Expectations

  I’m pretty sure I have made up my mind about going to college for Criminal Justice, and maybe end up working in Corrections after, but I am scared that I will not do well due to how physical it is. I am really doubting myself even though I know that I CAN do it.

  I'm scared that if after college if I get hired at the jail, that I will somehow mess up and disappoint my dad, who I will probably be working with. I’m scared that I will not live up the expectations people will have for me just due to who my dad is. I will have huge expectations to meet because my dad is one of the senior officers, and has been working at the jail for just over 30 years, and having the same last name, everybody will know who I am.

  I want to be able to live up to the expectations, but I really don't know if I can.

-Brooklyn Kandel

The Dream Physique

I am not very passionate about anything in life because I feel as though I have not fully lived my life to the fullest yet. I’m only 17 years old and I have so much to experience, but the only thing that I am very passionate about as of right now is fitness. To me fitness is what motivates me to get out of bed in the morning; it completes my day even though my day hasn't started yet. Even just the thought of going to the gym completes my day. I am very passionate about fitness because I love the feeling of walking into the gym every morning, seeing all the weights and the equipment, the smell of the entire gym. I love the burning and tearing of my muscles so that they can grow, drinking my pre-workout shake so that I can have a perfect workout, taking my supplements such as vitamins so that It can help me get bigger, and after every workout I get to go home eat all of my essential foods such as proteins, carbs, and fats. I strive to gain the perfect physique because it has been one of my goals since I was a child and to be able to actually put in the work to go and pursue my goals makes me feel ecstatic and euphoric. There are many difficulties that goes into fitness because sometimes people can lose motivation to do it, or they might have a lazy work ethic. Also, a lot of research must be done so that people will have the IQ to be more efficient at getting fit and also have more skills in the gym. It takes a lot of hard work to push myself every day at the gym, as I have to be mentally and physically tough to motivate myself. I remind myself that it is my body and not anyone else’s so to be able to push myself is the main challenge that I have to overcome. I always have to constantly think about not giving up to always keep pushing forward.

-Viustin Badilla

Here's a motivational video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NBdvGl71-Y

The significance of courage and hope is that they set out a good image for us and not only us, but for the people close to us. It takes courage and hope to grow up and become who you really are. Life is filled with the choices that we make. Opportunities are abundant, and this is the reason why life is so rich. In my experience, fear is the thing that keeps me stuck worrying about outcomes. Action takes courage because there are risks and the outcome is less than certain.

   I am choosing to write about my open door. I know that the poor choices I make in my present life will affect my future. To see that I've made it this far could mean a successful future, but not everyone is successful and that's because of the poor choices and mistakes they've made in the past. People only get scared of the future because they don't know what's to come, anything can happen. If I could go ahead in time, I would learn from my future and I would prevent those poor choices from messing with my future. Courage is word that moves us towards an outcome, but can’t guarantee the result. My advice for you all is to lead your own life because nobody will know you better than you know yourself. Make good choices and let go of the things that will make you successful.

-Jangkou Machonyjok

https://youtu.be/Urf0GFYdYTo

Key To Success Video

Superhero Inside All of Us

“There is a superhero inside all of us we just need the courage to put on the cape.” This quote reminds me of my brother, because he told me that if I ever get Alzheimer's disease, that he would put a wonder woman costume in my closet. He said that a long time ago, but it feels like decades ago because of how much has happened and the changes we've been through. Sometimes he can be a pain (what brother isn't?), but this quote also reminds me of when I was getting bullied. One day after school my brother found me crying on the playground and I remember he was really concerned and actually hugged me. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a tight squeeze then asked who upset me. I could tell he was frustrated, so I told him that it was not a big deal because I didn't want him to get in trouble. I was reluctant to tell him, but he was persistent, so I just told him that this guy by my locker dropped a textbook on my head and laughed about it. The boy didn't even care about the pain he inflicted, but I wasn’t surprised because he had picked on me many times before. My brother knew who he was, and as we were starting to walk home my brother saw him and then ran over to him and punched the bully in the face. I will remember this moment for the rest of my life, and how the kid fell on the ground holding his nose. I will remember how he looked at me still holding his nose with blood flowing through his hands, apologizing to me for picking on me then got up and ran away leaving a trail of blood behind him. In this situation my brother is my superhero -without a cape.    

