Get Uncomfortable

It scares me to watch or read the news anymore. Partially because the things reported on are actually scary. But mostly because the top news stories I see on Google, Facebook, and other media outlets are so ridiculously stupid! We're so obsessed with meaningless nonsense and "entertainment," and we are blinded to the things that really matter. We're so concerned with a "Caitlyn Jenner Halloween Costume" when we should be concerned with the crippling debt on our hands. We're so anxious about celebrity birthday parties that we can't bare to think about our future as a nation. We are fed lies through the media and blinded by entertainment so that we are unaware of what is really going on. And the saddest thing of all is that we already know this is going on. So many people know there is 'something' going on in the government. There is 'something' going on in the world. Do we even know what it is? Do we want to know? So many Americans are stuck with the wool pulled over their eyes. But we refuse to believe it. We are too afraid to leave our comfort zones. We believe that our purpose on Earth is to live our life, raise a family and die. We don't ever do anything for the greater good. We expect the government and our jobs to take care of us.

WAKE UP! The government is not here to take care of you. We take care of them. Without the people, the government has no power. Who are they going to rule over? The people have so much power and they don't even know it. But there are so many too afraid to stand up and say something ain't right. No. I'm not saying to stop paying your taxes. No, don't start rioting in the streets (although that kinda sounds fun to me). I'm just informing the people that they have the power. But they are blind. They don't know. How can they if they have never been told? 

If you're one of the many people who are blinded, then you're probably a little confused as to what I'm even talking about. Let me shed some light with an example. 

Let's say you have a full time job. Your spouse has a full time job. One or both of you went to college and now you have student loan debt. You buy a house: mortgage payment. You finance two vehicles: car payments. You get some kids. You send them to school while you are at work. But you know deep down inside all you want to do is stay home with them and raise your family. You hate your job, yet you give your best hours of your day to it. Why? Because you have no choice. And you wonder how you got into this position. Let me tell you. Every single day, you are marketed to. You see ads about financing literally ANYTHING. You were brought up to think it's the "normal" thing to do. You were taught that everyone is in debt and that's just the way the world is. Maybe somewhere in the back of your mind, you want more. Not just more money, because that wouldn't fix anything. But you want time. You want to LIVE your life, not just slave it away in an office, making money for someone else. You know, that is what you're doing at a job right? Someone hires you to make them wealthy. To make their dreams come true. That doesn't make your boss or the owner of your company a bad person. It means they had the courage to do something else. They didn't want to be a slave to the dollar. They leveraged the dollar and their time to make it work for them.

Hopefully by now you see what I am trying to get at. The question now is, "How do I do that?" This is where the information comes in. It's out there. The information wants to be found. People all the time are given opportunities to live the way they want to and not the way their boss wants them to. But they don't take these opportunities because they are afraid of the unknown. So all I ask is that when you are presented with an opportunity, take a chance on it. Try it out. Don't automatically assume the worst. How can you know what is possible if you don't ever take a risk?

Now, I'm no rebel. I'm no freedom fighter. You might ask, "What credibility do you have? What credentials do you have?" Well honestly, I don't have any. But I do have information. That's all you need right? We are in the information age after all.... You can easily find out absolutely anything you ever wanted to know simply by typing it on a little device that fits in your pocket. Whether you want to believe it or not, that's up to you. But that doesn't make it any more or less true. 

I don't really know where I go with posts like these, but the point of this one is to take risks. Travel to the unknown. Get uncomfortable. Do something that scares you. But here is one thing I ask, DO NOT read this and be inspired for a minute (if you're inspired at all). Set goals. Motivate yourself. Or find something that motivates you to become a better person. Because really, isn't that our sole purpose in life? Be the best we can be so that we can help and influence others?

Take this information and apply it in your daily life. Live every day like it was your last. Never waste a single moment.

- Rachael

Strange Enough

It's hard. Sometimes we rush into things not thinking about the future. We are vulnerable, we fall in love too quickly. We say the words too soon. We make promises we can't keep. And we end up getting hurt, or hurting someone else. Our mind changes. We had something new and exciting to distract us from the things we need to do and the decisions we have to make. Our lives and responsibilities catch up to us. And we have to choose. And it's the hardest decision we can make. One path will lead us to the future we always envisioned for ourselves. And the other path we do not know where it will lead. 

I have been told that you never know what the future has in store. But I grew up with the principle of long-term vision. Whatever you want in the future, you can have with hard work and dedication. Keep your eyes on your dream. Don't get distracted. But for someone who runs mainly on emotion, it's hard. Our heart tells us one thing. Our brain tells us something else. We are told to follow our hearts, but listen to reason and logic. So we are left confused, helpless. It's true that the people closest to us only want the best for us. But we are the only ones who know what is truly best for us. 

Growing up the way I did, I am conflicted a lot. I grew up around a great community of leaders and entrepreneurs. A strong, family-friendly, Christian environment. I grew up learning principles of success and business ownership. But as I get older and the friends I have get older and I meet new people, I get newer ideas. I was raised to learn from other peoples mistakes and experiences. But I am starting to see that I have to make my own mistakes. I'm a smart girl and I know right from wrong. I know not to jump off a bridge just because my friends are doing it (unless there is a bungee cord involved). I have high expectations put on me. They're not unreasonable, but they are scary for me. I have fear. Just like anyone else. It's hard though. I'm not like most people my age. I'm not trying to say I'm anymore special than the next 19 year old. What I am saying is that I learned different information growing up than people twice, even three times my age. Most people know to go to school, get good grades, and get a secure job with benefits. What they don't tell you is that by doing this, you are becoming a slave to someone else, believing that you're given a good deal because you get paid. We are taught to finance everything and be a slave to debt. It forces us to stay in a job we absolutely hate so we can keep up with the payments. 

Okay, I may be getting side tracked... 

My point of this post is that we are conflicted. We are told one thing, then we are told something else. We have so many different sources of input that we can't listen to ourselves. "What does your heart tell you?" I don't know. It's been corrupted with the ideas of others. I try my best to isolate myself from others for an hour or so everyday so I have time to listen to myself and get my thoughts written down. 

What is it that I want?

I can't be completely sure. I know I want to write. I love it. I love blogging and getting my thoughts out there. It makes me feel less crazy. 

I know I want to be known. You could say I want to be famous. How? I don't know. That is what I'll have to figure out. But it will happen. 

I want to be happy. That is a very vague statement. And I mean it in a vague way. I want to be happy with my life. I want to feel like I've done something worth while. Something to help others. 

I want to inspire people. 

"Strange enough. I don't love you like you want me to."

- Rachael