Our inevitable fate lays in the hands of one person. It is a scary thought to think the entire existence of someone is held in the grasp of an individual who is not too tall, but not too short. Not too big, but not too small. They have eyes which hold a vision. A mind which holds an abundance of knowledge. And a heart. A heart which systematically pumps every vein of your body and is the main source human life requires. And that single heart holds solid gold.

It is invisible to the naked eye but holds so many treasures to anyone it touches. This individual is not standing to your left or right. They are not hovering up above. They can only be seen by a reflection. YOU. You hold the truths to life itself. You direct the paths which you may take. You bounce through every obstacle which matches the challenges you face. You are your own savior.

As we go through our daily lives, there is always this doubt and this time period where we lose ourselves. Not actually ‘lost’, but rather spiritually, mentally, or even physically. We decide to “let ourselves go” and the outcome of that is losing control because we allow someone else to take the reins of our own masterpiece.

It is as if we spent however many years designing, structuring, assembling, and constructing this magnificent building. Then one day we get lazy and hand it over to someone with a completely different vision and they destroy your plans. What do you do? Do you tear down the entire building or just remove their impact?

There is just one brick out of place and it ruins our entire attitude. That is where we lose faith in humanity and in ourselves. We feel as if we have failed ourselves and that we can never rebuild because it will take too long, or we have no time.

There is always enough time when you make the time.

A building which is not complete cannot hold its purpose. You can't use a single brick to finish it, you can't leave gaps in the walls. It cannot be a shelter, it cannot care for another life. No one can live in a home under construction with no framework or no roof. So how do you expect to be able to live to your full potential without ever completing your masterpiece?

Now I am no carpenter, honestly, if you hand me a hammer there may be some risk with your decision. I cannot build a house from scratch single-handedly. I do need help. So does everyone else. Not to say that you have to ignore your masterpiece to help someone else, but you have to learn to build with those you surround yourself with.

Even when we deny it and say you will be okay alone, we are just fooling ourselves until our structure collapses on us and we lose faith in our ability to ever amount to anything. We need support. It sucks but it’s true and the sad part is, most people don’t realize until they are stuck underneath the rubble.

To put it in a different view… you build a house of cards and, being the perfectionist, you are, you see one microscopic mistake. One card is turned in the wrong direction. The structure is stable, but it doesn’t look like we want it to. Is it time to scrap the entire project and start over? Should you give up and leave it be while knowing it is not what you want?

Some people will read this and know exactly what to do, I am not one of those people. I have no idea what to do to fix this part of my structure because I cannot let go. I like taking on new opportunities and accepting new challenges. I like saying yes to anyone in need of help, and in return I am helping construct their masterpiece and leaving mine in the back, knowing that one card needs to be fixed. That is when I learn to ask for help.

You make your own choices and determine your own fate. The attitude of those you surround yourself with can completely rearrange a situation. For example, I tend to have bad anxiety and when my nerves get too clustered, I shake. Yes, like a chihuahua. It isn’t something I can control and when it happens I go into a panic mode where I feel like I have no control over my own body.

Dylan, my boyfriend, can always tell when it is about to happen and no matter what is happening at that moment, whether we were in an argument or just sitting and talking, even when he feels lost and drained himself, he will immediately flip his attitude to help me before himself. He will talk to me and calm me down or even silently just hold my hand and whisper “it is going to be okay, I am here for you."

That one act nearly instantaneously calms my nerves. It is because at that moment you see the treasure in someone’s heart of gold. You see the sparkle in their eyes with a vision of the future and the small smirk in their smile which says everything you need to hear and immediately transcribes to your mind saying “I will get through this” because you have the support you need. It is when you see who they are.

It sounds so simple, but it is rarer than you think. Everyone doesn’t have their “person” who will correct them when they are wrong or be there when they feel lost. If you don’t have that person, think again, because like I said earlier, you are your savior.

When you feel yourself doubting instinct, realize why it is happening. Realize that things happen for a reason and not to give up. As soon as you give up, your masterpiece will begin to rot and decay and the day you need shelter, it will be destroyed.

I challenge you to stop procrastinating. Stop giving your life over to fate or into other hands. Yes, fate is inevitable, but nothing happens just because you want it to happen. You have to work, you have to have a vision of success which you will jump through obstacles to succeed. You have to thank those on your journey and realize that they were put by your side with a purpose to help you, not destroy you.

When you come to the end of your journey, it should be a masterpiece you want to show off to the world. A structure you are proud to call yours and you take pride in keeping it clean and organized. It is a life-long journey, but it starts at this moment, right here, right now. Grab a brick and hold your own fate in your own hands. Start building.