Religion is an inside job, so don’t go looking in buildings on Sundays!!!! -Sean Patrick Flanery
There is a necessity of HOPE and RELIGION that lies at the core of our existence. This much I know.
Every single, conscious, human action in life is done for a presumed or desired result. Most actions start to wane when there is no guarantee of the desired result. THIS is where HOPE comes in. And HOPE is a necessary component in every single endeavor in life. It is only with HOPE that you will willingly step outside of your comfort zone with absolutely NO guarantee of success… and stepping outside of your comfort zone is a necessary component of achieving anything and everything wonderful in this life.
“I ain’t no saint, but I’ve tried never to do anything that would hurt my family or offend God… I figure all any kid needs is hope and the feeling he or she belongs. If I could do or say anything that would give some kid that feeling, I would believe I had contributed something to the world” -Elvis Presley
My definition of “Hope” is that it is a commitment to a belief outside of any empirical evidence to support or guarantee that belief. But, unless you can believe that something is possible, you will never commit the necessary resources needed to successfully pursue what might appear to be an improbable result. The only thing that will put movement in the present, is hope for the future.
“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one”. -John Lennon
People always say that they want to understand so that they can believe. But in MY reality it’s just the opposite. I believe because I DON’T understand. I HAVE to believe, because there’s no other way to explain what I’m seeing, feeling, or experiencing. And make no mistake, most Athiests are as dogmatic about their non-belief as believers are about belief. Alas, I think we’ve just found THEIR religion.
ANYTHING THAT PROVIDES IMMEDIATE AND VISIBLE RESULTS IS VERY EASY TO BELIEVE IN. IT’S THE THINGS THAT PROVIDE REWARDS ON LAYAWAY THAT REQUIRE RELIGION. IT’S ALL THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE. THEY ALL REQUIRE HOPE. WITHOUT IT, EVERYTHING WORTHWHILE… DISAPPEARS.
If you have HOPE for the possibility of getting healthy, then you will have access to the tools needed to provide change. The results of all the hard work will be imperceptible for a while, but they ARE forthcoming, should you persevere. Just know that the overwhelming majority of the population usually gives up on the one yard line, with time still left on the clock, one point away from winning the game. They gave up because continuing on was simply too much effort. But, If you’re one of the minority, then you’ll plow right through the adversity in a unidirectional vector right to your target, and end up on the other side of the equation staring back at the others in sheer disbelief that they cannot see the possibility and benefits of change. Adversity is a necessary part of any success, and one of the tools necessary to overcome it… is hope. Without hope, adversity will kick your ass.
“HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS THAT PERCHES IN THE SOUL AND SINGS THE TUNE WITHOUT WORDS AND NEVER STOPS AT ALL” -EMILY DICKINSON
So, would you like to know what my definition of HELL is???? Well, first of all I don’t think it’s so much a “place” as it is a “state”, and it’s something you potentially start creating the day you are born. It’s that state you get in after you’ve exhausted all the resources that you came equipped with, and life starts slipping away… and you get a FACE to FACE meeting with the person you COULD’VE been… had you just simply given a shit.
“I believe because I DON’T understand. I HAVE to believe, because there’s no other way to explain what I’m seeing, feeling, or experiencing.” – this is my favorite line, it is exactly why I believe. Another incredible blog Sean.
“Hope is a good thing, maybe even the best of things….and no good thing ever dies.”~Shawshank Redemption. This has always been one of my favorite quotes and I agree wholeheartedly with everything you just wrote. I so often flip flop with my religion and belief, I get down on myself and wonder how could a just God allow such things in this world to happen? But HOPE is always there, no matter what, I hope. You are such a wonderful man and I thank you for your blog and your insights.
<3
Sean,
You inspire on a level that I can even explain. Today I needed this blog and this inspiration more than I can tell you and it allows me to truly look into myself and find that HOPE and strive once again. Somendays my drive wavers like today and this is the explination and straight forward “kick” that I needed. Again thank u for such inpiration and drive and kindness.
