Destiny Is A Farce

2022 is off to a fast start for my family and me. Good things have been happening, especially in my wife’s business. With good things seems to come the bad, for example, resistance. Resistance happens to everyone and comes in the form of bad news, petty arguments, or other things that happen. Before I would’ve chalked it all up to destiny and that I was not destined for great things. Now, I know that destiny is a farce. Any negative that comes with the good is just life.

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Destiny Is A Farce

I now have the tools to fix resistance when I feel it and see it happening. By keeping my heart open, and letting everything flow through me, I do not allow resistance to stay. If a family member holds on to negative feelings, I tell them to “Let It Go.” I want to live in the Now, not in the past.

Our thoughts and how we handle life are based on our past experiences. The brain, being wired for survival, will establish a comfort zone based on our past teachings. The future will be in the confines of that comfort zone unless we change it. If we believe in destiny, then we believe our lives are set. We are destined to live as we live now.

Destiny Keeps You Stuck In The Past

Destiny keeps you stuck in the past. In my past, I always dreamed of wealth and helping others. I would search out ways of making money which always led to failure. It would leave me back with my paycheck to paycheck existence. As miserable as that was, it was my comfort zone.

It is by choice that I lived in debt and not with my promised abundance. I chose to live that way because of my experiences and beliefs. I always thought that was the way it was meant to be. It was my destiny to live a good life but never a great one. Abundance and wealth were just not in the cards. That was for the select few in the world, not for me.

Always A Dreamer

I believed that I was destined to always be the dreamer, but never live my dreams. The person who dreamed of exploring the world, but never left the dock and waved goodbye to the real explorers. That is how I thought in the past.

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https://unsplash.com/@museumsvictoria

Knowing now that destiny is a farce, this is not how I will live the rest of my life. I am created for better things. I am made by and from God, and everything I have done was done by God. God gave me the ability to make money and use my abundance to help others. It is my choice whether I believe in my abilities or not.

Stop Believing In Destiny

For anyone reading this who thought as I did, stop believing in destiny. Create your own destiny! The only difference between the explorers and the people on the dock is the explorers know destiny is a farce. Great writers and artists became great because they picked up a pen or brush and let their creative juices flow.

They didn’t believe it was only for other people to be great; they knew they could. If they were taught about destiny, they ignored the teachings. They dreamed, pursued their dreams, and became great.

The breath of life was given to you to be great, not just good but great. There is no predetermined destiny for you. You and only you can choose to pursue your dreams or not. Destiny is a farce.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@krisroller

https://unsplash.com/@museumsvictoria

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Definition Of A Growth Mindset

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The definition of a growth mindset is you believe your talents can be developed through hard work and good strategies. In comparison, the definition of a fixed mindset is you believe your talents are innate, they cannot be improved upon.

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Changing To A Growth Mindset

Change is inevitable. You go through many transitions as you advance in life. There are some changes that you cannot control, for example, aging; we are getting older by the minute. Other changes are completely under your control. A good example is your financial situation. By learning to control your thoughts, you can control your bank account. You have to go through different transitions before this is possible. Changing to a growth mindset take time, but it is worth it.

If you are happy with your current situation, whether that be financial, spiritual, or just life in general; great. God bless you and keep doing what you’re doing. If not, then you will have to go through transitions to a growth mindset to change. I have gone through many transitions in my life. They all have one thing in common. See if you can figure out what that is.

High School

I enjoyed my high school years. I was a popular student, part of athletic teams, and even was elected as a class officer. As good as those years were, I had to transition when I became a college student. Mentally, I had to destroy my high school life. I had to hang up my letter jacket and become a college student.

College

After graduating from college, I became an officer in the U.S. Army. Once again, I had to transition from a college student to an Army officer. I stored my college life in my mind and immersed myself as a soldier.

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Lots and Lots Of Pushups

Military Service

After leaving the Army, I became a Special Agent with DEA. For me to become the best investigator I could be, I mentally left the soldier behind. I grew my hair long and stopped wearing military clothing. DEA was about conducting narcotics investigations and going undercover.

DEA

Many agents never accomplished this. They kept the military haircut and clothing. A lot ended up in training because it was like the Army. It was their comfort zone, and they didn’t want to leave it. They weren’t willing to destroy their old self and transition to a new one.

