The High 5 Club went to the Grand Canyon in April. (Sorry no posts for the month of April! We were too busy getting ready for the trip!) and above is a gorgeous shot of the sunset. We absorbed some of the most calming energy disbursed by nature along our journey. Woo-sah moments happened throughout the 4 day trip and left us saying America is really a beautiful place!Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Woo-sha photo!
The High 5 Club went to the Grand Canyon in April. (Sorry no posts for the month of April! We were too busy getting ready for the trip!) and above is a gorgeous shot of the sunset. We absorbed some of the most calming energy disbursed by nature along our journey. Woo-sah moments happened throughout the 4 day trip and left us saying America is really a beautiful place!
Lead by Example
“You cannot get sick enough to help sick people get better. You cannot get poor enough to help poor people thrive. It is only in your thriving that you have anything to offer anyone. If you're wanting to be of an advantage to others, be as tapped in, turned in, turned on as you can possibly be.” - Abraham-Hicks Daily Quote March 29, 2008
There are times when we all wish we can help a friend or family member get out of their rut, whether it is an emotional rut, financial rut, etc. However, many times we can’t help people see past their own issues. They could be stuck on old anger patterns or have an emotional block they just refuse to get past. It is at this time they we can only lead by example. We can not join our friend in the angry tirades or poor behavior. We can listen and be understanding, but by joining it is only bringing down your own energy. Even forcing guidance or aide on another individual can only hurt the situation and drain your own energy. In short, some people just do not want to be helped! So like the quote says above, in order to be of advantage to those around you, you must be at your highest and best self. It is through this example that the positive energy will guide others. Be at your best and others will follow.
There are times when we all wish we can help a friend or family member get out of their rut, whether it is an emotional rut, financial rut, etc. However, many times we can’t help people see past their own issues. They could be stuck on old anger patterns or have an emotional block they just refuse to get past. It is at this time they we can only lead by example. We can not join our friend in the angry tirades or poor behavior. We can listen and be understanding, but by joining it is only bringing down your own energy. Even forcing guidance or aide on another individual can only hurt the situation and drain your own energy. In short, some people just do not want to be helped! So like the quote says above, in order to be of advantage to those around you, you must be at your highest and best self. It is through this example that the positive energy will guide others. Be at your best and others will follow.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Money, Money, Money...
“Decide [together] what you want your life to look like and then use money as a tool not a goal” – Margaret Shapiro Vanguard Winter 2008 Newsletter
Yesterday, I received a semi-annual newsletter from Vanguard, my 401k investment broker, and it had an article about why couples argue over money. The above quote within the article struck me not only for couples, but as a general rule for individuals and gaining a healthy relationship with money. Money is a piece of paper that is always on Americans minds. Either you don’t have and want it or you already have a lot and want more of it!
Relationships with money begin as a child. You receive allowance or gifts from your grandparents. That $10 seemed like a lot to a 7 year old! You always hear your parents talk (or maybe even fight about it.) You’re in a clothing store and your mom will say “Put that sweater down! It’s too expensive!” There are even quotes drilled into society’s minds like “Money is the root of all evil.” By the age of 18, before even making any significant salary, you already have formed opinions and ideas about money. For many of us it could simply be “I am going to be rich!" with no concept of how to get there. We may even pick a profession we hate simply because it pays well.
What is money really? One definition on www.dictionary.com defines it as “any article or substance used as a medium of exchange, measure of wealth, or means of payment.” This means candy can be money! However, candy is only recognized as a medium of exchange amongst 5 year olds. “The green stuff” is what we are after, but why? Money can buy you things and experiences, like trips around the world, a day at the museum etc. These things and experiences can be a PART of happiness, but it’s not the full picture. Money can not buy you a family, friends, love, and all the other intangibles that make human beings whole and happy. Still, we are socialized to believe the goal in life is to “make a lot of money” or “marry a rich husband” as if POOF all the problems can go away.
The above quote seems to describe the best way to have a healthy relationship with money. Picture how you want your life to be and strive for those things, using money merely as a tool. A tool does not make it the ONLY way to achieve these goals. You can potentially win a free vacation to the Bahamas by playing Bingo at your local church! Instead of thinking purely about money and how to earn it, think of the best possible life and that includes the material things as well as immaterial. Money can play a role in getting what you want, but merely earning money should not be the goal. Chase the life’s experiences and not money!
Yesterday, I received a semi-annual newsletter from Vanguard, my 401k investment broker, and it had an article about why couples argue over money. The above quote within the article struck me not only for couples, but as a general rule for individuals and gaining a healthy relationship with money. Money is a piece of paper that is always on Americans minds. Either you don’t have and want it or you already have a lot and want more of it!
