Perception - June 30, 2015

Lesson of the Day

Perception is everything. It determines how you approach something, how you deal with it, how much effort you put to it, how long you stay with it, what and how you think about something, everything. It's also worth noting that we can choose how to perceive things, difficult at times, but we can. You can see things as obstacles, setbacks, losses, or you can see them as opportunities, lessons. Every day we choose to see things either positively or negatively, to see hope or despair, to see growth and opportunity or loss. You choose how you see things, own it and use it. 

Questions of the Day

What do you see in the world? How do you see the world? Do you choose? Or do you let the world decide what you see? 

Gratitude

I'm thankful for being able to see the best in the world, for being able to see the good. I'm so glad that I am who I am, and that I've been through what I have to arrive here. And I'm thankful for all of you for reading, thank you so much! 

Understand - June 29, 2015

Lesson of the Day

Reality is different for everyone, every event is different for every person. We all exist in a framework, which we then paint with the colors of the lives we live. What I can do is different from what others can do. I got thinking about this when I realized that a lot of people take one look at me and put me against their own life experience. A prime example is my history in football. I have issues with overheating, vomiting, and blacking out. I was in great shape, I drank plenty of water, I took care of myself. I'm healthy as far as any tests have found. So it wasn't my health, nor was it my diet or the heat itself, as everyone else was fine. What I have found is that I just handle heat differently. As in, I start getting hot and often nauseous around 75 to 80 degrees, even after acclimatization to the summer heat. On the other hand, when it's really cold out, low teens and below zero, I'm often just as comfortable as most people in the fall. Now, when I mention this to others, or mention how severe the symptoms can be (often I was puking up to ten times a day and dry heaving after that, up to blacking out), they don't believe me. Not because they have any evidence, or because they know I'm a liar, as they often don't know me. Their only support is that they've never experienced that, and I stress that those are their words, not mine. However, for every single one, as soon as they see what happens when I'm subject to heat, and know that I'm rested and eating well and hydrating, they cease their doubt. My body doesn't work like others, I can't do what others can do physically, either through injuries or just how I am. That is my reality, that is something I cannot change, that I can only manage. It's important to realize that it's okay to doubt, but it's not okay to insult, and degrade, and hurt people just because you haven't experienced something or don't understand. Take the time to see from another person's point of view before you do anything. Take the time to put yourself in their shoes and try to understand what it's like for them, to see through their eyes. Take time to actually understand another person, what makes them tick, and you will never see life or others the same way again.

Questions of the Day

Have you taken time to understand another person? Did it change your opinion of the person? Did it change you? Do you understand yourself?

Gratitude

I'm thankful for my differences, and for my story. I have my weaknesses and my strengths, like anyone else, but I love myself and who I am. I'm so grateful to be alive and successful, to be making progress in my life. And I'm thankful for all of you, for reading. Have a fantastic day, make it what you want it to be.

Pain- June 28, 2015

Lesson of the Day

Life is going to hurt. That's how to goes. You're going to have your trust broken.
You're going to lose things and people. You're going to do your best and still fail. You're going to make bad decisions, invest in the wrong things with money, energy, and time. You'll have things thrown at you that you can't control and that you can do nothing about. Life hurts, and every person hurts uniquely, with all kinds of different levels and each pain affecting each person uniquely. When someone else hurts, try to keep this in mind, and try to understand them, don't condemn them for not being you. As for when you're hurting, remember that pain is knowledge. Nothing teaches us better than pain, because nothing stays in our minds better. Every time you hurt, take as many lessons as you can from it, grow as much as you can. Pain is like miracle grow for the garden that is your life. Embrace it, and twist it to make yourself better, rather than running from it. Pain is a constant companion, making us better people, making us capable of more than we ever though possible, making us greater than we ever could have imagined. 

Questions of the Day

What pains have shaped who you are? What have your scars taught you? Are you better for what you have been through? Or is it beating you down? 

Gratitude

I'm grateful to have been through and gotten through as much as I have. It's made me an amazing person, who ultimately does a lot of good. I'm grateful that I'm better today than I was yesterday, and the day before. I'm thankful that I've had the amazing mentors over the years that I have. And more than anything, I'm thankful that I'm alive to be me. 

