18 Tuesday Jun 2019
Posted in Ted Talk
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Today’s Ted Talk is a heart-warming one. You’ll enjoy it. I won’t ruin it by giving any spoilers. It is a good one.
Enjoy!
Until next time…
Dave
12 Wednesday Jun 2019
Posted in Wisdom Wednesday
Image by Jan Alexander from Pixabay
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” – Heraclitus
Recently I had the feeling of being out of place. You know that feeling you have when you arrive at a new town or take up a new job and you are excited and yet lost. The feeling came over me a few weeks ago. I can’t shake it. It’s like I am learning where the grocery store is, the closest gas station, the post office, and all the rest. Have you ever had this feeling?
To solve this problem, I looked for a solution. I ran across an article that suggested that once in a while our mental landscape changes. It isn’t drastic or anything, but produces the feelings of being out of place. It suggested a few things: 1) Set new goals. 2) Create plans for those goals. 3) Execute the plan with your whole heart. 4) Set even newer goals if needed and so on.
I went through this exercise yesterday and I have to admit that it is working. I spent most of the last two days examining my current goals and decided there were a few of them that weren’t worth the trouble. Then I created some new goals that aligned better with where I am today. Most of my goals stayed, but the exercise was worth it.
Going through this exercise caused me to realize that my goals weren’t the problem—my way of approaching them was. I was “going through the motions”. I wasn’t putting my heart into my daily goals. I was giving less than I am capable of.
Do I still feel a little lost? You bet. These feelings occur from time-to-time. It takes time to adjust to our new surroundings, even if our new surroundings are the same, but viewed through a different set of eyes or mindset. Be patient with yourself. Reexamine what you are doing with your life. Look at your motives. Why are you pursuing certain goals? What is the purpose? Does this ritual or routine still work?
I enjoy blogging because I can communicate to a wide audience and discuss these kinds of things with total strangers. I hope this article helps you if you are feeling like I do. I will continue to seek new answers. For the time being, I’ll continue to work with what I have and see where this takes me.
Until next time…
Dave
18 Monday Dec 2017
Posted in Quotes
“We build statues out of snow, and weep to see them melt.” – Walter Scott
This quote reminds me of the temporal nature of this reality we live in. Our bodies age and die, attitudes change, new ideas emerge and the old is thrown away. This is the nature of our existence. So why do anything if it is all going to fall away?
Simple. We are here to gain experience and learn how to give and receive love. The changes that occur around us provide the necessary tapestry to gain the experience we need. When I look back on my life, it has been an absolute whirlwind.
I have traveled all over the world, experienced some very “exciting” things, from jumping from an airplane, falling in and out of love (multiple times), and learned a great deal from the people I have interacted with across the globe. One of the things I’ve learned is explained by this quote. Change is a part of our reality, but yet, people are the same everywhere.
We all want to be safe, we want our families to be taken care of and protected. We want our children to have a better life than the one we had. I don’t care if you are in Europe, the Middle East, or Asia–the people all want the same things. Sometimes I think God put me in all of these places to learn this fundamental truth.
Yeah, we speak different languages, we have different holidays, cultures, religious rites and rituals, but nonetheless, there are timeless truths that apply to all of us in the human race. Love, safety, improving our circumstances, and taking care of our loved ones are all part of the overarching needs all peoples pursue in one way or another.
Another thing we learn about change is that it isn’t the change that causes problems, it is our inability to adapt to the changes that cause the difficulties we experience. Once we stop fighting change, we relax, and life gets better–it smooths out. This life is all about learning this fundamental concept. The waves of life will hit you in the forms of splitting up, financial woes, health problems, death, and so many other things that just come about. When I realized that I could survive these things and be happy while I survived, my reality changed.
I survived by being creative and maintaining an attitude that I could not control what other people did, what happens in the world, or anything else. The only thing I could potentially control is my ability to accept things as they are, adapting to the changes, and moving forward. The one thing that has helped me do this is depending on something that does not change–God’s love for me.
If you take a moment and realize that God loves you, regardless of the shape or form that IT takes in your life, you’ll find that the change or whirlwind going on around you becomes a joy in your life. Without change, life here would be so boring. The change is what makes our lives worth living. We may not like all of the changes that take place, but change happens regardless of our personal preferences.
Health is good than bad. Marriages are good sometimes and not so good at other times. Our loved ones are happy and healthy and then, one day, they’re gone. No one is immune to the changes that occur in our lives. No one. So, you can either be upset with life, upset with the changes you dislike, or you can wake up and realize that without change life would be mundane, boring, and not as rich as it is now. You will also realize that without change, challenges, and hard times you will not grow. Who is motivated to change just for the heck of it?
We change to adapt to our ever-changing environments. Sometimes we adapt well. At other times we fall on our face. After a time, we get up, dust off our clothes, and start over. We find that after all of our pain, comes a sunrise and we learn that we are stronger, better, and more loving.
I hope this posting finds you well.
Until next time.
Dave
29 Sunday Oct 2017
Posted in Workout Routine
Happy “Late” Sunday!
The family had friends over for a scheduled event, followed by a meal at our favorite Chinese Buffet. In light of my new fasting schedule, my workout happened but was cut short. This is one of those times where “life” happens and you have to adapt to your circumstances, much like someone may have to alter their workout time to accommodate being called into work.
That being said, here’s today’s workout.
Triceps
Compound set:
Tricep extension machine 60×12; 75×12; 90×12; 105×12;
Dip machine: 130×12; 150×12; 170×12; 190×12
Because I was in a hurry to get back home to avoid missing our friend’s visit at 2 pm, I only took a 1-minute rest between sets.
Ok, folks. Tomorrow’s a new day.
See you then!
Dave
29 Tuesday Aug 2017
Posted in Quotes
Today’s Quote
“Plans are nothing, planning is everything.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
As a retired veteran, I can tell you this is absolutely true. I think the reason Eisenhower said this is that in the military, like many other organizations, plans rarely survive reality. They are a template for our actions and future moves but are just that—a template.
When we begin pushing through that plan, people will change, the weather will change, circumstances will change, and opportunities will arrive. None of these things can be foreseen; they just happen. The key to completing any plan is to adapt to changes, modify the plan as needed, and continue moving forward until the mission, project, or goal is completed. We have to plan to really iron out our thoughts and vision, but the execution always requires the ability to improvise when things don’t occur the way we planned them to.
Until next time…
Dave
