No Excuses

Nothing can stop you unless you let it.

When you get knocked down do you stay down, or do you get back up? Most people like to think they get back up, but the truth is sometimes we don't.

Almost everyone likes to hear about someone taking a bad situation and turning it upside down. Especially if that someone is a hero like a Veteran, media figure, or a person in the public eye. I mean was there ever a greater contestant on "Dancing With the Stars" than Noah Galloway? Sheesh, I don't even watch Reality TV, but I was glued to the tube like millions of other Americans because of his story, determination and passion to give back to people. His strength is unbelievably motivating.

The sad thing though is that some of us enjoy seeing that happen for "other people" but at times in our own lives we think it can't happen for us. That the "thing," challenge, injury, hurdle, whatever seems too big, too hard or just too insurmountable to overcome.

Recently I saw a video that was truly inspiring. Every person in the world struggles with something, no one is perfect. Every human being has an imperfect body. As great as it would be to have everything work perfectly all the time like a well-oiled machine, that's not real life, nor is that how we are designed. Whether it's a goal, a dream, a passion, a physical challenge, everyone has something they want to achieve. Life happens though, things happen, and at times we get knocked down. It can be easy to fall into the excuses game. What we want to accomplish can seem so far off, so daunting that we can find it easier to just think "well so-and-so happened and so I will never be able to reach my goal." 

This video shows that no matter what is thrown at you, there are never any acceptable excuses to not achieve anything. If something happens to you, you have two choices: stay down or get back up. Pain (whether it's emotional, mental, or physical) is temporary, but quitting lasts forever. The only thing that counts is trying to be better than yesterday. Do a little every day, and one day you'll look back and be doing something you once thought was impossible. Doing the thing you thought you couldn't.

Sometimes it may seem like things can happen "to" us. Really though we can look back and realize they actually happened "through" us. Our stories can touch the people around us in ways we may never even know or imagine. So the next time you're down, remember you never know who is watching, or who you may be inspiring. In the words of one of history's smartest men...

"You never fail until you stop trying." ~ Albert Einstein 

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

You Can't Do That

This is how I roll!

So if you have been reading my blog for any amount of time one thing you should know is those are words best not said to me, because telling me that "I can't do something" is just fuel for my Greek Girl fire.  Seriously though, don't you just love how when you set out to do something big or hard there is usually someone around to say something to that effect?

Sometimes these people think they mean well, but really if you ask me it is more because they gave up on something they were not able to accomplish at one point or another in their life and so they are now the new cheerleaders for "playing it safe".  What they often times turn into are bullies.  Hello... can anyone say annoying?

With me it is the fact that I have been going after my dream and goal (music and acting) for a long time.  Did I mention it has been a long, long, long, time ;) ?  Some people choose to give up on things and start to say things like: "it's just not meant to be" or "it must not be meant for me, if it were going to happen it would have happened by now", and yada, yada, yada.  That might be all good and well for those people, and that is fine for them.  I'm wired a little different, I'm Greek which is also another word for stubborn.  See when I set out to do something no matter how long or how hard it is I stick with it until it is done.  It applies to everything I do from my workouts to my career pursuit.

Personally I think that is one of the problems we have in society right now, too many people think if something is too hard it's not worth doing or pursuing.  People are so used to having instant gratification, getting things "Now" that they forget the value in hard work.  They don't remember that when you work hard to earn something you appreciate  and savor it.  You do not squander it or opportunities.

Back to the story... so last week I had two auditions for National Commercials two days in a row.  Being that summer is usually slow, this was a good thing and I wanted to share it with my facebook peeps.  Well two girls I went to high school with (whom apparently have not left) girls I was not even friends with more acquaintances decided it would be a good idea to mock the fact that I asked my friends to pray about it.

So I did what any good Greek Girl using her coconut would do... I banned and blocked them from my page.  Really who has time for nonsense?  Life is too short and too busy to waste energy on people who are ugly inside.  Apparently the fact that I am still going after my dream is funny to them.  One of them even went as far as to send an email to my official website a few years back saying very sarcastically that she didn't remember my having blonde hair back in high school, then giving the year.  Like she was telling on me or something... lol

Last time I checked coloring your hair was not against any law, besides the fact that anyone who knows anything about me knows that I pick on myself all the time for all sorts of things and have never presented myself as a natural blonde.  (Hello - see blog about it)  She also mentioned a National Commercial I was in where I was playing the daughter and she insinuated the woman playing the mom was around my same age, again like she was telling some big secret.  Here’s a quick Greek Girl lesson in English:  Acting = pretend. ’nuff said.  You can be young and play old, or old and play young, that is the beauty of acting.  I didn't cast the commercial, if I look right for a part whatever that part is and the casting director thinks I'm right for it, who is some misery factory to say otherwise? Also a topic I have blogged about (see Birthday blog)

I just find it silly that people waste so much energy on telling others what they "can't" do.  Say la vie, if someone wants to give up on something that might be the right choice for them.  For me it's finish or die, in the words of one of my heroes Sir Winston Churchill "Never, Never, Never Give Up."  That's just how I roll and I don't see what the big whoop is if I choose to persevere despite what it might look like in the natural.  I guess what irked me most was the fact that they were mocking my faith.

