A note on fear

My adventure in Japan taught me a very valuable lesson. It's really important to accept who you are. Not just in the "I love this tv show and I'm going to let the world know" kinda way or even the "I create my own fashion" way. But there's something to be said in accepting your own insecurities. One of my biggest insecurities was getting lost. I was afraid I wouldn't be smart enough, resourceful enough, and I wouldn't be able to adapt in order to go where I needed to. But I decided to go on this trip, despite my fear, and now I can honestly say that I'm proud of doing so. Maybe fear can be a good thing, if you acknowlegde it. But if you don't want to be afraid, you need to face the fear and learn that it doesn't hold power over you. 

So I have faced a fear, and now I know: I can go to places on my own. I can make friends and adapt to my surroundings. I can fend for myself and get to where I want to be. 

Facing one fear leads to the ability to conquer fear altogether, and to understand that sometimes fear exists to show us who we are. 

More details on my trip here: 

http://worldbooktravel.blogspot.kr/2014/07/and-back-again-tanabata-tale.html?spref=fb

Heartsong: Brave by Sara Bereillis

I saw this quote on facebook today, and I heard this song today. Sometimes life happens when you start being brave.

Never Give Up!

Many of my friends and family are very sad right now, and I'll admit that I'm not in the best situation myself. But just because life gets tough, it doesn't mean we should throw in the towel. 

I've been doing a lot of reading, writing and reflecting, and here are some tips I have found when you're down in the dumps.

Count your blessings: What are you grateful for? What do you appreciate in life? What do you like about yourself?

Do something you love: Watch your favorite movie. Listen to your favorite song on repeat. Take a walk, bring your ipod and just listen to whatever your playlist brings your way.

Meditate: Take a deep breath, close your eyes, then open them to take in where you are. Pretend that you've never been here before. What do you notice? Are there dewdrops on the flowers? Is the sun shining on the snow?

Give Yourself A Break: Are you thinking that you failed? Are you thinking that you can't get past this? How do these thoughts benefit you? They don't. Instead think "I will get through this." "I can do this." 

Talk to someone: You don't have to talk about what's wrong. Reminesce on old times. Laugh at your favorite jokes. Just enjoy each others' company. Smile, Laugh and have fun.

Think about what you can do for others: Are you shopping today? Are you walking the dog? Smile and wave at the people you meet. Tell a joke at the check out line. Compliment someone. You'll be surprised at how you feel helping someone get through their day. All because you acknowledged them.

Turn Lemons into Lemonade: Ask yourself- "What can I do to improve my situation?" And act accordingly. Do you have a lot of time? Use it for your hobbies. Make new friends. Are you stuck in bed? Read, Watch a movie or even write if you feel like it. Come up with ways to enjoy where you are now, until you get to where you want to be. 

All these tips I have probably been advised by people through out my life, but only now, after reading numerous books and reflecting on my own habits, have I truly listed them as goals and habits. Why? Because it's more difficult. It's easier to give up. It's easier to blame the world. It's easier to hold a grudge. But in the long  run, does it reward you? No. 

The greatest reward you can earn in life is looking out from your self made prison and seeing the stars. 

So I hope this helps the people I care about. Those people on tumblr threatening suicide, my friends and family whose frustration builds up and carries over into resentment and negativity. 

If  you don't think that these tips will work for you, think about it this way, if someone you cared about was in this situation, what would you tell them? How would you want them to look at themselves and life? 

Kingdom Hearts Challenge Day 30: What Kingdom Hearts means to you

Kingdom Hearts is one of the first games I got for Play Station 2. I actually started the series by playing Chain of Memories, and even without understanding what was going on, the game was fascinating to me. There are so many conflicts: Dark vs Light, Brain vs Heart, Courage vs Fear. It's a complex story that goes deeper into the meaning and reason for emotions. What does a heart mean? Is the brain always in conflict with the heart? And so on.
Kingdom Hearts means a lot to me. Not just because it is an amazing story, but it takes you through Disney worlds and brings back childhood memories while introducing characters that you know from other Final Fantasy games. The main characters are very well created, with realistic inner conflicts and responses to philosophical tests and questions. Sora is a character who focuses on the heart, always there for others when they need him. Riku is a character of the mind, focusing on plans and questioning the world. Kairi is a mix between the two. She is a character of support and hope, always there when Sora and Riku need her. Roxas is an interesting character, curious, pensive and also brave. Namine is quiet but clever, finding ways out of the trap she's in and rescuing others from nonexistence.
The story that started it all, Birth by Sleep was a tragedy between three wanderers. Aqua, the responsible, brave and loyal keyblade master. Terra, the rebellious and brave warrior. Ventus the incomplete but kind and curious drifter. When Terra falls to darkness, the tone of the game changes. This is different than when Riku fell to darkness, allowing Maleficent to teach him how to be evil. Terra makes an active decision, even after witnessing what darkness does, and betrays his master, Erauqs, and his friends. Ventus's story is the opposite, he must confront darkness and subdue it with light. Ventus faces Vanitus, his shadow and fights to regain control of his body. Aqua must face the rift and mend it, using what strength she has left after battling Terra and protecting Ventus. All three wanderers were separated and lost the ultimate battle to darkness.
Each Kingdom Hearts story is a clever allegory about the human condition. Roxas asks the very common, "Who am I?" and "What is my purpose?". Sora looks for hope, wherever he can find it, even with his world destroyed and friends scattered. Ventus must battle his shadow, common in the hero's quest and many other stories.
Kingdom Hearts is a powerful collection of epic and human stories. It is the infinite battle of Good versus Evil, and the human condition of purpose and meaning. It is a philosophical story disguised as an epic journey, involving the characters from childhood memories and the warriors of Final Fantasy stories today. It's a story that means a lot to me, and with each new game, I discover something new about fears and dreams.

