The Bravest People I Know

How do we define bravery? What exactly makes a person brave? Based on the dictionary, brave is defined as "ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage." Bravery is defined as simply "courageous behavior or character." What does a brave person look like in every day life?

Bravery may have a different image for different kinds of people. What you define as brave might not be brave for another person. For me though, I know three kinds of people that definitely fits the criteria, or even candidates for being the bravest people.

1) People who keep going for their dreams or goals, despite endless rejection or failure

Rejection and failure are two of the most hurtful things a person can experience, they happen to everybody. Despite that, every successful person has gone through a large number of rejections or failures. 

If you search the life story of your favorite celebrity, there's a 100% chance that he or she had to go through a massive amount of rejection or failure that a normal person couldn't handle or is not willing to go through.

If you are one of these people, I commend you for having the courage to keep going for your dreams. Never give up!

2) People who keep loving like they haven't experienced heartbreak

Let's face it, nobody wants to go through a breakup. Actually you're lucky if you have experienced a breakup, other people have experienced worse like being cheated on or being ghosted. Normally, people will build up hatred after experiencing these. Men will hate women, women will hate men. They also will be hesitant to get into another relationship after a failed one/s. 

Some people though, are so brave, that they keep putting themselves out there. They keep dating, or getting into relationships, despite the fact that they've been hurt by their exes in the past. Eventually, they find love and get married to a person who's perfect for them.

I admire these people, it makes me questions my own mindset when it comes to dating or relationships.

3) People who live with a mental illness, and is continuing to live or even living a great life despite it

When it comes to physical illness, people around you are ready to comfort you; when it comes to mental illness though, people around you will tend to avoid you. That's the sad truth for mental health, it has a stigma even in modern times.

Insensitive people or clueless people will label these people with mental illnesses as "crazy" or "abnormal" or "insane" while not knowing the backstory of these kinds of people.

Whenever I see a person who's successful and has experienced having a mental illness, I get inspired a lot. Despite the world being cruel to them, they fought through it, and are still fighting for their lives today.

If you haven't had a mental illness, then consider yourself lucky. The world is different for these kinds of people. In a video game, it's like normal people are playing with the normal difficulty, while people with mental illness are playing with the super hard difficulty.

I suggest you study up about mental health, who knows, maybe one of the people closest to you is experiencing this right now and you're not even aware of it. 

If you are one of these people: get professional help, get support from trusted people, and more importantly, keep going, keep fighting, and keep living.

A Quick List of Famous Failures and Rejections for Quick Motivation and Inspiration

Most people know the success stories of their favorite celebrities or heroes, but what most people don't know are the stories about their failures or rejections that they had to go through before getting successful. If you need a quick motivation or inspiration, here is a short list of famous failures and rejections.

• Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he succeeded.
• Beethoven's teacher called him hopeless as a composer.
• NFL running back Herschel Walker was not accepted to his junior high school football team because the coach said he was too small.
• Colonel Sanders of KFC got rejected over 1000 times before someone finally bought his chicken recipe. At the age of 75, he sold his fried chicken company for $15 million.
• Dr. Seuss's first children's book, "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" was rejected by 27 publishers.
• The University of Bern turned down a doctoral dissertation, the student's name was Albert Einstein.
• Charles Darwin was called by his father and some of his teachers "a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard in intellect."
• Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas, and also went bankrupt before he built Disneyland.
• Thomas Edison's teachers said he was too stupid to learn anything.
• Isaac Newton did poorly in grade school.
• Babe Ruth, who holds the home run record, also holds the record for strikeouts.
• 50 cent was arrested at the age of 19-years old, after a string of run-ins with the cops and a subsequent arrest for possession of drugs and a firearm.
• Elvis Presley was told that he couldn't sing.
• It took Harrison Ford 9 years before he landed his breakthrough role in "American Graffiti".
• Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen's book "Chicken Soup for the Soul" was rejected by 144 publishers.
• It took Jim Carrey 15 years to land his break in Ace Ventura.
• J.K Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected by 12 publishers.
• It took Katy Perry 9 years before releasing her hit song I Kissed A Girl.
• Stephen King's first book Carrie was rejected by 30 publishers.
• Sylvester Stallone was broke and homeless, and also was rejected 1,500 times before he decided to write the script for Rocky.
• The Beatles were told that “guitar groups were on their way out.”
• Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
• It took LeBron James 9 years before he won his first championship.
• Jeremy Lin was undrafted and jumped around different teams before becoming "Linsanity" on the New York Knicks.
• Stephen Curry had no offers for college basketball when he graduated high school.
• Manny Pacquiao was living in extreme poverty and hunger before eventually becoming one of the best boxers in history.

