No, I have not read the Ayn Rand books. My only knowledge comes from watching the third movie in the series, Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt? which I enjoyed… (The first two would not captivate my interest). My teenage son tells me this third movie was very different from the first two. And perhaps I didn’t actually receive the message because I only paid attention to part of the story or maybe I didn’t even understand the part I did see.* I don’t know, however, three books, three movies and a full-blown movement later I just want to leave these words with you, the final speech of John Galt, because these words are, in my opinion, worth remembering and trying to keep ahold of, especially in these days we find ourselves living in, here, in America…
In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice your sense of life to an enemy that would claim your precious mind… Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserve but have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.
– John Galt
I believe in helping others and sharing with others and being kind to others, it has its own reward. It is, of course, important that we also remember to do things for ourselves. Oftentimes, as women at least, we give everything away before thinking of our own needs, sacrificing them for the sake of others. This leads to exhaustion, depression and illness… it is not good. We must not lose ourselves while we are doing for others. We all deserve to have our dreams come true… each and every single one of us. Don’t feel you have to be a certain way because you are obedient to societal and peer pressures. Be true to yourself and happiness will find you, reward will find you. That is, I think, perhaps the secret to success.
Ya’ll know I am on a mission to rediscover myself, rebuild and re-sculpt, becoming the person I want to be, living a life worthy of the word. I might take some wrong turns through this journey, but I’m sure I’ll make a lot of correct turns too… and that is why you’re following my journey, right? To see where I end up… you’re the looky-loos beside the rail line of my life watching to see if I turn into a train wreck or stay on the rails? LOL. It’s okay, it means I’m not alone, whatever happens, so thank you!
But please, don’t just follow me, join me: Be the author of your own Choose Your Own Adventure book. Seek out your best self and find the elusive life you dream of having because “the world you desire can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, and it [can be] yours!”
I mean, if we are clay in the potter’s hands then we can be re-fashioned, re-worked and re-fired. We see this in children all the time. Why must we believe that as adults we cannot adapt and become someone new? Think of the little girl who had a hemispherectomy2… she literally, not figuratively but literally has half a brain and lives a full and complete life! Why can’t we with much less complications than that be able to recreate ourselves and learn to live? The answer is: WE CAN!
2Cameron Mott video via the Today Show is the 4th video down on my blog post entitled I Love Blogging!
*I was multi-tasking, working on the computer as I watched the movie so it would not surprise me if I missed key messages or points. But this is my valuable takeaway nonetheless!
☀ Memee
Memee's Musings 
I hope this encourages you.
Accidentally, I came across your comment on how after 3 months you only have 60 followers. I’ve been blogging for over 8 years and don’t have as many followers as you have. I’m going to follow you if that’s ok with you. Not because I’m looking for a train-wreck, but because like you, I’m an encourager who loves to help people, and give more than, “Cool writing dude!” reply to a post.
I’d like to make some suggestions if you don’t mind.
1. You’re a good writer. Keep writing. As much as some people disagree with the following statement, most of us write for ourselves and not for anyone else.
2. Keep it short. I don’t think you needed to say anything about how and why you quoted John in the above post. It took away from what you really wanted to say. It would have been enough if you’d just quoted it, let us know where it came from, and then said what you liked to say about it. Today, people don’t like to read a long article. Just like you, they multitask and want to get from one task to another.
3. It works for me to have someone read my blog before I post it for the public. For example, you said, “Ya’ll know I am on a mission to rediscover myself…” I don’t. I have no idea who you are. Maybe if someone else had read this for you, he/she could have let you know that not everyone knows what you’ve gone through, so give a bit of background.
Finally, some questions about your post. If I’m in the potter’s hands (someone else’s hands), isn’t up to him how to reshape and remold us? Here, I’m confused! Am I recreating myself, or the potter is?
I hope this is what you’re looking for in a follower.
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Hey, thanks! I really do feel encouraged by all of your sentiment and ideas. I really, really appreciate your honest feedback and the time it took for you to give me your support. Thank you!
Shorter, will definitely be a hard one for me, because I cannot even write a short email. I just joined twitter so maybe with a little practice there I’ll learn how to say things more quickly.
Although I am writing for myself, I am also writing to my regular followers rather than just whoever pops in for the first time. I guess I write assuming those individuals are following along because I am following along my own story… 🙂 Makes sense, LOL. It’s kinda like how you said I didn’t need to explain why I chose the John Galt comment… I guess I feel like I don’t need to rehash my journey in every post (it’s on my about page clear enough)… but obviously, I can go in and put a link there! So that’s what I’ll do 🙂 Thanks for the input!
As for your Potter’s Hands question. I think it is a matter of viewpoint. In college I took pottery and I loved working on the wheel. So I was the potter. Why can’t I be the potter and the pot? I always see God and myself as the potter. Thanks for asking me to clarify that for you… engagement.
I had felt disenheartened because I’ve never seen as few “followers” as I have on any blog I’ve visited over the years. I will follow you in return, I’m sure there are things I can learn from you! Your dedication and commitment to yourself and your blog is beautiful 🙂
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I think you have to understand that this whole idea of engagement and involvement is very foreign to many people, especially the young ones. Today, on Facebook, someone had posted that his mother died. 3 people “like” it. What does that even mean, they liked that their friend is morning the death of his mother? How lazy, unconsidered and unattached can people get? I guess it takes a lot of effort to say, “I’m sorry!” Unfortunately this is the world we live in. It’s our job to change it. By the way, we should be at least grateful that some people out of courtesy have decided to follow us in the hope that we’ll follow them. Hey, I’m happy to get them anyway they come 😉 By the way, one way to get people to look at your posts is to make the titles as tantalizing as possible. Gotto go cook.
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Thank you! I hope tonight Karen says she loves your dinner 🙂
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