Category Archives: 21

21

Show Time

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I once heard it said that each person lives their life as if they are staring at their very own television show. All of the people who are entering your life are there to contribute something to your character’s storyline and the plot of your show. Very little substance would occur on these shows if there weren’t other “cast members” around to prompt the action, emotions, and thoughts.  It is an interesting way to look at your life and the people who are in it. Look at how people have entered your life. Some have been there from the beginning, it seems, and others have been introduced along the way. But all of our cast members are here for a reason, and to notice their contribution is important to understand what you need to learn about yourself in this particular episode of your life.  The cast you have is the cast you need.

The Good Guys

Looking at your life as a show makes you realize all of the different supporting characters that have drifted in and out of your life over the years—each leaving a mark on your existence. The supportive ones are always there in a time of need, and sometimes we have to let them play their role.  As we learn about ourselves and the lessons, they come from those we love, care about, or are friends with. I have often seen people come for a season or two, but a few stick around for the whole run of your show.

Cherish the characters that stick around and share their television show with you. You contribute to them, and they contribute to you. It is a symbiotic relationship. Some of them are family, some are just friends, but all need to be appreciated. Not all shows run smoothly. There is going to be drama, downtimes, and pain. But sticking around through all of that stuff shows how valuable you are to them. All people enter your life for a reason, and usually, it is to teach you something. Some teach you lots, some just one thing. It is valuable stuff, and to value the deliverer as much as the information delivered is a life skill we should work on developing.

The Bad Guys

Bad guys teach good lessons.

Sometimes we need a lesson taught so badly to become our best selves, and life sends us people who play the part of the villain in our little show. They work as our arch enemies. They make us mad, upset, frustrated, and make us wonder why anyone could be so evil. Look at what your greatest rivals force you to do. First, you have to reevaluate all things in your life. To compete and defeat the enemy in your story, you need to get control over yourself.  People hurt us or work from their own self-interest. Most importantly, our well-being is not high on their list of concerns.

We need to embrace these types of folks because it is through them that we see the valuable life lessons. If someone talks badly about you, then they are teaching you a lesson. You get an opportunity to look at what you do not want to be. When you see the destructive path that gossip or negativity creates, you know that is not the energy you want in your life.  How other people act is their karma, and they have to own that. How you act is yours, and you also own that. The bad guys provide a chance for us to develop our positive traits and become the best version of ourselves possible.  Light is never as bright as compared to darkness.

That’s a Wrap

At the end of it all, your show is eventually going to wind down and end when the star of your show slips his Earthly bonds and moves on to the great beyond. It is important to appreciate all the people in your life and their unique contributions to you. Know that all people who enter your life can bring you something good even if they are not good themselves.  There are things to learn every day, examples to see, and experiences to share.  Nothing can be shared if you have no others in your life.

Take a moment now and then and take note of your cast and crew: the good guys and the bad. List them and thank them for their contributions to your story. Understand that you are not only the start of your show but a supporting actor on many other shows as well. How do they look at you? Each day is a chance to define what it is you stand for and the impact you want to have on the world. Choose your character well because that is what the world will see, and it is a choice.

Everybody’s a dreamer, and everybody’s a star………………..

21

Thought Switch

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change-your-thoughts-and-you-change-your-world147At every moment in the day, each thought that we entertain is a choice. Many times I find myself thinking a thought that is judgmental, negative, or fear-driven. Fortunately, with everything we think, the opposite is also available.  Like flipping a switch, we have the ability at any moment to turn off those negative thoughts and turn them into something positive. This is a thought switch that is available to you at all moments. Rather than complain about something you can’t control,  think of something else, more positive and productive. Your corresponding emotions will be less destructive.

The human mind is only capable of entertaining only one thought at a time, and that thought will affect your emotional and physical well-being at that moment. It takes no more effort to think positively and constructively than to think negatively and destructively.  We all make this choice for ourselves throughout the course of each day of our lives.

Turn the thought switch………

Thoughts of judgment into thoughts of acceptance.

correct-yr-mindNegative thoughts about yourself to Positive thoughts about your talents.

Thoughts about doom and gloom to thoughts about hope and light.

Thoughts of worry replace with thoughts focused on the here and now.

Thoughts of wrongs done to you in the past are replaced with appreciation for things in your life right now.

