Category: Uncategorized

Your Future Your Way, However…

As you plan your path to becoming your future self, you are excited as you plan your most desired profession.  You are working to gain your deepest desires and become that which you want to be, and you are looking to do it your way.  However, there are some rules of the road that you need to know about and follow.

You need to be mindful of others along the way.  Working with them and mutually attaining your goals will make you life long friends, mentors, and partners. Unfortunately, working against them could make you some life long enemies.  There is an old saying about being kind to those you meet on the way up, you might see them again on the way back down. You need to play nice with others.

As we talked about yesterday, you want to take care of those around you. Even if you are not going to the same destination, you are going in the same direction. Quite often when somebody has good things happen, it spills over to those around, and in doing so, positive synergy is found, which helps propel everyone forward. Sometimes when one or two people run into problems those negatives can also permeate the entire workplace and holds everyone back.

Help whenever you are able.  Strive to lift those around you.  Just be sure that you keep your journey as an essential mission and not spend so much time on the worries of others that you forget your own needs.  Sometimes it is easy to lose ourselves in the problems of others or get caught in the whirlpool of never-ending woes that only others can fix for themselves.

As you follow your map into the future, remember your plans. And even though plans can change, the idea is to get where you are going.  The benefit, if you are lucky, is knowing that you left the world a little bit better then you found it.

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

A Journey Is Not Just the Destination

While you are on the path to your future goals, you need to take time to appreciate the people and things around you.  You may not all be going towards the same place, yet you are traveling in the same direction. And, a long journey can use a little companionship and help along the way.

You will find things of beauty, both in nature and in the acts of some people you meet. You may also see some sights and people which you pray to never see again. Both positives and negatives are vital for building you into a well-rounded person.

Knowing how to work with a variety of other people, and getting them to work with you towards your goals is imperative. You can read all the books you would like on this subject, however, to actually learn this and know how it works you must get out and do it. No one person ever does it alone. And this is because no one person ever knows everything. Have you ever heard somebody brag that they are a self-made man and nobody ever helped them with anything? I wonder who taught them to say that?

Some people you meet along your journey will be with you for a short time. Others you meet along the way may become lifelong friends, maybe even partners. Each and every one of them, though, is important because each thing that you learn from them will probably help you in the future. It will be a fair trade because they will also learn things from you which will help them in their future.

You, along with those you meet along the way, need to take care of each other and make sure that no one falls victim to the demons along the road. Those who would steal your dreams or convince you that you were not worthy of your planned destinations. It is also good to have a friend to help you out if you fall into the trap of the rut. We have all done this, and a good friend will jump in with because he or she knows the way out. You want to make sure that you would do the same for them.

Think about this, and please let me know if you agree with it or not.

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

Two Significant Steps

As we go through our lives, there are many essential steps that we take.  Some take us towards the things we desire, and others do not.  Two steps are most important. The first step is when you’ve decided what you really want to do in life and put your foot on the path to making that goal happen. The second is when you’ve reached your goals and take your first step off the trail you have been following.

There is a lot of wisdom and work that goes into understanding and planning where you want to go in life and what you want to do. If you are planning this, you want to find information on your goals, talk with others, especially mentors and professionals in the fields you are interested in working. You want to think ahead and plan, knowing that the plans will change, and therefore you want to be prepared, so those changes are natural.

As you take this path which you have worked out, there will probably be obstacles that get in your way. You cannot let these obstacles completely derail you if you really want to obtain your goals. If you really want to get to your end goals, you may need to find ways around any roadblocks or washouts that could possibly block you from your desires. For this, you need to stay limber enough to adjust and adapt when those occasions arise.

The second most significant step that you will take is knowing when you have reached your goals, and you step off the path, or at least settle down and make camp. This is tricky. As you work towards those things you desire, other ideas and goals will spring up. You need to figure out which ones enhance and which ones detract from where you want to end up.

As you follow your plan to reach your goal, new goals will crop up. Sometimes these new goals push you further than you originally wanted to go on your outset. And some of these new goals may move you off your planned path altogether and onto new trails. Whichever of these comes up, only one person can make a choice to do one thing or the other. You.

Sometimes you find yourself stuck on the path and reaching for new goals only because you find a void in your life. When you get to that point, you must stop and consider what your original plans entailed and ensure that you are not just doing busywork to fill the emptiness left by the things you used to do.

Whatever you decide your next move should be, make sure it’s right for you and those who have made this journey with you.

