A Life Decision to Start Living

You Make The Decision

Too often we find ourselves saying “we will do it tomorrow”. Will we really do what we said we would do tomorrow? Will we remember what we said we would do? Will we even make it to tomorrow? If you can answer all of those questions, then you should pick the Powerball for all of us. What happens is that we get so caught up in the comfort of existing that we forget that a clock is ticking. Society acts as if they have an endless amount of time to do whatever it is that they dream of doing, but they clearly know that they do not have control and their time is short.

So, why do people wait if they know they do not have all the time in the world? The same reason as turning in a homework assignment minutes before it is due or telling a loved one before their death about everything you wish you could have done with them. Life catches up on us so fast when we wait that we may regret things we could have acted on. With that being said, look at your life and realize how perfect it is, even if you do not see it immediately. Stop seeking to discover the door that will take you to a better life. Stop searching and start loving what you have. This is the life you have and you are here right now, for an amazing reason. You have the option to enjoy it or you have the option to be miserable.

The only thing you have to guide you are your own eyes and the beliefs you hold. Nobody else knows what moves you, nor do they understand what you are going through. So decide what path you want to create, not the one you want to follow. Discover what motivates you deep down and listen closely to you heart. You will find out more about yourself and will uncover the dreams that you are destined for.

Ignore the pessimistic population. Be creative and let yourself go; let your mind travel. Do not be afraid to stand out. You may be standing in your own sunlight casting a shadow on yourself, hindering yourself from remarkable achievements. You are living this life as yourself, so do not conform to the world for their comfort and satisfaction because you will be the only one unhappy.

You have a number on you that is only decreasing as time goes by. It could be :01 second or it could be 100 years. Live the life in which you want to live and do not waste it living a life where you are not true to yourself or a life spent in someone else’s shoes. Live without dogma on your mind; the thoughts of others’ are only as important as you let them become. Only you have the power to define the life you live and the value it is worth. Be confident enough in yourself to follow your heart and your own knowledge.

We are living and that is amazing as it is. We have people on the moon. Everyone starts somewhere, and it starts right now with your vision and your decision; when will you start living instead of just existing? Life is on us and we are all taking our own route. We create the path we want, achieve the goals we want, live the life we want, love the people we want, and most importantly, we decide who we want to be – ourselves.

          -Austin McClain Baker

Experiences Hold Value, Materials Hold Dust

A Person Gives Life, Materials Give Perception

Growing up as a kid everything that was shiny, bright, or flashy attracted my eye. Regardless of the price, I wanted it. As kids, we did not care about quality, but rather quantity. As I grew up, the quality of items I wanted grew of more importance than the number of items I could fit in my closet. But there came a point, more recently, that I started to realize that I was seeking out things and not the experiences of life, memories, or learning knowledge that were only available if I shared them with someone else.

You can have everything you want; the money, the fame, the items, but if you do not have anyone to share it all with, then what is the purpose? We are chasing our own, individual dreams, and wealth and freedom are likely in everyone's plan, but are money and recognition all that are important to us? Obviously not, but clearly it is a first-spoken phrase of what the majority says when they are asked about the future they want. If materialistic competition was not an issue in society, people would begin to seek out knowledge, life experiences, and someone to share the journey with.

I have found myself focusing solely on the things. But, with all of those things, what does it all matter at the end of the day? Of course it all helps in our daily lives, but it does not make the person we are any better. We learn from people, we gain knowledge from learning, and we learn from the experiences of living. With all of that, we need people and we need someone to share it all with.

