Archive for April, 2010
29 Years Old Today – What I’ve learned So Far
Posted by: | CommentsSo another birthday has rolled around. 29 years ago April 8th, 1981, I was born. The older I get the more I learn about myself, friends, family and life. The older I get the more mature I get.
Although I’ve always been kind of an “old head” in a way, the test of time has brought on many challenges in my life. Some were interesting others were more difficult. All in all I can say that I’ve learned a few things throughout my 29 years of living so far.
What I’ve learned so far:
- To seize every moment in life. I can’t buy back time. I can’t buy back memories. Appreciate every waking moment.
- To cherish the close family and friends in my life.
- Love is priceless. – Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
- To make wise decisions. Every choice I make has a big impact on myself.
- There is power in prayer.
- Sometimes you just have to say NO and other times you must say Yes.
- I’ve learned when to say NO and when to say Yes.
- It’s better to have loved and lost.
- I’ve learned how good it feels to extend a helping hand.
- To be grateful for that which I have.
- No matter how bad it seems, it could always be worse.
- I’ve learned that denial is not just a river in Egypt.
- Speaking of Egypt… I’ve learned that just like Pharaoh, sometimes you just have to “Let People Go!” (leave some people behind)
- I’ve learned to let go and let God.
- Success doesn’t come easy. Indeed there’s a price to pay for it.
- Sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches – other times you gotta stand your ground.
- The devil doesn’t come in the form of a temptress in a blue dress, neither does he come in a red cape, holding a dagger staff, or has two horns growing out his head… he’s real and he plays hard ball. Read More→
Quiet The Mind – Is Silence The New Black?
Posted by: | CommentsWe live in a world where there’s so much going on. From that stressful meeting at work, (not to mention the crazy traffic on the way in), to the rippin n runnin that you’re faced with in the evening, life can become a chaotic challenge. The second you walk in the house you’re faced with tasks and chores that need your immediate attention, no wonder your anxiety level is at an all time high.
Making a decision to choose peace is a much needed decision that we all need to make from time to time. Despite the hectic lifestyle, it is possible to combat the constant stress that you may face from day to day.
Sometimes you just have turn off the TV
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m an avid TV watcher. I guess it’s no secret if you’ve read my recent post, Play and Act The Part, you’ve noticed that the post begins with me telling a story based off a television sitcom I watched prior to posting.
Whether it be the television, radio, or other means to fill up the silence in the room, sometimes it’s better to just be in the silence. I find that I’m more peaceful when I turn off the TV for a while and I’m faced with pure silence. It’s like stepping into another reality or getting a knock in the head saying you can’t run anymore, you must Read More→
ShareImportance of Life Lessons
Posted by: | CommentsGame tickets = $60
Round-trip Airfare = 150 bucks
Hotel and accommodations = $150
Life Lessons = Priceless!
There are lessons in life all around you. Some are the kind that can be bought with money, such as a good college education or a doctorate degree, and others are priceless. Sadly, the lessons of life are the kind that often go over our heads.
When faced with difficult circumstances there are always lessons that comes with them. Many times we don’t catch the lessons because our focus is not in that of the lessons but in that of the circumstances.
When you make a decision to focus on the lesson that comes with the situation, you may find a wish deep within you to want go back and change certain things to prevent the circumstance from happening in the first place.
Often times God operates in this way. He doesn’t come in the form of a burning bush such as He did with Moses, or He doesn’t ring out of the skies such as He did with Noah back in the Bible days, He operates more indirectly.
The sad thing is that, we may face certain adversities over and over because we don’t learn the lesson that was intended for us to learn. Sometimes the adversities may be different but the lesson is generally the same. 
Photo by Earlham CollegeSchool lessons and life lessons in comparison
Life lessons and school lessons have one thing in common and it’s that they both serve as preparation for the next time you encounter a situation. In other words, you may have not realized the importance of subtracting $7.98 from the $20.00 on that homework assignment in school. You may have thought, “what’s the importance of this?” It wasn’t until you landed that first job as a cashier at the local food mart that you started to Read More→
SharePlay and Act The Part
Posted by: | CommentsI was watching a favorite sitcom of mine, My Wife and Kids on TV the other day. I happened to turn it on and there was an episode where, the son of the household, Michael Kyle Jr., took an S.A.T test at school.