Relationships with money begin as a child. You receive allowance or gifts from your grandparents. That $10 seemed like a lot to a 7 year old! You always hear your parents talk (or maybe even fight about it.) You’re in a clothing store and your mom will say “Put that sweater down! It’s too expensive!” There are even quotes drilled into society’s minds like “Money is the root of all evil.” By the age of 18, before even making any significant salary, you already have formed opinions and ideas about money. For many of us it could simply be “I am going to be rich!" with no concept of how to get there. We may even pick a profession we hate simply because it pays well.
What is money really? One definition on www.dictionary.com defines it as “any article or substance used as a medium of exchange, measure of wealth, or means of payment.” This means candy can be money! However, candy is only recognized as a medium of exchange amongst 5 year olds. “The green stuff” is what we are after, but why? Money can buy you things and experiences, like trips around the world, a day at the museum etc. These things and experiences can be a PART of happiness, but it’s not the full picture. Money can not buy you a family, friends, love, and all the other intangibles that make human beings whole and happy. Still, we are socialized to believe the goal in life is to “make a lot of money” or “marry a rich husband” as if POOF all the problems can go away.
The above quote seems to describe the best way to have a healthy relationship with money. Picture how you want your life to be and strive for those things, using money merely as a tool. A tool does not make it the ONLY way to achieve these goals. You can potentially win a free vacation to the Bahamas by playing Bingo at your local church! Instead of thinking purely about money and how to earn it, think of the best possible life and that includes the material things as well as immaterial. Money can play a role in getting what you want, but merely earning money should not be the goal. Chase the life’s experiences and not money!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Woo-sah photo of the day....
LAUGH MORE! It is the best medicine! Seriously! I recently researched adrenal fatigue (the adrenal glands are responsible for pumping those stress hormones into the body) and it listed LAUGHTER as one of the remedies for adrenal fatigue. Apparently, laughter also releases some great chemicals that relieve the stress!Trusting the Almighty Jar Opener...
Ever struggle to open a jar? You put the top under hot water; even bang the top along the side of a counter. Still, you can not open this jar! Then, you ask another person to open it and WHAA-LLAA without a strain or any issue the top goes POP, right open! It’s always funny how that happens!
I see patience as struggling to open a jar. I am a firm believer that with focused thought and intention anything is possibly. The question is in what time? Destiny seems to always unfold in its own mysterious way and not how you planned it in your mind! The more you push on it (ala the jar), the more is seems to resist. Sometimes you need to trust another individual to do the job. On a larger scale (putting all jars aside), there is a higher power that seems to govern your path. He/She is the almighty jar opener! (lol) Being able to simply let go, practice patience, and wait for the path to unfold can be super difficult for some. (I am one of those people that have a hard time letting things JUST BE!) I am a hard worker and strive for what I want. Perhaps my own belief is like the Frederick Douglass quote, “Without struggle, there is no progress.” However, it doesn’t have to be a struggle if you simply put your faith in the Almighty Jar Opener. Knowing that the path will unfold before you in the most perfect effortless way can take practice. As I read my own blog, I know I must practice! However, I also know that something is planned for me that will look better than what I ever imagined!
I see patience as struggling to open a jar. I am a firm believer that with focused thought and intention anything is possibly. The question is in what time? Destiny seems to always unfold in its own mysterious way and not how you planned it in your mind! The more you push on it (ala the jar), the more is seems to resist. Sometimes you need to trust another individual to do the job. On a larger scale (putting all jars aside), there is a higher power that seems to govern your path. He/She is the almighty jar opener! (lol) Being able to simply let go, practice patience, and wait for the path to unfold can be super difficult for some. (I am one of those people that have a hard time letting things JUST BE!) I am a hard worker and strive for what I want. Perhaps my own belief is like the Frederick Douglass quote, “Without struggle, there is no progress.” However, it doesn’t have to be a struggle if you simply put your faith in the Almighty Jar Opener. Knowing that the path will unfold before you in the most perfect effortless way can take practice. As I read my own blog, I know I must practice! However, I also know that something is planned for me that will look better than what I ever imagined!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
BACK TO BASICS
It's impossible to escape... Whether it's gossip, cold-hard factual news, rumors, speculation or "expert analysis" (how one becomes an expert in the field of hilly-billy turned washed-up, drug-addicted model, turned heiress to over hundreds of millions completely eludes me) we all face the same distractions in today's bold, technologically advanced world: Outside Influence.
The sources are numerous and often contradictory - one "trusted expert" will tell you that you should cut down on carbs while another, with seemingly identical credentials- tells you should increase your carb intake. And as always, you are left confused and stuck in the middle. And that's just one subject, because before you've sorted things out in regards to the first issue, you have a couple more experts tossing their trusted-take-it-as-gospel-because-it's-being-delivered-to-you-by-a-trusted-multimillion dollar-corporate-source.
So who do you trust in this crazy world? How do you keep up?
