Sunday, August 30, 2009
attitude.
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
-Charles R. Swindoll
Taiwan.
Taiwan's national team made it to the little league world series which starts in 5 minutes, my dad, uncle, and cousin seem real pumped about this. My dad watched their first championship in 1969.
tigers
B. Inge has more homeruns than A-Rod this season. But how many more home runs of A-Rod's do you see on national tv or espn highlights?
Friday, August 28, 2009
Second Thoughts
"Every human being is interested in two kinds of worlds: the Primary, everyday world which he knows through his senses, and a Secondary world or worlds which he not only can create in his imagination, but which he cannot stop himself creating." W.H. Auden
thoughts...
Why doesn't McDonald's sell hotdogs? At a movie theater which arm rest is yours? What is Satan's last name? Why do doctors leave the room when you change? They're going to see you naked anyway. Where does the toetag go on a dead person if they don't have toes? If your driving a federal owned car, and you run a stop sign, is it considered a felony? Why is there a disclaimer on the Allstate Auto Insurance commericals that says "Not available in all states"? If you dug a hole through the center of the earth,and jumped in, would you stay at the center because of gravity? If a person dies and then springs back to life, do they get their money back for the coffin? If you are asked to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and your the main witness, what if you say "no"? Do they bury people with their braces on? How far east can you go before you're heading west? How does a Real Estate company sell its office without causing confusion? Do dentists go to other dentists or do they just do it themselves? If, in a baseball game, the batter hits a ball splitting it right down the center with half the ball flying out of the park and the other half being caught, what is the final ruling? If you were to get drunk in a country where the drinking limit is under 21, and went to the states and were still over the limit, could they arrest you for underage drinking even though you did not do the drinking in the states. Why do people think that swaying their arm back and forth would change the direction of a bowling ball? If girls with large breasts work at Hooters, then do girls with one leg work at IHOP? Why is it that everyone driving faster than you is considered an idiot and everyone driving slower than you is a moron? If pro and con are opposites, wouldn't the opposite of progress be congress? Why does grape flavor smell the way it is when actual grapes don't taste or smell anything like it. If a lesbian has sex with other women but never with another man is she still considered a virgin? If a kid refuses to sleep during nap time, are they guilty of resisting a rest? Is it rude for a deaf person to talk (sign) with their mouth full of food? If its 11:30 PM Dec 31 in Texas and 12:30 AM Jan 1st in New York and you have a New York driver's license that expires Jan 2007, does that mean your license has expired? What's the difference between normal ketchup and fancy ketchup? If a transvesite goes missing, would youu put their face on a carton of Half and Half? Why is the Lone Ranger called 'Lone' if he always has his Indian friend Tonto with him? When does it stop being partly cloudy and start being partly sunny?Are eyebrows considered facial hair?If a baby's leg pops out at 11:59PM but his head doesn't come out until 12:01, which day was he born on?In the song Yankee Doodle, is he calling the horse or the feather "macaroni"? Is there a time limit on fortune cookie predictions? Since bread is square, then why is sandwich meat round? Do they have the word "dictionary" in the dictionary?Can you daydream at night?Why is it that on a phone or calculator the number five has a little dot on it? Can crop circles be square?If ghosts can walk through walls and glide down stairs, why don't they fall through the floor? Is it legal to travel down a road in reverse, as long as your following the direction of the traffic?When Atheists go to court, do they have to swear on the bible?Why is vanilla ice cream white when vanilla extract is brown?Can animals commit suicide? What do you do when you see an endangered animal that is eating an endangered plant?If a doctor suddenly had a heart attack while doing surgery, would the other doctors work on the doctor or the patient?How can something be "new" and "improved"? if it's new, what was it improving on?Why aren't drapes double sided so it looks nice on the inside and outside of your home?When two people marry, they say, "you may kiss the bride". What do they say if two MEN get married?Why is it that when we "skate on thin ice", we can "get in hot water"?Why do people say beans beans the magical fruit when beans are vegetables?If laughter is the best medicine, who's the idiot who said they 'died laughing'? If money doesn't grow on trees then why do banks have branches? Why are the little styrofoam pieces called peanuts?Why does the Easter bunny carry eggs? Rabbits don't lay eggs.Do siamese twins pay for one ticket or two tickets when they go to movies and concerts?Why are they called 'Jolly Ranchers'? Who said that the ranchers were jolly?Why does caregiver and caretaker mean the same thing?Can a short person "talk down" to a taller person? If a bald person works as a chef at a restaurant, do they have to wear a hairnet?If milk goes bad if not refrigerated, does it go bad if the cow isnt refrigerated? How fast do hotcakes sell?Do prison buses have emergency exits?Do astronauts change their clocks when they move over different time zones in space?Can a black person join the kkk?When lightning strikes the ocean why don't all the fish die?When there's two men who "get married", do they both go to the same bachelor party?If a guy that was about to die in the electric chair had a heart attack should they save him?Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?Do Jewish vampires avoid crosses or Stars of David?If London Bridge is standing why is there a song about it falling down?Why is it that before 9/11 they always showed the emergency broadcast system test, and on 9/11 they never used it?If a nursing mother had her nipples pierced would the milk come out of all three holes?Who was Sadie Hawkins?If a stripper gets breast implants can she write it off on her taxes as a business expense?Why do we sing "Rock a bye baby" to lull a baby to sleep when the song is about putting your baby in a tree and letting the wind crash the cradle on the ground?If parents say, "Never take candy from strangers" then why do we celebrate Halloween?Do the minutes on the movie boxes include the previews, credits, and special features, or just the movie itself?Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?What does PU stand for (as in "PU, that stinks!")?Why do we put suits in a garment bag and put garments in a suitcase?Can cannibals be arrested for being under the influence of alcohol (e.g. drunk-driving) if they have eaten someone who was drunk?What is the stage of a reptile when it has eggs in it but they haven't been laid. Are they pregnant?If Mars had earthquakes would they be called marsquakes?Why do people never say "it's only a game" when they're winning?If an ambulance is on its way to save someone, and it runs someone over, does it stop to help them?Why is it called a funny bone, when if you hit it, it's not funny at all?Do you yawn in your sleep?Why do dogs like the smell of other dogs butts?If a cannible was on death row could he ask for the last guy that was electricuted for his last meal?Do Chinese people get English sayings tattooed on their bodies?Do glow-in-the-dark objects stop glowing when somebody turns the lights on?If you died with braces on would they take them off?If someone has their nose pierced, have a cold, and take thier nose ring out. Does snot come out of the piercing hole?How come lemon washing up liquid contains real lemons, but lemon juice contains artificial flavorings.Do you wake up or open your eyes first?Did Noah have woodpeckers on the ark? If he did, where did he keep them?Why are builders afraid to have a 13th floor but book publishers aren't afraid to have a Chapter 11?How do you handcuff a one-armed man?If the FBI breaks your door down do they have to pay for it?In some books, why do they have blank pages at the very end?Why can't donuts be square? Why put a towel in the dirty clothes basket if when you get out of the shower you are clean?What happens to an irrisitable force when it hits an immovable object?If there's a speed of sound and a speed of light is there a speed of smell?Why do overalls have bel loops, since they are held up at the top by the straps?Do people in prison celebrate halloween.... if so how? Do the security guards at airports have to go through airport security when they get to work?Why are all of the Harry Potter spells in Latin if they're English?What do Greeks say when they don't understand something? What happens if a queen gives birth to a pair of siamese twins? Who gets to be king?Do all-boys schools have girls bathrooms? Conversely, do all-girls schools have boys bathrooms? Are children who act in rated 'R' movies allowed to see them?How come cats butts go up when you pet them?What would happen to the sea's water level if every boat in the World was taken out of the water at the same time?How come you never see a billboard being put up by the highway? Do the English people eat English muffins, or are they just called muffins? How much deeper would the ocean be if sponges didn't grow in it?Why do they call it the Department of Interior when they are in charge of everything outdoors?Why does Jello have a smell when you add the powder in the water, but when it "gels" the smell is gone?Why are dogs noses always wet? If a bee is allergic to pollen would it get the hives?Why do people say "heads up" when you should duck?Why is it OK for dudes to slap other dudes' asses in football, but not in any other situation? Why does triangularly cut bread taste better than square bread?If one man says, "it was an uphill battle," and another says, "it went downhill from there," how could they both be having troubles?Why does a round pizza come in a square box?At what point in man's evolution did he start wiping his ass?Do bald people get Dandruff?Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?Why do superheros wear their underwear on the outside of their clothes?If you get cheated by the Better Business Bureau, who do you complain to?When sign makers go on strike, is anything written on their signs? Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?Can you cry under water? Why Does Pluto Live in a dog house, eat dog food, etc. but Goofy, who is also a dog, lives in a condo and drives a car?If you blew a bubble in space would it pop?Are children who use sign language allowed to talk with their mouth full?How come all of the planets are spherical?How did the first women ever to shave their legs know that the skin wouldn't just peel right off?when a pregnant lady has twins, is there 1 or 2 umbilical cords?Why doesn't Winnie the Pooh ever get stung by the bees he messes with?Why do they put holes in crackers?Can you still say "Put it where the sun don't shine " on a nude beach?What do people in China call their good plates?How come toy hippos are always blue, or purple, when real hippos are brown? Why don't woodpeckers get headaches when they slam their head on a tree all day?If someone owns a piece of land, do they own it all the way to the center of the earth?If an escalotor breaks down, does it become stairs?Why do they call him Donkey Kong if he is not a donkey?Why do they say a football team is the 'world champion' when they don't play anybody outside the US? Do stuttering people stutter when they're thinking to themselves?If you put a chameleon in a room full of mirrors, what color would it turn?What are the handles for corn on the cob called?Why do British people never sound British when they sing?Why do we press the start button to turn off the computer?Do your eyes change color when you die?Were Mary and Joseph's surname Christ before Jesus was born?If a bunch of cats jump on top of each other, is it still called a dog pile?Do sheep get static cling when they rub against one another?In libraries, do they put the bible in the fiction or non-fiction section?How old are you before it can be said you died of old age?If K.F.C Stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken, Why do they play sweet home Alabama on the comercials?If people with one arm go to get their nails done, do they pay half price?What type of animal is Snuffaluffagus?If you had a three story house and were in the second floor, isn't it possible that you can be upstairs and downstairs at the same time?Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?If a king is gay and marries another guy what is that guy to the royal family?Why do they call it "getting your dog fixed" if afterwards it doesn't work anymore?Does a 'Marks-A-Lot' marker, mark any more than a regular marker?If you really could dig a hole to China, and you did, and you fell in, would you stop in the middle because of gravity?If the funeral procession is at night, do folks drive with their headlights off?What happens when you put a lightsaber in water?On Gilligan's Island, how did Ginger have so many different outfits when they were only going on a 3 hour tour? If I had my legs amputated, would I have to change my height and weight on my driver's license?If nobody buys a ticket to a movie do they still show it?How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink? Do movie producers still say lights, camera, and action when it is a dark scene?What do you call male ballerinas? How does Freddy Kruger wipe his butt? Why people are so scared of mice,which are much smaller than us, when no one seems to be scared of Micky Mouse, who is bigger than us?Why are the numbers on a calculator and a phone reversed?Why are plastic bears the only animal you can get honey from? Why can't you get honey from a plastic bee? Can bald men get lice?When your photo is taken for your driver's license, why do they tell you to smile? If you are stopped by the police and asked for your license, are you going to be smiling?Do butterflies remember life as a caterpillar?If you undergo chemotherapy do you lose your pubic hairs?Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?Does the postman deliver his own mail?Why does toilet bowl cleaner only come in the color blue?What happens when you put hand sanitizer on a place other then your hand?Why are women and men's shoe sizes different?Can you "stare off into space" when you're in space?Where do people in Hell tell other people to go?Is "vice-versa" to a dyslexic just plain redundant?How come you can kill a deer and put it up on your wall. but it's illegal to keep one as a pet?Why do we say we're head over heels when we're happy? Isn't that the way we normally are?If prunes are dehydrated plums, where does prune juice come from? Is it appropriate to say "good mourning" at a funeral?If there's an exception to every rule, is there an exception to that rule?When you're caught "between a rock and a hard place", is the rock not hard?Was Jesus a virgin when he died?Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer? Doesn't a lightning rod on top of church show a lack of faith?Who coined the phrase, 'coined the phrase?'If there were a thousand seaguls in an airplane while its flying, each weighing two pounds a piece, but they were all flying in the airplane, would the airplane weigh 2000 pounds more?If you soak a raisin in water, does it turn back into a grape?How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered? Why do they call steam rollers, steam rollers? They don't produce, get rid of, or have anythong to do with steam What is another word for "thesaurus"?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
If you don't know where you're going, than any road will take you there.