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

Taking The Journey

Whether we think so or not, we are on a journey. If we look around, we will probably not realize that we are moving. This is because everyone around us is traveling the same way at relatively the same speed as we are. Everyone is going in the same direction, and there’s only one question. Are you going to control your trip, or are you leaving the journey up to chance?

Before you answer this question, I would like to suggest a day trip. The day trip is broken up into two sections to give you perspective. For half of the day trip, I would like you to go to a park and sit for a little while. Spend your time watching those around you to see what they do and how they are living. Walk some of the inner-city streets to see who you meet, and walk by a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.

In the second half of the day trip, I would like you to spend a little time in a coffee shop. Enjoy something to drink and watch the crowds. If there is a large office building with a waiting area or lobby, just go in and have a seat and watch people as they come and go. And, if you get a little hungry, enjoy an early dinner at a reasonably nice restaurant or café before going home.

Reflect on the day trip and think about it. Did you possibly see people who did not plan and simply left their journey through life to chance? Did you notice anyone who was obviously working there plans to be where they wanted to be on their journey through life? Most likely, you have seen some of both extremes, and several in the middle.

The question becomes, where do you want to be? Is there a plan that you have in mind? A place or a profession? Or are you just willing to take whatever fate may bring you?

It may sound strange, yet there is no right or wrong answer. As long as the answer is genuinely yours, and you make it with the full knowledge of what it means, no one can say you’re wrong.

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

We Are Designed to Explore

Humans are designed with curiosity.  We want to know what is over the hill, on top of the mountain, or across the seas. Our desire to reach into space and dive to the deepest depths of the ocean actually fuels our curiosity to go farther.  We have had this desire since our earliest days, and there is no sign of slowing down.

We do need to remember, finding lands that are not populated allows us to inhabit them with our customs and laws.  When someone else lives on those lands, whether we knew the area existed or not, the property is theirs and not up for grabs.  We would have a problem if a space explorer showed up and tried to claim the Earth for its galactic empire.

This weekend is dedicated to Columbus, who failed in making it to India, and yet happened to stumble over some tropical islands on the outskirts of a couple of continents.  We also remember the native inhabitants that were there to greet him and the Vikings who found some of the northern continent.  These people did boldly go out and discovered lands with a lot of different peoples, who may not have realized Europe existed. 

It is always good to learn.  It is a basic tenet in growing as a person.  To do so, we need to get out and see what is around us and what it actually means. Remember, the whole goal of new inventions, ideas, and thought processes are explorations into what is next.  You need to understand what they are and know if they will help you with your quests or not.

Not all that is new is the right fit for everyone.  That which succeeds and has staying power are the items that fill our needs and help us to advance our plans and goals. Those that do not are the ones that tend to fall by the wayside.

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

Reaching Out

We have great ideas and great thoughts. These grand plans are often big enough that they cannot live only in our minds. If we keep them bottled up inside of ourselves, they go nowhere and do nothing. We need to wisely bring these ideas out into the open, sharing with others, and giving them the breath of life.

Magellan did not circumnavigate the world by only thinking of the trip. He took actions to acquire vessels and crews and set off on a route. The route was not easy, and although Magellan perished in a battle, his idea made him and his team the first to circumnavigate the world. He did something that had never been done before because he believed in his goals and did not give up when people said no.

How much do you believe in your ideas? The Royal Air Force is working with a group and helping to train young blind people on how to fly. There is a member of the Royal Air Force on the plane with a young blind pilot. And the young blind person is actually flying the plane. The young person even lands the aircraft. Imagine the boost of confidence this gives to the young pilots in helping them to know they can do whatever they desire if they work at it.

Imagine what you could do if you start to reach out and talk to people. Naysayers? Some. Yet, also others who may find your ideas intriguing and be willing to give assistance, either in input, which could make your ideas better or direction, which will show you a more natural way to accomplish some of your tasks. Help like this is vital and puts your concepts on a better track. After all, none of us know everything.

Consider this, and as with everything, small steps.

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

Failure: Better Than You Think

To strike out on your own to learn new things is a scary proposition.  Often this is because we are afraid of failure. And I know the fear of ridicule is sometimes intense. Failure is positive, though, because it allows us to take a look at how to accomplish something and find better ways.

Penicillin was found because someone failed to keep the office clean. New continents were found because someone did not understand that they could not sail directly to India. And we have new ways to look from the Earth to the stars because somebody failed to tell a bunch of grad students it could not be done. Failure is a faithful ally on the road to discovering new things.