-Linda Mannix-Elliott

Struggles of Life

I am not perfect, no one is, but there are some people who are pretty darn close. Doing some/most drugs makes you skinny, and being too skinny makes you scared of your own body. Doing drugs puts your mind in another place, making you think you're always sad and you don't know how to get rid of it. Your mind doesn't know how to get rid itself of anger, so you take the anger out on yourself. You cut yourself... and not just little scratches you cut yourself so deep that you won't stop bleeding for hours. Now that you are done, you are left with a very scarred up body, and you're so uncomfortable. You don't want to sit in the hot tub with your family or go to the beach with your boyfriend. You look in the mirror and cry. There are scars everywhere: arms, legs and your stomach and you always wear long sleeves because you don't want people to judge.

Now I've learnt from my past, I'm still learning to live with my scars and I'm getting less and less insecure of my body. My boyfriend helped me out a lot. One night he wanted to go sit in the hot tub and I didn't want to because I didn't want him to see my tummy and arms, so I just told him about it. I pulled up my sleeves and rolled up my shirt, so he could see my arms and tummy. He touched my scars and said, “I love your scars, they make you you! They make you a warrior, they tell a story”. Then he kissed my scars. Now everyday I look in the mirror and tell myself I'm beautiful, and that I'm a warrior.

-T

Lupe Fiasco and Guy Sebastian - Battle Scars. I chose this song because it explains my whole story in one song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mPd_SDAryQ

Significance in My Life

For my blog post, I wanted to talk about the significance of courage and hope in my life in my day to day activities. I've talked about being on the football team and how that takes courage in my journal, but it’s not just because I go to practice everyday and I play the games the best I can. It’s also taking the time to even do any of that. It’s hard to be a student athlete, not just in football but when you have to give up your time for sports, it's very hard and I would say it actually takes a lot of courage to give up your free time. Once you join a team, you go to practices and you no longer have as much free time because instead, that time becomes time for the sport you are involved in. A lot of people give up time with their families, or they have to wait to get a job or maybe even have difficulty keeping a job. It might not make the most sense that I'm linking this to courage, but it's just what I think and it's actually the situation that I'm in. When I get home, I have about 2 hours until I have to get myself ready for bed in order to get a good enough sleep and charge myself for the next day. Sometimes it’s difficult, but it is all worth it when I look at the good I'm doing for myself.

When I think of hope in my life, nothing really comes to me off the top of my head, but it doesn't mean I don’t have any hope. I have hope for my to do good in school and activities I'm involved in after school and I like to think that my future will be good. I have hope in myself to succeed in life and that pretty much wraps everything up. If I don't succeed today, then I pull myself together and I go on to succeed the next day because what's in the past is past, and I just need to focus on what's going to happen next and the things I need to do to succeed. The thing that drives me is hope and I don't know if it's just me, but I think that courage along with hope are very significant  to have in life.

-Kaymen Piper

Don't Understand

Life is full of unanswered questions, moments we don’t understand or actions we regret, but everything we do in our lives leads to one thing - the future. The future is one big mystery, without knowing it our actions can lead to something completely different. As kids we are told to be strong and independent, but without realizing that we can lean on other people to help us get through the hard times. The people that we lean on can affect our actions and the outcome of our life. A person's life  really starts at the end of their comfort zone, when we are in an uncomfortable situation we must bring out our courage and learn how to fly by ourselves.

Maslow created the hierarchy of human needs, showing that humans have an all or none response, simply meaning that when the nerve gets stimulated the muscle fibers respond or the stimulation was not great enough for the body to respond. The human body is designed to defend itself in all kinds of situations. The most common defense mechanism that the body uses is flight or fight response. When the body is faced with change it makes the stress hormone cortisol, and cortisol is the hormone that makes glycogen which lead to weight gain. It’s the body's way of protection from the world.

For the last year I was in a relationship with someone who meant a lot to me, we started off as a normal couple, but I soon realized that I was in for one wild ride. Around the 4 month mark of the relationship he was diagnosed with diabetes, it was a very hard pill to swallow. We both took it very hard, but I was still there for him every step of the way. As time went on things kept going against us, the medicine that the doctors prescribe for him did not work. He was placed in the hospital for 3 months and everyday I went to see him everyday. When he was released from the hospital I hoped and prayed that things would get better between us but a short time after I learned that he only wanted me around when he was to weak to stand on his own. Looking back at the relationship now I know I put my everything into the him; I was his protection from the world when he had no courage or hope that things would get better. Maybe one day we can be friends and look back at the good times and memories we share, but for now we must face the world and learn what life has to offer us.

