With the energy and emotional strength I currently have, I'm doing the best that I can. In some areas of life, giving your best is easy because what you're doing brings you so much joy. The problem comes when you're trying to give your best in your obligations. I don't think a person will ever reach a point where every single thing that is a part of their life is something that brings them joy and, therefore, easy to give 110%. There are certain obligations that are morally, and potentially legally, binding that a person must follow through on whether they want to or not. But when you find something that, regardless of how difficult it may be, gives you joy instead of draining you, then you have to find ways to give more focus to that.

I have a friend who used to always help me build sets for events at my church. He didn't even go to my church, but he would give me hours and hours of his time for free to help me complete really intricate and impressive lighting and set designs. He gave everything he had for free because he loved the opportunity to create. It gave him joy to build and make things that other people would marvel at. I think if a person can find more things like this- things that give them life; where giving your all is not a burden but truly a joy- then he or she will be better off. I'm working to find more of those things, and create opportunities to explore and pursue them on a regular basis.

I think photography and videography are two things that I'm going to spend the next year of my life really chasing after. Whether people pay me or not, I don't really care. I love to create, and making more opportunities to do so will do nothing but good for me and those around me.- J