Life is Unpredictable

Life is Unpredictable

            We live our lives every day, not knowing what is going to happen next. We live each second in the moment, riding along the roller-coaster of life as it takes us up and down. To an extent we have control over situations, but essentially, there are too many outside forces that control what happens to us. However, we do have the ability to control how we react to life's curveballs and the attitude that we emit to the world and public eye. 

            Because we do not know what will happen next in our lives, we sometimes get lucky, we sometimes fail, and we sometimes succeed beyond measures. We prepare ourselves for obstacles by practicing and learning. We grow through our failures if we make changes after making poor decisions. We fail to grow if we believe in making the same mistake again or fail to realize something was a poor decision. Growing means that you are experiencing and then learning from those moments.

            We are going to fail. We are going to make poor decisions. We are going to live a life that is not perfect. What we must understand is that God does not need us to be perfect because He knows that nobody is. The more we strive to be perfect, the more we will not be. The more you try to be something you are not, the farther off the path you stray. If we admit to our flaws and accept our imperfections, we are illustrating a sign of maturity. If we can admit that we have failed and acknowledge that we will continue to educate ourselves and devote ourselves to growing, we will grow. If we fail to announce our flaws, then we will stay in a hallucinated, unrealistic world of thinking we are perfect and never changing. 

            Life is full of surprises and full of conflict. We will find ourselves in good situations and we will find ourselves in tough situations. The question that needs to be answered is, 'how can you learn from this and how can you become a better person, while helping those around you become better as well'. The first step in any situation is identifying if it is good or bad. Then, you must take initiative and analyze how the situation happened. Next, you must determine how to make the situation better. Finally, you must be able to tell yourself that the situation happened, and you must continue to live as the person you truly are, but know that changes need to be made to become a better person. We are always coming into new situations, new experiences, and new discoveries...so how can we not learn then? You will always learn if you are living. What separates those that learn more than others is that those who learn experience more, fail more, and live more, and are open to changing who they are for the benefit of not just themselves, but for the people around them. Those who are willing to change for someone are the ones you want to be with because they are illustrating their love and commitment, showing you that they will give up themselves and their lifestyle to meet you halfway.

            Life is unpredictable and we have to respect that. We are on a journey that will have both high and low moments, but we must realize that just because we may be in a low moment does not mean that life is worthless. I say this because a couple hours ago, life could have been at its highest for you, and a couple hours later, it could be at its lowest for you. But, does that low moment take all the good moments away...No, it does not. You cannot let one situation determine the end result for you or the direction in life you take. 

            If you truly want something in life you will not let a situation take that away from you. Life does not end for you when you make a mistake, so why give up on life? God gives you another day. God gives you another chance. God gives you your character and the person you are in strength, so that you can withstand the pain life has, but overcome the obstacles thrown at you if you care enough to do so.

            Nothing in life is what we expect, and life is unpredictable, but you must understand that it is all a test; A test to help you discover what and who you care about, the degree to which you care, and how devoted you are to learning, growing, and sharing the world with those who you care about.

-Austin McClain Baker

Austin Baker 

Twitter/Instagram: @ABakerPresident

DreamsDriveDetermination@gmail.com

Austin.Baker25@yahoo.com

Living My Life

Living My Life

We wake up every day from whatever cause chooses to wake us. We go through our daily routines and then we are off-and-running. For myself, it is either to class or work. For everyone else, it is likely the same. We are all living the same life in terms of breathing, but we are all taking our own unique paths and choosing what we want to achieve each day.

I live my life and only my own because this is the only life that I am in control of. I strive to grow through personal development and to learn through my Faith in God and the guidance I receive from The Lord. I learn through experiencing and I learn through my failures and successes.

I have discovered that I learn best when I fail because if I succeed on my first attempt, it is either luck or a natural gift. Therefore, I did not have to work for the success, unless I had placed prior planning and organization into the work. Additionally, failures motivate us to change whatever it was that caused us to fail. We improve if we make changes. We cannot expect to grow unless we learn and we cannot learn unless we fail. That does not mean that we should focus on failing first and pushing it out of the way so that we can succeed, but rather, it means we should give every push of effort we have to ensure successful growth. I define growth as moving forward to become a better person in all areas of life, including the assistance a person gives to those around him or her.

When it comes down to living my own life, I strive to focus on my future goals and reflect on the decisions I make to evaluate how I am doing in my personal opinion. When we with others or competing for positions, we may want to make excuses or verify falsely, but I have realized that no matter what happens in one’s life, you cannot evaluate yourself based off another human being, no matter who they are. We are representing ourselves and the name we were given at birth. We are serving Our Lord and should be fortunate to see this world of extraordinary sights and sounds. When we are worried about failure, we should not be. When we are worried about those around us, we should not be. We should have full-on Faith in God and understand that life’s happenings’ are meant to be. We should not force anything upon ourselves or those around us.

Essentially, you should live your life and continue to work on what you want to do, while helping those around you become successful. You should not worry, stress, or fear. God has a plan and if He wants certain people in your life or wants you to go through certain situations, He will do what He deems is necessary for you to grow on Earth and spiritually in Christ.

Life has its mysteries and we are seeking to discover our individual purpose. We must place our Faith in God and trust His plan. No matter what is happening in your life, realize that you are growing while you are living. As long as you can say you have given all of your strength to be the best you can be when you put your head down at night, you have achieved a daily task. The plan God has for each of us is unimaginable, because it is too remarkable for our eyes and mind to comprehend. Place God in the center of your life and surround yourself with Faith and Trust. Live your life and only yours. Be who you are and let people think what they want of you.

