Goals, and Avoiding Constant Lines

One of the ways I view life, and it is certainly only one of many, is that without a solid goal, or at least a higher point that is accessible in some way, your life will undoubtedly be stuck. I wrote about suffering in the last entry, and I expressed with vigor that that it will happen, and must happen. However, the cause of it was not directly said, and I think that ignoring, or failing to establish a goal is the ultimate path to self destruction. The positive thing is that everyone has a had goals before, no matter the size, importance, or outcome. Because anything ever achieved started as a goal, even if it was conceived sub consciously, or seconds before achievement. As small as every inhaled breath began as a goal, because our brains plan out that we will have to take a new breath every second or so to stay alive. We don't think about it, or even worry about it, but every breath, action, and word we speak was born as a goal. When you think about goals this way, in the most minute fashion possible, then the object of succeeding suddenly becomes much closer to grasp. People constantly tell themselves that in order to be successful, they will have to conform to previously set social norms, such as education, income, marriage, children, and an independent lifestyle in which you are able to support yourself financially and sometimes, emotionally. This is not to say that these things are not worth achieving, in many circumstances, they are the ultimate goal for a person. But they should never be considered the only options.

As I am sure I have expressed in many ways before, ever single person is different. And yet, the majority of people believe that they must behave like those around them, in order to present themselves as orderly, or socially acceptable. That being said, we can now see our goals in two ways- (1) as unique to our own personality, and achievable only through actions defined by our true intentions and not influenced by negative surroundings, and (2) that we break down these goals into the most minute ways possible. To spend every day dreaming of being in a different place, or acting in a completely different way, is a waste of time and energy. It is nearly impossible to achieve any life long dream in the course of a day. So why should you feel like a failure at the end of a day if you are still in the same position that you started the day in? It is only common knowledge that you will not become something in a day, and that is precisely why we need to break down our goals into realistic options for ourselves, things that are easily achievable, but also lead to the ultimate point.

The only logical way for me to explain it, and to apply it to every day life, is to think of your life as a single straight line, which begins at a point "A", and ends at a point "B". The point "A" is your birth, and the point "B" is your death, whether that death be one that occurs physically, or in your soul. (This may become confusing depending on your belief in the afterlife. Your physical death is the one when your body fails to work, and you are pronounced medically "deceased". For some, life ends here, for both body and soul, but for others, the soul is thrust into an "afterlife" in which the soul lives eternally. So your line either stops at your physical death, or extends eternally, with your soul.) When you are born, you have no other action other than the instinct to stay alive. Your line is flat, with no accomplishment other than staying alive, which later in life, may actually be the goal for some. As life goes on, and goals begin to develop, the line moves either up or down, depending on your accomplishment or failure of the specific goal. This is what is most natural to a human being; failing and succeeding. And when the line dips below its steady plane, our natural response is sadness, anger, or even depression. However, when your line is lower than usual, or you have failed, or seemingly failed at something, it should not be regarded as a negative thing. This is the best opportunity to succeed. It is only natural that when at the lowest point, of anything, the only way to go is up, or remain the same. So when we fail, there are two ways to approach it- we can see it as an opportunity to only achieve a greater task than before, or we failed because the goal we had in mind was one that was not broken down into realistic parts. The greatest failure of all is to leave your line on a constant plane, with no rise or fall.

The worst thing you can do to yourself is to allow your line to remain at a constant level, with no achievement or failure. When this happens, you have failed, because you no longer have a goal. You may think you have a goal, but you do not, because with a present goal, there are only two options, fail or succeed. The most common trap to fall into is the one in which you believe you do not have a goal in mind, when you really do. You think your line is constant, but you are failing. You have a goal, and chances are, it is too big, inconceivable, or unrealistic to achieve in that present day. So you have failed in that goal, which sets your line down. So when you think you are stuck, on a constant line, you are really only sinking lower because you are ignoring the fact that you must set smaller goals. So you are actually in a good position, opposed to the rut you think you are in. Because despite your line being lower and lower by the day, now, you have no where to go but a higher point. And that alone should inspire you to achieve a small goal, something that leads to the ultimate goal. As soon as you achieve even the smallest of goals, your line suddenly shoots upward, and you are now in an even more positive position.

It is extremely rare for someone to remain on a constant line, without failing or succeeding, because usually, they are failing, but they are unaware. But failing is no longer a negative thing, so you should not be saddened when you realize this. It is an endless cycle, one that is both confusing and intriguing, because it deeply is involved in each and every one of our lives. We cannot be tricked into believing that failure, in any sense, is the end, because in reality, it is the very beginning. We had to of started at the bottom, and failing is now just considered a new beginning.

Suffering and Succeeding

I have begun to learn something about life that I thought might help someone that reads this post, about suffering and succeeding. Life sets traps for us, sometimes small setbacks that may discourage us for a moment, or larger obstacles that may affect our lives for years. However, these obstacles, no matter the magnitude, are absolutely necessary for advancement in life. Every single life story is different, and people are obviously more privileged than others. Some are born into wealth, or talent, or power, while others are born into little or nothing. People may be born into poverty, or a life of violence and hatred, and be thrust into evil at a very early age, against their very will. However, no matter how someone is raised, or how they set up their life to play out, at some point in their lives, they will be forced to suffer. They will experience loneliness, or hate, or anger, or jealousy, or isolation, or be stuck in a trap that constantly pushes them against their creative will. This suffering may be experienced at any time throughout someone's life, and may also last for any period of time. But throughout this period of that person's life, will they discover who they are inside, what their souls are created of, and how they will act for the rest of their lives. It is an incredibly prolific time, but is hidden underneath a cloud of what is seemingly worthless life.