Finally, Retirement

After 30 years, I had to make another transition into retirement. It was difficult, as I had to leave my career behind. My career was my identity. The thing I missed was the daily social interaction and the excitement. I knew that I would have to put my DEA life in the memory bank and move on.

I transitioned my mindset to that of a businessman and opened businesses. My DEA self was destroyed and that life became a memory. People ask if I miss it; my reply is always; no. Like all the other times I changed, they were great while they were happening, and I’ll always have fond memories. To grow, I had to move forward.

Destroy Your Old Mindset

If you want to have a better life, you must destroy your old mindset. You will go through transitions to a growth mindset. It will be necessary to immerse yourself in your new life. Your old life might have been okay, but you will need to give up your old habits completely.

Change Is Not Easy

Beginning to transition to a growth mindset isn’t easy. Your brain is wired for survival and will do everything to keep you in your comfort zone. It will always resist change. For this reason, the transition takes time. I know no one wants to hear that because we live in a fast-food society. You are used to getting your food right away or ordering from Amazon and getting what you ordered the next day.

These transitions to a growth mindset will require you to do a self-analysis. I wrote a post about negative traits which will stop you from growing. Look at yourself and see if you are holding on to any negative habits. One negative habit that will sabotage your efforts is gossip. Stop talking about other people.

Grow

Understanding the definition of a growth mindset will help you improve. To grow, you must transition from a poverty mindset to a mindset of abundance. You know you have a poverty mindset when you’re thinking about the negative things in your life. For example, your primary thoughts are your debt, toxic relationship, or life situation.

To achieve a mindset of abundance, you will go through the process of change.

You will make a decision and commit to it.

See yourself as who you want to be, not as who you are.

Speak positive affirmations daily.

If you have negative thoughts, immediately begin speaking and thinking the opposite.

Don’t expect immediate change.

After time you will see the transitions in your daily life.

You will begin believing in your new life.

Your belief will turn into faith.

You will never quit.

If you have any comments on the definition of a growth mindset, please reply to the comments section below. If you liked it, tap the like button.

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Leadership Qualities

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Some people follow others get in the way, but leaders lead. No mission gets accomplished without good leaders and leadership. Being a good leader is not easy. It is not for the faint of heart. Good leaders are few and far between. Many people are referred to as leaders yet exhibit no leadership qualities.

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5 Qualities Of Leadership

You can be called a leader, but holding a title does not necessarily make you a good leader. A good leader is someone people will follow. They will perform above their abilities for that leader. Good leaders get subordinates to be better than their skill level. They build belief in people. If the subordinates believe in their leader, they will believe in themselves. Below are five qualities of a good leader.

  1. Humility
  2. Integrity
  3. Intelligence
  4. Innovation
  5. Decisiveness

Be Humble

One of the first things I was taught, when I was training to be a military officer was to be humble. You have to take care of the troops. A good leader ensures that they take care of their subordinates. When addressing subordinates outside, the leader should always face the sun. A good leader is always first to arrive and the last to leave. They make sure all the subordinates’ needs are taken care of. Then they can take care of themselves.

Tell It Like It Is

Another quality of a good leader is honesty and integrity. Lead by example and always do the right thing. Good leaders stand up for what they believe. Telling the truth is paramount, no matter how dire the situation is. I had a great leader tell me once, “Bad news never gets better with age.”

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https://unsplash.com/@nataliepedigo

Read

All good leaders are intelligent. They continue to read and educate themselves. Leaders are readers, and readers are leaders. A good leader develops his/her subordinates. They make sure the subordinates are prepared for the job, mission, etc. Even though it might be easier to perform a task themselves, they will delegate parts of the tasks to others. The delegation of tasks will develop leadership in others.

Think

Good leaders are innovative; they think outside the box. They keep an open mind and are always welcome to new ideas. The old ways of accomplishing the mission are not necessarily the best. They understand this concept. Leaders actively listen to everyone on their team.

Make A Decision

A good leader is always decisive. They never want to leave their team in limbo. They always make a decision even if it’s not a popular choice. Leaders listen to different ideas from their team and then make the final decision. The decision is always based on what is best for the group as a whole. Not all decisions are the right ones. If their decision was wrong, they take responsibility. They regroup, reevaluate, and make another decision. They always learn from their failures.