-Drew Samek

Demi Lavato - "Tell Me You Love Me"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0z45UdhoWc

Fear, Comfort and Courage

The Oxford dictionary defines comfort as “a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint," so in other words, our “comfort zone” is when we feel physically and emotionally safe, it can also refer to a place where we don’t feel vulnerable and where things feel familiar.

My “comfort zone” is my bedroom, my own place where I can do, say, or think what I want - it’s my home. One of my worst fears is leaving my comfort zone, leaving my home, the place where I can be myself without the fear of people judging me. When I was 11 years old, my dad told my family we had to move because he got a job offer from another company. This was not all the news that he had to tell though, there was more. Thoughts were running through my head: Is he just moving? Am I changing schools? What was it? Then he told us… we were moving cities. I was excited for my dad for getting this offer but I thought about my friends, the school I went to, and the house I lived in. I had to leave everything behind. A million more thoughts came into my head. OH MY GOD!!!! How could we move to another city? Lethbridge? Where is that?  I ran up to my room as I needed to be in my own space with my thoughts to contemplate what was happening. I didn’t know how to feel, should I be happy or sad? I struggled a lot with this move. I had to leave my comfort zone and create a new one in whatever house we were moving into. To me, that took a lot of courage because I had to leave my comfort zone where I felt safe and had to walk into the real world. I had to start over, find a new place where I felt truly comfortable, and make new friends in this new, strange city. I feared being the new kid in school where I would be put on the spot and talked about, having to make new friends and I also had to face the struggle of fitting in while coping with the fear that I may not necessarily achieve that.

On my first day of middle school, at G.S Lakie, I stayed to myself as I didn’t want to face the struggle of making new friends when I already had my own in Calgary. After a couple days, I knew I had to get myself out there to make friends and in order for me to make new friends, I had to step out of my comfort zone and face my fear. I realized that I couldn’t stay in my comfort zone and stick to myself for the rest of my life. I had to have courage to get myself out there and create a sense of belonging for myself. I started talking to people, getting more involved in group work and many more things to get myself out there and this eventually paid off, as now I have many more friends whom I closely associate with.

-Carissa Spoulos

Here is a TedTalk video by Damon Davis, who talks about courage being contagious. A statement that he said in his speech is, “Even in the face of that fear, you do what you’ve got to do? That’s called courage. And just like fear, courage is contagious.” This statement stuck with me because when we are experiencing fear, we go straight to courage and we overcome it. When we show that we have courage, it allows other people to have courage when they are facing their own fears. Later on in the video, Damon talks about a group of people who were standing around while yelling and screaming because they had courage to stand up against the police. Damon saw this happening and it gave him courage to do the same thing, so he started yelling and screaming as well. He saw people showing courage and facing their fears which resulted in him doing the same.

This Is a Blog I Guess...

Some people in this messed up world, struggle and not with just normal things like money, or physical issues, they struggle mentally and they hate everything and everyone around them, even themselves. It's a sad truth, but still a truth nonetheless. We put on fake smiles like putting on makeup. We laugh and smile like it's all okay even though every piece inside of us is slowly breaking down with every grin. We fight the battles of others and catch the falls of those who let go. What kind of a life is it always helping others, even though we can't help ourselves? The words they speak cut deeper than the blades we use. No one should go on with a fake smile, we should take a moment and talk to someone about what they really feel. We all need someone to talk to, or just know that someone cares… all we want is someone to care. The screams we cry get covered up by the laughter of the ones who look at us and tell us to get over it, we all have problems, suck it up. It's not fair, we can't even get out of bed in the morning let alone want to deal with the assholes who say things about us even though they will never know how hard we fell and how hard it is to get back up. I'm ending it at that. Just don't be the person who kicks people when they are already down because you will never know that feeling.