~Chelsea
This explains so many things, someone told me you were my crush and I just laughed because your not my crush,your my inspiration. When I’m in a dark place I think of everything I could become and then I think of everything you’ve taught me, Life doesn’t give up on me so I shouldn’t even think about giving up on it . Thankyou Sean xx may the odd always be in your favour xx <3
once again you have amazed me with your writing. thank you for sharing. im not going to reply right away because im going to really think about what you said. it has touched my heart. xoxo
Amen! This very much reminds me of Rod Serlings philosophy on Heaven and Hell.
Sean, Thank You For Posting A Great Blog-Beautiful 🙂 Hope helps us take a deep breath and carry on with our journey. I believe hope is sustenance of life 🙂
Beautiful, and true. You kept your word…this blog is exactly what I needed to hear right now. I’ve thrown myself out of my comfort zone, along with some friends. This has left me feeling like I lost all firm foundations. But this circle of friends have help, and we will not be allowing each other to “phone in” our lives. And you aren’t letting me phone it in either, Sean. Your general and personal support won’t let me. With these blogs and your replies when I (and we) need them… Well, I’ll say more when I update on my Proclamation “sub-blog” (shall I call it that? lol) next. Thanks for reminding me about hope. I was letting other people’s uncertainty shake my belief. Not anymore. Now, if you’ll excuse me…I have some “Impossibilities” to accomplish. Oh, and an update to write. xx
Your thoughts today touched a place deep inside my heart. You are right. Hell is that place you see yourself as you are and not of what you could be. This happened to me about ten years ago not because I wanted it, I allowed it to happen to me. I was trapped in a sad relationship and on a downward spiral. Not with drugs or alcohol; but with sadness and loneliness. Faith, hope, whatever one wants to call it sometimes can be jump-started by the most unlikely of ways.
One thing – Hope does give us something, it gives us the courage to fight to claim what is ours, to be the person we hope we can and should be. Yes, hope is my friend.
Four years ago mine was given back to me by my son. He suggested that I go back to school and finish my degree. Well, I finished my undergrad and am only months away from receiving my Masters Degree. Over my summer off I am undergoing shoulder and back surgery – I want, no need my life back. Over the past four years my attitude has changed, just as you speak about. I am on my way to reclaiming the life I am meant to have! I think I will even return to Tae Kwon Do to complete myself and to revisit peace and clarity rarely found elsewhere.
Hope is a wonderful noun to have, just don’t let it turn into your only verb. Hoping, all by itself, gets nothing done; action is required.
I believe in destiny and fates crossing into one another, I just went to see “Man of Steel” and the S symbol means “HOPE”, and how weird is it to come home and see you’ve written a blog about it. I was thinking about it the whole way through. what you say is VERY TRUE and I’m almost certain that anyone can reach the finish line as long as they take hold of themselves and believe. Thank you for writing this Sean. You’re an inspiration 😉 and I LOVE that Emily Dickinson quote
Thank you so much for that. My quote to live by is “Your life is God’s gift to you. What you do with that life is your gift to God.”
Love that one. 🙂
It sure looks like you are giving God a REALLY good gift.
A little word can mean so much to so many people and I think you have hit the mark with the word ‘hope’ in a big way.
that was awesome sean it touches my heart the way u think sometimes. what do u say to someone who looses hope, after ur best friend dies. meaning my mom. she used to think that way. it took me 3 yrs to realize how hoping in something can make a person smile. instead of walking with ur head down hoping people dont notice u, u lift ur head up high and hope that they do notice u.
I really go beyond hoping. I believe most things are possible with a great deal of hope and effort. When I’ve given all I could to see things I dreamed and hoped for happen…I’ve succeeded. Those times when things didn’t work out the way I expected, I took the time to figure out “Why?” That’s when I was successful even when things didn’t go my way.
I am hoping for more to occur in my life. I feel that God is expecting more from me even at 67 years old. I am up for the challenge.
Thank you, Sir, for encouraging me more.
