25 Tuesday Oct 2022
Posted in Ted Talk
Tags
Cthulu, Fear, Ghost Writers, H.P. Lovecraft, Horror, Scary, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Titan of Terror
Here is yet another short video about scary stuff as we slowly approach Halloween. I hope you enjoy it. Here’s to everything that goes bump in the night. Everything we fear is not always what we see, but what we don’t see. Let that settle in your mind for a bit. Mwahahahaha.
Until next time…
Dave
19 Wednesday Oct 2022
Posted in Wisdom Wednesday
Tags
Bram Stoker, Diary, Dracula, dread, Fear, Horror, Insects, Scary, Vampires, Van Helsing
No man knows till he has suffered from the night how sweet and dear to his heart and eye the morning can be.
How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams.
There are mysteries which men can only guess at, which age by age they may solve only in part.
Despair has its own calms.
There are such beings as vampires, some of us have evidence that they exist. Even had we not the proof of our own unhappy experience, the teachings and the records of the past give proof enough for sane peoples.
Enjoy the Wikipedia page on this Irish writer who brought us Count Dracula. Wow, if he only knew how much of an impact his book would have on generations to come. Here is the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
Have a great Wednesday, folks!
Until next time…
Dave
11 Sunday Sep 2022
Posted in Bonus Content
Tags
9/11, Ceremonies, Fear, Loss, Pearl Harbor, rememberance, Twin Towers
I wanted to take a few moments to remember 9/11. I was at the gym, when the planes hit the Twin Towers in New York. While I was working out, I always take a peek at the many televisions in the gym. I didn’t realize this was a news report. I thought it was an action movie, coming to theaters. Boy was I wrong.
When I got home, my voicemail was beeping. When I checked it, the message was from the Company Commander of my recruiting company. The message: Get in to work. This is not a drill.
I did not listen to the rest. I got dressed, told my wife what was going on, and headed in, What a crazy day. I could not believe it. I will always remember that day and where I was when it happened.
I have not looked at the news yet, but there will be ceremonies across the nation commemorating the day, which has been compared to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Have a great Sunday, folks.
Until next time…
Dave
22 Tuesday Mar 2022
Posted in Ted Talk
Tags
Brian A. Pavlac, Fear, Germany, Learning, Panic, Scapegoat, TedEd, Video, Witch Hunts, Witches
I found this interesting video about witch hunts. I hope you learn something. I always do.
Until next time…
Dave
25 Tuesday May 2021
Posted in Ted Talk, Thinking Tuesday
Tags
Ami Angelowicz, Fear, Learning, Sleep, Sleep Paralysis, Ted Talk, TedEd, Terror, Thinking, Tuesday
If you’ve ever experienced one of these, it is bad. It’s like you’re awake, yet not. It’s hard to explain. That’s why I thought Ami could explain it better. Watch this short video about a topic that may plague you. I have always found that the best way to face a fear is to understand it. Enjoy!
Until next time…
Dave
06 Thursday May 2021
Posted in Thinking Thursdays
I have always been fascinated by outer space, astronauts, and the accomplishments we have made on Mars. Here’s a Ted talk by Megan McArthur on all the things that go into spaceflight. Enjoy!
Until next time…
Dave
31 Wednesday Mar 2021
Posted in Wisdom Wednesday
Tags
5 Quotes, Bob Woodward, Books, Fear, journalism, News, Rage, Veil, Washington Post, Watergate, wisdom
Photo credit: Jay Godwin – https://www.flickr.com/photos/lbjlibrarynow/25434828916/in/album-72157665395632165/
I’ve been reading a lot of Bob Woodward’s works this year. I read both of his books on Trump, Fear and Rage. Now I am reading his book called Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987. These books were terrific. In honor of this writer, today’s 5 quotes are from him.
The central dilemma in journalism is that you don’t know what you don’t know.
When you see how the President makes political or policy decisions, you see who he is. The essence of the Presidency is decision-making.
