love

Daily Gratitude challenge: using my Gratitude compass

Our lives are built on the same amount of failure as success.

When I feel my attitude slipping a bit, I readjust it by using my Gratitude compass. Focusing on even the smallest of things to be grateful for in my life. Will right the ship in due time. Sometimes it takes awhile, but course changes are some of the hardest things personally for me to except as needing to be done. Things look right, but feel wrong.

It’s too easy to become lost within foggy thoughts, or the great corn maze of life. Feeling alone, afraid, or even desperate, to solve anything quickly. Suddenly we focus on our impatient selves, and the here and now of life, rather than on the whole of it.

It is easy to expect more, demand more, while seeing less all around us. But our lives are built on the same amount of failure as success if we only looked closer.

Failure teaches us what works and what doesn’t. It prepares us to lower expectations and increase efforts all the while redirecting us onto a different pathway towards our original goal. Failure helps us take inventory of our lives. If only we didn’t use it as the only focal point. Lastly, failure is that classroom in the collage of hard knocks–that education given in hopes to push us away from the next future failure. To bad, myself included, we’re too often attracted to failures and focused on them; we’re all to busy magnifying those negative things in life to then realize it’s not a magnet attracting us to it. It’s our own desires, and wants, rather than our own efforts that we are focused on. Failures are there to teach us, not to be those bug zapper traps that zap us by attracting us to them until like a bug, zap! Your finished, your a failure.

A pile of wood boards and nails by themselves aren’t anything other than a pile of boards and nails. It we then work at building a box using them, that box may turn out perfect or slightly out of square, but still a box. Success in both instances in creating that box. Just not the same skill in finished product. Its people that passes judgment of success or failure, that says, I’m not a carpenter. Its the collage of hard knocks that says through efforts your skills will improve at being a great carpenter–and then being able to build a perfectly square box. But it’s failure within judgments and a comparison to what could be, within unrealistic time frames that creates the feeling of being a failure. It is in facing challenges, or obstacles, that should cause us to redirect our efforts according to our visions of our goals. Not the judgments or comparisons of what other people expect of us. But being more realistic in our planing, our execution, and our time frames, to get to where we want to be.

This is why I say our lives are built on the same amount of failures or maybe even more than our success.

It hard I know. But be thankful and even grateful for those opportunities and for those experiences to experience new things. Risking having found some success or failure. Enjoy everything with gratitude that you tried doing something new. Now push yourself towards your successes using your gratitude compass along with making a greater effort to be all you can be.

All the best.

Dancing on the couch.

How would you define happiness? It shouldn’t seem that happiness would be that much of an issue to define, though everyone defines it differently. For some it just living a carefree life–without a worry in the world–the bills are paid–they’ve got it made in the shade–our toes are in the sand and now we can have a drink in hand….blah,blah,blah.
For others it’s more than some finical security. Professionally speaking they seek a stable relationship / or other wise wanting everything else that would register as a life being good. The very things we all look for over the fence at your neighbors while neglecting to fertilize ours.

Is having to think about what makes you happy the first indication that happiness just maybe farther from reach then you think? Well unbuckle a bit from that easy chair to extend your reach a little.

Nobody ever actively has to think about, it’s time to be that happy go lucky person–pasting that smile on–add in some better facial expressions–mix in some glowing sunny dispositions, and bang! Instant happiness just as we thought it.

You either are, or are not happy. Usually we act first and then think about it later. But aren’t we what we choose to build ourselves into?

Going to happy hour at the local watering hole is just seeking a chemical change. It’s looking for that outside force of life to dictate emotional feelings. The funny thing about emotions are they change, often, way too rapidly. Yet observing people who display more times then not that true happiness, one would also see true stability. A life not totally devoid of that roller coaster ride of ups and downs, but one of self control, controlling emotional responses while acting proactively towards a smooth finish.

Children seem to be more honest with life and displays of emotional feelings. For them emotions come, and just as easily go, all to be forgotten in the excitement to experience what is around the next bend in the road. It’s adults that fertilize various emotions while hiding true feelings. It’s a childish game all the while hoping that someone else will come to the rescue and change it all for us. And if that fails, reach for the chemicals to try to mimic happy hour permanently.

Adults should stop storm chasing, living for the drama in flashes of lightning and the explosions of thunder. But except that with every storm that comes by, there is a peace, and a fresh scented calm after the rain / and all the tears.

Use your child like intensity to live life, knowing that you won’t control every aspect of it, but that you build your own master pieces by choosing the building blocks to be used in it. Kind of like playing with lego’s when you were a kid. You can build anything following your dreams and imagination.