Be Real - June 27, 2015

Lesson of the Day

One of the best pieces of advice I've ever received was "Get real", albeit in more words. I was a naive, selfish, inexperienced kid at the time, and I think, more than anything, this made me grow up. Essentially it was to think realistically. For example, I wanted to go to MIT, but at the time (the beginning of my second year of college), I had no plan to pay for it or how I'd get in or anything. Well I realized too late that, due to my lack of realistic thinking and planning, that I had lost that chance for now. And even just this last semester, I failed, because I wasn't realistic in my view of how much I could handle at once in regards to demands on my time and energy. It's great to have goals, and dreams, and I'm in no way saying to stop dreaming. However, you need to set a plan. You need to know how much you can take and how long. You need to set your path realistically, knowing what you can do and what you can't. Get to know yourself, and get to know what matters to you. Then, set your goals. But always keep reality in mind. Dream, but keep yourself grounded with your wits about you. Push your limits, but know where your limit lies, and don't plan for things that you can't handle. Be real, you can't give more than your best.

Questions of the Day

When have false perceptions of reality caused you to fall? When have you been unrealistic?

Gratitude

Today,  I'm grateful that I have so many opportunity to meet great people. I'm so glad that my closer today and yesterday has helped so much at work with my hip injury. And, frankly I'm just glad to finally get home after a fourteen hour day while injured. It's good to rest and relax. 

Happiness - June 26, 2015

Lesson of the Day

Happiness is the responsibility of each individual person. You are responsible. I understand that sometimes things happen, life happens. You can be doing great, on top of the world, and less than a minute later you can be flat on your back with nothing. And, at times it's perfectly okay to be sad, or angry, or whatever. Overall, however, it's your choice to be happy and enjoy your life. Right now, I'm working a total of around sixty hours a week, often going up to eighty, seven days a week. This fall I'm going to be taking sixteen credit hours for college, on top of that. That's a hell of a lot to do. It's stressful, it's exhausting. But, it's my choice to be happy, it's my choice to love what life I have. My life isn't perfect, no one's is, but I love it, because it's mine. It's my story. If you don't like yours, then change it. If you can't change it, make the very best you can of what you have. It's yours, and it's the only one that you have. Take responsibility for your life, for your happiness, and make the best of your life.

Question of the Day

Do you let the world dictate the quality of your life? Or do you take the reins and make it the best despite conditions? Do you love your life?

Gratitude

I'm thankful that I'm alive and that I have the chance to make my life what I want it to be. I'm thankful that I'm employed and am pursuing my passions. Each day is a chance to make my life better and to go out and make other lives better, so today, let's rock and roll!! Feel free to share or comment!!

Proof - June 25, 2015

Lesson of the Day

Words are just that: words. They have no meaning to others without the actions to back them up. I've been told many times that people love me, which isn't bad. But when someone says this that hasn't experienced all of me or even most of who I am, what they say is meaningless, because they don't even know what they claim to love. I've had people say they're sorry, and then proceed to do nothing to right the wrong. Their apology is meaningless if they don't right the wrong, or leave. I've had countless people say they would always be there, and each one has broken this. It's not some impossibly high standard on my part, it's simply that someone cannot always be there. Things come up to where a person can be rendered unable to be there, things can happen that change who the person is or who I am. It's nothing against them, that's just life, but what they're promising is something that cannot be given to me. It's meaningless. If you have love for someone, actively love them with what you do. If you're sorry, make it right. If you promise to do something, do it. Obviously life happens, and there are times when The lesson here is to be careful what you say, to know your own limits of what you can and can't do, and to always, always, always back up what you say with action. It doesn't matter what you feel, if you don't show it, don't expect others to know.

Question of the Day

What times have you fallen through on your words? Have you always kept your word? Or did you get hurt enough times that you learned the hard way?

Gratitude

I'm thankful for my ability to put myself in other people's shoes and see as they do. I'm thankful that I have the experience in life that I do. I'm thankful that I am who I am, there's no one else I'd rather be. Thank you all for reading, feel free to subscribe, comment, or share!

