2,000 and climbing!

 

 

When I woke up this morning, I did what I do everyday. I got up, walked over to my computer, and went straight to the Positive Life page. This day however was different than all of the rest. Today I looked and saw that we as a family reached over 2,000 people! When I started Positive Life 4 months ago, I never expected to reach as many people as I did, but it was always a goal of mine to reach the world. The world has always made me nervous and it took me 20 years to realize that I wanted to step up and do whatever it took to make people see that it needs changed. I believe that we all have something to offer this world and I want to help you reach your goals and motivate you to keep pushing. I want anyone who feels lost, to feel found, and I want everyone to feel like they can bring all of their problems here and feel safe and loved. This world wasn't meant to be about a select few, it was meant to be about US. We are a team and I am blessed to have all of you on mine and I hope that our team continues to grow. So thanks to all of you that made me believe that I am not the only person that wants change, and thank you to everyone that showed me anything is possible. I love you all from the bottom of my heart, and be ready for what I have planned for Positive Life!

 

-Austin

I wish.

 

 

I wish I had all of the answers to life. I wish that I could understand what it took to make someone see the beauty of life behind all of the daily burdens. I wish that I could take your burdens and make them disappear so that your life could be one amazing day after another. When I look into the eyes of a person that hurts, I wish so badly that I could take that hurt and turn it into the most pleasant of memories. Behind all of that hurt lies an endless cycle that this world will never part ways with no matter how hard we try to fight it. I've never seen perfection, but I have seen so many amazing moments. Moments that I wish could be a constant visual in my life because every now and again I know we all have nightmares. Some dreams will make you want to stay asleep forever because you know when you wake up you will have to face another day of endless sorrow. Life has a funny way of always reminding us that anything can happen at any given moment and it's the moments that we aren't expecting that define us the most. Some days will go by just as the last and some will change the way you look at all of those days,and make you want something more. When I look at life I see a vast majority of opinions that we are all entitled to have, but some of those opinions when they are voiced can make or break a spirit that could make this world a better home. I can never take your burdens away, but I will help you carry them. When you go to bed at night you can rest assure that there is someone out there that loves you. In the end all we have is hope. Hope that this world will someday realize we all meet the same fate and that no one person is above or below. Opportunity may be in your favor, but that just gives you more reason to share in your success. We should want to see more people want to be themselves instead of trying to fight to be just like someone else. I hope that this life gives you something to remember yourself by and that each day isn't meant for misery, but for moments that make you appreciate what a gift you have been given. If you ever need a hand, there will always be one for you here. This life was never meant to be about me, but WE.  

 

 



Cora Peters Legacy Lives On!

Torri: Cora Peters. This name has made a lasting and positive impression on not only our small town community but hope fully on this world. Cora brought so much life and happiness to the people who have surrounded her with love and positivity. She has changed people’s lives who didn’t even know her on a personal level, if you ask me that’s pretty incredible. Cora Peters has left a legacy behind her and I will forever be grateful to have known her. She will forever be in my heart and on my mind. 5 of Coras best friends have willingly wrote a little bit about Cora and they were so happy to do this when I asked them! I look up to these girls for their strength and courage that Cora has planted in them. I hope you all take these words and run with it, spread the word of Cora Peters and tell people that she won her battle with cancer like a boss. We are and will always be Coras Crew.

 

 

  Lacey . Never in a million years did I think I would have to watch one of my best friends slowly slip away from me. Not too many 18 year old girls would be able to keep a smile on their face as they watched their hair fall out and slowly began to realize they would be losing their life, EXCEPT for Cora. There were so many times we forgot she was even sick because she was the strongest girl in the world. She never let us know how much pain she was in. She still wanted to go out to eat, window chalk cars, go out with boys, dance, or anything else highs school girls do. When we were with Cora, she was determined to do everything we did, no matter how much it hurt. I can’t help but smile a little as I write about her because smiling is a “Cora-like” thing to do! She always smiled no matter what cancer threw her way. Her smile was contagious, in fact, it still is. When I look at a picture of her or think of something we did together, I get a little sad, but then smile because I know she wouldn’t want me to do anything BUT smile. Her story, courage, and beauty, inside and out, will keep people smiling for a LONG time.

