Music and Inspiration!

My inspiration board

I can cross two items off my list! This past Thursday my friend Connor and I saw the Broadway musical Violet starring Sutton Foster and it was the best show that I've seen in a long time. The music was terrific, the script brilliant, and the acting and singing phenomenal. It is about a young woman named Violet (Sutton Foster's character) who is traveling from North Carolina to Oklahoma to see a TV preacher who she believes can heal her scarred face from an accident with an ax when she was younger. The story revolves around her travels on the Greyhound bus and the people she meets along the way. I would highly recommend this show to everyone, but it is only on for a couple more weeks so you would have to go soon. The other thing I did was start my inspiration board to hang in my room. It has my mission statement and things I want to do or get. It is a good way to keep in mind what I am working towards whenever I see it. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

With the wind at my back,

Will

What To Do?

What should I do? This question is constantly on my mind nowadays. I often wish I could go back to the times where I just lived day by day, not caring about the future. Now that I am nearly halfway done with my undergraduate degree, I have to start trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. And I still have no solid idea. I fly from one possibility to the next, struggling to decide whether I should simply go for a passion regardless of how well it pays or if I should go for a well paying job that would allow me to pursue my interests in whatever free time I have and ensure I have comfortable life. I have looked at a lot of people and it seems that these two models create the best chances for overall happiness, which is what I am striving for. I want to know everything there is to know, see everything there is to see, have a life full of incredible experiences. But the question is how to do it. There is no time like the present to work hard each day to figure myself and my desires out. No matter what I choose to do, I must be sure to go in with my whole heart, giving my 110%. This is key for everybody in life. You will not be successful if you are not totally committed and you will not enjoy it as much. That is one lesson I have learned over my life and a key to happiness. So until next time, here's to life!

November 10th-I'm Back

Sorry I was not able to post last week, the storm known as Sandy had knocked out the power and cable at my house for a week, but luckily my family and I are all safe and we have everything restored. I have not set new goals for myself yet, but I am doing my best to maintain all the good habits I have created for myself. I will have the new goals posted by the end of the week and write a post sometime during the week. I want to  share the importance of letting people know you are grateful to have their love and friendship. We are molded by those who surround us and to quote one of my favorite songs from the hit Broadway show Wicked, "But I know I'm who I am today because I knew you". I encourage everyone to take time out this week to let the people who always support you no matter how idiotic or crazy you may be for always being there. This week's quote is from Victor Hugo-->"No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come" Until next time, here's to life!

September 9th-Days 8 & 9

This is why I didn't post last night, a nice long essay that had to be written. In the end I was able to finish and it wasn't quite as difficult as I had anticipated. I keep working towards my goals and practice my skills. As I've been on this journey over the past couple of months I have been doing a lot of reading about making the best life for yourself and I wanted to share something that has helped me a lot. I have created two checklists: one for the morning when I wake up and another for right before I go to bed. These lists have helped me make sure I do everything I need each day and make my life easier because I know I will have everything ready for the next day. I highly suggest this to everyone. Today I am writing about Jen Zacher, one of the most fashionable people I know. She is currently studying to become a fashion marketer and we always have fun times hanging out. Jen has a place in many of my fondest memories ranging from after-prom adventures, to playing Cards Against Humanity. I know that if I ever have a question regarding fashion I can go to her for advice and know I am in good hands. My quote this week is from 50 Cent, "Sleep? Sleep is for those people who are broke. I don't sleep because I have an opportunity to make my dream a reality." You need to get up and get going to get ahead. Until tomorrow, here's to life!

October 5th-Day 5

TGIF! What a great way to end the school week with a relaxing, fun day. Friday is my day to relax, but still get things done. I did some writing for fun which is becoming a habit of mine. I was able to get up early and work out still as I plan to do everyday. No days off in that department. I practiced my moonwalk a lot today as well and it is coming along nicely. I finished Drew Brees' memoir and it is a great inspirational read, I highly recommend it to everyone. I'm excited to get back into the grind tomorrow and work hard on as much as I can. Today I am writing about my good friend Mike Bloom. We have known each other since elementary school and we have made a lot of great memories together over the years. The best ones revolve around the auditorium at the high school. Mike is incredibly talented as he worked on the tech crew all four years of high school and could be counted on to do anything. He is also great with Mac computers (he won't have anything to do with a PC). If I ever end up with a Mac (it would only be for music) then I know he's the guy to go to when I have a problem. Until tomorrow, here's to life!

"You build walls and boundaries when you give into your mind. Fear nothing and take control of who you are and who you are meant to be" - Joel Brown

October 4th-Day 4

Its Thursday so that means there is only one day left in the school/work week. You gotta push to the end everyday to be the best you can be. Today I started reading Drew Brees' memoir Coming Back Stronger. I usually don't like when people write an autobiography while they are young, but this book is incredible. Brees isn't just an incredible quarterback. He is a terrific man in every sense of the word. He works as hard as he can, he volunteers around New Orleans, he is a great father and husband, and is devoted to God. I highly recommend reading this book, it is an inspiration to anyone who picks it up. I was able to wake up early this morning to get my run in as I hoped. Hopefully I will keep being able to get up early and get a head start everyday. I practiced my handstand, moonwalk, some magic tricks and learned a new trick for winning a beer (even though I don't drink). My shading is improving and I will keep working at it as long as I can. I tried to start composing the song today, but I couldn't think of a good melody to start it off. I'm sure it will come to me I just have to keep at it. I am using my old Spanish textbook to refresh my memory of the language and it is helping me a lot. Today I'm writing about Taylor Cocciolone, who I got close to during my sophmore/his senior year of high school. We had a bunch of fun during Tour Choir in the bass section and during Les Miserables and Cabaret. I will always remember having the huge box of goldfish in the dressing room and when someone shouted when he did the Nazi salute during the show. Taylor was another who showed me the ropes of being an older guy in choir and the shows and it is great knowing him. Until tomorrow, here's to life!

