Author Archives: Frank Borelli

Life Is THE Final Exam

Do you remember… that kid in school that always wanted to sit next to you so he could copy your paper? Or your answers on a test? Were you that kid? Do you remember the guy you worked with who seemed to always copy your moves or changes or growth… whatever he saw you doing that he thought might benefit him if he did it too? Do you remember the neighbor you had that seemed to buy a new car every time you did? Or he only mowed his lawn the afternoon of the day you did yours in the morning? We all remember one or more of those folks. They are those who watch how we live life and, seeing how well we’re doing, they follow along, copying our moves, tracking our changes and thinking that if they just do the same, then they can do as well. Little do they realize: Not only are we not living the same life, but we’re not even in the same reality – because reality is as individual as we are. Let me explain that. Continue reading →

Do You Artificially Shackle Yourself?

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As I think a great many people do nearly every day now, I was surfing through some social media posts and I came across this image. Courtesy of @addicted2success, the image shows Superman in handcuffs and accompanied by four soldiers in body armor, etc. It’s an image from the movie “Man of Steel.” The phrase on it is what caught my attention: How it feels when you’re stuck in your day job and you know your true potential. Continue reading →

Don’t Let Your Past Shackle You

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In the contemporary world there seem to be a host of beliefs, accepted as unavoidable fact, based on assumptions about the inevitable results of past events. The examples I would give are 1) Every combat veteran will have or does have PTSD and 2) If you have a family history of clinical depression then it’s inevitable that you have or will have it too. Such beliefs… assumptions really… are not only far from accurate but, if believed, can be unnecessarily and avoidably debilitating. Let me explain. Continue reading →

Expansive Outlooks

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One really spectacular benefit of social media is that it allows you to follow those you choose, ignore those you want to and share news or commentary on your day as you see fit. There are a great many people who use it purely for trivia or entertainment. There are many companies that use it to pimp their product. There are also a host of people who use it to regularly share good news, positive messages and (hopefully) inspirational commentary. Finding THOSE people wasn’t as easy thirty or forty years ago and, in that way, social media can benefit everyone on a daily basis. That said, the benefit only exists if YOU seek out and follow the folks who share such positive messages. Here are a few other thoughts to go along with what you might find if you do. Continue reading →

12 Secrets of a Happier Life

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Every now and then in everyone’s life we get distracted by things that we either cannot change or that shouldn’t matter to us to begin with. The distraction can cost us time, emotional energy, mental fatigue and more. To increase the quality of our life and the sense of serenity in our days, it’s worth reviewing the simplest of lessons so we can keep our mental and emotional outlook fresh. Continue reading →

Measuring Life

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This is something we all know, but some of us need a reminder about every now and then. You don’t measure your life by how long it is (although that’s no reason to desire less than a long life); you measure it by how much you’ve lived in the time span you’re given. Since none of us knows exactly how much we’re given, it behooves us to live as much as possible, as energetically as possible, with the proper focus on what’s of actual value in our lives… EVERY DAY. Continue reading →

Fad Diets & Long Term Fitness

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It would be funny, if it weren’t in some ways sad, how many friends I have who are pursuing weight loss and better fitness. Perhaps, the older you get, the more you value your health and fitness. Certainly there’s a perception that being healthier and more physically fit will stave off our arch enemy – death. For all that, being “healthier and more physically fit” seems to somehow morph into “lose weight” all too often. Maybe it’s because general practitioners, cardiologists and every other doctor in the world seem to say, “You need to lose weight,” as if it’s a miracle cure. For sure, it can have a positive impact on your quality of life, but it’s not the end all be all of fitness. Yet the diet industry thrives. Continue reading →

Standing In Line

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As with so many of the things that inspire me to start thinking around a topic, something popped up in my social feeds. In this case it was about how, as we live life, we are essentially standing in line. Standing in line for what? The person who presented this represented everyone as standing in line for entrance to heaven. The reality is that, depending on your belief system, it really is standing in line to die… and begin whatever adventure comes next. But there were some very relevant and valuable observations made about standing in that line and I wanted to expand on them a bit. Continue reading →

Sympathy vs. Empathy

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Just the other day I was involved in a very brief virtual discussion about the benefits of empathy over sympathy. For the person to whom you’re expressing either of these, there is a benefit; but which is better or more beneficial for them? The person who originally posted it had the position that empathy was ultimately better than sympathy because you were seeing the suffering person’s outlook from their own perspective. I maintained that you can’t do that because you don’t have their same background, experience, knowledge, etc. Then, like I usually do, I overthought heck out of it and ended up simply making sure I understand the differences, strengths and any potential weaknesses. Then, as usual, I started typing. Continue reading →

Is Belief in Karma a Religion?

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Nearly every day of my life I hear someone say, “Karma’s a bitch,” or, “Watch what you do; you don’t want Karma visiting it back on you.” Both of these statements indicate a belief in a higher power, even though most of us don’t think of it that way. We tend to talk about karma as if it’s some universal power that builds up and dishes out negative energy based on what we feed into it. The part that is much less discussed or heard about is GOOD karma, but if you take into consideration the possibility of both good and bad karma, and the rewards or punishments visited back upon you based on your actions, you’re really talking about a religious faith… at least of sorts. Continue reading →