Bershan Shaw is a Warrior

Why not?

Bershan Shaw — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:07:10 +0000

It’s so easy for us to be lazy and plop down in front of a television, neglecting everything that we could be doing: spending time with family and friends, getting work done ahead of time, practicing on our talents. And we are still rewarded when we turn on that television; however, the reward is just any happiness we can derive from watching the programming while it lasts. The next morning, we’re back to our original selves.

But what if we take our time to do something more meaningful? Our lives change. We find opportunities and advance our lives, build deeper connections with those we know, and just become happier people. Besides, doing something like catching up with a friend is both useful and enjoyable, so there’s no reason to spurn such an opportunity. Let’s all get off that couch and do what we could be doing.

Move on from your disappointments

Bershan Shaw — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:10:39 +0000

There’s so much in our lives that drag us down. Disappointments appear in our lives all the time, whether it’s having plans fall apart or being laid off from work. We sit and stew over all that went wrong, wondering just what could have been if everything went as we hoped it would. Negativity seethes within us; we start looking at things with more and more pessimism as more disappointment befalls us.

Why do we let ourselves fall into such a cycle? Sure, much of the start of it is unavoidable; it’s often not in our control whether or not we hold onto our jobs, for example. It’s understandable to feel disappointed at first, too, but beyond that stage, there’s nothing that comes about from being down. It only makes us fall deeper into a hole of despair. We can’t change what happened, but we can change what will happen. Take your disappointments as motivation to ensure that everything you do will be successful and to learn why something would go wrong. Disappointment should be nothing but a motivational and learning experience.

Stop putting things on hold.

Bershan Shaw — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:48:37 +0000

“ I can’t go back to school! I have to keep working to support my family.” “There’s no way for me to become that musician I’ve always been. I don’t have the time anymore.”

The truth is that you can. There are 24 hours in a day- how much time are you spending working? Even including sleep, you’re probably not at that limit. There’s always time that you can make to do what you feel you really need to do, whether it’s going to the gym, pursuing your true hobbies, or helping others in the community. I’m an incredibly busy person, and I always find time to get a productive workout in every single day. I know my friends can, but they claim they just have too much work. You don’t need your entire day to get your work done- set aside time to do what you need to do.

What does it mean when someone says you can’t?

Bershan Shaw — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:53:50 +0000

We have naysayers all around us. We might be trying to land a very desirable job, but someone tells us that it’s incredibly unlikely that we can land it, discouraging us in the process. Guess what? Those who provide us with only pessimism are only providing their opinions. They may be right; they may be wrong. But what they say often isn’t the truth- as long as you hold the resolve to achieve, you can prove them wrong.

The opposite of this is when people believe in us, but we feel like we can’t. They are offering opinions different from what believe- the truth, unfortunately, could be that we can’t, but they believe that we can. If we turn this upside down, the truth could be that we can, but they believe that we can’t. Don’t listen to them when they say we can’t, because the truth may be that we really can. The only way to prove so is by trying to do so! Don’t be discouraged from putting your best effort simply because another says it’s your waste. There are individuals all around us who shun the pessimistic and become great. These are the individuals who recognize that they really can despite what others say.

Surround yourself with encouragement.

Bershan Shaw — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 01:20:44 +0000

Goals are almost never easy to achieve. We give ourselves lofty expectations, so it thus follows that we can have difficulty achieving them, often failing along the way. It’s not easy to reach our goals alone; you, yourself, are the only person to push and motivate yourself. The moment you ease your will power and determination, you might not succeed. Or perhaps you simply don’t have enough strength and resources on your own.

Find someone to support you. They’ll be there to push you when you stop pushing yourself; they’ll drag you to the gym when you don’t feel like going that day, and they’ll make sure you don’t take that extra cookie after dinner. Others can keep you afloat so that you can make sure you do what you desire. Nobody great is where they are without support from others. They are emotionally guided by their friends and family, and they obtain tangible aid from others. You don’t need to be alone to succeed- in fact, to succeed, you should surround yourself with others.

Hold your head up high and fill our world with hope and inspiration.

Bershan Shaw — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:36:38 +0000

In the face of adversity, it can be pretty easy for us to lie down and accept defeat. If I repeatedly applied for jobs and were denied each time, I would be easily inclined to quit my search for employment. However, what does this show to other people? That it’s alright to quit when nothing seems to be going one’s way? That I, myself, am comfortable with my lack of success? There is a reason why this is the easy thing to do. Instead, keep your determination and perseverance: stay optimistic and upbeat, and keep trying to succeed and accomplish what you were trying to achieve.

