Hello All,
Have you ever wondered what prevents people from reaching their goals? There is no singular reason but more like combinations. Maybe it’s just not the right time. Some failures exist because a person is thriving while doing the wrong thing. And let’s face it, some folks are just plain lazy. One of the biggest reasons for stagnancy is not taking advantage of opportunities. Life presents multiple opportunities everyday which go unnoticed. I think it’s high time we started taking advantage.
There is an idea out that opportunities are few and far between. For example, you may hear someone say that there are not any jobs out there. From my experience, there is plenty of work to be done. It just depends on what you’re willing to do. Some think that certain jobs (janitor, fast food, etc) are beneath them. So instead of working for minimum wage, they choose to sit around the house and complain getting paid less than minimum wage. I never understood that logic but, then again, most people don’t understand my logic. But I digress. The point I’m trying to make is just because you start at the bottom doesn’t mean you’re doomed to stay there. Cream rises to the top. No matter what a successful person does, he/she will always move up. It’s a mentality. Anyone who owns a business will tell you that a good worker is hard to come by. If you do your job with excellence there is no way you will ever get fired nor will you have to ask for a raise. Nobody wants to lose their best worker. I’ve heard it said that opportunity normally comes with a *visage of hard work. I don’t think opportunity wears a disguise at all. Opportunity is merely matter of time and chance. It is what you make of it.
Another thing about opportunity is that you need to be prepared when it’s present. ALWAYS! You can’t always see opportunity when it knocks so it’s good to be equipped. Preparation is like car insurance. You don’t always need it but it’s good to have just in case. As some of you may know, I act on my spare time. I’ve been in countless stage plays, commercials, and I’ve even had minor movie roles. Of course, I haven’t really gained too much from these particular opportunities other than good friendships, peace of mind, and memories. However, whenever the opportunities are available, I’m ALWAYS ready. You never know where it will lead. That’s the good thing about life. Hope and peace are like Siamese twins. You can’t have one without the other. Maybe that’s not the best analogy. Ah, well…
I know that when it comes to success all you need is to get your foot in the door. I also know that one of the hardest things to do is get your foot in said door. Luckily, you don’t have to compel opportunity. Opportunities avail themselves all day, everyday. I’m sure you would find great success if you would just see your goals through to the end (i.e. quit starting and not finishing). Like God, the tooth fairy, and Bigfoot, opportunity exists depending on the believer. If you don’t believe there are opportunities out there, you’re right. If you DO believe that opportunities exist, you’re right. It all depends on you, the individual. One can always be led to food but no one can be forced to eat.
“Grasp your opportunities, no matter how poor your health; nothing is worse for your health than boredom.” - Mignon McLaughlin
Dream Big. Live Bigger.
The All-American
www.rallostyles.com
www.blestbabyproductions.com
*Word you’ve never heard…
visage /VIZ-ij/ noun – aspect or appearance
Friday, August 22, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
The Catalyst
Greetings Everyone,
We all have a daily routine. Sure, there are variances but for the most part everything we do is repetition. Repetition is good. It helps us form habits which we use to become productive members of society. We wake up, turn off the alarm, and begin our day. We brush our teeth. We shower (hopefully). We get dressed and the off to work we go. Although our daily schedule can become monotonous, repetition gives us stability in an otherwise unstable world. But I would be doing a great injustice if I didn’t give you the dark side of repetition.
Telling your spouse you love them everyday is wonderful. Repeatedly hugging your kids is also virtuous. Praying, meditating, and being thankful are all actions in which repetition is ideal. However, I want to talk about the things you do repeatedly that have a negative impact on your life. Let’s start with the alarm going off in the morning. You turn it off. Then, you go to the bathroom. You then wash your hands and get the “sleep” out of your eyes. Now, these actions are pretty standard and not so detrimental. Then it happens. You look in the mirror and notice how much weight you’ve gained. Or, as in my case, you notice how much hair you’ve lost. Or you noticed how much older you look now. Once you’ve finished pointing out how much you’ve changed, you go to the closet. After reminiscing how your clothes used to fit, you commence to beat yourself up some more because you clothes are outdated. Sound familiar? From that point, you go to your car that you constantly complain about and drive to work. After enduring an hour of road rage and traffic, you arrive at your job that you desperately want to quit. Once the excruciating 8 hours are up, you proceed to fight rush hour traffic to get home only to find a family eagerly awaiting dinner or a wife impatiently waiting on the excuse you have as to why the washing machine is still not working. Do you see what I’m getting at? Does this describe your usual day? If so, no wonder you can’t wait for the next Catalyst to come out (just kidding…but a little serious).