These are only five qualities of a good leader. There are many more qualities of true leadership. If you would like to add a quality you admire please do so in the comments section. If you enjoyed this post don’t forget to like and follow my blog. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my articles and listen to my podcast.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@brookelark

https://unsplash.com/@nataliepedigo

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Everything Has A Beginning

Everything has a beginning. When I was a child, and, I’ll admit even now, I read comic books. I remember going to the grocery store with my grandmother and seeing the spinning rack filled with comic books. It was the array of different, bright colors that first drew me to them.

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The Beginning Of Everything

They were all there, Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. My brother and I would ask our grandmother if we could buy one. “Only one,” she would say. Spider-Man was my favorite, and my brother always bought Batman. I would read it cover to cover engrossed in their super-heroic adventures.

I was always curious as to how they began their lives as superheroes. As I got older, I sought out the origin stories. Some characters were ordinary people until an event happened that changed them. The character, Peter Parker, was a high school student. One day he was bitten by a radioactive spider on a field trip. That bite gave him powers and turned him into Spider-Man.

For Peter, the powers were both a blessing and a curse. As he was trying to navigate life as a high school student, he now took on the additional responsibility of fighting crime. His powers became an extra burden for him. The one thing that his powers couldn’t provide was a salary.

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Wealth And Success

When I first began reading comics, the superhero characters were already established. I saw them as they were, not as who they were before that significant event. It is how we see people today. I don’t believe wealth is the only measuring stick of success. With that being said, wealth is an easy way to demonstrate success. I will assume that at some point, wealthy people had a goal of becoming wealthy. Their goal was achieved, which would equal success.

Everything has a beginning. We see people as they are today, the wealthy are already wealthy. Unless we knew them when they started their business or launched their career, we don’t know what they were like. Did they come from wealth, or did they build it?

We see the people that seek the spotlight. They love to be in the public eye. They are on TV being interviewed, and the paparazzi seek them out. Just like the superheroes, I read about, I want to know what they were like before they got in the public eye. Were they just normal people like you and me?

Harry Potter Origin

Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling worked a series of jobs including, researcher and schoolteacher before she published her first book. She conceived the idea of Harry Potter in 1990. Mostly writing in longhand, scribbling on scraps of paper, she mapped out the series over the next five years.

Rowling trained as a teacher and began teaching in Edinburgh after she gave birth to her daughter. Her marriage only lasted a little over a year. Taking on the duties of a single mother and schoolteacher, she continued to write whenever she could find a moment. Her manuscript was rejected 12 times before the original was published in June 1997. Everything has a beginning that looks much different now, including famous authors.

Finger Lickin Good

Harland Sanders is better known as Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. His father died when he was six years old, and he became responsible for taking care of his younger brother and sister. At an early age, he held down numerous jobs including farmer, streetcar conductor, and salesman.

At the age of 40, while running a service station, he began cooking and feeding travelers. His famous chicken recipe was born. At the age of 62, Sanders began franchising his chicken business. In 1964, he had more than 600 franchised outlets and sold his interest in the company for $2 million, which was a lot of money then. Everything has a beginning, and it is never too late to start.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@devp10

https://unsplash.com/@tuti_hi

“J.K. Rowling.” Https://Www.jkrowling.com/about/, https://www.jkrowling.com.

“Colonel Harland Sanders.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 24 Apr. 2020, https://www.biography.com/business-figure/colonel-harland-sanders.

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Living In The Now

Living in the jungle was both boring and exciting. It all depended on what was happening and could change in an instant. Living in the now became commonplace. There wasn’t a lot of time to be thinking about the past or worry about the future.

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We Were Living In The Now

Life inside our base camp was mostly monotonous. We look forward to going on operations and getting into the jungle. I spent a lot of time cleaning and prepping gear, as well as reading. The temperature inside the tent would quickly reach 100 degrees. I don’t remember ever being cool or dry; I was always sweating.

One day as I was lying in my bunk reading and sweating, I was suddenly startled by the “burp” of a machine gun. I saw bullet holes appearing in the roof of the tent. I immediately rolled off my bunk onto the floor, grabbing my weapon. My teammates and I made our way outside the tent. Much to our dismay, we saw the Peruvian commander standing outside the barracks across from our tent holding an Uzi machine gun.

