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Live Wisely

Wise people do not shrink in fear of what they do not know.  Nor do the wise foolishly walk into dangers they don’t know anything concerning.  The wise become knowledgeable on many things that pertain to them.  They believe in continual learning and the fact that actual knowledge is where it is.

I urge you to be wise.  I am not talking about degrees and accolades.  Listen, look, and learn.  Do not panic just because others are doing so.  Understand the problems and concerns, determine the causes, and how to keep from being near them.  Do not let others tell you the sky is falling, or there is nothing to fear.  We know real-life lies somewhere in the balance.

Learn, study, know, and then decide.  To do anything else would be foolhardy indeed.  We are far to smart for that.  We now live in an age of enlightenment and continuous learning.  No one else can give us pause for that which we already know.

It is up to each person to do what is correct for them.  Each of us needs to act with determination and forethought.  We can do what we need and what we should do.  No one should live in fear or ignorance.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Limit Your Fear

I want you to think of your past and the times that you found yourself afraid.  Be honest with yourself and count up the number of times you found fear because of something that could happen that you did not have all the answers to understand. Then, I would like you to count up the number of times you found yourself afraid of something that was happening to you that you completely understood and for which you knew all the relevant information.

I am going to predict the highest number is for the times you did not have all the information. I am not a mind reader, and I could get this wrong, yet 65% of what we worry about (fear) are things that never come true.  Also, the more we know, the better our minds can understand it logically.  If we stay centered in our brain between logic and emotion, we are less likely to panic. 

Panic is a tendency to control stressing events with emotion rather than balancing the process out with facts and logic.  Using a whole mind approach is the best way to prevent panic or harsh actions.    Get the facts, understand what they mean to you, and plan accordingly.

If someone is panicking, it is good to have them understand how close the problem is to them.  Start by asking if the problem is in the person’s personal space (18 inches); if not, then is the problem in their friend space (about three and a half feet). If they cannot see the problem in that distance, go on and ask about the common area (about 10 to 11 feet).  If not, ask if it is within a block or a mile or in the city.  If not, it is easier for them to relax.

When problems come along, it is always good to have someone with you.  Between the two of you, common sense can prevail.  Just make sure you are using your full mind.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

How to Be Your Keeper

Sometimes in our lives, we have bad things happen to us.  At these times, it is easy to blame others and play the ‘Woe Is Me’ card.  Some expect others to come along and pick them up and make them whole again.  Unfortunately, when the pity card plays once too often, something can crack, and the person can lose themselves in a sea of self-pity.

We must do our best and exhaust our Talents and abilities before asking for others to aid, and do for us.  We have more skills, strength, and talent than we think.  We are the ones who know who we are and what we need.  Handing the role to anyone else unless absolutely necessary would only give us a lesser portion.

Even worse than the lower portion would be the concern that we may not get what we need at all.  We may only receive an idea of what someone else thinks we need.  That is not good for us and not good for the person striving to help us.

We received our talents and a stake in life so that we can go forth and do great things with our abilities.  It is easy at first to hide your skills and ask those with more talents for part of theirs.  The act of doing so, though, short changes you and hurts your abilities.  For talents, like muscles, only grow when stretched and torn through hard work.  Until you put your own talents to the hard tests, you will never know how precious your abilities are to you.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Ride Your Power Wave

Surfers ride waves made by the oceans around the world.  To harness the energy of a wave depends not on the water, instead, on the surfer.  It is not easy to move from a prone to standing position on a curved board.  Add to the problem that the board is swaying, and stability is a problem for the surfer.   It is a very daunting action to master.

The surfers can ride the wave by believing they can. Good surfers must practice often and have absolute faith in themselves and their abilities.  It is the skill learned in practice that allows surfers to grow the confidence needed to succeed.  Surfers succeed because they ‘will’ themselves to do so and then practice being better.

The same goes for those pursuing their dreams in other venues of life. First, you need desire.  You need to know what it is you want to do.  And then you need to learn everything you can about the subject.  The more you know on a particular topic, the better you will become in the field. You also have to practice whatever it is as often as you can.

