A minute… a few minutes of your time
By: Robey Nejame
Tags: Negativity, Happiness In Life, Life Lessons, Motivational, Motivation

Hi all, I am breaking my own “shut electronics off an hour before bed” rule to type this. I believe if you’re inspired, go for it. That said, I have to be to work tomorrow and I really should be going to bed soon so I will try to make this brief.

This is sorta a follow up to the last post “Why are we here”, but also hopefully has its own nuisance. To be perfectly honest, I really didn’t do anything this weekend other than have a really dope cookout with some good friends of mine. I played video games, did the laundry, went grocery shopping, and nothing “crazy” happen until I took an Uber back from Trader Joe’s. The driver was a middle aged dude, we do the classic, “Hi, how are you, how’s the leg room, do you prefer a quiet rider or a talkative one?” (see, I do at least ask). Then we start talkin real, I mean, “Do you believe in life after death? (We both thought there is something after, but we haven’t seen what it is yet to truly believe it)”, “If you could have any job with any responsibility what would you choose? (we both said President of the USA)”, those kind of questions.

What really hit me was the fact that this was a guy who I had never met before, who was probably 20–30 years older than me (said he had his son when he was 21, his son is out of college, his daughter is going to BU, wants to then get into Harvard Law, so yeah, probably around 45–50? Anywho,), had almost exactly the same answers to the questions that I had for him. More spectacular was that he flipped it around and told me that why he believes in the cause of trying to reverse the effects of global warming is to give our kids, and their kids, and their kids, a better future to live in, basically my reason for wanting to do what I want to do. We talked for maybe 20 minutes. Maybe. I will probably never see this guy again, we will probably forget this interaction over a span of time, but for a moment it honestly felt like this guy was talking to me like we had know each other for years. As if he just, got me. I don’t know any other way of describing it.

What stuck most with me was that when I asked him what he wished he knew at 22, he said that you need to focus on the people, and inspiring others, as well as yourself. I have heard this kind of thing several times over, several different ways, I’ve said it myself, I have friends and family who have told me, but somehow this was different. His point was that everything is a team effort. You have to surround yourself with motivated people and motivate those who are not. I do not know why I haven’t looked at it this way before, but I think it’s similar to watching the Big Lebowski for the 25th time and seeing something new. There’s the Navy General who tells a graduating class that if you positively impact 10 people throughout the course of your life, and they impact 10 people, and so forth, after six generations you will have directly impacted every single person’s life on this planet. Think about that. All you have to do is have one really deep conversation with a person, or do something to positively change their life, and you’re helping generations for the future.

I know it seems crazy, I am one person in an ocean on billions, global warming is headed towards irreversible, our government is not doing enough, whatever other reasons you can come up with. When it comes down to it, it’s up to you to change the world. Do what makes you happy and live your life as positively and as proudly as you can. Take every opportunity to give back, to be helpful, to be selfless, to help other people prosper. If this world keeps being about I, Me, Mine then it’ll be a hard world to live in. Based off of life expectancy, you’re going to have to live through a lot anyway, why not try to make it the best you possibly could? The Uber driver I had said that he had been in a gang when he was young, late teens, and then got out once he had his son. He said what it really came down to is that he said that there had to be more to life than this. For the next 10 years he worked as a peer mentor for kids living in poverty in inner cities, getting them off the streets and helping them get out of life in a gang. I really wish I could have asked more questions, but what I garnered from the conversation was that sometimes it really only takes a positive influence in someone’s life, someone who says, “Yes you can.” Someone who is rooting for you, who is there for you when you fall, someone who is there to make sure you get to bed on time, or eat your veggies, or to shoot the bucket with on a Friday night.

I’m listening to my, “Otherwise they’d call it ‘Kid-ager.’ You understand-ager?” playlist right now as I type this, Same Drugs by Chance softly emanating from phone. This playlist is basically about growing up, and it’s a big “life mood” playlist. I dunno how else to describe it. It just gets me somehow. I typed out several lines then deleting them, then did it again, which is unlike me when I write this blog, but I think that is important in its own cause I can feel when I am not satisfied with something. I fidget with it.

What I keep wanting to say is, “No matter how bad things get, there’s always a way for things to get better.” It might not be something that is induced by anyone but yourself, and sometimes we can spiral, but you can always stop it and can always work your way back up. When I’m told I am really optimistic I usually say that being upset is not as enjoyable as being happy. I actually had a pretty negative thought filled weekend, probably cause I did not do anything and did not eat healthily, didn’t exercise as much as I usually do and didn’t get enough sleep… yeah I know, I am fixing this AFTER this blog post okay? But really I was shaving earlier today, and I started going down a negative path, and I was trying all the normal things I do to try to kick it, and then I said to myself, “You can’t have fun if you’re angry.” and I just started laughing and immediately felt better.

I can slowly feel my body shutting down as it tells me I need to go to bed, so I should wrap this up quick. I am not even going to do a grammar check, so apologies for any sentences that may be jumbled or what not. What I want to leave you with is this: Drive as hard as you can every day to make your world a better world, your life a better life, those you care about a little happier, and to those you don’t be a bit friendlier. Its better to end your days with a smile on your face than with trouble in your heart and everyone deserves that. It doesn’t matter who you are. You deserve to be happy, you deserve to enjoy the life you have, and you deserve every opportunity to achieve what you want to achieve in this life. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t, and when they do, fight twice as hard. This is your life and I believe in you.

Lastly, the quote. It’s one of my backgrounds on my computer at work, and It’s one of my all time favorites: “Going that one more round when you don’t think you can — that’s what makes all the difference in your life.” — Sylvester Stallone. Goodnight everyone!