Others warn us of failure because they mean well, and sometimes just because they are mean.  We need to understand that failure does exist. And we should have a plan for when we find something that does not work correctly. After all, it will not be the end of the road; it is, instead, a starting point for new ideas and discoveries.

Not everyone can find failure, and that means not everyone can find new ways to do something better. When somebody picks on you for finding a problem, smile at them, and remember that there is still hope that they may also find their failure; so that they too may find the solutions they seek.

Remember, each failure you encounter, shows that you are actually moving in a direction. And in not being stagnant, you are one more step closer to finding the answer you seek. After all, how many different light bulbs did Mr. Eddison try before he found the one that worked?

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

Know Your Locale

We all believe we understand the area in which we live. Some of us have lived there all of our lives, and some might have lived there just a few years. Often, it does not matter how long we have lived in a place, what matters is how often we get out and engage our local community and surroundings. Failure to do so might leave us surprised by how the landscape has changed, and so have the people.

It’s no mystery how this happens, times change, new stores, malls, and other industries move in, and changes are made to what people do and how they do it.  If we are not an active part of that community, we will not know about the changes. We may see something on the news or read something in the paper, however, we will not know the actual extent and how it affects us.

I can attest to this first hand. I recently took a Nielsen survey where it asked me about several places in my town, and the last time I was there. The more I got into the questionnaire, the more I realized how sedentary I had become, and how little I had been out within my community over the Last year (or several.)   

If we close ourselves off and do not participate in our community, we genuinely have a loss of many valuable resources. Through participation in our local community and civic affairs, we actually have a better quality of life and a better understanding of the changes and how they may best work in our favor. Without this interaction, we know less about others, and they know less about us.

When you are an active part of your community, you know who you can count on and how you’re needs could be best met. Even more important people know that you are there. A formal or informal structure seems to happen where people check on each other and make sure they’re OK. The community is stronger because of these links. And life is more comfortable and more enjoyable for more of the city.

After all, if we’re going to live life, we might as well work as a team with those who are doing the same and work to mutually enjoy it.

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

Be An Explorer

We each must make our own exploration to understand what great things exist in our world. If you don’t go out and look at what is within your world, you’ll never know. And you would lose out on what could be some beautiful treasures and surprises.

We are explorers, just like those of old. Yet we have a few more tools on our side. We have instantaneous communication in most places in our world. We can travel through space and live in orbit around the earth for extended periods. We can have our food and other necessities sent to us wherever we are. This does not mean that our explorations are any less fraught with danger than those of explorers who sailed in rafts and boats. It just means that we are more cautious and with a steady chain of connections, can go further and do more.

For many, this exploration of learning is exciting, and they are eager to go and explore. For some, the fieldwork is fearful, and the searcher will view it as a daunting task. Often the nervous Explorer would instead prefer to stick with the very little they know, rather than taking on the fears of what may happen outside of their known world. Sometimes the seekers are afraid of being taken advantage of. And sometimes, they are fearful of imaginary dangers that may or may not actually exist.

Anything worth doing will carry some risk. Yet compared to what our imaginations can think up, which is totally untrue, most threats are minor. Just be mindful of where you are, where you are going, and what you plan to do. Most real risks are easy to anticipate, along with plans to mitigate any circumstances that may come up.

Remember, any good exploration starts with well-planned goals. You plan your adventures and be sure you’re planning follows through to where you want to be at the end of the experience. Most plans may fall apart or have a few hick-ups in the early stages. The fact that you took the time to make those plans gives you the knowledge you will probably need to get back on track. Proper planning, whether it works or not is often the best thing you can do to succeed in your ventures.

Remember though, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

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

Time to Talk

We have had a good discussion this week about change.  Change is going to happen, and nobody can stop it. In attempts to do so, you may end up like a penny on a train track after the freight train has passed. A threat? No, just a fact of life. Change will happen.

If you would like to look a little deeper into change, there’s a book out there called ‘Who Moved My Cheese.’  It is a concise read of 100 and some pages, and if you get an original copy of the book, it comes with a nice placeholder that has several tips to help you deal with change. You have to remember that change is not personal; it happens to us all.

One of the biggest things in change is that you’re not really alone. If you have any worries or confusion, please write to me in the comments, and I will try to help you with them and possibly guide you to resources that will help. Remember, you also have people in your area that can be of great assistance. You can reach out to them, and they can give you good ideas and sound advice.

I thank you for being with me this week. If you ever have questions or would like me to write on something to help you, let me know, and I’ll see what I could do. I’m not sure what next week holds in store, although I imagine it’s going to be something exciting. Until then, please enjoy your weekend.

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