“Would you tell me which way I ought to go from here?” asked Alice.
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get,” said the Cat.
“I really don’t care where” replied Alice.
“Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get,” said the Cat.
“I really don’t care where” replied Alice.
“Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
5 ways to get your spark back- Steve Errey
5 Ways to Get Your Spark Back
We all feel low sometimes, right? Grouchy, fed-up and bored are all words you could use to describe what it’s like when you’re feeling in a rut or like you’ve lost that spark you used to have. Times like those are part of the deal with being human (sorry to break it to you), but you’ll run the risk of losing an important piece of yourself forever if those grouchy days and off-times merge together and last weeks, months or even years.
Here are five easy ways to get out of the rut and get your spark back.
Shake Things Up
If you’ve established systems and routines for getting things done it certainly makes life smoother. Of course, the flipside is that if you have everything tightly coordinated and run according to that routine you leave little space for anything else. You become blinded to any ideas or choices that sit outside of that routine, and everything you do every day becomes the norm. You end up running on auto-pilot, and it becomes your whole world.
So start to shake things up. Make one or two simple changes to your day – whether it’s your breakfast routine, your radio station, workout schedule, route to work, lunch routine, etc. It doesn’t matter what the changes are or whether they're right or wrong, just make a couple of simple choices that will add some variety to your day.
Doing things differently and changing parts of your routine instantly takes you out of the norm and allows you to shake off the things that make you feel confined. Stepping out of your routine puts you in a position where you're able to make different choices, see things differently and get a different result. It’s the starting point for having a different kind of experience.
Remember Who You Really Are
If it feels like your sparks gone then I’m willing to bet that you’ve forgotten who you really are, way down deep. Your values are the building blocks, foundations and cornerstones for who you are, they’re the things that are ten thousand feet down inside you that make you you. A value is something in yourself, in others or out there in the world that’s most important to you, and could include things like trust, capability, love, nature, family, innovation, fun and a million other things.
Those times in your life when you’ve felt alive, buzzing or at the top of your game are times when one or more of your values are being honored, and it feels great because you’re simply expressing and living in line with who you really are.
The times when you feel upset, angry or frustrated are times when one or more of your values are being denied, suppressed or repressed, it feels horrible because you’re not living in line with who you really are.
Getting your spark back means connecting with your values using them every day.
Get Some Nourishment
Picture this. You're walking home from the market with a couple of bags of groceries, but the bags have holes in them. So there you are, happily walking along, leaving a trail of your things behind you. When you get home you unpack what's left and ask, "Didn't I have more than this?"
Nourishment is about plugging those holes in your life and making sure you have things that keep you feeling nourished – nourished in your head, nourished in your heart, and nourished in your stomach. Remember that you can't give away what you don't have, and can't spend energy you've already spent.
It doesn't have to be the big things in life that nourish you and it's often the simplest little thing that strikes a chord, makes you feel like yourself again, or makes you smile from ear to ear – calling a friend, talking a walk in the park or listening to your favorite song, for example. Think about what keeps you balanced, the things that relax you or make you feel peaceful. Think about the things that make you feel like you again.
Yes, life is busy, but you need to prioritize your own nourishment or you’ll be running on empty. The fact is that you're important enough to spend time taking care of and because you're the only one of you there is it's your responsibility to make sure you're okay.
Create Your Perfect Day
This idea came to me a few years ago when a good friend suddenly asked me, "What would be your perfect day?" I'd never been asked that before and I found myself spontaneously making up a story – telling my friend about my Perfect Day from the moment my eyes flickered open at the start of the day to the moment my head hit the pillow at the end.
I went through each part of the day telling her what I was doing, who I was with, where we were, how it felt and what happened next. Bit by bit and without even thinking about it, I'd put together a rich, colorful, exciting and comforting day, which still holds true as my Perfect Day.
Just thinking about different parts of it makes me smile, makes me remember what’s important to me and makes me feel incredibly human. My Perfect Day has now become like a good friend of mine, a friend that I can call on whenever I want to.
So what's your Perfect Day? Just shoot from the hip and see what comes out naturally for you. Write down words, ideas, themes or a whole narrative – even draw pictures if you want to. Have fun with it, play with it – it's your Perfect Day.
Pack in More of the Three F’s
Fun, Fulfilment, and Freedom – what I call the Three F's - embody a whole lot of what people are looking for in life. Here are some quick definitions,
Fun, n. - A source of enjoyment or pleasure; playful activity.
Ful-fill'ment, n. - To bring into actuality; to complete; a feeling of satisfaction at having achieved your desires.
Free-dom, n. - The capacity to exercise choice, free will; frankness or boldness; the absence of constraint in choice or action.
These 3 things have a massive influence on your experience of life, so think about it – where are you on a scale from 1 to 10 against each of The Three F’s? How much fun are you having right now? How fulfilled are you? How free do you feel?
What would happen if you climbed a point or two on the Fun scale? What if you could add a point to your level of Fulfillment or Freedom? Chances are it would feel pretty darn good, so what one thing can you do right now to help you climb the Three F’s scale?
By themselves each of the Three F's are a powerful thing and can really help to enjoy where you are and feel alive. But when the Three F's come together . . .well, just hold on to your hat and keys because that’s one hell of a ride.
We all feel low sometimes, right? Grouchy, fed-up and bored are all words you could use to describe what it’s like when you’re feeling in a rut or like you’ve lost that spark you used to have. Times like those are part of the deal with being human (sorry to break it to you), but you’ll run the risk of losing an important piece of yourself forever if those grouchy days and off-times merge together and last weeks, months or even years.
Here are five easy ways to get out of the rut and get your spark back.
Shake Things Up
If you’ve established systems and routines for getting things done it certainly makes life smoother. Of course, the flipside is that if you have everything tightly coordinated and run according to that routine you leave little space for anything else. You become blinded to any ideas or choices that sit outside of that routine, and everything you do every day becomes the norm. You end up running on auto-pilot, and it becomes your whole world.
So start to shake things up. Make one or two simple changes to your day – whether it’s your breakfast routine, your radio station, workout schedule, route to work, lunch routine, etc. It doesn’t matter what the changes are or whether they're right or wrong, just make a couple of simple choices that will add some variety to your day.
Doing things differently and changing parts of your routine instantly takes you out of the norm and allows you to shake off the things that make you feel confined. Stepping out of your routine puts you in a position where you're able to make different choices, see things differently and get a different result. It’s the starting point for having a different kind of experience.
Remember Who You Really Are
If it feels like your sparks gone then I’m willing to bet that you’ve forgotten who you really are, way down deep. Your values are the building blocks, foundations and cornerstones for who you are, they’re the things that are ten thousand feet down inside you that make you you. A value is something in yourself, in others or out there in the world that’s most important to you, and could include things like trust, capability, love, nature, family, innovation, fun and a million other things.
Those times in your life when you’ve felt alive, buzzing or at the top of your game are times when one or more of your values are being honored, and it feels great because you’re simply expressing and living in line with who you really are.
The times when you feel upset, angry or frustrated are times when one or more of your values are being denied, suppressed or repressed, it feels horrible because you’re not living in line with who you really are.
Getting your spark back means connecting with your values using them every day.
Get Some Nourishment
Picture this. You're walking home from the market with a couple of bags of groceries, but the bags have holes in them. So there you are, happily walking along, leaving a trail of your things behind you. When you get home you unpack what's left and ask, "Didn't I have more than this?"
Nourishment is about plugging those holes in your life and making sure you have things that keep you feeling nourished – nourished in your head, nourished in your heart, and nourished in your stomach. Remember that you can't give away what you don't have, and can't spend energy you've already spent.
It doesn't have to be the big things in life that nourish you and it's often the simplest little thing that strikes a chord, makes you feel like yourself again, or makes you smile from ear to ear – calling a friend, talking a walk in the park or listening to your favorite song, for example. Think about what keeps you balanced, the things that relax you or make you feel peaceful. Think about the things that make you feel like you again.
Yes, life is busy, but you need to prioritize your own nourishment or you’ll be running on empty. The fact is that you're important enough to spend time taking care of and because you're the only one of you there is it's your responsibility to make sure you're okay.
Create Your Perfect Day
This idea came to me a few years ago when a good friend suddenly asked me, "What would be your perfect day?" I'd never been asked that before and I found myself spontaneously making up a story – telling my friend about my Perfect Day from the moment my eyes flickered open at the start of the day to the moment my head hit the pillow at the end.
I went through each part of the day telling her what I was doing, who I was with, where we were, how it felt and what happened next. Bit by bit and without even thinking about it, I'd put together a rich, colorful, exciting and comforting day, which still holds true as my Perfect Day.
Just thinking about different parts of it makes me smile, makes me remember what’s important to me and makes me feel incredibly human. My Perfect Day has now become like a good friend of mine, a friend that I can call on whenever I want to.
So what's your Perfect Day? Just shoot from the hip and see what comes out naturally for you. Write down words, ideas, themes or a whole narrative – even draw pictures if you want to. Have fun with it, play with it – it's your Perfect Day.
Pack in More of the Three F’s
Fun, Fulfilment, and Freedom – what I call the Three F's - embody a whole lot of what people are looking for in life. Here are some quick definitions,
Fun, n. - A source of enjoyment or pleasure; playful activity.
Ful-fill'ment, n. - To bring into actuality; to complete; a feeling of satisfaction at having achieved your desires.
Free-dom, n. - The capacity to exercise choice, free will; frankness or boldness; the absence of constraint in choice or action.
These 3 things have a massive influence on your experience of life, so think about it – where are you on a scale from 1 to 10 against each of The Three F’s? How much fun are you having right now? How fulfilled are you? How free do you feel?
What would happen if you climbed a point or two on the Fun scale? What if you could add a point to your level of Fulfillment or Freedom? Chances are it would feel pretty darn good, so what one thing can you do right now to help you climb the Three F’s scale?
By themselves each of the Three F's are a powerful thing and can really help to enjoy where you are and feel alive. But when the Three F's come together . . .well, just hold on to your hat and keys because that’s one hell of a ride.
Random thoughts of a 25-35 year old...
Random thoughts from people 25-35 years old...
-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can
think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell
my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves
me.
-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you
realize you're wrong.
-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to
have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and
sticks when they've invented the lighter?
-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're
going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to
be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the
direction from which you came, you have to first do something like
check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to
yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're
crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
-That's enough, Nickelback.