So if you find yourself dancing on the couch….or jumping on your bed, it maybe the weekend? Or your inner child may have exploding to the surface in full display, while embracing the little moments, acting as you truly feel….being happy. Because there is someone else in the world that would be just as happy with what little you think that you have.
Don’t spill the coffee jumping around though. :^)
All the best.

The sky is the limit or should it be laying the moon at your feet

As people all too often we set limits to our dreams way to low. How often have you heard people say “The sky is the limit.”?
Is that even true?
When half of the people in the world are just as often below as above average. Tabulating all people is how being average even comes about. Making therefore the sky your goal seems to be an above average existence; but laying the moon at your feet is a clear’er understanding of what it means to be on top….in taking your best shot, in shooting to be above average. Because everyone looks up at the moon and it has footprints on it.
All the best.

The melting pot–quote of the day / Gratitude challenge mash-up.

In between goals is a thing called life, that has to be lived and enjoyed. Its all because “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

Am I saying to begin living life it has to be from a state of discomfit?

Sadly I’m announcing that I will no longer be doing the Gratitude challenge as everyone seems to be doing it. But will post regular posts of what I’m grateful for / a showing of Gratitude. So here it goes…

To what I was saying before. I’m saying statistically 70% of people choose to keep things to themselves to avoid being judged by others, to make themselves more comfortable. Life challenges us to live, so how is it living life when you’re just sitting in a comfortable easy chair…feet lifted up, all relaxed like? Where are the exciting experiences of life–in the chair, or just beyond that foot rest?

Life is uncertain, it full of challenges, possibilities of success or failure. Is it really living when we seek out living without risk? Nothing ventured is nothing gained, or no pain, no gain, could also mean that it takes risk of failure to enjoy success and therefore being able to take a rest, to relax a bit in life comes after having lived the life you have been given? But nothing in life is ever meant to be permanent…except when we….stop living.

“Never be afraid to fall apart, because it gives you the opportunity to rebuild yourself the way you wish you had been all along.”—Rae Smith

I’m grateful to be stumbling along, I have compleat Gratitude for failure; because I’m alive and have been given a new chance with each failure to rebuild myself better, to remodel, and to improve myself. Without failure I may think nothing is wrong, that I’m prefect–not having to make or take any farther actions. Should that be my goal? Is that what is required of living well, sitting in that easy chair all comfortable? Is that living life to it fullest?

“What ever you are be a good one.” Abraham Lincoln

Have a great weekend.
All the best

(Know quotes names were listed. The rest are unknown.)

The three “W’s”

When my Mom uses my full name when she calls to me, my first thoughts are of the 3 W’s: wisdom, warning, and a whipping. None of which were welcome at the time. Because all I wanted to do was play.
It’s funny how distant memories are brought forth inside of some present realities. It’s as if I can still hear her. Wow! When Mom said, “you may not want to listen now…but someday you’re going to hear me.” Was that pointing towards some future haunting? The mind is a beautiful thing. As for Mom’s–they are super hero’s. How else would we hear them so far into the future?

Enjoy the small stuff.

Gratitude challenge: day 7

Today the things I’m grateful for starts off with “mornings.” Not only should we all celebrate life, but another day of it to hopefully do better than the last. Priceless!

Amy Wise said it like this “Staying stale or starting fresh you choose!”

We can dwell on the facts that life isn’t all that fair, or we can work to make it as fair as possible for those we come in contact with. Although this morning is great and all, I’m still having internet problems and the tech says another week of this to go. My apologies for irregular posts on feeling grateful and this challenge in general. But that proves that living life is challenging. It’s a dance, so keep on dancing.

2) challenges
After all any challenge pushes us along to those places we all have said, we would go if only…(we all to often say “later”). When someone challenges us, there is an expectation to preform with a double helping of healthy competition, a competitive spirit to out perform those who challenge us, to rise to the occasion, to win fair and square.
In short challenges get us moving–what moves you?

3) cookies

Who doesn’t love the cookie? Besides competition makes me hungry for junk food. Is a cookie really junk food? Raisin cookies that look like chocolate chip cookies are the reason I have trust issues. Never the less, I will eat both just as easily as one or the other. I just don’t like it when my taste buds are all prepared for the taste of chocolate, then it comes up with raisin flavor’s. I guess that’s why there are split personality cookies (chocolate chip raisin)?