The weapon was seized on a mission the day before, and the commander wanted to test fire it. Not being familiar with the weapon, he did not know how to handle it. Without any warning, he pointed the weapon at the sandbag wall facing our tent and squeezed the trigger. The Uzi recoiled violently up into the right. He lost control, and the rounds went over the wall, into our tent. We had to be living in the now because these events can happen at any time.

Always Ready

Our base camp was in the Upper Huallaga Valley in Peru. This area was controlled by the Sendero Luminoso communist terrorist organization. They would protect the narco-traffickers and did not like us gringos. Occasionally, they would attack our base camp. We always had to be ready.

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My Jungle Days

One night I was dead asleep when I was awoken by two explosions. Thinking it was another attack, we proceeded to our defensive positions. Later we found out it was just a Peruvian police officer. He’d gone a bit crazy and attacked others inside the base camp with grenades and rifles. Luckily no one was injured.

Situational Awareness

The other day as I was reminiscing about life in the jungle, I realized that most people are not aware of what is happening right now. They are too busy thinking about the past and the future. Learning to live in the now is important. Your thoughts are mostly comprised of your past and future. If something bad happened yesterday, you dwell on it for days. It can create anger which boils inside of you. If your thoughts are constantly about the future, are you wondering how things will turn out? Wondering can create anxiety and worry.

You can take control of your thoughts by focusing on what is happening right now. Look for all the good things going on around you. Concentrate on living in the now. I was lucky to learn this growing up, even though I didn’t know I was doing it. I didn’t realize how important it was, but I did it.

Thank You Dad

My father inadvertently taught me how to live in the now. He loved the outdoors, and we spent vacations camping, hiking, and enjoying nature. Dad always taught me to stop, look around, and observe everything. Observe the plants, animals, and sky. Everything that God had created. Many people go on a hike and never lookup. They don’t stop and enjoy the beauty.

In the jungle, outside of the base camp, we had to be living in the now. There was no time for the past or future. Many things can kill you including, snakes, insects, animals, and narco-traffickers.

I had to be aware of everything around me at that precise moment. Listening for unusual sounds and looking for any movements. I had to be able to tell if anything was out of place. I had to be aware of where I was stepping and where I would put my hands. Thinking about the past or future would get me killed. I was forced to focus only on living in the now.

Still Serving Me

The lessons from the jungle serve me well today. I still have thoughts about the past and the future, but today they are controlled. Because I control my thoughts, I am living in the now even when I am thinking. If I feel negative feelings creeping in, I stop and focus on what is happening now to cause those feelings. I use my five senses to immerse myself in the now.

If you are experiencing anxiety, stop, open your five senses, and begin living in the now. Think about what is causing these feelings and how you can stop them. Experience everything around you as it is happening. Let your worries float away and be happy to be alive.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@mikeblank

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Setting Goals 2022

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2021 is flying by quickly! 2022 is almost here. December is a great month to ask yourself, “Am I where I thought I would be this time last year?” If your answer is, “No,” then now is a great time to see what went wrong. Think about where you want to be a year from now and what you want to accomplish. Today is the time to start setting goals for 2022.

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Setting Goals For 2022

I’ve written a few posts about goals, and as always, I like to keep things simple. Goals are simply something that you want. Think about what you want, write it down, put a date on it, and that’s a goal. They’re your roadmap that will keep you on track and get you to your destination.

Many people have goals but never accomplish them. There are several reasons for failing to accomplish what you set out to do. Firstly, you fail because you don’t commit to achieving your goals. Secondly, you don’t have a good plan. Third, you don’t put in the work. There is nothing free in this world, you must put in the work. Fourth, you don’t know how to properly set goals.

Mistakes When Setting Goals

One of the mistakes you make when setting goals is your goals are too general. They don’t have an end date for them. Your goals cannot be measured, therefore you cannot tell if you’re on track. One of the biggest mistakes is you didn’t write them down. An example of a poorly designed goal is, “I have a goal to read more next year.” It is too general. You did not specify what you will read or how much.

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Setting goals for 2022 is easy. One of the techniques I talk about is using the acronym SMART. In conducting my research, I found that some people like using this approach and others don’t. I believe there is no one cure for everything. Find what works for you and use it.