-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know"
feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose
not to be friends with?
-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't
work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically
fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all
know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards
or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.
-There is a great need for sarcasm font.
-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and
suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first
saw it.
-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually
becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting
90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's
laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little
bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the
only one who really, really gets it.
-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than
take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear
your computer history if you die.
-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to
finish a text.
- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the
spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
- LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".
- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron
test is absolutely petrifying.
- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart",
all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".
- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod
and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up
to prevent a ---- from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in'
examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete
idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and
said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"
-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and
instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.
- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I
know how to get out of my neighborhood.
- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the
person died.
- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the
shower first and THEN turn on the water.
-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,
and you can wear them forever.
- I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu'
to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an
overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."
-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
- Bad decisions make good stories
-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their
profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got
the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if
I do!
- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring
would probably just be completely invisible.
-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go
around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly
nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be
a problem....
-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work
when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.
-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't
want to have to restart my collection.
-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are
going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me
if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I
swear I did not make any changes to.
- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.
-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people
watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will
they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't
watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and
leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'
-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?
Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and
goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone
and run away?
- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not
seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
-When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she
hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light
internet stalking.
-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,
then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising
speed for pedophiles...
- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,
but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still
not know what time it is.
-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to
answer when they call.
-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.
-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car
keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the
Donkey - but I’d bet my --- everyone can find and push the Snooze
button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time
every time...
-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would
happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?
-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and
the link takes me to a video instead of text.
-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they
drive behind obeys the speed limit.
-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or
Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
-The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw
they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words,
someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think
about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people
eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by
myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard
before dinner.
-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can
think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell
my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves
me.
-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you
realize you're wrong.
-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to
have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and
sticks when they've invented the lighter?
-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're
going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to
be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the
direction from which you came, you have to first do something like
check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to
yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're
crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
-That's enough, Nickelback.
-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know"
feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose
not to be friends with?
-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't
work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically
fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all
know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards
or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.
-There is a great need for sarcasm font.
-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and
suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first
saw it.
-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually
becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting
90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's
laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little
bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the
only one who really, really gets it.
-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than
take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear
your computer history if you die.
-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to
finish a text.
- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the
spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
- LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".
- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron
test is absolutely petrifying.
- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart",
all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".
- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod
and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up
to prevent a ---- from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in'
examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete
idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and
said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"
-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and
instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.
- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I
know how to get out of my neighborhood.
- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the
person died.
- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the
shower first and THEN turn on the water.
-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,
and you can wear them forever.
- I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu'
to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an
overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."
-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
- Bad decisions make good stories
-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their
profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got
the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if
I do!
- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring
would probably just be completely invisible.
-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go
around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly
nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be
a problem....
-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work
when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.
-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't
want to have to restart my collection.
-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are
going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me
if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I
swear I did not make any changes to.
- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.
-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people
watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will
they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't
watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and
leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'
-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?
Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and
goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone
and run away?
- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not
seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
-When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she
hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light
internet stalking.
-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,
then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising
speed for pedophiles...
- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,
but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still
not know what time it is.
-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to
answer when they call.
-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.
-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car
keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the
Donkey - but I’d bet my --- everyone can find and push the Snooze
button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time
every time...
-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would
happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?
-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and
the link takes me to a video instead of text.
-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they
drive behind obeys the speed limit.
-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or
Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
-The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw
they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words,
someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think
about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people
eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by
myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard
before dinner.
Friday, August 21, 2009
bull market
the dow has screamed to 9,400 plus This is absolutely insane. how long can this hold up? any guesses....
NEW YORK, NEW YORK.
I fly out to New York City tonight, then fly out to an undisclosed location tomorrow, then fly back into NYC tuesday,then fly out wednesday, then chi-town on Friday. this could get real silly.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
If it kills me -Jason Mraz
Hello, tell me you know
Yeah, you figured me out
Something gave it away
And it would be such a beautiful moment
To see the look on your face
To know that I know that you know now
And baby that's a case of my wishful thinking
You know nothing
Cause you and I
Why, we go carrying on for hours, on and
We get along much better
Than you and your boyfriend
Well all I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
Well how long, can I go on like this,
Wishing to kiss you,
Before I rightly explode?
This double life I lead isn't healthy for me
In fact it makes me nervous
If I get caught I could be risking it all
Baby there's a lot that I miss
In case I'm wrong
Well all I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
If I should be so bold
I'd ask you to hold my heart in your hand
Tell you from the start how I've longed to be your man
But I never said I would
I guess I'm gonna miss my chance again
All I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
If it kills me
I think it might kill me
And all I really want from you is to feel me
It's a feeling inside that keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
If it kills me
It might kill me
Yeah, you figured me out
Something gave it away
And it would be such a beautiful moment
To see the look on your face
To know that I know that you know now
And baby that's a case of my wishful thinking
You know nothing
Cause you and I
Why, we go carrying on for hours, on and
We get along much better
Than you and your boyfriend
Well all I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
Well how long, can I go on like this,
Wishing to kiss you,
Before I rightly explode?
This double life I lead isn't healthy for me
In fact it makes me nervous
If I get caught I could be risking it all
Baby there's a lot that I miss
In case I'm wrong
Well all I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
If I should be so bold
I'd ask you to hold my heart in your hand
Tell you from the start how I've longed to be your man
But I never said I would
I guess I'm gonna miss my chance again
All I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
If it kills me
I think it might kill me
And all I really want from you is to feel me
It's a feeling inside that keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
If it kills me
It might kill me
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
20 Things I'm Glad Life Taught Me -Andrew Galasetti
How many times have you heard someone say, "Hindsight is always 20/20"? If you are like me, you hear it a lot and think it a lot more. Last year Jay wrote an article listing things he wished he'd known earlier. It got me thinking that the most crucial lessons in life and success aren't taught in books or written on blogs, but they are found by living life itself.
Sure, there may be nuggets of wisdom that we pick up from Dumb Little Man, Zen Habits, or Life Remix, but it is up to us individually to act upon them and learn the lessons. If it takes a failure for us to learn something important, so be it.
Here are 20 things that I personally came to understand and believe in. Your 20 could be totally different. Perhaps you only have 5, it doesn't matter. The key is that you learn from your life, your failures and your successes. Neglect any one of those and you are taking a rocky road to learning and personal development.
You must create and look for opportunities: Opportunities rarely ever come knocking on the door of someone who's not seeking them. You have to create and seek opportunities for yourself. You have to take the initiative to get the ball rolling and the doors opening.
Negativity will only bring more of it: When you focus only on negativity, obviously that's all you will see. You will not seek out positivity, and even when positivity comes into your life, you'll look for the negative part of it.
Where you are does not determine where you can go: It doesn't matter if you're homeless or living in a mansion, poor or rich, or if you have a 4.0 grade point average or "failing", it won't make any difference in the future. There are countless rags to riches stories to back this point up. If you have the drive and talents, you can go anywhere. You create your own limitations and horizon.
If you can't help others, you can't help yourself: Even if it's just to hold the door for someone or some other simple gesture, it will do wonders for your life. You'll feel great and you'll eventually be returned the favor sometime during your life, whether you realize it or not. If you don't want to help others, then others won't want to help you, and nor should they.
Follow your passion, money will follow: If you have passion and have fun doing your job, then I wouldn't consider it a job. You can focus on creating even more passion for that subject and money will eventually follow you. If you focus only on the money, it won't come because you're focused on the quantity of your work and not the quality.
Enjoy yourself: Have fun as much as possible, don't take everything so seriously. Push your worries aside and bring enjoyment closer.
If it were easy everyone would do it: This is why get rich quick schemes will never be true. If it was so quick and easy then everyone would be millionaires. Making money and accomplishing tasks is hard work, but well worth it.
Planning is good but so is being spontaneous: Planning ahead in business and in life is important but so is being able to quickly change that plan. Various people and events will get in the way of your plans, so you have to be able to modify or forget your plans at times. Be spontaneous once and awhile, it makes life interesting.
You have many talents: You may be a talented athlete or musician but you probably have ten more talents you don't even know about. When people find something they're good at, they only focus on that instead of seeing what else they can do.
Don't work hard without rewards: What's the point of working hard to follow your dreams if you aren't going to treat yourself along the way. Each little or big goal you accomplish should be rewarded with a proportionate treat, maybe a day off or a big slice of cake.
Money does bring happiness: As I said, you shouldn't be chasing money but when you do earn it, you know you've been accomplishing something. It feels great and brings you happiness because you know you'll have more freedom and time to do what you want.
Someone always has it worse: At times you may be having a bad day, but stop yourself and think about it; there has to be millions of other people are having a worse day than you.
You'll need others: Make as many friends as you possibly can and never burn bridges. You will need others for your success.
Being open-minded is the key to more knowledge: If you want to know more about the world you have to be open-minded. Give everything a chance.
Failure is great: One of the most important, if not the most important steps to success is failure. You have to fail at least once, but it's better if you've failed multiple times. You can learn so much more from your failures than you could any other way. And when you finally achieve success, you'll appreciate it so much more.
Most people are actually nice: This is something I've only recently realized. Most people are nice, but not usually to strangers. Once they get to know you and you get to know them, they will most likely seem like very nice people.
Words and thoughts control everything: What you say and think will ultimately become reality. If you say you're going to fail, then you will because you'll find a way to make it happen. If you say you're going to succeed, the same will happen, you'll find a way.
Your view is the reality: How you see an event or situation is how it exists. If you see something as tragic and negative then that's what it means to you. If you see something as exciting and positive, then that's what it is.
Inspiration and motivation are everywhere: I don't care where you are, there is something there that can motivate and inspire you. You can be at war is some far away country, in horrible conditions, but there will be something there to keep you going and strive for something better. You just have to recognize it and keep it with you.
You can change the world: Every single person has the ability to change the world whether directly or indirectly. When you change your life and the lives of those around you, you've changed the world. Small things that you do can make a huge impact on the world.
Sure, there may be nuggets of wisdom that we pick up from Dumb Little Man, Zen Habits, or Life Remix, but it is up to us individually to act upon them and learn the lessons. If it takes a failure for us to learn something important, so be it.
Here are 20 things that I personally came to understand and believe in. Your 20 could be totally different. Perhaps you only have 5, it doesn't matter. The key is that you learn from your life, your failures and your successes. Neglect any one of those and you are taking a rocky road to learning and personal development.
You must create and look for opportunities: Opportunities rarely ever come knocking on the door of someone who's not seeking them. You have to create and seek opportunities for yourself. You have to take the initiative to get the ball rolling and the doors opening.
Negativity will only bring more of it: When you focus only on negativity, obviously that's all you will see. You will not seek out positivity, and even when positivity comes into your life, you'll look for the negative part of it.
Where you are does not determine where you can go: It doesn't matter if you're homeless or living in a mansion, poor or rich, or if you have a 4.0 grade point average or "failing", it won't make any difference in the future. There are countless rags to riches stories to back this point up. If you have the drive and talents, you can go anywhere. You create your own limitations and horizon.
If you can't help others, you can't help yourself: Even if it's just to hold the door for someone or some other simple gesture, it will do wonders for your life. You'll feel great and you'll eventually be returned the favor sometime during your life, whether you realize it or not. If you don't want to help others, then others won't want to help you, and nor should they.
Follow your passion, money will follow: If you have passion and have fun doing your job, then I wouldn't consider it a job. You can focus on creating even more passion for that subject and money will eventually follow you. If you focus only on the money, it won't come because you're focused on the quantity of your work and not the quality.