On days like today hope seems far away, but that burning hell of lost possibilities is a feeling… or a place, rather… that I’d prefer to avoid for the rest of my life. I’ve been there and I clawed my way out over a long period of time. I’ve been trying to keep in mind that at any moment I can make a different choice about what I’m doing, what state of mind I chose to be in, and what I CHOOSE focus on. I’m choosing to focus on hope. It is never too late to start over again and make new choices. You brought that light into my life, gave me the discipline to shine and to focus on hope. For that, I think you deserve the biggest of thanks. Xo
Dear Sean, “If you have HOPE for the possibility of getting healthy, then you will have access to the tools needed to provide change.”This is my favorite quote and it sounds like you answered my post with this blog. I had some difficulties with the translation but I think I got it. Hope was the only thing that prevented me from giving up. But sometimes there are these special bad days. And then it’s helpful to read your blogs and see your pictures. Especially the one with the window. It really looks sometimes like these walls in my head and somewhere in the distance there is this light. Thank you for your blogs. They are an inspiration to me.
This is so interesting and timely. I was just having a conversation with a friend about how the world seems to be progressively losing Hope. A sense of hopelessness leaves us vulnerable. The tendency to give up is strong. Stronger yet? The tendency to follow anyone promising a solution.
We drink the sand like water Not because we are so thirsty — but because we don’t know the difference.
I find that people tend to use “hope” as an expression of uncertainty. But for me, hope doesn’t mean doubt. Hope means Faith. And one should not lower “Hope” down to the impossible; but rather grow their faith up to the Possible.
I love an old Native saying: A worn path never existed; until many people walked upon it.
Hope is that path, and you MUST walk it with conviction in order to stand firm.
As an Atheist I totally agree, “most Athiests are as dogmatic about their non-belief as believers are about belief. Alas, I think we’ve just found THEIR religion.” People look for hope and inspiration in all different places: in god(s), in Karma, in nature, in others, and in themselves. None of these are wrong, whatever gets you through the day. Life is too short to judge others.
I’ve never let adversity kick my ass and I don’t intend to start now. I’d always said that I was too stupid to be afraid and too stubborn to give up…perhaps hope is a better way of looking at it.
My husband and I were having a discussion yesterday about hope, possibilities, and our belief that nothing in life is predestined. We have the tools inside each of us to change the things we don’t like in our lives, although many fail to realize this. I have to admit, when progress on losing weight and getting healthier is slow I have a harder time finding the motivation to continue giving 100%. Those are the times I very much appreciate your words of wisdom reminding me of what I already know but forgot for a moment. Your words help more than I can say.
Thank you for another beautifully written blog. Love ya. Tangi (@TangiNorris)
While I’m not religious, I still believe you write beautifully. I do agree about Hope being essential. Just like in Harvey Milk’s speech. You’ve gotta have hope. Without hope, life is not worth living.
Thanks for those words. I keep hoping for things and for change. I keep going and I will admit at times it seems so damn hard, but I still do it. I really hope this message you put on here helps others because you put it perfectly. When things get tough you got to keep going and believe things will work out. I also love the fact you quoted from “Imagine”, love that song. Take care and have a great day.
Well said Sean!I agree with you whole heartedly!!Even if the finish line keeps moving on me, I keep running right to it.It can be exhausting,but in my opinion, laying down and giving up is worse on one’ses inner state.You are such a beautiful soul.Thank You xxxxx
“And make no mistake, most Athiests are as dogmatic about their non-belief as believers are about belief. Alas, I think we’ve just found THEIR religion.” Touché!
That’s a pleasant depiction of Hell, but I’m afraid there’s one more stop. Season’s don’t fear the reaper nor do the winds the sun or the rain~BOC
I have been struggling emotionally, and for some reason your words always seem to make me smile and to feel better! You have a gift for reaching people Sean, and it’s great that you use it. It’s sometimes easy to feel that hope is no longer there, and it is really great to be reminded!
“It has never been, and never will be, easy work! But the road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination.”
Marion Zimmer Bradley
You’ve been giving us so much love lately Sean. My favorite part of your blog entry “a regret of another order of regretful magnitude altogether”…..here’s to avoiding the monumental regret!!!!