 

 Shannon . There are not enough words to describe Cora. Cora was such an inspiration to anyone who she met. She had everything going for her except for her health. She never let that stop her though. She continue to live as normal of a life as she possibly could. We would always go and get turtle pie or ice cream and talk about nothing for hours. Her voice was so soothing and gentle (except for in the morning that's a different story!) She gave other cancer patients hope too by showing them to enjoy everything in life and to make the best of every moment. Cora will be with all of us forever, and will always be close to my heart.

 

Sam . I think about Cora a lot. I think about all the good times we had together, I think about the closeness of us girls, and I think about the laughs we shared. It is a bittersweet feeling knowing I can’t make more memories with her, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because I know Cora is still with us, just not in the way I expected. Being friends with her came easy, it was almost as if she was never sick. I have been friends with Cora since around Jr. High and she is quite the girl. She’s stubborn, energetic, very optimistic, has a huge heart, and so much more. I can remember so many of the things we did together. Things a typical teenage girl does. We went shopping, watched so many movies, went to football games, got ice cream, and talked about boys. Even though we did a lot of ordinary things together, let me just say, there was never a dull moment with her. For as sick as she was, she always managed to make sure we had a good time. That is one of the things about Cora I will never forget. She was certain to make sure her sickness didn’t get in the way of anything. She was a fighter, that’s for sure. She kept going through it all. It’s difficult to write something about Cora, mainly because I can’t even come close to saying what I want to about our friendship. But I will say, being in Cora’s presence and being able to know her was a blessing. I was very humbled to be around someone like her. She never complained, and she never burdened anyone with her cancer. She changed lives; I know she changed mine. She went out of her way for others, including myself. I will always miss Cora Peters, but I am somewhat content because I still see signs of her every day, and I know it’s her saying hello. I love that girl and she will always be my best friend. #CoraLove

 

Janelle. Thinking of my senior year of high school, I never thought I would have to attend the funeral of my best friend. As much as I miss her, I know that she is still with me every day. Cora changed so many people’s lives in such a short amount of time. She showed us how to see the light in everything. Throughout her journey of her battle I never once heard her complain about having cancer. She knew that God had a plan for her and she wasn't going to question it. Her strength still astounds me. Cora had more faith in her 18 years here than anyone I have ever meet. I can only hope to one day have as much faith and love for God as she did. Even though she isn’t on Earth anymore, that doesn’t mean her faith still doesn’t shine. After her visitation, her faith shined through so much that three people got baptized that night. I never really understood the saying “gone but not forgotten” until this year. Our community and Bureau Valley High School has done so much to make sure that her spirit lives on. I can still see her in the sparkling snow that seems to not stop falling, I see her in the pink and purple sunsets. I see her in my friends everyday at school and I know that she will never be far from my heart and mind.

 

Kalie. Every time I would be with Cora she'd have a smile on her face. No matter what kind of day she had or what she went through, she was always smiling, like a boss. It made me and many others look up to her. For her strength, positivity, and happiness. I think Cora lives on through many people, her family, friends, and anyone she's made an influence on.

LOVE by: Michael Crew

Dear everyone who reads this,

                My name is Michael Crew, and today I’m going to touch on a subject many people have a giant misunderstanding of.

LOVE

This word can be used in two ways; as a noun that means an intense feeling of affection or the verb usage which means feel a deep romantic or sexual attatchement to something or someone. I hope some people do not have sexual attachments to objects, but hey, live your life. ZING!!

