Everyone needs a slice of CAKE...

I have only lived for twenty years, so I am definitely not the wisest. I just say what I think and suggest ways that I have learned or in most cases, still learning how to make being alive easier to deal with… Whew! Now that that’s out of the way, here goes nothing…

The day a person feels like they know everything and they have it all figured out; is the day, one is alive but ceases to live. A life without constant evolution and growth is not a life worth living; ok, I admit that was a little deep…but you get the point!

In my opinion, every person should aim to do the best they can with what they have. I believe one should use what they have to get what they want. At this juncture, it is important to note that envy could be a catalyst for growth in such moments but it could also be a seed of unhappiness and discontent. This is what I mean. Let’s take two young girls for example; they both go to the same university, one is extremely rich and can afford the tuition, the other is attending the university on scholarship. Naturally, the latter is obviously going to be envious of the former, it’s only human nature. This initial feeling is totally harmless because it could motivate the “poor” girl to work harder and want more for herself. However, it could also be extremely venomous if the “poor” girl uses the “rich” girl as a standard to aspire to. This is because the “rich” girl is going to keep on climbing up the status ladder without toil but the “poor” girl is going to struggle and keep aiming for a height, she will probably never reach. It is a waste of time to compare yourself with other people or try to be like other people because the best you will be, is a counterfeit version of another person. The fact that you are who you are is a blessing; embrace it!

Ok, C.A.K.E! Everyone needs a slice of C.A.K.E to survive and eventually thrive in this world. Both figuratively and literally… In the literal sense, I suggest you have a slice of black forest or red velvet and cream cheese(I literally smiled just thinking about it). But more importantly, the comprehension of the figurative significance of this pastry is imperative. C.A.K.E could also stand for craziness, adventure, kindness and enthusiasm.

Craziness is often portrayed in a negative light, but I think that everyone needs a little bit of crazy to survive. According to history, the most influential and successful people, the inventors and innovators, all seem to possess this quality. For example, Albert Einstein was the one of, if not the greatest scientist and innovator of all time and he was a straight wacko. You do not need to know much about him to know that, his physical appearance is enough proof. He was never afraid to be different or not have the same opinion as everyone else. He did not aim to be popular; he aimed to succeed. Get used to it! When you do something different or unexpected, you would be tagged ‘crazy’ but it’s ok because crazy works!

Most times when a person is called crazy, it is out of pure envy, jealousy and spite. People hide themselves under the pretences that the person who is going out and taking risks and living their dreams is crazy. This is a very convenient coping mechanism, it is comforting to such people and it makes them more comfortable in their mediocrity, when they tag someone else crazy, it gives them a justified reason to remain in their comfort zone and feel justified.

No pun intended but when Justin Timberlake decided to break out of his group Nsync as a solo artist, he was at the peak of his career so naturally everyone around him had an opinion (pun being the fact that Justin Timberlake’s first solo album was called ‘justified’). He was called crazy but the success he attained at what everyone else thought to be the height of his career, is only a fraction of the success he has attained as a solo artist. Some changes may be drastic but they are necessary.

Over the years, hip-hop has being profiled as a movement for people with darker skin. However music is constantly evolving and there is a constant overflow of different genres to creating a melting pot. At the 2014 Grammys, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (two white guys) won the awards for best new artist, best rap song, best rap album and best rap performance, all the awards a hip-hop artist can be nominated for at the grammys . If they had not risked the very plausible chance that the hip hop industry would not be accepting towards them and just went in, they would have missed out on the chance of a lifetime.  Also, Iggy Azalea (although she isn’t my favourite) is another example, she is a white, might I add Australian, female rapper so she is already constrained by two and a half huge barriers but she did not let logic get in her way and now she has gone on to win numerous prestigious awards. Granted, it takes a lot more than craziness to succeed but it goes a long way.

A stands for Adventure; a good sense of adventure is equally as important. In the words of my hero, Pharrell Williams “the same is lame”. Doing the same thing over and over again because you know what the result will be is a waste of your God-given talent, wisdom, creativity and knowledge. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity. A life void of risks is not worth living. A baby is at the most risky and the least risky stage in life because it is totally powerless and helpless when it comes to what happens to it. It’s parents decide what happens to it, what it eats, where it sleeps, how it sleeps, when it bathes, literally every single thing. But with an increase in age comes an increase in maturity and responsibility. Taking risk and being adventurous is what makes learning and growing and evolving in life not such a scary process because one reclaims most of the control over their lives. People say curiosity kills the cat, but the cats of the world are always leaders and people worthy of respect. The rats of this world tread carefully, only to be devoured by the cats. A person who dies from being courageous is more honourable than a coward that is alive. Trying new things is an essential part of life; whether it is trying a new Indian place for dinner instead of your usual Thai take out or moving from Idaho to New York City; change and adventure are extremely important.