Definitely a good one. And now I have somewhere to point when peeps looks at me like I’m stupid when I say that I am nothing without Hope. Having recently been diagnosed with MS, it rattled my Faith and my Hope. I am proud to say that I am back in the game. Screw you MS, this is MY freaking life. Move on.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is, “When the world says ‘Give up.’ Hope whispers, ‘Try one more time.'” So get up, smile at the sun, thank whatever power you want that you are alive, and keep moving.
Thank you again for another blog that may actually come from my own head. lol Keep smiling!!
Oi, when you type in a larger point size, watch your kerning….its getting WAY out of control 🙂 This is what a graphic artist gets from this post….well okay, not just that, but my opinions on this particular diatribe would take up nearly as much of the post as yours, so let’s just say you have some very valid points, and a keen way of looking at things. Organized (and I use that term very lightly as its ridiculously inaccurate) religion is, as so many other things are, a security blanket for those who have not yet reached the level of being able to HOPE (the term FAITH may be used similarly here) without guidance. The irony is, the essence of the system tells all that in order to have HOPE, one must cling more and more tightly to that security blanket, which in turn, is their actual downfall from independent conceptualization. IF YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE TO TELL YOU WHAT TO HAVE FAITH IN, YOU HAVE NO FAITH. This is simple logic….to have FAITH, or as is being said, to have HOPE, it in essence means trusting in those concepts for oneself, regardless of outside influence. Be of stronger constitution than the world outside you, and you will have all the HOPE you could ever need. Logic….I dig it 😉
Interesting premise and argument. Many people that hold to faith and religion may have experienced some very terrible and terrifying things in their lives. Maybe they lost someone, maybe they were abused. We don’t know what motivates people. Each of us carries a world of experience. Faith and Religion are two very different things. Spirituality and Religion are two very different things. Religion is man made, Spirituality is internal to each of us, which drives us toward faith. Hope is similar to “maybe”. You hope for an outcome, you hope for that raise. Faith is definite, faith is “it will happen”. Faith is certainty in the face of uncertainty.
But, you lose points for quoting John Lennon. Lennon was a drunk, a wife beater, and abandoned his son. All of which seem to have been glossed over. Lennon was not someone to look to for inspiration or advice. that guy needed to get his own house in order before preaching about Love.
My dear sir, you are such an incredible inspiration. I love this message and I learned many years ago to live my life this way. When my son was born and we nearly lost him more times than I care to remember, I learned that my attitude and the way I looked at life and attempted to get through it made all the difference. Raising a son with a disability along with two other sons as a single mother ( I guess some folks just aren’t able to handle rearing a child with a disability and decide to take the high road) is tough, but as you said, you’ve got to have HOPE. I went through a pretty severe life-threatening illness right after my divorce, and I hit rock bottom. But I put myself through college, became a special education teacher and now not all is right with the world but we get through it!
I know there’s no way you can remember all the people you meet, but this past weekend in Columbus, we met you. (My son, Justin, fell in love with you, and I was hoping that my youngest son, Travis, would see you as more than just the cool dude who was in BDS and I might be able to convince him to look at some of your blog entries.) He’s so angry and I’ve tried to convince him of just this very statement:”So, would you like to know what my definition of HELL is???? Well, first of all I don’t think it’s so much a “place” as it is a “state”, and it’s something you potentially start creating the day you are born.”
There are issues with his father that he just won’t let go even though if he could and try to have that HOPE that would enable him to make his life better…well…
I would so love to know the magic words to say to him that would help him see he’s not the “F— up” he’s been led to believe he is since the age of 16. He expects his life to be miserable,and I’m so at a loss as to how to help him…
Reading your words made me think of some of my favorite quotes,, “Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning.”-Joseph Campbell
“I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.” -H.H. Dali Lama
“hope is a good thing. maybe the best of good things. and no good thing ever dies”
My faith is affirmed when all hope is lost but I keep believing, keep fighting taking to right actions and trusting the results to God……
There is a line from a movie that I love (most people bash it). It is from Legion. Gabriel (black angel of death and extermination as God has lost faith in humanity) says to Jeep, “why do you continue to fight, hmmm, when you know all hope is lost” JEEP: “Fuck you”.
