Don't Waste Your Pretty

Okay, so today has been a complete fail of a day. Seriously, for once I would like to be a boy. I think that about sums up the day's problems. On the contrary, it was a beautiful, sunny Auburn day, so I should at least be thankful for that.

Anyways, so today I was talking to one of my best friends in the entire world, and out of no where he told me to listen to the song, "Don't Waste Your Pretty," which of course I did. WOW! What a beautiful song. Honestly, it was the sweetest gesture. Michael, if you read this, thank you. It made my day and really opened my eyes to some different things.

I feel that so many of us are caught up in trying to do the norm, that we forget what we truly stand for, therefore we settle. I am not an advocate of settling, let me tell you. I do not want to be that one woman who wishes that she would have pursued her most cherished dreams, but instead settled for a life that she secretly regrets. You only have one shot in this life, so why waste your time on people and things that are not going to benefit you in the long run? I've been having trouble with this lately, and coincidentally so have a few of my friends. I always try to see the best in the situation and try to pull out the best in others, but I think there comes a point where you can't anymore. You have to take people for who they are, then decided whether or not they should be apart of your life. It's probably one of the hardest things to realize, but it's something that we all must do; we all must make the choice.

I know I'm not perfect in any sense, but I have my beliefs and morals, I have my goals, my priorities, and have a general direction of where I want my life to go. Whether or not certain people should join me for the ride is the question I have to ask myself. I encounter too many settling people and it breaks my heart to see this. A wise, Barbara De Angelis quotes, "Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe.” I feel that this is such a strong and valid point. Why do anything that does not better yourself or the rest of the world? Why constantly submit ourselves to the lowest of life, when instead we should be embracing the positive, empowering aspects. We should be rejoicing in what a beautiful life we have been given, even with the ugly struggles that we must endure.

I guess to sum it all up, to go back to the song that Michael showed me- we are all worth more than what we give ourselves credit. Each of us are capable of achieving the highest, yet some of us still submit to the lowest. Not to name names, but I have people in my life that settle all the time, and all I want to do is just scream until they understand that they are so much more worthy than that; that there are so many other wonderful options for them, than what they are choosing in the present. But it's give and take, and they must be willing to take the advice, which is not always the easiest. However, whether or not any of us listen to the advice of our friends and take it to heart, we all should realize that we are much better than settling and are all capable of awesome things. God did not create us to stand still and watch our lives pass by before our eyes; He created us to jump right in and take control, living vicariously through Him and in a sense that is always satisfying at the end of the day.

And Michael, the picture is for you for your inspiration :)