I mean, love is awesome.

We all want to find that person who brings out the best in us. You know what I’m talking about. That person who makes you hum with a steady charge of electricity when lock eyes across the room. That person who makes you wonder how the world ever felt right before they were around. That person whose presence can transform even the worst of days into something blissful and magical.

As amazing as love is, if you want love bad enough, sometimes you end up looking for it in the wrong places.

For example: Love does not come from pursuing relationships. Relationships (at least the good ones) come from pursuing what you love.

It’s easy easy to spend so much mental and emotional energy and time on the idea of being in love that we forget to actually experience it. I’ve seen many friends desperate for love. They are constantly on the prowl for a potential mate. They, like many of us, do not like to be alone. They’ll let anybody into their lives because, well, you never know. They might be “the one.”

Normally, relationships that begin this way feel empty, and are based mostly on filling a void with temporary bouts of passion rather than true feelings of love.  These relationships often end with a lot of anxiety and pain… or worse, feeling like a prisoner in your own relationship with no way out. This is what happens when you try to find love in a person instead of finding love in yourself by doing the things truly make you happy.

If you don’t want to feel trapped in your relationships, do what you love. If you find someone to love while pursuing the things you love, you’ll never wake up in the middle of the night in a fit of anxiety wondering how you ended up where you are.

Learning to be comfortable and happy while you’re alone and pursuing your passions is far more important (and far more rewarding) than desperately trying to find your perfect match in a dark box full of upside-down puzzle pieces.

Love yourself. Love your work. And true love will follow.

*SQUAWK!* *SQUAWK!* *SQUAWK!*

It was 4:00 in freakin’ the morning, and my brain was undergoing an epic battle between my body’s desire to remain in a deep sleep and a primal urge to reach a state of semi-awakeness that comes as the result of very loud, very repetitive noises being blasted into my ears.

I groggily pulled myself out of bed. Waking up in single digits just isn’t my thing.

I forced myself to get my bearings as I found the source of the noise. It was coming from outside. I stumbled to the window and slammed it shut as I muttered a curse, and fell back into my bed and drifted back to sleep… almost.

Right as I was entering back into a deep slumber, my brain clicked on. Everything felt wrong. The sound wasn’t gone. Something was off.

My eyes bolted open.

I could still hear the squawking… then it dawned on me. “It’s a fire alarm… and I’m pretty sure they don’t test those at 4:00 in the morning…”

Suddenly I was ok with the idea of being awake. I threw on a pair of shorts and ran out into the hallway in time to see a thick wall of smoke creeping toward my apartment.

Shit.

There was a fire. In my building. At 4:00 in the freakin’ morning… and I almost slept through it.

I ran back into my bedroom, grabbed my cell phone, my wallet, and my keys, then ran out the door.

Half way down the first flight of stairs, I realized that I might witness my own house go up into flames. Did I want to save anything besides what I had just thrown into my pockets?

I ran back up the stairs, past the closing wall of smoke and frantic neighbors, back into my apartment, and grabbed my MacBook. (What this says about me, I do not want to know.)

Fire engines cried in the distance as my fellow 3rd floorians and I wondered silently if the smoke we witnessed during our evacuation would pose any serious threat to our lives, memories, and possessions.

One guy looked at me with my laptop in hand and swore under his breath. “I should have grabbed mine too,” he said.

After 20 minutes of watching firemen enter and leave the building, we were admitted safely back into our apartments. Everything was ok, and more importantly, everyone was safe.

All of this happened on Sunday, just 4 days ago… and it’s helped me learn some very important lessons.

What Do I Consider Valuable?
While standing there in the parking lot surrounded by the neighbors I saw some people with their children held close. Others had pets in their arms, or photo albums.

Me? I clung to a laptop.

Imminent threat of losing everything puts things into perspective.

Suddenly the closet full of clothes I rarely wear, but can’t seem to give away seems irrelevant. My TV, my books, my bed, my music posters? All (mostly) replaceable. The words, music, photos, and designs on my laptop? Not so replaceable. (Maybe it’s time to invest in some online backup.)

What would you regret leaving behind?

Take Practice Seriously
My whole life since elementary school, I’ve been trained on what to do if there’s a fire.

We used to have family meetings to discuss our fire drill strategy.

We had school assemblies and practice drills multiple times every year.

I was even an Eagle Scout, where I learned everything you can learn about fire safety… I think I even earned the Pyromaniac merit badge.

Because of all of this conditioning and practice, I had actually trained myself not to take a fire alarm seriously. In the past, a fire alarm had either been a planned drill, someone had pulled the fire alarm, or maybe the batteries in the smoke detectors needed to be replaced. This time, it was real… and I almost slept through it.