The point where you feel your struggles for what you know is right, is true seem hopeless, have the faith to keep fighting. That is when true victory of faith is manifested.
My faith is affirmed when all hope is lost but I keep believing, keep fighting taking to right actions and trusting the results to God……
There is a line from a movie that I love (most people bash it). It is from Legion. Gabriel is the black angel of death and exterminator. JEEP the character for whom Michael falls from grace out of hope for saving humanity…. GABRIEL “why do you continue to fight, hmmm? when you know all hope is lost” JEEP: “Fuck you”. (Ok, I am Catholic and overlook to dogmatic criticisms for the underlying message – and I curse like a sailor, so I relate). While trite, imagine an angel of death (or real life people or situations just as ominous with a knife, ready to slaughter you. How many have the courage to say, “Fuck you”, to not give up.
My point is that when you feel your struggles for what you know is right and true seem hopeless, when you are given every reason to not have faith, that is when you must hold most tightly to it. To have the faith to keep fighting, as this is when the true victory of faith is manifested.
Hope can only be found in Jesus Christ – no other person or way!
First, im french, so my english is not perfect.
I have to admit, I really love this post, your message about hope is wonderful and I do think that all humans need hope to survive.
Even if I dont believe In god or religions, I can relate to everything you have written In this blog 🙂
You are truly an inspiration for me and my family.
Love, Health
XxX
Meve
Thank you for this blog’ i love it.
I think that without hope i wouldn”t be where i am today.Only two years ago i was lost’ depressed’ ‘lost both of my parents’ with no family to turn to’ ‘and i decided that i can continue to fall down into depression or decide to raise my head’fight my demons’ fight my fears and anxieties and never to give up’even when it”s hard and it was worth it.
This last year i achieved more than i achieved in my whole life.
I started working’ i volunteer for the disabled and children with special needs’ i returned to my old hobby’painting’ i play in the community theatre in my home town’ i have lots of friends ‘i started to believe and appreciate myself and everyday i try to achieve more goals in my life.
And i have the jar of hope with positive things everyday
Thank you again for the wonderful blog’ always enjoy it
Your definition of hell is beyond the scariest I’ve ever read. Hope is…hope is the most important thing ever, isn’t it? If we can keep a hold of hope, we can keep moving forward when everything else is darkness and despair.
Thank you. I’m going to really enjoy reading more of your posts.
I would like to thank you for your explanation on HOPE and HELL. I have felt that this was the reason of my existence, to live in a HELL since I was 11 years old. So, in the last eight years I have created that HELL. And have found myself at the bottom of that pit of feeling sorry for myself and have made my soul/physical body ill. So ill that pain is all I know 24/7. From reading your explanation, I am willing to try and find the HOPE that you have spoken of in this blog. I know I have a long road ahead of me, but it can’t hurt to try than never try at all. Sean, I THANK YOU for giving me a small glimpse of HOPE so that I may climb out of the HELL that I have put myself into. Maybe I can get back into my painting again with that small amount of HOPE… Peace out……..:)
Cyndi, my heart squeezed in pain in response to reading your post. I’ve been to the hell you describe…lived it for way too long. It’s so easy to find yourself there when awful things happen to you .. most especially as a child. I promise if you grab onto that tiny tiny tiny shimmer of hope, it does get better. We did create that hell, so great news: we can tear that bitch down and build something better. I’m so proud of you for reaching out .. go for it, girl. You deserve happiness and contentment. BIG hug.
Thank you Sean for this amazing blog! I always believe in hope, I cling to it and without it, I wouldn’t be here. But today…today was a difficult and challenging day. Things came crashing down and I doubted whether or not I could make my dreams come true. I doubted whether or not I would ever find love. And then I stumbled upon your website and this inspiring blog. I won’t doubt myself anymore. I won’t give up, even when I beg myself to do so. I can’t let my life pass me by…anymore! I’m SO happy I found your website! God works in mysterious ways, just when I needed it the most, BAM there you were! So THANK YOU Sean! You’re truly amazing! Much LOVE to you!
Your definition of HOPE is closer to that of FAITH, in my humble opinion. Hope is something that human longs to aspire to, and faith is the knowledge that he will get there.
