Empty as the Wind

Far too often we give up simply because we feel that our efforts are not benefiting us in any way. We're in an age of instant gratification. We want what we want and we want it now. Unfortunately, not everything works that way. If you really want something, you will stick with it in hopes of improvement regardless of praise and recognition.

At the same time, kind words don't hurt. Sometimes, that's all we need for encouragement. The same goes for compliments. I believe that words are powerful, written or spoken, and they should not be taken lightly. All it takes is a few kind words to make someone's day, to make someone smile, which I think is the most beautiful thing. Those few kind words could be what brings laughter to their day, a subtle sparkle to their eye or meaning to the perfect moment. The words people use express so much of themselves, whether they realize it or not, as do their actions.

Just as our words and actions display fractions of ourselves, they also affect the ones around us. That's what most of us tend to forget. It's amazing how much of an affect we can have on each other. Just as we have the ability to create happiness for others, we also have the ability to take it away. We have the ability to frustrate and confuse each other. We have the ability to cause pain. The worst part is that we are able to do this unintentionally.

They say the truth hurts. While that can be true, isn't the blatant pain that arises from knowledge of the truth less painful than that of being lied to? Some people beat around the bush to protect the ones they care about while others do it to protect themselves. Somehow, having power over someone else's thoughts and feelings makes us feel powerful. It's true that being honest and straight-forward can leave you vulnerable, but it's also true that playing games can leave you lonely. The lengths we go to in efforts to attain something or someone can be the exact thing that drives them away.

What I have realized is that anyone and everyone around me has the power to have an affect on me. And if you don't like who you are around someone, how they make you feel or how they cause you to act, it's better to just distance yourself. Sometimes, the idea of someone is far more superior than the person themselves.

"The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine."