I Did My Time

My beloved readers,

it is my distinct pleasure to present this particular post to you, as my time, a mind-blowing and life-changing year at the University of Wisconsin is slowly coming to an end. In these last days I could retrospect so many and multiple times about what I’ve done, experienced, and accomplished here, which was—after all—nothing but a highly earned award and reward for the many hours of sleep I had to give up in order to optimize my work ethics, the passion and everlasting perseverance that manifested itself in the hard work I would bring forth every single day to eventually wrap everything up and finish strong. A, no, the story of my life, from the day when here I were, the story of closing circles and coming to realize that, in fact, finishing does last forever, for I have done one thing: I did my time.

As I opened the first post this year with the adventure laying ahead, I can now look back to an adventure laying in the past, where now I reached the peak of what I had so long dreamed of and worked for. And there is no better depiction of success than the dichotomy of before and after, where it becomes crystal clear what you have put in and what was the outcome. In that sense, I must say, everything I achieved here was, however, merely the result of two attributes I brought to the table, two concepts that ultimately made all of it happen: a dream and the belief to make it come true.

Whenever asked about “how,” I can lean and turn toward a little piece of paper, more a note I once received that stated: “Everything is possible, if you believe.” Was there ever more to it? No! Not at all, it was always just a little dream that never faded in all the past years; and it was the belief that it would come true some day. It was a little dream that I pursued relentlessly; and it was the belief that I could and would stay on it in order to make it happen. It was a dream that taught me patience, discipline, passion, and perseverance; and eventually it was the belief that, at some point, the wait would be over, and the time had come, the time for this little dream to become reality. If you have the belief to move mountains, what dream is then too big for you to dream? What dream is too tall of an order when nothing in the world has the ability and power to bring you down and quake and shake what you have on your mind, and in your heart? What mountain is too high to climb when you have the belief to not just climb but fly up to its peak and be on top of the world?

Nothing, and by ‘nothing’ I mean ‘nothing.’ If you have your dreams in your scope all the time, if you have your hand on the game all the time, and if your heart bears the belief that you’re ready for this challenge all of time, no matter how hard it is or may be or what lies ahead, up, or beneath, then all rocky paths and obstacles become pale and plain with you hovering over the ground toward what you have dreamed with no one to ever hold you back. Got a belief to move mountains? Then it is now your duty and moral obligation to dream big, to take it out into the world and to the sky, to make a difference, to make things happen, to be self-made and shine brighter than the sun, within your heart and from your heart to the outside for everyone else to see it.

“When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life” (Greg Anderson). This is completion, this is a dream that becomes reality, this is the proof that you can do anything you put your mind to; and eventually this is when textually, generally, and figuratively speaking Korn meets Jesus, when it is finished and I did my time—for then you did everything right and can look forward to abundance and prosperity that transcends beyond.

I did my time, for I have dreamed and believed; and with the sincerest gratitude and utmost contentment and pleasure I bear in my heart I want to encourage you to do likewise. I did my time, now it's time to do yours!