Not All of Us Can Do Great Things

Hello, hello! How are you today? Today is the last day of Spring Break. I'm back at school, ready to face another busy week. It was a lovely time relaxing, spending time with family, and having little adventures though!

As I am preparing myself to get back into the swing of things, I thought about how small life can seem at times. I certainly have a desire to leave the world better than it was when I arrived, but when studying for tests, going to work, going to practice, and all these miscellaneous meetings--when everyday life comes into play--how is it even possible to think about helping the world? How can I possibly help someone else when my own life is such a struggle?

Have you ever had one of those moments?

I know this is kind of pessimistic compared to a lot of my posts. I am usually pretty motivational--you can do whatever you set your mind to do! Now, I still fully believe this one hundred percent, but this post is mostly for the people who maybe don't want to go do great things. After all, we're not all cut out to travel into third world countries, feeding the hungry, curing the sick, clothing the naked, spreading education, sharing wealth, and changing lives in that sort of way. Perhaps sometimes we wish we had the motivation and inspiration to do all of those things.

But our calling could be something more simple. Maintain a household, get a normal job, build a family. Or, our current place in life may not be where it will eventually be. Struggling artists, aspiring students, maturing young adults. It is even very possible that life has taken unexpected twists and turns so that we're just struggling to make our own ends meet--how can we bring change to someone else's life when our own lives are filled with so much hurt and pain?

The truth is, not all of us can do great things. Not right now, at least. In fact, a woman who is much wiser than myself said these words. But there is more:

quoteswave.com

We can do small things with great love!

Aren't those beautiful, inspiring words that just change your attitude on life? I am just reminded of all the little ways that I can help others, and of the wonderful impact that small random acts of kindness have.

What are some small things with great love that you can do? Let me know your ideas in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Smile on,
smilesifyXO

The Attitude of a Champion

Hello, friends! Life has been quite busy and I haven't had a lot of inspiration or time to write. But, I just finished my last midterm for the meantime and am here now! How has your life been going? Is all well? Let me know all about what has been happening in your life in the comments below! Aside from the exams, there has been a lot going on this semester. To see what I've been up to, please see my YouTube channel, which has vlogs that document some of the little, happy moments of my life.

Lately, Taekwondo has been consuming a whole lot of energy and time. Major competitions are coming up, and my team has been working extremely hard at practice to get ready for them. As things have been getting more intense, it feels like all the other aspects of my life have also been getting quite hectic, too. There was a week I just felt like I was trying to do everything at once,.. It got to the point where the only thing I could feel was stress, disappointment in myself--I was so overwhelmed.

I started questioning what my life was all about. I felt passionate about everything that I was doing, but at the same time it was impacting my mental and physical health. I felt like I was falling behind.

My refuge was Taekwondo practice. While I was there, I was one with my body, doing something that I loved, and surrounded by people that I care about.

Maybe about a month ago, we started training hardcore on head-shots--not just aiming for them, but taking them. I don't know if you've ever been kicked in the head before, but it's not the most pleasant thing. I remember when one of my friends nailed me in the nose (she could've easily broken it, but she's been fighting for a long time and has incredible control). Even so, it took all the willpower I had to hold the tears in. I knew that getting kicked was a part of the sport, so I grit my teeth and did my best to keep on with the drill and work at improving my head-shots (and protecting myself better).

But, when some people got hit in the head, they would almost...give up, stop fighting for a little bit. One of the worst things someone can do in the middle of a fight is stop. When you stop, you're vulnerable to another attack. Unless if the ref stops the fight, there is no telling what the opponent could do next.

My coaches and the Colombian champion told us this.

It is all about attitude, they said. If you can keep up a positive attitude and never back down--no matter how hard things got, that was what made a champion. We could learn all the great techniques there are to win a match, but at the end of the day, it was the attitude to keep going, keep improving, keep fighting that came to define champions.

And you know what? That's how life is. Life is not always easy. Life has its victories and losses. Life can throw stuff at you that hurts even more than a kick to the head. But, what are we going to do when things get hard? Are we going to give in? Stop fighting for our dreams and goals?

Of course not! It is when things get hardest that we need to sharpen our focus, grit our teeth, and push on. Fight for what's right. Fight for what's good. Fight for our friends and family. Fight for our dreams.

Keep a positive attitude. (Positive doesn't have to equate with optimistic all the time.) But be positive that you will come out stronger in the end. Be positive that your life is something great and wonderful.

Keep up the attitude of a champion, and that is what you'll become in your life!

Smile on,
smilesifyXO