We do not live and work in a vacuum, cut off from others.  Therefore, you must find and exchange knowledge with others who are pursuing the same goals you are.  The first-hand experience you both gain through these meetings helps to spur both of you, and anyone else there, to targets of greater magnitude.

The more you practice, exchange information and ideas, and learn through working to your goals, the more prolific you will become.  You will find yourself riding your wave.  The wave will not be one of water; rather, it will be a power wave created by your work and belief in yourself and those around you.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again soon.

Be Ready

Life is going to throw some good things your way. Unfortunately, you are also going to have some undesired items thrown your way too. You are, though, going to need to know what you really want out of life, so you can react in the right direction towards both the good and the bad.

You are going to need to know what your plans are so that you can react expeditiously. Life will not stick around and wait for you to make a decision. Time is moving forward no matter what you do, and you should be able to react in your best interests. So, the next question I’m sure you’re asking is, “How do I do this?”

You do your best at any point in your life. Know yourself. Know what you like, what you do not, and why.  Know what you have a passion for and what it would take to be good at it.  Good enough to make a living and enjoy the work.  The world will not take time for anyone who is ‘hemming and hawing.’  You need to get out there and do the job.

You can start at any time.  Shirley Temple was an actress as a tot and an ambassador in her latter years.  Grandma Moses was not even discovered for her paintings until she was in her sixties.  Betty White is in her nineties and still going strong.  Their Secret? They did not go home and just sit on the front porch.  They got and stayed active.

If you have given up, you still have two choices you can make right now.  You need to get active, or you need to plan what others might do if you are not around.  At least, that is what the statistics say.  Wonder why women live longer? More action and work in their lives overall.

Not sure where to start?  Talk to a life coach.  Find one you like and will work with you, asking the questions that make you think.  Life coaches do not have you dwelling on your past or crying over what could have been.  They work with you to understand where you are and what you could do if you wanted to.

Life coaches help you understand that limiting beliefs are usually only in your head. You can really do anything you want if you are willing to put the work into getting the results you want. A life coach cannot do it for you, yet, they can be a guide that helps you to get rid of the negatives that stand in your way and help you to reach out to the goals you really desire.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

 

Do not Dwell

Today we honor our past leaders.  Those who stood tall to shape our country and our society.  Whether good or bad, the presidents were there and tried.  They served in an office with such problems and pitfalls that most people, for many reasons, would never want to hold.

It is important to remember and honor our past.  Our past, good or bad, is what has made us.  We cannot go back and change it.  We can take the lessons learned from that past and strive to create a better future for ourselves.  This does come with a warning of actions that we can all be susceptible to.  Look but don’t Dwell.

Understanding our past helps us to know where the hidden traps are. The snags that can drop us into deep holes or ruts where we cannot find our way out.  To avoid those, we need to keep looking to where we are going, not where we have been.

If you are driving somewhere, you keep your eyes looking out the front window, more than the rear view mirror.  It seems to be safer that way unless you are backing up.  Life does not have a reverse on the stick shift, so, eyes forward.

Wherever you are right now, you have learned knowledge from your past and hopefully developed future plans.  Keep your eye on the future, and you will probably get there.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Do Not Talk Yourself Down

Do Not Talk Yourself Down

This week we are looking at the two opposing forces that are inside ourselves and everyone else.  We hold the ability to do many beautiful things. And yet, we also have a strong ability to talk down to ourselves about our good deeds and errors of whatever we did.

I am talking about the ‘would of, could have, and should have’s.’  They are often backed up with phraseology such as ‘if only,’ and the devastating ‘who said you could.’  These phrases can snatch defeat right out of the jaws of victory.

The problem with all of these phrases is that they are beating you up over something you no longer have control over.  You cannot go back in time and change anything.  It happened, and now it is history.  Whatever happened, we have to accept it and take the lessons learned to do something different and possibly better next time the same set of circumstances present themselves.

One of the critical actions in doing this is to change your attitude and vocabulary.  ‘Woulda, shoulda, coulda,’ has got to go.  In its place, we need to install new words. They may include: ‘I will do this the next time that happens,’ ‘I can handle the situation this way,’ I shall not be _______ next time.’