Taking Care of Yourself - June 24, 2015

Lesson of the Day

I used to think that taking time for myself was selfish and wrong. I was so wrapped up in taking care of everyone else, that I wasn't taking the actions and time I needed to care for myself. I would expend all of this time and energy helping others, sometimes going days without sleep, and then have nothing left for myself. But that kind of a life isn't healthy. It makes you feel exhausted, frustrated, and ultimately worthless, because the average person will never give you as much as you are giving them. I'm not knocking the average person at all, rather I am showcasing how they are giving to others in healthy amounts versus how people, like I used to be, give to others very unhealthily. A great example is money. Say you have five hundred dollars, and your essential bills are five hundred, such as water, just enough food, rent, etc. You wouldn't make yourself homeless to help another, or starve and be unable to work. You would give what you have left over. It's great to help others, but not to spread yourself so thin that you can't take care of yourself. The key here is balance in your life. Give to others, but not so much that your life becomes chaotic and barren. Keep your garden healthy and growing, and help others gardens when you have excess. Be kind to others, love and care for them. But also be kind to yourself, love and care for yourself.

Question of the Day

How often do you take time, whether it's ten minutes or an hour, just for yourself? Just to unwind and treat yourself. How often do you show yourself the same love you would treat a loved one with?

Gratitude

I'm thankful for my mother teaching me to be kind to others for instilling in me the seeds that became who I am. I'm thankful for every person who has shaped me over the years and who will shape me into the man I'm to become. I'm thankful that I finally learned to take time to care for myself, and I've never felt better.

June 23, 2015 - Ghosts

Lesson of the Day

 Our pasts are always with us. You cannot discard of it without also discarding all that your past has made you. From time to time it's okay to visit the past, to reminisce about good times and remember lessons from past pains. However, we must remember that we exist in this moment, not in any other. We have to focus on what exists and what can exist, not on what we wish could have been or what used to be. I often find myself in this very situation, stuck in the past. What I've learned is that the more you stay with ghosts, the more you become one. The longer I'm stuck in the past, the more I lose in the present: I fade. My mind is in the past, so my focus isn't on what I'm doing. I make more mistakes, I don't appreciate what I have, I'm irritable, blinded, unbalanced, because half of myself isn't in the moment. We need to focus on the present as much as we can, looking to the past for inspiration and guidance, but never for a place to stay. Rather than longing for what was, we need to make what exists better, we need to make a future that's better. We need to dare to believe that what is coming can be greater that what we've had. I understand that this can be scary, can be hard, it's like giving up a crutch to struggle more. But, it is worth it. When we learn from and let go of the past, we can build a future that is brighter than any gem of the past. It will always be there, but you make the choice to either let it break you and keep you down, or to go on and make it better.

Question of the Day

What ghosts from your past keep you from living each day in the present? What things from your past have had the most impact on who you are? Do you know your own potential?

Gratitude

I'm grateful for my past, as it made me who I am, because I'm realizing that I'm a pretty good guy. I'm grateful for my mom, and as always, for each moment that I'm alive. What are you grateful for? What has made you smile today?

June 22, 2015

Lesson of the Day

Life is amazing. It's amazing that we're alive, that we can do all that we can. It amazes me how complex and intricate the web of life is, with one action impacting countless others, which in turn affect countless others, all of which interact with each other and everything else around them. It amazes me how even in the worst situations, there is hope. Even in the darkest times, people find love in their hearts and the strength to keep going. In the worst conditions, there are still so many good people, and it's because they choose to be. The fact that some people are ever bored, when there is so much out there to be interested by: architecture, math, biology, photography, drawing, painting, poetry, stories, and the list goes on and on and on. There is so much to explore and see and experience in life, that we should never be bored with it. To make this a little clearer, life is amazing, you just have to look.

Question of the Day

What, when presented with it, ignites the passion in your heart and fills you with awe and wonder? What, in life, fills you with hope and love? What in life amazes you?

Gratitude

I'm thankful for each lesson I learn, and for all the opportunities I'm faced with. I'm thankful for each moment I draw breath and can still do everything I do. You never know when something will be taken away or given to you, so love what you have while you have it.