We wake up each day with a list of things to do and a goal in mind. After it is all completed, what is left? The evening news? Dinner? Life is bland without the people around us. Rather than seeking out the benefits and immediate gratification, the chance to share a moment with someone or make a person’s day better serves such a higher degree of happiness and worthwhileness. Furthermore, none of us can avoid a bad day for our entire lives. When those days come, having someone to be there for you is just what we need and vice-versa. And when it comes to learning, none of us want to do the same thing every day for our entire lives. Therefore, with every person we meet and every experience we have, we will learn, and then we will apply that learning to teach someone else. It is a cycle of life and we all play a role in the process. Finally, memories. Without people, how can we share the memories that make us love the life we live or remember the moments that shaped who we are today? Take a moment to think about how impactful people are in your life. For some, materials are the life they want and they are content with heaps of happiness. For others, people have brought them to new heights and given them the opportunity to start over, find their passion, and inspire them to keep going, or have played a role in their success story. The materials we attain do not make life worth living, but the people we share our memories with do.

        -Austin McClain Baker

Go Raw

Go Raw: A Natural Snack

Natural, organic food is something challenging for many people to grasp their minds on. Today, every package of food says no preservatives, low-fat, low-cholesterol, organic, or some other form of phrasing to imply that the product is healthy and worth the customer’s buy.

Well, to be honest just because a product has low-fat on it does not signify that you can eat five servings of it. But now something has been created to allow people to: eat, enjoy what they are eating, and to be happy with the choice they are making on what to eat.

Go Raw. 

Instagram: @DoYouInspiration

They have powered themselves behind the mission of being 100% Junk-Free. Rather than cooking food, Go Raw gently dries their sprouted organics to preserve nutrients.

The process is all about freshness!

If you are wondering about the product options available, I am here to tell you that you will not go hungry or grow tired of eating Go Raw products. The fact is that Go Raw serves over 40 products! From sprouted bars, to chocolate, to seeds, to granola, to coconut cookies... Go Raw has it all!

Now, you may want to know the benefit of eating organic products produced by Go Raw.

Here are the benefits Go Raw strives to create for you, your body, and your mind:

1. Increase energy

2. Weight loss

Instagram: @DoYouInspiration

3. Clearer skin

4. Mental Clarity

5. Better and Restful sleep

6. Overall healing

Whether you're looking for a quick snack, a handful of healthiness, a healthy dessert, or just something to eat, Go Raw has it all! Now, stop eating all the processed foods you've been purchasing and begin thinking about the benefits of eating healthy and organic.

Make the switch to Go Raw and you'll see why you'll never want to go back to processed snacks.

-Austin McClain Baker

Austin Baker 

Twitter/Instagram: @DoYouInspiration

DreamsDriveDetermination@gmail.com

Austin.Baker25@yahoo.com

My Soxy Feet

My Soxy Feet: The Sock You Now Need

A sock is a sock, just as a shoe is a shoe. But we all can admit that we are picky and selective when it comes down to which shoes feel right. Today, the sock that we buy also has to have the ‘right feel’. And My Soxy Feet has taken the challenge with both feet by creating a sock that pleases any foot.

Known for their high quality and comfort, @MySoxyFeet has used a design to alleviate the "wet sock" problem that runners and action-goers face when training. In addition, sole cushion has been provided and a mesh-top allows for ventilation. Essentially, this sock has been created for comfort, durability, and guaranteed satisfaction. Included in your purchase of a pair of socks is a one-year warranty! What company does that...seriously...MY Soxy Feet.

Instagram: @DoYouInspiration

Buying a pair of socks has changed over the years because originally, the only options were white and black. Then, new colors evolved. From that came designs and tie-dye socks. And then pictures on socks. Well, My Soxy Feet has created a motivational saying on each sock with bright, eye-catching colors!

So, stop stumbling while trying to take off your damp, smelly socks and pick up a pair of MySoxyFeet socks!