If you ever need a quick dose of motivation or inspiration, remember the stories of the celebrities in this list before you give up on your goals and dreams.

3 Life Lessons I’ve Learned from Toy Story 4

Ah, my favorite childhood film. Toy Story is the best. Its concept is not only for children, but for people of all ages. I watched this movie when I was a kid, a few days ago I watched it when I’m 26 years old, and I still enjoyed it!

Toy Story 4 was a great film(come to think of it, 1–3 was also great, everything about this series is great). Not only was I entertained by the movies, but each movie seems to have a few life lessons that you can apply to your life.

In Toy Story 4, these are the lessons I’ve learned(along with the movie quotes):

1. “Be who you are right now.” -Bo Peep

Bo Peep said this to Duke Caboom when Duke was losing confidence in himself. He was comparing himself to other more successful Duke Caboom toys. Bo Peep said this to raise his confidence in helping them get Forky back.

While this was meant to be a pep talk, you can learn something here. How many of you compare yourself everyday to other people, especially people who you think are “better” than you? I say don’t compare yourself! You have to realize that everyone is different from you. Everyone is unique in their own way. Just like Duke Caboom in the movie who’s more prone to crashing than other toys.

2. “Being there for a child is the most noble thing a toy can do.” — Woody

In the movie, Woody did his best to be there for his owner, Bonnie. Even if he was not picked usually as the favorite toy, he still did his best to serve and help her.

Of course, parents everywhere can relate to this. Being there for your children is a very noble task, no matter how hard it is. Even if you’re not a parent, you can be there for someone and help them make their lives happier. You can be there for your friend, classmate, co-worker, business partner, teammate, acquaintance, etc.

3. “If you sit on a shelf for the rest of your life, you”ll never find out.” -Woody

Woody said this to Gabby Gabby after she just got rejected by a girl who she wholeheartedly believe that will take her. It shattered her and left her broken inside. When Woody was about to return to Bonnie, he noticed Gabby Gabby and thought that he can help her too(this is why Woody is my favorite character). Eventually, Woody and the others found a girl who was glad to take Gabby Gabby home.

How about you? How many times were you afraid to do something you wanted to do? How many times did you let a simple rejection break your confidence? If you never actually try to do what you want or to achieve your goal, then you’ll never get what you want. You also can’t let rejection or failure stand in the way of your goals or dreams. Chase your dreams, work towards your goals, and always remember to never give up!

I love Toy Story, I love how it teaches you life lessons that are important. I’m sad that this might be the last movie of the franchise since…well you know what happened if you watched the movie. I say farewell to the Toy Story gang. To Infinity…and beyond!

When You Feel Like You're Lost

Do you ever feel like you're lost in life? Do you feel like you don't know what you're going to do or what will happen in the coming days? Do you feel afraid of something that will happen that's going to change your life, probably for the worst? Do you feel like you don't know what the hell you're going to do? 

I've been there, you've been there, everybody has been there. Even if you feel like you're alone in this, you're definitely not. 

Stop Comparing

In this thing called life, there are countless ways to experience it. There is no one size fits all way to do something or be something. What may be good for that other person may not be good for you. How you do your job might not be the same as how she does her job. Everybody is different and there is nobody exactly like another person. Stop comparing yourself to that Facebook picture of your friend or Instagram post of your celebrity idol because they have different lives than yours.

