Think of your life as a boat forever sailing on the river. You are always passing by things. Places, people, experiences; everything that life has to offer. Along the way, certain things will catch your attention. An experience will impact your life forever. A person will influence you to become something you never thought you could be. A place will always be there for you whenever you to go back to it. No matter what time or day it is, you never stop. Your heart is always beating. The boat is still going strong because it is telling you to keep living. To keep trying new things, meet new people, and visit new places. Let the experiences happen. Let yourself go far. This is your only opportunity. There will be an answer, let it be.

"We don't remember days, we remember moments."

Last night, I stepped outside to the deck of my pool feeling the cool summer wind. I uncovered the fire pit that was about to be lit for the first time this summer. The sun had set, and the warmth of the air dimmed slightly. I impatiently waited for the arrival of three friends. They have been in my life since before high school, which means I've spent time with them for over six years. We ignited the fire, which gave us that secure feeling of being together again. It's been two years since we graduated high school. We all had a significant item in our laps. Our senior yearbooks. With the four of us being close, especially during senior year, we wanted to reread our signatures to each other.

In this moment of time, it felt like we were seniors again. We laughed at the things we wrote, and remembered vividly the moments we lived. It's honestly crazy how time has left us in the dust. But it doesn't matter. Because what matters is that we were all together again. The past will never be forgotten, the present is us being together, and in the future we will relive this moment we just created.

We never change.

"Be yourself. Everyone else is taken."

I know myself more than anyone else. It will always be that way, too. Although I am only twenty, I know who I am and what I want in life. I am fully accepting of myself. I love my family. I love my friends. They are my biggest supporters. I have my ups and downs, but in the end it's always a positive perception. There comes a point in life when you realize who and what is important to you. I am keeping those important people and things closest to me for as long as possible. I am far from being indecisive. I know what I want. Cut and dry. Fairness is far from wrong.

Today is Valentine's Day. It's not just about relationships. FLYING SOLO! I love my family, friends, and supporters. I appreciate them very much. 

"Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one."

I am surprised to even be writing right now. So much is going on. Ambassador is wonderful but overwhelming. I am still transitioning into the organization and meeting more people. Classes, are classes. There is some struggle here and there. I am trying my best to fix them. It is frustrating to see that I'm not getting results that I want. Little assignments do add up. I can't stress too much because it won't help me in the long run. I just want to breathe. I want to relax. But at the same time, I want to succeed. It is pretty hard for me to do both at the same time. 

But I have to remember... when there is no struggle, there is no strength.

"Be an opener of doors."

Wherever you are, wherever you go, there is always a chance at something. It is the greatest feeling when an opportunity is handed to you after it was missed the first time around. That is my point. Let the opportunities come at you as fast as possible. Catch the ones that you can take because they will fly away into someone else's hands. And sometimes, there are those opportunities that won't fly away but will not let you catch them. What are you supposed to do? It depends on what your heart wants. If you really want this opportunity, you keep trying to catch it. If you keep missing, maybe it is not the right time. Let the opportunity fly away and maybe it will come back another time. But for now, catch other opportunities that are meant to be caught.

Go for what you can now because what if you are not here tomorrow?

"A smile is truly the only thing that can be understood in any language."

When you are smiling, people want to know what you are up to. Who makes you smile? What makes you smile? I don't know about you, but some people's smiles make big impressions. Some girls have smiles that make me completely weak. In my eyes, smiling does define a part of who you are. Pause for a minute and think about what makes you express happiness. You should easily come up with five to ten things. Here's a simple piece of advice... keep those five to ten things in your life forever. If you think about it, your level of happiness will be five to ten times greater than it was before.

One more thing... it is okay to smile at a stranger walking by. It does send positive energy. I know it makes my day.

"Assurance is two-thirds of success."

Words can't describe how much I hate the word insecurity. Wherever I go, wherever I am, someone is insecure about something. People like to think it is acceptable to take out their insecurities onto their friends. Number one rule, never blame or compare yourself to your friends because of your lack of confidence. Chances are you will push them away. Here's a suggestion... figure out a way to destroy your vulnerability. Instead of letting negative thoughts control your mind, make yourself powerful. You are simply throwing away minutes if you inherit self-doubt.

Gain that confidence. Do something good for yourself.

"The greatest success is successful self-acceptance."

Did you know that you are worthy? Not only do you matter, you are important to someone. Actually, a lot of people. Believe it or not, you make an impact on someone's life every day. Most of the time you don't realize that because people don't have the guts to tell you. You are confident, optimistic, strong, motivated, driven, and the list goes on and on. You have to accept yourself in order to inspire others. You have to love who you are. You have to know who you are. People will either see through you or see you in multiple dimensions. 

Be confident. Know yourself. Love yourself.

"Be yourself, who else is better qualified?"

Every single day, I take steps forward. Never backward. The past is out of my control, but forever remembered. The present is in my control, and can be whatever my heart desires. There are a few days throughout the year when I'm feeling sad about memories in the past. But five minutes later, I'm living a better, never-to-be-forgotten memory. I've got my life in good hands despite the past. I'm focused on my career goal, have good friends around, and no relationship. I vanished from Facebook last night. People will and won't notice, but I'm still here. I love to write and that's all I need. I don't care about what people are posting on Facebook. I've lost so many minutes from that website. 

Oh and here's some advice for the girls... Your previous boyfriend is gone for a reason, because you deserve so much more. I don't know how many times a girl needs to hear this until they believe it.....

"Surround yourself with kind people."

Today is the day for you to tell someone how important they are to you. Who is the person that supports your dreams and goals? Who is the person that is your crying shoulder? Who is the person that gives you advice? Who is the person that shaped your morals? Whoever it may be, let them know how much you love them. Let them know that their presence means more than words can describe. You have no idea how much this could uplift their happiness. Don't hesitate to show your appreciation. It is only going to make someone else's day. They may even show greater care for you afterward. Remember, this is the person that has helped you through many obstacles. 

Collect your thoughts. Speak now.