Well, as confusing as things may seem today, the basics always remain the same. Love, honor and respect for yourself and those around you will continue to be the driving forces behind all things good whether it be via the internet or your personal network of technologically blunted friends. From neanderthal to new age, man has learned to adapt to innovation after innovation - surviving for the better each and every time.
Those basic principles are what keep us balanced. As crazy as we may think the world is at times, imagine how bad it would be without those elements in man that keep us civil. We protect one another from what could be a harsher reallity each and every day without a moment of conscious thought by allowing ourselves to influence others with and be influenced by, the simple things.
So in respect to that, the next time you're being pulled in a thousand different directions by experts, bloggers and the like, take a deep breath, a step back and allow yourself to get back to basics.
Peace,
HIGH 5!!!
The sources are numerous and often contradictory - one "trusted expert" will tell you that you should cut down on carbs while another, with seemingly identical credentials- tells you should increase your carb intake. And as always, you are left confused and stuck in the middle. And that's just one subject, because before you've sorted things out in regards to the first issue, you have a couple more experts tossing their trusted-take-it-as-gospel-because-it's-being-delivered-to-you-by-a-trusted-multimillion dollar-corporate-source.
So who do you trust in this crazy world? How do you keep up?
Well, as confusing as things may seem today, the basics always remain the same. Love, honor and respect for yourself and those around you will continue to be the driving forces behind all things good whether it be via the internet or your personal network of technologically blunted friends. From neanderthal to new age, man has learned to adapt to innovation after innovation - surviving for the better each and every time.
Those basic principles are what keep us balanced. As crazy as we may think the world is at times, imagine how bad it would be without those elements in man that keep us civil. We protect one another from what could be a harsher reallity each and every day without a moment of conscious thought by allowing ourselves to influence others with and be influenced by, the simple things.
So in respect to that, the next time you're being pulled in a thousand different directions by experts, bloggers and the like, take a deep breath, a step back and allow yourself to get back to basics.
Peace,
HIGH 5!!!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Maintaining Balance....
Anyone that lives in a major city like New York or even in a surrounding metropolitan area travels on a train, bus or sits in traffic with a group of people that look exhausted. Maybe they are not completely unhappy, but they have that worn out-I-need-my Starbucks-now look on their faces (or perhaps they are already sipping their Starbucks.) You could be one of these people as well!
In a society where costs of living are rising every day, it is no surprise that people are working harder and more often to maintain a living. In New York City, there is also a group of super-achievers that work extra hours not simply because the job demands it but because they are working to get that career success they have always hoped for.
With all this extra work and stress we give to our bodies, where do we refuel this energy? Starbucks isn’t going to cut it! If anything the sugar and caffeine adds more stress to your body. The energy can only be restored in one way and that is through healthy sleep habits and developing other easy activities that simply make your mind and body feel better. In other words, it is achieved through BALANCE. One way to analyze the balance in your life is to write down how many hours a day you work, sleep, watch TV, read, etc. If the scale severely tips to more work than play and sleep, then in the long run you will be that zombie on the train every morning! Things can get worse for the zombies too like heart problems, adrenal depletion (Yes go Google adrenal glands and find out what they do! They help you actually deal with real stressful emergencies!) etc.
So how can one start this life of balance? This particular high five member’s first suggestion for the over-worked crowd is to pick a day and do….NOTHING. If you work all the time doing NOTHING is going to feel like work! However, it is the best way to master the art of “unwinding.” Wake up late on a Saturday and don’t shower. Actually, don’t even get out of your pajamas. Just do NOTHING. Read. Watch TV. Do nothing strenuous. If you have kids send them on a trip to grandma’s Friday night so you have no worries on saturday. Seriously do NOTHING.
After you have mastered “nothingness,” find ways to possibly leave work 30 minutes earlier. Find some time to pick up that hobby you used to love; perhaps, you can do it in the 30 minutes you saved from NOT working. If you can afford it, get someone to clean your house so you don’t have to clean on weekends or every now and then drop your laundry off to be cleaned. Find the extra minutes! It may take some time to achieve balance. Of course, there may be some weeks or months where things are off kilter. However, you will no longer be a Starbucks zombie, your health will improve, and so will your happiness. Make it a goal to achieve BALANCE!
In a society where costs of living are rising every day, it is no surprise that people are working harder and more often to maintain a living. In New York City, there is also a group of super-achievers that work extra hours not simply because the job demands it but because they are working to get that career success they have always hoped for.
With all this extra work and stress we give to our bodies, where do we refuel this energy? Starbucks isn’t going to cut it! If anything the sugar and caffeine adds more stress to your body. The energy can only be restored in one way and that is through healthy sleep habits and developing other easy activities that simply make your mind and body feel better. In other words, it is achieved through BALANCE. One way to analyze the balance in your life is to write down how many hours a day you work, sleep, watch TV, read, etc. If the scale severely tips to more work than play and sleep, then in the long run you will be that zombie on the train every morning! Things can get worse for the zombies too like heart problems, adrenal depletion (Yes go Google adrenal glands and find out what they do! They help you actually deal with real stressful emergencies!) etc.