-Steven Stella

Do It With Passion Or Not At All

Having a passion for something is like devoting your existence into one single bright idea. For example, I am crazily passionate about music, and that’s why I actually take the time of day to write down in pen and paper, because more ideas represent themselves when written down on paper. If I had the opportunity to choose my future and got the chance to pave my own path, I wouldn’t take a second to hop on such an opportunity because that's how passionate I am about music. There are many difficulties along the way, but I know for certain that if I stay true to what I desire then I know that I’ll achieve it because I’ll have my courage and hope backing me up, and it will keep me very dedicated. I’m very aware that I have flaws to fix when it comes to work ethic, but I know that if it's something I love doing then I won’t second guess putting my all into it, I’ll just simply do the work that needs to be done. When it comes to courage and hope I think that everyone has the courage to do SOMETHING they love because if you didn’t have that confidence or drive to do the one thing you enjoy doing every day, why try? Why even get out of bed at this rate. If there’s a reason you love doing a certain activity that you enjoy and you love it enough, you will do it and you won’t think twice about it, because that is passion, and that is courage and hope.

-L.T

Being Strong

In my life, I had courage when I joined the CCH football team. I think that it took courage because it takes a lot of time out of my life, and it stops me from doing other things that I would like to do. Being part of the team is a huge commitment. I practice hard everyday for 3 hours after school, even if I am sick or tired, and no matter what the weather is. Playing football has given me courage and strength, physically and mentally. It has encouraged me to work out, to become stronger and healthier. I changed my diet, and worked out everyday for the past 3 years. Football takes lots of discipline, and commitment.  I’ve also learned not to give up on any challenges, on and off the field. It has also helped me have more confidence in myself. If I get knocked down, I get back up and keep on going.

Playing football gives me hope to stand together as a team, and help each other out. You have hopes to win, but win or lose, you are still part of a great team that encourages each other. I hope that all my practice and discipline will help me be a better teammate. I hope that all of my working out will pay off, and help me in the long run in my future career. I also hope that the discipline, hard work and commitment will help me through life to be successful in different areas of my life.

-R.W

The Beauty of Courage and Hope

  In this generation we all should overcome our fear to earn happiness in our lives. Like Martin Luther King once said, “Only in the darkness can you see the stars”. Every human being on this earth should have the courage to stand up to their obstacles in life because there’s a beauty that’s going to be the outcome of facing our fears, and that beauty is going to be happiness! We’ve got to fight for our happiness if we want to achieve in our lives, and we’ve got to make sacrifices for our own sake.

We can also help others by being courageous for them and helping them get through their fears in life. We all have the ability to stand up for each other and assist every person on this earth. A reason why so many people allow others to step on their dignity and treat them with a lack of respect, care, kindness, etc.. is because they are as complex as human nature itself, but the real reason is because we are too scared of what might happen if we stand up for ourselves.

                                     People without hope will probably not excel in the parts of their life in which they hold no hope. This does not mean that they’re not committed or hardworking, it’s just my experience that if people don’t believe that their work will make a difference, that they can make tomorrow better for someone. In these instances the work may be okay, but it’s unlikely to be outstanding. Hope isn’t something that just happens to us sometimes, especially in the beginning and then again in difficult situations, we have to decide to have it, and we do have to work at it.

-K

Perfect Imperfections

I try hiding it under my bed; I try to shine light on it, but it never works. Day by day it gets bigger, stronger, smarter. I can’t handle it. It scares me. I’m scared. Everyday, every hour, every minute, it’s always with me. I try to run away from it, but how do I run away from myself? I am my own monster. I am my own fears. How have I created such monster? I know and can understand that I am not perfect, nobody is, so why is it that I am obsessed with perfection? Why do I wan to live such a perfect life? Is it to have a taste of happiness? What is the word “perfection” to me?

“Perfection” is scary to me. I am scared simply because I don’t know what it is. I've never seen it, but I want it. For years now the sense of perfection had been an itch in the back of my head. I don't know how it got there, but it’s still there. I have to cure it soon because it's getting hard to live with. I beat myself up simply because I'm not perfect. I’m not the smartest, I’m not the prettiest, I’m not the nicest. I have many downfalls that can not be controlled. I am my own problem, that needs time to get fixed. One day I will get over that monster, and hopefully we become good friends.  I'm a wild bird learning to fly, but I’m too scared to try it, all because of “Perfection”

-Michelle Flores.

Selena Gomez - "Who Says"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzE1mX4Px0I&list=PLfA6GWWcZ1GTpUU4BI0mbpbtq4_uJHDi4

Is Everything As It Seems?