Why did I take the time to tell you this?  Because something else I am very passionate about besides my career endeavors is helping people to see their potential.  Far too many people don't realize how strong they are.  So when the bullies in life show up telling them "You Can't Do that" they give in or it starts to sink in.  I'm here to say to you whatever you're trying to accomplish whether it is to start a business, get a degree, get in shape, be an astronaut for crying out loud whatever it is, ignore the bullies.  You CAN do it if you stick with it and do not give up.

"When push comes to shove no matter what it is, when the going get tough you have two choices: Give in or Dig in." ~ Ava Aston

Have a beautiful day!

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava :D xo
www.avaaston.com

Krazy Glue

It's amazing the things that can be accomplished if you just "don't quit".

So, I'm sitting here flipping the remote when all of a sudden I see one of the most insane commercials ever.  No I am not talking about Nair hair removal for men, that silly sham-wow guy and no it wasn't some other crazy As Seen On TV ad about the perfect meatloaf, an instant zipper or anything like that.  No, it was some guy "bungee jumping" from a bridge.  Now if bungee jumping alone wasn't insane enough he did it with a connection that was made with - yep - you guessed it "Krazy Glue"! (see below, just so you know I wasn't hallucamajating or anything) 

Ahh, hello?  Am I the only one who sees this is not a good idea?  I know they put a "disclaimer" telling people not to try this at home but come on, really?  It makes me wonder, "are there any people who would really attempt this?" Then I thought about Mr. Bricks and realized  - yep, probably.  No, he didn't bungee jump with a Krazy Glue harness, but I wouldn't put it past him to try and make me do something like that.

What was interesting is that I did a little digging to see if this was for real.  I couldn't believe it but it was true.  Turns out, whenever you see a commercial that "claims" the product can actually do as seen, it has to actually do it.  It's called truth in advertising.

So I started thinking about just how strong and long lasting Krazy Glue really is.  It quite literally lasts so long and is virtually impossible to separate two objects stuck together by it.  (Side note: this reminds me of a kid I went to school with who was dared to shave his eyebrows and put Krazy Glue on his "you know what" and did it.  Turns out neither were good ideas.)

My point is, Krazy Glue has a lot of uses and it's reliable and never quits sticking.  It's like one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite people in history, "Never, Never, Never quit!" - Sir Winston Churchill.  When it comes to Krazy Glue and jumping off a bridge I guess it's not an option.  I sure hope not at least.

It's like in life, when we have a dream, a passion, a goal or something that really matters to us we have to be like that little bottle of super glue.  It's almost like a modern-day proverb that Jesus spoke about having the faith of a mustard seed.  It's the smallest seed in the herb garden but produces the largest shrub.  So in other words, like Krazy Glue it's almost like putting your faith into action.  It's such a small seed and a tiny drop of glue but with just a little bit of both, one can do great things.

Throughout history we have had so many amazing people who did not ever give up.  No matter how hard it may have seemed, they pushed and pushed and kept sticking like glue to what they held true in their heart.  It's in those moments when you really find out just what you are made of.  You can either be like chewing gum that may taste sweet and have pretty colors and yeah it's sticky but unlike Krazy Glue which is colorless and smells funky and pretty sure it tastes awful, it sure won't keep you from smashing to your death on a canyon floor while using a bungee harness held together by it.

Take Tiger Woods for instance.  Love him or hate him, he dedicated a lifetime to a dream and a goal.  Doing so he positioned himself as one of the greatest golfers to have ever lived. (disclaimer I am not talking about his personal activities eh hem... so the people out there with Tiger Woods derangement syndrome, chill) Here are just a few people who in my mind held like Krazy Glue when faced with opposition and never, never, never quit or gave up:

Michael Jordan - was told he can't play basketball

Barbara Streisand - was told she couldn't sing

Colonel Sanders - rejected over 100 times before someone bought his chicken

Winston Churchill - lost every election for political office til Prime Minister @ 62 yrs old

Tom Cruise - over 100 rejected auditions before booking his first job

Henry Ford - went broke 5 times before successfully founding Ford Motor Co.

Oprah Winfrey - fired & told she was "unfit for TV".

Sidney Portier - Told to "stop wasting peoples time and go be a dishwasher or something" 

Elvis Presley - Fired by Grand Ole Opry manager and told "you ain't going nowhere son you ought to go back to drivin a truck..."

Ava Aston - still going strong  :o)

Well, you get my point.  No matter who you are, or what your dream is, it's never to late for your dreams come true... but if you quit they never will.  In the greek girl's book, quitting is just never an option.  Whatever you do, don't try jumping off a bridge with a Krazy Glue harness.  Just sayin'

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xox
www.avaaston.com