Click the link below to order yours now!

http://www.mysoxyfeet.com/

-Austin McClain Baker

Austin Baker 

Twitter/Instagram: @DoYouInspiration

DreamsDriveDetermination@gmail.com

Austin.Baker25@yahoo.com

Wake-Up & Be Thankful

Wake-Up & Be Thankful

"If the world does not know truly, then they cannot judge you"

           

            When you wake up every morning, you start your day as you would the day before. You run through the daily routine and motions. You check your phone, take a shower, eat, and head off to school or work. You spend your day completing tasks and thinking about whatever chooses to pop up into your mind. After your day, you relax and take a shower, watch TV, read, talk to your friends and family, and then head to sleep reflecting on your day, if even that. 

            The questions we must ask ourselves is whether or not the life we are living is worthy and do we realize how little time we have left to live. People will take each day for granted and take it as "just another day to live and do the same things on repeat". 

            People will tell you that you need to be more careful, need to do this and that, and live your life like this and not that...but do they know? Do they know the right answer and the direction that you should take with your life. Of course listening to your elders and those older than you is a sign of maturity because they have been there and done that. Those older than us can provide beneficial information that can help us to avoid making the mistakes that others were blinded from. However, you must address for yourself the true answers of this world. Just because a professor, adult, President, or anyone else states that you are wrong or that something in this world is supposed to be a certain way or anything of that nature, does not mean that you are wrong. Over generations information is regurgitated from one person down to the next and so on. We are being told how to live life based on the minds of those in years' past, not in today's world looking onto the future.

            Going back on the idea of the repeated process of each day, we do not realize what our lives are really about because we could be living the same day over and over again, but perceiving it as a 'yesterday', or a 'tomorrow', or a 'last year'. We invent time and when we close our eyes and fall asleep, the control is no longer in our hands. Therefore, I look at the future as something I do not know could be coming. I also view life as something we should live one day at a time and that you should not fear nor regret because each day will pass. The storm that was happening is soon to be passing, with the sun shining and breaking through the clouds.

            I look at the world around me as an open canvas that is waiting to be painted on. I can take up the entire canvas, a portion of it, or none of it. I can paint multiple stories, some big, some small. I truly do have "the whole wide world in my hands"...Pre-school must have taught me something right. 

            I look at the life around me and take great appreciation in what is available and what God has allowed me to do with my five senses. It is remarkable that there is a such thing called Earth, and then we have people and freedom. We have the ability to learn and keep information in a thing called a brain. We can make sounds travel out of our mouths to communicate with other people. We interact with animals. The world is truly amazing and it is illustrative of the idea that only God knows because the world is too great for us to comprehend. We use what we know from others to link new information and life together to bring upon new conclusions and theories.

            Essentially, if we do not know the world and what it is all about, then nobody else can tell you that you are not doing your life right. Furthermore, if you have goals, ideas, or thoughts you want to tell people, stop fretting over the idea that you may be mocked, judged, or abandoned. Go for the greatest goal you have. Chase after the person you love. Give your success back to the world. Love who you are. Realize how fortunate you are in every single way.

Remember, just living already makes you one-of-a-kind.

-Austin McClain Baker

Austin Baker 

Twitter/Instagram: @ABakerPresident

DreamsDriveDetermination@gmail.com

Austin.Baker25@yahoo.com

 

Wind: Its Meaning on Life

Wind: Its Meaning on Life

A movement of air, that we cannot necessarily see, but something we can feel. Our perception is that wind can be a force of air that causes the movement of things, such as trees. We perceive that wind will blow our light items, such as newspaper and trash down the road. We see wind as the thing that causes the paper we dropped on the ground to blow away. We see wind as the catalyst for cold air in our face during the winter. We see wind as what moves so many things. 

But have we ever pondered what wind could be in terms of a cause for a reaction that could lead us in a new direction or down a new path that directs us to the destiny God has for us? Those who are against change see it as a detrimental effect. Those who are for change still are questioning whether it will bring a better or worse outcome. We must understand that "If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our comfort zone." (John Maxwell) and "If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living" (Gail Sheehy). Over the years of our lives, we will run into situations where we must adapt, change how we act, and commit to new things. We will change, and we are changing...every single second.