K stands for Kindness; which should be one of the easiest, but is the most difficult to exude for many people. There are many reasons why various demographics fail to show kindness. First, for some strange reason, people tend to associate kindness with weakness but I think it is the complete opposite. Kindness is one of the clearest indications of strength. Kindness should not know gender, sex, race, ethnicity, sexuality or class; it should be universal. Kindness is not effeminate in any way. A person who is not afraid to show compassion realizes that the are in a position of power at that moment, and the fact that they use it to help a person who is not as fortunate, is definitely not weak, it is purely heroic. Showing kindness can be as easy as a smile or keeping eye contact with the homeless guy on the corner of the street. Keeping eye contact with a person who is less fortunate can be more beneficial to them than your spare change. It shows more than anything that you see them as a person worthy of the same respect you would give any other person you come in contact with, an equal, to some extent.

Kindness is mutually beneficial, because being kind comes with so many benefits for both parties. Being kind shows that one is empathic and respectful and it goes a long way to show the outside world an essential piece to the puzzle that is one’s character. No matter what your personality and your method of reasoning is; being kind makes sense. It is logical to be kind because you never know what the future holds and where your next break is coming from. If you are a bit more prone to sentiments, then you are naturally more able to put yourself in another person’s shoes and realise that everyone wants a little kindness. Plus, really, boys and girls, the world is not the cause of any frustration you may feel, so it is unacceptable to go around spreading negative energy to anyone you meet. Transferred anger and aggression is not attractive at all and it is the height of immaturity and lack of responsibility and accountability.

E stands for Enthusiasm, now, this is a tricky one, so pay attention. Enthusiasm is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as strong excitement about something, a strong feeling of excitement in something you like or enjoy. I find this definition particular effective because it is encompassing of all the ingredients for enthusiasm. Firstly, I want to emphasize the fact that enthusiasm is a feeling not an emotion; therefore it is supposed to be more short-term. Note that this does not mean that you should only be excited about life half the time. What this means is that, if you try something new and it does not work, you have it within you to be extremely excited about it while it lasts but you are also equipped to move on if it goes sour and be just as excited about something else. There is also a big difference between this trait and being a dream parasite. For those who do not know, a dream parasite is a person who has a dream and gets others involved and then they milk that dream until it turns dry, they move on to next dream and do the same thing. They are not really invested in any particular dream and they lack a long-term vision; they are more interested in quick fame and money.

Enthusiasm is both a strong feeling and a strong excitement, so while it is difficult to feel as intensely about your journey through life all the time, you should always strive to be happy. Happiness does not have to be one-dimensional, the way one feels when one is with family and friends is totally different from what they feel performing well in school or at work. The best way to explain the difference between excitement and enthusiasm, and why both are essential is to use a singer for an example. I think we can all agree that the entertainment industry is one of the most difficult. Therefore, a singer needs enthusiasm when meeting fans and promoting a new album or any new projects, also especially when on stage. However, excitement is needed when they are required to pull off sixteen-hour studio sessions or their new record does not do as well on the charts as they had anticipated. Excitement is remembering the vision and truly loving what you do. Excitement is like a less intense and more long-term version of enthusiasm. There is wisdom in finding a balance and knowing when to the turn the volume up or down on either or both. Loving what you do should come from doing what you love and not vice versa. I admit that sometimes it works it out the when what you do becomes what you love but it’s very rear and there is a micrometre thin chance that you are that lucky person. Now, it is alright to do some form of work if you are still on the path to discovering what you love but if you know what you love, go for it.

So, you see it is literally impossible to enjoy life without a slice of C.A.K.E. Passing up a slice of C.A.K.E is like taking the stairs up to the penthouse of a building when there a fully functional elevators. There are too many advantages to having a slice of C.A.K.E, for starters, everyone can order whatever tickles their fancy. You are the one eating the cake, so it makes sense to pick your favourite flavour. Everyone’s palette is different so feel free to ask for opinions but only to a certain extent because you do not want to end up eating a cake that’s perfect, you want to end up eating a cake that’s perfect for you. There are a million flavours to choose from and you can even mix. There is no wrong choice, if you don’t like your order, you can change it. Seriously, its crazy the limitlessness of the patisserie that life is. Take full advantage of it and indulge….