RJ McCollam: Just Beginning Life

Title catch your attention? Yea, it caught mine too. It's a song by Relient K. Yea I know, you're probably saying "RJ another blog about a song," and yes you're right. I know music has such an influence on a lot of people and I am no different. This song by Relient K caught my attention when I was listening to their new CD one day on the way home from work. Before I go on about it here is the song................

"Faking My Own Suicide"

So I've made up my mind

I will pretend

To leave this world behind

And in the end

You'll know I've lied

To get your attention

I'm faking my own suicide

I'm faking my own suicide

Because I know you love me

You just haven't realized

I'm faking my own suicide

They'll hold a double funeral

Because a part of you will die

Along with me

Wish you thought that I was dead

So rather than me

You'd be depressed instead

And before arriving at my grave

You'd come to the conclusion

You've loved me all your days

But it's too late

Too late for you to say

Because I'm faking my own suicide

Because I know you love me

You just haven't realized

I'm faking my own suicide

They'll hold a double funeral

Because a part of you will die

Along with me

I'll write you a letter that

You'll keep

Reminding you your love for me

Is more than six feet deep

You say aloud that you

Would've been my wife

Right about that time

Is when I come back to life

And let you know

I'd let you know (whooaa)

I was faking my own suicide

Because I know you loved me

You just never realized

I was faking my own suicide

I'll walk in that room and

See your eyes open so wide

I've been so lost

Because you know

Because you know

You will never leave my sight (you will never leave my sight)

Until the day that I die for the first time (until I die for the first time)

And we'll laugh, yeah we'll laugh

And we will cry

So overjoyed with the love

That saved my life

Our love is so alive

The fist time I heard the song I was like I've done that before (not actually faked my suicide, but thought about it) and then I listened to it a second time and looked a little deeper. Even if you have never thought about suicide we have all had those thoughts that well if I was gone then you would realize how much I meant to you or see that you loved me. What I take form the song is that most of us have that person whether it's a family member, bf/gf, or just a good friend that we may not always show we appreciate them or never let them know how much we really care. I know for me I like to point blame on everyone but myself. I always think everyone else should do the caring. Getting back to my point tho.......we need to make the relationships we have amazing! Relationships are what make the world go around. Not everyone realizes the effect that you have on people. It could be the way you smiled at someone at work or just showing you care about the person by asking how things are. Those things are so small and simple to do, but most times have the biggest effects on people.

What I'm trying to get at is spread your love in all relationships. We shouldn't limit our love to only people closest to us, but to everyone we meet. Just try over the next couple of days or week to make an effort to spread some love and say hi to someone you don't talk to a lot or at all and just bring a positive vibe to whatever room your in. It doesn't just help other people, but it helps you as well. We as human beings need to spread our love to everyone!

3/16/2007

What does that mean to settle? It means something different to everyone. Maybe for you it means I wont settle for this job, or my weight, or I wont settle for anything less than love, or I wont settle for second best. This is a question I've been asking myself pretty frequently the past couple of weeks and I've come up with a couple different answers that are all related in one way or another.

For me, I wont settle for a mediocre life. I know that is not very specific, but It's become a flag that hangs above this mind of mine. I use this one statement as motivation to always better myself and my situation. I can remind myself of it while I'm at work and things aren't going so great or any other situation I find myself in. "I will not settle for mediocrity". It can be used for anything. Recently the most dominant thing I have used it for is getting back into shape. Over the past 5 months I have been able to lose 25 pounds because I decided that I wont settle for a mediocre life.

You will be shocked at what you are capable of when you let this statement be the most forefront idea behind everything you do. I have already started to reshape the way I think and the way I see something as possible or impossible. Let me be the first to tell you that for me the grass was definitely greener on the other side. I feel empowered now and I know that I will lead a respectable, gratifying, and meaningful life. One problem that I had run into and I'm sure many other people too is really believing and "buying into" the idea. Unless you really WONT settle and really DO want to better your life you will not be affected by asking yourself this question. Nothing will change for you until you make the conscious decision to live a better life.