Enjoy yourself: Have fun as much as possible, don't take everything so seriously. Push your worries aside and bring enjoyment closer.
If it were easy everyone would do it: This is why get rich quick schemes will never be true. If it was so quick and easy then everyone would be millionaires. Making money and accomplishing tasks is hard work, but well worth it.
Planning is good but so is being spontaneous: Planning ahead in business and in life is important but so is being able to quickly change that plan. Various people and events will get in the way of your plans, so you have to be able to modify or forget your plans at times. Be spontaneous once and awhile, it makes life interesting.
You have many talents: You may be a talented athlete or musician but you probably have ten more talents you don't even know about. When people find something they're good at, they only focus on that instead of seeing what else they can do.
Don't work hard without rewards: What's the point of working hard to follow your dreams if you aren't going to treat yourself along the way. Each little or big goal you accomplish should be rewarded with a proportionate treat, maybe a day off or a big slice of cake.
Money does bring happiness: As I said, you shouldn't be chasing money but when you do earn it, you know you've been accomplishing something. It feels great and brings you happiness because you know you'll have more freedom and time to do what you want.
Someone always has it worse: At times you may be having a bad day, but stop yourself and think about it; there has to be millions of other people are having a worse day than you.
You'll need others: Make as many friends as you possibly can and never burn bridges. You will need others for your success.
Being open-minded is the key to more knowledge: If you want to know more about the world you have to be open-minded. Give everything a chance.
Failure is great: One of the most important, if not the most important steps to success is failure. You have to fail at least once, but it's better if you've failed multiple times. You can learn so much more from your failures than you could any other way. And when you finally achieve success, you'll appreciate it so much more.
Most people are actually nice: This is something I've only recently realized. Most people are nice, but not usually to strangers. Once they get to know you and you get to know them, they will most likely seem like very nice people.
Words and thoughts control everything: What you say and think will ultimately become reality. If you say you're going to fail, then you will because you'll find a way to make it happen. If you say you're going to succeed, the same will happen, you'll find a way.
Your view is the reality: How you see an event or situation is how it exists. If you see something as tragic and negative then that's what it means to you. If you see something as exciting and positive, then that's what it is.
Inspiration and motivation are everywhere: I don't care where you are, there is something there that can motivate and inspire you. You can be at war is some far away country, in horrible conditions, but there will be something there to keep you going and strive for something better. You just have to recognize it and keep it with you.
You can change the world: Every single person has the ability to change the world whether directly or indirectly. When you change your life and the lives of those around you, you've changed the world. Small things that you do can make a huge impact on the world.
8 Harsh Truths that Will Improve Your Life- Glenn Allsop
8 Harsh Truths that Will Improve Your Life
They say life is what we make of it. By the end of this post, I hope to have helped you decide whether that statement is true or not.
There is no doubt that life has its ups and downs. However, how we deal with them can sometimes make all the difference. Today I want to share eight harsh truths that I've come to learn from life. There's also a message in each that I think we can all learn from, and when applied, will improve our lives infinitely.
Some of these lessons may be old-hat for you. If so, look for ways to refine the idea to ensure your getting the most out of it. On the other hand, you may completely disagree with an idea or two and that's great! Let us know your thoughts so we can all learn from each other.
Friends Come and Go
When I was in high school, I always imagined spending most of my life with the same people. Then when I realized I had to move to college, that all changed. Once again, I made some close college friends but left them all behind when I moved from the UK to South Africa.
Friends will always come and go in your life; even though I'm back in the UK now, all my friends are in university around the country and not exactly in meeting distance. It can be a hard thing to accept, but many of the friends you spend time with now, might not be around in the next few years.
Important Lesson: There are an abundance of amazing people out there for you to meet and build relationships with. If you don't have many friends, don't stress, there are literally billions of friendship possibilities.
You Won't Always Get What You Want
I remember one Christmas when the only thing I had asked for was some second hand turntables for DJ'ing. I didn't ask for anything else so I was pretty sure I would get them. However, they didn't come and I ended up having to save for 10 months on my own in order to purchase them.
You won't always get what you want in life: people are going to be late, people will let you down, items you want won't always be available.
Important Lesson: Don't look for happiness in material possessions and if things don't go your way, learn to accept them. Life's too short to stay miserable.
Many People Will Love You, but Many Will Not
Whether you are a celebrity, a charity worker or just a normal guy, there are going to be people that love you and what you do, but there's also going to be plenty people that don't like you. There are many possible reasons such as jealousy, similarities to them, or just not being someone's 'type'.
Important Lesson: Not everyone is always going to like you, and that's fine. If people want to spend time talking about you then that is their problem. You are perfect as you are. You shouldn't need everyone to like you to have some form of self-esteem.
Nobody Can Transform Your Life Like You Can
Wouldn't it be lovely if we didn't have to go up on stage, but we could just read a paragraph of a blog post and become a perfect public speaker? Or, wouldn't it be nice if our friends could do daring things, and we would benefit from them as well?
The support and help of others can only take you so far, you're going to have to do your own thing to make big changes in your life situation.
Important Lesson: Do things for yourself and learn to stand on your own two feet. People you rely on won't be around forever, and you don't want to have to use others as a crutch to get anywhere in life.
You Are Going to Fail
I built more than 7 websites before I created one that actually started making me any money. I even put hundreds of hours into my own company that I actually closed down last month. Whether it is exams, projects, companies, or even the odd pub quiz, there are times when you will fail to meet your goals.
As the saying goes - "Only those who are asleep make no mistakes".
Important Lesson: You can learn a lot from others, but it is your own failures that are going to teach you the most valuable lessons in life. Learn from your failures, embrace them, and use them to drive you on to success.
Rain Will Sometimes Cancel Play
On some occasions when you have your shorts on and you're ready for the beach, it's going to rain. Or, when you get to that first hole and you're ready to tee off - the clouds will open. Things aren't always going to go how you would like them to.
Important Lesson: Don't stress about the things that you can't control. Learn to live with things that happen. You can't change the past, but you can change how you react to things.
There May Be No Tomorrow
At least, not for you anyway. We never know what is around the corner, a car crash, a heart attack; heck...even the end of the world is possible. Let's face it, although we would all like to live till we are 70 years old, that's certainly not always the case. There will be one day that is our last.
Important Lesson: Make the most of each day. Make sure the people you care about actually know it, don't worry about little matters, just make sure you spend time doing the things you love.
Someone Else Will Always Have More
Whether it is money, partners, friends or even blog subscribers, there will always be areas where other people have more than you. That isn't to say you can't become abundant in whatever you want (i.e. someone always had more money than Warren Buffett until 2008 when he was noted to be the richest man in the world).
The wanting of more actually holds a very important lesson...
Important Lesson: Just because someone has 'more', that doesn't mean they are happy. Read the biography of any celebrity and they will tell you they enjoy their process of earning money, rather than what money can do to make them happy. In other words, focus on what you love, not what the thing you love can get you.
BONUS: Linking all the lessons here together is actually quite simple, and I can share the majority of what you need to know to enjoy life in a few simple bullet points:
Live life for the moment
Accept what is, even if things don't go your way
Happiness is here, right now if you stop resisting and start accepting
They say life is what we make of it. By the end of this post, I hope to have helped you decide whether that statement is true or not.
There is no doubt that life has its ups and downs. However, how we deal with them can sometimes make all the difference. Today I want to share eight harsh truths that I've come to learn from life. There's also a message in each that I think we can all learn from, and when applied, will improve our lives infinitely.
Some of these lessons may be old-hat for you. If so, look for ways to refine the idea to ensure your getting the most out of it. On the other hand, you may completely disagree with an idea or two and that's great! Let us know your thoughts so we can all learn from each other.
Friends Come and Go
When I was in high school, I always imagined spending most of my life with the same people. Then when I realized I had to move to college, that all changed. Once again, I made some close college friends but left them all behind when I moved from the UK to South Africa.
Friends will always come and go in your life; even though I'm back in the UK now, all my friends are in university around the country and not exactly in meeting distance. It can be a hard thing to accept, but many of the friends you spend time with now, might not be around in the next few years.
Important Lesson: There are an abundance of amazing people out there for you to meet and build relationships with. If you don't have many friends, don't stress, there are literally billions of friendship possibilities.
You Won't Always Get What You Want
I remember one Christmas when the only thing I had asked for was some second hand turntables for DJ'ing. I didn't ask for anything else so I was pretty sure I would get them. However, they didn't come and I ended up having to save for 10 months on my own in order to purchase them.
You won't always get what you want in life: people are going to be late, people will let you down, items you want won't always be available.
Important Lesson: Don't look for happiness in material possessions and if things don't go your way, learn to accept them. Life's too short to stay miserable.
Many People Will Love You, but Many Will Not
Whether you are a celebrity, a charity worker or just a normal guy, there are going to be people that love you and what you do, but there's also going to be plenty people that don't like you. There are many possible reasons such as jealousy, similarities to them, or just not being someone's 'type'.
Important Lesson: Not everyone is always going to like you, and that's fine. If people want to spend time talking about you then that is their problem. You are perfect as you are. You shouldn't need everyone to like you to have some form of self-esteem.
Nobody Can Transform Your Life Like You Can
Wouldn't it be lovely if we didn't have to go up on stage, but we could just read a paragraph of a blog post and become a perfect public speaker? Or, wouldn't it be nice if our friends could do daring things, and we would benefit from them as well?
The support and help of others can only take you so far, you're going to have to do your own thing to make big changes in your life situation.
Important Lesson: Do things for yourself and learn to stand on your own two feet. People you rely on won't be around forever, and you don't want to have to use others as a crutch to get anywhere in life.
You Are Going to Fail
I built more than 7 websites before I created one that actually started making me any money. I even put hundreds of hours into my own company that I actually closed down last month. Whether it is exams, projects, companies, or even the odd pub quiz, there are times when you will fail to meet your goals.
As the saying goes - "Only those who are asleep make no mistakes".
Important Lesson: You can learn a lot from others, but it is your own failures that are going to teach you the most valuable lessons in life. Learn from your failures, embrace them, and use them to drive you on to success.
Rain Will Sometimes Cancel Play
On some occasions when you have your shorts on and you're ready for the beach, it's going to rain. Or, when you get to that first hole and you're ready to tee off - the clouds will open. Things aren't always going to go how you would like them to.
Important Lesson: Don't stress about the things that you can't control. Learn to live with things that happen. You can't change the past, but you can change how you react to things.
There May Be No Tomorrow
At least, not for you anyway. We never know what is around the corner, a car crash, a heart attack; heck...even the end of the world is possible. Let's face it, although we would all like to live till we are 70 years old, that's certainly not always the case. There will be one day that is our last.
Important Lesson: Make the most of each day. Make sure the people you care about actually know it, don't worry about little matters, just make sure you spend time doing the things you love.
Someone Else Will Always Have More
Whether it is money, partners, friends or even blog subscribers, there will always be areas where other people have more than you. That isn't to say you can't become abundant in whatever you want (i.e. someone always had more money than Warren Buffett until 2008 when he was noted to be the richest man in the world).
The wanting of more actually holds a very important lesson...
Important Lesson: Just because someone has 'more', that doesn't mean they are happy. Read the biography of any celebrity and they will tell you they enjoy their process of earning money, rather than what money can do to make them happy. In other words, focus on what you love, not what the thing you love can get you.
