The Light at The End of The Tunnel Pt.2

This is Part 2 of the article that deals with those depressing points in our lives. These lines are derived from the invaluable advice that I've gotten from some amazing people through the years.

Life is temporary. 

And so is everything we encounter along the way.

Every time it rains, it stops raining. Every time you get hurt, you heal. Darkness is always followed by light! You get reminded of this every morning, but still you  forget and instead choose to believe that the night lasts forever. It won’t. Nothing lasts forever.

So if things are good right now, enjoy it. It won’t last forever.  

If things are bad, don’t worry because it won’t last forever either!

Other peoples' negativity is not your problem.

Be positive when negativity surrounds you. Smile when others try to bring you down. It’s an easy way to maintain your enthusiasm and focus. When other people treat you poorly, keep being you. Don’t ever let someone else’s bitterness change the person you are. You should not take things too personally, even if it seems personal. Rarely do people do things because of you. They do things because of them. 

Above all, don’t ever change just to impress someone who says you’re not good enough. Change because it makes you a better person and leads you to a brighter future.  People are going to talk regardless of what you do or how well you do it.  So worry about yourself before you worry about what others think. If you believe strongly in something, don’t be afraid to fight for it. Great strength comes from overcoming what others think is impossible.

I've unfortunately met many of these elitists. They always assume that their way of doing things is the epitome of perfection. Moreover, they also assume that there is nothing more to a person other than what is apparent to them at face value. But the most annoying part is that they don't acknowledge the value of any skills other than those which they themselves posses. 

Well, dealing with such individuals is a part of life too. And the earlier you get a taste of it, the better you'll be able to handle them effectively.

That's all for this topic. Hope you all enjoyed this experimental format! Let me know how it resonates with you in the comments.

Signing Off,

Shawn Kenneth Fernandes.

The Light at The End of The Tunnel Pt.1

You might feel like this sometimes.
Falling helplessly, past your life.

We all reach that point in life where everything around us seems to be crumbling.

All that could possibly go wrong, goes wrong.
Your life stops making sense. All your decisions seem like bad ones.

And to worsen it all, it seems like you'll never escape it. You feel like your future is uncertain and you shudder at the thought of that!

Sound familiar? I'm guessing that if you've got this far into my blog, that you must've experienced something like this at least once. It's human nature and it's simply because human beings are never happy with what they have.

It all starts with one small incident and then it turns into days of self-pity and doubt. In many ways, it's like an avalanche. One small disturbance is enough to initiate it. It progressively grows until it's huge and starts affecting everything in it's path.

But do you know what happens after a while, to that big galloping sheet of snow? Quite simply, when it's at it's biggest and most destructive point, it simply slows down right to a halt. And it becomes a passive part of the mountain again. And any onlooker would be oblivious to the fact that an avalanche just took place, simply because everything looks normal.

And that's exactly what'll happen to our problems. They disappear entirely And I'm sure I don't have to convince you of that. But what I do have to do is remind you about it.. Because, no matter how experienced we might be, we'll still feel that pain. And we still feel the uncertainty.

The Night is always at it's darkest just 
before Dawn. Rest assured that your life 
works the same way!

Such pain forces us to change. And that’s a good thing because we often won’t move unless circumstances force us to. Move on from what hurt you, but never forget what it taught you. Just because you’re struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing.  

Remember that there are two kinds of pain: pain that hurts and pain that changes you.  When you roll with life, instead of resisting it, both kinds help you grow.




Don’t be afraid to get back up to try again, to love again, to live again, and to dream again.  

To be continued in "The Light at The End of The Tunnel Pt.2"


Signing Off,
Shawn Kenneth Fernandes

An Endless War Inside Our Heads

I've found myself to be listening to a surprising amount  of music lately. 

I'd like to share a particular song with you. The critically acclaimed Progressive Metal band "Dream Theater"  released a song called "The Enemy Inside" in 2013. Like much of their work the lyrics sparked something in my mind.

Here's a beautiful/painful part to reflect on:

''Over and over again 

I relive the moment 
I'm bearing a burden within 
Open wounds hidden under my skin 
The pain is real 
As a cut that bleeds 
The face I see 
Every time I try to sleep 
Staring at me crying 

I'm running from the enemy inside 
Looking for the life I left behind 
These suffocating memories 
Are etched upon my mind 
And I can't escape from the enemy inside 

I sever myself from the world 
I shut down completely 
Alone in my own living hell 
Overcome with irrational fear 
Under the weight of the world on my chest 
If I fall and break as I try to catch my breath 
Tell me I'm not dying "

The song made me realize that although sometimes we can't control what goes on in our head, we are in fact the reason for such thoughts. The human race is a tricky one and it's impossible to bear the pain of being a part of it . To ease the pain many of us succumb to the dark side only to realize that there is really no fix for the pain. But by the time we realize it, the damage is already done.
The ways we affect ourselves is the makings of a huge list. Unrealistic expectations, unintentional sacrifices, lack of confidence and coherence.....The list can go on and on. The interesting thing is that all of these are self-inflicted.

But that's an article for another day. For now, sit back and introspect. You might just be surprised. 

Signing off,
Shawn Kenneth Fernandes

P.S, For the curious readers here's a link to the lyric video. It is a little intense and long for those who aren't used to Progressive Metal or even Metal! But it's worth the listen. Skip on to 0:54.

  

If you enjoyed this, here is the music video:

And another personal favorite from DT to keep the energy going! Cheers!

Disclaimer:  This blog is not in any way affiliated with Dream Theater. These videos are for educational purposes only.. Enjoy!