Our thoughts are the force that leads to our emotional state, and we control our own minds. We decide what thoughts we focus on and which ones we ignore.  It is your choice to be jealous, envious, judgmental, or angry. Focusing on those thoughts will take you to a life that isn’t much fun to experience because all of those are based on fear. Your choice to hit your own thought switch and focus on the opposite thoughts brings the opposite mental states and experiences with them.

It may sound simplistic, but dismissing this without attempting any change will guarantee that your personal vibration stays just where it is. Improving your thoughts will improve your personal vibration, improve your relationships, health, and how happy you are with life. Generally making your experience in life a more positive and happy one. But the switch can only be operated by you, and nobody can do it for you. 

Give it a try to see what happens. The only thing you have to lose is unhappiness and anger. You have to gain a better understanding of yourself, a consciousness of thought and joy in your life.

You are in the Driver’s Seat!!

 

21

Technology

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Raising My Consciousness One Word at a Time

Technology– machinery and equipment developed from the application of scientific knowledge.

Electronic devices surround our lives.  Virtually all people carry their own devices to allow communication with the world.  Technology has given us amazing things.  A greater ability to communicate, transfer information, travel, and create at a capacity only dreamed of 30 years ago. Now there are problems which have risen as well. Our devices seem to run our lives, as we are all “connected” on social media sites, are we really connected?  Or is it all an illusion?  The challenge in life is to use the technology and not have it use us.  That begins with a focus on our thoughts on using our phones and corresponding social media sites.  Recognize the emotions that result from that and your words and actions, which all come from your technology.  How much of your time is yours? How much belongs to your device?

Attachments to Devices

It is a relatively recent phenomenon that people have developed a significant attachment to their personal communication devices.  They didn’t exist 20 years ago. Now we are all attached to the technology our phone provides to some degree.  It is a one-stop interaction stop, but that attachment brings problems with it—a significant lack of real interaction with other people and the world around you.  The phone provides a link to the world through social media, Facebook, Snap Chat, Instagram, Twitter, or whatever your choice of communication is.  That is addictive.

The addiction can become real, someone likes your picture or shares your story, and your brain reacts chemically to that in a positive way. That leads to seeking more, which leads to more time looking into the false light of your phone, scrolling endlessly through posts to like and judge and like and judge.  The attachment to this activity is solid and real.  The problem is that you are looking at a fantasy of what life is, not life.  Looking at a picture of a beach is not visiting that beach yourself.  Visit the beach!

Building Real Healthy Attachments

How to improve this issue should be easy.  First, you have to become conscious of what you are doing and why you are doing it.  How many times do you scroll through your Facebook feed for no reason?  Start to build attachments to people and things outside of the electronic world.  For example, have real conversations with people.  Real interaction with people is better than any form of social media. I think that people have forgotten this.

Set a bit of time aside each week to be totally electronically free.  No access to the world in any way other than through your five senses in the natural world.  This will wake you up to the things you are missing each day.  What great things do you see every day that you never notice? Start to notice them.  Go for a walk with your eyes directed all around you and with no concern for the things happening in the electronic world.  Allow your consciousness to become aware of real people, sights, activities, and places right in front of you.  Break the electronic attachment, at least for a while.

Awareness of Problem

So now you are aware of the attachment you have to the electronic world of likes, shares, and follows. It is important to become aware of how this can enhance your life.  Social media can be a good thing, but it seems like the negatives are piled high against it.  The process seems to force people to develop unhealthy thoughts that worry about what others think of you and what you are doing.  Then you have to ask yourself, “Do I do this because I want to or because other people will like it?”  The honest answer is probably a little bit of both.  Learning to function for our own approval and nobody else’s is one of the most powerful experiences in life.  Tough to do with social media.

Another of the things people need is to express themselves creatively. This can come in almost any creative form from writing, painting, drawing, woodworking, or any other form of expression.  Creativity is your soul speaking to the world.  Time spent in the vortex of social media is time spent away from creating or learning, or developing yourself as a person. You don’t have to drop off social media, but become conscious of your attachment to it and let that attachment go.  Develop who you are, not what people see about you online.