We cannot change the past.  Also, we cannot predict the future.  All we can do is learn positive actions from past scenarios and remember them as we move towards the future.  Look to the future, not the past.  After all, we cannot go back, only forward.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Are You Positive?

This week I would like to talk to you about good and evil. Many people call it the light or the dark side. When you walk in the sun, you sometimes feel you are walking in goodness. When you step on the dark side, it is often a feeling of evil. Actually, the light of day and the darkness of night are always the same.  So, I would like to put it in the connotation of positive and negative.

You should look at it as walking with positive intentions and thoughts or walking and working in negativity. We have actually both within us. And, we could be pulled either way. We can work well together, working in the light of positivity, or we can fall into the depths of despair and live our lives in negativity.

So the question becomes which side has done more for you? What has done you more good, the times you stay positive, or the times you fall into negativity? We have both within us. We have probably been on both sides, sometimes positive and sometimes negative. And we have a choice.

Do you feel better about yourself when you’re positive or when you’re negative? Do you get more done when you’re positive or when you’re negative? Do things work out better when you’re positive or negative? Think about it.

If being positive did better for you in the past, you can get back there.  All you need is to find one positive thing.  Someone said hello, or the sun was out. I found a penny on the sidewalk.  Maybe something else you find favorable. Write it down.  Then remember the next good thing that happens to you and write it down when you have a chance.  By the end of the week, you could have a whole list of good things you can look at whenever negativity comes calling.  It does make a difference, a positive one.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Activate Your Dreams

Marc Anthony is credited for the quote, “If you do what you love, you never have to work a day in your life.”  If you are actually going to do something you love and get it off the ground, you will work at so many tasks that you never thought you would.  The tasks will take so much of your time, and have so little to do with the end product you will wonder why.  Yet, you can do it if you are willing to run the gauntlet, and you like a business and a challenge.

You will need to find vendors to purchase the bits and pieces you will use.  There is professional insurance to find and procure. There is general liability insurance to protect you if someone gets hurt.  And you have to find a place (office, factory, brewery, etc.) to work. 

Do you need to hire people?  Are you going to hire outright or subcontract to a staffing agency?  Can you afford people to work for you when you are just starting out?  These are only 3 of the many questions you will have to consider.

You can have a fabulous idea, yet if no one knows about it, especially the people who could use it, the business goes nowhere.  You must market.  Marketing is too expensive when you are starting, so you have to be careful.  If you can find the right decision-makers (who are hard to find and get in front of), you have a free 15-20 minutes.  Use it wisely. 

If you really work at something, something you love.  If you are willing to put heart and soul into it.  If you refuse to give up.  Then, you are going to do great.  Just don’t let anyone make you think everything will be handed to you.

In the end, you will know that you worked hard and have done well.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again soon.

Stay in the Moment

Whatever you are doing, stay focused on what it is.  As humans, we have a tendency to drift.  One thought will lead to another, and then to another, and the next thing you know, you are no longer focused on the present.  This is the time when accidents happen. 

People don’t forget what they are doing, it is just that the present task goes on autopilot.  You were cooking dinner or driving to work only now your mind has you thinking about what is on the radio, or the book you are writing, or the fight you had with your boss or a coworker.  And that is dangerous.

It does not matter what the mind is thinking, it is just not thinking of boiling water and a 400-degree oven, or the quarter-ton car that you are driving down the street.  Once your mind starts to drift, then you may no longer be in control, and fate takes over.  Be sure to keep focused on what is most important. 

Take the time to get quality rest and give yourself the appropriate time and place to concentrate on your thought where it is safe to do so.  Then, put those thoughts into a proper hold box in your mind until it is safe to bring them back out.  Do not let thoughts and ideas get in the way of your activities that require total concentration.

Clearing your mind and focusing takes work.  Meditation is part of it (not while driving.) So are setting times to calm down and think.  When you do so, use both your rational and emotional mind.  Be sure to use them in the appropriate measure.  And as always, everything you do should be done safely.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.