Life is full of opportunities to prepare yourself for bigger things to come. Don’t screw yourself over by not taking the small lessons seriously, or the big ones will eat you alive while you sleep in ignorance.

Life Goes On
I think the most refreshing part of this experience was how not-worried I was.

I stood in that parking lot and contemplated losing everything, and really, the thought wasn’t that terrible.

Sometimes hitting the reset button on life isn’t a bad thing. Starting over has its perks. There is a light side and a dark side to every situation. Look at your challenges as an opportunity for growth, or a road block to failure. It’s your choice.

I recommend you choose the former over the latter.

I’ve heard it all:

Ron Paul isn’t a great speaker.

Ron Paul is too old to be President.

Ron Paul doesn’t look like a President.

Ron Paul’s ideas are too idealistic. (Personally, I love how idealism is somehow supposed to be viewed as negative.)

Ron Paul won’t be able to work with a polarized congress.

Ron Paul is a crazy person.

There’s really not much you can tell me about the guy that I haven’t heard before.

But here’s what people don’t understand: I don’t support Ron Paul because of his oratory skills, his age, his religion, his sense of humor, or even his amazing eyebrows.  I vote for Ron Paul because of what he represents.

Ron Paul knows he’s not going to win the Republican nomination (especially after tonight’s crushing defeat in Florida). I know that ideally (there’s that ‘ideal’ word again) he’s in it to win it… but even if he doesn’t win, the opportunity to stand and educate the nation on the message of liberty, and following the constitution makes it worthwhile for him to stay in the race as long as possible.

While other candidates are busy perfecting their hair and their sound-bytes, or making excuses for their infidelity or their inconsistent voting records – while they’re  making false promises through fake smiles about bringing troops home and building colonies on the moon, Ron Paul stands alone in his oversized suit and educates our country in 30 second increments about how we got into the mess we’re in, the drastic measures we must take to fix things, and the perils that lay before us if we don’t.

My loyalty does not lie with Ron Paul. My loyalty lies with the principles that the Constitution was created to protect — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In a day where the government grows in size and controls more of my life, it’s imperative that we return to those principles.

Were Ron Paul’s stance to change from where they are today, so would my allegiance.

It’s important to remember as citizens, and as voters, that our votes do not support the guy (or girl) with the best hair, or the best speech, or the most money. Our votes support the ideas and ideals that these people uphold.

I pledge allegiance to the principles found within the Constitution… the document that required compromise, teamwork, courage, and sacrifice to complete. (Ironically, these are the very virtues so many of our public servants lack today.)

I do not pledge allegiance to a man. Because a people that pledged allegiance to a man  is exactly the type of country that the men who founded this amazing nation were escaping from.

What would happen if these same men ran the government the same way they ran their businesses?

Would we have trillions of dollars of debt? Or, would the budget be balanced?

Would we be investing our time, energy, and money in a bad investment (an endless war) that is weakening and dividing our nation, and draining our bank account, or would we cut our losses, and bring our troops home?

Would we be making enemies with our vendors (other countries) by setting up camp to monitor them in their respective offices without their permission?

Would the executive team be trying to find a compromise to tough problems, or simply trying to stop the progress of those with differing viewpoints?

At this point, after what they’ve done in office, would these men be employed? I know if I gave them a performance review, they wouldn’t.

A huge problem with how the country is being run is that nobody feels a sense of responsibility or accountability. We’re electing leaders to enter into the most powerful and sacred positions in our country, and then allowing them to do whatever they want with a limitless budget, no rules, and no goals.

Then, we, as the board of directors, are not doing anything about it when these people fail us.

We have the Constitution laid plainly before us as a guidepost. It has withstood the test of time, and yet few of us are willing to read it, let alone hold those making decisions for our country accountable to it.

The mess we are in is as much our fault as it is the fault of Congress or the President. Yes, they are standing in the way of progress, and making very poor, corrupt decisions. But, we’ve done nothing to stop it.

These leaders are accountable to us! They report to us!

I think sometimes they forget who gave them their office, and who pays their paycheck.

They think we’re not watching. And too often, they are right. If you ask me, it’s time for some performance reviews. It’s time to empty out some offices. It’s time to set some real goals. Measurable goals. Goals we can use to hold these people accountable.  Then, we need to hold these people responsible for reaching those goals.

Many people are wound up about the presidential election right now. Yeah, it’s a big deal… but let’s be honest with ourselves… until we can de-polarize our congress, and fill it with people that will play nice together; until we can find tolerance and acceptance for people with different viewpoints and beliefs than our own, we are going in one direction… and that direction is bankruptcy, collapse, and extinction.

The irony is that so many people are oblivious to it… most of all, the ones who can control it.

I’ve been puppy shopping, and I WANT ALL THE PUPPIES!