Many people live happy and comfortable lives and there is nothing wrong with that, that's the american dream to get a good job, buy a house, and have a family. I want all of those things except the job part. I do not like the idea of working very hard and being good at something, but only getting a thin slice of the pie. So what do we do as a result of feeling this way. Most people just complain and don't do anything about it. Well I've become extremely tired of being one of those people. So I have gone out and started to make things happen. I don't expect one day for a great idea or business opportunity to fall into my lap. I realize that I have to go out there and make it happen.

I don't know about you, but I have plans for my life, hopes and dreams as we all do. There is no reason why only I can make these dreams become reality, when you can as well. Especially here in America we have everything we need for success at our fingertips. Success comes from the decision of whether or not to use it. The internet has not only become a great place, if not the best, to find information on just about anything, but also one of the easiest ways to step out from popular thinking and take a chance whether it be a business or networking community to learn from other people and their experiences.

This is by no means a "how to" on how to really do anything, but more a demand to question popular thought. We are fed, in my opinion, a lot of what other people want us to see and buy in to. Whether it be the news always showing what's going wrong and rarely showing all the good that happens in this country or the fact that more people vote for the next American Idol than the next president of the Unites States. That's just so ridiculous. Alright enough ranting, I'm sorry. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't do something or that it is out of your grasp. YOU can do or be anything you want to in this life. The decision comes down to you persevering and seeing your dreams become reality. Most people will not get it or give you their opinion and that is good, but remember their opinion does not dictate whether or not you will succeed or fail.

I know I went off on a lot of different tangents and that probably made it hard to follow what I was really going for, but it's simple, you don't have to settle for anything in your life. Everyone of us has the power to better ourselves we just need to take control and believe that anything is possible, cause as I'm finding out, it is. This is so much more than a corny little motivational statement. It honestly has the power to change so many things. Do with it what you want.

Now I'm sure I may have struck a chord with someone of you who read this and disagree on some of the things I said. The beauty of that is that we are both entitled to our opinions, and where as I respect yours, I do not have to think according to your standards, but can learn from them.

11/26/2007

You ever wonder how you got to where you are right now? Maybe it was smart or stupid choices or maybe it was or wasn't a God thing or maybe you woke up one day and you were there. It's always (well almost always) fun to look back at your life whether it be the past year, 5, or 10 and see how much you've changed, grown, and so on. Now lots of people like to get caught up on that and think that it determines who they are in this world. Well I've personally come to realize that the past doesn't dictate the future. I think a much more important question rather than how you got here is where are you going. We need to be focused on NOW and deal with that rather than what did happen. We've all made mistakes, but the great thing is that we have a God that gave his son to save us from all the "mistakes" or "bad things" we may have done and may end up doing.

For so long I lived thinking about the past and let that run my life rather than thinking about things in the NOW, like the relationships I have or want to have, and then acting and making them happen. This cannot happen unless we lift our problems up to God and put our lives in His hands, because ultimately it is He that has the blueprint for the best life imaginable. I know from personal experience that trying to fix a big mess up on your own is not only not easy, but almost impossible by yourself.

I really encourage you to think about NOW and take action to make NOW amazing as it can be. This is so easily accomplished by really lifting and giving ALL your heart to God. It is very easy for me to sit here and type this cause on paper it is easy, but I by no means have been doing this. I not only challenge you to really let your heart go and see what God has in store for your life, but I challenge myself as well. I really feel like God has put some things on my heart that I need to listen to and act in the NOW and not wait till I ask myself how did I get here and think of what could have been.

This blog was inspired by a series that was started at my church called 30 days to live. If you don't go to church and want to or just want to come you are welcome and definitely invited. Great things happen when you take Jesus out of the trunk and put Him in the driver seat.

11/4/2007