“You are capable of more than you know. Choose a goal that seems right for you and strive

“You are capable of more than you know. Choose a goal that seems right for you and strive to be the best, however hard the path. Aim high. Behave honorably. Prepare to be alone at times, and to endure failure. Persist! The world needs all you can give.” - E. O. Wilson  Hi readers, Yesterday I met someone who said something that felt like a lightbulb going off, or a rush of energy towards the end of a run. This man came to the United States from Greece when he was 22. He didn’t speak any English and he hadn’t made any proper plans before immigrating other than getting his legal paperwork filed. After landing in the states he found Greek-Americans that owned a restaurant and convinced them to hire him. He explained how he asked for the job in Greek, but he also insisted to only be spoken to in English while working. Part of his story included telling me about one situation where a customer ordered a small plate of one of the restaurant’s dishes. Μιχάλης (Mixalis, or Mike for short) knew what a plate was, but he hadn’t learned the English words to differentiate size yet. He figured it out, though. After that his new rule was to study 600 English words per day. It only took him 6 months to be able to hold a full conversation without slipping back into his native language. If that isn’t impressive enough, he decided to commit to another goal. Mike wanted to make at least $1,000,000 (€730,087.00 [?]) He became a real estate agent and sold enough property in one year to pass that goal by $500,000. Still, he is seriously one of the most humble people I’ve ever met. His advice for me earlier is something I would like to share with everyone that reads this. “You’ve got to decide that you want something and then you have to do it. If you decide and work, then it’s yours.” It sounds simple, maybe even obvious. Of course we all need goals. Besides, life isn’t that easy, right? I’m challenging you all to tie in Mike’s advice with the E.O. Wilson quote above. Especially because of tumblr, instagram, and other social networks, it becomes so easy to compare our lives to people we follow/know. When someone is successful or seems to get everything easily it can be really hard not to become angry at ourselves or with the world. Things aren’t always fair! When you realize that everyone truly does have a different path to happiness, however, it becomes a little easier to stop making constant comparisons to the people in our lives.  The truth is that some people have clearly paved paths laid out in front of them. Others have a narrow, winding, bumpy road. We all get stuck from time to time, and we all feel like giving up. So, my challenge for you all is to take a few seconds to realize what you’ve accomplished lately. It can be something as simple as passing an exam you thought you would fail, finishing a poem, or making someone you love smile. Try to use small positive moments to give you a reason to take one more step, and then another and another after that. Breathe. You’re on your own path. That is a huge start. Just try to remember that the road will become easier to walk on over time, as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other.  - Kimberly -- source link

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