We walk into life thinking it’s all sunshines and rainbows. "Oh look at that, I made a new friend", or "Wow, that was such a great day!" Little did we know as we got older we didn’t know what to expect out of every day. We didn’t know if we were going to live or die, or if we were going to win the lottery or become homeless. Everyday we face the unknown just hoping it will be good. As we get out of bed everyday we've got to be strong because we don’t know what we will face. As I walk the halls I don’t know what everyone is going through, all I see are smiles, but is that really how everyone feels - happy? We put on these masks everyday because we want to be strong and show that we can take on the world. We face the unknown everyday, and for some people that could be terrifying, so we put on these masks to help us. Our masks are that extra bit of courage to help us fight on throughout the day.

We want to please everyone around us and for some people that could be terrifying, so we put on these masks to help us. Our masks are that extra bit of courage to help us fight on throughout the day. It’s our armour and our shield. I ask myself everyday, why do I put on a mask? What am I hiding from? I don’t know why, but all I know is that I was putting on this mask and hiding from those around me I thought I could trust. That being said it’s important to have courage and hope because if we have the courage to face the things that we are hiding from, we can do anything and it will give us hope that these fears that lock us behind masks won't keep us locked behind our masks forever.

-Traelyn Shaw

Finding Hope in Music

Many people have passions that drive them and give them inspiration, and for me that passion is music. I love singing and playing the drums, and there are so many other instruments that I want to learn how to play. I hope that one day my future career will have something to do with music, maybe I’ll join a band or do musical theatre. I’m currently taking voice and drum lessons, and I’m in the schools concert and show choir and I plan on auditioning for the school’s musical this year. Music is a huge escape for me. Whenever I’m feeling anxious or depressed, it makes me feel at home no matter where I am. I’ve been through some hard times in life and whenever I’m feeling down I know what to turn to. I really hope that other people currently going through struggles in their life are able to turn to music to because it’s a great way to express your emotions and your creativity. I’ve been considering writing my own music, but I don’t know where to start, regardless I hope that this is something I get to do for a full time career.  Although this is a cliche, music is what keeps me going and I hope other people are able to feel the same way. I have provided a link to a song that I like to listen to when I’m feeling down and want to feel better

-K.L

"You Will Be Found" from the DEAR EVAN HANSEN Original Broadway Cast Recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSfH2AuhXfw

Exit

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. The sound of a black smoke, of terror, weakness, and sorrow as it pounds on my bedroom door. It was so sudden and I did not see it coming. As I sit leaning my back against the hardwood floor I feel the breeze of smoke wrapping my body from my head going down to my feet. Its darkness clouded my ability to see my worth as a human being. I ask myself, should I fight it off? Slowly, my desire to continue this journey of life was a distant blur and I was caged.

And then I blinked

It is exactly 3 in the morning and my eyes couldn’t be any wider than the owl’s. I felt a sudden urge to get up and hit my keyboard as my brain spits out what I want to write. Why am I feeling this way? The pressure is getting to me and if I could merely scream to the world that I am just a young girl who wants to explore more about myself, maybe it would stop. Maybe the smoke would stop to creep on my safe place. I continue to ignore it, somehow I still find a way to believe in me, at the very least I still have hope for me because I know in my heart and soul that I have yet to find out my true purpose for being in this world. My family immediately came into my mind, I gain my strength from them. Because of my family, I have the courage to dismiss my imperfections and embrace myself for who I am. I realized pressure is normal for someone who is going through higher levels of maturing, it is just the matter of how one would handle it. I felt at ease with my newfound wisdom and I find myself yawning. For a moment the black smoke of terror, weakness, and sorrow faded. It seems to be that they have already exited.

-S.G

Andra Day - "Rise Up"

https://youtu.be/lwgr_IMeEgA

Women Rule the World

Women have always been perceived as weak and fragile for as long as I can remember. There weren’t many female role models for me when I was younger, but now there are proud, strong women everywhere I look. Feminism has given me the courage to be proud of being a girl and to stop caring what other people think.

Being a feminist does not mean hating men or wanting men to be lesser than women, but rather wanting to be given the same opportunities and treatment as men. All women need to realize their own self-worth in order to be the best they can be. Coco Chanel once said, “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” and it has given other women and myself the confidence to chase after what we want in life, no matter what men think. Before I knew girls could be whoever they want to be, I was as misogynistic as other kids were. We were told “boys will be boys” whenever they did something wrong and to just accept that as an excuse, but now I have realized that the feminine and masculine stereotypes are unimportant and useless in my life. I identify as a feminist and I always will because it's the only thing that gives me courage and hope. I no longer give men the power to make me, or any other women in my life, doubt our self-worth.

