The inspiration to write this post hit me last night as I was driving home from work.  This, I Believe is one of my favorite spots on NPR and I decided I wanted to make my own contribution to the project.  Whether or not I actually submit it to them remains to be seen.

I believe in the power of self-determination.  I believe that the course of my life has always been largely in my control.  Where I am and what I have achieved is not the product of fate or luck or any series of random events.  Good, bad or indifferent my status in life is a direct result of the choices I have made and the effort (or lack thereof) that I have put into getting here.

I believe that each and every one of us has the power to change our lives if we truly desire to do so.  Many people have told me that my weight loss is an inspiration to them, or remarked that they could not do what I have done.  I believe this is a fallacy.  I believe that if you truly want to do something and devote yourself to doing so the actual task in and of itself is simple.  I believe that excuses are convenient.  I believe that it is far too easy for us to justify why we cannot do something or point fingers at some kind of irrelevant factor as a stumbling block.  I believe that change is a matter of choice, and that  “Do or do not, there is no try” is much more than a geeky reference to Star Wars that nerds make. 

I believe that ignorance is a sin and that stupidity is a choice.  I believe that there are very few people in the world who are mentally incapable of broadening their horizons if they desire to do so.  I believe that the English language is a beautiful thing that should be cherished and appreciated for what it is, and I believe that the flagrant disregard for spelling and grammar that is running rampant on the internet these days is a sad thing. 

I believe that jealousy is pointless.  What others have achieved in their lives has no bearing whatsoever on what happens in yours.  At the end of the day the fact that you think someone has it easier than you doesn’t put food on your table and you are wasting valuable time and energy getting yourself worked up over it. 

I believe it is difficult to write on a laptop that has a key that keeps falling off.  I believe the fact that I just got a mouth full of coffee grounds in the last sip of coffee may make me sick.

I believe in the power of family and friends.   I believe that if you are loving and generous you will be surrounded by people who give the same to you.  I believe that true friendship does not require validation – it just is.  If the ties that bind you to another person are so tenuous that they cannot survive long periods where there is no contact the bond was never truly solid to begin with.

I believe in the power of love, but I also believe that it is more important to love yourself than to be loved by another.  I also believe that if you have not mastered the former the latter will never be true.  I believe in raw, dirty sex and I believe in gentle lovemaking.   I believe that fantasies are a good thing, but I also believe that far too many people forget that fantasies rarely come true and that there are no fairy tale endings.

I believe that religion is often a crutch for people who refuse to take responsibility for their lives.  I believe that if there is one sentient being that created all of existence it is ludicrous for us to think that he or she would rely on something so fallible as man to speak directly to us if they needed to do so.  I believe that Jesus was a kind and loving man who did his best to make the world a better place and I hope that wherever he is now he is not aware of the evil that has been done in his name.  I believe that in all my years studying religion the two words that stick with me the most are “Harm None,” but I also believe that most of the “witches” I met when I was a teenager were simply trying to be cool or get laid.

I believe that all of us, at one point or other in our lives, have done silly shit in order to be cool or get laid.

I believe that it’s very likely by this point most people have stopped reading this entry, and that more than a few people who have me on their friends list are bitching to themselves about the fact that this wall of text isn’t behind a friends cut.  

I believe that’s lame.

I believe that it’s time for me to wrap up this post and do some exercise. 

I believe in this power of self-determination.

I believe in Me.

This, I believe.