Know Yourself and Seek Self Improvement Options

[fameONE]

Being able to freely roam around with worrying about a Drill Instructor bustin' my chops is a lovely feeling. Even better, being able to freely roam about the world as a United States Marine is like a natural high. I love every second of being part of the Scarlett and Gold. But last night, I was hit with a harsh reality...

Even though I finally got myself together, moved on and decided to do something positive with my life, I find that a lot of my so-called "friends" and acquaintances that I've met over the years aren't doing shit with theirs, and, have no ambition or motivation for betterment.

At this point, the last thing I want to be around is a bunch of pothead drunks. I grew up a hell of a lot in Recruit Training, thats for damned sure, but I'm fully aware that there is so much more to life than working a menial job, easing your way through junior college, occupying the same lame parties and not really seeing a better way.

This isn't meant to target anyone specifically or offend anyone. However, if it does strike close to home then, f**k, do some soul-searching or some type of ill reflection eternal type shit. Right before I left the Depot (Marine Corps Recuit Depot, that is), my idol (Guns DeLeon), made it perfectly clear that, now that I've earned my spot in the brotherhood; I'm better than most people.

I didn't really buy into that. Yes, civilians are nasty, disgusting creatures that don't know the meaning of physical fitness, but I don't walk around with a superiority complex. But lemme tell yous, after witnessing firsthand that many of those I use to kick it with aren't going to amount to anything, I understand that, well, I am better.

My question to everyone now is; What are you doing with your life? If you read this and realize that you're not on the up and up, then what are your goals?

[*mipadi*]

My question to everyone now is; What are you doing with your life? If you read this and realize that you're not on the up and up, then what are your goals?

It's funny that you should ask this now, because I recently went through a "shake-up" of sorts with this very sort of thought in mind.

You might notice, Brandon, that I'm no longer on staff here, which is part of a new perspective on my life. You see, a few weeks ago, I took a step back and looked at myself, my goals, and how I spent my time and committed resources to achieving those goals. I realized I had some pretty lofty goals. Long-term, I wanted to get a good job (one that I really enjoyed, not one that necessarily netted me the most income, mind you), possibly with Apple, Google, or Sun—in other words, companies that don't just give jobs out. Short-term, I wanted to grab a good internship for next summer, away from my hometown, which is, incidentally, the same town in which my college is located. Such an internship would not only get me out of here, but it would also put me one step closer to a good job after college. I also had other non-career goals that I hoped to achieve in the near future.

I then looked at what I was doing to realize those goals, and I found that I was doing next to nothing. I was paying lip-service to pursuing these goals, but mostly I was just killing my time doing meaningless activities. I realized that I was going nowhere in life. I could stay on the same path and become a mediocre student, then work at a mediocre job; or I could apply myself and become extraordinary. I realized that the choice was up to me. I had a lot of potential I wasn't applying.

So I realized I needed a change—I needed to cut out my meaningless activities, and focus on what was important: school, my future job, my relationships with friends and families, and other related items. The first to go was, in fact, createBlog, which was an activity to which I devoted way too much time, and got very little in the way of returns. Other similar activities have since been cut out.

While I like people who are truly content and relaxed with their lives, it's hard to take someone seriously if they have no goals or plans for self-improvement. I think it's important for everyone to re-orient themselves from time to time. It's important to think about one's goals and figure out how to attain them.

[Retrogressive]

So I realized I needed a change—I needed to cut out my meaningless activities, and focus on what was important: school, my future job, my relationships with friends and families, and other related items. The first to go was, in fact, createBlog, which was an activity to which I devoted way too much time, and got very little in the way of returns. Other similar activities have since been cut out.

While I like people who are truly content and relaxed with their lives, it's hard to take someone seriously if they have no goals or plans for self-improvement. I think it's important for everyone to re-orient themselves from time to time. It's important to think about one's goals and figure out how to attain them.

I've been thinking a lot about this as well. Right now, I see someone who is basically lazy and unproductive. I'm trying to slowly start incorporating changes in my lifestyle. I've been reading more often and trying to expand my preferences; I'm also attempting to add a better exercise regime in my daily life. I understand that changing these things make me feel well rounded and prone to be intellectually stimulated enough to pursue interest in my school work. I'm not willing to give up ALL of my "meaningless" habits, because right now they give me happiness. Plus, I believe that I am still benefiting from them. However, I do understand that there will come a point in my life where I will want to seek things more challenging.