​Guys and Girls!

Happy early Wednesday morning!  I'm currently sipping on green tea while my laundry is in the dryer.  Therefore, during this little break, I thought I'd take the opportunity to check in with all of you! 

How are you?  Really, how are you all feeling this morning?  

I hope that you're feeling happy and excited about your life today.  Life is such an incredible gift, and experiencing your gift of life with as much happiness as possible is very important.  

It is equally important to remember that life can bring us down at times, and sometimes it can be extremely difficult to even keep moving forward when we are in pain.  

So, I want to quickly provide with you with a few words of encouragement for the middle of this week:  YOU ARE INCREDIBLY STRONG.    

If you're experiencing one of the harder days of life - and we all have them -  it's not always easy to recognize just how strong you truly are.  This is what I'd like for you to do, just for a moment, right now --   

Give yourself some credit.  

My reader friend, you are doing a fantastic job today.  Remind yourself of this.  While it would be nice to hear these words every day from our peers, unfortunately these words are not said often enough, (along with, "I love you," by the way!)

Be your own best friend, and encourage yourself.  We tend to be the most difficult on ourselves, and we shouldn't do this.  You'd never hurt a friend, would you?  So, why would you ever talk to yourself or treat yourself in any way other than with kindness and love?

Practice compassion toward yourself.  And in turn, you'll be sharing it with those around you.  Start by simply recognizing that you are stronger than you may even realize.  And appreciate this about yourself.

Time to grab my laundry and head to sleep.  

Lots of love, friends!

Jesse

Hey guys and girls!

The clock just struck 3:00 AM here in California, and we officially have reached Daylight Savings Time!  This is one of my favorite days of the year because it means that summer is just around the corner again!!  (Plus, L.A. has been super warm this week, which adds to my anticipation of the dog days of summer and surfing without a wetsuit!)

Anyway, friends, onto my thoughts for this post!

As you can see from the title of this post, I planned to write about how important it is to find a sense of purpose in life.  This is a topic that I have thought a lot about throughout my life so far, and even more so now that I've just had another birthday recently.  Another year.  Crazy.  

I decided to film a YouTube video about this, because if I were to write about all of my thoughts here, it would probably turn into an E-book.  (Which, by the way, I'm actually working on writing an E-book and it will be available later this year!) 

Please check out my YouTube.  Video on this topic will be up later today (Sunday) :D 

Talk soon and lots of love!

Jesse x 

Guys and girls!  This article originally appeared on BecomeTheLion.com, and it is now available here on Behind the Sign!  

The New Year brings endless possibilities for each and every one of us.  It is a time when we have the opportunity to start fresh with open minds and open hearts, and it’s also a wonderful time to remind ourselves that anything is possible.

It is incredibly enlightening to fully appreciate and recognize that it is possible to achieve anything that you set your mind to.  Once you understand that you possess the capability of achieving whatever it is that you set out to do in life, you will undoubtedly feel more excited about the present time as well as feeling more motivated about attaining your goals in the future.  So, how can you learn to trust that everything is going to work out for you in life, and how can you begin to see all possibilities in life as being limitless?  It’s certainly not easy to remain focused or excited to keep moving forward when times are uncertain or difficult.  I believe that the key, my reader friends, has to do with being courageous, believing in yourself and being true to who you are.

Courage
Being courageous and brave is everything.  It is vital to have faith in yourself, to be true to yourself and to have the courage to do what it takes to achieve your goal.  This consists of having the courage to be completely honest with who you are and being strong enough to face your fears, anxieties and struggles head-on.

Pursuing your passions and being yourself requires a tremendous amount of inner strength, and it's important to constantly recognize and appreciate the confidence that it takes to follow your heart and your dreams!  Often following your passion and doing what you feel is right for your life will involve going out on your own, being independent and standing strong in your choices.  Even when others may disagree with your decisions, if you feel that what you’re doing is right for your life, then it is important to stand firm in what you have chosen to do and who you have chosen to be.

As an individual who has been pursuing a dream and has been working in the entertainment business for several years now, I have learned what it takes to be strong even when it’s felt incredibly difficult to do so.  Having the courage to believe in myself through the good times and the bad times (there are constant ups and downs in this industry!) and having the fortitude to remain true to myself have been major factors in the successes that I have been fortunate to have seen so far in my life.  Overall, I have simply tried to be exactly who I am.  Living truthfully and fearlessly involves strength, vulnerability, uncertainty and honesty, which is not always been easy. Still, it’s certainly been worth it and all of the blessings that I have experienced so far in my life have evolved from making the decision to be courageous.      

Becoming a More Courageous Individual
When you make a commitment to be true to yourself and to your dreams, the possibilities for your life truly are endless.  The first step in becoming a more courageous individual, I believe, is to take an honest look at who you are today and think about the person who you’d like to become tomorrow.  (We can all aim to be a better person than we were yesterday!)  

Take some time to think about what it is that you believe will bring even more happiness to your life and tell yourself that it is absolutely possible to achieve anything!  Don’t doubt yourself.  As mentioned at the top of this article, the key is being courageous and being brave enough to try.  Earl Nightingale said, “We become what we think about.”  Think about what is possible for you and who can become and get out there to make all of your dreams your reality. 

Do not hold yourself back, my friend.  You're the only one who can stop yourself from reaching your highest potential, and it's crucial that you don't get in your own way.  We are all dealing with certain struggles, but you are a lot stronger than you might even realize.  And now, the beginning of this year, is the perfect time to let go of any doubt and begin to move forward through any struggles that you might be facing.  You’re strong enough to conquer any challenge if you’re not afraid to try. 

You have much to offer this world.  Let go of any fears or worries and decide to make this year the one that will lead you on a path to your highest potential.  The reality is that you have nothing to lose, except for the negative thoughts that chain you down! 
Henry David Thoreau said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life that you’ve imagined.” 

Therefore my friends, become a fearless lion, and make a decision to be courageous and to live truthfully.