Tag: Only You Know

Tell Your Story

We all have a story to tell.  It could be a series of short stories or a great epic saga.  The fact is that we all have a history that we have lived and should share.  You should do so.

Your stories live within you.  You are the only one who knows and can tell them.  If you share them with others, then everyone can laugh, cry, and learn together.  If you hold them in, only you know, only you have learned, and if anyone else brings them to light, they are told in another narrative.  Your stories belong to you, and you should express them.

When we share our information, our knowledge base grows exponentially.  When we fail to share, learning is stunted, and everyone learns at a much lower rate of trial and error.  This is easily seen in both individuals and cultural groups which close themselves off from the main-stream society.

Look at your story, those things that you have done.  Granted, some are personal, private, or embarrassing.  You do not have to tell too much information, share your best.  People will appreciate it, and so will you.

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

Your Path – Your Choice

Yesterday the question was asked, “Are you willing to do what it takes to learn what you want to know?” This is a question that each of you must answer for yourselves. No one else can speak up for you. And, there is no one flying around in a tutu, smacking people upside the head with a wand, and granting them complete knowledge over a subject. You must make the decisions, and you have to do the work.

Nothing in the world is stagnant. Whichever answer you give moves you in a new direction. And whichever direction you go in will bring you closer to, or farther from your goals. If you plan to spend your time doing something, shouldn’t it move you closer to your goals?

It sounds strange, but sometimes the smallest of actions can make a considerable determination in placing us closer to our passion or farther from our goals. These are the things you have to take a close look at as you plan what you want in life, and where you want to end up. Reinforcing your decisions actually helps determine what you do next. If you’re going to go for your gold, is it time to start some actions?

One of the first actions in finding out what you want to do is learning about it. YouTube adventures and trips to the library are both excellent starts. You will probably find out, though, the best way to understand what you’re life goals are about is to talk to those in the industry. Find out who is doing what you would like to do and make an appointment to speak with them.

Find out if there is a shadowing program where you can go out with somebody for a day or two and see what they do and how they do it.

Just a side note. If you’re thinking of becoming a cowboy, going to a dude ranch does not count as job shadowing. In this case, job shadowing may include riding a horse, herding cattle, sleeping under the stars and other real work that cowboys do.

As you explore your passions and what you would like to do in life, you want to make sure you’re seeing the real thing and not a glorified idealism of what people think the job should be. You will do much better as long as you’re looking at real-world work and not just what you think it should be. Sometimes you’ll find the realism harsh, and in that, you’ll know if you’re on the right path or not.

Unfortunately, there is little I, nor anyone else can do for you. We can encourage, give thought, listen, suggest, and other sideline actions. Only you can do and only you know if it’s what you really want to do or not.

This time is filled with both doubt and excitement. And, these actions are vital to your later happiness. It is it much less stressful and less costly to recognize something and change plans now than it is to chase a false dream for a decade or two and then realize it’s not where you want to be.

Just remember you’re never too young, and never too old. You are the only one walking your path, and you are the only one who can make your decisions.

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

Habits

We had an adage in the Air Force, ‘To be early is to be on time.’ And the saying has a deeper meaning than just being to appointments on time. It means to take care of concerns as soon as possible. Take care of those problems before they turn into significant issues.

Considering the planes that we flew in, the spacecraft we used, and the missions we had, a small concern not taken care of could quickly grow into a massive problem. It was vitally important for us to stay on top of what was going on and keep everything working well. Staying on top of things in your work life and your home is just as vital to you as my mission was to me.

You need to stay on top of those things you count on, and the things that would be problematic if they failed. Missing a payment to the utilities could leave you in the dark. Running out of some medications might cause severe medical problems. Not filling the car with gas and checking the tires could end up with you stuck in the middle of nowhere and you may not have enough bars on your phone to call for help. You need to stay on top of what is essential.

The good news is if you do something long enough it becomes a habit. You do good things you have good habits. If you do bad things, you have bad habits. I cannot tell you which habits will be your good ones, and which habits will be the bad ones. All I can do is recommend you take a look at what you do and find out what works for you and what seems to be problematic.

If something is actually working in your favor and possibly even helps others you interact with, it may be a good habit, and you may want to keep it. If you find yourself running down to the utility company the week after the payment was due, or if you continually have to call your doctor for new medications, maybe those habits are not your best ones. The good news is if you want to fix that you can.

A habit is nothing more than doing something over and over again in a certain way. If you like what you’re doing and it helps you, keep doing it. If you find yourself doing something the same way time after time and it causes you a problem, you need to replace it with something that does work for you. And to replace it all you have to do is pick something different that you think will work for you and try it out. If it works well, keep doing it.

Many people who try to get rid of a bad habit do so cold turkey. This leaves a vacuum where the bad habit used to be. And vacuums cannot happen in our world, and that is why picking a bad habit is hard to do. Instead of stopping cold turkey and leaving a void, start a good habit that replaces the bad one. This way you have no gap to contend with because you’re busy doing the new good habit.

No one else can tell you what is going to work and not work for you. You have to try and then figure that out on your own. The only thing anyone else can do is give you encouragement and possibly help you consider ideas. In your life, only you are in charge.

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

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