Nixon’s grand mistake was his failure to understand that Americans are forgiving, and if he had admitted error early and apologized to the country, he would have escaped.
A reporter’s ability to keep the bond of confidentiality often enables him to learn the hidden or secret aspects of government.
I think journalism gets measured by the quality of information it presents, not the drama or the pyrotechnics associated with us.
Bob Woodward is most famous for his work as a journalist with the Washington Post on the Watergate scandal during the Nixon Presidency. For more information, check out his Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Woodward
13 Saturday Feb 2021
Posted in Spiritual Saturday
Tags
Dreams, ECK Wisdom Series, Eckankar, Fear, Healing, health, Inner guidance, Karma and Reincarnation, Life After Death, Meetup, Sould Travel, Spiritual Freedom, spirituality, Tools, wisdom
I will be hosting a 9-session book discussion on a series of books in ECKANKAR’s Wisdom Series. These will be hosted and run on ZOOM. If you would like to attend, join my Meetup. Here’s the link: https://www.meetup.com/the-path-of-spiritual-freedom-eckankar-port-huron/ I will be posting these events on my Meetup one at a time. Each event will require you to register, but do not cost any thing, other than the .99 cents the books cost on Amazon. Here’s a link to them: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08M38HNZ6?ref_=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_tkin&binding=kindle_edition
These events will be 100% online via ZOOM and are open to the public everywhere on the globe. The dates and topics are below:
Conquering Fear – Mar 18, 2021
Solving Problems – Apr 15, 2021
Health and Healing – May 20, 2021
Inner Guidance – Jun 17, 2021
Life After Death – Jul 15, 2021
Karma and Reincarnation – Aug 19, 2021
Dreams – Sep 16, 2021
Soul Travel – Oct 7, 2021
Spiritual Freedom – Oct 21, 2021
I wanted to make sure everyone of you knew about my upcoming book discussions. You’ll get to see and hear me live. You can connect via ZOOM or just call in. These will be posted on my Meetup, advertised on Facebook, and I will continue to notify all of you as the book discussion dates approach. I hope some of you can make it.
You do not have to be an ECKist to attend these events and there will be no solicitation whatsoever to join ECKANKAR. These books were written as a public service and offer real tools to help you in many areas of your life. If you are interested in any of these topics, I highly recommend coming. These books will offer you some real benefits, and provide you with some tools you can apply right away.
Hope to see some of you there!
Until next time…
Dave
15 Wednesday Jan 2020
Posted in Wisdom Wednesday
Tags
Delaying, Fear, Get it done, Imperfection, Inner Critic, Little Steps, Procrastination, Take Action, Waiting
Have you ever woke up in a funk? You know that feeling that today is going to be one of those days? Everything you do is wrong, not good enough, etc. Say hello to your inner critic.
There are many articles and books that discuss procrastination. One of the biggest contributors to procrastination is the inner critic. It’s that small voice inside your head that wants everything to be perfect before you start something. It says, “Whoa. Slow down. You don’t know enough yet. The stars aren’t aligned yet. You’re not good enough. You’ll embarrass yourself.” This was, by far, the largest contributor to my procrastination.
What I’ve found out:
I could go on and on with this list. The key point is that you will never be perfect. Getting something done is better than doing nothing and continuing to drive yourself crazy as you stare at your project day after day and doing nothing on it.
You’ll never be able to ignore your inner critic. You can quiet it down a bit. Just get to work. Even if it is just one little step in your project plan, you’ll feel great checking that off of the list. Over time, when you realize that you are making progress, that little critic will stop acting up. Doing something is better than doing nothing and thinking about it. Get it off your mind by doing something, anything to move your goals and projects forward. It is a great feeling when you can look at your to-do list at the end of the day and realize you’ve done a lot of work. And it all happens because you did the best you could, with what you had.
We can all improve. We can all get better at what we work at. The key is getting started and moving forward regardless of whether the stars are aligned, you know exactly what you want to accomplish, or the finished product is exactly what you wanted. Paintings are a work in progress, books are a work in progress, anything you set out to do that is unknown to you is a work in progress. You can always repaint, rewrite, or redo whatever you start. That’s how all the greats do it. So can you.