Letting Go of Attachments

When you let go of all attachments, not just electronic but also those to unhealthy ideas, you open up space for you to develop as a thinking human being.  Then you can let situations be what they are without expectations of your attachment to them.  Each day then contains a little more potential to become whatever it can become.  It all starts with a conscious choice to see the attachment you might have with your phone. Looking at it 900 times a day, seeking validation and support. Those things are already in you. All you have to do is choose to see and pursue them.  It all begins with an awareness of your thoughts, emotions, words, and actions today because of that heightened awareness of technology and its hold on you.

“The word ‘friend’ has become so utterly void of meaning in a world governed by social media. How can anyone truly claim to have eleven hundred friends? In my book, that would involve making time to meet at least three of them every day of the year.”? Alex Morritt

“Social media sites creates [an] illusion of connectivity .”   – Malay Shah

 

 

 

 

 

21

Super Hero

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 How Super Are You?  (Hint: I Know You are Pretty Super)

we are all superman
There is a Superman inside each of us

Who hasn’t imagined at some point in their lives that they were a superhero like Superman? Of course, we all have looked at the superpowers of Superman and wondered what life would be like with that power. But, amazingly, so many people don’t see the powers they possess—strength, character, and a commitment to truth and justice.

Hiding Our Inner Superman

My fascination with superheroes has been lifelong, but I would never have admitted it because I never wanted people to know what Clark Kent really was. Hiding my inner thoughts to avoid being detected by society and putting them at risk of destruction.  There is an easy connection from everyone’s mind to the Superman folk tale because we have all lived it in one way or another. Yes, we are all Supermen (or women).

Even though we don’t have “superpowers,” or at least I don’t, there is an inner talent that we are all born with, which is unique and totally yours.  This is something that may be

there is a clark kent in us too
We all hide our own Clarke Kent identity

artistic and creative or really anything that is uniquely you.  Our lives tend to make us hide this “true identity” from the world. The duplicitous nature seems to exist in many people’s lives and allows us to relate to our superheroes from a very young.  We all had to act “well behaved” in certain circumstances and not like our normal wild heathen selves.  Our Clark Kent personalities were for Sundays and special occasions. Our superhero side came out every other time of day.

Like Superman, We all Have Kryptonite

An even deeper psychological connection exists between all people and Superman, and that is because we all have Kryptonite.  Kryptonite represents Superman’s childhood, his beginning, and it can destroy him. If anyone finds out about his origins, then you may destroy him.  How many people have felt the same way? Our own childhoods, good or bad, tend to provide us with the same quandary. If people knew about them, then they may not like us or reject us and, in effect, destroy us.  Much like Superman and Kryptonite, we are all afraid of our past, and that fear may ultimately lead to our destruction.

To most people, Superman’s idea is that even though he has a past and just might be destroyed, he still takes on the danger of doing what is right.  This, I believe, is the part of the folk tale that we all hope we can adopt.  There are continuous opportunities daily to “Do the right thing,” even if it is not easy.  Knowing what is right and doing what is right is a problem that has perplexed man since there was first a significant thought. However, despite all of this, there are still people who choose to take the high road, regardless of their cost.  These are the superheroes that do exist, and probably at one point in their very young lives, tied a blanket around their neck and jumped from the top of the couch, believing they could fly.

You will Fly Again

Even if you have fallen at one point in life or even two or ten, there is still a power of

fly like superman
If you have ever made your own cape, you believed in Superman

goodness within you that can rise again. The superhero can dust off the cape and remember the things that make them powerful and unique individuals. Choosing the path that is right for you can start each day anew. Superman can rise again today.

Some will tell you that Superman never existed, and the stories are just entertainment; others will hear this diagnosis, smile, and never reveal the truth. But, Superman exists as much as you want him to, inside every one of us.

 

21

Peace

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“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” – Abraham Lincoln.

133622396_80_80This famous quote by Abraham Lincoln was given well over a hundred years ago, and I believe that We can directly apply it today to why we do not have peace in the world. When it comes to war, hatred, and discrimination of any kind, there first has to exist a feeling of separation in one’s mind.  A cognitive judgment that a person places on another to exclude them from themselves and their lives.

I was trying to decide if I had ever experienced peace in my lifetime, and I concluded that I had not.  There are several definitions of peace, but the one I am talking about is a state of harmony between people or groups; freedom from strife.  Perhaps for a short time, these afflictions exist all around us, and only the implementation of love and understanding can provide any other experience.