"You build walls and boundaries when you give into your mind. Fear nothing and take control of who you are and who you are meant to be" -Joel Brown

Become Great

September 29th-Day 29

Today is the second to last day of September...I can't believe this month is just about over now. The picture above is a face that I drew today with one of the best noses I have ever done. I'll draw another face tomorrow and post that as well as a finale of that challenge. I was able to get a lot of things done today and feel really good. I exercised, practiced my magic, and got rid of a book that I don't plan on reading anytime soon. It is amazing to look back and think about everything I have done in this past month. It feels tremendous to have accomplished so much. Today I'm writing about John Martin. He was the choir president my freshman year of high school and he is one of the nicest people I know. John is incredibly friendly and is passionate about social issues. I admire his bubbly personality and his ability to easily have a conversation with people. I will always remember John as the priest in Les Miserables from my freshman/his senior year. Until tomorrow, here's to life

September 22nd-Days 21 & 22

These past two days have been fairly typical with nothing major to report. I've been working on my goals but I still can do a lot better. I've learned a new magic trick and practiced writing with my right hand. I'm exercising and working on making my life better. Having support around me helps more than anything so thank you to all who do support what I am doing. Today I'm going to write about my friend Matt Kunkel. I met him while I was a junior and we became friends during the show. He probably knows as much about theater as anybody I know and his dedication to it is immense. Matt is a great director, stage manager, actor, and I think he can do any part of a production which is incredible. I'm excited to see what he has in store for his senior year and where he will go in life. I'll write more tomorrow, until then, here's to life

September 20th-I'll Never Forget

Today I'm going to forgo a post about what I did today. Instead it will be about this past year. It has been one year since I dropped out of Dickinson College and returned home after only a month of being away. I reached the lowest point in my life and I didn't know what to do with myself. Since then, I have worked full time, gone back to school, started writing my blogs, helping train my brothers' soccer teams, and am now at one of the happiest points in my life. For now, the best day ever is still November 2nd, 2010 because I asked Allie out and she said yes, and I scored a goal in my game against Newfield, which we won in overtime. But anyways, I cannot give enough thanks to the people who have supported me all throughout the tough times, even when I tried to push them away. My life in this year has completely changed for the better and I am so grateful to be where I am in my life. I want everyone out there who is struggling through a hard time to know that things do get better. Anything is possible if you let it. There is often a negative stigma that accompanies the idea of self-improvement sites and movies, but they have helped me immensely. You can do anything you want. Here are ten rules of life that I created for myself that help me get through anything:

1. Always say “please” and “thank you” whenever possible

2. Take the opportunity to disconnect from all screens at least once a day

3. Visualize and pray about what you want and are grateful for daily

4. Pay attention to contextà you don’t know every person’s situation

5. Use the Law of Attraction

6. Things will always get better as long as you think they will. If you think they won’t, they won’t

7. Never stop learning things that interest you. You can be as smart as you want to be

8. Appreciate everything you love about life

9. Have faith and be positive

10. Love life

 
Here's to life

September 19th-Day 19

This picture is of the vision board that I have been working on. On it are physical things I want to have, people who inspire me, and my bucket list. This past month has changed my life and I want to inspire others to change for the better. I know it sounds crazy but it is all in the attitude. I never thought I could just be more of a positive person, but here I am and it feels great. Today I'm writing about someone who I didn't know particularly well in high school, but I admire him all the same. Nick Bruno is the most talented photographer I have ever met or seen pictures from. And what is amazing is that he isn't just great at photography. He is a truly skilled sculptor and artist in every sense of the word. He has found his niche and I am always astounded when I look at what he has done. Here is a link to his website and I highly recommend checking out some of his work: Nicolas Bruno Photography. Today school resumed and classes were enjoyable and made me think about free speech (more on that will come in my other blog). For my random skill today, I choose to practice a new coin trick as well as practicing writing with my right hand. Tomorrow it will be time to learn a new card trick to add to my growing collection which is better than I thought it would be. Instead of drawing a face today, I practiced drawing random items around the house trying to get better at making things look realistic. Today was fantastic and I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow. So until then, here's to life

September 12th-Day 12

I know this isn't a photo that I took today, but it is a video that my brother showed me and I really like. Life is all in the mind and how you think about it. Thats part of the reason I am doing this journey. But anyways, I started to learn a new card trick that will surely impress all the ladies. Its harder than the past few but I think it is more impressive. I played through Apologize by OneRepublic today for the first time without stopping and I am pleased with how well it sounded. I'm enjoying The Sun Also Rises much more than Hard Times and I cannot wait to read more tomorrow. My friend of the day is a guy who was an inspiration to me while I was a freshman and made me want to be the best I could be. His name is Cory Ryan, now a senior at Wake Forest University. He was one of the best singers, extremely friendly, and excelled at whatever he set his mind to. Cory is one of those people who everyone wants to be friends with and he will be anyone's friend. I finished cleaning one shelf of my bookshelf off and now have one left until all the space has a useful purpose. I hope everyone has a wonderful day tomorrow and until then, here's to life