Inadequacy - Not a word anymore!

       Some of us wake up every morning with this idea that we have to fit in and be on par with something, or someone. There is this lingering idea that we have to be  "ADEQUATE" for people...their views... their lifestyles... We are especially reminded about adequacy when it concerns our jobs and/or our job searches.

"As long as your bulb still burns, you can shine. You will
always have a current running through you as long as you live
so you will always be capable."

 
       Film and Video. We went on talking and I told him how I had recently submitted about 2-3 applications to Turner for Internships but that I hadn't gotten a response back. I immediately told him, "Yeah, I guess I didn't meet the criteria for them..." and to my surprise, he responded with, "MAN! You let THEM tell you that!"
I remember a few months ago when it was normal day and  I was working inside of my store, GUESS Inc. I was talking to a customer about my major,

       Ever since that day, that quote has stuck with me. It was sort of a realization that we create these resumes and cover letters to submit to these big time companies only to sometimes be turned away...but does that necessarily mean that we can't fit the position or that we aren't adequate enough? That we will never be capable?  The man from my store was right... I did let them tell me that. I was convinced that since I did not receive a response as to why I was not selected, that I was inadequate. To this day, I have not gotten a response. It's been about 3 months. Does this mean that I am inadequate? I think NOT. I know that I am adequate. I know that with the right settings, the right professors, and the right materials that I am capable.

       Being capable is much different than being adequate. Being capable deals with "abilities/characteristics that can be gained" whereas adequacy deals with "You either have it (the ability/characteristic) or you don't." People like to say that athletes without limbs aren't adequate to do this, to do that. But if you give them the right materials (the prosthetic limbs), the right professor (a physical therapist), and the right setting (the track, the field, the court), then they will be just as capable as all of us...just in their own way.




"Every step represents a 'NO' and every
floor represents a 'YES'. That's how Life is. Every 'NO'
literally gets you one step closer to a 'YES'."

       Inadequacy doesn't just revolve around the workplace or in the area of job-searching. It applies to relationships. Friendships. It applies to any area in which you may not feel "good enough." Those areas can be public, or private. Only you know. I am not going to delve into the relationship or friendship aspects of being inadequate because everyone is different and the points given won't apply to everyone; however, The moral of the story is: DON'T LET ANYONE, not your family, friends, girlfriend, boyfriend, Boss or whatever have you, tell you that you are inadequate for something. As long as you are alive, you are capable.
      
       R. Kelly made a song many years ago called, "I believe I can fly", and it is still widely popular because of the truth within the song. Seriously, it's really motivational.

Be capable, DO, and achieve.

      

Don't Fret - Just Enjoy The Journey

    OK. You know when things happen in life, we tend to get annoyed, discontent. Obviously you've realized I'm talking about those things, the things that we ALL deal with. The things that make us FRET. Bills, car problems, house problems, relationship problems, you name it. But here is the thing--if you "fret" about all of these things, how does that make it any better? Point given.

       Fretting gets us nowhere. Well, I take that back. It does get us somewhere, but not anywhere that we want to be. It takes us into a mental state, a realm in which we can't even desire to be happy. Worrying and feeling annoyed over these things in life that we seemingly feel as if they only happen to us (which is not true by the way) only makes us feel sorry for ourselves. It gives us a reason to not enjoy the ride that life has to offer us. Just being able to wake up and read, to smell and have loved ones is extremely rewarding. Don't fret, please. No one said that you'd be stuck in this particular position forever. No one said that there won't be better times ahead. No one said that you wouldn't enjoy the journey... but enjoying the journey is only made possible if you change your mindset. There is a quote out there that I am sure you've read or have heard somewhere. I can't remember who wrote it, but it states, "When you change the things you look at, the things that you look at, change."

       Now that is a powerful quote. don't focus on the negative. I say that you should just enjoy the journey. Don't fret.  Be positive about everything. Change your thinking. Most likely, today, you will come into contact with someone who is "fretting" about whatever...be a positive influence on them and send your "non-fretting" attitude towards them. It will make all the difference, because if you are like me and believe in karma, then you have just set yourself up for someone to do the exact same thing for YOU.

