A Thousand Forests From One Acorn

Progress. Isn't that what we all strive for at the end of the day? To get better at that one skill, to do better at work, to do better at school, to make better decisions. Isn't that what life is about? To grow into a better version of yourself.

But who can really be the judge of your progress? Sure your boss can praise you or your teacher can give you a better grade, but personal development doesn't work that way. No one else can dictate your goals, and no one else is going to pat you on the back for reaching them. You must motivate yourself.

I have found that running away, avoidance, isn't the path to growth. It's when you are able to face the temptation and turn it down that you know you've done something right. That's my way of tracking my own progress, and I must say, I'm pleased with the results. I'm not saying it's easy by any means, but the right decisions are usually the toughest. Without struggle, there is no progress.

It's never too late to be who you might have been.

Not much has changed, yet things suddenly seem so much different now. I'm unable to comprehend how the wrongs ever seemed so right or how the ease was ever so difficult.

Perhaps, we just see what we want to see, whether it's people or situations. When you're upset with someone, it's beyond easy to focus on their negative qualities and neglect the positives. Or when considering getting back with an ex, all you can remember are the laughter and butterflies. If and when you get back together, you usually remember why it didn't work out the first time.

How does someone seem no less than perfect one instant and completely lose all of their appeal the next? Perhaps because we do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.

I guess we're all just living in our own illusion of reality, our own distorted versions of life.

The More You Judge, The Less You Love

"Don't judge a book by it's cover."

It's a good thought, but isn't it impossible though? We all judge. No matter of how good of a person you are, no matter how much you don't want to, it happens. It's a part of human nature. We judge people based on what we have heard about them. We judge people on how they dress, walk, talk, act. I honestly wish I had the ability to not judge, because although sometimes our first opinions about a person can be accurate, most of the time they are far from it. A friend and I were talking today about judging others and how we want to make a conscious effort to stop.


and no one is perfect, so who are we to judge anyone else? There are probably a million things wrong with me, and honestly sometimes I'm surprised that people are able to put up with me. I can be annoying, frustrating, and extremely stubborn. I know these are things I need to work on. But we all have at least a few unattractive qualities, some just find it more difficult to admit them. Since we are all far from perfect, we can't we can't expect others to be perfect. We can't judge anyone, because no matter how well you know someone, you don't know exactly what they are going through. And we can't judge people based on their past, because we're all constantly growing and changing. Everyone makes mistakes.

We all make assumptions based on what we see or hear, but the important thing is to not let these these assumptions affect the way we treat people. We must let go of these first impressions, and give the person a fair chance. Get to know them, and you'll probably be surprised by what you find.

Similarly, we all get judged as well. We can't let what other people say or think get to us. What matters is what we think of ourselves. As long as we like the person looking back at us in the mirror, nothing else matters.



Everyone is beautiful. There is beauty everywhere in everyone and everything. All you have to do is look.