neither hot nor cold......yet.

...but lukewarm.  BLECCCCHHHH... I know it's not a word, but the sound implied says it all.  How can people willfully choose to associate themselves with individuals that are DRIVEN... and continue to stay only lukewarm and idle.  They call themselves "a part of something" but they are noncontributory in their presence.  It seems to me that would get really old really fast.  This type of person just doesn't fit the old stereotype "birds of a feather".  They choose to stay around the motivated, driven, passionate people and not become one.  "...Why?... If you are not going to change your ways and get excited about....anything, really, then WHY do you stay?"  Ever thought that about anyone?
    Here is my theory.  No one, I repeat, NO ONE enjoys being lukewarm, idle or stagnant.  We all have potential for greatness.  Those people that you have been thinking of while you read the preceding paragraph? You better show those people some love, because when their switch gets turned on they are going to outperform you like you would not believe.  While you have been so concerned with their general lack of care and contribution, they have been watching and taking note of all the things NOT to do.  They will succeed where you have failed.  They will surpass you in the areas that you only thought that you excelled in.  They will be in high gear, and you will be left right where you are, wondering what got a hold of them.  I only came to this conclusion earlier this evening.  I found myself wondering how and why people can choose to sit in neutral while surrounded by people constantly on the move.  The kicker was that while stuck in contemplative frustration... I myself was in neutral.  Why would these people finally choose to move if I continue to analyze the "whys" of their persistent neutrality and show them no encouragement to get on with it?  Ever "stopped and thought"? Careful with that one.  Some things you are just not meant to figure out, so don't get stagnant while trying to figure these people out.
   Each one of us has a destiny.  Each one of us has a divine purpose to fulfill in our allotted time here on earth.  Just as you can not make Big Ben chime before the set time, you can not make a person "switch on" until it is their time.  Everything happens when it is supposed to happen because it is all by design.  That person that you have had in your mind this whole time (yes, don't deny it, you were thinking about someone that this applies to) WILL get in gear eventually.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is not to force things, but to encourage  their growth, build them up, and equip them for the time that is coming.  Accept this mission and their success will be your success.  Seeing them move forward and become a driven, motivated, passionate contributor to something of great merit will do far more good for you than sitting here wondering why they can't get it together right now.  Find that person, give them a good shot of encouragement, and continue moving forward blazing a trail... odds are, when you get tired they may just be the person that will end up right next to you helping you continue on.

obligation=motivation

Sometimes the only thing that keeps you going is obligation.  It is during those times that your dedication is put to the test.  There is a difference between the two, but their relationship is obvious.. you persevere.  Obligation keeps you going when you don't want to but you know that you will let someone down if you quit.  There will be a gaping hole in the place YOU should have been, and it will affect everyone and everything around you.  The thing about an obligation is this; it is a promise, a word, a guarantee that you will be where you say you will be when you say you will be there doing what you said you would do.  It's like a contract of sorts with someone else, working towards a goal that may not even be your own.
Dedication is much the same, in that you show up and follow through... but now you're doing it because you want to.  You're doing it because you have a vision or a goal that you are determined to reach, no matter the cost.  Dedication means that it is personal.  The only contract, guarantee, promise that you have made is to yourself.  No one likes to let themselves down, so you are much more motivated to continue.  When your vision gets clouded, or someone comes along to rain on your parade it gets difficult.  Sometimes it can become so hard to continue pressing on that your dedication becomes obligation.  Vision-killers, nay-sayers, people trying to buck the system... no matter how dedicated you are these people will have some sort of impact on what you are trying to accomplish.  A true leader and visionary will persevere through these times, maybe a little beat up or worse for wear.  With the vision clouded, obligation steps in and it can become just a task.  THIS IS A TEST.  I REPEAT, THIS IS ONLY A TEST... Dedication is refreshed in these times of operating under obligation.  The obligation gets you through the rough time, and when the storm passes you find that your dedication is twice as strong, and the vision remains.  That being said, my unbalanced equation in the title makes sense now.  Knowing that you made it through the tough times when it was "just a job", you stuck it out and had the tenacity to persevere when everything was against your success should MOTIVATE you.  That's the mark of a leader..when you stay determined, stay motivated, even when it feels like an obligation.

This made more sense in my head I think.. but you get the picture.

useless posting

Not much good to say today.  I could whine about how hard school is.  I could whine about how all I do is work.  I could whine about being late on my homework.  I could whine about not having anything good to say.  I could whine about having to listen to you whine about every sentence started so far begins with "I". I could.. but I won't.  

I just finished this:

I thought it was fitting for a project done entirely on the due date.  No matter what I do I can not seem to devote the kind of time to school that needs to be.  Family, work, church, school, etc...  Summer is around the corner though.  Even though I feel like a chump for only being able to take two classes at a time each semester, I am operating at my capacity right now.  For all the work being done, you'd think there would be more work being done though!