Now on to my take on love… I was kind of a troubled child, and teen. I moved around a lot going from school to school, changing friends and homes. I grew up in a divorced household, with a younger sister. I love everyone in my family dearly, however, I went through a phase where I thought nobody loved me back. Man, was I dumb to think that. Your family is your rock, whether there be arguments or not. Each and every member of your family loves you. Now, they might disagree with what you are doing, who you are seeing, your habits, taste in music, heck, anything can be disagreed upon. With that comes acceptance. A lot of people disagreed with how I dressed, the music I listened to, and the things I did. From grade school, and honestly the media, I learned a lot of swear words. I got in trouble for using them at school, outside of school, everywhere. I’d get grounded and say “THIS ISN’T FAIR! I HATE YOU!” Did I mean it? No. I was just upset. Then it got to where I was hitting puberty, and finding my own sense of style and things I enjoyed. The heavy metal culture spoke to me in ways I can’t describe. Wait, here’s one way. I LOVED AND STILL LOVE IT! Now it’s typically a dark and evil genre and culture, so people assumed that I was some “emo kid” or “freakshow” at points. The clothes are different, I still wear most the same stuff, to be honest. Then after hearing what I thought was people just making fun of me or “hating on me” I found music as an outlet. I started with the punk/heavy metal genres. Still am currently involved in some projects as well. Then my parents would find songs, or poems or verses I would write and think I’m some suicidal depressed kid going through puberty. BOOM! Then high school hits, and it is like the cultural smelting pot of cliques, races, sexes, and most of all opinions. Due to being good at sports, and being on the teams, I had a decent amount of friends, some of them are still very dear to me to this day.  I also had my fair share of “High school sweethearts”. Then high school turned into a gateway drug kind of, I found out what cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol, and even what girls were all about. I started partying, having sex, smoking, all these horrid things. Got the label as a player, which really took a toll on my usage of the word “love” and it’s meaning in my mind and heart.  Then I got in trouble for cigarettes, and my parents, to say the least, were not pleased in the least. So I got grounded. Here I am thinking “Nobody loves me” “Why can’t I just be me” so I’d walk around with a bad attitude. The first guy who said something wrong I was looking to fight. Which, by the way, is absolutely stupid… Stick up for yourself, but don’t cause harm because you’ve had a bad day. So then that trouble came along. Once again, grounded. Then I got in trouble with the law for alcohol two times my senior year of high school. My college football dreams were gone. I felt like the biggest failure to my friends and family. I worked hard jobs and saved my money out of high school, joined a metal band that rose to successful heights, and had more friends than ever. I was still feeling as though I was missing that one thing. Love. I would sit some nights crying my eyes out, thinking that nobody would ever love me. No girl, no family members, nobody. Then I made my change.

I started to see how negative everyone was towards each other. Obviously opinions are going to vary, but don’t go putting someone down because you don’t like their hair or iTunes library. This was something that really troubled me. So I started thinking about what I could do, to make sure everyone around me felt loved. Granted, I have had my fair share of ups and downs, financially, socially, with my family, and relationships. I have probably done and said some things I haven’t meant. Don’t just “YOLO” through life with those regrets on your shoulders, because as they came crashing down on me, they will for you as well. Mine smacked me in the face one day. Then I was like “Why did I say or do that?” was it emotions? Was it my bad attitude? Who knows… I wanted to spread love, but still had a void there. Then I realized “DUH, YOU DUMMY!” No matter how negative you feel, your family will always love you, this I promise. So I wanted to make it clear, that I gave my love away like candy at a parade to the family members surrounding me. Boom, knocked one section of the love out of the park. Now the whole “I need a girlfriend, or boyfriend” No you don’t. I feel as though in order to channel your love to someone else, you need to love yourself. Drop the crappy negative attitude, and think about all the positive things surrounding your life. Your full stomach, your nice warm bed, your favorite shoes, and most of all your loving family. I went through a long soul searching phase where I really found who I was, and although some people disagree, or have different opinions. I don’t spread negativity, it is a waste of my energy. I want to spread love. TO EVERYONE. Not in a sexual manner, but in a spiritual manner. We need to understand that we are loved for who we are, by someone, somewhere. If you think you won’t meet the girl of your dreams. Just settle down, Rome wasn’t built in a day, things take time. You need to evaluate what you think might be ideal for you to find in a romantic partner. You can grab at strings, look up and down, ask everyone out on a date. There are many ways to find a romantic partner. However to find a love, is something else, as building Rome did, this takes time. You might be head over heels in the first week, but that other person might be far more sheltered and insecure than you ever could imagine. It’s not that they don’t ‘like’ or ‘love’ you. It’s just that they are unsure of what is happening in their hearts and well as you are weary about yours being broken. Take your time, and you will find that person who is your sunshine and the love of your life someday. They are out there, think about all the people in the world. THERE HAS TO BE SOMEONE TO LOVE YOU! If not, I love you, not only because you deserve it, but why not spread anything but love and positivity throughout the world. It’s became quite the negative place. One by one, day by day, we can restore it into a romance filled, hugs and kisses kind of place. I’m kind of rambling on about this now. All in all, what I’m trying to say is; Someone out there loves you, whether you think so or not. I know your family does. Don’t you? I came to peace with feeling alone, because I realized everyone around me has a love. I found mine, it’s my family first, then myself. Sounds conceited, I know. But love yourself, and love the person next to you, tell them to do the same. Spread it like wild fire, and nobody will stop your heart from growing. If the Grinch can do it, why can’t we. After all we aren’t some green tree stealing monsters, we’re human. Love each other, for love’s sake. So do me a favor if you sat through this, call your family, your girlfriend, your best bud, and tell them that you love them to the moon and back. Once you find it, love is the most powerful force of all. Spread it.