It’s Easy to Build Walls A Monkey Can Do it.

monkeyI was having a conversation with a friend who continually separates people into different groups and stereotypes them.  When I point this out, his retort is OK because his stereotypes are positively meant to him. There is no such thing as a positive stereotype because once you separate yourself from someone, you have set the stage for you to perpetrate violence or discrimination against them.

If you honestly look at your own life and feelings toward others, you will see that the groups and people who you don’t care for are the ones you have separated from yourself. Either because of race, religion, economic status, ethnic background, or nationality.  These separations perpetuate fear and lead to acceptance of violence toward others.

 Divide and Conquer

stereo types to
Labeling anyone and generalizing their humanity immediately makes them less than human in your mind.

My simple premise is that once you accept a label and separation, you have justified any poor behavior toward those that have been separated. This can be done individually, as looking down on your neighbor or en mass as relating to races, religions, or nationalities.

If that were where my thought ended, then it might seem a rather dim view of the world without any hope of peace ever breaking out, but I do not think this is so. The solution to the problem of separation lies within each of us in our ability to love.

Peace Starts Within You

The first place for peace to start is within yourself and in your daily life. Look for the separations that you create between yourself and others. Rich or poor. Old or young. Married or single. Any of these are separation devices.  In my state, there is a lot of discrimination against the poor. All people who need help from the state are labeled as unsuccessful, lazy, drains on the economy.  It is then easy for these people who already.

Why we Build Walls

wallsWhen it comes to experiencing peace in our world, the biggest barrier is the walls we build to separate us. This can be a physical, mental, or spiritual separation. Still, when you hold something apart from yourself, you have subconsciously allowed yourself to exclude others, discriminate against them, and in the end, perpetuate hate.  When separations are removed for whatever reason, the opposite happens. Understanding flows because we are all the same.

Walls are built because of fear, and fear is the root of all evil in the world. Hate, anger, jealousy, and conformity all stem from the tree of fear.

Expanding circles is the Answer.

The simple response to building walls is not tearing them down but refusing to build them cop bannerin the first place. In your mind, your heart, or your soul.  We need to expand the circle of who we include under our definition and allow more people in. The more you include in the group of “us,” the less fear there will be of the group of “them.”

Instead of excluding someone and labeling them, include them and accept them. People are all the same. We are equal members of the human race, and that membership should rise above one’s nationality, religion, or skin color.  Draw a big circle around yourself and include everyone on your side, then there will be no opposition.

Love is the answer to fear, and love involves understanding and acceptance. For every branch that exists on the tree of fear, there is a corresponding and more powerful counterpart on the tree of love.  Love over fear.

One day I may experience peace.

21

Focus

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“Focus on where you want to go, not what you fear.”

4e267__8722913709_47950e8ae3_zSociety teaches we should avoid failure that failure at all costs. We observe failure as a fate that is so egregious that it might just permanently mark you for life. It is such a problem that people go to great lengths to make sure they are never associated with failure. Yet failure persists because there is value in the experience of falling short. Those who learn to deal with the specter of it will be able to rise to their highest heights. Those who fear it will never accomplish much.  Where there is an excellent reward, there is always a considerable risk. You can’t have one without the other.

 A Teacher

When you are looking for the right method to achieve, there will be a period of trial and error naturally as we learn what works and what needs to be improved. Each failure offers the opportunity to learn and increase 9b461e09ab43c1a33575b983af7d3f36our talent level.  If you run from failure, there will be no risks taken. If you take no chances and get out of your comfort zone, you will not grow, and without growth, death occurs.

Being great is not going to happen overnight, and it isn’t going to come pain-free. The pain comes from falling short, trying something, and having it not work right. Then the glory comes from picking up the pieces, honestly evaluating the process, and making changes so that the next time you WILL NOT fail.  Failure is the teacher to the wise and the master of fools.

Schools Are Bland Factories

The education system today discourages failure in any way. Society designs the evaluation to reward those who follow the directions and rarely think for themselves. There are precious few possibilities where real critical thinking is encouraged. If students attempt to think for themselvesOur-Education-System, society informs them they are wrong and given a poor grade. Failure is not encouraged in any way.

