Don't Quit

If you stop Gargamel just might get you, so you have to keep on going!

Did you ever have one of those days?...  Of course you have.  I mean that is unless you're one of the Smurf's living in a cartoon world where everything is drawn out for you.  I mean imagine if you were a Smurf, what's the worst thing that could ever happen?  You get chased by Gargamel?

Seriously though... if you're not a Smurf and you're a real person living in the real world it is highly plausible that at one time or another you've had a bad day.  So what do you do when that happens to you?  Are you the kind of person who just buries their head under the covers to hide until it has passed?  Or do you dig your heels in and push back when the world pushes at you.

Because no matter who we are, where we live, or what we do or are trying to do, there always comes a point where we have to make a choice.  Chose to keep going or give up.  For me there is no other option, I keep going.  Maybe it's that Greek "Stubborn" gene I was born with, you know the same Greek gene that invented the Windex, Acting, Politics, or any of the other cool stuff that came from the ancient Greeks.  Or maybe it's because I have spent my entire life chasing the same goal, I don't know.

For some people it's not that easy.  Some people find out what they are made of early on in life, for others it comes later.  Some, however never discover how strong they really are.  That makes me sad.  Some people give up before they have ever really reached their true potential, and even worse some do the unthinkable, they kill themselves.

How is it that so many celebrities have committed suicide lately?  Some have flat out killed themselves.  Others did it slower with drugs and alcohol and overdosed.  My question is, how is it that so many people with seemingly so much to live for and to look forward to could give up so easily?  I think part of it, well maybe a big part of it is because as a society we are living in very negatively infused times.

The media is quick to prop up, chew up and spit out sensation or celebrity of the week.  While the powers that be are pushing the idea that hard work should not be rewarded and everything in life is fair.  But in reality - life is not fair at all.  The good guys don't always win, and the bad guys don't always lose.  So when life beats down on the people who do not have a strong sense of who they are and where they are going, what happens?  When God has been removed from everywhere he might be able to "offend" anyone, what do these people who do not know where to turn do?  Sadly we see the results all around us.

Many people are so much stronger than then give themselves credit for.  Quick to assume they can't do something, when in reality they have no idea how strong they really are until they push themselves past where they thought they "couldn't" go.  I just have one wish for everyone who is having a bad day... Don't quit.  You might not "feel" like you can do it, you might not see how now.  But if you quit, you will never reach your goal.  If you keep going, there is always hope.

One of my favorite quotes from one of my fitness heros:

"Your legs are not giving out, your head is giving out, keep going." ~ Jillian Michaels

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

Oh No Not Again

So I was getting ready the other day to head Upstate NY where I would be working on my new music video for, "I Don't Even Care" when I was shocked to read the latest news blurb.  It turns out, yet again in an unfortunate scenario a young and aspiring artist jumped to her death off the George Washington Bridge.  What's so awful about this is that she did it out of being "bullied" in the workplace.  She apparently also had a history of being bullied early on in both high school and while working as a model.

Now you might be wondering why Greek Girl is blogging about such a sad story.  Well, it's simple: I HATE BULLIES!

Here's my point:  Unless you have heard the song you wouldn't know, "I Don't Even Care" is written about this very issue.  In my own life I have faced bullies for as far back as I can remember.  It wasn't because I came from a lower income family or that I was the little "fat-kid", it was with my music.  Even now I face it with the know-it-all so-called "experts" and critics who say I am too old to have a music career, or that my political views are wrong and even that I am a Christian.  I mean what is this world coming too?

Take this girl who killed herself for instance.  Here she is trying to build a life in the Fashion Industry.  Meanwhile her colleagues are tearing at her and beating her up verbally so much that out of some twisted sense of revenge and self-pity she ended her life.  Why?  What is going on in our world that we are so obsessed with having to make other people feel bad about themselves in order to puff our own selves up?  What is it that we must despise people and treat them so poorly that they would do something such as kill themselves?

I know all too well what it's like to face these giants in life.   I am often faced with being unaccepted, mocked or ridiculed and I am not even in any major spot-light like the typical "celebrity".  It's for this reason I wrote this song and am now working with my husband to develop the music video.  It's with a passion I want the world to know it's not okay to bully people and for those who are being bullied they can stand up and they are not alone.

For whatever reason we as a society have gone in the wrong direction. On one hand we celebrate people because they can sing or dance, hit a ball or run the fastest and even have lists for the "100 Hottest" of whatever.  Meanwhile the media is out there doing everything they can to destroy the very people they are putting on a pedestal.  So it's a twisted web people have been indoctrinated into.  We praise those for superficial greatness then can't wait to tear them down.  Everyone is vying for the most attention and greatness.  Everywhere we turn there is another reality show promising to make "stars" out of anyone and everyone and that it doesn't take hard work to succeed.  Then we glamorize the demise and destruction of these same "stars" and like cannibals we feed off of and relish in the idea of watching someone fall and fail.

My question to you is, "when are we going to start turning the tables?"  When are we as a society ever going to wake up and realize we need to celebrate hard work and intelligence.  We are becoming a self-obsessed society that is focused on stardom and pick on and beat up on the "nerd" who will most-likely one day be your boss and write your paycheck.

God made us all with unique talents and unique abilities and unique looks.  Each of us is made special for our own purpose that God has for us to fulfill.  But because we live in a society full of celebrating the wrong kind of success most forget or lose track of what great things they can become and never know why God put them here in the first place.  We need more Doctors and Rocket Scientists not more Justin Bieber's or Kim Kardashian's.  On top of that the last thing we need is more Michael Vick's and cheaters like Lance Armstrong.

Now some of you may say "What about you Greek Girl? Aren't you chasing the same stardom?!?" But it's not the same thing.  I have been working as a singer and actor for many years.  It's not a pipe-dream or something I want to just "try out".  This is who I am and what I know God put me on this Earth to do.  To sing and perform as a positive role model, to be salt and light in this crazy messed up world.  This is why I am working tirelessly to win in the VeeWall Original Song Contest.  Winning will give me the chance to connect with more people and organizations in an effort to share my message.  It's the same message found in my song, "I Don't Even Care".  You can Click Here to read the entire story about me and what I want to do with my music career.  So, if you want to help me in making a difference and help me start a change in our society,  I would very much appreciate it.  Winning is far more than the prize money.  It is a tool I need to put my message out there and help maybe stop the next bullied person from taking their own life and making a positive difference in a world so full of hate.

Click Here To Vote For ava

Blessings, Love & Music~

Ava xo :)
www.avaaaston.com

Click here to vote for Ava