Look beyond the horizon.

I am what I am because to be less would be too little.

While it is true that we are what we were, we are the result of the influences of previous experiences, it is also probably true that life is not predetermined. If it were, we would never have to take responsibility as our actions are not decided by us and thus we could do anything at all. I we could choose to do anything, that is. But as just mentioned, probably we can change our lives, influence our well-being. Be our own lucksmiths, so to speak.

A large part of our success can be contributed to our mindset, our outlook on life. Feeling confident makes you look confident, act confident, stride through difficult situations without too much hassle. In the words of the Gibb brothers, "Well now,  I get low and I get high, and if I can't get either, I really try. Got the wings of heaven on my shoes, I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose.". Feeling unstoppable pretty much makes you unstoppable. Until you meet an immovable object.

What we do, what we accomplish by our actions, matters. Our thoughts form the Universe, after all. To do them well, we need the aforementioned mindset, and naturally motivation. A great motivation is aiming for something really far and really, really difficult to get. None of that Isaiah Berlin's "I determine myself not to desire what is unattainable." stuff. You never know what is unattainable until you try time and time again and fail to see anybody accomplish your aim. And that can take a lifetime. Sometimes more.

What remains to be a problem is that people listen to other people, and other people can be real jerks. Everyone's a critic and everybody lies. Your ambitions can be ridiculed, your logic questioned, it can cause your mindset to falter. Some people are innately very persuasive even without using logical argumentation or derivation, some people impact using cold, brutal, honest logic. Either way, it is your beliefs that are at risk. And losing one's faith can be a mighty dangerous thing.[1] Especially if it happens to take place when one is emotionally compromised due to other, perhaps even unrelated events already.

What you see is what you get, unless you start thinking. By thinking, you empower yourself, you get an edge over many others, you take a leap in the direction of your destination. This destination depends on your aspirations, motivations, determination, will and strength of mind. Alas, the destination remains unknown until the moment it is reached. No worries, the trip is generally the best part of it. What we do when we reach the destination... I guess we'll see about that when the time comes.

"There comes a time when you look into the mirror, and you realize that what you see is all you will ever be … and you accept it, you kill yourself, or you stop looking into mirrors."