So how can one start this life of balance? This particular high five member’s first suggestion for the over-worked crowd is to pick a day and do….NOTHING. If you work all the time doing NOTHING is going to feel like work! However, it is the best way to master the art of “unwinding.” Wake up late on a Saturday and don’t shower. Actually, don’t even get out of your pajamas. Just do NOTHING. Read. Watch TV. Do nothing strenuous. If you have kids send them on a trip to grandma’s Friday night so you have no worries on saturday. Seriously do NOTHING.
After you have mastered “nothingness,” find ways to possibly leave work 30 minutes earlier. Find some time to pick up that hobby you used to love; perhaps, you can do it in the 30 minutes you saved from NOT working. If you can afford it, get someone to clean your house so you don’t have to clean on weekends or every now and then drop your laundry off to be cleaned. Find the extra minutes! It may take some time to achieve balance. Of course, there may be some weeks or months where things are off kilter. However, you will no longer be a Starbucks zombie, your health will improve, and so will your happiness. Make it a goal to achieve BALANCE!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Even Quitters Get a High 5!
"Do you really wanna win? Or just look good losing?" - Phonte of Little Brother in "Dreams"
If you've ever played sports, you've always heard coaches say, "Winners never quit!" Or maybe it was your parents who pushed you to get that A in high school chemistry, but a B+ was all you could seem to produce since science just wasn't your subject. They too exclaimed "Winners never quit!" No matter who it was, we've been given the definition of a winner and part of that definition is never quitting. However, sometimes that is so far from the truth. O Magazine's January issue recently had an article on this same topic so I must give credit to my inspiration (along with Phonte from Little Brother) Martha Beck the author of "Know When to Fold Em."
This Phonte quote above rings home to any person who has had the job, man/woman, life of their "dreams" and decided to quit one day. Sometimes we have a picture in our heads of what is "perfect." Then, we achieve our goal, that dream image, and it's still not quite what we want. Or maybe, after 1, 2, 3 years we simply out grow the situation and change our minds as to what we want. Yet, this is what we planned! This is what we hoped for! We can't simply quit! This is what we've always wanted! At least that's what we tell ourselves. And of course we've been socialized to believe, "Winners never quit." Sometimes though, we have to let go and know that quitting is OK. Sometimes quitting is actually winning. Quitting a marriage that is failing beyond repair can actually free us for the relationship that is right for us. Yes you may disappoint a few people who want you to "stick it out," but do you really wanna win or just look good losing (look good to others that is.)
Recently, a few of my friends and I have all come to terms with changes in life direction. We all seem to be quitting something, but are rejoicing in the adventure that awaits us. About 8 months ago, I came to terms with not wanting the job that I worked so hard to get. It took a few months of agonizing over it. I thought I lost my stuff! I just didn't have what it took to survive in such a competitive industry. I beat myself up because I thought I was getting lazy or lost motivation. It wasn't that at all, however. It was that I didn't want what I had. You can no longer try to win when you don't want to win anymore. It took me 4 internships to get hired in this "glamorous" business. After a few years of paid employment, I simply out grew my circumstance. Why I out grew my position is a whole new blog all together, but coming to terms with quitting and being OK with quitting is very liberating. Staying at my job would be the epitome of "looking good losing" because it is the job that hundreds of people die for (ala The Devil Wears Prada.) There is a strength in quitting when it is really the appropriate thing to do. If you truly WANT something then go for it and try, try again. However, know your limit and know when it is time to pack it in. Winners quit when they don't want to simply look good losing. Quitters deserve high 5's too!
If you've ever played sports, you've always heard coaches say, "Winners never quit!" Or maybe it was your parents who pushed you to get that A in high school chemistry, but a B+ was all you could seem to produce since science just wasn't your subject. They too exclaimed "Winners never quit!" No matter who it was, we've been given the definition of a winner and part of that definition is never quitting. However, sometimes that is so far from the truth. O Magazine's January issue recently had an article on this same topic so I must give credit to my inspiration (along with Phonte from Little Brother) Martha Beck the author of "Know When to Fold Em."
This Phonte quote above rings home to any person who has had the job, man/woman, life of their "dreams" and decided to quit one day. Sometimes we have a picture in our heads of what is "perfect." Then, we achieve our goal, that dream image, and it's still not quite what we want. Or maybe, after 1, 2, 3 years we simply out grow the situation and change our minds as to what we want. Yet, this is what we planned! This is what we hoped for! We can't simply quit! This is what we've always wanted! At least that's what we tell ourselves. And of course we've been socialized to believe, "Winners never quit." Sometimes though, we have to let go and know that quitting is OK. Sometimes quitting is actually winning. Quitting a marriage that is failing beyond repair can actually free us for the relationship that is right for us. Yes you may disappoint a few people who want you to "stick it out," but do you really wanna win or just look good losing (look good to others that is.)
