I believe that people are similar despite their differences. We like to have fun with our friends, we want to get good grades, try to do our best, and do things we enjoy. It is very frustrating to realize how difficult being happy with something you want is when you cannot get it. This can lead to stress and disruption with playing mental catch-up, a hindrance to being able to function in everyday life, do the things you want to do, and feel the way you want to.

Well, I believe the problem lies within us. We overthink small things, we can’t see the bigger picture, or we are so disorganized in our heads. Remember that this is natural and that being calm and reminding yourself to relax ensures a huge improvement in what you can achieve. Plus, you are happier overall and more sensible when you calm down. 

Clear your head, and accept what life will be, in its own natural ways. If you want something, you can have it, if you are willing to work for it. This is very important, the idea that with hard work, anyone can achieve anything. It’s romantic and fantastical to think about, but a person must remain realistic. This may seem extremely alarming to you, perhaps because you may like to have a moderately lazy lifestyle and cannot be bothered to do something you would like to do. Simple. Just keep in mind that if you like getting things, hard work is awesome. Why? Because hard work is so simple. You messed up: “Oh! Look at that! Ain’t that a tragedy!” No matter what, try again; FAIL again. Get used to sucking at whatever it is you want to get better at. That is all it is. We want to be more because we are and always will be less, but we always want to be better. Having this in mind is greatly motivating. It’s such a great push, letting anyone and everyone know that failure is natural, and anyone, anyone, may get what they want if they motivate and mentally give themselves leeway to keep failing, keep improving, and help themselves and therefore help each other as a collective. 

It is hard to forget that life can be horrible; it is just ghastly. However, it is also a wonderful miracle. Opportunity is simply infinite and massive. It is just right there for EVERYONE, no matter what background they come from. It’s not just the kid that did well in their classes since they were a freshman in high school. The old scholar, the new, the shabby, the lofty. It is simply for all of us. Really think about that. Is that not motivating? All we have to do is keep thinking differently, motivate ourselves and each other, and keep pushing for better, not worse. All you need is a little push.  

In 1997, Apple launched an advertising campaign known as “Think Different.” Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple, was very keen on getting the message of how Apple could be successful by doing things differently than what the established companies, such as IBM, had been doing. (Ironically, Apple is probably the giant of Big Tech today.) 

During an interview with the Santa Clara Valley Historical Association, Steve Jobs emphasized: “Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact; and that is – everything around you that you call life, was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. The minute that you understand that you can poke life and actually something will, you know if you push in, something will pop out the other side, that you can change it, you can mold it. That’s maybe the most important thing. It’s to shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just gonna live in it, versus embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it.”

I truly believe this. We can all, both individually and as a collective, contribute by helping ourselves, and helping each other, for our own sake. It’s so easy and simple: it starts with a simple motivating thought of wanting to make a change. The thought that anyone can, that everyone is capable of making change, is quite motivating.