BONUS: Linking all the lessons here together is actually quite simple, and I can share the majority of what you need to know to enjoy life in a few simple bullet points:
Live life for the moment
Accept what is, even if things don't go your way
Happiness is here, right now if you stop resisting and start accepting
39 ways to live by Leo Babauta
39 Ways to Live, and Not Merely Exist
"The proper function of man is to live - not to exist." -- Jack London
Too often we go through life on autopilot, going through the motions and having each day pass like the one before it.
That's fine, and comfortable, until you have gone through another year without having done anything, without having really lived life.
That's fine, until you have reached old age and look back on life with regrets.
That's fine, until you see your kids go off to college and realize that you missed their childhoods.
It's not fine. If you want to truly live life, to really experience it, to enjoy it to the fullest, instead of barely scraping by and only living a life of existence, then you need to find ways to break free from the mold and drink from life.
What follows is just a list of ideas, obvious ones mostly that you could have thought of yourself, but that I hope are useful reminders. We all need reminders sometimes. If you find this useful, print it out, and start using it. Today.
Love. Perhaps the most important. Fall in love, if you aren't already. If you have, fall in love with your partner all over again. Abandon caution and let your heart be broken. Or love family members, friends, anyone -- it doesn't have to be romantic love. Love all of humanity, one person at a time.
Get outside. Don't let yourself be shut indoors. Go out when it's raining. Walk on the beach. Hike through the woods. Swim in a freezing lake. Bask in the sun. Play sports, or walk barefoot through grass. Pay close attention to nature.
Savor food. Don't just eat your food, but really enjoy it. Feel the texture, the bursts of flavors. Savor every bite. If you limit your intake of sweets, it will make the small treats you give yourself (berries or dark chocolate are my favorites) even more enjoyable. And when you do have them, really, really savor them. Slowly.
Create a morning ritual. Wake early and greet the day. Watch the sun rise. Out loud, tell yourself that you will not waste this day, which is a gift. You will be compassionate to your fellow human beings, and live every moment to its fullest. Stretch or meditate or exercise as part of your ritual. Enjoy some coffee.
Take chances. We often live our lives too cautiously, worried about what might go wrong. Be bold, risk it all. Quit your job and go to business for yourself (plan it out first!), or go up to that girl you've liked for a long time and ask her out. What do you have to lose?
Follow excitement. Try to find the things in life that excite you, and then go after them. Make life one exciting adventure after another (with perhaps some quiet times in between).
Find your passion. Similar to the above tip, this one asks you to find your calling. Make your living by doing the thing you love to do. First, think about what you really love to do. There may be many things. Find out how you can make a living doing it. It may be difficult, but you only live once.
Get out of your cubicle. Do you sit all day in front of computer, shuffling papers and taking phone calls and chatting on the Internet? Don't waste your days like this. Break free from the cubicle environment, and do your work on a laptop, in a coffee shop, or on a boat, or in a log cabin. This may require a change of jobs, or becoming a freelancer. It's worth it.
Turn off the TV. How many hours will we waste away in front of the boob tube? How many hours do we have to live? Do the math, then unplug the TV. Only plug it back in when you have a DVD of a movie you love. Otherwise, keep it off and find other stuff to do. Don't know what to do? Read further.
Pull away from Internet. You're reading something on the Internet right now. And, with the exception of this article, it is just more wasting away of your precious time. You cannot get these minutes back. Unplug the Internet, then get out of your office or house. Right now! And go and do something.
Travel. Sure, you want to travel some day. When you have vacation time, or when you're older. Well, what are you waiting for? Find a way to take a trip, if not this month, then sometime soon. You may need to sell your car or stop your cable bill and stop eating out to do it, but make it happen. You are too young to not see the world. If need be, find a way to make a living by freelancing, then work while you travel. Only work an hour or two a day. Don't check email but once a week. Then use the rest of the time to see the world.
Rediscover what's important. Take an hour and make a list of everything that's important to you. Add to it everything that you want to do in life. Now cut that list down to 4-5 things. Just the most important things in your life. This is your core list. This is what matters. Focus your life on these things. Make time for them.
Eliminate everything else. What's going on in your life that's not on that short list? All that stuff is wasting your time, pulling your attention from what's important. As much as possible, simplify your life by eliminating the stuff that's not on your short list, or minimizing it.
Exercise. Get off the couch and go for a walk. Eventually try running. Or do some push ups and crunches. Or swim or bike or row. Or go for a hike. Whatever you do, get active, and you'll love it. And life will be more alive.
Be positive. Learn to recognize the negative thoughts you have. These are the self-doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints, the reasons you can't do something. Then stop yourself when you have these thoughts, and replace them with positive thoughts. Solutions. You can do this!
Open your heart. Is your heart a closed bundle of scar tissue? Learn to open it, have it ready to receive love, to give love unconditionally. If you have a problem with this, talk to someone about it. And practice makes perfect.
Kiss in the rain. Seize the moment and be romantic. Raining outside? Grab your lover and give her a passionate kiss. Driving home? Stop the car and pick some wildflowers. Send her a love note. Dress sexy for him.
Face your fears. What are you most afraid of? What is holding you back? Whatever it is, recognize it, and face it. Do what you are most afraid of. Afraid of heights? Go to the tallest building, and look down over the edge. Only by facing our fears can we be free of them.
When you suffer, suffer. Life isn't all about fun and games. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. We lose our jobs. We lose our lovers. We lose our pets. We get physically injured or sick. A loved one becomes sick. A parent dies. Learn to feel the pain intensely, and really grieve. This is a part of life -- really feel the pain. And when you're done, move on, and find joy.
Slow down. Life moves along at such a rapid pace these days. It's not healthy, and it's not conducive to living. Practice doing everything slowly -- everything, from eating to walking to driving to working to reading. Enjoy what you do. Learn to move at a snail's pace.
Touch humanity. Get out of your house and manicured neighborhoods, and find those who live in worse conditions. Meet them, talk to them, understand them. Live among them. Be one of them. Give up your materialistic lifestyle.
Volunteer. Help at homeless soup kitchens. Learn compassion, and learn to help ease the suffering of others. Help the sick, those with disabilities, those who are dying.
Play with children. Children, more than anyone else, know how to live. They experience everything in the moment, fully. When they get hurt, they really cry. When they play, they really have fun. Learn from them, instead of thinking you know so much more than them. Play with them, and learn to be joyful like them.
Talk to old people. There is no one wiser, more experienced, more learned, than those who have lived through life. They can tell you amazing stories. Give you advice on making a marriage last or staying out of debt. Tell you about their regrets, so you can learn from them and avoid the same mistakes. They are the wisdom of our society -- take advantage of their existence while they're still around.
Learn new skills. Constantly improve yourself instead of standing still -- not because you're so imperfect now, but because it is gratifying and satisfying. You should accept yourself as you are, and learn to love who you are, but still try to improve -- if only because the process of improvement is life itself.
Find spirituality. For some, this means finding God or Jesus or Allah or Buddha. For others, this means becoming in tune with the spirits of our ancestors, or with nature. For still others, this just means an inner energy. Whatever spirituality means for you, rediscover it, and its power.
Take mini-retirements. Don't leave the joy of retirement until you are too old to enjoy it. Do it now, while you're young. It makes working that much more worth it. Find ways to take a year off every few years. Save up, sell your home, your possessions, and travel. Live simply, but live, without having to work. Enjoy life, then go back to work and save up enough money to do it again in a couple of years.
Do nothing. Despite the tip above that we should find excitement, there is value in doing nothing as well. Not doing nothing as in reading, or taking a nap, or watching TV, or meditating. Doing nothing as in sitting there, doing nothing. Just learning to be still, in silence, to hear our inner voice, to be in tune with life. Do this daily if possible.
Stop playing video games. They might be fun, but they can take up way too much time. If you spend a lot of time playing online games, or computer solitaire, or Wii or Gameboy or whatever, consider going a week without it. Then find something else to do, outside.
Watch sunsets, daily. One of the most beautiful times of day. Make it a daily ritual to find a good spot to watch the sunset, perhaps having a light dinner while you do so.
Stop reading magazines. They're basically crap. And they waste your time and money. Cancel your subscriptions and walk past them at the news stands. If you have to read something, read a trashy novel or even better, read Dumb Little Man once a day and be done.
Break out from ruts. Do you do things the same way every day? Change it up. Try something new. Take a different route to work. Start your day out differently. Approach work from a new angle. Look at things from new perspectives.
Stop watching the news. It's depressing and useless. If you're a news junky, this may be difficult. I haven't watch TV news or read a newspaper regularly in about two years. It hasn't hurt me a bit. Anything important, my mom tells me about.
Laugh till you cry. Laughing is one of the best ways to live. Tell jokes and laugh your head off. Watch an awesome comedy. Learn to laugh at anything. Roll on the ground laughing. You'll love it.
Lose control. Not only control over yourself, but control over others. It's a bad habit to try to control others -- it will only lead to stress and unhappiness for yourself and those you try to control. Let others live, and live for yourself. And lose control of yourself now and then too.
Cry. Men, especially, tend to hold in our tears, but crying is an amazing release. Cry at sad movies. Cry at a funeral. Cry when you are hurt, or when somebody you love is hurt. It releases these emotions and allows us to cleanse ourselves.
Make an awesome dessert. I like to make warm, soft chocolate cake. But even berries dipped in chocolate, or crepes with ice cream and fruit, or fresh apple pie, or homemade chocolate chip cookies or brownies, are great. This isn't an every day thing, but an occasional treat thing. But it's wonderful.
Try something new, every week. Ask yourself: "What new thing shall I try this week?" Then be sure to do it. You don't have to learn a new language in one week, but seek new experiences. Give it a try. You might decide you want to keep it in your life.
Be in the moment. Instead of thinking about things you need to do, or things that have happened to you, or worrying or planning or regretting, think about what you are doing, right now. What is around you? What smells and sounds and sights and feelings are you experiencing? Learn to do this as much as possible through meditation, but also through bringing your focus back to the present as much as you can in everything you do.
"The proper function of man is to live - not to exist." -- Jack London
Too often we go through life on autopilot, going through the motions and having each day pass like the one before it.
That's fine, and comfortable, until you have gone through another year without having done anything, without having really lived life.
That's fine, until you have reached old age and look back on life with regrets.
That's fine, until you see your kids go off to college and realize that you missed their childhoods.
It's not fine. If you want to truly live life, to really experience it, to enjoy it to the fullest, instead of barely scraping by and only living a life of existence, then you need to find ways to break free from the mold and drink from life.
What follows is just a list of ideas, obvious ones mostly that you could have thought of yourself, but that I hope are useful reminders. We all need reminders sometimes. If you find this useful, print it out, and start using it. Today.
Love. Perhaps the most important. Fall in love, if you aren't already. If you have, fall in love with your partner all over again. Abandon caution and let your heart be broken. Or love family members, friends, anyone -- it doesn't have to be romantic love. Love all of humanity, one person at a time.
Get outside. Don't let yourself be shut indoors. Go out when it's raining. Walk on the beach. Hike through the woods. Swim in a freezing lake. Bask in the sun. Play sports, or walk barefoot through grass. Pay close attention to nature.
Savor food. Don't just eat your food, but really enjoy it. Feel the texture, the bursts of flavors. Savor every bite. If you limit your intake of sweets, it will make the small treats you give yourself (berries or dark chocolate are my favorites) even more enjoyable. And when you do have them, really, really savor them. Slowly.
Create a morning ritual. Wake early and greet the day. Watch the sun rise. Out loud, tell yourself that you will not waste this day, which is a gift. You will be compassionate to your fellow human beings, and live every moment to its fullest. Stretch or meditate or exercise as part of your ritual. Enjoy some coffee.
