✗ Persevere & Keep Standing... ✗

it is in the fire...
where characters are forged...
with strength to stand again...

even being exceptionally privileged all this while...
there was never a need to fight nor earn something...
till now...

and, i am not going to stop...
not till i reach my goal..
for me and mine...

just grateful one is not alone...
my hands are held by the grip of Yours...
leading me on the right way...

✗ Two Person | Park Jang-hyun (Bromance) ✗

✗ Steady... ✗

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!"

Psalm 46:10 (NKJV)

✗ Born for Transformation... ✗

✗ Here For You | Big Baby Driver ✗

✗ Some Other Day | Big Baby Driver ✗

✗ What We Used to Be | Big Baby Driver ✗

✗ Shine On: We Are All Broken, That’s How The Light Gets In | Paul Hudson ✗

Most people are broken. How do I know? Because most people tell me they’re broken. It’s rather impressive really – only two decades ago, it was taboo to admit we had significant issues to overcome. Two decades ago, and for all time before that, we did our best to keep our demons private.

The majority of us still do so today. Yet, more and more people I come across open up rather quickly about the difficulties they are finding in living life. We may finally be making progress. Admitting to having a problem is the first step after all.

We all have our own demons, our own secrets, our own cracks. We are all broken in one way or another. It’s what makes us the unique and beautiful individuals we are. We go through life living in a world that manages to disappoint us consistently.

We imagine, we experience, we get disappointed. Our expectations are rarely met – not just the expectations we have for others and the world around us, but also the expectations we have for ourselves and the life we were supposed to lead.

With each disappointment comes a blow. Some are only glancing hits. Others knock the wind out of us. Some hit us so hard, they change us forever, creating cracks in our souls – cracks that never really heal.

Most leave scars and even the shallowest of cracks leaves the memory of pain long lingering behind. People are like clay that gets beat up and molded by time and circumstance into individuals, which only on rare occasion, resemble their original forms.

One thing you should come to accept is that time and circumstance are not the sculptors; they are only the tools of the artist. The sculptor is the one who decides how each blow, each stroke of hammer and chisel, affects the individual piece.

We are not made of stone and do have the ability to move, anticipate and react to the forces acting upon us. We may not be able to dodge everything that life throws at us, but we are able to choose how we receive each blow, as well as what we take from the experience.

In life, you will get hurt. You will suffer. You will be forced to change. Remember that – in the end – you alone decide the person you are. You decide how to interpret each and every life experience, as well as the lesson you learn from them.

Every second of every day, you actively decide the kind of person you are. Blaming it on the cracks, on your history, on how damaged you are isn’t fair.

Everybody in the world is cracked, bruised and broken. Every single person. And those who aren’t are only too young to be, and will surely one day get broken like the rest of us. It’s an inevitability.

It’s a necessary part of life. Why? Because we are all destined to be born as one individual and to die as another. We are destined to live several lives throughout a single life. We are destined to change over and over and over again until we become the final individuals we are meant to become.

We live in a world governed by space and time, a reality in which cause causes effect. We have no choice but to live by the rules already outlined by our reality.

We can’t stop the pain, stop the misfortune, stop the loss, indefinitely. But what we can do is learn from it all and do our best to contribute to the maximization of the wellbeing of the human race as a whole.

What we can do is decide we are the ones in control – maybe not in control of the world, maybe not in control of others, maybe not even in control of our lives… But we can decide we are in control of ourselves. This is where it all has to start: self-control.

Mold yourself into the person you wish to become and the rest will hopefully follow. Will it definitely follow? No. Nothing in life is guaranteed other than death. I hate to come off morbid, but these are truths we would all be better off accepting.

The only one thing in this world you even have a shot of having complete control over is yourself. Everything else has a high variable of probability that basically determines the outcome.

You have the power to take a look at your dents and cracks and decide they aren’t enough to kill you, they aren’t enough to stop you or even slow you down. You have the ability to use those cracks as fuel for your brilliance.

Each crevice only pays homage to your strength. You’re bruised, broken, torn, cracked, bleeding, crying, screaming, but still standing. Still breathing. Still fighting.

Life will beat you until you prove there is literally nothing the universe can do to make you give up.

You’re going to keep pursuing your dreams. You’re going to find your passions, find that one person who loves you for each and every scar, and create the life of your dreams because you now know you are strong enough.

You just went punch-for-punch with life itself, and came out with your head held high. The trick’s on it, really… it beat you, bruised you, cut you — and the only thing it managed to do is create cracks that allow your inner light to shine through. Now, blind them.

✗ Proceed With Caution: 20 Signs You’re Entering Your Late 20s | Jen Ruiz ✗

If you’ve recently fallen victim to the infamous quarter-life crisis, you’re probably familiar with the panic that comes with realizing you’ve entered your late 20s. Suddenly, it’s as if your youth has evaporated.

The good news is, you’re not alone! All around the world, 20-somethings like you are going through the same process.

So, to help you identify whether or not you’re going through this transformation, here are 20 signs you’re entering your late 20s:

1. You no longer feel the need to stay out all night

Party animals can feel free to go hard until 3 am or later, but as a late 20-something, you can be found at home on a Friday night, having a hot date with Netflix and a bottle of wine.

