Sunday, February 1, 2009

This is Who You Are

Genre: Rock Opera
Artist: Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Album: Beethoven's Last Night

In this song, Beethoven comes to the realization that every event in his life, good or bad, has contributed to who he is now. "It's the strangers in your life that you never thought you'd meet, it's the hand the picked you up when you're laying in the street, it's the hand that cut you down, it's the dream that someone shared, when you thought that all was lost it's the friend that wasn't there--you can run from all the memories but never get that far, for in the end they'll find you for this is who you are!" He learns that by changing just one aspect of his life would affect all the rest. If you change one note, you change the entire score.

I have had my share of good and bad experiences. I have had friends who have both picked me up and cut me down. I have shared dreams with some people and I have also had moments where I felt abandoned with nobody willing to support me. I have made wonderful choices that have been life-altering and full of blessings, but I have also made choices that have caused me deep sorrow and regret, even today. But I've learned that the most important thing is what I do with these experiences.

If I make a bad choice, I can either wallow in it or else I can learn from it and move on. Everybody except the Savior has failed to some degree. Those who we consider to be great men are the ones who didn't stay down. They got back up and fought for success. All the success I have had thus far in my life is because I wouldn't stay down. I keep moving forward. As my life goes on, I will likely encounter several more failures. I need to learn from them and then move on, never looking back to dwell on past mistakes. I am who I am today because of my past and what I have done with it. My future is still a clean slate and I am excited to make it what I want it to be by taking the best with me from my past and leaving the rest behind.