If you watch the show, you know that Michael Kyle Jr.’s character (or Jr. as they call him) isn’t one of the brightest characters around. Some might even say his elevator doesn’t rise all the way to the top.
Photo by Newton Free LibraryWell Jr. came home with a perfect score on the S.A.Ts. After seeing this, it changed his parent’s perspective over him. They began to re-evaluate his intellect and his humor over the years and place a sense of high validation on him, based on his test score.
His father began to treat him as though he was a genius. And most importantly, Jr. began to act like a genius. Instead of going around making crazy off the wall statements, like he usually does, he began to apply himself to small tasks around the house based on the validation he was receiving from his parents.
Then one day, the mother got a call from the school stating that the school staff made an error and mismatched Jr.’s test score with another student’s score. Instead of receiving a perfect score on the S.A.Ts, he received a very low score.
After hearing this, Jr. began to mope around and feel sorry for himself. When he thought he had a perfect score on Read More→
ShareOn Your Way To The Beach?
Posted by: | CommentsSpring Break has come and you’re on your way to the beach. Your friends are calling you on your cell wondering, “where are you, how far are you away, when will you get here”? You can practically hear the seagulls and the waves crashing in the background over the phone.
Your friends are already there, exploring the vastness of the beach. They’re walking around in the sand, dipping their feet in the water, and enjoying the ever so calming breeze.
You’ve long awaited this trip. You looked forward to it as a get-away from all the long hard work and stress that life has dealt you over the past few months.
As the anticipation continues to build, you’re in your car driving to the beach but you’re about two hours away, and it seems like you can’t get there fast enough. You want to be there with your friends walking on the beach, enjoying the waters and getting away from all the hard work that you’ve put in over the past months.
You’re almost there now. Two hours has turned into an hour and a half, then into thirty minutes. As the last half hour approaches you’re on that final stretch. You let down the top to your convertible and you can feel the breeze from the ocean. It’s now clear to you that you’re within reach of the vacation that you’ve long awaited for with your friends.
You’ve worked hard for this vacation and nothing has stopped you. All you could think about for the past six months is getting away to be on THIS vacation.
You finally arrive, you’re anxious to get out your car grab your bags and meet your friends up in the condo. You’ve arrived, you’re here! This vacation that you’ve looked forward to has now come and it feels very much worth the hard Read More→
ShareThe Bigger Picture Matters
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever made a decision to do something but in the interim of doing it, you lose the zeal, zest, and the drive that you originally had for it? It doesn’t have to be a goal oriented task, it can be an everyday task or a pact that you’ve made with yourself to do better in a certain area of life.
Usually when you make decisions to do such a task, you’re making them based off the bigger picture that you have in mind. For instance, if you make a decision to take a random friend out to lunch once a week, you may make that decision because it’s an opportunity for you to reach out to them. However after calling your friend and setting up a lunch time, 
you can’t help but think about what else you could be doing with your time or how tired you are. Chances are it’s because you’ve lost sight of WHY you’re doing it.
You’ve probably forgotten about your need to reach out to those who are close and dear to you. I’m reminded of a Proverbs 29:18 which tells us, without a vision the people perish. Never lose sight of your vision. It is what drives you. It reminds you of why you do what you do.
Whether you’re shooting for goals, attending to daily tasks, or even fulfilling simple pacts that you’ve committed to, always keep the vision in mind.
The vision and the bigger picture go hand in hand. Maybe you’re one of those who dread going to work in the morning. If this applies to you, it always helps to keep the bigger picture in mind.
1) Gratitude – Gratitude is another driving force that keeps you motivated. Be thankful that you have a job, especially in today’s economy.
2) Again, it comes back to the vision – Why Read More→
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