  • S – Specific
  • M – Measurable
  • A – Achievable
  • R – Relevant
  • T – Time Bounded

If we use the example above, a goal that is well written will read like this, “I will read 24 Self-Improvement books by 12/31/2022.

  • Specific – It Specifies exactly what you’re going to read, Self-Improvement books.
  • Measurable – You’re going to read 24 books.
  • Achievable – If every book averages 400 pages, then you would need to read 27 pages per day. It is achievable.
  • Relevant – If you are looking for self-improvement, then this is a relevant goal.
  • Time Bounded – There is an end date of 12/31/2022 attached to the goal.

Break Them Down

You can also break this yearly goal into smaller goals. Write down how many books you would want to read every month. Set a weekly goal of how many pages or chapters you will read. Also, set daily goals of reading for a specific time or number of pages. It will keep you on track, and you can see how you are progressing toward your yearly goal.

This SMART technique can be utilized in setting different types of goals. I always set three types of goals, personal, business, and relationship. You can set goals for wealth building, your health, and improving your relationships.

Develop Your Plan

Once your goals are set, the next step is to develop a plan to achieve your goals. Set up a time frame of when you want to check your progress and analyze your plan. If you find yourself off-track and not making the progress you expected, change your plan but never change your goal.

If anyone has any tips or techniques on setting goals for 2022 or stories on how goals have worked for you, I would love to hear them in the comments section. Don’t forget to like, follow, and join our team by subscribing to the email list.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@cdd20

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Life Is Not Fair

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Life is not fair. It is something that should be taught early on in childhood. Bad things happen to good people; good things happen to bad people. This is just life. We are all going to go through difficult times.

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Understand Life Is Not Fair

Why do bad things happen to good people? I do not have an answer to that question. Reflecting on my own life, there have been several difficult times. I believe I have lived a good life and consider myself a good person. Despite that, I was diagnosed with cancer at age 47. It was a difficult time for my family and me. Through the right mindset and plenty of prayers, I survived.

Life Was Not Fair To Tom

Back in November, I wrote a post about losing a friend. My friend was a better person than me. Probably one of the best people I have ever met. He was always giving himself, his time, and his money towards helping other people. He died unexpectedly at the age of 63. Life is not fair, and bad things happen to good people.

I wondered why. Were we being punished for a past transgression? Did we get closer to some unknown breakthrough, and evil forces intervened to stop us? Was it just a random happening?

The Age Old Question….. Why?

Why do we go through difficult times can be answered in many different ways based on our beliefs. A religious person can see it as Satan turning you against God. Scientists might look at it as just random acts with no meaning. It just happens. The pessimist says their life is just one difficult time after another. Optimists see difficult times as obstacles to overcome. These times do not last.

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I Go Through Many Tough Times

I go through difficult times frequently, and they seem to hit one right after the other. Then I will go for several months of good times. Once I realized that life is not fair, I began to handle the difficult times better. Good things happen to bad people, and good people struggle. It is life, and I do not pretend to have it figured out.

When I go through difficult times, I no longer ask the question; why did it happen? The question I ask myself is, what am I going to do about it? After being diagnosed with cancer, I did not waste time trying to figure out what caused it. I realized that I had lived a great life, and I accepted it. Next, I began thinking about defeating the disease.

Focus On The Solution

Life is not fair. Never has been, never will be. When you go through difficult times, don’t worry about the cause; focus on the solution. There isn’t anything that life throws at you that you cannot handle.

I do not pay attention to other people, whether they are good or bad. If someone is a terrible person and becomes wealthy, God bless them. I’m not in control of others and the way they live. I’m only in control of myself.

Do Not Waste Time

Do not waste time on why it happened. Concentrate on why you need to get through these difficult times. The Law of Attraction doesn’t differentiate between good and bad people. If you understand the Law of Attraction, you know you will become what you think. Bad people can have good thoughts. In contrast, good people can have negative thoughts. Your thoughts, good or bad, will become your reality.