Recently, a few of my friends and I have all come to terms with changes in life direction. We all seem to be quitting something, but are rejoicing in the adventure that awaits us. About 8 months ago, I came to terms with not wanting the job that I worked so hard to get. It took a few months of agonizing over it. I thought I lost my stuff! I just didn't have what it took to survive in such a competitive industry. I beat myself up because I thought I was getting lazy or lost motivation. It wasn't that at all, however. It was that I didn't want what I had. You can no longer try to win when you don't want to win anymore. It took me 4 internships to get hired in this "glamorous" business. After a few years of paid employment, I simply out grew my circumstance. Why I out grew my position is a whole new blog all together, but coming to terms with quitting and being OK with quitting is very liberating. Staying at my job would be the epitome of "looking good losing" because it is the job that hundreds of people die for (ala The Devil Wears Prada.) There is a strength in quitting when it is really the appropriate thing to do. If you truly WANT something then go for it and try, try again. However, know your limit and know when it is time to pack it in. Winners quit when they don't want to simply look good losing. Quitters deserve high 5's too!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Woo-Sah photo of the day!
Some High 5 club members were at the top of Sandia Peak in Albuquerque, New Mexico this summer. Although we did not take this beautiful photo, we traveled to the top of Sandia Peak via tram and took some wonderful pictures of our own. All we could do was breath, take in the beauty, and be inspired by this place we call Earth! WOOO-SAAHHHHHH!!Giving Along with Taking...
Not so long ago, I was going through a rough patch in life. Every morning, I would get on my knees and ask Spirit for what I wanted/needed. I have never had an issue with asking the Universe, God, or Higher Power (however, you’d like to phrase it. I am not sure how I’d like to phrase it since I am so open spiritually). At this difficult time, I also found myself receiving all that I needed! Slowly but surely all the “bad” things were dissolving away. I was getting so much from the Higher Power and I was truly overcome with gratitude. Then, it struck me. The thought popped into my head out of the clear sky or at least that’s how it felt. “The more you get, the more you must give.”
From that day forward, I devised a plan to make volunteering in the community a routine. Even if some months I have a hectic schedule, I make sure at least once a month I have donated some time. Luckily, the organization I have found allows me to pick and choose from a variety of activities. I can be at a coat drive one weekend, a soup kitchen the next, or take some kids to a museum. I leave completely exhilarated with a renewed sense of spirit. It is the one true way I have found to create a natural balance. I enjoy receiving, but I also enjoy the giving portion as well.
Perhaps volunteering in a structured setting like a soup kitchen isn’t for everyone. However, every day you pass by people that need help. You can always stop and help a mom struggling to carry a baby carriage up the subway steps. It takes 2 minutes really. You can probably run into this scenario a few times a week and there is your version of volunteering! There is no one right way to “volunteer.” It is something that you feel compelled to do at that moment and you leave the act feeling renewed. Think of this way. Your local deli may have a “Give a penny, take a penny” cup. If no one put any pennies in, then no one could take a penny when their item rang up to $5.03! Some times you just have to give your pennies too! J
Not long after I began volunteering, I read an interview with Richard Branson (Founder of Virgin Group) in Oprah’s magazine. In it he states, “Capitalism is the only system that works, but it has its flaws; for one, it brings great wealth to only a few people. That wealth obviously brings extreme responsibility.” So for that inspirational quote and all his charitable work around the globe, Richard Branson gets the High 5 of the day!
From that day forward, I devised a plan to make volunteering in the community a routine. Even if some months I have a hectic schedule, I make sure at least once a month I have donated some time. Luckily, the organization I have found allows me to pick and choose from a variety of activities. I can be at a coat drive one weekend, a soup kitchen the next, or take some kids to a museum. I leave completely exhilarated with a renewed sense of spirit. It is the one true way I have found to create a natural balance. I enjoy receiving, but I also enjoy the giving portion as well.
Perhaps volunteering in a structured setting like a soup kitchen isn’t for everyone. However, every day you pass by people that need help. You can always stop and help a mom struggling to carry a baby carriage up the subway steps. It takes 2 minutes really. You can probably run into this scenario a few times a week and there is your version of volunteering! There is no one right way to “volunteer.” It is something that you feel compelled to do at that moment and you leave the act feeling renewed. Think of this way. Your local deli may have a “Give a penny, take a penny” cup. If no one put any pennies in, then no one could take a penny when their item rang up to $5.03! Some times you just have to give your pennies too! J
Not long after I began volunteering, I read an interview with Richard Branson (Founder of Virgin Group) in Oprah’s magazine. In it he states, “Capitalism is the only system that works, but it has its flaws; for one, it brings great wealth to only a few people. That wealth obviously brings extreme responsibility.” So for that inspirational quote and all his charitable work around the globe, Richard Branson gets the High 5 of the day!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Hang WIth Nine... And You'll be the Tenth
A commonly used American idiom to express or forewarn the benefits (or lack there of) by one person to another about the company that one chooses to keep. Yet as much as we've heard Grandma, Mama, Uncle-This One, or Auntie-That One, say this, we somehow forget to apply it in our everyday lives.
