Do you have a story to tell but have not told it to those around you because the right opportunity to discuss it has not come up, you think you already have told it, or you just fail to see how interesting it really is?  I think everyone has a story to tell and sometimes we just fail to listen to it.  How much do you really know about your parents, grandparents, family history or lineage?  If you think about it I am sure you would realize there are a lot of blank spots that just never crossed your mind.

I got to thinking about this when I read the book "Sam's Letters to Jennifer" by Robert Pattinson.  It is a beautiful book where a woman (Jennifer) learns about a side of her grandmother (Sam) that she never knew.  She finds out about much of it through a series of letters that her grandmother has written to her.  Jennifer finds them when going back to see her grandmother in the hospital after she has become ill and is in a coma.  It's a touching tale and it got me to thinking about my own life.  I realized just how much I could tell through my experiences, lessons learned, and what I have gathered for myself so far.  It also helped me realize how little I know about the history of some people around me.  I only learned last thanksgiving that my grandfather installed the first closed circuit cameras in the White House.  He has been through every square inch of it except the oval office, and the bedrooms.  AMAZING!  I knew that he had invented the technology of a close circuit camera (the patent is in his office) and that he had installed them in Vegas but not the White House.  He just didn't think of it as a big deal because that is the kind of modest man my grandfather is.  What a story none the less though huh?

I have been thinking of documenting my life by writing it out.  I have been mulling it over but it seems kind of ego centric doesn't it?  I remind myself that it's not ego driving this thought though but a desire to share what I have worked through, overcome, and accomplished in my still young life.  When I have kids it would be nice to share with them as well.  Why pretend I never made mistakes, or struggled for anything?  Share it with the world and let it out right?!?!

What stories would you share with the world given the chance? 

I love movies because they can motivate, inspire, and teach us things we might never have thought of on our own.  Every time I watch any Rocky movie ( It was Rocky III today where he fights Mr. T) I am reminded of one of the best monologues I have ever heard in my entire life.  No matter how many times I hear it I am moved.  It teaches us the most honest and valuable lesson on life.

Rocky JR.  You cast a big shadow.

Rocky Balboa: You ain't gonna believe this, but you used to fit right here.
[taps on the inside of his hand]
Rocky Balboa: I'd hold you up to say to your mother, "this kid's gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody I ever knew." And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching you, every day was like a privilige. Then the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that! I'm always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You're my son and you're my blood. You're the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, ya ain't gonna have a life. Don't forget to visit your mother.

The reason this moves me every single time is because how hard it hits.  Truly Rocky hit the nail on the head here.  The hard part is going out and figuring yourself out.  Whatever happens though you can't let people tell you what you can and cannot do.  Only you know what your capable of.  I always remind myself of everything I have beaten and overcome.  When I was in high school they loved to tell us that only 25% of us attending will actually graduate.  the New York times have the following to say on this " Only 33 percent of the freshmen who enter the University of Massachusetts, Boston, graduate within six years. Less than 41 percent graduate from the University of Montana, and 44 percent from the University of New Mexico. "

That's pretty scary huh?  I had another problem too.  I not only had to graduate college but because I chose a more expensive private university I had to graduate in 4 years.  I did not have the money to go any longer then that.  The numbers are sketchy but reports are that less then half of college graduates do so in 4 years.  I have also read that it can be less then 35% too.  I never let it deter me however and I worked harder then I ever have in my life.  Since I didn't have much money (remember college is expensive) I also had to hold a part time job.  Since I had both demands on me I would sometimes take 18 credits hours in college, the most they would allow, which had plenty of work outside of class to complete.  Typically this would mean that I was at school from 7 AM - 5 PM and then at work from 6 PM - 1 AM and after work I would try to study or do the homework I couldn't get done at school.  Weekends I always worked because I was working at Family Video and video rentals usually take place on the weekends.  Each week I would work between 25 - 30 hours.  I would also use the weekend to do any homework and studying I could.  I was only averaging 5 hours of sleep a night but I kept a B average.  I graduated in 4 years with a 3.4 GPA thanks a lot to my wife.  We were dating in college and she was a gigantic help in getting my graduated.  I couldn't have done it without her but I did it.  I overcame all the odds and accomplished something so few do.  Tough I know but I did it and I am always reminded of that.

It doesn't end there though.  I now needed a job.  I currently work at Edward Jones which is no small feat.  There were 285,374 applicants for only 1040 job openings.  That comes to just .0036% of applicants being hired.  Now these are for 2009 but the numbers were not much different for 2007 and yet I was hired.  My hard work and networking paid off where a friend of a friend in the company helped get me noticed and landed me an entry level job on their Helpdesk.  I have been promoted twice since then and am working on the IS Knowledge Management team as an Information Developer now.  I once again beat the extreme odds.

I point all this out not to toot my own horn but to point out that I am no different or better then anyone.  I am just a man.  However I refuse to let life keep me on my knees.  I always work to overcome the odds no matter how stacked against me are I refuse to let them dictate what I can and cannot do.

I am sure if you think closely you will see the odds in your life that you have overcome too.  Never take your accomplishments for granted and always keep fighting.

There is a charity that they do every year in St. Louis called Holiday Wishes.  It is a way to purchase Christmas gifts for kids waiting to be adopted.  Here are kids already going through a rough time (usually not because of anything that they did) and you can help them have a merrier Christmas.  When I donated last you could choose who to help so I would target the teenagers because I figure most people buy the young kids a gift but the teens are overlooked. It's just nice to do something, anything, for children during the Holiday season.

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

I always intend to blog more frequently then I do.  I began to think why I don't.  Is it laziness, lack of creativity, or something more.  I think it's a lot of things all at once.  You see I write full time as part of my job.  It is because of this that when I come home I can't bear the thought of writing.  I have just wrote 20 or more pieces of knowledge into a new Knowledge base and the last thing I want to do is write some more.  You can all understand that right?

This brings me to my next reason and that is that when I get home I want to spend time with my wife and dog, not writing to strangers on a blog.  Don't get me wrong I love to think that people read what I put out here but I have my doubts.  I think the most comments I have gotten was maybe 7 on a single post and that was even when I was posting everyday and running a plug on this site.  I guess I'm just not that interesting to people.  Perhaps it's my style, what I write, or there are just simply too many choices on Xanga.  Studies have shown that when given too many choices ( just look at all there is to read on here ) people will almost always make the wrong choice, or just not make one at all.  Let's face it that Xanga can be overwhelming sometimes.

Finally the last reason is that I am clueless as to what to write about.  Believe me when I say that my life is boring.  I like it that way though.  Sure I have a great time with my friends and enjoy my job but it's not really something that any blog reader would care about.  I'm okay with that.  I have a good life and love the people in it.

So what do I do? I don't have all the answers.  I do enjoy Xanga, I truly do, and like keeping a blog.  It's a way of preserving what I am going through as it happens because let's face it that life goes too fast and if you don't slow down to smell the roses you will miss it.  When I just look at all that has happened this past year it is amazing to me.  I guess I need to try harder.  The weekend is a great time to reflect and write so that is what I will strive to do.  I make no promises, and I doubt many will visit here and read but that's okay.  Ultimately it's best to write for yourself and no one else.  If other's enjoy it then all the better then but it is not a requirement but just a bonus.  I write for me.