So if you are just like I was a few years back and staring at a to-do list, paralyzed by inaction, you can begin moving forward today. Break those scary projects down into even smaller steps. Do it. Check it off the list. It really is that simple. If you make a mistake, who cares? You learned what not to do. Don’t do that again and continue forward.
I hope all of you are having a great day!
Until next time…
Dave
06 Wednesday Nov 2019
Posted in Wisdom Wednesday
Tags
Achievement, creativity, Embrace Fear, Fail often, Fail Quickly, Failure = Learning, Fear, Goals, The Wilds, Your Comfort Zone
“The cycle of creative action begins with a concept we carry in our minds of what we wish to do. The next step is to outline on paper some plan of how to accomplish this. The final step is action in carrying out the plan.” – Harold Klemp – The Language of Soul
Stephen Covey discusses the first and second creation in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He discusses this while covering the second habit: Begin with the End in Mind. The first creation is what we visualize in our mind. It is the pictures, sounds, feelings, and smells of our end product. This end product could be a goal, a destination, or a situation. The second creation is when we breathe life into the first creation by taking all the actions necessary to make our vision a reality.
If you examine Harold Klemp’s process, it is simple. Visualize. Plan. Act. If this were so simple, why do so many people fail to accomplish their goals? My guess is that they can visualize a better life, but ignore the planning and acting parts of this equation.
What’s the reason? Why do people dream about things to do, achieve, or accomplish, yet fail to do anything about these dreams? FEAR.
We fear trying new things. We fear failing. We fear we aren’t good enough. We fear we lack the skills, time, or money. We fear what our social network will think. We are so fearful of these things we continue to dream and hunger for change, but just don’t get around to it. We are so comfortable with our current situations that we prefer this comfort zone, rather than those scary “wilds” outside that comfort zone. These wilds are so scary we just can’t step into them to pursue something that could transform our lives for the better.
How do we overcome this? First, your desire has to be stronger than the fear that is holding you back. When your desire is stronger than fear, you’ll act. Second, your current circumstances are no longer comfortable. Here, your discomfort outweighs the fear you have of the wilds.
You are the only person who can make a decision to act. You are the only person that can risk venturing into the wilds to find your personal pot of gold.
One thing you can do, if you are still hesitant is to take small steps into the wild. If you have a good visual of what you want, start with a brainstorming session. Don’t commit to anything, just begin exploring what you would have to do if you ever got around to doing something. This is the first step. Once you begin brainstorming and thinking about potential solutions, the wilds will be less intimidating. They will be less scary because your brainstorming session will begin to show you what actions you could take to get where you are going. In other words, the wilds become more familiar because you are starting to chart a map through the wilds to your vision or goal (plan).
Once you have brainstormed, you can begin to evaluate and organize these steps into an action plan. Then all you have to do is the act. This action is like sticking your toes in the cold water. Commit to taking one action on your list. Once you’ve done this, take another, and another. Before you know it, you’ll be closer to your goal and those scary wilds will be less intimidating. You are acting and getting closer to your destination.
Eliminate fear by taking small steps. Brainstorm, plan, take small actions. You will bring that dream into reality. The first time you explore the wilds, it will be uncomfortable, but the more you do it, even if they are small excursions, the more this discomfort will dissipate. The territory you thought was scary is not so bad. In fact, it is less dangerous than the predictable, boring, and complacent comfort zone you now occupy.
The people that attain their dreams are not better than you. They just took a leap of faith before you did. They have failed more than you have been comfortable with. They have failed so many times, failure no longer has a hold on them. They’ve figured out what everyone figures out. Failure is part of the growth process. You’ll never learn or do something new without screwing up. So enjoy failure. Enjoy the process. Every time you fail you learn something–you learn what doesn’t work.
I hope you have a terrific Wednesday!
Until next time…
Dave
Daily Ramblings... 