I’m amazed at how busy I’ve become in these first few weeks of the year. Finding balance in life is impossible, isn’t it? Every time I focus on improving something, I feel like it’s at the expense of something else. Getting out of a rut like that is just not an easy thing to do.

Maybe adding another responsibility, like a puppy, will help me do less. *eye roll*

On a more positive note, at least I’m pushing myself to grow and develop. 2012 is quickly turning into a good year. A year of new. A year of change. A year of opportunity. A year of smart decisions, and big things.

Well, it was never really here in the first place. So I guess the title of this post should read, “2012 Has Arrived, And So Have I… Again.”

It seems like I commit to this blog in spurts. I’ll write consistently for months on end only to abandon my dear blog (and my dear readers) for months on end (a year in this particular case).

I blame Tumblr for my absence.

I’ve found that although Tumbling can be a delight – even an addiction – it has also slain my desire to write with a great slaughter.

I miss writing.

I miss it like I miss a good night’s sleep on a business trip. (Yes. I go on business trips now.)

Here are some other goals I made for myself for the year of 2012. One goal not on the list that is of note is that I will probably own a dog this year… I realized my desire for one during lunch today when I visited a pet store with puppies. Adorable, lonely, playful puppies. Puppies with sad eyes.

I want one.

To help her along her way, Chad Waite and I have pledged $50 a piece ($100 total) to the charity of HER choice if she wins the video contest.

You can vote for her on Facebook by first liking the Miss America page here, then her video here.

You can also vote for her by liking the Youtube version of her video.

Don’t be heartless, do something for a fellow human. Ready, GO!

I keep thinking, I’m going to do something incredible with my life. My problem is that I haven’t decided what that something is. I haven’t set a time. I don’t have an objective. I talk the talk, but I don’t walk the walk.

I mean, I’m writing a book. It’s an ambitious endeavor… and I like writing. But my writing isn’t earth shattering or life changing.

It’s time for me to take what I know, and what I can do and make a difference instead of Tweeting about it. Any world changing suggestions? I’m all ears…

On a side note, I also have a tumblr blog. I gave up on Posterous.

I’m have no doubt that you’ve all be desperately awaiting my tidbits of post college wisdom. I feel bad to have held out for so long. Now you know what the girls I date feel like.

For those of you still in college (and I’m hoping that some of you are, so that this post is not completely devoid of value) here is my sage wisdom… some of which can be found in my Senior Spotlight in the UVU Review.

• Don’t sit in the same chair every day. We are creatures of habit. We do what’s comfortable to us. Instead of sitting in the same chair every day, take the chance to move around as the semester rolls along. I met some of my best college friends this way. Plus, if you creep someone out sitting next to them one day, or a new hottie adds the class late,  it won’t look suspicious if you move seats…
• High five your professors. Professors like ambitious students who are nice to them… at least the professors who are worth knowing. When you are friends with your professors, doors of opportunity will open for you during school, and after graduation. I’ve only been graduated for a month, and I’ve already seen the perks of having professors as friends. I mean, they let me pass my classes, didn’t they?
• Don’t take classes early in the morning. Taking early morning classes is just a foolish thing to do. It’s likely that you’ll fail your early classes because you won’t want to wake up in the mornings. Sure, at the beginning of the semester you’re excited to get up early and rush off to campus, but trust me, thing change. Friends are made. Parties are attended. Sometimes you get lost in Walmart or Ikea while playing hide and seek. Crazy stuff happens. And trust me, after a night of hiding behind a Hemnes for 3 hours, 8:00 tends to lose its appeal.
• Never buy text books... especially for upper division classes. (Science and Math are the exceptions.) You won’t read them anyway. Spend the money on something cool, like gum.
• Work for free. Find someone in your field, preferably someone with influence, and help them. Bend over backwards to do free stuff for them… as long as that stuff doesn’t involve a goat, a dwarf and a jar of peanut butter.  When you graduate, their referral will go a long way.
• Build your own personal brand. I’m not talking about your own “musk,” I’m talking about making sure that people can find you if they look for you.  Make sure you write things worth reading.. Make yourself findable on the Googles. Trust me, it pays off to have a Twitter account that links to a blog that has a contact page that connects with your email address… just in case someone wants to offer you a job that way… which has happened more than once.
• Be different. Lots of people want to be the same as everyone else in college. They all want to get A’s. They want to suck up to professors. They want to graduate with jobs… and most of the time they fake it the whole way, expecting it to pay off. Just be you. Be nice. Be thoughtful. Work hard. Smile a lot. Then, things will work out.

I can’t tell you how good it feels to be done with school. I currently have my dream job. I have my fair share of autonomy, I’m allowed to master the things I’m passionate about, and I have purpose as a huge contributor.  I plan to make an impact here, just as I left an impact at UVU.