Clarity

A dream to me is a massive collection of our thoughts. Dreams keep our wants, desires ,and fears a secret. Our dreams are our most private thoughts. I do not dream often. Usually when I do I dream about difficult things I go through. My troubles usually work itself out in my dream.  My dreams allow me a little comfort for problems that I cannot fix.The most recent dream I had was about relaxation. I have been pretty stressed out in school and barely have enough time for what I want to do. As I woke up early to do this blog, I quickly fell back to sleep due to complete exhaustion. I work a lot and I have a lot of homework. I barely get time to myself or time to just rest. I have not had a dream in a long time so I clueless what to write about first. I took a short nap in hopes that I would dream and finally have something to write about. As soon as I took a nap, I had a vivid dream. The dream was about what I would be doing in my free time. In my dream I took some time out to be with some of my friends and family.  I always try to hang out with my friends or family when I have complete days off (off from work and school). I feel like they both are a priority and I should spend time with them before I spend any time alone. In this dream I went out with 2 of my friends and my sister. We went out to dinner because that is one of my favorite outings. In this dream I left and went to the bathroom for a long period of time.  For some reason it felt like I did not want to leave, I just wanted to sit in the bathroom and not entertain. So I locked myself in there for hours just sitting and resting. At this moment I finally felt like I had some time alone. I was in complete solitude and left alone with my thoughts.  In the dream my friend text me so we could leave. I ignored it for a while and continued to rest and sit. Then she text me again and I quickly got up.   It was amazing to me how your world can be so quickly interrupted by present day technology. We are now so dependent on cell phones. We always find cell phones a necessity to keep in touch.  We would be in great distress if the line of communication was cut. I think sometimes it is necessary. The last part of my dream was very significant.  I took out my frustrations in my dream. At the end of my dream I let out this huge cry and walked out the door. Not because I didn’t want to go to dinner. It was because I was being interrupted. People are often impatient and won’t let you take your time.  This dream to me really demonstrates mans need to be alone. Man cannot always surround himself with people. He needs some time alone to be left with his thoughts. We all need a time of reflection. I call this lovely solitude a moment of clarity. Having a clear mind, even for just a moment is important in my life. I feel it helps me to maintain balance and order. If I never take a moment of reflection I would be doing terrible in school, and my relationships would suffer. I take time out to myself because the world can wait .I take this moment to be selfish and do what I need for myself. Dreams can be anything you want them to be. You can have joy and pain in your dream.  It can show you unconsciously what life’s priories are.

Learning is constant

Identity can be formed in an infinite number of ways. The main way it is formed is through popular culture and family relations. Family usually has the most honest opinion and impact on the choices that we make. They can determine your career, which you marry, or even to how many children you have. The power of opinion can change our lives. I believe those who are closest to you have the most effect on our identity. This is especially true for my family when they disapprove of my choices. I really take their opinions into consideration because my family knows me better than I know myself. I think this relates to having an open-mind.  I dislike those who criticize me or pass judgment on me, although they are unaware of my circumstances. They have no insight into my life; therefore they cannot disapprove of my choices, or formulate an accurate opinion.  Being open-minded allows you to learn and grow. It makes you reexamine life’s choices, and rigorously analyze your decisions. With this in mid we must also to some degree take into consideration what strangers and acquaintances say. A great example would be the comments customers make to you. My coworker who is very rude in general, has been told by customers that she is rude and unprofessional. Sometimes strangers can give an honest opinion on our flaws. It effects how they view you because if you are constantly ignoring their advice or statements, they could see you as irresponsible. When people give advice they expect you to at least follow it to some degree. Your choices affect those around you. Being a rebel is not necessarily a positive thing. We all have to conform to societies standards. Not only is it natural, but necessary. Selfishness can only isolate a person.

            Opinions of others effect how I judge myself in a number of ways. The most important way it affects me is that it makes me realize the brutal truth.  If I am rude, or handling a situation the wrong way, especially with a customer, they tell me so. It makes me more conscious of what I say and do. It makes me more critical of the decisions I make. When making a decision you have to take into consideration how it is going to make affect your image. Reputation is essential for functioning in the world. Ignoring those who just want to help can be detrimental to your identity and reputation. Entirely ignoring other peoples opinion means there is a possible defect in your decision making processing.  Negative opinions make me self-conscious. When people are constantly putting their opinions on me or judging me it makes me think, am doing something incorrectly? It makes me feel like there is something out of the norm with the actions that I take. With this in mind, you have to form a filter in which people’s opinions go through before you make a drastic change.  It is critical to analyze outside information. Sometimes it is inaccurate and other times, just plain negative.

Criticism can be constructive, to a certain extent. You really have to know how to apply and analyze criticism. Some people just see it as negativity. Most people don't like being told what to do, or that they are wrong. They prefer not to be the “loser” in the fight. I believe that makes a person weak. In order to process criticism in a constructive way, you have to have a positive sense of self. To know that you are capable and competent can allow you to process criticism in a positive manner. People who are not confident usually take criticism in the wrong way. We can function better in society if we are able to take criticism. This mostly occurs in the professional environment.  It can make you be a more effective worker. It can open you up to a new way of thinking.

            On the other hand, depending on what kind of criticism, and who is doing the criticizing can be detrimental to your attitude. There are two kinds of criticism. The first kind is negative, and it’s belittling. The second is positive criticism and it only seeks to improve. The person will give a positive and negative statement.  A person’s personality can have an effect on the type of criticism they dish out. We all know that there people that pick apart your work just because it makes them feel better. The negative criticism is the most detrimental to our attitudes. If someone is constantly putting us down, and not giving the least amount of praise, it can cause us to lose confidence. Negative criticism can make us lose confidence in how we live our lives.  We begin to constantly ask ourselves, Are we really making a good decision? It can give you a more negative view on life and transform yourself into a pessimistic person. This is especially true if it is someone close to us. Our family is the biggest influence on our character and attitude. Their negativity radiates to those around them.