Per dictionary.com: one definition of “dream” is, “an aspiration; goal; aim.” Per the same website, one definition of “achievement” is, “something accomplished, especially by superior ability, special effort, great courage, etc.” So what sets apart the people who ONLY dream from those who dream AND achieve? The answer is simple: hard work.
We’ve all heard the sayings and whether a pessimist or an optimist is denoted. “The glass is half full,” says the optimist. “The glass is half empty,” says the pessimist. “The glass is improperly engineered,” says the engineer. “While you all argued about it, I drank it and now it’s empty,” says the opportunist. Here’s…
That Dalai Lama – smart guy. His statement, as quoted in this meme, is absolutely correct. It’s also something that far too many people either completely ignore, never learned, or forget any time they need an easy excuse for something wrong in their life. Let’s talk about this a little bit and see just how…
… Or “Nature as Therapy.” I am blessed to have the friendship of some people in my life who have a LOT more life’s experience than I do. Interestingly enough, they seem to be far wiser than a lot of other folks in my life. I wondered why that was and came to this realization:…
Obviously, there are far more than FIVE rules for life if you want to feel motivated, empowered, fulfilled, justified, etc. That said, every now and then I come across a meme that makes me stop and think. If I actually think the thoughts I have are worth sharing, entries like this one occur.
I saw a post on Facebook and it was a brief look at what the poster was thankful for this year. It gave me pause. I wondered, “Should I do that?” It has always seemed silly to me that we only acknowledge what we’re thankful for on a given day in the year. Shouldn’t we…
Since I broke my elliptical awhile back (apparently, putting over 2,500 miles on it in a year will break it), I have been using the treadmill (that still works). In front of it, hung on the wall, is a 30-something inch flat screen television with a built in DVD player. For entertainment while I’m walking…
I can’t say I was much of a fan of the Matrix movies after the first one, and part of what made the first one so good was all the lessons Morpheus taught Neo. ONE of those lessons was the difference between thinking you might be something, believing you might be something and simply KNOWING…
I have been actively writing short stories since I was in the 7th grade. I learned to type in the 9th grade and, thanks to lots of years of playing the piano before that, I could type FAST (still can). I have the benefit of a good private high school education plus some. What it…
– I’m old enough to know better but young enough not to care. – Right now is the oldest you’ve ever been and the youngest you’ll ever be again. – Old enough to have experience but young enough to have enthusiasm. There are so many “old versus young” statements I could probably burn an entire…
Across the span of the past few decades of my life I’ve heard a great many analogies that compare something to “my house.” The most common ones have been federal financing (compared to a home budget to make it easier to understand), the nation (discussing illegal immigration) and others like that. Recently I saw a…
Some years back (as I type this) I was scheduled to take a trip to New Hampshire from my home state of Maryland. I had a number of people quite shocked that I chose to drive rather than fly. After all, why would I waste so much time driving when I could fly so much…
We have all heard the story of the hare and the tortoise; the rabbit and the turtle. We’ve heard how the rabbit was just SO sure of himself that he dawdled and wasted time while the turtle kept on making slow and steady progress. That story is where the phrase, “Slow and steady wins the…
It’s been said that “I Am” are two of the most powerful words in the English language – because what you put after them literally defines you. How you define yourself has a powerful impact on how you live, what you pursue, what you accomplish and more. It literally drives your motivation… or lack thereof. …
As young children most of us are taught to play games and every game, no matter how simple, has a winner. Obviously, if there is A winner then there is also a loser, or an assortment of them. We’re also taught things like, “Don’t be a sore loser,” and “Don’t be a gloating winner.” There…
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. How many times have you heard THAT statement? Better yet, how many times have you heard that statement used by someone who you believed simply didn’t want to try to teach someone something new? Or learn something new themselves? From past experience I know for a fact…
Success, as defined by Dictionary.com means: the accomplishment of one’s goals; the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like. Those definitions align with what most of us have been taught throughout our lives, as we grew up, as we worked to attain certain goals in school and then as we moved into our lives,…
I know a few people who have a difficult time handling the criticism of others. When I talk with them, I try to encourage them to understand the difference between criticism and critique. One, criticism, is nothing more than verbal judgment with no suggestion on how to improve. The other, critique, is feedback on something…
My mind has been spinning for the past couple of hours – and it’s all my own fault. A young man who is a work acquaintance of mine posted something on facebook about depression. I think we can all agree that depression sucks. Feeling depressed is never an enjoyable thing. My outlook and response was…
…and therefore unnecessary. I didn’t used to believe that. You’d think that being a police officer for virtually all of my adult life, I’d understand that fear was something I could choose or not. I didn’t realize that until after I’d retired (the first time) and I still have to thank a Will Smith movie…