The Journey Part 1

2016 was a rough year.

Let's make 2017 a good year!

It's time for a change - a positive change.

When I first started developing Origins, I wanted to create a multi-purpose platform - one that not only helps me write my story but also helps give others the inspiration they need to write to their story. I quickly learned that Origins had a bigger purpose.

I created Origins to put back 3 things this world desperately needs right now : inspiration, positivity and acceptance.

Inspiration: The world needs more inspiration. I remember the days when there were actually inspirational stories on the news - stories of good people making a difference for the greater good. Where did those stories go (or are they a thing of the past)? Looking at today's society, our news and media outlets are blasted with politics, missing person cases, murder mysteries, gossip and etc. Instead of the headlines we see on the news, we need more headlines like

- "Cubs Win the World Series - Underdogs Can Win!"

- "Ellen Degeneres is Awarded the Medal of Freedom for her Altruism."

- "All-Female Team of 6 Wins the MakeMIT hackathon (with a prototype of the the world's first real-time text-to-braille converter)"

- "USA's Women Gymnastics Team Dominates in Rio"

- "Starbucks's Upstanders Series explores the "Good" in Humanity"

-" Viola Davis's Critics' Choice Awards Speech reminds us to Be Ourselves"

We need to bring back inspiration that empowers people to be themselves and make a difference. With Origins, I intend to do that. Using the stories of others, stories of kindness, advice segments, inspirational quotes, perspective posts and more, I hope to instill more inspiration in this world.

Positivity: I hinted about this while talking about inspiration. We have to remain positive despite the state of mind this world is in. Staying positive is very challenging, especially in adverse times, but we have to remind ourselves of the "good" in humanity. For example, during the Louisiana flooding, Kimberly Viator helped people restore photos that were damaged by the flood. (You'll hear more about her story tomorrow.) We have to turn lemons into lemonade. As this blog goes on, I hope to make Origins an outlet that helps change how you view the world.

Acceptance: This world needs more acceptance; acceptance would solve a lot of the world's problems. I'll say this: on this blog, you won't find one type of person. You will find people with different backgrounds/ethnicities, people with disabilities, people with introversion, people who conquer mental challenges and so on. I think you get the point.

Besides accepting people, I think we need to be accepting and open to anything stigmatized in society. This includes, but not limited to, mental health, introversion and people with disabilities. I want to relate to as many people as possible and make the world a more accepting place!

Every Thursday, I will post new content that I hope can change your outlook at life. Come back every Thursday and like the Origins's social media to stay updated. ( I will not be posting on Instagram, at the moment, but do check Facebook and Twitter.)

I want to end this post with these 2 videos, each with a very powerful message:

Credit to BBC for Video 1 Credit to Euronews for Video 2

If there is something to learn from 2016, it would have to be we have to remain hopeful, even in the most adverse times (just like the iguana who escaped being caught by the snakes). Admit it, you were screaming halfway through, thinking it's over for the iguana, but he survived. You got to have hope.

Also, we have to be supportive of others. We have to lift others up when they fall. No matter where we come from, we are all still human; we all struggle and fall at times.

Thank you for reading.

Tune in tomorrow for a special part 2 of the Journey! Follow Origins on Facebook or Twitter to support Origins's mission!

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