Women are no longer seen as weak and fragile in my eyes. I refuse to let any girl or myself see ourselves as that. When I was younger, I was told to just accept that boys can do whatever they want and girls couldn't do what boys can do because that's just how things are, but that's not true. Girls can do anything they set their minds to.

-Mya Black Plume

https://youtu.be/Zt0E5mOz_lg

(Alicia Keys - Girl Can't Be Herself)

Singer Who Can't Sing

Being alone is such a harsh thing. Not having a sense of belonging is like having a band with one person, and passion is like a miracle drug that can help you fix yourself. Playing the guitar is what I’m passionate about because it fixes my feelings when my feelings are broken. It’s like I’m a part of the guitar when I play it. Although I’m not that good at playing the guitar and I’m not that good at playing with other people, I can say that as long as you play I by heart it will give me the courage to face it. Many people criticized me because of how I play, but some people liked it but never really knew the reason why. I play music because it is what my heart and mind desires, like unspoken words that are meant to be said. I was never confident playing music with other people, especially in public and I’m not good playing music with others. Some people say it's because I lack experience, but actually it’s because there is a story about it. People have told me that I’m not a good singer, so I myself accept that I’m not a good singer, but that never stopped me from striving for what I love and am passionate about. After that, I felt like the guitar was calling to me, saying that I don’t have to sing, I just have to show them what I can do. I hope that one day they’ll acknowledge me as a musician. I realize that I don’t really have to sing because I have my guitar that can sing for me and it gave me courage to face all of it.

-Inigo Flores

Boxing and Me

My life relates to courage and hope because I do a thing that requires a lot of courage which is boxing. Everyday I get up and I say to myself that I will succeed in boxing and bring happiness to my dad since he was a boxer. I go to the gym almost everyday and I do my workout. I hit the bag and, sometimes when I need to let a little steam off it helps me to do that. It takes a lot of courage to step into a ring and box someone you don’t know. I have many pathways to choose from and when it comes to boxing it opens so many pathways for me. When some thoughts of doubt run through my head I distract myself with boxing and working out. When school ends I will break those thoughts off and try my best. My values bring hope to me that I will be successful at life and that nothing will get in my way to stop me. My friends and family help me to get through the rough times and push me forward. Boxing is my passion and I want to keep up with it for as long as I can. My goal is to make it to the Olympics and to represent Lethbridge. I want to show my dad that I can keep his legacy going and make him proud. Flaws won’t stop me from being me and I won’t let any problems get in my way. Fear drives me to do my best even though I don’t have many fears those little fears keep me afraid and it pushes me. All in all, courage and hope help me in life and will keep helping me for as long as I am in this world.  

-J.D

The video should explain itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxczlps5_bg

The Advantages of Fears

You must feel fear and do it anyway. Everyone has an open door to something, whether it’s fear, positivity, negativity, or whatever else. My personal open door looks like there may be struggle. Although there will be tough situations, success is around the corner. I look into studying the human anatomy, as well as healing injuries. My plan is to become a paramedic. That possibly might not be the correct career choice according to fate, but to me it feels right.

My vision of the future of the kind of scares me. What if I don’t get accepted or I don’t have the money to go to university? Money has always been a topic when discussing about university. I’m scared I won’t have it; therefore, putting myself in debt resulting in stress and a slight chance of no career. Even though those are my thoughts, I still believe I can make it work. Without hope and courage, I might’ve not had that extra motivation to do better, succeed, and be the person I strive to be.

In a way, fear is what motivates people to make the choices they make. So if you feel fear, do it. You will most likely feel satisfied and happy that you did so. Of course, it takes a bit of courage to face a fear and follow through with it. The outcome will make you feel great! When facing a fear, it also comes with hope. You hope it turns out beneficially, and hope it was worth while. Feel fear? Do it anyway! It will make you even more stronger and more confident.