Take chances. We often live our lives too cautiously, worried about what might go wrong. Be bold, risk it all. Quit your job and go to business for yourself (plan it out first!), or go up to that girl you've liked for a long time and ask her out. What do you have to lose?
Follow excitement. Try to find the things in life that excite you, and then go after them. Make life one exciting adventure after another (with perhaps some quiet times in between).
Find your passion. Similar to the above tip, this one asks you to find your calling. Make your living by doing the thing you love to do. First, think about what you really love to do. There may be many things. Find out how you can make a living doing it. It may be difficult, but you only live once.
Get out of your cubicle. Do you sit all day in front of computer, shuffling papers and taking phone calls and chatting on the Internet? Don't waste your days like this. Break free from the cubicle environment, and do your work on a laptop, in a coffee shop, or on a boat, or in a log cabin. This may require a change of jobs, or becoming a freelancer. It's worth it.
Turn off the TV. How many hours will we waste away in front of the boob tube? How many hours do we have to live? Do the math, then unplug the TV. Only plug it back in when you have a DVD of a movie you love. Otherwise, keep it off and find other stuff to do. Don't know what to do? Read further.
Pull away from Internet. You're reading something on the Internet right now. And, with the exception of this article, it is just more wasting away of your precious time. You cannot get these minutes back. Unplug the Internet, then get out of your office or house. Right now! And go and do something.
Travel. Sure, you want to travel some day. When you have vacation time, or when you're older. Well, what are you waiting for? Find a way to take a trip, if not this month, then sometime soon. You may need to sell your car or stop your cable bill and stop eating out to do it, but make it happen. You are too young to not see the world. If need be, find a way to make a living by freelancing, then work while you travel. Only work an hour or two a day. Don't check email but once a week. Then use the rest of the time to see the world.
Rediscover what's important. Take an hour and make a list of everything that's important to you. Add to it everything that you want to do in life. Now cut that list down to 4-5 things. Just the most important things in your life. This is your core list. This is what matters. Focus your life on these things. Make time for them.
Eliminate everything else. What's going on in your life that's not on that short list? All that stuff is wasting your time, pulling your attention from what's important. As much as possible, simplify your life by eliminating the stuff that's not on your short list, or minimizing it.
Exercise. Get off the couch and go for a walk. Eventually try running. Or do some push ups and crunches. Or swim or bike or row. Or go for a hike. Whatever you do, get active, and you'll love it. And life will be more alive.
Be positive. Learn to recognize the negative thoughts you have. These are the self-doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints, the reasons you can't do something. Then stop yourself when you have these thoughts, and replace them with positive thoughts. Solutions. You can do this!
Open your heart. Is your heart a closed bundle of scar tissue? Learn to open it, have it ready to receive love, to give love unconditionally. If you have a problem with this, talk to someone about it. And practice makes perfect.
Kiss in the rain. Seize the moment and be romantic. Raining outside? Grab your lover and give her a passionate kiss. Driving home? Stop the car and pick some wildflowers. Send her a love note. Dress sexy for him.
Face your fears. What are you most afraid of? What is holding you back? Whatever it is, recognize it, and face it. Do what you are most afraid of. Afraid of heights? Go to the tallest building, and look down over the edge. Only by facing our fears can we be free of them.
When you suffer, suffer. Life isn't all about fun and games. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. We lose our jobs. We lose our lovers. We lose our pets. We get physically injured or sick. A loved one becomes sick. A parent dies. Learn to feel the pain intensely, and really grieve. This is a part of life -- really feel the pain. And when you're done, move on, and find joy.
Slow down. Life moves along at such a rapid pace these days. It's not healthy, and it's not conducive to living. Practice doing everything slowly -- everything, from eating to walking to driving to working to reading. Enjoy what you do. Learn to move at a snail's pace.
Touch humanity. Get out of your house and manicured neighborhoods, and find those who live in worse conditions. Meet them, talk to them, understand them. Live among them. Be one of them. Give up your materialistic lifestyle.
Volunteer. Help at homeless soup kitchens. Learn compassion, and learn to help ease the suffering of others. Help the sick, those with disabilities, those who are dying.
Play with children. Children, more than anyone else, know how to live. They experience everything in the moment, fully. When they get hurt, they really cry. When they play, they really have fun. Learn from them, instead of thinking you know so much more than them. Play with them, and learn to be joyful like them.
Talk to old people. There is no one wiser, more experienced, more learned, than those who have lived through life. They can tell you amazing stories. Give you advice on making a marriage last or staying out of debt. Tell you about their regrets, so you can learn from them and avoid the same mistakes. They are the wisdom of our society -- take advantage of their existence while they're still around.
Learn new skills. Constantly improve yourself instead of standing still -- not because you're so imperfect now, but because it is gratifying and satisfying. You should accept yourself as you are, and learn to love who you are, but still try to improve -- if only because the process of improvement is life itself.
Find spirituality. For some, this means finding God or Jesus or Allah or Buddha. For others, this means becoming in tune with the spirits of our ancestors, or with nature. For still others, this just means an inner energy. Whatever spirituality means for you, rediscover it, and its power.
Take mini-retirements. Don't leave the joy of retirement until you are too old to enjoy it. Do it now, while you're young. It makes working that much more worth it. Find ways to take a year off every few years. Save up, sell your home, your possessions, and travel. Live simply, but live, without having to work. Enjoy life, then go back to work and save up enough money to do it again in a couple of years.
Do nothing. Despite the tip above that we should find excitement, there is value in doing nothing as well. Not doing nothing as in reading, or taking a nap, or watching TV, or meditating. Doing nothing as in sitting there, doing nothing. Just learning to be still, in silence, to hear our inner voice, to be in tune with life. Do this daily if possible.
Stop playing video games. They might be fun, but they can take up way too much time. If you spend a lot of time playing online games, or computer solitaire, or Wii or Gameboy or whatever, consider going a week without it. Then find something else to do, outside.
Watch sunsets, daily. One of the most beautiful times of day. Make it a daily ritual to find a good spot to watch the sunset, perhaps having a light dinner while you do so.
Stop reading magazines. They're basically crap. And they waste your time and money. Cancel your subscriptions and walk past them at the news stands. If you have to read something, read a trashy novel or even better, read Dumb Little Man once a day and be done.
Break out from ruts. Do you do things the same way every day? Change it up. Try something new. Take a different route to work. Start your day out differently. Approach work from a new angle. Look at things from new perspectives.
Stop watching the news. It's depressing and useless. If you're a news junky, this may be difficult. I haven't watch TV news or read a newspaper regularly in about two years. It hasn't hurt me a bit. Anything important, my mom tells me about.
Laugh till you cry. Laughing is one of the best ways to live. Tell jokes and laugh your head off. Watch an awesome comedy. Learn to laugh at anything. Roll on the ground laughing. You'll love it.
Lose control. Not only control over yourself, but control over others. It's a bad habit to try to control others -- it will only lead to stress and unhappiness for yourself and those you try to control. Let others live, and live for yourself. And lose control of yourself now and then too.
Cry. Men, especially, tend to hold in our tears, but crying is an amazing release. Cry at sad movies. Cry at a funeral. Cry when you are hurt, or when somebody you love is hurt. It releases these emotions and allows us to cleanse ourselves.
Make an awesome dessert. I like to make warm, soft chocolate cake. But even berries dipped in chocolate, or crepes with ice cream and fruit, or fresh apple pie, or homemade chocolate chip cookies or brownies, are great. This isn't an every day thing, but an occasional treat thing. But it's wonderful.
Try something new, every week. Ask yourself: "What new thing shall I try this week?" Then be sure to do it. You don't have to learn a new language in one week, but seek new experiences. Give it a try. You might decide you want to keep it in your life.
Be in the moment. Instead of thinking about things you need to do, or things that have happened to you, or worrying or planning or regretting, think about what you are doing, right now. What is around you? What smells and sounds and sights and feelings are you experiencing? Learn to do this as much as possible through meditation, but also through bringing your focus back to the present as much as you can in everything you do.
Persist
Persist
The only way to fail is to give up. Whatever comes, whatever happens, keep going.
Fix your eyes on the goal, and persist. Your vision, your commitment, and your actions will take you there.
When you can make great big strides, make them. When you can take only small steps, take them.
See every moment as the opportunity that it is. When the wind is at your back, keep going, and when the wind is blowing against you, keep going.
Make good and effective use of whatever you encounter. Tap into the positive value that is always there.
Know precisely where you wish to go and why. Keep going, and you are there.
-- Ralph Marston
The only way to fail is to give up. Whatever comes, whatever happens, keep going.
Fix your eyes on the goal, and persist. Your vision, your commitment, and your actions will take you there.
When you can make great big strides, make them. When you can take only small steps, take them.
See every moment as the opportunity that it is. When the wind is at your back, keep going, and when the wind is blowing against you, keep going.
Make good and effective use of whatever you encounter. Tap into the positive value that is always there.
Know precisely where you wish to go and why. Keep going, and you are there.
-- Ralph Marston
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
it's the thought that counts
The people who complain the loudest about never having an opportunity in life are usually the ones who always have a ready excuse for their failures. Nothing is ever their fault; they are victims of their heritage, their environment, insufficient education, or any number of other factors that they perceive as placing them at a disadvantage. If you look hard enough, you can always find reasons for not attempting something or not sticking with the job to the end. Successful people, though, are not excuse-makers. They take responsibility for their actions, they set goals, and they assume responsibility for their achievement. Where others see despair, they see hope. They approach every situation with enthusiasm, confident in the knowledge that nothing is impossible for those who have a Positive Mental Attitude. -nap hill
Thursday, August 6, 2009
20 things life taught me-Andrew Galesetti
You must create and look for opportunities: Opportunities rarely ever come knocking on the door of someone who's not seeking them. You have to create and seek opportunities for yourself. You have to take the initiative to get the ball rolling and the doors opening.
Negativity will only bring more of it: When you focus only on negativity, obviously that's all you will see. You will not seek out positivity, and even when positivity comes into your life, you'll look for the negative part of it.
Where you are does not determine where you can go: It doesn't matter if you're homeless or living in a mansion, poor or rich, or if you have a 4.0 grade point average or "failing", it won't make any difference in the future. There are countless rags to riches stories to back this point up. If you have the drive and talents, you can go anywhere. You create your own limitations and horizon.
If you can't help others, you can't help yourself: Even if it's just to hold the door for someone or some other simple gesture, it will do wonders for your life. You'll feel great and you'll eventually be returned the favor sometime during your life, whether you realize it or not. If you don't want to help others, then others won't want to help you, and nor should they.
Follow your passion, money will follow: If you have passion and have fun doing your job, then I wouldn't consider it a job. You can focus on creating even more passion for that subject and money will eventually follow you. If you focus only on the money, it won't come because you're focused on the quantity of your work and not the quality.
Enjoy yourself: Have fun as much as possible, don't take everything so seriously. Push your worries aside and bring enjoyment closer.
If it were easy everyone would do it: This is why get rich quick schemes will never be true. If it was so quick and easy then everyone would be millionaires. Making money and accomplishing tasks is hard work, but well worth it.
Planning is good but so is being spontaneous: Planning ahead in business and in life is important but so is being able to quickly change that plan. Various people and events will get in the way of your plans, so you have to be able to modify or forget your plans at times. Be spontaneous once and awhile, it makes life interesting.
You have many talents: You may be a talented athlete or musician but you probably have ten more talents you don't even know about. When people find something they're good at, they only focus on that instead of seeing what else they can do.