June 21, 2015

Lesson of the Day

We need to learn how to be alone better. People, including myself, have this hate of being alone, something akin to fear. And others have this habit where they hide by being alone. Either way, we don't handle being alone well. We have to learn to be okay with being alone, to feel good even in solitude. Otherwise, we become dependent upon others for basic things such as getting through the day, or managing stress, or even for motivation. Learn to take care of yourself, to make yourself happy and motivated and fulfilled. That way, other people become something that you want in your life, versus something that you need, something you're unable to be okay without. You're amazing people, learn to love yourselves, and the time you have alone.

Question of the Day

When you're alone, do you feel happy, relaxed, and good? Or do you feel anxious, stressed, and uneasy? Does solitude scare you? Calm you? Mean safety? Or maybe danger? Let me know, folks. 

Gratitude

I'm thankful to be alive, to have friends I love, and for the ability to go out each day and make others lives better like I can. I'm glad I have enough to eat, a job, and an opportunity to succeed. What are you thankful for today? And have you taken a moment to smile yet? 

June 20, 2015 Morning Edition

Lesson of the Day

We humans have much more control in our lives than we often think. True, there are many things that lie outside the realm of our control, but there is a great deal that lies within. We can choose our responses to people, and events that happen in life, good or bad. We can choose how to think, how to act, how to be as a human being. If something bad happens today that hurts you or that drags you down, take some time, even a few seconds, to breathe and to be positive. Things may derail you, but you have the power to get yourself back on track.

Question of the Day

I came across this great quote, "You have 86,400 seconds each day, have you used one to smile?" This isn't some naive saying oblivious to real life. It says, what are you spending your time on? Are you spending your time focused solely on negative things, or are you taking time to be happy and enjoy life, even in the darkness? So, the question is, are you finding happiness and goodness in your day?

Time for Gratitude

It's just the morning, but you know what? I'm grateful. I have the freedom to do something which I love dearly, I'm making my life better and providing for myself a better future, I had a great breakfast, and I'm alive, my story is still being written day by day, and that's a great deal to be happy about in my eyes. What are you grateful for? What are you happy about? Tell me in the comments!

June 19, 2015

Lesson of the Day

In every day we can find lessons about life. Today, I was working like I normally do, and I was on track to close out on time, which never happens. At the very end of my shift, a customer comes up and asks for help, which I then give. However, this exchange made my shift go over, once again. I got to thinking and realized that, even though I was on track to my goal, at any time things can happen in life that throw you off track, be they big or small. When this happens, when any setbacks occur, you can either stress out and freak out, or you can do your best, breathe, and not worry about it. Frankly, either way you end up with the same results, but one way you feel better, and I really like feeling happy and good.

Question of the Day

Why do so many people look at the world from a pedestal? I've found that a great many people see the world from a position of infallibility. If any of you have time, please comment your thoughts on why this happens, and how we can get ourselves back on track.

Daily Gratitude

There is always good to be found, if only we look hard enough. For example, I hate getting out of work late, but I made a little extra money and had some great conversations as a result. I work every day, which is exhausting and frustrating at times, but the good in this is that every day I'm at least making money to support myself and further my life, every day I'm getting out in the world and growing. Even in the darkness, there is light to be found, you just have to put the effort in to find it.

New Beginnings

June 18, 2015

What really makes a day a day well spent? Is it whether or not you made progress? Or perhaps it's that things went smoothly. Or maybe even that you survived another day. For me, a great day is made when I have met two conditions: firstly that I have made someone else's day brighter, and secondly that I have done something good to make my life better.

 Today, despite some harsh setbacks, I did both, I brightened my coworkers' days and helped a friend deal with a bad situation. And I put in a twelve hour day at work and started writing again.

There are always things that go wrong, that bring down our days, but we all need to take time to breathe and be thankful, be positive. I have a place to live, plenty of food, clean water, the ability to pursue my dreams, and a fresh start in life.

Tip of the day: Make your life better, day by day. Even if it's small, make it better, and keep moving forward.