We see the athlete who has battled back from numerous, repeated devastating injuries, only to return to form and capture a championship. Or perhaps there is the disabled child, who despite has missing limbs, manages to do something physically incredible. Even the student, born into a family of extreme destitution, who manages to succeed academically is lauded. These are people who deal with adversity, and instead of accepting their fate, they succeed. These are the people who we celebrate, for these are the people that inspire us and show us that we can do great things if we truly apply ourselves.

This is where this idea comes back to you. Your friends, family, and even strangers can see what you go through. When you persevere, you only not achieve your goals and prove your great will power, you bring hope and positive energy to the rest of the world. Why not improve yourself and create inspiration for those around you?

Do something.

Bershan Shaw — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:19:55 +0000

Let’s say, for example, you do nothing. Let’s say you’re 22 years old, recently graduated, living in your parents’ home with manageable student debt for now. You feel accomplished after completing college, so you’re going to take some time off before finding a job and working full-time. But you grow complacent with your current situation, continuing to live off of your parents. You stay at home passing your time away for the most part, spending a little time outside with friends who have some free time after their work day. But nothing really changes; your entire living situation doesn’t budge. You’re content with yourself doing nothing, and so you don’t progress. You don’t find a job, start a family, and pressure from parents and debt start to worry you.

Your life does nothing when you do nothing. When you start taking control of your life- finding that first job right out of the gate- everything will start falling your way, because you are the one dictates how it turns out. When you kick back, you’re letting everybody else determine how your life goes (and it never is a good outcome). Doing something changes the entire outlook of your life for the better. If there’s an opportunity waiting for you, take it! You’re seizing power over your life, and you have the power to change your destiny.

Don’t wait any longer. Go out and do. And keep doing.

Never lose sight of your health and well-being

Bershan Shaw — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:51:26 +0000

Work, meetings, family obligations, chores- the list can continue on and on for so many of us. I see ourselves falling into an endless cycle of work and stress, inundated by innumerable difficulties. This is something the vast majority of us are aware of, and yet we continue to do so. We justify such a lifestyle by claiming we need to make a living and take care of our family; however, this reasoning is flawed. How can we perform our jobs well and tend to others if we lose the vigor and enthusiasm to do so? If we are stressed, much of our own stress becomes imposed on others. When we are frustrated, we sometimes let loose our anger on others; when we are exhausted by our daily grind, we put forth less effort into our work.

To be better for others, we must first act to take care of ourselves. If we lead healthy lifestyles and have at least a decent amount of fun with ourselves, we will be happier people. That in itself is lucrative enough to follow, because we try to maximize the amount of happiness we obtain throughout life. This isn’t a selfish motive, though, because our own happiness takes root in others. Aren’t the best workers the ones that actually enjoy what they do? They approach their work with such enthusiasm because they are happy and are therefore able to a great job. When we see family issues, don’t they stem from unhappy family members? If they’re happy, there’s very little to argue about.

Take some time for yourself. You’ll come out the other side feeling so much more pleasant, and that pleasantry does wonders for everyone around you.

Drive comes from nowhere but deep inside yourself.

Bershan Shaw — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:20:51 +0000

You’re trying to reach your goals, hopes, and dreams. How are you going to achieve them? You can’t wait around and expect yourself to attain greatness; nobody will decide to hand you your dream job simply because you wanted it. You get that job because you worked hard to prove to others that you deserved it. Before you started on your path, however, you also had to find the motivation to work towards your dreams. It’s not just a matter of following through with your goals- if you can’t convince yourself to start in the first place, you’ll never get going.

And many people don’t get going, as if they expected one day the motivation to bring themselves forward to just spontaneously create itself. It doesn’t. People remain content with what they have, so they don’t bother changing. People instead try to wait for inspiration, because it’s easier to do nothing and then think that in the near future they’ll somehow summon their will to become great. When this happens, they are just procrastinating. We have to find the drive in ourselves now to start working for ourselves. Will yourself to work your way to those lofty goals you set, and then they will be reached.

Believe that you are the best.

Bershan Shaw — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 03:59:23 +0000

This isn’t an ego thing. If you believe that you are the best at whatever you do, you’re not being arrogant and overconfident; it’s a necessary belief to actually become the best. When you truly believe that you are great, you act upon that greatness. You pour in effort to maintain or reach that greatness because you know that’s what you are. If you believe that you’re only second-rate, you’re convincing yourself to put in effort only to become second-rate, and not first-rate.

How many great people do you know that don’t believe in themselves? Great people are confident in themselves. The meek and those who settle for only second best are always in the shadow of the great. And yet, I see plenty of people who are actually too realistic and believe that they are only in the middle of the pecking order. They won’t reach the top. Confidence creates the motivation to be great. When you think of yourself, believe that you really are the greatest or at least can be the greatest at whatever you do- then, you will be amazing.