Ever since I was a little kid whenever I would cry, complain, whine, or anyting of that nature about something I wanted (usually a toy or something else expensive) my mother would occasionally reply to me, "It's good to want, it builds character." This infuriated me to no end as I'm sure you can imagine, especially around Christmas, or during the summer months when school was out for the season and I wanted new things. I never fully understood what she meant until years later, but it still made little sense for me to want something that I simply couldn't have in my wildest dreams; thinking that I could somehow "build character," instead of driving myself completely nuts and forcing me to question my sanity in the process!

Now that I've grown a bit older, I think I can safely say I now know exactly what she meant. Material objects are not the point, nor the moral of the story, it's about the lengths a person will go to accomplish what they need, and hopefully receive what they want or deserve in the process. Life is a long road, longer still for others, but I believe we have all felt this way at one point or another. Certain wishes, ideas, goals, or things have served as our guiding light during times of hardship, turmoil, uncertainty, loneliness and confusion, and no matter what that thing was keeping us held together at the seams, we kept on and finally found what we for so long wanted in our lives.

People take very different paths through life and sometimes they cross, for the better or for worse, but it's these times that make clear our purpose on the planet. The spontaneity and unpredictable ways the world grants our deepest wishes shows us what it means to be alive, and how wanting something as insignificant as a job, a girlfriend, a car, a new place to live, or any number of things builds us as human beings, because in reality there are no free handouts, and the way in which we earn our place colors our character to the core.

So, what are some of the things you want? How are you going to make sure you get those things? Most importantly, how in the world will it change your life (no matter how small), and effectively your character as a human being? You don't have to answer these questions, but I'm feeling particularly gloom today, and I just wanted to share some of my thoughts with you all.