To Be Alive Is Extraordinary!

I've been having a rough couple weeks, which I blame myself for. I've been negative, neglecting myself and complaining a lot. Thinking I wasn't doing enough. My job isn't glamorous enough, I'm not changing the world enough, I'm not fit enough, I'm not stylish enough. Which is ironic because my blog's main focus is finding joy in the journey, "enjoying to the end". But I guess it only makes sense that I would have to learn the same lesson that I'm trying to share with the world.

But this week has been so much better and let me tell you why. I've been taking care of myself, being more patient, I've found my passion, and I've discovered if I do my best each day then that is enough. Tomorrow I can do a little bit better.

Found here.

Last week I was listening to a seminar by Tiffany Peterson, that reminded me of something very important. It hit me pretty hard. She was asking us to rate our confidence level on a scale from 1 to 10. Then she said I don't care what number you picked because you're all 10's. I thought to myself, "of course you say that, you make money off of telling people that". But then she continued to remind us of the time we've held a new born baby, if we have. To think of how amazed we were by this tiny little creation that has just come into the world. And as she explained this I realized "Dangit. She is right!"

The fact that we are alive and well is amazing! Just because we aren't finding a cure for cancer, teaching children in third world countries, or solving world hunger doesn't mean we aren't fantastic beings.

I was reminded of one of my favorite lines from "The Fault In Our Stars". If you haven't read the book or seen it, it is about a girl who has cancer and her relationship with a young man who is in remissions. When Augustus first hangs out with Hazel and is trying to get to know here he asks her this:

Augustus Waters: What's your story?

Hazel Grace Lancaster: I was diagnosed when I was 13...

Augustus Waters: No no no, Your real story.

Hazel Grace Lancaster: I am quite unextraordinary.

Augustus Waters: I reject that.

"I reject that." I love that line. He had only known this girl for maybe an hour and already he wasn't letting her sell herself short. I know I'm guilty of this. I'm the number one offender of saying I am "unextraordinary".

But lets think about this for a second....Who gets to decide what is extraordinary? Who decided that only if you're traveling, changing the world in the public eye, and have an extremely successful career means you're extraordinary?! Whoever it was must have been very convincing because I personally I feel this way sometimes.

Hazel may be a fictional character, but the fact that she is fighting cancer and staying relatively positive is pretty extraordinary to me.

I think the fact that my sister is raising three kids on her own is pretty extraordinary. 

I think the fact that my mother is putting her business aside to help my sister is pretty extraordinary. 

I think the fact that one of my best friends is staying strong on his mission despite family struggles at home is pretty extraordinary.

I think the fact that the youth in my classes are able to get through middle school and high school without succumbing to peer pressure is pretty extraordinary. 

I think the fact that Sydney (my missionary) was able to go on his mission without looking back because he believed it was right, without the approval of his mother is pretty extraordinary.

I can think of many examples of being extraordinary in my eyes, and I think you can too.

Lets simplify the world and start recognizing the true examples of extraordinary behavior. Lets take the pressure off of ourselves to become these "amazing" people according to the world's standards. Lets just see that it is great to be alive, in a world that is hard.

Lets be a little better today then we were yesterday, and know that is enough!