“Love is the answer at least for most of the questions in my heart. Like why are we here, and where can we go, and how come it’s so hard? It’s not always easy and life can be deceiving. I’ll tell you one thing, it’s always better when we’re together.”

Life is not easy. It’s a common misconception to think that you need to face challenges all on our own, but when you surround yourself with the right people, you’ll always have a shoulder to lean on. Why is this? Because it is always better when together. Two heads are better than one, two hearts are better than none, and love is probably the strongest thing in existence.

“Home is wherever we are, if there’s love there too.”

A home, as defined by the dictionary, is the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. However, this does not constrain itself to a place of walls and a roof, nor to the place where you necessarily grew up. To feel at home is different. It is defined as “to feel as if one belongs; to feel as if one were in a home; to feel accepted, comfortable”. Home can be wherever you have found comfort and love on your journey in life, and that can come in all different shapes and sizes.

“Don’t let your dreams be dreams.”

Make dreams your reality, bring them to actuality, and strive to conquer all you set your mind to. The most dangerous set backs that we may face are the limitations of which we place on our own minds.

“I want my friends to love me if I lose or win a battle tomorrow or a year hence.”

Surround yourself with people who are worth keeping around. Do not waste your time being absorbed in toxic relationships or petty drama, because you are worth it, so find the people that can see that.

“We’re breaking and rebuilding and we’re growing always guessing.”

You will always face challenges, no matter what. Life has its ups and downs, its twists and turns, its wonderful times, and its terrible times. The one and only thing that matters is how we react and then act as we move forward in our lives. We’ll break, build back up, and we’ll grow from our strife. We try to predict what may come from a scenario, but it’s impossible to know all the time. We’re along for a ride that is out of our control sometimes, but it is how we handle these obstacles that determines how we grow as people.

“I’ll share this love I find with everyone. We’ll sing and dance to Mother Nature’s songs; I don’t want this feeling to go away.”

Be kind to human-kind. Do at least 2 good deeds each and every day. The more kindness you put out of your heart, the more it is able to fill up with reciprocated actions. We are all people when it comes down to it, so why can’t we all be decent people? Give hugs, share laughs and memories, hold a hand, dance a dance, and sing a song, because these will be the best moments of your life. And hey, you will both be and feel a better human because of it. Share a smile with a stranger, because you never whose day you’ll impact.

“Slow down everyone you’re moving too fast.”

It is a cliché statement that life will flash before your eyes, however it couldn’t be truer. As you grow up, the time you share with one another will go by faster than you can comprehend. So, why try and rush through it? Why is it that when we’re young, we want to be grown? Only to realize that once we are grown, we wish to be young again? Live in the moment and do not dwell on the past. Take time each day to reflect on how incredible of a blessing life is. We cannot control time, but we can surely make the most of it.

“I’m afraid that one-day is only two words we say.”

Set a goal in your mind, and then go get it. Don’t leave it lingering in your head, hoping that one day it will magically come knocking because 9 times out of 10, it won’t. If you want something, anything in life at all, you must go chase after it. You must not be afraid of rejection, failure, or struggle. Don’t regret not going after something and reminisce on it, knowing that your goal for “one-day” slipped away.

“Everybody thinks that everybody knows about everybody else but nobody knows, anything about themselves cause they’re all worried about everybody else.”

Live life your way, do your own thing, and most importantly, do not be afraid to be yourself and expose that to the world. Believe it or not, YOU are the only one capable of being the best YOU out there. That being said, be a humble human. Do not become absorbed in things that are not meant for you to become intertwined in. When you become overly cautious about everyone else around you, when you allow gossip, rumors, and drama to control your mind, you will lose the freedom of being true to yourself. You may also hurt people along the way. One does not know what it is like to live the life of another until they can take a walk in their shoes. Everybody has his or her struggles, regardless of what it seems on the outside. To be the best you, focus on you. Help others, give to others, be there for others, but do not try to control others.

“This weight’s too much alone some days, I can’t hold it at all. You take it on for me. When tomorrow’s too much, I’ll carry it all. I’ve got you.”

Find people in life (a friend, a spouse, a significant other) that will be there for you whole-heartedly. Relationships are successful when each side does their part, when each cares and loves just as much as their partner, and when both people are supportive. Do not settle for someone who expects you to tackle every burden on your own, for life is hard, but we can have people in our lives that genuinely want to help us just because they care. Be that person to another, help them through their struggles, pick them up when they fall down, and make sure you tell them each and everyday that you are there for them. Finally, never be afraid to express defeat. We only grow from hardships, and we will never always be successful the first time around. Accept help from others sometimes. Do not try and face this world alone.

The underlying messages in each one of Jack Johnson’s songs is to be a good person and enjoy the live you are living by making it your own. Thanks Jack, for inspiring people to do good, be good, and live good each and everyday. Thanks for showing us that “our dreams are made out of real things” and that “we’ve got everything we need right here” on this earth to live a wonderful life.