TGIM??? It's Now or Never

It’s Monday morning.  Most of you dread the fact that you are up right now.  You may not be looking forward to going to work, school, or wherever it is you need to be because you are striving to get something out of this.  In order to win,  you need to show greatness.

Where do you think these stories of greatness come from?  They do NOT come from taking it easy.  They come from stepping up to the plate and knocking it out of the park.  Strength isn’t innate, but heart is.  Every step of the way, you are doing what you haven’t done before.  It will always get messy, suck it up.  Every time it hurts a little bit, dig a little deeper – break the habits that defeated you before. 

Progress is being made whether you like it or not.  We all have felt like we’ve hit this wall that won’t let us go any harder, faster, or stronger. We all have the choice what to do next.  

There are many people who want you to succeed, but you are the only one in this fight.  The choice is yours.  Will you face this challenge ready to take you places, or will you find an excuse?

You got this.  Go all the way with the blood, guts, and glory in you to show everyone that you can do what you dreamed of.  It will hurt, but you got this.

HAPPY MONDAY!  LESSSGOOOO

The Importance of Support

Due to the recent and untimely death of the young and talented Amy Winehouse, I began to think and analyze the circumstances regarding the singer's demise. When the news scattered the Twitterworld and the all the news outlets picked up on the news of her death, the world reacted with a guarded sadness -- people were not THAT shocked to hear that a Grammy winning twenty-seven year old had been found dead in her London apartment.

Winehouse’ experiences with drugs, alcohol, and the scrutiny of her romantic life have all been overshadowed by her immense talent. Her five Grammy Awards and revitalization of the music industry are proof enough that the singer had a "good life." That was from an outsiders point of view. The "success" that she experienced from a very young age that catapulted her to a level of super-stardom and immortality all came crashing down on Saturday. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, but no arrests have been made, and the mere speculation that this death is drug related cannot be ignored as the cause of death, then again, we won't know definitively until autopsy results are released.

Drug abuse has become a very real issue that has been publicized, especially in the celebrity world. Throughout the modern "celebrity era" there have been dozens of drug related premature deaths of actors, singers and entertainers. The world has been saddened briefly by these events and then moved on. With the emergence of "Celebrity Rehab" on VH1 and shows that deal with the trafficking and growing use of drugs as innocent as marijuana to severe abuse of doctor prescribed drugs and homemade drugs, a legitimacy has evolved to drug use.

Amy Winehouse had a net worth a tens of millions of dollars, she could have almost anything that she wanted, and yet she is dead at 27 years old. We all know she has battled addiction, something that is clinically a life-long disease that needs to consistently be treated. The singer made people happy with her music, and her life was presumably cut short by a demon that had haunted her for a long time.

Sadness is a universal feeling that all humans are capable of feeling. Many people seek healthy remedies such as therapy, exercises and activities that stimulate the brain to be happier. Unfortunately, there are other people who use drugs to cope with the sometimes harsh realities of life. Friends and family are the best support for anyone dealing with any sort of sadness or feeling of emptiness in one's life; yet sometimes as Coldplay once said "you get what want, but not what you need." This may have been Amy's life.

We don't choose our parents and lives that come with the turmoil or bliss of being born, but we have a choice to face life head on, but it doesn't hurt to have a support group to make the hardest days that much easier.

RIP Amy.