What Do You Believe In?
I can’t say enough how your ability to achieve your goals begins and ends with what you believe.
Read MoreI'm Sorry. What Was The Question?
Be the first to ask clarifying questions, if there’s something that you don’t understand. Also, if someone asks you a question, ask those “extra” questions to know exactly what they need to know or need you to do.
Read MoreHow An Effective Apology Can Improve Communication
Many of their statements (can’t really call them apologies) are about themselves and neither admit fault nor clearly say what they’ll really do to make amends.
Read MoreInvesting 101: Bare Bones Basics To Get You Started
I am writing this post as a bare bones introduction to those that know next to nothing, so that they may feel more confident to make their money work for them.
Read MoreI Found Out How Little That I Really Need
These times and circumstances force us to be more creative. I feel that, if we keep nurturing this adaptability, we will enjoy a considerable advantage.
Read MoreWhy I Meditate and You Should, Too
I am confident that, when you get into meditation, even a quick 5-7 minute session here and there would give you considerable long-term benefits.
Read MoreHow Your Environment Can Make You Successful
When your improvement brings out others’ jealous sides, then it might make sense to limit contact or cut people loose. While this might be sad and hard to do, life is too short not to live up to your potential.
Read MoreHelping To Heal Invisible Scars
I have learned that, when trauma manifests, that we should be especially patient and understanding. We give the people affected the room to work it out and hope that they can get to a better place.
Read MoreFilling In The Holes (Strengthening Your Weaknesses)
In whatever you do, I would challenge you to look at yourself, see where you’re strong, find where you are weak and systematically build yourself up.
Read MoreThe Two Sides of Christmas (Selfish or Selfless)
I see stress around traditions that should be driven by optional generosity rather than by forced obligations. I see people that value things that quickly lose their perceived value rather than their relationships with loved ones. Let’s start living lives of value-driven intention.
Read MoreCan You Hear Me Now?
"...we deserve more than pulling out our phones because we’re 'bored.' If you’re worried about missing out, you might just be correct but not about what you think.
Read MoreMake America Grateful Again
In my last piece, “I Know I Can (Do It)”, I spoke a bit about my East Coast trip. In this piece, I would like to write about a practice that I started doing leading up to the trip: practicing gratitude.
I am constantly on the look for practices or ideas that can help me to update my “operating system.” My “operating system” is a sum of everything that directs among other things what I do, why I do it, what I think and I think it. Among these various influences is Stoicism, which I wrote about in my mission statement, “Hello World”. In it, I wrote about how I tangentially discovered it through Tim Ferriss. What drew me to it was it’s emphasis on accepting circumstances for what they are, as well as acting on what is under your directing control to help nurture your “happiness,” although contentment might be a better word.
In the Daily Stoic’s piece, “The Daily Art of Giving Thanks,“ it quoted Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations,
“All you need are these: certainty of judgment in the present moment; action for the common good in the present moment; and an attitude of gratitude in the present moment for anything that comes your way.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 9.6
Then, there is, also, a passage from Epictetus’ Discourses that, also, speaks on gratitude:
“It is easy to praise providence for anything that may happen if you have two qualities: a complete view of what has actually happened in each instance and a sense of gratitude. Without gratitude what is the point of seeing, and without seeing what is the object of gratitude?” — Epictetus, Discourses, 1.6.1–2
My life is far from “perfect,” which I don’t even know what that really means anyway. I have most of what I need: a loving family, an adequate house to house it, a loving family and other close people, food, clothes, a job and a car to take me to where I need to go. These are the things that matter to me and for which I am grateful.
Yes, circumstances don’t always work for me in the way that I wish. It never does for everyone all of the time. However, I made the conscious, ongoing decision to focus on the things that are going my way even if they might be few. Especially on the days, when it seems that everything is going wrong and the world seems like it’s imploding around you, this practice, built up over time, can be a lifesaver.
My hope for you, as it is for me, is that instilling this practice into your day and developing it will help you to focus on what matters, so that you can accomplish the great things that you are capable of doing, but haven’t done yet.
BE MORE GRATEFUL, REFOCUS AND GET AFTER IT.
What Is Our Checklist?
I feel that, when we approach big life decisions, we need to really and objectively look at what we need vs. what we want. Let us not delude ourselves into forgetting the difference.
Read MoreWhat Do You Want?
It seems to me that there are a lot of people going through life without thinking about their what or why. I should know because I used to be one of them.
Read MoreWrite It Down. Change The World.
Having access to a notebook or some other writing surface can allow you to capture a potentially world-changing idea to pursue and develop. If it’s not written down and forgotten, then it may as well have never existed.
Read MoreHello World
With this mission statement, I am telling the world where I am today. I invite you to write your own mission statement, your definite chief aim, your manifesto because I suspect that you may never have taken the time to sit down and think about what you want and what you represent.
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