Importances of life

I've always wondered what makes someone feel important and why they live their lives the way they do. The thing I find humorous though is that most will say something like "I'm not that important" or "I haven't really done anything to feel important yet". After I hear so many people say this, I think "WOW, that is really sad" because I can see how important they are but they can't. Then I realized, maybe no one makes them feel important or reminds them that they are. I think now we are becoming such a "hi, bye" generation, that we don't stop to take the time to make each other feel important. I know we all don't have the same hobbies or passions but I know how it feels to feel like none of what you love to do matters. We focus all of our time and energy into working hard for a career, a perfect body, and a perfect life that we literally forget how to make other people just smile and feel loved. You might think I'm crazy and maybe I am, but how often do you reach out to someone that sits alone during the day or say hello to someone you know that has a hard time making friends? Importance doesn't mean that you have to have the most friends, a lot of money, or be the star athlete, importance is how you help make someone else feel and what you give back to the world. You will forever be important if you make the effort in life to change the negatives that the world has created.

-Austin

Freddie Williams (DC Comics) talks "Motivation"

 

Hey everyone! This week I reached out to my friend Freddie Williams II (DC Comics artist), to get a little insight from him about how he accomplished his goal of becoming a comic artist. My goal in life has always been to also be a comic book artist so I am very grateful that he was able to get back to me. Due to his very busy schedule and deadline requirements, he wasn't able to send me a written blog, but he did do something pretty awesome! Below is a video Freddie sent me where he talks about motivation and always having a goal. Freddie is one of my idols in the business and one of the nicest guys I have ever met. I hope you guys enjoy the video and make sure to check out some of Freddie's work! Also here is a quote he left me with in the message I received. "persistence and focus on a goal is what will break you through obstacles!" 

WAKE UP!

 

 When you go through darkness, you have a choice at that exact moment of how you will decide to live the rest of your life. You can either keep letting yourself fall into the darkness or you can climb out and shine brighter than you ever have before. Life is beautiful but it also will never slow down for you no matter how hard you try to make it. The sun will rise and it will fall, and it is up to you to figure out how you will live each day. You can live in envy, always focusing on the negatives and hating life for what it hasn't given you, or you can live in hope and focus on the positives, and fight for what life is waiting to give you. Sometimes you will feel like you have to live in a way that doesn't describe you and it is at that exact moment where your real story can either begin, or never start. If you choose to stay the way the world wants you to, then your book will close and life will pass by, each day becoming less fulfilling than the next. If you choose to become the person that describes you then the pencil will start write and each day will become a page that will always be worth reading. No one story will ever be the same and that is the beauty of life. There is no name-brand on life, one set career, or one look that describes how life should ever be. There can only be one word that describes life and that is undefined. No person in this world has all of the answers or the correct way to live, just a belief of how it should be. When you see life drowning someone, will you put your hand in the water and pull them out, or will you sit in silence and watch them sink? If you give someone your hand, you are giving them hope that they are not in this life alone. Success is not the clothes you wear, the house you go home to, or the money you have. Success is helping others succeed, loving everyone you meet, and effecting lives in a way that will make life seem worth living. So when you wake up, life will be waiting , and it will be ready to take you wherever you want to go. 

