Life is like a soccer game

One part of my effort to be insanely productive this term is reading inspiring literature. I picked up Tuesdays with Morrie yesterday, and so far it's been one of those books that makes me say to myself, I think I'm changing in a good way while I'm reading! Such thoughts, or so I thought, would make a decent kickoff to what might be a lifetime of blogging; after all, synthesizing thoughts into coherency helps solidify them, which is a good thing to do with good thoughts, I s'pose.
For those of you who don't know anything about the book (and actually read this blog), it's about an old man wasting away because of Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) who imparts his knowledge, stemming from his unique perspective, to a former student of his.
Naturally this is would be very thought provoking--what is it that matters at the end of life anyway? So here are just a few of my thoughts.

• I would be eternally unsatisfied if I have energy at the end of my life. It would be like playing an entire soccer game without being exhausted: it would mean that hadn't worked hard enough--that I hadn't reached my full potential in any sense of the phrase.
•  Sometimes life sucks, but there is always much more to be grateful for than to complain about. Remember that we are not really entitled to anything and thus most things are truly blessings! and don't complain about blessings when they're removed. Who are we to decide if they are temporary or not?
• There is not enough time to hold back, so don't fear and push forward. As President Hinckley's father said to him "Be not afraid, only believe." Bad things happen--rejection, failures, and mess-ups--but the success (and there will be many) far outweigh the regret if chances aren't taken. This is probably the concept that I have the biggest problem with,but I have promised myself that I will overcome fear someday, have taken significant steps in that direction, and will continue to until I die, or until I truly conquer it.
• "Love is the only rational act" True, pure love is the greatest motivation, yet so many of us seem resistant, myself included. "We think we don't deserve love, we think if we let it in we'll become too soft." I think it would be to the benefit of all to learn to be loved and give love, and simply make it more engrained within our existence as a whole.

 I've discovered recently that I don't have the capacity, or maybe English doesn't have the capacity, to express the fullness of exactly what I'm thinking, but this will have to suffice for now. My goal after reading this book, and after every positive experience is to change. I never want to be inspired and remain the same. Let's (yes, everybody) let ourselves be changed for the better. Through love, constant focus on what is truly important, and personal strength, let's cast away comfort zones and uncertainty and embrace confidence in positive actions to become the best people we can possibly be.