If the wind is God's hand pushing us in a new direction, we have a choice to buckle down and stay back or we can go with the wind and follow the path God has for us. We all want to explore the world, so why not travel with the wind, and if you want to travel it with someone you love, ask them to see the world with you.

I always perceived wind as something that ruined the day. It blew dirt in my eyes on the baseball field. It made the great day on the beach turn into a sweatshirt day. It made trees fall down in storms. There were such a vast number of effects that the wind contributed to in a conflicting manner that I never appreciated the benefits that it stirred up for the world.

Those benefits are not the ones that we can see from the start, but rather the finish. If it was not for the wind, would I have turned my head in the opposite direction to avoid the sand blowing in my eyes to see the sunset that made me realize how fortunate I was to see? For the wind took me away from many old situations and took me upon itself on a journey to a new place. Riding in the car with the windows down on a summer day is a feeling we can all enjoy. If it was not for the wind would I have traveled a few more feet down the beach to find the mysterious shell that we place meaning in. The wind pushes us to keep going. The wind is a motivational force that wants us to succeed. So, when you say the world is against you, realize that the wind is behind you (or in front of you) pushing you to keep working towards your ultimate goals.

The wind has impacted me in a way that I am grateful for. When I feel that there is nothing else to look forward to, I can trust in God's hands that He and the symbol of the wind are moving me in the right direction. On days wind is not present, I think to myself that the wind is helping someone out who needs it more than me.

I have complete trust that where I have started, where I have gone, where I am, where I am going, and where I will end up has and will be impacted by the wind in some form and fashion. Even in the past year I have found myself with new thoughts, with new surroundings, and new dreams. Right now, I have an amazing surrounding of people by my side, a family that loves me, and friends that believe in me. I have an amazing girlfriend and I am thankful for her family, and their farm animals that make me realize that the chance I took to follow the wind has made me not only happier, but motivated to learn, grow, and experience with someone who I can do anything and be myself with.

I continue to praise God in the work He has done for this world and I am constantly realizing how lucky I am to be where I am, while discovering that there is so much more that I will be learning. The wind truly does have an impact in our lives other than the force it has on material objects and God's hands are always waiting to catch us if we are misguided by the wind, to turn us in the right direction.

-Austin McClain Baker

Austin Baker 

Twitter/Instagram: @ABakerPresident

DreamsDriveDetermination@gmail.com

Austin.Baker25@yahoo.com

 

Appreciation for Music

Appreciation for Music

The respect I have for music continues to rise to a new level. Nothing else in this world allows me to be alone and reflect on my life like music does. We all have our own outlet(s), whether good or bad that takes us away or clears our mind to think with clarity.

            Thinking with emotion and deep thought brings you into a different mindset that nobody knows about you. I even wonder where I go when music kicks in and I begin to focus. I just become inspired to the extent that anything I think about becomes my motivation. Without music, I would not be as motivated as I am today and as a result, I have acquired a great appreciation for all types of music and the impact it has on the lives of people it touches.

            Although music brings me to an emotional state, almost like a depressing setting in a sense, I am able to discover what is really important to me because what comes to my mind first tends to be what I care for most. I never plan on music reaching my senses so greatly, but when I start thinking, the engine begins to start and the wheels begin to turn.

            I am able to connect to my own life and realize what I am doing right, what I am doing wrong, and how I can grow to be a better person in all areas of life. Music, whether presented in the form of Rap or Gospel is telling a story of some sort and there is a reason behind it. Just like paintings, novels, essays, or poetry, music is a form of art that illustrates one’s emotions, mindset, and feelings at a given time.

            The late night motivation kicks in when the music plays, and the late night thoughts follow…Just another day to appreciate the life I am living.

            -Austin McClain Baker

Austin Baker 

Twitter/Instagram: @ABakerPresident

DreamsDriveDetermination@gmail.com

Austin.Baker25@yahoo.com