In need of change.

"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers. "

-M. Scott  Peck. 

I wasn't able to make it to our STARS Lead meetings this Friday because I received the opportunity to attend the first annual The People's Institute Retreat at LUREC. A couple of other STARS Lead members also attended this retreat, making it a greater experience and allowing us to make a stronger connection between what we discovered this weekend and our STARS Lead project. Throughout this retreat, we learned a lot about being conscious of ourselves and our identities and how we can connect these discoveries to the leadership aspects of our lives. Being able to explore myself and my life experiences, I found a true connection in using my unique identities and struggling past experiences to strengthen my role as a leader in expanding and promoting social justice within my community. If you couldn't already tell, this retreat shared A LOT in common with what the STARS and the STARS Leads programs tend to focus on. 

I was happy after hearing that they watched "Waiting for Superman" during Friday's meeting. I have seen this documentary, and I definitely have a lot of feelings toward it. After watching it, it  makes me feel sad that this issue of not giving a child the simple opportunity to get a good education is actually happening in America. What ever happened to being the land of freedom, chance, and opportunity? It surprises me that with so many documentaries, articles, and news broadcasts presented to society, showing the truth behind these so called "smart" decisions of authoritative figures, things still aren't being changed, and more and more children are still losing their chances for a greater future. Seeing the willingness and intelligence in these child in the documentary, all they really need is the chance to be able to attend an institution with a great quality of education. From there, they'll take the lead, and will not disappoint you. 

Most of the time, I am the type of person that will look at the glass half full, instead of looking at it as half empty. I love being happy and making others feel great. Most of the time, I am also the type of person that has this voice in the back of my  mind that tells lies and negative remarks, forcing me to seeing the glass mostly empty when it is really half full. There has always been this shadowing lack of confidence in my heart that has never really faded away no matter how well I succeed at something. Reading the "12 Lies to Stop Telling Yourself" article, I have realized that I need to stop constantly telling myself this negative narrative of my life and actually looking at the facts of the things I have accomplished and committed to. This ties into the blog we had to write about happiness. If you constantly keep telling yourself that you are not happy, you'll just keep digging a bigger whole for yourself and will never be able to see the truth of what you have in front of your eyes. All you need to do is remind yourself to turn the lights back on and to see the reality and truth of your life, not the lies that are leading you towards the darker path.