All people are students in life, and obtaining knowledge in life’s classroom will involve a certain amount of failure. That is life. These challenges will come to you no matter if you are rich or poor, old or young, married or single. There will be times when your plans won’t work out the way you hoped, which is the bedrock of greatness. These are valuable life lessons that can guide you through any adversity. Great people rise above the challenges to try again and again until they find the missing ingredients of prosperity.  Our schools should teach students to experience the process of failure and enjoy the flavor of achievement.

Sweet Taste of Accomplishment

In conclusion, it is a fact that when you are seeking to become successful, there is a risk that you might fail. You cannot success comes to the one who dares, even after failure, to think positively and look forward confidently.have the real potential to be your best without the risk of failure. That is what makes the game exciting and
allows for life to be an experience of growth. If you have never failed, then you have no idea how valuable success is. Success tastes way better after you are forced a meal of your dreams dashed or destroyed.

Remember this when someone has failed and fell short, that they dared to try, and they are one step closer to finding success, while you on the sidelines of life are no closer. You are moving away from it by standing still. Take action, support others in their dreams, and run your own goal forward with your actions. Those who judge the failures of others harshly are secretly happy they failed because it justifies their inaction.

Be brave in the pursuit of your goals and dreams and accept the risk of failure. It is the only way to enjoy the best of life. Be Brave in your attempts, and forces will come to your aid.

Failure Is the Condiment That Gives Success Its Flavor – Truman Capote

 

21

Your Story

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story-of-your-lifeThere is only a short time allotted to each of us to write the story of our life, and with that time, we are tasked with a lot of things to accomplish. You have only one life to get things right and sing the song you want to sing. Time to get busy finding out what it is that you want to do and what you want to leave behind in the wake of your efforts.  You are the only one who can write the story of your life.

Size of Your Success in the story of your Life

The size of your success is only limited by the size of your thoughts and the limitations of your beliefs. desireLook at your goal and develop it. Take that initial goal and make it as big as you can imagine, and then start getting excited about bringing it about. Make your dreams so compelling that you will that you can’t wait to work on them because waiting to experience them, in reality, is too painful.

This enthusiasm is a must. I think all successful people find as they start to build their dreams and achieve their goals. Look at all the greatest stories and accomplishments you have ever heard of.  At the core of them was an enthusiasm that pushed them through each day to accomplish greatness. So tune your enthusiasm to the size of your goals and attack it as your story depends on it because it does. That is how you write the story of your life.

Paying the Cost for the Story of your Life

pppjjjjAll things of value are going to come at a cost. That is what makes an accomplishment something to treasure. That is why people are willing to work hard to be a success. Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to make sacrifices to become the best at what they do or build the best company. Greatness has its price, and chasing your dreams is something that you should do with every ounce of yourself because you only have this one chance. You can sleep later or get to work. You can watch TV, or you can work. You can play computer games or work on your craft. It is all up to you. Remember, there is only one chance to write the story of your life.

It is time to start writing your story and decide what your legacy will be. Your thoughts will lead to your actions which will write the story that others will read throughout history. How many will read the story of your life?

 

21

My Fears

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My fears
My fears follow me like a ghost.

I often write in generic terms, through which I remove my emotions from the words, which makes the thoughts clearer for others to understand, but today my connection to the topic is personal, my link to my fears. Each day there seems to be a different mix of emotions. I move from fear to bravery to fear and back again. Anxiety, to me, is a force we are all learning to deal with, but my worries are much more constant and more significant than I once believed. Overcoming them is the secret to moving forward in life, or more likely to move forward is overcoming my fears.

Facing and Dealing with My Fears

I am like most people. I am afraid that I will be inadequate in what I attempt to do. I am so scared that I will let others down or, more rightly, myself in an attempt to accomplish anything. My failures are most my fearsoften a result of these things. What if I try and give it my all, and it still doesn’t work? What then? The root of most of my fears developed through experiences, the time I tried, and it didn’t work out, the time we failed or forgotten. The time we were hurt. The fear of being hurt again limits us. How do you overcome this?

Could you take Action to Defeat My Fears?

