change

Learn How to Show Empathy for Others.

Hey guys!! I’m back with a short post about compassion. I don’t use this platform to address current events, and I won’t start now. I will talk about the lack of empathy shown on social media and how some of us may feel like we can’t express ourselves without being told “get over it” or “it’s not that deep”. I do this too unfortunately, and I’m a work in progress. One thing I will say about myself that others can’t is that I take accountability for my actions. Let me break down the layers of empathy for those who are not familiar with the term.

Being able to put yourself into someone else’s place, and see their perspective is called COGNITIVE EMPATHY. This is probably the most known form and easiest for us to act upon. You yourself might not go through what others may, but you understand why someone would be upset. Main example would be racism. You don’t have to be a minority to understand why racism is unacceptable and often not forgiven. Have compassion for those who doesn’t take racism lightly and understand that it’s not really your battle to fight. If you’re over something and someone else might still be bothered, that’s OK. There’s no timeline for being able to forgive.

When you’re able to literally FEEL the other persons’ emotions when someone expresses how they feel about things, this is called EMOTIONAL EMPATHY. This is a little tricky because this type could be a good and bad thing. Good because you start to really understand what that person is feeling and why they feel this way, but bad in a sense because  you can’t really give the compassion fully when you start being emotional attached.

Lastly, having an understanding of empathy and taking actions to help them is called COMPASSIONATE EMPATHY. This is probably the most desirable of all three.  Actions speak louder than words for most of us. Showing people and expressing to other’s is a boost for those who need empathy.

Social Media is something that a lot of us view as toxic mainly because of the lack of compassion for important matters. I want to start by saying, I try to avoid being online a lot because when you look for something, you’ll always find it. I find myself looking for the comments that aren’t how I view things and getting myself worked up because of it. It’s like we look for the lack of compassion but in all reality, it’s not that hard to find. I’m learning to follow those who aren’t like this and I’m trying to learn how to ignore what I don’t like on social media. I’m also aware that others can’t handle things like I do.

I hope by reading this you have more of an understanding of what empathy means and why it’s important to have it for others. We as people shouldn’t make people feel bad for things that they should be emotional toward. Who are we to tell people not to care about stuff they have passion for? Be self-aware of your actions when you’re not being sensitive to people’s feelings and note that you’ll be in that person’s shoes someday. Lastly, try not to expect compassion offline. you’ll be disappointed almost every time. #thisiswhatdepressionlookslike

Comfortable in My Own Skin.

I’m starting to enjoy being me and I love it! I used to be so insecure about how I looked and my personality. I know I’m the black sheep of any group I’m involved in and I’m ok with that. There’s no problem with being different, unique, weird or any other term people try to use that comes off offensive. I rather be me then someone that’s like everyone else. I enjoy standing out. A lot of time we confuse being different with being wrong. Sometimes the “norm” is a red flag of insecurities. Just think about it; a lot of people we know or have seen act the same way. Who’s being real? If I see 10 people in a group all acting the same, I know at least two or three isn’t being their real self.

I can honestly say that none of my friends are exactly alike. We’re all are our own persons and I love them for it. With that being said, I’ve had times in my past where I wasn’t comfortable being me with some of my friends. This was because of me and NOT them.  I thought I was weird for liking the stuff that I liked. I could never meet people that liked everything I was into. I basically beat myself up about something that was normal. You won’t ever find people that like all the things you like and that’s OK. My friends never made me feel like I was weird and that’s why they’re my friends.

The people around you makes a difference when you’re trying to find comfort within yourself. You should never befriend anyone that tries to make you change you. Now if you’re attitude is bad or you’re acting out of character that’s different. Your friends should definitely tell you about yourself in that case. I know it’s a thin line, but it’s a line that we all should know exist and respect it. We all have to learn that people’s opinions about us are just opinions. That’s all they really should be for the most part unless something extremely offensive was said. You’ll know the difference.

