Born to Shimmer

Shawn Mullins - Shimmer

".....'Cause I want to shimmer,
I want to shine,
I want to radiate,
I want to live,
I want to love,
I want to try and learn how not to hate,
Try not to hate....."

I'll get these demons off my back.

You're probably a lot like me in that you take inspiration from many forms of life. Maybe it's a particular song or musical piece that resonates deep within you and strikes an emotional cord. Possibly it's an athletic or acting or other human performance that conjures up an instant sense of who you are or who you desire to be. Then again it could be from looking at a piece of art or photograph that amazes you and hits you deep within the infinite walls of your soul. Something tangible strikes us all.

As for me, my inspirations come from all of the above and much more. I am the type of person who spends most of his time looking ahead, forging ahead and striving towards a goal that not only pleases me but hopefully pleases others as well. I spend significantly less time looking to my left or to my right, and even far less time worrying about what's behind me. I will learn my lessons as I go, apply them as I move forward, and come to understand the "why" in due time. For some things I realize the "why" won't be understood until I see Him, which excites me more than understanding today.

What I will do though is reflect on positive memories of emotional happiness or periods filled with an abundance of success. Then I'll use those memories as my motivation and energy source to achieve the goals in front of me. If I can do all those things in my past then there's no reason I cannot do whatever I set my sights on now. I firmly believe that.

Not only do I have high expectations of myself, but I know there are others expecting a lot from me as well. Some of those people I see and speak with regularly, but many I have not seen in years. Regardless, I aim to make them all proud of their investment in me. Without that accountability, without ever having to look them in the eye, well, I don't know that pleasing my own self would be fulfilling enough to do it all over again. Actually, I know it wouldn't.

I started typing this last Saturday and had to stop to gather my thoughts, and now it is Wednesday. As fate would have it I have since watched the movie The Bucket List with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. The movie begins by asking the question, and I'm paraphrasing here, "how will our lives be measured; how will it be deemed a success?" Morgan Freeman's voice delivered these thoughts and overshadowed the frame of a distant man hiking up a snow capped mountain. He mentioned several answers before one stuck out and hit me, "you measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you."

Life really is that simple.