 

-Austin

1,000 Amazing People!

 

I don't think words could explain how much my life has changed since this blog has begun. I made this blog and the Facebook page in hopes of reaching just a few people and never in a million years did I think I would reach over 1,000 people in just over a week. I've had my up's and my down's just like everyone in this world and it took my darkest days to make realize that I needed to do something with my life. You all have shown me that there is hope and a group of people want to see this world become something better. If I can make one less bully, one less hateful message, and one more positive person, then my dream has come true. We all have the power to do something great and you may have to swim through a see of hate to accomplish it but I promise if you have the drive, you WILL get there. I look forward to seeing the growth of "Positive Life" and how all of you change this world. Please keep writing to me, sending me pictures, and telling me how "Positive Life" has changed you. I love you all to the moon and back!

 

 

-Austin

Don't Be Affraid To Be "YOU"

 

This is a picture of myself back in 2012. This is a photo from a photo-shoot that me and my band were doing while I was in high school. High school for me was an up and down sort of ride. I really loved my class but I felt like I had all these interest's that I couldn't really relate to other people with. I was SUPER into metal bands and that was my dream to play in a band. I would always sit in my homeroom class and read magazines with all these bands I wish I could play with. I always felt a little weird though because growing up in a small town in Illinois, not a lot of people were really into that kind of stuff. I played sports, was in high school band, and I just never felt fulfilled or like I was doing what I should be. When I was in school people were always excited about football games basketball games, or dances, and I was more excited to go home grab my guitar and just do something that didn't involve coaches, or any type of stress. Guitar became my escape because that's when I felt like I was doing something for me without all the pressures of the real world. Of course, I wore skinny jeans to school, grew my hair out, and tried to fit the part of a metal band kid and thankfully no one really judged me for it. My class was always a pretty close family and although no one understood the whole metal scene, they all stood by and didn't judge me for it which was really refreshing. I even had a really awesome history teacher who was into metal music that would give me CD's to go home and jam to and that to me was pretty sweet. At that point, I became me. I wasn't stressed, I wasn't angry, I was happy because I was being who I wanted to be without worrying about what everyone else thought. Then I finally joined the band of my dreams and everyday after school I was so ready to just go jam and hangout with a group of people that wanted to chase the same dream I wanted to. We had amazing support from our friends and some would even come to our shows. My biggest supporter though was my dear old mom. She was always the one taking me to go get skinny jeans, guitars, and drive to all my shows even though she didn't care for my music too much. Although she didn't understand, she still let me be me and I think that freedom made me feel even more happy about who I was and made me want to stay on a good path in life.





 



 

Here is a picture my mom took from one of my shows. Best part is, I was opening for some of the bands I would read about in homeroom class. I have to say this was one of the best nights of my life because I felt like being myself and focusing got me here. So my advice is to support people for who they are.  Support someone else's dream and encourage them to be themselves because your encouragement might be what they need to keep on dreaming!

 

-Austin

Weekly Update #1

What are "Best Friends" for?

 

 

