The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.

By Joseph F Barber 

I've been walked on, used and forgotten and I don't regret one moment of it because in those moments, I've learned a lot. I've learned whom I can trust and can't. I've learned the meaning of friendship. I've learned how to tell when people are lying and when they're sincere. I've learned how to be a teenager, and how to grow up when I need to. I've been to hell and back a few times, and I won't ever take what I have for granted. This is life, live it one day at a time. You never know how many days you've got left.


A great life lesson for every single one of us to understand is that life is what we make out of it. Your life, your wealth, your whole being isn't determined by status, or material things, it is determined by how you live it, and how you make use of every single resource that you may have available in it. Life is not about how much you have or where you have been, life is about what you will have
 with the hard work that you put into it, and where you will someday go with your hard work as well. 

Life isn't about the miserable job that you may have right now, but instead it is about how you will use this miserable job as a step in your journey in life towards happiness and being fulfilled. Live your life to the fullest in every moment, and remember that we must treat all the little things in life as importantly as we treat the areas in our lives that we see as much larger.

Never neglect the person you see in the mirror. This is the only person in the world, who has witnessed the entirety of your life. This person has experienced the thick the thin, the highs the lows, the good the bad. There are not too many certainties in life, but here's one. This person will stick with you for life, so in exchange for it’s lifelong service make sure you place a high value on them.

Sometimes people just misunderstand, sometimes they cannot understand or choose not to see things from a different point of view. When they judge you, in reality they are judging themselves, and that can be a sad moment when you realize as much as you love someone, as deep as the caring goes, there will never be a true understanding. Some people are just very different from each other, and cannot seem to meet halfway. It is in those times the hard choices come, do I stifle myself, my voice, my being? All for the approval of someone who may never approve, no matter what? Or do I keep being me, expressing my view of the Universe, even if that other person chooses to walk away forever? Sadly, too many say no, and give in, give up and conform, in the process they die a little more inside each day. I choose a different path, a harder, rockier, steeper path it may be, but the view, oh the fabulous wonder of just being able to BE, no matter what. I choose this, I choose an immortal life. And I wish you well on your journey too. Maybe our paths will cross again someday, things will be different, maybe. But I refuse to give up who, all that makes me, just to please you. I hope you will understand, but understand that you probably will not.

The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected. Maybe they always have been and will be. Maybe we've lived a thousand lives before this one and in each of them we've found each other. And maybe each time, we've been forced apart for the same reasons. That means that this goodbye is both a goodbye for the past ten thousand years and a prelude to what will come.”

Avoiding something doesn't always mean that you hate it. It could also mean that you want it, but you just know it isn't right. Sometimes the best way to avoid a situation or a relationship from growing is to just ignore it. Though sometimes we may have a connection to a person or thing, it isn't always right for us to go after it. Only you will know when situations are best to avoid in your life, and situations as such are sometimes very difficult to ignore because of your attraction to it. Utilizing self-control will always be a part of life that everyone will have to learn for him or herself. Just remember that avoiding something doesn't always mean that you could hate it, but it can also mean you want it, but know that it isn't right for you to have. Do what's right, do unto others as you would do to yourself, and you will live your life as free as you possibly can.



Sometimes it seems that when you are doing well, people you care about the most may not be as enthusiastic about it as you are. It can be frustrating, to say the least. Don't let those, who put down your good luck or accomplishments, get you down. Instead, use their lack of interest or support as motivation to do even better things. Remember, you don't need anyone's approval, just your own. Don't let others' negative or indifferent attitudes affect your desire to grow and prosper.

There's always, a little truth behind every "I don't know"... A little curiosity behind every "I was just wondering"... A little emotion behind every "I don't care"... A little pain behind every "it's okay"... A little love behind every "I hate you"... A little I need you behind every "leave me alone"....In life something that we must all pick up on are the indirect cues that are presented to us throughout different scenarios in our lives. Not everything that we see with our own two eyes, may tell us all that we need to know, or think that we may know about a subject. Too many times as people we are willing to judge a book by its cover, and not to think of things the way that they really might be if we just choose to use our brains a tad bit more in relation to everything that we deal with, including our daily relationships, in life. Deciphering whether or not there may be a little pain behind every "its okay" a small bit of curiosity behind every "I was just wondering" and a little love behind every "I hate you" is solely up to the person that is listening, for it is not valid to only listen because we must try to understand as well.

You were not born to struggle. You were not born to live a life where the moments of joy are few and far between. You were not born to toil in your work five days a week, with fleeting moments of happiness on weekends. You were not born to live with limited energy, feeling exhausted at the end of each day. You were not born to worry or be afraid. You were not born to suffer. What would be the point of your life? You are meant to experience life to its fullest and have everything you want and, at the same time, be filled with joy, health, vitality, excitement, and love, because that is an amazing life.

Acts of virtue emerge from deep within, from an inner sanctuary of silence from which inspiration flows. Every action has its seed in a thought and every thought is a creation of the thinker, the soul. I choose what thoughts I want to create and as is my thinking so are my actions and also my experience in life. Going within, I touch the stillness and pure love that lie at the core of my being and every thought that I create is of benefit to myself and of benefit to humanity.

Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself.

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.

We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.

 

let me tell you some things I have learned my friends 

I've learned-A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act. 

I've learned-A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave. 

I've learned- that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I've learned- that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.

I've learned- that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I've learned- that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I've learned- that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.

I've learned- that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes, after that, you'd better know something.

I've learned- that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do.

I've learned- that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I've learned- that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I've learned- that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I've learned- that you can keep going long after you can't.

I've learned- that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I've learned- that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I've learned- that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I've learned- that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I've learned- that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I've learned- that my best friend and can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I've learned- that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I've learned- that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I've learned- that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I've learned- that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I've learned-that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I've learned- that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.

I've learned- that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren't related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't biological.

I've learned- that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I've learned- that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I've learned- that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned- that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I've learned- that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I've learned- that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I've learned- that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I've learned- that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.

I've learned- that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I've learned- that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.


The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.