No, your religion does not HAVE to be in a building, but if not there, where are you going to learn the totems of your faith? You have to be taught about God to know God. Too many parents today cop out by saying “I don’t want to pressure my kid into one mind set of who God is. He can make his own decision once he’s grown.” BASED ON WHAT?????
Parents still teach their kids right from wrong, don’t they? Or did I miss a memo?? Was I supposed to let my children do whatever they wanted and let them decide what laws to abide by when they grew up?? NO, my job was to instruct them in my morals and be an example of how to behave in society, and 40% of that teaching came from my religion, 50 from my own upbringing, and 10 from what life threw me as an adult to deal with while teaching these men that I have raised how to treat the rest of the world without landing in prison.
You can HOPE that you will lose 50 pounds, but faithfully putting in two 30 minute exercise sessions twice a day and changing your eating habits is what is going to get you there. I can HOPE I win the lottery, but I have to faithfully waste a dollar a week for at least 8 years to win maybe a partial jackpot that gives me $1500. The first example is more realistic. The second is fantasy. You have to be careful what you put your HOPE into, unless you are willing to put a lot of FAITH into it also.
I love reading your messages. They make me think. You have VERY poignant thoughts that provoke discussion yet there’s no way to have a good debate. I enjoy sparring with an intelligent mind, such as yours.
I put a LOT of living in my life, not realizing that an ugly monster called ‘pain’ was going to move in. Friends fell by the wayside. We’d have arguments for days, over dinners, work, forums, and the phone and it kept me “alive”!!!! That’s how your blogs make me feel, like there’s someone of similar intellect putting ideas out there that I can assimilate, debate, and either convince him, or he convince me, and then laugh the whole thing off over a glass of wine and pick another subject!!!
I IN NO WAY MEAN YOU ANY DISRESPECT WITH MY DIFFERENCES OF OPINIONS. Most of the time we’re in sync. I just happen to be a stubborn Catholic!!! 🙂 ! I await the next blog!!!!
I haven’t read it all but its already touching my heart with your beautiful words!!
I know this is a year old but I just found it today…and it’s just as powerful and relevant. Beauty of words….they never expire. You hit the nail on the head when you said meeting that person you could’ve / should’ve been is hell. 6 yrs ago after a horrible break up (cheaters are bastards btw) and a medical scare…no hope….no will….just a broken shell of the person I was meant to be. 37 yrs old and feeling like life just dealt me a handful of shit. Completely broken and most entirely my fault….bad choices. I will never forget seeing myself as I was that day and “what could’ve been”. That is a sickening feeling. I remember crying to God and asking what did he intend for me…..i screwed up the first 37 yrs so here you show me what I was put here for and he has. Eye opening revelation and a transformation that i still can’t explain. At the end of that road we will give an account for our time….use it wisely. Hope. It creates an atmosphere for miracles. Stephanie @stephntxz ps: Houstonbnative I see….whoop woop. I’m in Sugar Land and grew up in H-town, Alief then out to Sugar Land in the late 80s. 🙂
All i can say is… WOW!
Just joined a few weeks ago so reading back blogs.
You are a really great writer. Should do a motivational book : ) This made my day.
xxoo
Sometimes, you think a person is just a pretty face, and they surprise you by being a total demon and using all their power to deface and tear down your basic values. THEN…….. somebody you already love comes across with something beautiful like this!! I have had my hands on you a bunch of times at the cons, and every time I have seen you, you have thanked me (not personally, maybe, but as part of a group) for being there, and shown me respect. I appreciate the acceptance you have given me as a more mature fan, one who has a more motherly outlook!! I love you, Collin!! Can’t wait to see you and Murphy back in business!! Thanks for this.
Very kind words. Thank you.
I’ve read now a few of your blogs – hey, better late than never!
You seem to have your heart in the right spot, you just don’t swollow pre-chewed information without questioning it.
I appreciate that a lot!
Keep it real!