A lot of my comfort came from me being tired. I’m not an actor so why was I ACTING like I was into things that I wasn’t? I wasn’t happy with myself. Now, with me being my true self, I see why I had trouble with being social. I wasn’t confident in what I was saying because the real me wasn’t speaking or expressing myself. I wrote this post because for the first time in my life I can openly say that I’m comfortable with me. I’m doing everything I been wanting to do and the support I’ve obtain has been overwhelming. Comfort comes from within and it takes some time to get use to. The hardest part is being OK with the fact that others may not like the real you. We spend a lot of our time being cautious with how we act around others, but we lose ourselves in the process. We can’t be afraid of us. Being liberated is about self-expression. #thisiswhatdepressionlookslike

 

My Weekend Recap.

Hello guys. These last few days have been busy for me. Thursday, I went to check out a creative space that I had been researching for a while now. For the first time in a while, I felt like I was doing something that was going to change my life in a great way. The amount of professionalism an office space brings is remarkable. For my team, I think it’ll bring us more people to work with as well as an outlet for us to work even harder. For me, personally, it’ll bring me a piece of mind. I often stress about how I’m not motivated when working from home. It brings too many distractions. Every day, I search for ways to change the way my life is going. I grind every day like I don’t have anything to lose, just so much to gain. Some might say that I overwhelm myself but, in reality, I just want more for myself. Seeing that space gave me the drive to work harder and to fully brand myself.

Also, this weekend, I went to The Revolt Summit. I was there all three days and I couldn’t be more motivated. I saw an ad about the summit a month ago and I just knew I needed to be there. I spent pretty much the last of my check for a pass. Some would say that I wasn’t thinking logically but I saw it as an investment for my future. I didn’t know what I was doing and what exactly I was going to gain from the experience, but I knew it’ll change something within me. Plus, you never know who you’ll meet. I met some amazing career driven individuals. I exchanged information with some as well. I learned a few things that weekend. One thing I learned is to always believe in what you’re doing, and others will follow. I really didn’t know what exactly I wanted to gain from the summit until I started to talk to others about my vision. I received some great feedback from others as well as suggestions on how to make my vision even better. I even received praise for what I trying to do and that made me feel confident about what I was trying to accomplish.

There were quite a few gems I heard over the weekend, but my favorite was to KNOW YOUR WORTH. As a creative, a lot of people tend to shortchange your work. A lot of what we do takes a lot of time, money and effort to accomplish. If I’m a photographer, for example, I had to buy my camera, buy the equipment as well as the editing software I need for touching my pictures up. That could become very costly. Not to mention how much time is put into the pictures. Time is the most valuable thing of all. If your friend is hosting an event, nothing about that is free. Why would you assume you could attend for free if the flyer states otherwise? You should want to purchase tickets unless told otherwise. Let that person get in a position where they can afford for their loved ones to attend everything at a discount. Your worth feels compromised if you don’t say anything. You avoid losing a lot of money by speaking up. Real friends and supporters will still be there regardless. It’s OK with giving a discount of your work from the beginning but at some point, essentially profit from it.

After this weekend, I want to help others more than ever. I’m ready to get my vision out there and to work with others to accomplish theirs. I respect everyone’s craft and I’m always willing to support. For those who are reading this, I want you to know that you can do anything you put your mind to. It’s also ok to say no. Don’t feel bad about that because you have to do what’s best for you sometimes. Don’t let people shortchange your dream when it’s so valuable to you. Lastly, be your biggest fan. My grandmother once told me, “People value self-worth.”  Confidence is everything. Once people see how much you value what you do the support will follow. I hope by reading this you know that believing in yourself is key. You just have be patient and have faith. #thisiswhatdepressionlookslike

Life Lessons.

“Everything happens for a reason.” This is something we’ve been told our whole lives. What does this even mean? This can mean a lot of different things. One thing I learned over time is sometimes you’re not meant to find out. That’s the lesson. Life lessons are things we learn over time that teach of something. Whether it’s a skill or an unspoken rule to life, it’s not something that was created by chemicals. These things are usually created by experiences.

