Finding Your Howl

Finding Your Howl Part II by Jonathon Flaum is about finding your voice. It stresses the importance of looking inward to define yourself rather than looking to outward possessions and material objects to define you.  It is also important to know that part of finding your true self is to trust your instincts, take scary risks and doing things out of your comfort zone.

My favorite quote is one from Buddha. Buddha said “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.” To me, this quote means that, if we have a goal in life, we can’t just say we want something or to do something, just let it go, hope that we accomplish it and leave it up to fate. First, we have to decide how badly we want to reach our goal.  Then, if we decide this is something we want, we have to set our minds on a path to accomplish it. We have to design a plan, maybe even step by step, to accomplish our goals and objectives. Sometimes this includes taking risks getting out of our comfort zone. If something is desired enough, pretty much anything is possible when you set your mind to it. One of example of this drive to achieve is Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.  Neil Armstrong, an American icon, grew up wanting to be a pilot. He set his mind to achieve this goal and did everything he could to become accomplish it. He received his pilot’s license at the age of 15, even before he got his driver’s license. When he entered college, he studied Aeronautical Engineering. He then started looking at a wider picture. Neil became a test pilot for NACA, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.  It was a failed venture but because of this, his background, and all the things he accomplished he was chosen for the program, Man in Space Soonest. As a result, he became the first American civilian to go into space. He is proof that no matter where you come from or who you are, you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to. There are many methods to direct a person’s focus toward achieving their goal.  Oprah interviewed the author of the “The Secret” who said that you simply have to state what you want to the universe and you can have your heart’s desire.  Some people develop a vision board where they display visual reminders of their goals and dreams.  I have even heard to pray as if you have already received your request in order for your prayers to be answered.  I believe the quote is talking about more than just knowing “The Secret.” It is the idea that you have made a decision of what you want to do, set your mind to the task, and devised a plan to accomplish this.  The methods can be tools to help on the path to achieving your goal. I believe this speaks to me as a creative person.  I know that the field I plan on entering is one that can be hard to break into.  I know that in order to achieve my goal, I have to set my mind on what I want to accomplish.  Being in the arts, I am a visual person, so visualizing and believing in my mind that the goal is obtainable is a good start.  However, making a plan of how to achieve the goal is an important step to accomplishing it.