God can judge me if he wants,

And so can anyone else

The only verdict I value

Is my judgement of self

The reactions that I draw

From my actions and my flaws

Aren't even captions to my self portrait

And could never capture the story it tells

Pride is great, but failure's something you need, too

Just as shortcomings are see-through

Higher goals are all that succeeding should lead to

And when I screw up, I do what I need to

To nut up and punish myself

To shut up and push myself

To be the best I can on my own

But no-one does it alone

So I am still just as willing

To offer as I am to accept help

Blame is both useless and wasteful

A helping hand is worth more than a pointed finger

Stay learning from the book of culture

And continue to turn its pages

Be an eagle amongst vultures

Don’t hold grudges - return favors

Live every day to the fullest

And every hour like its your finest

When it rains on your parade

Think of the rainbow behind it

Dance in the rain when the sun is hiding

And keep an eye on the horizon

Without ignoring the moment

And when its someone else’s neck

Upon which the golden medal’s shining

Use it as proof of room to improve

And be reminded that there’s always a silver lining

And that the best kind of revenge

Is homicide via kindness

You wear the crown on your life’s throne

And control its defenses

Look your reflection in the eye

And hear it call you ‘your highness’

So rule with truth and with pride in

The roller coaster you ride in

And design as you go

As you accelerate and you slow

As the pace like everything changes

No matter how well it seemed to be known

Don’t put all your eggs in the love basket

But make as much as you can

And maybe someday with luck you will find it

The kind that can't be truly defined

And let me tell you, its blinding

The way it floods in your mind with a

Dopamine kind of a bliss

That I won’t bother failing describing

So let me get back to my message

It may not actually be one,

But treat this life like a blessing

And it’ll keep you from stressing

So much you miss all the best things

Because life’s purpose and point

Is beyond anyone’s guessing

So you might as well come up with your own

And do the best you can for the mirror’s image

To make a lasting impression

Because that’s the only person

That you should bother impressing

And make the most of your senses

That aren’t included in the five

That only give us perception

Of a fifth of the world we see through the lens of our eyes

And scents and tastes and sensations and sounds

That disguise the place that surrounds us

It’s the intangible, almost animal instincts

That can’t be defined or measured

But can be counted on when doubt is strong

That lead to real introspection

And understanding beyond just learning a lesson

Look out for more than numero uno

And who knows where you’ll go

It’s always harder to help than to hurt

But it always proves itself in its worth

Just look into appreciative eyes if

You want to know what the meaning of life is

And do not ever say

That you do not have regrets

Because if that’s actually true

You haven’t lived as of yet

Life when lived at its best

Is at its limit and edge

That can be easily crossed

Which is the point of making friends

To find your way when you’re lost

No-one has ever lived

Who didn’t make a mistake

Or a poor decision

Because from them we gain

The majority of our wisdom

And at the very least you'll know

What not to do the next time

In my eyes perfect is the worst of the words

That are often referred to as curses

Because the way the definition is worded

Creates a burden and encourages a person to

Be determined and search for

Something unbroken to fix

Perfection is something for which

You should not waste a wish

Because memories cease to exist

If every day was the best time

It is the purpose of pain

To give a meaning to pleasure

And the point of adversity is to serve

As a scale

By which character can be measured

The most effective method of earning respect is to

Do more than you’re expected to

Always make the best of and remember

All the smiles and laughs of the present and past times

To dry your eyes and provide

Either a crutch or disguise

For the slight slump in your stride

That comes from the bad times

And please try to believe

That all of the sad times

Are simply the result

Of the good ones that came before

Like a rainbow before a storm

Without the ugly and the dark

Beauty would’ve never been born.

Hardship is what makes happiness

Worth fighting for