Stop Planning for Everything

Don't get me wrong, it's good that you have a plan, but sometimes things don't always go according to your plan. You need to learn how to adjust because the world will never adjust to you. If Plan A doesn't work, then have Plan B or C or D or any letter in the alphabet. Sometimes the best plan is to not have a plan and let it flow.

Stop Searching for the Perfect Path

Remember that there's no such thing as a perfect path in life. People get detoured and derailed in their goals. What they wanted to do a few years ago might be different from what they are doing right now. People often change their dreams and goals. There might be a far better opportunity in a job that you never thought you would be doing, or in a country that you never thought you would live in. It might not be the perfect path, but it will be the exact path that you need to take.

Always remember that sometimes you need to get lost to find yourself again.

Why I Will Never Stop Going to the Gym

Everybody knows what a gym is. It's a place filled with weights and machines that will supposedly get you a better body and health. Different kinds of people go there, from the young and old, to the fit and the not so fit. 

I've been going to the gym since I was 14 years old about 12 years ago. I've done hundreds of sets and reps, I've sweat a lot, I've lifted a ton of weights, and I don't regret it. The only regret I made is not following up seriously in my diet or nutrition.

I've also learned a lot of lessons in the gym, lessons that I learned only by going to the gym for more than a decade:

1) I've learned the value of Consistency

Consistency is everything in the gym. You can't go hard at the gym for only once a week, or once a month. You have to do it a few times a week, anywhere between 2-5 times a week. You don't even have to go hard every time, as long as you actually go. They say that a quick workout is better than no workout.

2) I've learned the value of Discipline

Sometimes I don't want to go to the gym, sometimes I don't want to follow my diet and eat sweets, but if I want to get my dream body, then I have to do these even if there are times that I don't want to. Discipline is one of the important keys to success that the gym and in everything in life. It's doing the hard things that will make you more successful and battle-ready even if you don't want to or don't feel like doing it.

3) I've learned the value of Patience

At my first gym session, I thought that I would these so-called "gainz" during my first week, and I didn't. It took me about a month and a half to actually see some results or changes in my body. I also see body transformations on Youtube that are amazing. They look like fitness models, but it took at least a year to get that dream body. They say that patience is a virtue and it's definitely true in fitness or the gym. You won't get successful overnight, it will take time, usually a lot of time before you see results. In the end, though, it will be all worth it.

4) I've learned the value of Confidence

As I see results, my confidence went up. I started noticing other men respect me and ask how did I get my arms or chest. I also notice women checking me out and asking if I work out. Confidence or the belief in yourself is an important life skill. One of the biggest reasons why people aren't successful is that they're not confident in themselves or their abilities. You don't have to have your dream body first to get confident if you workout and are in good shape, then your confidence will definitely go up. This is one of the easiest ways to get more confidence is to work out and exercise a lot. As I got more confident in the gym, I noticed that I got confident in other areas of my life like my career, social life, hobbies, sports, dating, etc.

Going to the gym not only gets you a better body but teaches you these lessons that I discovered myself. I recommend to everybody to go to the gym or at least find some type of exercise that they enjoy. As I said, even if I get old, I will still go to the gym and apply these lessons that I've learned there.

Leveling Up in Video Games and How it can be Applied in Real Life

Before I became anything else, I first became a gamer. My parents bought the PlayStation One for me and my two older brothers, and we were hooked with video games ever since. I was always fascinated by video games. They were fun and entertaining. When I was a kid, I could play them all day on the weekend breaks from school. I still play video games to this day, but not as much as I did when I was a kid.

There was one concept in video games that I always thought about. It's called "Level Up." It's a situation where your character or player reaches a higher level where they get stronger, faster, smarter, overall better than their previous level. I always reach a feeling of euphoria, even just for a few seconds whenever I see the level up icon on my character when I play those games. It made me feel like I accomplished something wonderful.

I then thought that hey, this can be applied in real life too! Think about it. There are levels in almost everything in life. In school, there is Pre-school > Elementary > High School > College/University > graduate school/law school/medicine school. In a job, there's usually an Entry-level > Supervisor > Manager > CEO/Owner. In sports, there's a Beginner > Amateur > Professional > World Class. There are levels everywhere.