Something you admire . . .

        It's a tie between courage and confidence. I believe that courage and confidence go hand in hand. To be confident, you must have the courage to be yourself. To have courage you must have confidence in yourself. I guess I admire them, and spot them in a person right away, because I didn't have courage and confidence when I was younger. In all honesty I gave up on many things, including myself. It's been said that all the things worthwhile in this life require courage: getting a job, falling in love, having children, pursuing a dream and persevering in  a difficult situation. From characters in stories to people in real life, courage will always be admirable in my eyes. Confidence is it's own branch of courage. It takes bravery to speak your mind, step into the unknown and discover who you are.
      The power to face your fears requires a confidence that you will overcome them. That confidence becomes more important than fear. I believe that if you have courage and confidence, you can do anything you set your mind to. Most of the people I admire have these qualities, and I'm fascinated by the lengths they have gone with two simple character traits. The truth is that hanging around someone with these qualities is contagious. When someone around you believes in his or her self, you begin to discover that you can do the same.  The main reason that I admire both courage and confidence the most is because in my eyes, years ago, they were super powers. Anyone around me who was confident and courageous was a powerful being who could achieve anything in the world. There were many days I wondered how it happened. How could someone be so straightforward about what they wanted, and then go for it without fear?
       Now I'm learning, little by little, that it is something you discover, buried under doubt and fear. Some people have told me I'm more confident then I believe, and I'm braver than I know. For awhile these comments were extremely difficult for me to believe, and that was frustrating for the people who said them. Now, when I look back, I faced a lot of fears of my own and I displayed confidence without even realizing it. I'm still not as confident or courageous as I'd like to be, so I suppose that's another reason why I admire these qualities in others. These people give me a goal, to become as courageous and confident as they are, maybe even more so. My heroes, role-models and favorite characters are all important for me to look up to because they give me the hope that I will one day be just as amazing as they are.

Top Ten favorite quotes:

"Keep Moving Forward" - Meet The Robinsons
This is literally my work ethic right now. It is also a great mantra and coping mechanism. 

"All dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney
I was introduced to this quote through a friend. It has stuck with me ever since. I hope to follow the Disney dream. 

"If you ever wondered where your dreams come from, you look around. This is where they're made" - Hugo
This movie was fantastic, but this quote was the best line. Movies and stories come from dreams, and the silver screen makes them reality.

 "No one decides my fate but me." Belle - Once Upon A Time
An empowering quote that not only defines Belle, but it is also a great truth in many situations in life. You can ask someone for advice, but the one in control of your fate is you.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt
I first heard this quote from The Princess Diaries, but now I try to apply this mindset in my everyday life. An important thing to remember. 

"Everything, in the end comes down to timing. One second, one minute, one hour could make all the difference .” - Sarah Dessen - This Lullaby
My favorite book of Dessen's. There is some truth to this quote. Some events in our lives, whether it is a career choice or personal decision, can be determined by our timing.

"Just as no matter how hard you try to keep it away despair will attack you again and again. In the same manner hope will return to you. And again, and again it will surely bloom" Kazuma Sohma - Fruits Basket
This quote has been my favorite Fruits Basket quote for years. In context, Kyo tells his teacher that his life isn't worth it, so why protect a tiny flower. He has made the choice to completely give up on his struggle to  be accepted. Kazuma waits for a bit and then tells him this quote to explain that things won't always be hopeless, and once Kyo has accepted himself, he can find the truth about his struggle and overcome it.

 "A flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all," - Mulan
This is a great quote from the Disney movie, but it also speaks about the ability to continue growing regardless of the adversity in life.

 "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear," - Ambroce Redmoon -  The Princess Diaries
A lesson I still need to learn. To be brave doesn't mean you are not afraid. It means you will face that fear, even if you are terrified. 

 "I will defeat sorrow, in his place. I will stand my ground and be strong. I don't know when it will be, but someday... I will conquer it. And I will do it without... false hope." - Yuna FFX
Final Fantasy X is my favorite game, and this powerful quote is spoken by Yuna at a crucial moment. She has just discovered that the people of Spira based their hopes on a lie, and she won't accept it. She is determined to fight her sorrow and find a real solution that people can believe in.