This short film and song by Thirty Seconds to Mars is one of my favorite songs. When I watch this video, I'm hearing a story told by artists, actors, and normal everyday people. It's a life in a city full of hopes and dreams.
I'm one of those people. Although I am not there now, my dream is to be there.
"The city of lost angels, the city of lost souls."
That quote from this film really hit me. That quote "those who wander are not lost" really is true. You hear their stories and they're all the same. They wandered there, hoping to make something of themselves.
Maybe this video is about L.A., but it hits me more than just a city. When you're young, and you're full of dreams bigger than you, it's a scary feeling. Can I do it? Will I be successful or will I fail?
I'm a Latina hoping to make it big as a writer. I'm a girl from El Paso, Texas. I'm a girl from the barrios, from a city that has nothing but crime going for it. But my dreams are so big, I want to more than what people see me as.
I watch this video and I see that these people are no different than me. They went there looking for something.
"A boulevard of hopes and dreams; streets made of desire."
That's what we see L.A. as, right? A place where dreams come true. Hollywood. That's where everyone wants to be.
But dreams, they are so much more than ideas in our heads. Dreams make us different than just a body. We are driven by dreams. We thrive off the idea of being more than what we are. This is one life. This is my life. Why can't I be what I want?
Life is full of ups and downs. We have to hit rock bottom before we climb up to the top. Right now, I'm not rock bottom, but I'm not where I want to be. No one is where they want to be. But do I think I can make it? Yes.
Can you make it? Yes.
This video has helped me through some tough times. There was a point where I wanted to stop wrestling. I wanted to stop writing because no one would read my works. And I watched this video and it really got to me.
These people were where I am. They struggled and they fought, but they never gave up. If I had given up, I wouldn't have been a Texas State champ and 2x College All-American. If I had given up, I would have never created and published all of those beautiful stories.
I'm not done with myself. I want to keep growing and inspire so many people through my works. I want to change the world. I want to live. Am I scared? Oh god, I'm scared shitless. I don't know if I'm even going to make it. But if I don't try, how would I know? I don't want to wake up one day and say "what if". Those words... Those words, to me, are scarier than failing.
If you're scared, it's okay. Being scared is a good thing. If we settled for comfortable, we would never grow as a person.
Don't give up. Don't lose that fire.
One life. One love. Live.