Taking action is the right cure for fear. My fears live in the midst of the unknown and are manifested by worry. Worry is the result of fearful thoughts that don’t allow for growth. Worry amplifies fear.  Action defeats it. There is no fear after taking action because there is no doubt and nothing to worry about because the results are all there to analyze.  Your mind moves from the unknown to the known. Even if your actions don’t work out the way you envisioned, they still allow you to move forward in your life.

Fear rarely occurs when you are in the midst of danger. Instead, you react, without a doubt, and the thoughts of what might have been only visiting you after an event. Fear is just a thought that you pay attention to in your consciousness. The action puts your focus away from your fear, and that is a good thing.

Take Action

eleanor-quoteThe obvious thing for me to do is take action and let the cards fall where they will. Fear is a prescription for limit and lack. Action is the conduit for results and knowledge. There is no fear in education, only hard truth, which can take you exactly where you want to go in the world.

All of the monsters we fear to live in the dark and are revealed to be harmless when a little light reveals their true nature. Action is the light that allows you to face, deal with, and eliminate the limiting fears in your life. I am resolving to take steps that will lead me to where I want to be.

My Biggest fears: 

Trying and not succeeding- this leads to difficulty finding motivation and stops affirmative action. 

Unexpected Loss- Makes me very guarded with opportunities. What if they don’t work out. 

Opening up and being hurt for it.   It makes me sabotage many relationships before they get too far. Hurt them before they can hurt me. 

Not being good enough- If you never go all out, you will never know your value, so if you never put yourself out there, this will never find realization. 

Action is the cure for all of these things, and I know that and am attempting to take positive steps in defeating each of my fears so that I can live a life full of the things I want: success, love, fun, growth, and all the positive things life has to offer. We will see how I am doing, defeating my fears.

21

To Read

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Reading is The Key to Learning Anything

reading is power
All The Power in the world is contained within the binder of books!

If you are looking to be the best you can be, I don’t think there is a better activity for you than reading.  When you talk to people today, it is sad how little we read books that expand our horizons and push ourselves to grow and think a little.

I understand that there is an inordinate number of distractions out there today, all vying for our short attention spans, and books seem to be getting the short end of the stick. But, unfortunately, with that, so are we.

Books Changed My Life

I am going to champion the wonder of books and the magic they carry in their pages, just waiting for you to read their words: the imagination that they provide, the knowledge, and the answers to questions.

I was fortunate to have been a reader since I was four years old, reading books with my parents and myself as often as possible. So, as a child, I was aware of the power of words to catapult your imagination and stimulate thoughts of places you have never been, and expand your mind.

As I grew older, the importance of reading fell behind other interests like sports, girls, and money.  I was subject to the same time restraints everyone else is.  I forgot what power was hidden in the pages of these works of art. Each book possesses an opportunity to learn and grow. Yet, I did not take them right away.

teaching you something through books
Find the book that is just right to interest you.

Eventually, as life has unfolded, I finally started to ask some questions that nobody I knew could answer.  How we positively live life, and what being alive on this planet was all about?  I wasn’t the first one and won’t be the last to ask deep questions. Fortunately, I was able to find some great guides for this journey, and they were all located in the pages and words of books.

The Key to the Kingdom

The first really great book I read was called The Kingship of Self-Control and The Majesty of Calmness, by William George Jordan, which he wrote about 100 years ago, but it is a guide for your behavior, most part applicable today.

Dealing with honesty, greed, calmness, how to treat others was a revelation, and I have him to thank for my reawakening in literature.  Since I read that book, I have read somewhere between 60 and 100 books on various topics, but always being drawn toward philosophy, psychology, and how life works.

william george jordan
The Book that started my journey will make you want to be a better person!

The more I read and learned, the more I wanted to learn. There were many things that nobody had ever told me, so not only was I entering a new world I had never visited, it was a world I didn’t even know existed.

There are other philosophies about reality or that our minds work a certain way because conditioning was an exciting discovery.

There isn’t any force that could stop me from learning more and reading now.  That is a passion and a desire that I would hope for everyone.

One of the saddest conversations I have had recently was with a high school student who stated clearly that most of her classmates didn’t see the value in reading and, in fact, couldn’t remember that last time they read a book.

They stated that they didn’t see the value in it. You can watch things on television or on your computer.  This is true, but you will never have the intricate connection that absorbing words from a page into your mind will give you.