Don't work hard without rewards: What's the point of working hard to follow your dreams if you aren't going to treat yourself along the way. Each little or big goal you accomplish should be rewarded with a proportionate treat, maybe a day off or a big slice of cake.
Money does bring happiness: As I said, you shouldn't be chasing money but when you do earn it, you know you've been accomplishing something. It feels great and brings you happiness because you know you'll have more freedom and time to do what you want.
Someone always has it worse: At times you may be having a bad day, but stop yourself and think about it; there has to be millions of other people are having a worse day than you.
You'll need others: Make as many friends as you possibly can and never burn bridges. You will need others for your success.
Being open-minded is the key to more knowledge: If you want to know more about the world you have to be open-minded. Give everything a chance.
Failure is great: One of the most important, if not the most important steps to success is failure. You have to fail at least once, but it's better if you've failed multiple times. You can learn so much more from your failures than you could any other way. And when you finally achieve success, you'll appreciate it so much more.
Most people are actually nice: This is something I've only recently realized. Most people are nice, but not usually to strangers. Once they get to know you and you get to know them, they will most likely seem like very nice people.
Words and thoughts control everything: What you say and think will ultimately become reality. If you say you're going to fail, then you will because you'll find a way to make it happen. If you say you're going to succeed, the same will happen, you'll find a way.
Your view is the reality: How you see an event or situation is how it exists. If you see something as tragic and negative then that's what it means to you. If you see something as exciting and positive, then that's what it is.
Inspiration and motivation are everywhere: I don't care where you are, there is something there that can motivate and inspire you. You can be at war is some far away country, in horrible conditions, but there will be something there to keep you going and strive for something better. You just have to recognize it and keep it with you.
You can change the world: Every single person has the ability to change the world whether directly or indirectly. When you change your life and the lives of those around you, you've changed the world. Small things that you do can make a huge impact on the world.
Negativity will only bring more of it: When you focus only on negativity, obviously that's all you will see. You will not seek out positivity, and even when positivity comes into your life, you'll look for the negative part of it.
Where you are does not determine where you can go: It doesn't matter if you're homeless or living in a mansion, poor or rich, or if you have a 4.0 grade point average or "failing", it won't make any difference in the future. There are countless rags to riches stories to back this point up. If you have the drive and talents, you can go anywhere. You create your own limitations and horizon.
If you can't help others, you can't help yourself: Even if it's just to hold the door for someone or some other simple gesture, it will do wonders for your life. You'll feel great and you'll eventually be returned the favor sometime during your life, whether you realize it or not. If you don't want to help others, then others won't want to help you, and nor should they.
Follow your passion, money will follow: If you have passion and have fun doing your job, then I wouldn't consider it a job. You can focus on creating even more passion for that subject and money will eventually follow you. If you focus only on the money, it won't come because you're focused on the quantity of your work and not the quality.
Enjoy yourself: Have fun as much as possible, don't take everything so seriously. Push your worries aside and bring enjoyment closer.
If it were easy everyone would do it: This is why get rich quick schemes will never be true. If it was so quick and easy then everyone would be millionaires. Making money and accomplishing tasks is hard work, but well worth it.
Planning is good but so is being spontaneous: Planning ahead in business and in life is important but so is being able to quickly change that plan. Various people and events will get in the way of your plans, so you have to be able to modify or forget your plans at times. Be spontaneous once and awhile, it makes life interesting.
You have many talents: You may be a talented athlete or musician but you probably have ten more talents you don't even know about. When people find something they're good at, they only focus on that instead of seeing what else they can do.
Don't work hard without rewards: What's the point of working hard to follow your dreams if you aren't going to treat yourself along the way. Each little or big goal you accomplish should be rewarded with a proportionate treat, maybe a day off or a big slice of cake.
Money does bring happiness: As I said, you shouldn't be chasing money but when you do earn it, you know you've been accomplishing something. It feels great and brings you happiness because you know you'll have more freedom and time to do what you want.
Someone always has it worse: At times you may be having a bad day, but stop yourself and think about it; there has to be millions of other people are having a worse day than you.
You'll need others: Make as many friends as you possibly can and never burn bridges. You will need others for your success.
Being open-minded is the key to more knowledge: If you want to know more about the world you have to be open-minded. Give everything a chance.
Failure is great: One of the most important, if not the most important steps to success is failure. You have to fail at least once, but it's better if you've failed multiple times. You can learn so much more from your failures than you could any other way. And when you finally achieve success, you'll appreciate it so much more.
Most people are actually nice: This is something I've only recently realized. Most people are nice, but not usually to strangers. Once they get to know you and you get to know them, they will most likely seem like very nice people.
Words and thoughts control everything: What you say and think will ultimately become reality. If you say you're going to fail, then you will because you'll find a way to make it happen. If you say you're going to succeed, the same will happen, you'll find a way.
Your view is the reality: How you see an event or situation is how it exists. If you see something as tragic and negative then that's what it means to you. If you see something as exciting and positive, then that's what it is.
Inspiration and motivation are everywhere: I don't care where you are, there is something there that can motivate and inspire you. You can be at war is some far away country, in horrible conditions, but there will be something there to keep you going and strive for something better. You just have to recognize it and keep it with you.
You can change the world: Every single person has the ability to change the world whether directly or indirectly. When you change your life and the lives of those around you, you've changed the world. Small things that you do can make a huge impact on the world.
la familia.
Today I found out my father has 2 brothers and 4 sisters (one was adopted). If the first born didn't pass away a couple months after birth he would have been from a family of ten. My mother was from a family of 12. They're both the second oldest. No wonder I was drawn to growing up with a family of 7. I wonder how many children I will have...
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
one of the better cd's i've bought in awhile.
Tristan Prettyman- twenty three
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_W_E_N_T_Y_T_H_R_E_E
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_W_E_N_T_Y_T_H_R_E_E
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
thoughts from Napoleon Hill
The great majority of people in the world drift through life, never realizing that their future will be the one they create for themselves. The minority who achieve great success are people who know what they want and have a plan for realizing their objectives. They know what they want and how they are going to get it. Your goals should be specific, they should be measurable, they should have a deadline for their achievement, and they should be divided into manageable pieces. Know exactly what you plan to achieve, when you plan to achieve it, and how. Review your progress regularly, correct your course when necessary, and never, never give up.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
some wisdom for ya'll.
We spend too much time living in the ‘what if’ and need to learn to live in the ‘what is.’
Rev. Leroy Allison
Some people drift through their entire life. They do it one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time. It happens so gradually they are unaware of how their lives are slipping away until it's too late.
Mary Kay Ash
[The void] It's that place in our lives where what we've been hanging onto . . . clinging to for dear life . . . is stripped away. It's that place in us where we let go of what we know, what we think we know, and what we want and surrender to the unknown. It is the place of saying and meaning, 'I don't know.' It means standing there with our hands empty for a while, sometimes watching everything we wanted disappear; our self image, our definition of who we thought we should be, the clones we've created of ourselves, the people we thought we had to have, the things we thought were so important to collect and surround ourselves with, the job we were certain was ours, the place we thought we'd live in all our lives. . . Surrender control to the supreme wisdom and authority of God and to the Divine in your soul. Step into the void with courage. Learn to say, I don't know. That's not blind faith. It's pure faith that will allow God and your spirit to lead you wherever your soul wants and needs to go.
Melody Beattie, "Finding Your Way Home"
Going home means getting comfortable being who you are and who your soul really wants to be. There is no strain with that. The strain and tension come when we're not being who our soul wants to be and we're someplace where our soul doesn't feel at home.
Melody Beattie, "Finding Your Way Home"
Quit hanging on to the handrails . . . Let go. Surrender. Go for the ride of your life. Do it every day.
Melody Beattie, "Finding Your Way Home"
Your body is free but your heart is in prison. To release your heart, you simply reverse the process which locked it up. First you begin to listen for messages from your heart—messages you may have been ignoring since childhood. Next you must take the daring, risky step of expressing your heart in the outside world. . . . As you learn to live by heart, every choice you make will become another way of telling your story. . . . It is the way you were meant to exist. If you stop to listen, you’ll realize that your heart has been telling you so all along.
Martha Beck, "Finding Your Own North Star"
A bird does not sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.
Chinese proverb
There is the risk you cannot afford to take and there is the risk you cannot afford not to take.
Peter Drucker
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.
Albert Einstein
There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you do not do them.
Charles D. Gill
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Wayne Gretzky
No one lives on the top of the mountain. It’s fine to go there occasionally —for inspiration, for new perspectives. But you have to come down. Life is lived in the valleys. That’s where the farms and gardens and orchards are, and where the plowing and the work is done. That’s where you apply the visions you may have glimpsed from the peaks.
Arthur Gordon
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you’ll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
Arthur Gordon
Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid. In the past, whenever I had fallen short in almost any undertaking, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all.
Arthur Gordon
Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin.
Grace Hansen
It is our choices, Harry, that show what we really are, far more than our abilities.
Albus Dumbledore in one of the
Harry Potter books & movies
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
Judith Kelman
Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for our having passed through it. . . . What frustrates us and robs our lives of joy is this absence of meaning. . . . Does our being alive matter?
Harold S. Kushner in
"When All You Ever Wanted Isn't Enough"
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
Joe Lewis
Don't wait for some magic gift. Share what you are, dare to be vulnerable, and you will find people who count you among their deepest friends
"Let God Love You"
The only certain means of success is to render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be. . . The surest way to doom yourself to mediocrity is to perform only the work for which you are paid.
Og Mandino in
"The Greatest Miracle in the World"
You are not the momentary whim of a careless creator experimenting in the laboratory of life. . . You were made with a purpose.
Og Mandino in
"The Greatest Miracle in the World"
All of us have been dying, hour by hour, since the moment we were born. Realizing this, let all things be placed in their proper perspective. . . . Remember, it is always later than you think.
Og Mandino in
"The Greatest Success in the World"
We're all here to do what we're all here to do.
The Matrix Reloaded 2003
I believe everyone is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive.
Benjamin E. Mays
One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.
Iris Murdoc
Above all, try something.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you deal with it is what makes the difference.
Virginia Satir
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marilyn vos Savant
What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
Dr. Robert H. Schuller
It is not the years in your life
but the life in your years that counts.
Adlai Stevenson
There are some kind of men who are so busy worrying about the next life, they've never learned to live in this one.
"To Kill a Mockingbird"
We can't move ahead if we're trying to get even.
Frank Tyger
When we trust ourselves, doors open up. It's up to us to make sure that the door that opens isn't to an empty elevator shaft.
Unknown
What if the hokey-pokey is really what it's all about?
Unknown
There are times in our lives when we are on narrow roads. At those times, we are fools if we try to maintain our usual speed.
Unknown
If you do nothing unexpected, nothing unexpected happens.
Fay Weldon
That whisper you keep hearing is the universe trying to get your attention.
Oprah WInfrey
Every now and then, bite off more than you can chew.
Kobi Yamada
Rev. Leroy Allison
Some people drift through their entire life. They do it one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time. It happens so gradually they are unaware of how their lives are slipping away until it's too late.
Mary Kay Ash
[The void] It's that place in our lives where what we've been hanging onto . . . clinging to for dear life . . . is stripped away. It's that place in us where we let go of what we know, what we think we know, and what we want and surrender to the unknown. It is the place of saying and meaning, 'I don't know.' It means standing there with our hands empty for a while, sometimes watching everything we wanted disappear; our self image, our definition of who we thought we should be, the clones we've created of ourselves, the people we thought we had to have, the things we thought were so important to collect and surround ourselves with, the job we were certain was ours, the place we thought we'd live in all our lives. . . Surrender control to the supreme wisdom and authority of God and to the Divine in your soul. Step into the void with courage. Learn to say, I don't know. That's not blind faith. It's pure faith that will allow God and your spirit to lead you wherever your soul wants and needs to go.