You have too much to give to let the difficult times stop you. Focus on yourself and learn to control your thoughts. If you find yourself thinking negatively, immediately speak positive affirmations. Live the life you want to live in your mind before you live it in reality. Good things happen to good people. Be the example you want others to emulate.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@helloimnik

https://unsplash.com/@tlisbin

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I Am Thankful For

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I have a lot to be thankful for. I am healthy. I just had my annual physical, and all my blood work came out perfect. My body is working just the way it should and maybe even a little better. I feel energetic, and my mind is sharp. It doesn’t mean I don’t always walk into the kitchen and remember why I am there. Those are just the little things that we put up with as time goes by.

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What I Am Thankful For

It took me a long time to learn to be grateful for everything I have. After spending half my life and law enforcement, it was hard to see the brighter side of life. I spent every day, for most of the day, living on the darker side of the world. I saw some of the worst parts of humanity on city streets and in the jungle. When you spend most of your time in darkness, seeing the light becomes difficult.

I am grateful that God gave me the ability to separate my two worlds. When I arrived home after work, the first thing I would do was take off my badge and gun. I became a different person. Much like the comics I read as a kid, I would take off the bat-suit and become Bruce Wayne. I would hang up my cape and be Clark Kent. At the door of my house, I would leave the title of Special Agent. I became Scott, husband and father, one person living in two different worlds.

30 Years

I didn’t talk about work with my family because I didn’t want them to be exposed to what I saw. It was my choice, my calling to be a Special Agent. I am thankful that I could serve people for 30 years. Even though I’m retired, I am still connected to the dark side. There are still people to be helped. The good news is I spend much less time there. I am positive and grateful nowadays.

I-am-thankful-for-pumpkin-acorn-leaf-cut-outs
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This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for also being called to create InspireChief. It has opened my eyes to living a life full of love and gratitude. I am thankful for being able to help and serve people in a different way than I did before. You should always be grateful for what is going on in your life right now. It is your choice on how you react to what is happening to you. You can choose to face it positively or through negativity.

Forward

Every day isn’t sunshine and rainbows, and sometimes life hits you square in the teeth. When it takes you to your knees, get up. Keep moving forward, don’t stay where you are. Keep moving until things get better. They will. God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.

I am thankful for the ability to keep moving forward through the good times and bad times. I want to continue to use InspireChief to help and serve people. Encouraging people to rely on faith and keep fighting brings a smile to my face. I will continue until my last breath.

Thank You!!

I am thankful for everyone who reads, comments, likes and follows InspireChief. I’m deeply humbled to be part of your community.

I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and a joyous holiday season. No matter where you are in the world, take a moment out of your day tomorrow and reflect on everything that you are thankful for. Begin to write a gratitude journal daily and see how it changes your life.

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Breaking Down The Age Barrier

Today I’m going to talk about something that happened to me last weekend. The concept is a little difficult to understand. It’s the difference between living your life spiritually and living physically. The event was simply a conversation I had with a young lady. I don’t believe this connection would have happened if I was not living spiritually in the Now. Therefore, I want to talk about being in the Now and breaking down the age barrier.

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Breaking The Age Barrier

Physically, I know that I am 61 years old. I have a birth certificate that tells me that. Although, when I look in the mirror, I see myself as a young man. I don’t look over 30. That is because, in my mind, I don’t have an age. I don’t dwell on the past or spend much time on the future. I try to live in the Now and experience life as it is happening.

Every Saturday during football season, I meet up with fellow alumni to watch the game. Most of the time, the same crowd shows up and, we are in the same age group. This past Saturday, a young lady in her 20s joined us and sat next to me. We had the most engaging conversation. During this conversation, there was no difference in age between us. We were conversing on the same level.

How Do We See One Another?

I did not feel as if she viewed me as an older man and, I looked at her as no different than me. The difference in our age, as well as our gender, race, experiences, etc., were broken down; they disappeared. This happened because I was living in the Now.

Now is the moment in time that I am experiencing, right that second. I am not thinking of my past or my future. Most of our thoughts focus on the past and the future. We are not thinking about life as it’s happening. When I live in the past and the future, I think about age. How many years have passed, and how many I have left.

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https://unsplash.com/@nathananderson

Thinking Spiritually

If I would’ve been thinking physically, I would have focused on the difference in our age and not on the conversation. I would have looked upon this young woman as a child, someone who needed my knowledge, more like my daughter. Instead, by breaking down the age barrier, I viewed her only as the person she is. I was talking to a person, not someone of different age.