Some people will not understand what is happening to them, while other people will fully understand that they are experiencing a time of self change that is both necessary and life altering. It is inevitable however, that you will suffer at some point in your life, and the outcome of that suffering will be your true character. The isolation that this period often brings is also the most in depth time of personal discovery and thought. Some of the deepest thoughts, desires, ideals, and dreams are developed during the times spent alone, or spent suffering inside yourself. You will undoubtedly develop dreams that will resonate in your head constantly, things that you feel are the only solution to your so called 'problems', and will certainly solve the trouble that surrounds you. This period in anyone's life is the most personal time that they will experience, and if ignored, or forgotten, can be a tragedy. The thoughts that cross your mind during this time are so precious and deep in the sub conscious, that they should be expressed in some way as much as possible, whether that be through music, or art, or writing.

The idea is, that ever single person is meant to suffer, and that when this does happen, it is important to accept it as not just a point in your life that may seem the lowest, but an important step in self discovery that will determine the way you play out your life. It should not be wasted by attempting to battle the forces of destiny, because it is with absolute certainty that you will suffer. The worst thing anyone can do is to fight these forces by trying to change themselves too soon, by attempting to fit in with a certain crowd, or surrendering to negative energy that is sent out by people too worried that they will fail to realize that they are experiencing something unique. You will succeed, because life is not meant to be wasted, it is meant to experienced in full, and that is only possible if someone truly is at one with their mind and soul, and understands themselves to the fullest.

Spiritual Energy

There are millions of songs in the world, and millions of note combinations, chord progressions, and tempos. Every single human being's voice has a different frequency, causing every single person to sound differently when they speak or sing. There are hundreds of different instruments, computer effects, and microphones. These are all factors that create, and change music. For every single note played, sung, or treated, there is an energy released from it. Not an energy in the sense of the common knowledge of the word, but an energy in another form, one that has a spiritual power, not necessarily a physical power. These energies are emitted from the sounds made from the instrument or voice, and stay in existence forever. The trick is recognizing them and changing them into physical energy to use for your own betterment. The spiritual energy released by music can often not be heard, or is ignored by the listener. Many people refuse to accept the invitation to listen to the music at all, or refuse to feel the spiritual energies that come from it. However, any song can affect any one single person, in both positive or negative ways. In the same manner, the same song may have different affects on different people. Someone may receive positive energy from a song, or even portion of a song, while another person may interpret the song as a negative thing and be affected in a bad way.

These energies stay in existence and may be used to infinity, even if the song is not be played. As soon as someone feels the spiritual power of one single note, or a whole album for example, it stays inside them for eternity. They may never know this, or refuse to use it. But this person who heard a note, or a song, or an album that gave them positive spiritual energy, will contain this energy inside them forever. The hardest thing to do is transfer this energy to other people, and change it into physical energy for yourself. One may hear a portion of music, and understand that they now have this wonderful and beautiful spiritual energy inside them, but have no idea how to use it. Ultimately, if that energy is indeed wasted by staying inside someone but never used, the music has not served its purpose for that person. Music is meant to release these energies, and in turn, help people find the strength or inspiration they need to complete a certain task, or reach a certain goal. Some people ignore this catalyst, and go on with their lives, and often struggle to complete their goals, without the help of these powerful energies. One can certainly be successful without using music's spiritual energies, but will suffer a time in which they feel they are missing an important factor in their lives.

It cannot be taught, told, or even shown how to use this energy in one's life to accomplish something. It is purely a feeling, something that can only be felt in one's own mind, and only be expressed through love, or music. Even if one does successfully use this energy to complete something, or fulfill their own lives, the accomplishment alone is not the proof of these energies. It is only something that each individual person knows inside themselves, and is different in each person. The purest form of these energies is the kind in which the artist who has created the music, created the actual song as a result of using the energy from another artist's work. And when one hears this piece of music, they are not only receiving the spiritual energies of the artist who made the song, but those of every person before him or her who inspired them, and everyone who inspired them. This is how everyone in the entire world has the ability to be spiritually connected, through the power of these energies that have been shared, passed, and made into new art. One single note, of one single song, on one single album, in one single artist's entire discography, represents every artist who also released their own spiritual energies, as a result of someone else's.

Think of it as if it was a family tree, in the sense that if you go far enough back, then every single human is related, no matter what you believe. Even if you don't believe in God, or evolution, or whatever other way of how this universe was created, we can all agree that everything had to start , somewhere, somehow, and therefore, we are all ancestors of this first being, regardless of how or when it began. It is the same with music and its spiritual energy. Whether you believe in God, or a higher power or not, we can also all agree that the basic idea of God has existed since the beginning of time. And therefore, the first piece of music had to been as a result of some spiritual energy that this being felt, which caused him or her to express these energies through the most natural way possible- through sound, or music. And so this person's music released an energy, which caused someone else to create music as a result of the feeling of this energy. And on and on for thousands and thousands of years, until eventually, there are millions of people who make music, even in the simplest form every day. Everyone's energies are distantly related, no matter how different or complicated they seem.