What is it to be spiritually fit? I feel that everyone should have some belief that there is an energy force greater than all of us. Having the understanding that what you put into the universe you get in return is very important and in my opinion just having faith that this is a reality is enough to get you headed in the right direction. Everyone is headed somewhere whether we choose to believe this or no. A perfect example of this is a brand new automobile that just sits in the driveway and is never driven; the vehicle will start to decay in a sense if it’s not turned on and driven every once in a while. It’s absolutely impossible to remain stagnant because we’re all constantly moving either forwards or backwards. I personally have had life changing or should I say life saving experiences that if not for a belief in a higher power I may not be here to watch my heart fill this paper with food for thought and serve those with an appetite for happiness and a thirst for greatness. When it comes to becoming spiritually fit, it’s the same as any of the other areas of our lives. Keep it simple, this is not meant to be a stressful practice but just the opposite.
You can meditate for a specific amount of time, such as 10-20 minutes daily. For everyone it’s different and some could meditate w/ soft music, while others need complete silence. Do what works best for you. When meditating you’re taking the opportunity to just clear your mind and travel anywhere you like. You could explore the tropical rainforest or stand on the head of the great phoenix in Egypt. You could just reflect on your goals and dreams and view yourself accomplishing them or you could just give thanks to any higher power you may have a relationship with for all of the blessings you have received thus far.
When it comes to spirituality it’s important to remember not to preach to people. It is certainly ok to share your experiences with others but it’s not ok to force your opinion on others. There is usually a group of people that share the same interest in spirituality that you do and therefore there’s another reason that you don’t have to preach to people about your beliefs.
Always remember it doesn’t cost anything to dream so dream as if you’ll live forever but live like you’ll die tomorrow.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
If The Shoe Fits
I was a tall skinny kid in Junior HS. I’ve always been a “go getter” when it came to money except for a short period in my life when I got distracted and became a “go get her”, but that’s an entirely different blog. One of the things I did to earn money was working for an aunt watching mentally challenged patients while she bowled on Sat. mornings.
Jordan’s, were the must have sneaker for all children that can afford them at the time. Singing “Like Mike, if I could be like Mike”. That was the theme song on the b-ball court and for good reason. Michael Jordan could fly! He could have come out with a shoe that was vomit color with little food particles stuck to the shoe laces and still sold out in every store. So I was making a little bit of money and wanted my first pair. I asked my aunt for an advance because I just couldn’t possibly wait to save up for them with a price tag of $140.00 he would have been retired by then. I was like a fiend, scratching my neck anticipating going to the mall that day. I went to just about all the sneaker stores just to face rejection after rejection because no one had my size in stock which was a size 12 at the time. As we approached the final store with expectation of the same result I was feeling hurt and just aggrivated. So as my aunt and I sit on the bench waiting for the salesman to come from the back and let us know; my eyes light up and the biggest cool-aid smile came across my face when I saw the box in his hand. This guy says "we only have this one size 11 ½ in stock". Now I know I wore size 12 at the time but I was in school with them Jordan’s on the very next day; chest out, head held high, toes hurting and all. Within two weeks, both my big toes had created huge holes in the sneakers.
I learned a valuable lesson at that time and it was to never settle unless there is truly no other option. I embrace the same philosophy within every aspect of my life. In your choice for a partner, home, education and career just to name a few. Just like my sneakers that didn’t fit, some of us settle for things that don’t fit us.
Jordan’s, were the must have sneaker for all children that can afford them at the time. Singing “Like Mike, if I could be like Mike”. That was the theme song on the b-ball court and for good reason. Michael Jordan could fly! He could have come out with a shoe that was vomit color with little food particles stuck to the shoe laces and still sold out in every store. So I was making a little bit of money and wanted my first pair. I asked my aunt for an advance because I just couldn’t possibly wait to save up for them with a price tag of $140.00 he would have been retired by then. I was like a fiend, scratching my neck anticipating going to the mall that day. I went to just about all the sneaker stores just to face rejection after rejection because no one had my size in stock which was a size 12 at the time. As we approached the final store with expectation of the same result I was feeling hurt and just aggrivated. So as my aunt and I sit on the bench waiting for the salesman to come from the back and let us know; my eyes light up and the biggest cool-aid smile came across my face when I saw the box in his hand. This guy says "we only have this one size 11 ½ in stock". Now I know I wore size 12 at the time but I was in school with them Jordan’s on the very next day; chest out, head held high, toes hurting and all. Within two weeks, both my big toes had created huge holes in the sneakers.
I learned a valuable lesson at that time and it was to never settle unless there is truly no other option. I embrace the same philosophy within every aspect of my life. In your choice for a partner, home, education and career just to name a few. Just like my sneakers that didn’t fit, some of us settle for things that don’t fit us.
I would like you to ask yourself if you have settled. Does your career choice fit? Do you have a career or a job? Does your choice for partner, home, or lifestyle fit? Some of us may be living a lifestyle that is too big for us whereas others may be living too tight. Some of us have to settle if there is no other choice currently but do you have a game plan to change the situation eventually? For those of us that feel we have the perfect fit just keep doing what you’ve been doing and congratulations for knowing your size.
The kids at school had jokes on me for long time and whenever someone cracked a joke about my sneakers, I just told them “but they’re Jordan’s though”!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Playing the Money Game
Rules to the money game in its simplest form. Increase assets and limit your liabilities. What is an asset? Anything that put’s money into your pocket. What is a liability? Anything that takes money out of your pocket.
