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The ABC’s of Living Your Life

/ markmkane / 6 Comments

3d illustration of abc letters over white background

When we start out in life, that sense of naivety is truly a blessing.  We are born into this world free of judgement.  We see others as our equals.  We have big dreams.  Our imaginations are at its peak.  We have no limitations.  We don’t know the meaning of quit.  We aren’t afraid to take chances and fail.  We are curious about the world and seek to learn everything and anything that’s new.  We show our appreciation and love openly and abundantly.  We say what we feel and then move on with no grudges or hardships toward others.  Our honesty leads the way and our good natured spirit keeps us ground.  We share our infectious bright beaming smile to everyone we see.  And best of all, every hour, every minute, every second is lived to its fullest; we live as if there’s no tomorrow. 

Somewhere along the way, as we grew up, we lost some of those shining traits.  If we can somehow remember what it felt like to be that child and apply it to our daily routine, then we can say that we are truly living.  It’s easy, it doesn’t take much to regain back those redeeming qualities, we just have to be willing to try.  So the best way to living our lives is to get back to the fundamentals.   

 ABC1

Mid-Life Reflections #6

/ markmkane / 5 Comments

Live

Recently I’ve been contemplating life and reminiscing about my younger self.  When I was in my early teens on up into my 20’s, I used to wonder how I measured up to others in the world.  I would readily compare myself to family, friends, colleagues or working professionals; did I make a certain amount of income, hold a respected position in a company, have a high status in society or did something that was of importance or value to the public? 

I did my utmost to emulate them but to no avail.  I sold myself on a bill of goods that I knew was unattainable.  Why was it impossible?  It’s because they were living their life and pursuing their goals and dreams.  I had forgotten all about what I wanted to do with myself.  I was so busy worrying about catching up to them that I flat out ignored my passion, my dreams. 

When I finally woke up, I realized that I had a new lease on life.  My trajectory in this world was on a different course from everyone all together and it was my goal to make it happen.  I cared less about the status, fame and wealth of others and started to explore new things, take chances, make tons of mistakes, sought answers and learned to never give up.

It’s through this self-realization that I am where I’m supposed to be right at this moment.  It’s a never ending, constantly changing state that I’m okay with.  Why? Because it’s my life.

So don’t be so influenced by other people’s place in life that you neglect your own.  You have a destiny that needs to be fulfilled by none other than you.  So go out into the world and epically fail so that you can tremendously succeed at what you were meant to be!

To Live Another Day

/ markmkane / 2 Comments

Live

As I sit here in front of my computer

pondering life

and all its wondrous possibilities,

I can’t help but reminisce

about precious memories

shared with

family,

friends,

and loved ones

To have such treasured moments

is truly priceless

Knowing that a point in time

created feelings of

unbridled love,

pure joy

and non-stop laughter,

puts a smile on my face

To go through something that can’t

be recreated

is magical

But knowing that

the future presents opportunities

to experience similar feelings again

is what makes me

live for another day.

Navigating the Unknown

/ markmkane / 7 Comments
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Midlife Reflections #5

/ markmkane / 2 Comments

A3

Looking back on everything I’ve done in my life, whether it be good or bad, there are definitely things that I would’ve done very differently.  But I guess that’s how we all would feel if given the power of hindsight.  Some would say that what we did was supposed to happen in order for us to learn a lesson or set us on the right path to where we’re going to end up. 

For someone like me who’s a control freak, especially when it comes to my choice of jobs, it’s truly frustrating when you’ve made a bad choice.  After making that critical decision, whether intentionally, hastily or ill-informed, it feels like an eternity trying to get my life back on track.  Everything seems to be in overdrive just to get back to normalcy; but now every turn, every move I make I second guess myself. 

“I shouldn’t have done this!”

“What the hell was I thinking?!”

“What have I gotten myself into?!”

“Am I going to get out of this jam? And when!?”

All these thoughts run a continuous loop in my head and I beat myself up over making that error in judgement.  We’re all human, but I have high expectations of myself and feel like the whole world just came crashing down on me.  I feel trapped with no option in sight.  

