Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Oprah Winfrey

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Character, failure, Gratitude, inspiration, Integrity, Oprah Winfrey, Women's History Month

Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.

Oprah Winfrey

Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.

Oprah Winfrey

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.

Oprah Winfrey

Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.

Oprah Winfrey

Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.

Oprah Winfrey

There aren’t many people who do not recognize Oprah Winfrey. Here’s her Wikipedia link to learn even more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey

Have a great Wednesday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – Zucot Gallery

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Art, Atlanta, Black History Month, community, Culture, History, inspiration, Microsoft, Zucot Gallery

I came across this while doing my Microsoft Awards tasks. This is a great story and it includes a virtual tour of this art gallery. Check it out at this link:

https://unlocked.microsoft.com/zucot-gallery/?ocid=cmmdtaqfvu8&FORM=ANNRW1

The virtual tour is toward the middle of the article. It’s really cool. You click dots on the floor to navigate to the artwork and if you click on the paintings, you can see the artist and the description of the work. Very cool!

Here’s a direct link to the gallery’s website: https://www.zucotgallery.com/

I hope you have a great time exploring this place. If you are ever in Atlanta, GA, check this place out. It looks really cool!

Happy Tuesday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Free Writing Friday – Colin Powell

Tags

Army, Black History Month, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Colin Powell, inspiration, Military, National Security Adviser, Secretary of State

Colin Powell served in the Army while I served. I was never privileged enough to serve in one of his commands, but he was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs at the end of my military career. Here’s a link to his profile on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell

Colin is yet another great African American whose life impacted millions around the world. He impacted the soldiers he worked with, he impacted the world as Secretary of State, and he was an example to many young people around the world. He demonstrated like so many others that hard work, discipline, and focus can take you anywhere in life, even when you grow up living in conditions ripe with racism, discrimination, and other disadvantages.

My decision to join the military and serve for 20 years was one of the best decisions I ever made. It continues to provide me an income, it ingrained many habits and the self-discipline I still enjoy today.

I hope each of you has a great Friday and terrific weekend! Be sure to check in tomorrow. I’ll be going over some new things in Season 2 of Call of Duty MW 2. Boy there is so much stuff to do! I love it!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – Announcement

Tags

free writing, Freedom, Funny Friday, inspiration, Interests, Thursday, Writing

All, I’ve decided to alter my postings on Thursday. I’ve been posting what I’m reading, what I’m learning, and what I’m watching, but frankly it bores me to tears. I imagine it bores many of you too, so I’m going to leave Thursday a free writing day, where I write about whatever comes to mind. I’m going to call Thursday my “Free Writing Day”.

I hope all of you like what I come up with and have a great weekend!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Learning

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Google, inspiration, Learning, motivation, Presentation, problem, Udemy, YouTube

There is an event I was supposed to give a presentation to, but had to back out because of my family situation. To meet my obligation, I created a PowerPoint presentation that I converted into a video. All in PowerPoint! How did I do this? I learned how.

Whenever we are presented with a problem, particularly one that we do not know how to solve, we tend to procrastinate. I know I did. But, I solved the problem by taking a PowerPoint course on Udemy. Here’s the link: https://www.udemy.com/share/102gUM3@UBmn5-rxpk4mJ0JGZ6ZORLDOZi4WjMZqTbztQLkb_ZxR2E8NJcUAXIZ8NbEYeZ3f/

Motivation to learn is sometimes driven by what we need to do. I had a presentation to give. Others may have other tasks, but not know how to do what they need to know. Where does one go? For me, my “go to” is either YouTube or Udemy. I always gravitate toward Udemy because I enjoy learning in a step-by-step manner, which most of the instructors on Udemy use in their courses.

You may search through blogs, search YouTube, or just do an internet search in general. My brother used a YouTube video to replace a bad garbage disposal once.

So, if you have a problem, which involves learning something, get online and start looking around. You’ll find the answer. Once you’ve learned what you need to, motivation to get the task done takes care of itself. I could not wait to put my presentation together. The folks running the retreat I was supposed to attend, got the presentation and loved it.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. Motivation improves when we know what we need to do, and more importantly how to do it.

Have a great Monday, folks.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Octavia E. Butler

Tags

Hugo Award, inspiration, Octavia E. Butler, Pattern Master, Quotes, Science Fiction, UCLA, Wednesday, wisdom

Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over.

Octavia E. Butler

I’m comfortably asocial – a hermit in the middle of a large city, a pessimist if I’m not careful, a feminist, a black, a former Baptist, an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty and drive.

Octavia E. Butler

You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.

Octavia E. Butler

Not everyone has been a bully or the victim of bullies, but everyone has seen bullying, and seeing it, has responded to it by joining in or objecting, by laughing or keeping silent, by feeling disgusted or feeling interested.

Octavia E. Butler

Beware, all too often we say what we hear others say. We think what we are told that we think. We see what we are permitted to see. Worse, we see what we are told that we see.