-Jayme Dobni

This link is to an article which discusses the benefits and advantages of fear. It is more of a personal connection.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-slow/201307/the-benefits-fear

The Struggle of Life

Without courage and hope how are you supposed conquer the difficult obstacles in your life? All I hope for is a little change in the world and maybe my courage could help with that. All my life people, and especially teachers, have been putting me down for all the things I want and changes I ask for such as not having kids left out of activities and teachers actually taking their job seriously. To me and in my head the changes I want make sense, but I guess people can't look past their own selfish existence to see the brighter side. At least I have the courage to speak up for what I want and deserve. Most people can't say this about themselves, I know that for a fact. Now a days people in power think they can roll over everyone and not have consequences. A great example of this is our Government and Politicians in power, but it's people like me that will try to make a difference in the world. Even if I fail which has already happened I'll keep fighting for what’s right. To make my point I'll shorten it up for you - I have the courage to stand up for what I think is right and deserve. My hope is what keeps me going. I do think one day things will have change such as people having real freedom, stable jobs, and good schooling, but by then it won't matter to me. I'll be six feet under the ground rotting away and no one will remember I helped create change in the world.

-Montana DayChief

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp2qjshr-r4
Retrain Your Mind - Motivational Video (Mel Robbins)

Seeking the World

My passion is to travel. It's the thrill of getting on a plane or car and going wherever I desire, feeling like an explorer discovering new land, a new language, exploring a new culture. Traveling can be a challenge, but for me, a fun challenge. Though there are many obstacles stopping me from traveling- money, parents and school - I know one day I'll have the ability to get on a plane and go wherever I want. If I could say goodbye to everything and just get on a plane and go I would. Traveling you need courage, the courage to go by yourself somewhere new. You have to have hope in yourself that you will not get lost or in the journey ahead of yourself.  

I had never been able to travel until last summer which was my first trip; I went to Toronto all by myself. Getting on that plane with the biggest smile on my face was the best feeling ever. My parents never had the money to go anywhere spontaneous. My friends would say where they were going for the summer- Hawaii, Mexico, and Cuba, the places I dreamt of going. When I was younger I moved quite a bit. I moved from Sudan to Egypt then we did the big move to Canada. I think moving a lot at such a young age is what made me want to travel so much. Traveling gives you the opportunity to disconnect from your reality - going to a new place and living in the now, no tomorrow, or yesterday, just now. Travel is getting to forget the problems of back home and living life to the fullest.

-Aggie Dang

5 Scientifically Proven Health Benefits to Traveling Abroad

https://www.nbcnews.com/better/wellness/5-scientifically-proven-health-benefits-traveling-abroad-n759631

End of the line - TravelingWilburys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwqhdRs4jyA

This Is Who I Want To Be; This Is Me!

I am a very passionate person and there are a lot of things that I am passionate about. I am passionate about art, music, cooking and baking. I love to sing. I love it so much that I can't stop. I am also passionate about making friends, being active and having fun. My friends are very important to me. Out of all the things I am passionate about, what am I passionate about the most? I am the most passionate about makeup. Makeup is my life and I would be nowhere without it. I have been accepted into Vancouver film school to become a makeup artist. That is what I wish to do in my future and no one is going to stop me. People may tell me that it will be difficult and they will tell me to give up on it because in their minds, it isn't a good career choice. But in my mind, it is the most wonderful thing I could ever be a part of. I will pursue what makes me happy, not what other people want me to. When I create artistic pieces on people's faces and bodies, I know that I have created something unique and beautiful. I want to share my talent and passion with the world and I am not scared of anything that could get in my way. Hopefully someday everyone else around me will be as happy to see my art as I am to create it. There is a lot of things that I need to achieve before I reach this goal but I know that I will make it. I know that I have the courage to make this dream come true. I can see myself now, working on movie sets and in the crew for Cirque Du Soleil. I can see my name in the credits at the end of movies and maybe someone will know my name. This is who I want to be, this is who I will be. This is me!

-Dora Clement

This is a picture of me in parade. It took courage to show my artistic talent in the parade.

https://vfs.edu/programs/makeup
Watch the course outline videos. This is what I will be doing for post secondary. It is going to take a lot of courage for me to move provinces and live on my own right after high school.