It has always been easy for me lately to engage in a conversation with people my age. As humans, we seek out people similar to ourselves. By only being around similar people, my focus would be on our age. We could all sit around and tell “war stories” of our past.

Living In The Now

Living in the Now and breaking down the age barrier, I can experience life through someone else’s eyes. They can talk about their experiences and share their stories. By listening as a person focusing on the Now, I gain an understanding of what others are feeling at this moment in their life.

I have followers of all ages. When I read their blogs, I learn so much about what they are going through. I can learn as much from a 17-year-old as I can from a 70-year-old. I don’t know what it is like being a teenager in another country today. By living in the Now and breaking down the age barrier, I read the articles as if we are the same age.

Keep Sharing Your Experiences

We all have something to teach one another despite our age differences. You never know who you can help with your experiences. If you feel the inspiration to write, then write. Live in the Now. Experience life as it is happening right now and embrace it. Good things or bad things may be happening. No matter what is happening, embrace the experience.

Bad times never last forever. Embrace all times and give thanks. Better times are ahead! So, when you find yourself near someone of a different age group, look at them as the same as you. Live in the Now. You might make a new friend. Always remember, age is just a number.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@nathananderson

https://unsplash.com/@lgnwvr

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Overcoming Despair

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Overcoming despair is my podcast today. Gloom, Despair, and Agony on me. Oh, how those words brought back a lot of great memories. I use to watch a TV show with my mom and dad back in the 70s called Hee Haw. It was a show with country comedians and musicians that would perform various skits. One of those skits had two performers singing the song Gloom Despair and Agony on me. Then they would say something funny about their trials and tribulations. They would repeat the song until another funny story. It was one of the funniest skits, and it makes me laugh today thinking about it.

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Overcoming Despair

The beginning of 2021 had not been kind to me. Nope, not one bit. Most people could not wait for 2020 to end. I, for one, would not mind going back. Yes, this is me, the guy that is always talking about moving forward. I am that guy, but I would gladly rewind the clock and go back a year.

BOP, POW, ZOINK!!

Why do you say? Well, I’ll tell you. It seems as if life had put me in her crosshairs since the beginning of the year. I had taken blow after blow after blow. Every time I overcame one punch and thought things were getting better, she threw an uppercut. Hit me right on the chin. It had been so bad I began to feel despair. The words to that song flooded my brain, Gloom Despair and Agony on me. I knew I had to find a way of overcoming despair.

Despair

Despair is defined as loss of hope; a cause of hopelessness. It is what I was feeling just a few months ago. People have called me a lot of different things in my life. The one thing no one has ever called me was a quitter. So I fought on with every weapon I had. I was not losing ground but, I was not gaining any either. Overcoming despair was my goal.

Salvation

So as I continued to take punch after punch, bad news after bad news, I began to wonder what was coming next. Luckily I do not ever take on these battles alone. I have my family, my friends, and God. On one particularly bad day, I went to bed, and as I always do, I picked up a devotional guide, Feeding On Jesus by Jennifer Arimborgo. Jennifer is a wonderful person who is a missionary in the Amazon Jungle in Peru. Her website is feedingonjesus.com.

The devotional I turned to that night was Isaiah 35:4, “Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.'” I immediately was lifted out of my despair. God knows when you are feeling hopeless and places hope in front of you.

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https://unsplash.com/@carrier_lost

Life Ain’t All Sunshine

I knew right then that everything was going to be okay. In the words of Rocky Balboa, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. It is not how hard you hit it is how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward” I knew I had to take the hits and keep moving forward.

Control

I cannot control what life throws at me. Neither can you. Two things I can control are my attitude and effort. I can focus my thoughts and not give in to despair. I believe and have faith that things will turn around. Some situations are too big for you and me to handle. These are the ones I turn over to God.

There have been several times in my life that I have sailed through troubled waters. Each time God has sent me a sign to tell me he is there and everything will be all right. I am lucky I have this great team of family, friends, and God. Together we can get through any storm. Because of them, I have been able to persevere through the difficult times in my life.

Better Times Ahead

Even though the beginning of this year had been a struggle for me, I knew there were better times ahead. The years to come will be filled with difficulty but also with much happiness. Whatever life wants to throw at me in the future, I am ready for it. I have God by my side. In the end, the good times will far outweigh the bad.

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