4) tech support

Because cookies can’t solve everything without milk, and tech support is that support that helps me clean up my connection issues like sweeping up cookie crumbs. Problems with the internet hopefully solved, just need to wait for new equipment to be delivered. And then we once again we will have the internet back for more than 1 minuet at a time followed by 5 minuets of “re-loading”. :^(

5) delivery people.

To the likes of UPS and similar services, delivery people are great. Providing they aren’t copying the opening few minutes of the movie “Pet Detective” with my deliveries? I have heard the horror stories of others, their packages that were delivered and looked like the aftermath of a shredded package bomb. So yeah. I’m grateful and feeling much gratitude for my delivery people. Disclaimer includes (All rights to change my opinion are reserved, they may change without notice everything is possible.)

6) Pizza
Is there such a thing like eating too much pizza? I love being married but sometimes I miss the days when I could sit on the couch in my boxers and eat an unsliced microwave pizza by myself. If I would do that now I’d look like an older fat guy. And that’s never good for anyone’s own appearance or sex appeal. Eating cold pizza in the morning while everyone else is sleeping–game on!

7) Out of the ordinary Humor.

Thank God for that. To see the funny in the ordinary things of every day life isn’t easy. But it can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, the somewhat boring into the interesting, and the doldrums of sad times into more hopeful and positively bearable times. “Laughter cures all”, my late Dad used to say, “I would rather have people laugh, and remember, and re enjoy those pranks, jokes, or just generally fun and funny memories, than all of my embarrassing short comings I fought to avoid but failed at. Even a bad joke is better than that.”

That sums it up day 7, thanks God, somehow you got me to remember Dad again. Send help, because I need it! Amen.

All the best.

Quote a day

“The fastest way to cheer yourself up is to help lift someone else up.”–Mindwarpfx

This saying may give an impression of climbing out of a hole, or the way I choose to see it…a superhero climbing up to great heights.

Have you ever noticed in movie theory the superhero always needs the help from the unsuspecting average Joe with no real powers. The interesting thing with the average Joe is that they usually hold the moral high ground, the moral compass, while expressing the importance of the freedom to choose.

If your stuck in a rut all you can do is look up, wanting, contemplating a way to get out if it. Nothing can give you more confidence then seeing a helping hand reaching out towards you. Nothing pushes you harder towards any goals than a combined effort. The theory behind team sports pertaining to living life.

Though the importance of these institutions in out modern times seem a bit out dated, (all to often thought of having limited impact), marriage, and church express like in team sports a cornerstone belief of a commitment to encouraging combined efforts to a common positive goal (that ever extended helping hand). The importance if these two institutions are as bold a difference as a positive image vs. a negative image in the societal photo album.

At its core a superhero conquers their own personal weaknesses like those feelings of greed, and comes to give a helping hand to those in need. A villain is fueled by greed and always looks to profit from extending what appears to be “help”, but ends up personally taking advantage.

It’s your own movie, the character you decide to play is your choice to make or remake each day.

Enjoy the day.

Gratitude challenge: day 6

I’m grateful for these things:

1) the internet & having my connection back.

I know that’s a stretch for some. It’s been said that the net wastes time, takes you away from reality. But clearly the net does allow people to make those choices for themselves using their own values at play. It can be used for good, bad, or indifferent, but when you loose connection, suddenly you realize just how good it can also be. Because bad people won’t complain, damn the nets down…guess I’ll have to be good now. The evil within will find a way. I’m just using extremes here to make a humorous point.

2) back yard chickens

Well I can sum it up in a word or two–eggs! Love them. And nothing is fresher than back yard chicken eggs. Unless you’re laying them yourself. Honestly though, I’m still wondering who came first?

3) yard work!

Yes I like to do yard work. But I don’t like to make it my full time job. I have enough yard for one full time jobs worth. Who needs two jobs? Truth aside, after 8 days off in Southern California, every thing seems to grow 2 X faster (vegetables are huge) weeds are huge’er / bigger, and to think all that growth without much water. My yard work solution to mad growth, “round-up growth retardant” keeps weeds under control, and my mower on vacation.

4) first day back to work after time off.

Yep! I’m ready to get to work again. It because my job is creative, and so satisfying to be able to do it again. Besides vacations don’t pay for themselves–the next one is calling.

5) smiles

Because the best part, to give or get one, they’re free! Cost nothing! Yet can change your entire days attitude. Give a smile and if that person passes one along–that smile may go around the world by the time you are going home from work. That’s just cool! So many possibilities from a low cost act.

