I have done a lot of thinking in the last few weeks. As a result there are many things on my mind that I’d like to say. I’ll write about one of them.
Life isn’t about you versus the world. Life is about you in relation to you and only you. You can’t measure your progress against anyone else, that would be completely unfair. Your success in life can only be measured from where you started to where you end up.
Everyone grows at a different rate, some more than others. Does more growth make someone a better person? No. Does more growth make someone a stronger person? No. Life is not a competition. The rate at which we learn in life is unique to us. It is the very defining thing that shapes our character and makes us the upstanding citizens that we seek to be.
I have two anecdotes to share.
The first: When I was injured with hip bursitis in high school, I made regular visits to the physical therapist to try to recover. With each visit I ranked my pain for the day. They explained that the ranking methods were clearly up to me and that whatever number I said had no effect on what they did. The ranking merely allowed them to see if progress was being made. I knew what pain I had been in before, but I also knew that I could be feeling much better. With 10 being the highest, I told them 7 the first day. By the time I was done with physical therapy a few weeks later, I was at a 4. I moved down my scale 3 places over the course of about 10 visits. Although the numbers didn’t change much, I felt a big difference in my hips and legs and was satisfied with the therapy. In the end it didn’t matter how much the numbers changed, the only thing that mattered was that I felt better. I saw direct results from the effort I gave.
The second: When I was in the MTC, there was a missionary in my district who was struggling. He wasn’t able to learn Spanish as easily as the rest of us. He got so frustrated he was about to go home. One day as we were working on the computers I saw him get really upset. He buried his face in his hands and started shaking his head. He was discouraged. Later that night I talked to him and asked what was wrong. He expressed his feelings of inadequacy and not being able to learn as easily as the rest of us. He felt like he was failing. I looked at him and said, “Don’t compare yourself to the rest of us. We’re all on different levels here. Just because some of us are picking up Spanish so quickly doesn’t mean that you aren’t as good. Only focus on the progress you’ve made and how that makes you feel. As long as you are doing your best that’s all that matters.” He ended up staying in the MTC and served a full two-year mission, not because of me, but because he eliminated the comparisons from his mind and focused only on his own results.
I have experienced change and growth recently. It’s something that I’ve been wanting but have been greeted with discouragement and doubt when I’ve tried. My progress is what gives me the satisfaction I need to continue learning and growing. The rate at which I grow and the amount I grow only matters to me. Each day I am one step closer to being who I want to be.
Success in life needs to be measured on a day-to-day level. You can’t hope for things so far into the future that you don’t see the destination. You need to focus on the here and now. Look at tomorrow and then the next day to see results and make your next move. It is the sum of each day that we live that gives us the final and total value of our lives.
I am not necessarily excited to be in school this summer but I know it will be worth it when I graduate next April. A new semester has started and new experiences are to be had. Here is one from my physics class today.
Professor: “Is there anyone without a text book?”
lonely guy:(raises his hand)
Professor: “Ok, please get one by tomorrow if possible.”
middle-aged woman (MAW): “I got mine for free!”
class:(gasp and shock) “Where? How!?”
MAW: “Online from a website.”
class: “What’s the site?”
MAW: “The pirate b…”
class: “WHOAA!! Ok, ok, right. Let’s not go there. Obviously…”
MAW: “What? I just downloaded a torrent file and it gave me the book that someone scanned page-by-page in PDF format.”
class:(chatter and laughing)
Professor: “Might as well finish telling the name.”
MAW: “bay.org”
class:(more chatter then awkward silence)
I think most people would consider discussing illegal means to getting a book with your professor a bad thing. What made this incident so awkward was that the MAW clearly did not understand the legality of what she did and then freely admitted to it and suggested the idea to everyone else, during class and in front of our professor. I don’t think she understands the internets. This kind of thing might have been ok when we were a college, but now we’re a university.
Last week I played with Sydey Rees in her senior recital at BYU. We’ve been writing music on and off for a little over a year and have been able to create some great music together. The recital included two songs that we’ve written, along with four of her originals and a Nirvana cover, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Below is a song that we wrote together called “Home”. One of her best friends, Eric Jackson, was able to fly in from Oregon to play and write some amazing accompaniments. I love this song.
Some of my best memories have involved playing music with my closest friends. My uncle once told me that the people throughout his life he has managed to keep in contact with over the years are the musicians whom he has played with. Playing music with people creates a special connection between you and them. It allows you to communicate with a feeling, mood and emotion that can’t be described.
I know I’ll never forget this opportunity I had to play with some of the most amazing and talented people I know.
Last Friday the 13th The Market played and won the UVU Battle of the Bands. Ten bands competed and we came out on top. A lot of our friends came and voted for us which undoubtedly helped us to claim the victory.
Anthony had his wisdom teeth out the week before and was still able to rock the stage. Bryan got married the week before and had just returned from his honeymoon but was able to make it back in time for the show. Danny got off work early and drove up from Kaysville to make it.
Although the night seemed completely unorganized and not very well-planned, it was still fun to play for our friends and felt very rewarding to win. We gained a few new fans and will now be able to finish our new CD with the grand prize, $500. Our next show is tomorrow at Outer Rim in Salt Lake.
The only thing I know about it this year is that it’s between the Cardinals and the Steelers; I think I overheard some people at school. I have absolutely no intention of watching it, pretending to watch it or being interested in it. Most years it’s the commercials that make it worthwhile. With this new invention I found called the interent I will be able to view the commercials the following day and still be in the comedic social-know. Thank you internet, no thank you football.
