What Does It Mean To Be Selful?

Ivan Martinez1 Comment

MattysFlicks

Understanding one’s self is a task that many of us take on for our entire lives. We search and search in order to uncover who we are. We listen to all sorts of advice telling us how we should be, we read all kinds of books telling us how to behave. We look for answers to the questions that haunt us most. What do I stand for? What am I doing? Who will I be?

Truth is, we do not have to work hard at discovering our selves, for who we are at this very moment is who we are. Every thought that comes into our mind is actively defining our self; every action that we decide to take molds what we stand for. We are the sum of every experience that we’ve ever had; not just of what happened, but of how we have let it affect us.

Continue reading “What Does It Mean To Be Selful?” →

What Makes Someone Successful

Lawrence KotovetsLeave a comment

Skyline

My father was a violinist. My uncle played the saxophone. My cousin’s grandfather sang and played the accordion and the piano in a restaurant he owned.

I felt that I was born with musical talent. So, I decided that I would learn how to sing. I gathered my friends and enrolled into a singing class at my community college. We learned scales, went to karaoke, got a practice room to practice in daily, and took advantage of all office hours. I was ambitious and put in a lot of effort. I took singing classes for a year and a half and even took a couple of private lessons. And I’ve got to tell you…I still can’t sing. As much effort as I put in and as much musical I believed I had, the other classmates were years ahead of me. They were improving faster. And it made me wonder:

What is it about some people that makes them just so good at things?

and

Is there anyway to tell if someone is more likely to be successful in life?

But first, what does “Success” even mean? Continue reading “What Makes Someone Successful” →

It’s Only A Matter Of Time Until Nature Becomes My Home

Ivan MartinezLeave a comment

https://www.flickr.com/photos/25172838@N05/9455296487/in/photostream/Ahh the beauty of it all. The luscious moss, dripping off the sides of the trees. The trees themselves, grandiose and strong. The smell is overwhelming, the essence of freedom and life that it gives off.

One deep breathe, and you forget it all. One deep breathe and you become it all.

I continue my stroll, feeling the grass drape itself over my toes. The softness, the liveliness. It shouts green, it whispers life.

“Tell me all your secrets, tell me where you came from”

I kneel down, rub my hands through it. It embraces everything it touches. It continues to call my name, and I am powerless to its beauty. I lay down. Let it speak to me. It holds me as the rays of the sun creep through the trees. They creep closer, advancing forward in silence, bringing its warmth along for the ride. It starts with the toes, climbs up through the legs, embraces my torso, massages my arms, and covers my face. Tingles run down my skin as my body embraces what gives it life. I close my eyes, let the beauty sink in.

Continue reading “It’s Only A Matter Of Time Until Nature Becomes My Home” →

What The Man In The Wheelchair Taught Me About Caring

Ivan MartinezLeave a comment

mother and her dead son statue

I’d like to share what I experienced the other day. It was on the bus. In the front row was a veteran, trembling in his wheelchair, still wearing his USA attire. His hair was long and grey; he looked worn out. At that moment, I wanted to see his point of view. I wanted to understand him a little better. I imagined what it would be like to experience life through his eyes.

The fight was tough but it was exactly what I had wanted. The amount of vigilance necessary in order to survive was demanding, I thrived off of that. Every day you don’t give a fuck what goes on out there, you go out there to do what they want you to do. There is a mission to accomplish and you’re making sure you keep your part, because you know you’re capable of it. When else are you tested to your full potential? This is what I live for, and if you would like to watch, go right ahead. Enjoy the show because I’m a fucking monster.

I imagined the days that made him a veteran and I pictured him as a total badass. I felt the thrill and surge of power that comes when you’re defending yourself. You’re sent over there for a reason, making your sole priority to accomplish the goal and survive. I could feel the hustle that it required.

Continue reading “What The Man In The Wheelchair Taught Me About Caring” →

Sometimes I Forget That I’m Alive

Ivan MartinezLeave a comment

17099096b7e9b0b36a75a7b238aca66b_largeI get caught up thinking about other’s thoughts. It’s not about what others think about me, just what they’re thinking in general. Thinking amazes me. Every body is doing it, yet everyone does so differently. The problem is that it reaches a point of distraction. I get caught up thinking about the world that I lose my sense of placement. I forget that I am currently what exists. I am alive; a part of the present and everything in it, capable of interacting with any body and experiencing what is out there. The trees are amazing, the sun is incredible, and all that surrounds me is beautiful.

Continue reading “Sometimes I Forget That I’m Alive” →

How Can We Create a Better Future?

Lawrence Kotovets1 Comment

The Rocket of Wonder

Children are our future.  All of the work that we do, whether indirectly or directly, will end up in the hands of the next generation.  The future is prevailing generations, and so to create a better future we need to focus on creating more leaders, and innovators.  This article is an idea of how we can create better scientists, doctors, artists, writers, educators, you name it; through the analogy of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. We’ll see how inspiriting children is not the most important thing, and how we can make STEM fields more fun by making them more awesome.

Continue reading “How Can We Create a Better Future?” →

The Other Night

Ivan Martinez2 Comments

Night_spectre_of_the_brocken

We cross through the tunnel at 12:01. My dog and I enjoying the greatness of the night; him with his head out the window, me with my mind. The cool breeze coming in, smelling of beautiful mist and reinforcing why it is that I love to drive. I’m in the zone, feeling the vibrations of the wheels rolling on the pavement, the soft whirring of the engine as we cruise down the street. Almost home. We come to a stop at the corner; the traffic light paints the street red, and just like the children’s game, nothing moves. The constant tick-tick-tick-tick of the blinker as I look both ways before making a right is the only sound around. I proceed to make the turn and now the sweet sound of the steering wheel gliding through my hands fills me with calmness. I don’t know what it is but that sound has always soothed me; leather on skin, oh what a great combination.

Instantly that feeling is gone, but the stillness that blankets the neighborhood remains. Standing in front of me, waiting just down the road, is the angel of death. Dark and cloaked the way it’s always described, but much greater, much larger, making it’s presence unavoidable. I look to the passenger seat and see Timmy staring forward with intent, focused on what lies ahead.

“Well, let’s see what it wants”

Continue reading “The Other Night” →

Under the Oak: What makes people charismatic, and where is the answer to the meaning of life found?

Lawrence Kotovets1 Comment

flickr-2257572214-original

Welcome to Under the Oak.  Here  ideas are free flow and grow without  the pejorative of judgments, beliefs, and biases.  Like watching a movie, come in with a open mind, and suspend doubts. Come take a seat with us Under the Oak as we dwell into what makes people charismatic, and where the answer to the meaning of is life found.

Continue reading “Under the Oak: What makes people charismatic, and where is the answer to the meaning of life found?” →