Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Life

Tags

Adventure, Blessing, Grateful, Gratitude, Life, Thankful, Thanks, wonderful

Every day, I like to wake up and remind myself to be grateful of the simple things.

Miranda Kerr

The life you live is a blessing. I am grateful for every moment I am here, to live, to love, to laugh, to learn. Each experience we have builds on the next and the next and the next.

Looking back there are plenty of examples when life was tough. I wouldn’t trade any of them away. All these experiences got me to where I am today. I am grateful for every hurt, every betrayal, every lapse in health, every disappointment, and every failure. They all contribute to my life.

As time passes by,  the bad things fade and the good things remain. Things always get better. That’s the nature of life.

Enjoy the beauty of simple things and simple moments. A warm cup of coffee while you look at the snow outside your window. A shared moment with a loved one knowing exactly what each other is thinking. A good meal with family and friends. Laughing so hard you can’t breathe. Enjoying a book with a cup of tea and spending your day in pajamas. I could go on and on.

 

You have your own memories and moments that bless your life. Be grateful for every moment you have been alive. Life’s adventure continues for all of us.

Until next time…

Dave

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Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Life-long Learning

Tags

Computers, Curiosity, e-books, Laptops, Life-long Learning, online courses, Programming, smart phones, smart watches, tablets, video tutorials

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Learning.

Most of us “learned” to dislike it because of school. We had to take subjects we didn’t like or maybe we weren’t that great at it. Whatever the reason, take a moment to think about those classes you took that you liked. There must have been a few you enjoyed right? That’s where you start.

The reason I bring this up is that I don’t want any of my friends, family, or my customers/readers to become complacent. The world is moving faster and faster. New technologies are coming to market more quickly. Do not be left behind.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”  – Henry Ford

Each of us can learn new things. Start with the things you enjoyed in school. Maybe you liked shop class. Read books about carpentry, masonry, and metalwork. Maybe you enjoyed writing. Learn about writing. Maybe you always liked Astronomy. Learn about Astronomy.

I think you’ll find that learning brings a sense of accomplishment, joy, and builds confidence. Once you catch the “learning bug”, you may tackle some topics you didn’t like, but want to try again. Go for it! There are so many places to learn, whether it be an online course, a video tutorial, or a book.

 

Set a goal to learn something new each day or complete so many courses in a year. Take a variety of subjects so you can build new skills and knowledge. This variety will build on your current knowledge and help you find new solutions to problems you didn’t know existed. Simply by opening your mind and working through different topic areas.

With a Father who is suffering from Dementia, I am learning and working my brain with the hope I do not fall victim to the same thing my Dad has. It is tough to watch one of the smartest guys I knew, forget how to turn on a television or log on to a computer because he can’t remember how.

I’m also motivated to learn new things because I never want to be obsolete. In this information age, people are falling by the wayside because they can’t keep up. They can’t use a smart phone, smart watch, or tablet. They can barely use a computer. In a few short years, these people will not be able to do what most of us can do today with little effort.

Get out there and learn about your phone, your computer, your tablet. Go get yourself a smart watch and play with it. Get comfortable reading articles online, books in e-readers, sharing what you find on social media. Get a bank account app and use it. Learn all there is to know about the apps on your technical gear. Find new apps to play with and use, even if you don’t keep it or find the app to be a waste of time. The new apps will help you learn more.

Have you ever taken an online course? There are some that are free and they are really good. Have you ever read a digital book? Downloaded a digital book from your local library? Get on Coursera, Udemy, Study.com, or Skill Share. Take a course, complete it, do the exercises. Download a book to your Amazon Kindle App. Get yourself a music app and download the music. Get on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video or Vudu.com and stream a movie or television show. Show your parents and grandparents how to use this stuff. They are the generation that is falling behind currently and it is hurting them.

 

Before I came home, my parents did not know what Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Vudu was? They didn’t know what Spotify or Apple Music was. My Mom had a flip phone. My Mom and Dad still have a landline and don’t use it anymore. They pay 50 dollars a month for a phone that takes messages from robocalls. You see what I’m talking about? Don’t let your friends and relatives fall to the wayside. Take the time to show them how to use this stuff and keep them up-to-date.

To those of us that are caught up and know how to use these things—GREAT! Think about 20-30 years from now when your are older. Will you still be in the loop or will you fall to the wayside using the technologies you are comfortable with now, that, will be outdated.

 

Take the time each day to learn something new. Take the time to teach someone else that may not know what you know. Don’t be complacent. Continue to grow, to learn, to improve. It makes life exciting and worth living. I hope all of you are having a great week!