I’m learning a lot about myself lately and it’s great. I spent a lot of my life not understanding my own personality traits. I couldn’t tell you why I felt a certain way or why I did things. Sometimes I still couldn’t tell you, but I learned that I’m unpredictable at times. It’s in my genes. I can’t control it a times and that’s OK. We must learn that we can’t always be in control. We must embrace who we are and work on what we fault within ourselves. Everyone needs some type of guidance. We can’t always rely on self. That’s been my biggest lesson I’ve had to learn.

I grew up pretending that I could do everything on my own with no outside help. This isn’t realistic. I put so much pressure on myself this way. I never like to depend on others or anything especially mental health. I thought only I could truly make me happy. Only I could truly love and care about me. This was a toxic thought process that I had to overcome. I realized over time that I needed others. I needed people to help me when I was behind in my work. I needed people to talk to. I needed guidance. I needed someone to look up to. I didn’t really have this growing up. I don’t blame anyone for this. This was the cards I was dealt, and I needed to embrace it. My family tried but I wasn’t willing to except my life for what it was. I was broken and didn’t know what pieces I was missing.

I was on this spiritual roller coaster too. I never questioned that a higher being existed I just never fully invested in the theory. When my mom passed this changed. I talked to him (or her, you choose) and he delivered in actions. This is why I live by, “actions speak louder than words.” He doesn’t talk to me; he shows me, and I listen. This helps me. This brings structure to my life. What speaks to you? Try taking the things you learned from life and embracing them. Own them. I learn a lot by writing notes to myself. Find something you’re into and relate them back to you as a person.

In conclusion, I just want to state this: I am not who I am today without my adversity. The life lessons I required over the years have changed how I view everything. I’m not optimistic like I use to be. A former US Senator, once said, “Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way.” Learn to embrace everything that happens and be willing to grow. #thisiswhatdepressionlookslike

Discovering My True Self. The Beginning.

For the last year, I been trying to figure out what I’m doing with my life. Chapter 30 is rapidly coming and I don’t feel like I did much to show for it. It makes me disappointed when I think about it. I have a thing where I compare my accomplishments with others and view myself as a failure because of it. Sounds familiar? A lot of us do it. We get on social media, look at people we grew up with or people in our age bracket and think, “what am I doing wrong??” It’s a false way to live. For one, a lot of what you see on social media isn’t real. It’s getting so bad with false reality that people start to believe their lies they tell. That’s damaging to your mental. You start to believe that your reality isn’t appealing enough to portray on social media. Therefore, so many of us end up depressed. Also, we’re all not offered the same opportunities as others. We can’t beat ourselves up for that. Life is about beating adversity and gaining from it. Without a form of adversity, life would seem dull and confusing. Adversity gives your life the plot it needs to be a complete story. I believe everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you’ll never figure out what that reason is and that’s OK.

This year, I realized that it was time to live for me. For my whole adult life up until this point, I did everything based off what my family would want. I was depressed because if this. I didn’t excel in school because I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t enjoy school because I wasn’t doing anything that I cared about. I was doing what I thought would make others happy and we should never do that. I often had a job but nothing that made me happy to go to work. I dread working. To be more specific, I dread working for other people. I don’t feel like my calling in life was to work in someone else’s dream. This following year, I wanted to work on being able to make money without relying on a job. I have a blueprint of what I would like to do I just need to test it out. It’s really exciting to know that I have an escape plan in the works. I wake up almost everyday and ask myself, “What am I doing? Is this REALLY what you want to do with your life? You know you deserve more right?” then I pray for guidance. My faith has kept me strong during this journey.

What I want you to gain by reading this is belief in your ability. I want you to know that only YOU must live YOUR life. Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Are you where you want to be in life at this age (financially)?
2. Are you doing what you dreamed you’ll be doing at this age?
3. Were your goals even realistic?
4. What does your family think about you? Do you care?
5. What do you need to accomplish to make yourself happy?

These are the questions I had to ask myself before I started my blueprint. I made a goal that I plan on accomplishing. I’m not at all close to fully discovering myself, but this start has truly brought so much joy to my heart. I want more. I deserve more and I will do anything for that. #thisiswhatdepressionlookslike