We talk to our family and friends about our predicament to get their advice but it turns into a therapy session where we pour our hearts out in hopes of a quick and easy solution.  We’ve all been there…and we’ll all go there again. 

The one thing that keeps me afloat is the prospect of something better on the horizon.  Yeah, I don’t know how long it’ll take to reach that destination but the idea of finding something better keeps that hope alive.  AND I always hold out for hope!  I always err on the side of positivity.  Why?  Because at my lowest point, that’s all I can do.  It’s much better than the alternative; I can’t just give up.  Throwing in the towel and being resigned to the fact that I failed somehow is not an option. 

There is always a way out of every predicament I put myself in.  Strength and faith is all I need to have to know that it’ll all work out in the end.  Nothing’s impossible to overcome, I just have to be willing to take the first step forward…AND I just did.    

What do you do?

/ markmkane / 2 Comments

a2

What do you do

when the carrot that’s been dangling

in front of you

gets ripped away

It’s like a punch to the gut

that just sucks the life out of you

Your whole world turns

upside down

Where do you go from here?

How do you cope?

Your battle worn

mind, body and soul

wants to give up

and throw in the towel

But your heart refuses

It is life!

No matter what,

it knows that you are made of sterner stuff

It pumps hope into your core

The source that keeps you alive

that wills you to move forward

past the disappointment,

and the pain

It becomes a shot of adrenaline

that courses through your very fiber

that makes your determination,

your drive

ten times stronger than it was before

and gives you the resolve

to take on greater things

and gives you a true sense of peace

knowing that you’ll overcome

the next disappointment

with strength and inner confidence

and a heart that can

truly stand the test of time.

a1

Patience…

/ markmkane / 2 Comments
time concept, selective focus point, special toned photo f/x

Patience…

is what it takes to the path of

your dreams, your goals

Patience…

is a virtue they say

but to me it’s a test

Patience…

challenges your hopes,

your strength of will,

your endurance to bear

the uncomfortableness  of it all

So that the light at the end of the tunnel

shines big and bright

like the radiant sun

And all the riches of your hopes and dreams

are there for your taking

So relish the moments

that require patience…

for it truly is a valued trait.

AAAA6

When It Feels Scary To Jump…

/ markmkane / 6 Comments

While channel surfing couple years ago, I happened upon a channel that featured a 2014 movie called “A Most Violent Year”.  Although I consider myself a movie buff, I’ve never really heard of this movie until that one fateful day.  I won’t tell you what the plot was because I stumbled upon it and really didn’t watch it till the end.  But I did happen upon a scene where a man by the name of Abel Morales said “When it feels scary to jump, that is exactly when you jump, otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life.”

This one line totally resonated with me and I just had to write it down.  I turned off the TV and soaked in those words.  I took it to heart and it quickly became etched within my subconscious.  You could almost say that I had an epiphany of some sorts.

This one quote, this one line from a movie I have never seen told me that in life, you need to take chances regardless of the outcome.  There are times when you’ll succeed and there are times when you’ll fail, but you must learn from it in order to grow into the person that you were meant to be.  Life is too short to play is safe, it needs to be explored with eyes wide open.  Life if full of endless possibilities with the potential to be great.

I took this to heart and felt that I needed to try anything even if it took me out of my comfort zone.  I lived by the code of being open to different things; doing so would broaden my horizons both mentally and physically.  Living by this way of thinking helped me to try different things; just facing the impossible or the uncomfortable with complete abandonment.  Living this way made me realize that to do these things require both strength and faith; the will to pursue what your heart desires with the self-confidence to know that you’ll achieve something positive from it regardless of the results.

Ever since then, I’ve been bestowed with nothing but great outcomes.  I dared to take a chance and came out a winner so to speak; I count my blessings everyday for doing so.  So if you are faced with doing something that takes you out of your comfort zone, go all in and bet on yourself.  The first step will be scary, terrifying even…but the end results will be much more rewarding.  Take that leap and dare to be great!