Maybe, if you’re rested, you’ll go out and do something chill on Saturday.

2. You start to track how you’re spending your money

Eating out is getting expensive, so you go grocery shopping on a regular basis.

You also realize you don’t necessarily need the all-access cable package and cut back to basic cable, but only if you can manage to talk the cable company into throwing in some premium channels for an extra $5 month.

3. Being carded becomes a good thing

It used to be that getting carded was a dreaded moment. Now, we blush when we’re carded. Oh, you need to see ID? No problem!

4. You begin to worry about your long-term health

All of those late-night trips to Taco Bell are starting to catch up with you and you can’t bounce back from binge-eating like you were able to do in your college days.

Suddenly, you start trading in the ice cream for frozen yogurt and french fries for sweet potato fries.

You also start making regular appointments with — get this — a physician.

5. You attend weddings all of the time

As a result, you are a pro at wedding gifting; you are the life of any bachelor or bachelorette celebration, and you have essentially mastered every group dance there is, from the Macarena to the Cupid Shuffle.

6. You only date people who are worth your time

You’ve been through the dating mill a few times and are over it. At this point, you’ve stopped entertaining half-interested suitors and are able to discern those who are actually worth your time.

7. You wake up every morning to go to your grown-up job

Gone are the days when you could sleep in or skip classes. Now, you wake up every morning at the same time to go to your adult job. Welcome to your late 20s and pretty much the rest of your life until retirement. Hopefully, you will at least like what you do!

8. You watch the news

Remember when watching the news was boring or something only your parents did?

Somewhere along the way, you started watching it, too, or started wanting to keep up with current events in some way. It’s nice to not live under a rock.

9. Your parents start to talk about kicking you off the family plan

You’ve been on the family phone plan for years now. You start to conveniently feign a lack of cell service every time your parents bring up the notion of you getting your own contract.

10. Health insurance costs how much?

Similarly, you were riding out the parental health insurance wave until those benefits ended at age 26.

Suddenly, you have to get your own health insurance or the government will fine you. You quickly realize that it doesn’t come cheaply, or give you much bang for your meager bucks. Great!

11. Financial management professionals start approaching you

If you’re suddenly getting messages from people who are offering their services to help you manage your funds, even if you didn’t realize you had any funds of which to speak, it’s a sure sign you’re entering your late 20s.

12. Younger people don’t know who you’re referencing

You don’t really start to feel old until you’re around a group of younger people, who have no idea what you’re talking about when you reference TV shows from the 1990s or celebrities that have since passed away. Talk about feeling ancient!

13. Your Facebook news feed is suddenly flooded with babies

You’re not sure when it happened, but one day, you logged on and the updates went from parties and drinking to babies and breastfeeding.

You routinely recite the line, “Your baby is so cute!” and you do your best to do so as sincerely as possible, each and every time.

14. You start to purchase shoes based on their practicality

You still love your stiletto heels, don’t get me wrong, but there’s no way you’re trekking in them for more than a few blocks.

If your day requires walking, you’ll probably be prepared with sensible flats.

15. Hangovers are rough

You could do Jäger bombs left and right in college, so naturally, you assumed you’d be able to do the increasingly popular Fireball shots they’re serving today, no problem.

But, you were wrong — you were so wrong.

16. You don’t shop at certain stores anymore

Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe used to be your homes away from home. There wasn’t a trip made to either store that wouldn’t result in hours of perusing and multiple bags of merchandise.

Nowadays, you find yourself leaning more towards Anne Klein and Banana Republic. You need clothes that double for business and pleasure and that match your matured tastes.

17. You get annoyed if you don’t have the proper glassware

Speaking of matured tastes, it used to be okay to serve guests in whatever cups or glassware you had laying around.

Now, if you don’t have the proper glass for the beverage you’re serving, you get annoyed and a little embarrassed.

18. Your wishlist changes

To avoid that awkward moment when you’re serving someone red wine in a coffee mug, you have adapted your birthday, Christmas and general wishlists to include kitchenware, home decorations, appliances and gift cards to home improvement stores.

19. You start monitoring your credit

Credit card fraud used to be something about which you heard, but didn’t really worry. After all, no one wants to steal a broke college student’s identity.

Now, as you start to enter the professional world, you’ll find yourself monitoring your credit to ensure that no one is using your identity and working to improve your score so you can qualify for car loans and mortgages.

20. You’re desperately counting the years you have left in your 20s

You’re not ready to be a grownup just yet, despite the clear signs you’ve entered that territory, so you make sure no one ages you more than necessary.

You still have (x) number of years till 30, so you make sure everyone knows it!

✗ Bite My Lower Lips | Esna ✗

✗ Called not to perform, but obey... ✗

“His ways are not our ways.” You’re not always going to understand what God is doing. If you’re going to make it to your promised land, it’s going to take bold obedience.

Joel Osteen

✗ Same same, no different... ✗

✗ Crazy Of You | Hyori ✗

✗ Touch Love | T Yoon Mi Rae ✗

✗ All For You | Seo In Guk x Jeong Eun Jee ✗