The 1st step in creating a financial picture that is virtually stress free is assessing your own personal situation. You must really understand what money you have coming in and going out. Once you have an accurate picture it's easy to understand your spending and saving habits. There are a number of different scenarios that will be discussed eventually to really tap into becoming debt free but for those that don’t have that a goal, you must realize that you must have some goal to work towards in order to accomplish anything in life. Helen Keller whom was a blind woman that created schools for the blind once said that “A person with goals but can’t see is sad, but a person with sight but no vision is a tragedy”. The bottom line is that you must have a goal to reach from the start. Would you ever begin a race if you didn’t know where the finish line was? I hope not. Whether it’s for a vacation, retirement, college, house, etc. You must have a goal.
There's so much to speak about on the topic of finance which I won't attempt to cover right now but the last point I'd like to make is never attempt to keep up with the "Jones's" because if the grass looks greener on the other side then the water bill is probably much higher too! Don't be cheap, be happy, but be smart in the process.
The 1st step in creating a financial picture that is virtually stress free is assessing your own personal situation. You must really understand what money you have coming in and going out. Once you have an accurate picture it's easy to understand your spending and saving habits. There are a number of different scenarios that will be discussed eventually to really tap into becoming debt free but for those that don’t have that a goal, you must realize that you must have some goal to work towards in order to accomplish anything in life. Helen Keller whom was a blind woman that created schools for the blind once said that “A person with goals but can’t see is sad, but a person with sight but no vision is a tragedy”. The bottom line is that you must have a goal to reach from the start. Would you ever begin a race if you didn’t know where the finish line was? I hope not. Whether it’s for a vacation, retirement, college, house, etc. You must have a goal.
There's so much to speak about on the topic of finance which I won't attempt to cover right now but the last point I'd like to make is never attempt to keep up with the "Jones's" because if the grass looks greener on the other side then the water bill is probably much higher too! Don't be cheap, be happy, but be smart in the process.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
3 Is a Charm (Part 1)
If you’re currently or have ever been in a relationship then you know that the flame can blow out eventually, if the window (of opportunity) is open long enough. This happens because life becomes repetitious for most. How many of us park generally in the same spot at work (not good), eat/ drink the same things daily or are intimate with our partners in the same way every time. Repetition is good for forming great habits to achieve great results with certain things, but not for anything else.
In a relationship we have to be 3 people. For my male counterparts we must be the Husband, the “NEW” boyfriend, and the side dude. We have to play these 3 roles in order to maintain a happy, healthy relationship and to keep that flame lit bright.
The husband which is defined as “the male head of a household: one who orders the economics of a family” has the primary role to provide and protect. For this reason alone is why some men just aren’t ready for marriage. Providing financial support is major in the role of the “Husband” which should be known by all and doesn’t need much written on it.
The “New” boyfriend on the other hand is defined as “a favorite male companion or sweetheart”. Most people that have gone through the beginning stages of a relationship tend to view everything as perfect, because of such things as intriguing conversations, gifts or just enjoying their company without doing anything at all. I always tell people that you want to figure out what you don’t like about the person as soon as possible and then ask yourself can you grow to love those things. In this role you must allow your creativity shine by doing things that are out of the ordinary day to day routine. You have to sweep your woman off her feet by making beautiful memories. When guys ask me how? I explain to create one requires getting one or more of these three senses involved. Visual: Scenery, Sound: Music or Nature, Taste: New Cuisine. Just make it special.
The “side dude” is not defined in any dictionary; yet we all know what his role entails.
The bottom line is that at a minimum; you must do the same things you did to get the person your with to keep them. I wrote this for the men but this last statement should be applied to the ladies as well.
In a relationship we have to be 3 people. For my male counterparts we must be the Husband, the “NEW” boyfriend, and the side dude. We have to play these 3 roles in order to maintain a happy, healthy relationship and to keep that flame lit bright.
The husband which is defined as “the male head of a household: one who orders the economics of a family” has the primary role to provide and protect. For this reason alone is why some men just aren’t ready for marriage. Providing financial support is major in the role of the “Husband” which should be known by all and doesn’t need much written on it.
The “New” boyfriend on the other hand is defined as “a favorite male companion or sweetheart”. Most people that have gone through the beginning stages of a relationship tend to view everything as perfect, because of such things as intriguing conversations, gifts or just enjoying their company without doing anything at all. I always tell people that you want to figure out what you don’t like about the person as soon as possible and then ask yourself can you grow to love those things. In this role you must allow your creativity shine by doing things that are out of the ordinary day to day routine. You have to sweep your woman off her feet by making beautiful memories. When guys ask me how? I explain to create one requires getting one or more of these three senses involved. Visual: Scenery, Sound: Music or Nature, Taste: New Cuisine. Just make it special.
The “side dude” is not defined in any dictionary; yet we all know what his role entails.
The bottom line is that at a minimum; you must do the same things you did to get the person your with to keep them. I wrote this for the men but this last statement should be applied to the ladies as well.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Put your mask on
For everyone who’s ever traveled by airline knows that before take off there’s a quick course on airline safety and what should be done incase of an emergency. One part of this safety lesson is that “If air pressure should fall, an air mask will fall from the ceiling. You must put YOUR OWN mask on prior to helping others”. The reasoning behind this is simple. You can’t care for anyone else unless you take care of yourself first. This project is what this is all about. In order for you to be happy in this long life we live you should do things that can improve your life on a daily basis. You want to work on five key areas to do so. I call these areas’s the five fitness’s or the five areas of being fit. Fitness defined is (the state or condition of being fit; suitability or appropriateness). They are as follows: Spiritual, Mental, Physical, Financial, and Social. If you do something small to improve yourself as a person in each of these areas daily; you will find and keep happiness. Happiness is different for all of us, so find yours do what you wish as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone in the process. In life the #1 thing to utilize in creating a happy life while achieving all your goals and dreams is consistency. Be consistent, be great!
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