by my wonderful mother that no matter how times get that things will get better. At the end of the day, its hard to sit in your chair and think things will end up getting better, but in time THEY WILL.

This past year I have had a lot of unfortunate events happen with me. I've lost family, I've seen people emotinally be on the brink of wanting to end their lives, I have seen people go on a path where they feel like they have nothing to look forward to, BUT let me tell you something, YOU can get past it all.

I will ask you again, what do you FEAR? I put as a facebook status yesterday as, "Whenever you see "impossible" remember to see I'm Possible!" I heard that from a 17 year old girl the other day that really put things into perspective for me. Have you thought about what you fear yet?? Seriously,think about it, write it down, do what you need to do. Once you figure that out, nothing can stop you. The one thing I've learned in my life is that through the good and bad times, it is all what YOU make of it. I am now 21 years old, and I still fear my future, what I will be doing with my life in a year from now, only time will tell. I think about my family, from time to time, what all could happen from a year from now. Thats when I started to click to me, the QUESTIONS. Fear is about fearing something, but its the QUESTIONS we ultimately FEAR. Make sense now?

How often do you question what you are doing? Do you question your intentions as well as others? If your doing the right thing? If you will make it someday? If your making a difference? If you made the right choice?

It is starting to click to me. So I ask you again, what do you FEAR?...I want you to ask you this because FEAR..well it can be a good thing. It drives ME. Yesterday, I was going to go for a run around my land development because I couldnt run two miles because I wasn't in shape yet, BUT i decided I wasnt going to let that stop me. I ended up running from my house to my old highschool and then back to my house which was a total of basically 2 miles.

FEAR is a GOOD THING. I love defying the odds. I hate being doubted! I hate people telling me I can't do something, I hate people not thinking I will follow through with something. The reason I do hate this is because you begin to wonder how much FAITH do your friends or even family have in you. Now dont get me wrong I have a great support system, no matter how big or small it is. Fear is a good thing, because it can drive you to be the BEST you can be.

My mom always says do the best that I can, and thats all that matters. So thats what I try to do each and everyday. The key to success to not hardwork..do you know what it is? The key to success is FAILURE. Understanding that failure hurts, but it only makes us stronger. I have failed many times before with different things in my life, but it only makes me stronger. I am sure I will fail with other things in my life, I have a lot to decide upon in the next yr, whatever rode I have to go down, I will do the best that I can with what I have.

So let me ask you, Why is fear a GOOD THING? Think about it. If you're still reading, then thank you. I know some of all these posts might overlap, and I don't know who all reads this, but I have gotten feedback in the past that people do like reading them (not too much recently, maybe people are reading them and I don't know it) Either way, It is a nice way to express me thoughts, and if one person can be impacted positively, then thats all I could ever ask for :)

Just remember, through the good and bad, times will get better. You never will learn unless you try. So go out there and try to hit  homerun, go for that girl, go for that job, go for that A in the class, go and do what ever you want to accomplish. You live and you learn. Always remember what makes you grit your teeth, what gets you GOING. Never lose faith in YOURSELF :)

Have a great day everyone

Grant H