This connection is more powerful than any television show you will ever see and is available to anyone literate.  Once you have the power of literacy, all you have to do is apply it, and there you go, you are off to whatever pinnacle you are reaching for.

The Dream Builder

For myself, reading helped crystallize what my dreams were, and it may help others do the same thing.  Read a book about something you are interested in and then ask questions about the information you learn.  That will inevitably lead you to another book and more knowledge, and before long, you will be smarter than you ever imagined possible.

Knowledge is power, and power will help you get anywhere you want to go, regardless of

be a bookworm
I can’t think of anything better than being a Bookworm!

your economic background or family situation can achieve whatever you want by applying yourself in reading.  You can learn from the mistakes of others, building on their philosophies, adopting what proves right to you, and discarding what doesn’t seem to fit. Unfortunately, this is learning and seems to be a lost art in our overly mandated education system today.

So if you are wondering about anything and curious about how to be successful or how to run a business or climb a mountain or sail a boat, all that you need to know is located somewhere in a book for you to discover, read, and read and master.  All you have to know is where to look.

Read for your mind, read for your soul, and read for your success.  There isn’t anything you can’t accomplish through the power of literacy.

 

Some of the books I have read and would recommend checking this link. 

Get a move on and read, get smarter, become successful.

 

21

Day Before

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You never see the real painful things coming.
You never see the harrowing things coming.

There are days that you remember because they have a long-lasting effect on your life.  I certainly have many of these.  Some days serve to remind me of those moments when my life changed so dramatically that it could never be the same again.

What had been my life was over and what was coming next was unknown and unpredictable. The experience I identified as my life was shattered into a million pieces, and no matter how they my life will never be the samewere put back together, they would never be the same. They would never fit snugly.

What was I going to do? But what about the day before? The day before, my life changed forever. Before the accident. Before we told the truth. Before she left. Before the death. Before………

I remember having several days where my life ended as I knew it, and the scars are going to be carried inside for the rest of my life.  Those painful moments are seared into my memory, and their story has become a part of my inner and outer story.  I have remembered them more than I care to admit and still feel a dull pain of regret and longing for the past.   It is strange, but I remember the days before with as much clarity as to the traumatic events themselves. I had no idea that I would never be the same.

I remember that I worked out that day. If I had known it would be my last, I would have probably commemorated it more but got my work done and then went home.  I remember hurrying to mow the lawn before it rained because there was a storm coming. I got half of the backyard done before it rained. I had no idea I would never finish that lawn for the rest of the summer.

As the rain started to fall and the thunder rolled in the distance, warning of the foul weather to come, I had no clue that in many ways, it would never be clear skies again for years to come.  I remember watching the rain from my back porch and thinking of the small, boring things I had to do tomorrow, the next week, the next month.   What to eat? What to watch on television? What to do in two weeks? The futility and foolishness of those thoughts could only be revealed by the

What to eat? What to watch on television? What I “needed” to accomplish? The futility and foolishness of those thoughts could only be revealed by the wisdom or folly of the days coming unforeseen in my future.  The day before my life, as I knew it ended, I had no idea of what was coming.  I think that is what they mean when they say ignorance is bliss. 

I am sure that is how most people feel on the day before your life changes forever. A regular day of “normal” thought that will unexpectedly be interrupted by the devastation of the storm to come, unlooked-for and out of nowhere.  I am not sure if they are meant to last as a memory of peace or one of torture.

I hope that you have never met this kind of tragedy and that your life is full of happy days that you truly enjoy. There is a part of me that will always warn you, though; Beware of the calm sea because often there is a tempest waiting under the surface, simply waiting for the right time to alter your life forever.

Know that no matter how devastated you are or how many changes you undergo, there is still hope. I hope that you will be stronger and can put your life back together again.

I hope that the pain of the current circumstance will sharpen your talents and wits to the fine sharp edge needed to accomplish great things. It can build your confidence back up again after a fall and allow you to rise higher than was previously possible.

Hope is the light of the future, and it allows all people not only to seek but to find retribution in your life. It allows you to take the next step forward when all you want to do is quit. Don’t quit, or you will never know what you are capable of contributing.

Know that each day, there is something to be grateful for and to enjoy. So enjoy it because you never know what will come tomorrow.