Putting in the Hard Work.//

If there is one thing you should know about me, it's that I am utterly and undeniably obsessed with the generations that went before me. I think about those who were before me in my family line almost daily; its this sweet reminder of what is inside of me and all that I can be in my lifetime. The incredible legacies that those before me left behind drive me on in my dreams and ambitions daily.

Lately, I have been thinking about all the little differences in society from my Grandparents time to my day to day life. Technology alone is something that is booming and has changed culture drastically over time. The other day I got to thinking, how much more previous generations had to work for what they wanted...

I think there is this tendency in my generation, due to the simplicity (errr...more like complications? ;) of life brought on by technology. How easy it is for us to access things, that generations before would have taken years to access. When I think about my Grandparents, I think about how each one worked hard to get where they wanted to be. There was no "easier way"--it was hard work all the way through. And, that was normal to them because that is all they knew.

I wonder though, with all the quick fixes we are handed on a daily basis, have we no idea what hard work really amount to? 

Don't get me wrong, I believe there are truly individuals today who work their tails off to see what they envision come to pass. But, I do think that now more than ever we have a choice between the hard way, and the easy way out.

It's not so much the "work" that defines us, but what we learn through the hard labor to get to where we want to be. I look at my Grandmothers and their tenacity and hard work that brought them to achievements that I could only imagine to achieve one day; I see who they are today, and I know those stories they've told me for years about their growing up forged who they became--strong, courageous, kind women.

I don't want to allow the world and its easy options to become defaults for me through my life. I want to put in the hard work, because I realize when I am 90 and telling my grandchildren of my grand life stories, the moments of hard work are going to be what made me precisely who I became. 

I want a legacy of adventure, journeys, hard work, and courage to be what comes to define me and all I dare to achieve throughout my life.

peace.love.joy.