Now, I know that your days don’t follow the schedule that I laid out in the previous paragraph. I described a day in this way to prove a point. If you practice something consistently you will eventually get good at it. That’s fine if you are taking piano lessons. It’s not so good if you belittle yourself over and over because your living situation isn’t perfect. If you regularly focus on your shortcomings, how can you expect to have any decent level of self esteem? So what if you car doesn’t have air conditioning? At least you have a car. So what if you’re “looking” old. Some people won’t live as long as you. So what if your job sucks? Everybody’s job sucks. The longer you live, the more you’ll find out that your situation isn’t as unique as you think it is. The key to life isn’t worrying about what you don’t have. Look, I’m as *impecunious as the next person but I stay grateful for what little I do have. Would I like to have more? Absolutely, but I don’t make the mistake of equating happiness with having “more”. More money, a bigger house, and/or a better job won’t make you any happier than you are right now. It won’t give you joy because if you equate “more” with happiness you’ll never be satisfied because you’ll come to the conclusion that happiness = more and you will never have enough. Insatiability is the soil in which the seeds of greed grow. Always be thankful for what you have because “more” is never guaranteed.
“Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dream Big. Live Bigger.
The All-American
http://www.rallostyles.com/
http://www.blestbabyproductions.com/
*Word you’ve never heard…
impecunious /im-pih-KYOO-nee-uss/ adj. - having very little or no money usually habitually
We all have a daily routine. Sure, there are variances but for the most part everything we do is repetition. Repetition is good. It helps us form habits which we use to become productive members of society. We wake up, turn off the alarm, and begin our day. We brush our teeth. We shower (hopefully). We get dressed and the off to work we go. Although our daily schedule can become monotonous, repetition gives us stability in an otherwise unstable world. But I would be doing a great injustice if I didn’t give you the dark side of repetition.
Telling your spouse you love them everyday is wonderful. Repeatedly hugging your kids is also virtuous. Praying, meditating, and being thankful are all actions in which repetition is ideal. However, I want to talk about the things you do repeatedly that have a negative impact on your life. Let’s start with the alarm going off in the morning. You turn it off. Then, you go to the bathroom. You then wash your hands and get the “sleep” out of your eyes. Now, these actions are pretty standard and not so detrimental. Then it happens. You look in the mirror and notice how much weight you’ve gained. Or, as in my case, you notice how much hair you’ve lost. Or you noticed how much older you look now. Once you’ve finished pointing out how much you’ve changed, you go to the closet. After reminiscing how your clothes used to fit, you commence to beat yourself up some more because you clothes are outdated. Sound familiar? From that point, you go to your car that you constantly complain about and drive to work. After enduring an hour of road rage and traffic, you arrive at your job that you desperately want to quit. Once the excruciating 8 hours are up, you proceed to fight rush hour traffic to get home only to find a family eagerly awaiting dinner or a wife impatiently waiting on the excuse you have as to why the washing machine is still not working. Do you see what I’m getting at? Does this describe your usual day? If so, no wonder you can’t wait for the next Catalyst to come out (just kidding…but a little serious).
Now, I know that your days don’t follow the schedule that I laid out in the previous paragraph. I described a day in this way to prove a point. If you practice something consistently you will eventually get good at it. That’s fine if you are taking piano lessons. It’s not so good if you belittle yourself over and over because your living situation isn’t perfect. If you regularly focus on your shortcomings, how can you expect to have any decent level of self esteem? So what if you car doesn’t have air conditioning? At least you have a car. So what if you’re “looking” old. Some people won’t live as long as you. So what if your job sucks? Everybody’s job sucks. The longer you live, the more you’ll find out that your situation isn’t as unique as you think it is. The key to life isn’t worrying about what you don’t have. Look, I’m as *impecunious as the next person but I stay grateful for what little I do have. Would I like to have more? Absolutely, but I don’t make the mistake of equating happiness with having “more”. More money, a bigger house, and/or a better job won’t make you any happier than you are right now. It won’t give you joy because if you equate “more” with happiness you’ll never be satisfied because you’ll come to the conclusion that happiness = more and you will never have enough. Insatiability is the soil in which the seeds of greed grow. Always be thankful for what you have because “more” is never guaranteed.
“Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dream Big. Live Bigger.
The All-American
http://www.rallostyles.com/
http://www.blestbabyproductions.com/
*Word you’ve never heard…
impecunious /im-pih-KYOO-nee-uss/ adj. - having very little or no money usually habitually
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