 

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – 3 per day

Tags

habits, healthy living, Cardio, Pilates, 5MHW, Weight Training, Exercise Bands, 3-a-day

Hey all! Sorry for forgetting to post this yesterday. I have updated my to-do list to remind me to do that next Sunday. Anyway, here’s what I’m up to this week.

Monday – Upper Body

Tuesday – Lower Body

Wednesday – Day Off

Thursday – Upper Body

Friday – Upper Body

Saturday/Sunday – Day Off

On Day’s off, I’ll be doing Pilates x 3 for the day using the 5 Minute Home Workout app.

Mondays and Thursdays I’ll be concentrating on chest, back, shoulders, and arms.

Tuesdays and Fridays I’ll be concentrating on Quads, Hams, Hip Flexors, Calves, and Abs.

On workout days I’ll do one workout in the gym, the other two will be at home, using bodyweight and my exercise bands.

Have a great week, everybody!

See you at the finish line!

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – Conlanguages

Tags

Conlanguages, Elvish, Game of Thrones, Klingon, Science Fiction, Ted Talk, Video

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Today’s TEDEd video teaches us about conlanguges like Elvish in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth or Klingon in the famous Star Trek series. It’s a short one. I hope my science fiction fans in the audience enjoy this one.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – The Journey is More Important than the Destination

Tags

Achievements, Consistency, Goals, motivation, rituals, Systems, The Journey

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.

Zig Ziglar

I have always been motivated by goals and achievements. In the last few years, I have evolved. After reading books like Mini-Habits and Atomic Habits, I am now more focused on the systems that support achievement. These systems or rituals are more important in my opinion.

For example, I set a goal in the Goodreads’ reading challenge to 48 books this year. I achieved and moved beyond this goal last month. How? By reading 1 chapter a day. That’s it. Simple, right? My system of reading 1 chapter a day helped me hit my goal, which occurred without even thinking about it. If they system supports your goal, you’ll achieve it. You cannot do anything else but succeed.

 

Systems or rituals can be used to achieve all of your goals. If you select the right things to do, you’ll achieve your goals unconsciously. It’s just that simple. It’s the rituals and systems that are more important because they build habits or patterns in your daily life that should be beneficial. Reading, writing, exercise, meditation, connecting with friends and family, are all important and beneficial things. Create systems that allow you to touch the things that are important to you every day and your life will be rich and fulfilling. On to my weekly schedule.

Weekly Schedule:

• Read a chapter daily
• Write a section of my book daily
• Code daily
• Meditate daily
• Blog daily
• Exercise daily
• Spend time with friends and family daily
• Run a monthly book discussion (today)

I’ve also started a habit of getting out and about daily. This could be a meal at a restaurant, visiting a library, or setting down at a coffee shop. I also go to the gym and run errands. I try to interact with different people each time I go out. It’s great fun!

Happy Monday! I hope all of you have a great week!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Favorite Song

Tags

Excite, Favorite Music, Hellyeah, Inspire, Moth, Motivate, Reminisce, Spread Your Wings

My favorite song from 5 years ago is____________. Listen to it today.

Courtesy: The 5-Minute Journal

I hope you are enjoying these weekly challenges. Reply in the comments with your favorite song from 5 years ago. Have fun with these. They’re easy and they make you feel great!

One of my favorites is: Moth by Hellyeah

If you like hard rock, you’ll like it. Here you go!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Recapturing the Curiosity, Imagination, and Wonder of a Child

Tags

Childhood, creativity, Imagination, Innocence, Openness, Spiritual Saturday, Wonder

“If you can dream something, you can do it. As long as you do not align your actions with your dreams, you are not fulfilling your destiny.” — Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

All of us have aspirations to be something more. Why do so many people give up on them?

 

Some may think life’s responsibilities are more important. Others lose hope because they have had some bad luck. Still others feel like that life has passed them by.

Remember when you were a kid and nothing was impossible? I think that is what all of us need to recover the dreams of our youth. We need that childhood curiosity. We need to capture that wonder and imagination that made everything bright and wonderful.

All of us can achieve that state. Once you do, you’ll realize you still have so much to do, to give, and to learn.

I was at our local Sam’s club yesterday. I had lunch there after I finished shopping. Next to me was a grandma and her grandson. She was spooning some frozen yogurt to him. The look on his face when that cold treat hit his mouth was priceless. There was another group of two women who sat down in front of me. They had frozen yogurt too. I asked the lady if it was any good. She said it was and was pleased that she and her daughter were enjoying some frozen yogurt together.