In your life you will come across a lot of people, but only one of them you can claim as your best friend. For me, this is my best bud, Uly. Me and Uly first met on a shyful first day of Kindergarten. I being the nervous guy I didn't know what to do and Uly challenged me to a game of tick tac toe and the rest was history. I am now in my 20's and Uly and I are still closer than ever and you want to know why? Uly and I never really caved into all the peer pressures of life. We never drank, we never did drugs, and we were always there for each other. Usually we go for pizza, see a flick, or talk about life... and those are some of the best times in my life. There was a time though when I caved myself. I started drinking a little just because I missed all of my other friends and I wanted to see what all the hype was and what all the parties were like. I went to a few and it was like my worst nightmare. I never really cared that people drank and a lot of my friends did. I never passed judgment and I never will because everyone chooses there own life and that's nothing for me to decide. For me though I felt really bummed out because I never enjoyed drinking and I was sad to watch all my friends move on. That's where Uly came in though. He always respected my safe lifestyle and we never really did things we had to worry about. My biggest fear was not being in control of my own body and worrying about all the consequences of drinking and doing drugs. I wanted to just have a good time without all the worries and have people who I felt understood me and believe me there are people out there who are like you, you just have to be willing to look. I'll never say drinking is bad, but it will never be for me. So if you are in high school and you feel like you have to pick a side between drinking and not, just know it is your choice. I'm not here to parent you or tell you what to do but if you do decide to give it a try, be responsible for me and everyone around you because you never know what could happen. Friends will come and go but your best bud will always be there to accept you for who you are.

 

Be safe and love your friends,

-Austin  

 



 

B-U-L-L...Y?



 

 

You and I all know that bullying is happening everywhere. You and I also know we have the power to stand up and say something or do something about it. Bullying is not just physical abuse, it is also a huge source of emotional abuse. Any school you walk into you will always see that kid sitting alone at the lunch table, the kids snickering at someone walking by, and sometimes even kids been physically or emotionally harassed. So my question is, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to walk by and stare, are you going to address the situation, or are you going to be the voice of a generation and make it a trend to end bullying. When you are in school you already have enough things to be stressed about. Fitting in, making the team, getting good grades, and trying to figure out who you want to be in life. To me I think it would be way easier if we all could get along, but every time I say that there will always be some that will say that is impossible. Maybe it is impossible, but life needs less impossible situations and more positive ones. The next time you see someone sitting by themselves, go sit with them and talk with them. The next time you see someone crying, walk over and see what you can do. Will bullying ever end, maybe not... but you could be that one less person that bullies. My challenge to you is to make more friends and get to know the people you are surrounded by. Make someone smile, invite them over for dinner, help them with homework, and tell them they matter to you. You'll be surprised by how awesome saying something nice and hugging someone feels. I know everyone of you has the power to do this so go out there and make your school more positive! 

 

-Austin 

 

"A Love Never Lost" by Lauren Denault

Tonight my blog was not written by me, it was written by my beautiful friend Lauren. Me and Lauren go all the way back to Kindergarten and she has been my best friend ever since I knew what those were. This picture is us at my senior prom and I have got to say we were the best looking couple of the bunch. I wanted to get Lauren's story out there because it's one that I couldn't personally relate to but it's one that maybe some of you have gone through. The soul purpose of my blog is to reach out to people and give them stories that they can relate to and give them hope or a sense of relief. I hope some of you get something out of this! So here is Lauren's story!

"The last thing that ever crosses any typical teenagers mind is having your family slowly decrease in size. The last thing that anyone ever wants to happen is letting the people that mean most to you, slip right out of your life. Death is a weird and confusing concept. It’s hard to understand when you’ve never experienced it. It’s hard to see the purpose of it when everyone you’ve come into contact with is living. When you have someone who is your better half, your partner in crime, you role model, and everything you aspire to be, you expect that person to be there your entire life, because where else can they go?

I am the youngest of three siblings, two of which have a 7-10 year age gap from me, the other, 15 months. Already you can speculate that one would obviously have a closer bond with the sibling who is closer in age. My sister, Courtney, and I did absolutely everything together. We weren’t the typical sisters, we didn’t fight or try and strangle each other, we actually enjoyed being around one another. We chose to hangout together, we chose to include each other when we were with our other friends. Wherever one went, the other was sure to follow. We never thought of each other as tag-alongs or the annoying sibling. We were best friends by choice, not just because we were related.