How can we apply this to real life though? These are just games though? Here are a few tips:

1) Grind and Put In The Work

In RPGs, you have to kill enemies, monsters or bosses to raise your level usually. You have to kill a lot of these just to raise your level. It's the same thing in real life but not with monsters or enemies though. You have to work hard and make an effort to raise your level.

For example, if you work in a sales job, then you have to make a certain number of calls. There are quotas, and the best salesman goes above and beyond those quotas to become the best. If the average salesman does 30 sales calls a day, then the top salesman does at least 80 sales calls a day. Work, work, then work some more.

2) Find out Ways to Earn Experience

In games, there are other ways to raise your level rather than kill monsters. These are usually quests and sidequests, basically a set of tasks you do in exchange for a reward. In real life, there are quests and sidequests you have to take to get better.

Let's take sidequests, for example, these are optional quests but they will greatly help in making you better suited to take on the main quests. You can do optional things to better yourself like taking a class, going to a seminar, reading a book, getting a mentor, learning a new language, etc. These are optional so you don't have to do them, but if you do, you will get your extra reward and raise your level faster.

3) Get Great Teammates

There are games where you have to play with other people. These games are where you get a team to work towards a common goal or to defeat the opposing team. There is a saying that "you are only as strong as your weakest link" so if you have bad teammates, then no matter how good you are, you will have bad results.

Jim Rohn said that "You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with." This applies to the team around you. If you spend time with a group of people, then you will become like the people in that group.

So I suggest you get the best team that you can. The higher level they are, the better. Spend time with the Valedictorian, the top student, the best-selling writer, the top artist, the CEO, the owner, the top employee, the best performer of the month, the millionaire, the rich businessman, top salesman, and so on. If you want to be a top player, then hang out and play with the current top players.

CAVEAT: In games, there is a Max Level, in real life there is no such thing.

Take note of this. Sometimes there are max levels in the game. It can be level 99 or 100 or 200 or whatever. In real life, there is no such thing as a max level. There is always room for improvement. This is the Japanese concept called Kaizen. It says that you should strive for constant and never-ending improvement. If you think you are the best and you have mastered everything there is to master, that's not the case. There are always new things you can learn to raise your level. Even the master sometimes acts like a beginner to learn something new.

Now you know how to raise your level in this game called Life.

That Awkward Stage of Learning Something New

Remember the time you learned how to walk when you were a baby? Of course not because you were a baby back then! Kidding aside, the reason why I want you to remember that is that when we were babies and were learning how to walk, we stumbled and failed many times before we actually learned how to properly walk. Sure our parents tried to teach us, but we learned it ourselves by trying and trying until we succeeded. 

That is the awkward stage of learning. Whenever we try to learn something new, there's an immensely hard part at the beginning where we are awkward and we make a lot of mistakes and fail before we get it right the first time. Everyone goes through this. Everyone starts as being a beginner at anything in life.

Now, remember the time when you tried to learn how to ride the bicycle. Almost everyone can relate to this as we fell and scratched our knees and legs whenever we made a mistake at the start of learning. Eventually, though, we learned how to ride the bike. Some people have even mastered riding the bike with no hands on the grip!

This also applies to everyday things like learning how to drive a car, cook, clean the house, read, write, speak, etc.

Also, we can apply this to other complicated and advanced matters in life like learning how to go on a date. I remember my first date with a girl. I was so nervous and shy, that my date thought of me as a weirdo. Now, I've gone on many dates and the women I went out with usually enjoy the date and my company as much as I enjoy them also.

Remember this as you apply this awkward learning to stage to other advanced matters as well like learning how to travel, public speaking, make a presentation, doing a sales talk, teaching people, learning how to start a business, trying a new job, learning a second language, meeting new friends, etc.

Allow yourself to make mistakes and fail at the start, learn from your mistakes and failures because that is how we learn new things. Everyone makes mistakes. Every master starts as a beginner.