It is smarter to be who you are and discover who respects you at the beginning than it is to be portraying a false you and discovering who does not respect you at the end.

-Austin McClain Baker

Austin Baker 

Twitter/Instagram: @ABakerPresident

DreamsDriveDetermination@gmail.com

Austin.Baker25@yahoo.com

A Transformation: From One Door to Another

A Transformation: From One Door to Another

           

            Reflecting on today, I've realized once again, what sometimes seems to be a wrong outcome may actually be the start of a new beginning for greater successes. I realized that a leader is not one with a position, or a label given to them. But rather, a leader has his/her intentions and actions focused on helping the people around them and in return, helping to unify a community of leaders.

            In the past, I only spoke about my achievements and successes when running for leadership positions, but I've discovered that a leader walks with his/her peers, sits eye-level to his/her acquaintances, and listens to his/her community as much as he/she leads them. It is no longer about me as much as it is about me helping those around me. My life is worth more if I am making an impact in the lives of those around me than compared to me helping only myself. I do not see any benefit to being self-conceited.

            God did not place me on this world to serve myself, as He placed me here for a reason. That reason has yet to be discovered, but my heart tells me I am here to inspire and here to make a difference in the lives of others through my opportunistic outlook on life. I am grateful to be learning and growing each and every day. I am walking with God. I am taking a path guided by God and trusted by myself. I am on a mission and I will continue to achieve my goals. We must always have Faith and trust in The Lord. He takes us to great depths of challenges and obstacles, but He strengthens us to become achievers, do-ers, and followers of Christ.

            The Lord has a plan for each and every one of us and it is remarkable to see parts of it unfold and to reflect on our lives and see the transformations we have made. Chase your dreams because you'll never know how long you have left to see, breathe, speak, or live. Stay humble in your living, Be confident in your ways, Stay true to your morals, and value those that care about you.

            One door closed, but another door is opening. My vision considered only this one door, but now I see many more. Dreams. Drive. Determination.

-Austin McClain Baker

Austin Baker 

Twitter/Instagram: @ABakerPresident
 

DreamsDriveDetermination@gmail.com

Austin.Baker25@yahoo.com

Why Judge?

 

Why Judge?

 

            When it comes down to it, we all judge. It is clearly in our human nature. Society thrives off it. A sense of competition arises when drama surfaces because we all strive to keep our own image protected through speaking critically about our peers and good about ourselves. Who wants to be in a friendship with a person who is conceited, arrogant, and judgmental?  What is the purpose of a long-term friendship when we will be so quick to toss it away when our personal image is put in jeopardy? We care so much about our self-image that we have become addicted to pleasing those who surround us. We will listen to any opinion or comment made by even our closest friends that persuade us to change for them. We should not be changing for them. We should only be changing for one person and that is The Lord. He does not judge and He does not attempt to make us change just because He is not satisfied with who we are. If we are attempting to please people, we are doing it all wrong. We are on this world to be ourselves and to be different in our own unique ways. We were made as individuals and as people who have differences for specific reasons.  In the Bible, Romans 12:2 says that we should not conform to the world. We should be honest with ourselves regarding who we truly are and listen to what God wants us to do. Romans 12:6 says that we all have different gifts, or strengths that we should apply to the world. We all are unique and we all have been given different characteristics that make us one-of-a-kind individuals.  

            We cannot destroy drama or the act of gossiping because it is just part of our daily lives. Sometimes, we will catch ourselves in the situation where we notice that we are speaking negatively about one of our close friends. After reflecting on the motive behind it, the answer usually pertains to who you were surrounded with at the time. We only speak poorly about others when we are trying to help ourselves or to be superior. Either way, they both pertain to impressing the people who are listening. If we never had to impress anyone, we would have no motive to speak harshly about anyone because it would not matter.

            Understand that life is not about impressing people. The one who stands up against the societal norm is the one who will be the trend setter in the future. People will not notice that person as a leader at the beginning, but they will learn. Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. were both two noble figures who stood up against the judgments and opinions of others and they were severely discriminated against by a large population, but today they are remembered by their leadership. Being yourself is the correct way. You may think about changing who you are, but do you really need to change or do you want to change because someone persuaded you to? Changing for the good is perfectly fine, especially if you have had an addiction, you are on the low side of life, or you truly have discovered that you need to change. However, changing to please someone or changing to make someone else happy is unacceptable. You are intelligent enough to make your own decisions. You are to be respected and appreciated for who you are. You are someone. You mean a lot to someone out there in this world. You have a purpose. You are unique. You are worthy of each and every thing available to anyone else in this world. You are human and so is everyone else. Do not let the opinions and judgments of others influence you to change being who you truly are. Do not stop being who you have dreamed to be and NEVER allow anyone to bring you down with their negative remarks. The only opinion that matters is that of The Lord. He only judges you for not being true to yourself. Proverbs 1:15 says do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths. Every person in this world is exploring and we are all searching for our ‘calling’. We are all searching for our passion and when we find it, we will be sure of it. You must be confident with who you are and who you will continue to be. If you stay true to yourself, you will find your passion and will understand why you are on this planet. If you conform to the wants of others, you will find yourself on a confusing journey to a destination that may never end and one that may never explain why you were placed in this world. You are someone and you have a purpose. Do not let senseless opinions take you down the wrong path and change you for the bad. Rather, take the constructive opinions of the Lord and build yourself up for what the future holds for you and be proud of who you are.

 

Austin Baker

Twitter: @ABakerPresident

Email: DreamsDriveDetermination@gmail.com