       Just remember that life is a mixture of many things. Think of life as a bag of trail mix. Not everyone likes everything that comes in trail mix. We tend to choose what we want to eat by picking out the almonds, the nuts, or the fruits. Let the bag of trail mix be...let life be...and enjoy everything it has to offer, even when some of the things that it offers isn't what you particularly enjoy.


Don't fret...just enjoy the journey!

Fulfillment

       I don't know what it is, but today I woke up and I felt alright I guess. I was happy to have my Sunday off after working about 32 hours this past week and working out at the gym about everyday. Then my Sunday passed me--it was gone before it really even started. When I came home, all I kept thinking about is working this week...the gym... and all the things that I have to do (and want to do, of course) and I started to get disappointed. I felt like the things that make me happy are not tangible a lot of times for a number of reasons. Then I realized that I wasn't fulfilled because I didn't feel like the person that I want to ultimately be.

       Fulfillment. That is a BIG word. What does it mean? How do we obtain it, and most importantly, is it lasting? You see, I want to be fulfilled. I know that writing, filmmaking, and photography fulfills me. There may be other things that fulfill each and every one of us, but the fundamental fact remains that we all need to be fulfilled in some way. Fulfillment is feeling full. Full of energy, of love. You are comfortable and happy. You are everything that you ever wanted to be when you are fulfilled. Fulfillment means that you ARE. (Fill in the blank).

       The only thing wrong with fulfillment is process on how we make it "tangible." How does one become fulfilled? Well, it depends. We are all different and there are a number of ways to become fulfilled so it is completely up to a person' however, one fact remains that no matter who we are, we need to set time aside to allow ourselves to become fulfilled. For example, you can't complain about working 50+ hours a week and say that you aren't fulfilled. You just have to make a sacrifice somewhere. You'll still have to work those 50+ hours a week, but you need to find the time in and out of the crevices of your schedule for the things that fulfill you. The only way you can "find time" is to bargain with your body.
       There needs to be a sacrifice. UH-oh, some people have already caught on. What are we going to sacrifice? Nine times out of ten it's going to be sleep that we have to sacrifice (amongst other things).When you sleep you lose time but gain Z's, but how many Z's do we actually need? 8 hours worth? or 4-6 hours worth? Train your body AND mind. When you don't have time, you lose the opportunities to do the things that you want to do. Right now, as of this writing, I am losing sleep. I have to wake up at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning; however, this writing is fulfilling me. Tomorrow, I may have to sacrifice sleep again to begin developing a narrative for my documentary that I am planning. But you know what? I'll be on my way to fulfillment. The process of making fulfillment tangible can only exist once there has been a sacrifice made. Again, that sacrifice usually involves sleep.

       Now, how long does Fulfillment last? Some people don't want to give up all of this sleep only for something that lasts for a few days. Well, my simple answer is that it lasts as long as you want it to. there are so many sayings that correlate with my answer but here are two familiar ones, "You get what you pay for", "You get out of it what you put in." As long as you keep taking away the sleep and putting in the work for the things that make you happy, then you will continually fulfill yourself.

Remember, there is nothing that you can't do...
you just have to remember that it all starts with you.
I feel better. You should too.

Today is The Day - Planning My New Documentary

Today is the day that I am beginning work on my new documentary, and perhaps, my first film. In the Fall (2013) I plan on taking Documentary Studies at Georgia State University. I haven't studied documentaries formally, but I have watched them growing up which has ultimately shed light on my interest in documenting. Documentaries have always provided me with an alternative way to grasp and understand information without having to resort to a textbook. The information was quicker and the amount smaller, but I liked it better. I am all about visuals! Reading is cool too, but c'mon, who wouldn't be interested in the same material in video-format? Exactly.

We may not know it, but documentaries are always in our lives: We see commercials with documentary-like traits. We watch documentaries in all levels of education. Most importantly, our lives are documentaries, and our memories are the scenes that we create and replay. Documentaries will always provide us with an interesting and specific way to engage a subject that only film and video allows us to do.

The idea for my documentary was given to me by my mother, and I will not be able to share the idea until the film is actually being produced. As of now, I am a bit nervous in doing this film, because after all, I will need participants that don't mind being interviewed and companies that don't mind being exposed.

For now, that's all you get. :)