 

I make it a habit to get out and about during the day. It’s nice to have these little interactions with people. I enjoy interacting with them and sharing part of their day. Sometimes opportunities do not present themselves for these types of interactions, so I take a few moments to get to know the cashier, waiter or waitress that is serving me. I joke with them or tell them how great their food or service is.

 

How does this relate to my original point? The childhood state of mind I’m talking about is about enjoying the small things. Remember when walking through a store, getting some ice cream, or going to a movie was the happiest moment in your life? Recapture that. That’s where the magic is. Capture that feeling of wonder and excitement.

When you can rekindle your childhood imagination, you’ll see things differently. You’ll redevelop that sense of wonder that made the mundane magical, the impossible possible, and open your mind to an infinite amount of possibilities. Without the fear of failure, because you could do it all when you were a kid right?

 

 

Try this out. Get out there and be present. If you are in the grocery store, enjoy the colorful packages, the smells, the textures. If you are in a mall, look at the people, engage with them. If you are at the movies, get yourself some popcorn and enjoy every kernel. Lose yourself in the film and enjoy the time you have with the person you are with.

Being present helps us enjoy the details and to relish everything with all of our senses. When you can perfect this state, you will reinvigorate your life. You’ll cultivate that childhood wonder when everything is brand new.

Use your imagination. Think of all the things you could do if you couldn’t fail. Imagine the possibilities.

I hope you try this out. It is a wonderful way to regain some of that innocence, joy, creativity, and openness we had as kids. It’s a great place to be.

Have a great Saturday.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Funny Friday – Marriage

Tags

Chuckle, Friday, FriYAY, Funny, Giggle, Happy, Laugh, Snicker, Weekend

“Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed.”—Albert Einstein

Provided by: https://www.keepinspiring.me/funny-quotes/

I hope you enjoyed this one. Happy Friday! You made it!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Thank-You Letters

Tags

Appreciation, Feel Good, Good service, Grateful, Gratitude, Letters, Thank-You Notes

Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

“If you have someone in your life that you are grateful for – someone to whom you want to write another heartfelt, slanted, misspelled thank you note – do it. Tell them they made you feel loved and supported. That they made you feel like you belonged somewhere and that you were not a freak. Tell them all of that. Tell them today.”

Lisa Jakub

All of us owe a great deal to our teachers, mentors, parents, siblings, friends, and any number of other people who have helped us in one way or another. Today’s posting is about thanking people with a short thank-you note or letter. It is a great way to build relationships, express your gratitude to a fellow human being, and it makes you feel good too!

One of the practices I tried to keep during my years in recruiting was writing a thank-you note. I have taken this practice to my everyday life as well. Have you ever been served well at a restaurant or place of business? Obviously, you’ll say Thank you when you are served and you’ll leave a tip, but why not write a special thank-you note for a server that took extra care to make sure your meal was extra special?

What about a job interview? As a recruiter with more than 20 years of experience, I’ll tell you that a thank-you note can sway a hiring manager in your direction, particularly when you and another candidate are equally qualified for a position. I sent thank-you notes to anyone who visited me in my office for an interview with me.

I have received thank-you notes throughout my recruiting career. I cannot tell you how nice it is to get a heart-felt note from a consultant, thanking me for helping him or her get a job. I also appreciated a kind note from my manager who felt I was doing a good job.

Thank-you notes can be used for any occasion. They tell a person you are grateful for their time and you appreciate what they have done for you.

Should you hand-write a thank-you note or type it? There are some that posit hand-written notes because they are more personal. Unfortunately for me, my handwriting is so bad, I can barely understand it myself, let alone someone I am sending my note to. In my case, a printed letter, signed at the bottom worked better.

What about emailing a thank-you note? I think they are appreciated but fail to achieve what an actual hard-copy letter does. We get emails all the time, but rarely get snail mail, unless it is a bill or a sales pitch. It is the rarity of receiving a letter from someone that makes a mailed thank-you note so impactful, compared to an email. Who knows? I enjoy living a paperless lifestyle, but hand-written or printed out letters are a real treasure.

It is important we express gratitude for the things we have, the blessings that come to us every day, and the things we possess. It is also important to express your gratitude to the people that help you, love you, and service you. I can’t explain it, but the feeling you get from doing kind things for other people is irreplaceable.