Melody Beattie, "Finding Your Way Home"
Going home means getting comfortable being who you are and who your soul really wants to be. There is no strain with that. The strain and tension come when we're not being who our soul wants to be and we're someplace where our soul doesn't feel at home.
Melody Beattie, "Finding Your Way Home"
Quit hanging on to the handrails . . . Let go. Surrender. Go for the ride of your life. Do it every day.
Melody Beattie, "Finding Your Way Home"
Your body is free but your heart is in prison. To release your heart, you simply reverse the process which locked it up. First you begin to listen for messages from your heart—messages you may have been ignoring since childhood. Next you must take the daring, risky step of expressing your heart in the outside world. . . . As you learn to live by heart, every choice you make will become another way of telling your story. . . . It is the way you were meant to exist. If you stop to listen, you’ll realize that your heart has been telling you so all along.
Martha Beck, "Finding Your Own North Star"
A bird does not sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.
Chinese proverb
There is the risk you cannot afford to take and there is the risk you cannot afford not to take.
Peter Drucker
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.
Albert Einstein
There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you do not do them.
Charles D. Gill
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Wayne Gretzky
No one lives on the top of the mountain. It’s fine to go there occasionally —for inspiration, for new perspectives. But you have to come down. Life is lived in the valleys. That’s where the farms and gardens and orchards are, and where the plowing and the work is done. That’s where you apply the visions you may have glimpsed from the peaks.
Arthur Gordon
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you’ll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
Arthur Gordon
Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid. In the past, whenever I had fallen short in almost any undertaking, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all.
Arthur Gordon
Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin.
Grace Hansen
It is our choices, Harry, that show what we really are, far more than our abilities.
Albus Dumbledore in one of the
Harry Potter books & movies
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
Judith Kelman
Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for our having passed through it. . . . What frustrates us and robs our lives of joy is this absence of meaning. . . . Does our being alive matter?
Harold S. Kushner in
"When All You Ever Wanted Isn't Enough"
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
Joe Lewis
Don't wait for some magic gift. Share what you are, dare to be vulnerable, and you will find people who count you among their deepest friends
"Let God Love You"
The only certain means of success is to render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be. . . The surest way to doom yourself to mediocrity is to perform only the work for which you are paid.
Og Mandino in
"The Greatest Miracle in the World"
You are not the momentary whim of a careless creator experimenting in the laboratory of life. . . You were made with a purpose.
Og Mandino in
"The Greatest Miracle in the World"
All of us have been dying, hour by hour, since the moment we were born. Realizing this, let all things be placed in their proper perspective. . . . Remember, it is always later than you think.
Og Mandino in
"The Greatest Success in the World"
We're all here to do what we're all here to do.
The Matrix Reloaded 2003
I believe everyone is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive.
Benjamin E. Mays
One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.
Iris Murdoc
Above all, try something.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you deal with it is what makes the difference.
Virginia Satir
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marilyn vos Savant
What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
Dr. Robert H. Schuller
It is not the years in your life
but the life in your years that counts.
Adlai Stevenson
There are some kind of men who are so busy worrying about the next life, they've never learned to live in this one.
"To Kill a Mockingbird"
We can't move ahead if we're trying to get even.
Frank Tyger
When we trust ourselves, doors open up. It's up to us to make sure that the door that opens isn't to an empty elevator shaft.
Unknown
What if the hokey-pokey is really what it's all about?
Unknown
There are times in our lives when we are on narrow roads. At those times, we are fools if we try to maintain our usual speed.
Unknown
If you do nothing unexpected, nothing unexpected happens.
Fay Weldon
That whisper you keep hearing is the universe trying to get your attention.
Oprah WInfrey
Every now and then, bite off more than you can chew.
Kobi Yamada
The Face In The Glass!
When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself
And see what THAT face has to say.
For it isn't your father or mother or spouse
Whose judgment upon you must pass;
The person whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
Some people might think you are a straight-shootin' chum
And call you a wonderful guy or gal,
But the face in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look it straight in the eye.
That's the one you must please, never mind all the rest,
For that's the one with you clear up to the end.
And you know you have passed your most dangerous test
If the face in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of life
And get pats on your back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the face in the glass.
~ Dale Wimbrow ~
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself
And see what THAT face has to say.
For it isn't your father or mother or spouse
Whose judgment upon you must pass;
The person whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
Some people might think you are a straight-shootin' chum
And call you a wonderful guy or gal,
But the face in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look it straight in the eye.
That's the one you must please, never mind all the rest,
For that's the one with you clear up to the end.
And you know you have passed your most dangerous test
If the face in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of life
And get pats on your back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the face in the glass.
~ Dale Wimbrow ~
3 tips (source: jason and rebecca osborn)
Your life is meant to be something great. At different times in your life you have probably wondered what it is that you are supposed to do with it. You know that there is more to your life but you’re not sure how to possess it. Here are 3 keys to help you live your life to its fullest potential.
1. Believe in yourself.
If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? On the other hand, if everyone believes in you but you don’t believe in yourself, you will never reach your full potential. Someone once said that everyone is superior to their fellow human in at least one way. Find that thing that you are the best at and start believing in yourself so that you can have great success.
2. Take a risk.
This will always be somewhat scary, but to live your life to it’s fullest you will have to take some risks. This is where believing in yourself is so important. If having a successful life was without risk, then everyone would have successful lives. Step out from among the crowd of mediocrity and take a risk to become the best you that you can possibly be.
3. Don’t give up.
This is probably the biggest reason why people never live their life to its fullest. Don’t let yourself fall into this same category. Believe it or not, failure is part of success. Talk to any successful person you know and they will tell you that they have failed more times than they wanted to. The difference between them and most people is that they didn’t give up after the failure. If you want to live your life to its fullest, don’t give up until you have what you want.
These 3 keys will help you live your live the way you always knew it was supposed to be, one of happiness, joy, success, and fulfilment. You have something great on the inside of you; don’t let anything stop you from reaching your greatness and fullness in life.
1. Believe in yourself.
If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? On the other hand, if everyone believes in you but you don’t believe in yourself, you will never reach your full potential. Someone once said that everyone is superior to their fellow human in at least one way. Find that thing that you are the best at and start believing in yourself so that you can have great success.
2. Take a risk.
This will always be somewhat scary, but to live your life to it’s fullest you will have to take some risks. This is where believing in yourself is so important. If having a successful life was without risk, then everyone would have successful lives. Step out from among the crowd of mediocrity and take a risk to become the best you that you can possibly be.
3. Don’t give up.
This is probably the biggest reason why people never live their life to its fullest. Don’t let yourself fall into this same category. Believe it or not, failure is part of success. Talk to any successful person you know and they will tell you that they have failed more times than they wanted to. The difference between them and most people is that they didn’t give up after the failure. If you want to live your life to its fullest, don’t give up until you have what you want.
These 3 keys will help you live your live the way you always knew it was supposed to be, one of happiness, joy, success, and fulfilment. You have something great on the inside of you; don’t let anything stop you from reaching your greatness and fullness in life.
living your life to the fullest (source: wikihow)
Seize each day. Live each day as if it's your last. Leave the past behind and do not anticipate the future. Be present to enjoy the moment.
Be adventurous. Explore, live on the edge a little and embrace new challenges. Visit new places with your loved ones. Take the road less traveled.
Keep a journal. Record your accomplishments as well as your delights. Take time to reflect on what has been previously written. Be an inspiration to yourself and others.
Love yourself. Focus on your inner and outer beauty to see the same in others. Acceptance comes from within.
Love others. Love the ones who treat you right. Forget about the ones who dont. Life is too precious to be wasted on waiting for love.
Accept everyone. Be kind and courteous. Enjoy the company of others. Acknowledge their goodness rather than the differences in their beliefs.
Find purpose in life. Be selfless in service to others. Begin with your neighbor. Do charitable service outside of your immediate community as well.
Be realistic. Set attainable goals according to your abilities and talents. Consider each effort to be an attainment. Achieve one step before the other towards stability and security.
Seek balance. Understand the night and day, back and forth, good and bad in all things. Focus on good thoughts and good things will happen.
Maintain control. Be responsible for your actions and inactions. Be true to yourself. Maintain a personal code in the situation at hand. Find common ground.
Listen to your heart and soul. Listen for advice, but be confident in making your own decision. Use your instinct.
Clear your mind. Rituals of yoga, meditation and tai chi will replenish and rejuvenate your soul to focus more clearly on serenity and happiness.
Be carefree. Desires, obsessions and possessions possess you. Free yourself of inhibitions. Make an active decision to have simple daily needs.
Laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. It releases endorphins and promotes longevity. Inner joy is beautiful!
Be flexible. Accept change as a positive thing in life. At times, go with the flow that is before you.
List a few daily goals. Meet a new friend, swim at the lake or walk in the park. Enhance your day and initiate fun!
Appreciate the little things. Take a walk around your community to experience the wonder in a way that you have never experienced it before.
Accept death. Pondering death brings appreciation to life. Take time to appreciate the expanse and beauty of your life and our earth. Let go peacefully.
[edit] TipsBe yourself. Disregard gossip, bias and judgemental attitudes.
Life is too short to be living with regrets. Let go of your anger and lighten your emotion to prevent illness
Be adventurous. Explore, live on the edge a little and embrace new challenges. Visit new places with your loved ones. Take the road less traveled.
Keep a journal. Record your accomplishments as well as your delights. Take time to reflect on what has been previously written. Be an inspiration to yourself and others.
Love yourself. Focus on your inner and outer beauty to see the same in others. Acceptance comes from within.
Love others. Love the ones who treat you right. Forget about the ones who dont. Life is too precious to be wasted on waiting for love.
Accept everyone. Be kind and courteous. Enjoy the company of others. Acknowledge their goodness rather than the differences in their beliefs.
Find purpose in life. Be selfless in service to others. Begin with your neighbor. Do charitable service outside of your immediate community as well.
Be realistic. Set attainable goals according to your abilities and talents. Consider each effort to be an attainment. Achieve one step before the other towards stability and security.
Seek balance. Understand the night and day, back and forth, good and bad in all things. Focus on good thoughts and good things will happen.
Maintain control. Be responsible for your actions and inactions. Be true to yourself. Maintain a personal code in the situation at hand. Find common ground.
Listen to your heart and soul. Listen for advice, but be confident in making your own decision. Use your instinct.
Clear your mind. Rituals of yoga, meditation and tai chi will replenish and rejuvenate your soul to focus more clearly on serenity and happiness.
Be carefree. Desires, obsessions and possessions possess you. Free yourself of inhibitions. Make an active decision to have simple daily needs.
Laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. It releases endorphins and promotes longevity. Inner joy is beautiful!
Be flexible. Accept change as a positive thing in life. At times, go with the flow that is before you.
List a few daily goals. Meet a new friend, swim at the lake or walk in the park. Enhance your day and initiate fun!
Appreciate the little things. Take a walk around your community to experience the wonder in a way that you have never experienced it before.
Accept death. Pondering death brings appreciation to life. Take time to appreciate the expanse and beauty of your life and our earth. Let go peacefully.
[edit] TipsBe yourself. Disregard gossip, bias and judgemental attitudes.
Life is too short to be living with regrets. Let go of your anger and lighten your emotion to prevent illness
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