I probably shouldn’t admit this but I love competition shows like American Idol and America’s Best Dance Crew where people get a shot at fulfilling their dreams. I sometimes always get emotional when the winning contestant(s) finally get their glory because I get really inspired. And I know that they deserve it. I know it’s something that everyone deserves. I know it’s something that I deserve.

For some reason I get really frustrated when I see people who are so talented just settle for less. Like they’re sitting on a winning ticket but are too chicken to cash it in (enter Good Will Hunting reference). And when people criticize others’ success…it irks me to my very core. I mean, I thought it was a given that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all…but some people just don’t know how to filter their words. I obviously have some sort of underlying beef with whatever it is that I’m starting to ramble about so I’m just gonna leave it at that as my little venting sesh for the evening.

I kind of hate the idea that we live to work and work to live (but such is life), especially when the work part isn’t something that you believe in so I’ve been revisiting my list of to-dos…the BIG list, not the grocery and errands kind, and came across this three-step plan to reaching my goals:

STEP ONE: SET YOUR GOALS

• You can’t succeed until you’ve decided where you want to develop your success.

STEP TWO: PLAN AHEAD

• It’s rare that you’ll reach those goals unless you devise some sort of plan on how to get there.

STEP THREE: NEVER GIVE UP

• Use every failure and every naysayer as motivation because in the end when you finally reach your goals, success will be that much sweeter.

Sometimes when naysayers get to me, I take a time-out, pen many words on numerous sheets of paper and send it off through the postal service. I did that again recently and what I received in return was a sentence that made me feel whole again after wondering why I was feeling like some people weren’t really “getting” me: “I love you, you’re a wonderfully amazing and talented person who has the right to grow impatient when it seems like the waiting room reeks of old people and there aren’t any good magazines to read.” That’s really deep. And I’m not being sarcastic. First of all, Ashley, you’re a damn good writer. And secondly, thank you for knowing exactly what to say.

So to you, my dear Internet, I hope that you are happy. And if you are not, remember that without disappointment, you can’t appreciate victory. And that life is too short to not be doing the things you love.