Take time to thank people for what they do for you. If you receive outstanding service from your dry cleaner, your dentist, doctor, or the maintenance shop you frequent, take time to send a nice letter to them. It is also nice to send a letter to that person’s manager. This really goes a long way.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. I hope each of you takes time today to thank someone who has served you in some way. It is a great practice. Have a great Thursday, readers.

Until next time…

Dave.

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Take Time to Plan

Tags

Alchemist, brain type, Chunking, Efficiency, planners, Planning, Project EVO, rituals

Image by rawpixel from Pixabay

I think many people avoid planning because they want to avoid pushing themselves into a corner or they feel they don’t have the time. They ramble through their days, constantly reminding themselves they have this to do or that to do and just do things as they rise to the attention level that mandates they do something. I used to be one of these people.

I’m not here to judge you. If you still operate this way, cool. I just found it has become easy to get a lot of things done, track everything, and cultivate a more organized, efficient, and productive way of doing things. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I ritualize everything and constantly look for new ways to become even more “automated”.

First, I’m a night owl. I start my new day at Midnight. This is when I do the bulk of my writing. The house is quiet, my inner muse is active, and the words just come. Subsequently, all of my writing tasks are between 12:00 Midnight – 2:00 AM. During this time, I knock out a section of my book, complete my blog posting for the day, work on any drafts of letters I am working on, along with any other writing on my radar. During this time I also do my planning for the day. I typically head to bed between 2 and 3 AM. I like to plan before I go to bed to take advantage of the subconscious mind’s ability to work on these things while I sleep. Later today, at 9 AM when I rise, I’ll dig right in and knock out the day.

I also take advantage of a technique called chunking. I write in a chunk right now. I learn in a chunk, moving through all the online courses and tutorials I am enrolled in. Finally, I read in a 1 and 1/2 hour chunk. The only thing I do not chunk is my exercise routine. This week that routine is 1 mini workout as soon as I get up, followed by a gym visit in mid-afternoon, and then ending with another mini-workout early evening.

Let’s talk about rituals for a moment. My rituals are trigger points, coupled with other trigger points. My first trigger is getting out of bed. Before I do anything, I do my first mini-workout. Meals trigger my next workouts. I workout at the gym after I eat lunch. I workout in the evening after I eat dinner. It’s a great way to settle the stomach and take advantage of those recently digested calories.

Meditation triggers the start of my day at Midnight. These triggers or antecedent events cause a cascade of events that are automatic. It took me a while to get in this position, but now that I am here, it is terrific. The day flows by smoothly.

That’s all fine and good, Dave, but what happens when your schedule gets blind-sided by something you have to take care of that is not in your ritualized day? This is when planning is most important.

Let’s say I have a project or a problem I’m need to solve. I plan thinking time to iron out what I will do. Note: Even when emergency problems arise, I take the time to think through a solution. Initially, I’ll brainstorm. Brainstorming is nothing more than writing every idea that comes to mind without judging or critiquing them. I enjoy using mind mapping software for this. Once I have all of my ideas down and cannot think of anything else, I look at all the potential solutions to my problem and choose the best course of action. Once I make a choice, I outline all the things that have to happen and organize them into a pecking order. Then, I transfer that outline to my current to-do app and begin knocking out the steps.

Here’s an easy checklist you can use:

1. Problem or situation arises that requires your action
2. Brainstorm
3. Critique ideas on time available, funds available, feasibility (can you execute all these steps without further training), and quality.
4. Choose the best solution
5. Visualize the end state of your solution
6. Work backward from this end state to the beginning of your work effort
7. Outline the steps or actions you must take to get from initial steps to final deliverable
8. Transfer your steps into your to-do app or a list you will track as you work through your project

 

I have recently purchased a new planning journal, called the Project EVO daily planner, and must say it is terrific. I realize there are a lot of planners out there. Investigate these and decide for yourself. What I like about the EVO planner is the test you take at the beginning to figure out what your brain type is. My category is Alchemist. My brain type is accurate (scary accurate). The initial evaluation is free. Once you complete it and order your planner, they’ll send you a planner for your brain type. If you’re curious, check them out here.

 

Another great thing about their service is the accompanying app they offer in the Google Play and iTunes stores. This app is used to scan your daily planner to track your daily and weekly results. It is awesome!

I hope all of you are having a terrific week so far! I appreciate all of you and hope my advice helps. I am constantly seeking new ways to organize myself and squeeze more and more efficiency out of my day. These hacks will help.

Well, that’s it for now.

Until next time…

Dave