Keeping good company is not a modern concept by any means, it's been a basis of life for people since the beginning of time. Regardless of caste, class, nobility or socio-economic placement within society, the good folks have always tended to wield a lasting degree of power. The bad folks? Well they've come into power yes, but their losses always seem to far outweigh their gains, and Ha! you guessed it, those same good folks are always right there to pick up the pieces and restore order at the fall of the bad folk regime. The good folks over at Disney, you know the ones that keep making good money from all those good movies, good programs, good networks, good plays, good theme parks, High School Musicals (and accompanying multi-platinum selling soundtracks and tours, wow) that you hate-to-admit-you-love, toyed with the whole "hang with nine" idea about 15 years ago (among countless other times, this just illustrates it best) with the whole "Circle of Life" concept... well, sort of. See the good animals hung out with other good animals regardless of creed, and the bad animals - all cast aways and even close relatives of the good animals - cliqued up together and collectively "hated-on" the good animals, and... Well, you've seen the movie, it made in excess of a billion dollars (try that scarface... good/bad, making sense?) so everyone's seen it. But the point is this, not only will you be judged and measured by society at large due to the company you keep, but those are the standards by which you'll judge yourself. Good happy animals (and people for that matter) really don't have much time for their angry, jealous, hateful bad opposites - no matter how much they love them. It's just not worth them risking the personal investment they've made in themselves. So, f your third cousin twice-removed, brought 12 men on a day time t.v. show to determine who fathered her child, only after her 2 other friends did it before her, guess who's next in line!
So does this mean to rush out and find a bunch of financially rich, ivy leaguers to buddy up with and throw up two fingers (peace) to your cousin & co.? Lol, it wouldn't hurt! But how many of us actually have 9 of The World's Next Top Leaders waiting around in the wings for us to get our acts together? Show of hands? Yeah, didn't think so. So the next best thing is involving, surrounding and immersing ourselves in the throes of the good folks around us. We should invest in our personal interest instead of the common interest that our projected upon us, and join the circles of the best and the brightest on your level in that field. I say "level" because you're obviously not going to be invited over to Bill Gates' house after your first day of a computer science course , but you can choose to hang with the kids that were most attentive in that class instead of the ones who slept through it. Hey, the precedent has been set, so there's nothing to hold you back or have you believe that you and your crew can't be the next Bill Gates, Paul Allen and the rest of the crew that founded Microsoft. And if you think that success can't be repeated, send an email to the guys that own this whole Blogger/Blogspot thing, I think they call their company Google. Think about that next time you're lucky number 10.
Peace
Keeping good company is not a modern concept by any means, it's been a basis of life for people since the beginning of time. Regardless of caste, class, nobility or socio-economic placement within society, the good folks have always tended to wield a lasting degree of power. The bad folks? Well they've come into power yes, but their losses always seem to far outweigh their gains, and Ha! you guessed it, those same good folks are always right there to pick up the pieces and restore order at the fall of the bad folk regime. The good folks over at Disney, you know the ones that keep making good money from all those good movies, good programs, good networks, good plays, good theme parks, High School Musicals (and accompanying multi-platinum selling soundtracks and tours, wow) that you hate-to-admit-you-love, toyed with the whole "hang with nine" idea about 15 years ago (among countless other times, this just illustrates it best) with the whole "Circle of Life" concept... well, sort of. See the good animals hung out with other good animals regardless of creed, and the bad animals - all cast aways and even close relatives of the good animals - cliqued up together and collectively "hated-on" the good animals, and... Well, you've seen the movie, it made in excess of a billion dollars (try that scarface... good/bad, making sense?) so everyone's seen it. But the point is this, not only will you be judged and measured by society at large due to the company you keep, but those are the standards by which you'll judge yourself. Good happy animals (and people for that matter) really don't have much time for their angry, jealous, hateful bad opposites - no matter how much they love them. It's just not worth them risking the personal investment they've made in themselves. So, f your third cousin twice-removed, brought 12 men on a day time t.v. show to determine who fathered her child, only after her 2 other friends did it before her, guess who's next in line!