A Walk in My Shoes

In my life I want to succeed even when people tell me I can’t do it. I am planning to show them that I won’t quit, and I will make it to the top. My life is like a mountain it is hard to make it to the top because there are things that are holding me back, but I have to push through them. I’m showing courage by being strong and hoping to push hard enough that I make it. That paragraph should show people that even through hard times you don't let things block you from your dreams. Courage and Hope - everyone has it, but for some people it takes years or their whole life to build it up. I have finally found mine. I have always been the girl that people pick on so it was hard for me to be able to find it. This year has been a life changer because I have showed the girls that hurt me and put me down; I have showed them that I’m not weak. I’ve showed them that I am so much stronger then they will ever be. This generation of girls isn't what it use to be, it's always focused on how you look. Looks are what people pay attention to, they don’t look for what the girl really is and how amazing she actually is. You can’t judge a book by it's cover I have learned. People have masks. You think that they are happy and always smiling and have the greatest life, but have you ever looked at what is really inside? You think they are happy, but you don't know them they could just be wearing a mask and when they get home they take the mask off. I have learned in my life that everyone has masks, I have one and I will admit it. I Have learned that everyone is ‘"FAKE” - fake nails, fake hair, fake smiles, and fake faces. I see people and see how fake they are together. People are fake to me and I know that cause I know what the word fake is.

The age of 14 was a big step in my life because my mother got me a job working at a Pharmacy where I would meet new people. My job gave me great independence and I was making a wage so I could be independent to buy things focused around my own likes and values, and to be able to save for my future ahead of me. This job gave me great opportunities to see the value of money at an early age in my life. I enjoy my job where I can be my natural self around people. It has made me very independent, and see that I don't always have to depend on my parents and this is a great value in my life. Graduation time from St.Catherine's was a very happy time for me, where I was making a new life. Going to CCH was nice, but scary going out to the big world outside of Picture Butte, but it sure opened my eyes and I have come across some interesting experiences. I've learned a lot from going to CCH, as there are many walks of life here. I have learned from the bullying in my life to value and have respect for people with special needs and other needs, and to care and stand up for these people. In my 17 years of growing up I see the big world and thank my parents for making me aware of all that's out there in the world. This is my opportunity in life to be a police officer, to help and understand the people who are in the world today. Life is getting harder day to day. Let's respect what we have and I hope that my future takes me where I want to be. I want to be strong, and love those people who really need me. I want to show love to my family who are so good to me and have helped me along my way in this big journey to get to the age of 17, and to my friends and my teachers who have taken me this far.

-Kirsty Butler

Suraye's Passion

My passion in my life is rodeo because it's something I like and love to do and want to do it for as long as I live. Rodeo is part of who I am, where I come from and it’s what I know. I remember when I first started I was doing pretty good; I was on my way to making it to the Indian National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas that was and still is one of my goals to make it there. With rodeo there's always that "what if"; what if this happens, or what if that happens because you never know what’s really going to happen in the arena. Once you’re on that horse ready to go you can’t really determine how your run is going to go and it either could be a really good or bad outcome, you just never really know. During one of my practices I had a little accident with my horse, which left me traumatized. I took a little time off after that and I wish that I didn’t because it set me way back from achieving my goal, but it’s not like I’ve completely gave up on it. Despite what  happened I still ride whenever I get the chance and I’m slowly working towards getting back into that rodeo life because I still have the support I need and I know I can do it.

-Suraye Blackwater

Passion

My passion in life is the marvels of being in nature; to experience mother nature’s spectacles of creations. For as long as I can recall I was always outside playing in the trees. My earliest years were spent in the country; I never grew up in the city and I’m thankful for it because it developed my relationship with the land. Around March of grade 11, I was in need of a job. At that point I was looking for just about anything, but my career counselor wanted to know what my passions were. I stated that I love working in the environment. Never would I have thought I would have the astonishing opportunity to understand the animals mother nature harbors. During the summer I got the chance to work with amazing Birds of Prey. I always knew my passion was nature, but this experience moved me and gave me a better appreciation for the outdoors. “I know what I want to do for the rest of my days.” I vividly remember saying this to myself as I released a bird back into the wild. Though the experiences were rewarding, it was very difficult when I first began this journey. I was one of the youngest workers there and was still finishing high school while my co-workers were already pursuing their dreams in post-secondary. I thought to myself will I have the knowledge to help with this job, or am I going to sound foolish? Many thoughts rushed through my head and they plagued me greatly. I could’ve kept thinking this way, but I didn’t. I smartened up and I pushed myself to be even better than my other new co-workers. The result landed me in heaps of rewards and respects. By the time summer was almost over and the work season was ending, I built myself into a reliable, and hardworking character. My boss and other co-workers endlessly complimented me and it restored my hope in myself. I had the courage to do this, but sometimes I just need to hear it from others to really believe it.

-Grace No Runner