Courtney struggled to fit in since she began school at the young age of 4. She was put in all of the regular classes, with the normal students but it always took her a little bit longer to comprehend what was going on in. She tried as hard as she could to be like her peers, especially when the hormones started to kick in. She wanted so badly to feel like she belonged, but the other kids wanted no part of that. pre-teens can be the most vicious people, they found every little weakness Courtney had and magnified it. They never let her forget that they didn’t think she was one of them. Her ears were a little too big… “dumbo” she was tall and skinny… “anorexic.” These kids found every thing they could to make sure her life in school wasn’t a pleasant one. However, the amazing thing about Courtney is that she smiled at those kids every single day. She constantly treated them with respect and always gave them the time of day. She didn’t belittle them the way they did her. She was above them, but they didn’t want to magnify that.

After years and years of bullying, it broke through her tough exterior. She began to believe the lies they told her every single day. She began to feel as though she really wasn’t worth anything. The only outlet she found that was relieving to her was cutting. No amount of drugs or rehab, though, could help this girl. At the young age of 16, Courtney finally decided that she had had enough, she couldn’t handle the pain and depression any longer. She committed suicide on April 22, 2009 when I was only a freshman in high school. Finding any good in her death was not a quest I was willing to take. However, after about 5 months of hating myself and everyone else for doing this to her, I found that the best way for me to ever be okay with it, was to help those who were struggling with it. All of the people who teased her finally opened their eyes and saw what all of those years of pointless taunting had done to her. Finally saw what effect those mean words can have on someone. It’s so awful that it took the death of a beautiful soul for people to see all of the hurt and suffering they had caused. The world is an ugly place. People pay no mind to the meaning of their words; they’re just worried about will benefit them...usually by the expense of another. She allowed herself to be the butt of everyone’s jokes because she didn’t want them to feel the same pain as her. In honor of her effortless caring to everyone she met, I befriended the people who never gave her the time of day. I sat there with those ugly individuals while they cried their eyes out because of how much they missed her. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance, courtney believed that too. She knew exactly what she was doing when she decided to leave us. She knew that it would have to take her death in order to change the views of everyone in our small town. She changed a lot of people’s lives both when she was alive and after her death. I promise her every day that I will continue her positivity towards everyone. I will give everyone a chance, even if they don’t deserve it, because life is too short to be cruel to someone. You never know if those mean, ugly words you said to someone will be the last thing they hear from you...and then you’re going to have to live with that. When someone dies, you lose every chance you had to make things right with him/her. Do you really want to live with yourself, knowing that you did everything in your power to make sure that an individual was unhappy, or knowing that you did everything in your power to help turn someone’s life around for the better. For me, I’d rather put a smile on someone’s face than make them cry themselves to sleep that night. Even though I lost the best person I have ever met, she has given me so much strength and the desire to be a better person. Life is too short to be mean, it’s way easier to love people. One of the biggest things I have learned, through all of this is that there is always a reason for why things happen. We may not see it right away or even want to, but years later, events serve a purpose. Courtney’s death has served a lot of purposes, a lot of which I am still uncovering, but her life also had a purpose. Everyone’s life has a purpose, but it’s up to you whether you choose to see it or not."

Welcome to "Positive Life"!

What "LOVE" takes

Relationship Tips

1.) Trust: without trust your relationship will always fail. You have to be able to trust the person your with and always give them reasons to trust you.

2.) Honesty: trust and honesty go hand in hand. If you are honest to the person you love then you are doing an amazing job. Being honest solves a lot of silly problems and makes everything way easier.

3.) Communication: If you are in a good relationship then you should have no problem talking to the person you love, and notice how I said talking. The best thing you can do is talk face to face and avoid texts that can be misleading. Communication is key and you should always be able to tell the person you love how you feel (even if it's not what you want to hear) and they should be understanding to your feelings.

4.) Respect: you should always respect the person you love and have their best interests at heart. Respect their bodies, their values, and their beliefs. If you can do that you will always be on good terms.

5.) Listen: Sometimes all your loved one will need is a set of ears to listen to them. I don't care what you are doing, if you see them sad, upset, or frustrated, ask what is wrong and tell them you want to listen.

Relationships are never perfect but you can have a strong one if you do all you can for that person and never lose sight of why you fell for them.