So does this mean to rush out and find a bunch of financially rich, ivy leaguers to buddy up with and throw up two fingers (peace) to your cousin & co.? Lol, it wouldn't hurt! But how many of us actually have 9 of The World's Next Top Leaders waiting around in the wings for us to get our acts together? Show of hands? Yeah, didn't think so. So the next best thing is involving, surrounding and immersing ourselves in the throes of the good folks around us. We should invest in our personal interest instead of the common interest that our projected upon us, and join the circles of the best and the brightest on your level in that field. I say "level" because you're obviously not going to be invited over to Bill Gates' house after your first day of a computer science course , but you can choose to hang with the kids that were most attentive in that class instead of the ones who slept through it. Hey, the precedent has been set, so there's nothing to hold you back or have you believe that you and your crew can't be the next Bill Gates, Paul Allen and the rest of the crew that founded Microsoft. And if you think that success can't be repeated, send an email to the guys that own this whole Blogger/Blogspot thing, I think they call their company Google. Think about that next time you're lucky number 10.
Peace
Relative Success and the Power of Positive Energy
"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome" -Booker T. Washington-
With grandiose displays of wealth and apocalyptic-like signs of poverty being embedded into our society's collective consciousness, the millions of us stuck in between the two are often left wondering which side do our lives bear a closer resemblance. If we are to believe what we see and are told the wild, young, flavor of the week millionaires who have helped bring terms like "paparazzi" to prominence in everyday American-English, and their snarlingly stiff billionaire "guardians" are the embodiment of the word success. In today's bustling world anything falling beneath that simply misses the mark.
Of course, if you're honest enough with yourself to think that through just a little bit you'll know that nothing could be farther from the truth. Because when you think about it, you'll think of all the other images of hard work and perseverance you've seen and/or experienced throughout your lifetime that pushed you to keep going when times were rough. You'll think of the immigrants, not of Ellis Island of yesteryear but those of today; the refugees of war-torn Cambodia, Sudan, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. You see their scars, you feel their pain. Are neighbors from just below, who risk their lives on the lines of an invisible border to experience the luxuries of proper clothing, shelter and running water. You think of those who have come in rafts from countries so close in proximity that you just may be willing to commute that distance to and from your to home to a place of employment 5 days of the week - but so far behind in terms of progression that if our land is considered to be of the "new" or "first world", their homelands have been left behind in the "third". If you're being honest with yourself, there is no doubt that you think of them and countless others that have seen that beacon of light held high in the sky above Liberty Island "Enlightening The World" .
Being completely truthful with yourself you think of the scruffy kid you met in college, who at times seemed to be in perpetual motion - always on the go, with the weight of the world on his shoulders as he hustled back and forth from job to job funding his "chance". All just so he could slide through at the bottom of the class in a triumph that would rival that of your school's summa cum laude recipients. Or think of the kid you watched wait tables at the local greasy spoon until would he one day own the place. Maybe you even think of the girl who was subjected to an unplanned teen-pregnancy in high school, but now as an adult raises a healthy family on the salary she makes as a youth counselor educating young women who are at risk of facing the same fate. Then there's the story that always warms your heart, the one that you gladly share with friends and family whenever it comes to mind about the down-trodden, underprivileged, undereducated, overburdened guy that you seen come up from waving a change cup in hand on a street corner, to zipping by you each day with a smile on his face, leaving his apartment, on his way to work. Or hey, if you're seriously, seriously being honest with yourself, you may even think of... YOU.
See with all that's going on in the world, with all the images pushed into your head, with all the expectancies and the demands that are laid upon those of us stuck in the middle, the biggest problem we may have within this jumble of extreme plight and prosperity is that we forget about ourselves. Yes, if you admire the openly apparent accomplishments of your neighbors, by all means, be inspired. But, by no means what so ever should you feel compelled to keep up with the pace they have set for themselves - for, that is who that set it for, themselves. Nor should you allow yourself to feel pressured to live like the ever-present, star-spangled, celebrity "Jones'". The darlings of mass media that sneak into your home each day are paid well to do so, but you must remember that there's always more to it than what meets the eye. If you really want to be inspired, look no further than yourself. Look at what you've done to make your life and the lives of others just a bit better - no matter how small that bit may seem (you gotta start somewhere)- and build from there. Reward yourself for your past accomplishments and use that positive energy as a stimulus for triumphs of the future. If the greatest accomplishment of your own that you can recall is taking one step toward a goal that lies 10 paces away, use that first step as a catalyst to take the second - see how much closer you are?
Where ever you may be in life, you worked hard to get there and if you've fueled yourself with positive energy along the way, that place is undoubtedly somewhere to be proud of. So, the next time you find yourself caught in the middle of the world's madness, take a quick time out and with a full open hand - fingers spread wide - give yourself a congratulatory pat on the back; or as we like to call it around here, a "Personal High-Five"!!!
Peace
With grandiose displays of wealth and apocalyptic-like signs of poverty being embedded into our society's collective consciousness, the millions of us stuck in between the two are often left wondering which side do our lives bear a closer resemblance. If we are to believe what we see and are told the wild, young, flavor of the week millionaires who have helped bring terms like "paparazzi" to prominence in everyday American-English, and their snarlingly stiff billionaire "guardians" are the embodiment of the word success. In today's bustling world anything falling beneath that simply misses the mark.