6) smart phones

Because without home internet connection working properly, I can still post a day six Gratitude challenge post. Granted its late. But it’s late because I can’t transfer a post from my PC, to phone, to blog. Well I could maybe, I am just not all that tech’y! I’m slow. And that’s better than being slow because of age. Not provoking the older people out there with that statement. Just pointing out a fact that with age you realize doing the un-necessary 3 X fast isn’t as good as doing it a bit slower but right the first time.

I could have summed up a lot of this list under the heading of being thankful for “humor”, but a proper Gratitude challenge celebrates the small things, because like children they may grow-up to become bigger things, bigger than you could have have ever imagined.

All the best.

Are we there yet?

Aren’t we all just moving through life at the speed of thought?

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within yourself the strength, and the patience. So never underestimate the awesomeness of someone disappearing from your life. Some people would rather hold you back from change, in order to remain in comfortable surroundings–as your friend. Are indeed those kinds of people, who lack the strength to be unconditionally supportive, are best for you to let go of.

“Never allow yourself to except an average existence to someone else’s expected conformity to their dream.”
P.E.–Mindwarpfx

Any worthwhile success is built on overcoming negative obstacles, and it just so happens all to often the most negative people who are claiming to be your friend, by saying that they are looking out for your best interests. Are only attempting to remain in the same comforted position in life. In truth they’re of lack of support of you individually or your endeavors is out of jealousy that they have of you! Their negativity is their excuse that they put forward for not also chasing their dreams into the great unknown that is life.

It’s lonely at the top because so few people put their fears aside and push forward—living outside the state of fear. Instead they’re gladly accepting an average existence, listening to their detractors.

While there are forces of compliance and conformity in this society, accepting their solicitation is all to accepting of lowering individual standards in becoming average! When in truth everyone seeks separation through individualism. There is no real room in being average when individualism separates so unequally.

Sometimes the chase is what defines success and its worth, not just capturing it.

You sculpt your destiny one day at a time. For we all are unfinished artworks–the artist is you!
Create something beautiful out of your critics challenges. br />

All the best.

Gratitude challenge: day 5

The ubercool stress relief way to go…..I’m grateful for these things

Don’t ever under estimate the value of home sweet home or the value of doing next to nothing on vacation. Getting away from it all is a necessary thing, creating some distance between problems and allowing quiet time to find the ability to seek while finding new solutions. Being able to fix what ever, requires returning back to the home base at some point though. Hopefully after having some fun though?

I’m grateful for these things:
1) home
2) airplanes
3) dog’s
4) my own bed
5) the blessing of having had the chance or the ability to have done next to nothing for awhile.

I love to fly! The feeling of raw power in the take off, as the jet launches forward. Tons of man-made- machine chasing the sun far above any and all storms hovering above the surface of earth. For me it’s the closes thing to imagining God’s view as he watches over. But then that’s me.

Dogs are mans best friend. After some time off–they greet you as if you never left. Just like any other Monday through Friday after work, there they are wagging tails, licking tongues and maybe an excited little dancing bark or two. Finally flopping themselves onto the floor exposing their belly to you for that playful belly rub. All to jump up looking for that favored toy to play with. All their actions seem to say welcome home buddy, as if you never left.

Those sad eyes of having to watch you as you went away are all but forgotten, forgiven, left far behind. It’s seems humans are the only species where–forgive and forget are somewhat foreign. It’s just harder to act within some kind of positive presentations magnified to become similar to your dogs, when it’s seems more natural to guard against any or all negatives by building walls. We have a lot to learn from our pets.

Aren’t our own beds are just a cut above the rest? We don’t sleep the same in other beds (it’s not bad sleep) it’s just not the same. The first night back home from a trip seems like even the best nights rest of the entire vacation. Could it just be that we’re completely recharged having escaped for awhile and now receiving the final top off of rest energy? For what ever reason, it’s just better at home.

Humans were never designed to do absolutely nothing. With rest and relaxation, we become rejuvenated to take it all on! But doing physically nothing for short periods of time allows our brains to collect thoughts, to figure out solutions, lay new plans, and redirect resources–personal energy into accomplishing what ever you can then dream up.

Sometimes doing nothing gives us a clear view of the lay of the land. With renewed clarity we can avoid obstacles, pit falls, zig and zag our way towards goals. When your exhausted you often end up zigging when you should have zagged. Let’s face it the body needs rest just as much as the mind does. So try doing nothing for short periods of time. Doing nothing like taking a break from the rat race hassles which includes every distraction wanted or unwanted alike. Just try doing nothing by doing something that you enjoy and seem to never find the time to do. There is power and insight in shaking it up a bit.

All the best.