So I am reading this in Nov 2014 and I have spent so much time lately thinking about who I wanted to be and why that person is still only making special appearances still. And it seems crazy that I am doing this to myself. I have faith in God. I haven’t been to church in years but I don’t believe that it is necessary because God is always with me. I thought hope was ever present as well. I must be ignoring her sometimes. My life has many great components & it is good. But I want fantastic. Hmm. Something is holding me back and this scares me. But I know that I don’t fit into what I am doing right now, not really. How do you find you’re way past fear of both flying and failure?
Thank you Mr. Inspiration for being such an incredible person. Sorry about the grammatical error above. Have a blessed day.
True hell… It’s knowing that you’ve lost hope. There’s a lot more I could say about this, and even more that I probably should, I just can’t right now. I’m trying like hell right now mostly to maintain my sanity. For me right now hope is a fragile thing and every day I force myself to have some. But there are about a hundred times a day that all I want to do is sit in a dark corner by myself and cry. I guess that’s why I’m finally crying now, because I need to. I spend the rest of my day angry and resentful and I hate that. I try so hard to put up a strong front, because I am a strong person and I know that. But I feel like I’m losing my mind. It’s like I take a thousand steps backward and every time I try to take a step forward I trip and fall. I know there are people who would catch me, but the one that is supposed to… I need help in a very real way and I don’t know where to turn to anymore. For now I’m just tying to keep my shit together long enough until I am finally in the position that I need to be in to make all of this better. I keep telling myself it will happen I just need to keep working and be patient. Thanks for letting me rant. I apologies for any bad spelling or grammar but I can’t hardly se the keyboard right now so I’m relying largely on spell checker.
When I wrote this last night I was in tears. I cried myself to sleep and I feel better for it. People under estimate the therapeutic power of tears. Depression has a marvelous way of curing a person of and abilty to care and crying can be the best way to over come that. Writing what little bit I did last night, saying things that I needed to say helped and I had a better day today because of it. The kind of help that I need is psychological. I just need somebody to talk to. Someone that isn’t connected to my current situation. I felt like I could do this here. There was a post you had put up, Sean, that said you wanted this to be a place for people to talk openly and honestly, to share there stories, advice, and opinions. I think reading that post is what allowed me to share what I did. Honestly it caught me off gaurd to read it. I think that we need more people that genuinely care about the people and the world around them. I would never do this on Facebook because it is too public, but here I can write with immunity. People here don’t know who I am, I’ll never meet them, so I feel less inhibited. In person I’m a little shy, and relatively introverted, so I have a hard time talking about the thinga that really hurt. Thank you Sean for giving me a place to talk openly, to tell my story, and share my opinions. To anyone else that may read this; I know how hard it can be to open up, to keep fighting when things seem hopeless, but you can’t stop trying. As long as you keep trying you haven’t lost. I know my fight is far from over but haven’t given up and I hope none of you do either.
Dear Sean,
greetings from Germany. I’m a hugh fan of your blog, especially your pictures. Would you allow me to use the above picture (the one with the broken room an the green trees outside the window) for my facebook-account? It would be great.
Of course!
Thank you very much. I now changed my profile picture and took yours. It looks great.
This picture shows how I feel inside and outside. Have a nice day. And thanks again for your blog.
I had to learn religion on my own. While my family is all Catholic (including me). Nobody taught me scriptures, bible verses, etc. I had a near-death exp in 2004 & at the beginning of January 2005, I was bored & couldn’t find anything good to watch on TV. So I started changing channels & I saw this lady (Joyce Meyer) talking about beauty for ashes. Then she had this odd sort of rock that looked odd & ugly in the back but when she turned it around & it was beautiful! It had pink crystals inside of it! & She said “This is how God sees us…were all beautiful to God!! & I wiped my tears & I finally for the first time I had confidence in myself! I have never had confidence in my life until that very day! So 10yrs later-present day Joyce Meyer makes me believe & trust in God no matter what! There is no situation God can’t handle! I have high hopes for me, my family,friends,society & most of all my dreams!! There is no limit on hope, or faith…& failure doesn’t exist in my world!! Again thx for another great blog Sean 🙂
… welcome.
Sean,
Thank you. Once again, just thank you.