Of course, if you're honest enough with yourself to think that through just a little bit you'll know that nothing could be farther from the truth. Because when you think about it, you'll think of all the other images of hard work and perseverance you've seen and/or experienced throughout your lifetime that pushed you to keep going when times were rough. You'll think of the immigrants, not of Ellis Island of yesteryear but those of today; the refugees of war-torn Cambodia, Sudan, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. You see their scars, you feel their pain. Are neighbors from just below, who risk their lives on the lines of an invisible border to experience the luxuries of proper clothing, shelter and running water. You think of those who have come in rafts from countries so close in proximity that you just may be willing to commute that distance to and from your to home to a place of employment 5 days of the week - but so far behind in terms of progression that if our land is considered to be of the "new" or "first world", their homelands have been left behind in the "third". If you're being honest with yourself, there is no doubt that you think of them and countless others that have seen that beacon of light held high in the sky above Liberty Island "Enlightening The World" .
Being completely truthful with yourself you think of the scruffy kid you met in college, who at times seemed to be in perpetual motion - always on the go, with the weight of the world on his shoulders as he hustled back and forth from job to job funding his "chance". All just so he could slide through at the bottom of the class in a triumph that would rival that of your school's summa cum laude recipients. Or think of the kid you watched wait tables at the local greasy spoon until would he one day own the place. Maybe you even think of the girl who was subjected to an unplanned teen-pregnancy in high school, but now as an adult raises a healthy family on the salary she makes as a youth counselor educating young women who are at risk of facing the same fate. Then there's the story that always warms your heart, the one that you gladly share with friends and family whenever it comes to mind about the down-trodden, underprivileged, undereducated, overburdened guy that you seen come up from waving a change cup in hand on a street corner, to zipping by you each day with a smile on his face, leaving his apartment, on his way to work. Or hey, if you're seriously, seriously being honest with yourself, you may even think of... YOU.
See with all that's going on in the world, with all the images pushed into your head, with all the expectancies and the demands that are laid upon those of us stuck in the middle, the biggest problem we may have within this jumble of extreme plight and prosperity is that we forget about ourselves. Yes, if you admire the openly apparent accomplishments of your neighbors, by all means, be inspired. But, by no means what so ever should you feel compelled to keep up with the pace they have set for themselves - for, that is who that set it for, themselves. Nor should you allow yourself to feel pressured to live like the ever-present, star-spangled, celebrity "Jones'". The darlings of mass media that sneak into your home each day are paid well to do so, but you must remember that there's always more to it than what meets the eye. If you really want to be inspired, look no further than yourself. Look at what you've done to make your life and the lives of others just a bit better - no matter how small that bit may seem (you gotta start somewhere)- and build from there. Reward yourself for your past accomplishments and use that positive energy as a stimulus for triumphs of the future. If the greatest accomplishment of your own that you can recall is taking one step toward a goal that lies 10 paces away, use that first step as a catalyst to take the second - see how much closer you are?
Where ever you may be in life, you worked hard to get there and if you've fueled yourself with positive energy along the way, that place is undoubtedly somewhere to be proud of. So, the next time you find yourself caught in the middle of the world's madness, take a quick time out and with a full open hand - fingers spread wide - give yourself a congratulatory pat on the back; or as we like to call it around here, a "Personal High-Five"!!!
Peace
Friday, January 18, 2008
The Key is Believing...
"What you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours." - Mark 11:24
It is very easy to want. In 2008, you may want a new job, a better salary, a boyfriend/girlfriend, weight loss, and the list goes on. Your lists of resolutions are things that you want to have or happen. However, do you BELIEVE these things are possible? Do you want to lose weight and think, "Well I lost 10 pounds last year, but gained it all back so what's the point?" With that thought, you cancel out your true desire. Do you want a boyfriend or girlfriend? And yet, at the same time, believe you will not find them easily in the places you frequent? All of the doubts simply cancel out your desire once again. Your wants never get a chance to appear in your life due to your own disbelief.
The quote above from Mark 11:24 is the key to manifesting your true desire. Asking is always simple. Creating the desire for that new job is simple! However, it is the belief that you can have it that can be tricky! Maintain positive thoughts on your quest for a job. Know that you have the skills, intelligence, and motivation for the best opportunity possible! Even in a slow hiring market, all you need is the one interview for a better position! All it takes is ONE company to be hiring with a better salary, better hours, or whatever it is you desire. Yes, you may have days of doubt. You will send hundred of resumes, but the more passion you put behind the belief, the greater the possibility of the job showing up. It has always been said that like attracts like. A positive person with strong desire and belief can only attract what they want! Now ask your God, the universe, or write in a journal what it is you desire. Then, BELIEVE, BELIEVE, BELIEVE!
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