-Austin

"Relationships" LOVE BIG

 



If there is one thing I am a fan of, it is my stunning relationship with my gorgeous girlfriend Lindsey. If you asked me 2 years ago about relationships though, I would have told you they were for the birds because they are IMPOSSIPLE! This was my high school mind though. When you are in school, you may fall head over heals for someone and become so committed to that person that you would give an arm and a leg to make that person the happiest on the world, which is a good trait to have. You love the way they laugh, the way they make you feel, the way they act around you, but for many there will come the break-up phase. When this happens it feels like your whole world comes crashing in and you feel like you will NEVER find someone even close to as good. Even worse, you can't avoid this person because you have to see them in school, at functions, in class, and even watch them move on. When this happened to me I went through the miserable phase and I really got depressed. Everything seemed less interesting, I didn't want to go to school, and I just didn't know what to do. I kept asking myself "when will I ever find someone for me." Well I can promise you all something, you WILL find that someone but it will happen when you least expect it. For me, I found Linds in the funniest way possible. I was at church and I had to use the restroom, so I got up and headed for the bathroom. As I was walking out, I swung the door opened and smoked her with the door and when I went to ask if she was okay I saw a face that I had never seen before. She laughed and said she was fine and I went back and sat in my seat. The whole service I kept looking for her and thinking about her and when church ended I couldn't find her. Luckily though I asked around and found out who she was and found out she was from Colorado and when I heard that I said "great... that will never work." After that I kept moping for a few days and I finally decided to try and find her. I went on Facebook and searched and searched, and I finally found her! Immediately I wrote her a message and soon after she replied and after a funny awkward conversation I got her phone number and the rest was history. For a couple days I kept asking myself "am I nuts for wanting to date someone that lives so far away?" I knew it would be hard and I knew it would be a lot of work but I was ready. Then came our first "Skype Date." She was super quiet and I was very talkative and she completely won me over within seconds. After that we texted all day everyday and skyped for 2 to 3 hours a day for nearly six months until I finally got an opportunity to go to Colorado and visit. I arrived in Colorado and as soon as I saw her smile I knew all the waiting was worth it. It was at that point in time I knew I had found my someone. We spent another six months of skyping and texting and traveling back and fourth but after all that waiting she is finally here with me today. I ask myself everyday how I got so lucky but I know the answer now. We both loved each other, trusted each other, and worked hard everyday for something we believed in which is what relationships are all about. Do we have a perfect relationship, not at all, but we have one that I know will last because we work hard everyday. So my advice to all of you is to never give up and always have hope. You will find someone for you if you love big and always keep an open mind. Just never waste days moping when you could be searching for happiness, but just remember not every situation will be easy. Sometimes you will be put in a situation where you will have to wait, but I promise you the wait is worth it! I love all of you and I hope this gives some of you out there hope and for others, makes you smile.

 

Love BIG and love always,

-Austin 

Thank you!

I owe you guys the world! I put my page Austin Burrows "Positive Life" on Facebook and in under an hour, I received over 100 "Likes"! You guys really motivated me in the greatest of ways and I can not even explain how thankful I am for all of you! I am looking forward to my journey with all of you and tonight has just made everything so real for me!

Thank you all so much!
-Austin

Get to know to me!

Hello friends, my name is Austin Burrows. I am 20 years old, I have the most breath taking girlfriend, I love to draw, I drive an orange car, and I love to change people's lives... or at least make them smile:D The reason I wanted to create this blog was to spread positivity to the world. The world as you know can be a beautiful place, and a very ugly one. For me I have seen and lived both sides of the world. Through my hardships though I have always learned something from it. That something was POSITIVITY. I have just recently gone through a very scary part of my life. I have started facing anxiety issues and have become consumed with the fear of death. Everyday I wake up I think there is something wrong with me. Every ache, pain, sneeze you name it and I freak out about it. Going through all of this though made me realize that I was wasting my life being stressed. Stressed about jobs, money, my health, and my relationships. It was at my lowest point that I realized "I want to change my life and help others." So now I am here for all of you. I want to help make you smile, motivate you, talk with you, and always be here for you. So I thank you for checking this out and I will be posting my first video soon! I love you all and remember to stay positive, and live every second to its fullest.

- Austin