Octavia E. Butler

Part of my joy of posting these quotes is not the quotes themselves, but the investigation of who this person is. In this case, Octavia E. Butler is one of America’s Science Fiction Writers. I’ll let you read more at this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavia_E._Butler

This is yet another fascinating story of someone I never knew before. I hope you enjoyed these quotes. Have a great Wednesday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Anne Frank

Tags

Anne Frank, Courage, Holocaust, inspiration, Love, Sacrifice, Tragedy, wisdom

Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction.

Anne Frank

Whoever is happy will make others happy too.

Anne Frank

I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness; I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.

Anne Frank

Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!

Anne Frank

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.

Anne Frank

Here’s a Wikipedia link to see what a wonderful and impactful life this young lady had: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Frank

Have a great Wednesday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – The GOYA Principle

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Albert Schweitzer, Analysis Paralysis, Friends, Heroes, inspiration, Slumps, The GOYA Principle

“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer

We all experience a slump. Nothing seems to work well. We lose our motivation or desire to do what we set out to do. We begin to doubt what we are doing is worth doing.

How can you get yourself out of a slump? Use the GOYA principle. If you are unfamiliar with the GOYA principle, you can thank Tom Hopkins. Tom is the author of How to Master the Art of Selling. In this book he describes a slump in his life. He was a fledgling real estate salesman and was having a tough time of it. The story about how he got himself out of his slump involved his boss taking him on a ride to cool off. Once they had driven around for a bit, his boss told him to get out of the car. He then told Tom to knock on every door of every house on his way back to the office. By the time he got back to the office he had a few leads and some potential homes to sell. The moral of the story: Use the GOYA principle. What is the GOYA principle you ask?

G-Get

O-Off

Y-Your

A-Ass

When you let your mind and emotions get in your way and over-analyze what you are doing, you will begin doing more analysis than work. Slumps come when you stop doing the work that works in your field of endeavor. We all do this from time-to-time. We sabotage our own efforts when we stop doing what we already know works.

In this example, Tom’s boss was the catalyst that rekindled Tom’s faith in the process of selling homes. Who is your go to when you are in a slump? Is it a boss? Is it your wife or significant other? Is it a good friend who knows you better than yourself? For me, my catalyst has always been the many great authors of the world.

I discovered this this morning as I worked through my morning journaling. I obtain inspiration from the books I read. I obtain inspiration from the stories of heroes taking on challenges and overcoming them. I read about others who have struggled with their inner demons and conquered them. My heroes are the scientists, philosophers, explorers, generals, writers, artists, musicians, and poets. I am also inspired by quotes. I pass along the quotes I find to my followers with the hope they will do for you what they do for me. Quotes inspire, motivate, and awaken us to the wisdom of the ages.

Slumps come and go. Work through them. Get back to basics. Stop analyzing. GET OFF YOUR ASS.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content

Tags

Comfort, inspiration, My wish, Quotes, Solutions, trouble, West Wing

If you’ve been following my blog, particularly Thinking Thursdays, you’ll see an entry of West Wing in my entertainment section. I’ve watched this series all the way through about 9 times. I’m watching it again. I was thinking about this the other night, wondering why I like the show so much.

As I sit here writing, with West Wing playing in the background it came to me. I experienced one of those life experiences a few years back. My marriage was failing, my finances were collapsing, my work was unfulfilling, and it felt like I was watching myself walk off of a cliff and couldn’t stop it. It was a really tough time.

Guess what show I was watching to get some escape from my troubles? You guessed it–West Wing. I watch it today because the acting, the characters, the writing are phenomenal. I still tear up during different episodes and “feel” the stress the characters do in other episodes. West Wing was my comfort during a time that I didn’t think there was an end to my pain. It seemed at the time that everything I cared for was going away.

Then, it all changed. A solution presented itself in December of 2016. Initially, the solution seemed insane. I think this is what happens sometimes when we are at our “rope’s end”. We get really creative. We search our souls for anything–I mean anything–for relief. Then, out of nowhere, a solution arrives.

That solution, although imperfect, was liberation. It was a way that came my way when I was in the darkest period of my life. This proved to me that there is always an option, there is always a door, there is always a way out.

There is a very wise man that mentions that our greatest learning is during those periods in our life when we think that all is lost (paraphrased). This is one of the most simple and true statements of wisdom I have ever read.

This is one of the major reasons I decided to share the quotes I do on my blog. Quotes are the wisdom from the ages. They are sometimes offered by our contemporaries. At other times they are drawn from the times of the ancients.

I really enjoy sharing my thoughts with you. I enjoy passing on the things that affect me and awaken the dormant things inside that can only be reached by these quotes.

It is my wish that these words reach people. It is my wish that these words help others. This is my wish for you, my readers.

I’ll see you later today.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesdays! – Young Scientists

Tags

Anushka Naiknaware, Chronic Wounds, Healing, inspiration, Invention

I know you are all busy so I try to pick out Ted Talks that are inspiring and short. This is only around 6 minutes. A truly inspiring message from an exceptional 14-year old girl.

Enjoy!

Until next time…

Dave