Being weird.

     Today I thought I'd write about an odd subject, at least, I think it's odd.  Being weird.  Now, I know what you are thinking.  I'm going to say it's okay to be weird.  Actually, no.  I am, however, going to say this.  If others call you weird, that's okay.  If others tell people that you are weird, that's okay.  Being weird isn't okay.  Why, because in the long term it is an absolute detriment to your success.  If you are weird you have to know when and where to turn it off.  Those who pride themselves on their weirdness are usually only weird in certain circumstances.  Let's be honest, those who are weird all of the time are hard to be around.  They are hard to be friends with, really good friends.  Everyone has eccentricities.  This does not make them weird.  If you focus on those things, then you will be considered weird by others.  In short, it's okay to be weird once in awhile but if you want to be successful, really successful, learn how to turn it on and off.  Now, go and have a wonderful life.

Two of my favorite quotes.

Here are two of my favorite quotations.

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid... you're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone, and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.

(from "The Matrix")

House cleaning!

 Really, house cleaning?  Pretty much!  Well, here's the explanation.  If we want to move foreword, we must travel as light as we possibly can.  Baggage, our or others, will slow us down.  I've been cleaning up a few things.  Shortening my time on social networks, limiting my time reading news and pruning my schedule.  Why is keeping things neat and orderly important?  Well you already know the answer to that question.  Baggage is usually emotional.  Old clothes that you no longer wear or pretty much anything that you no longer use.  Include people.  If they are tearing you down in any way, limit your time or just stop seeing them.  I think that this is a very difficult thing to do for most of us.  Its because we do not always see what parts of our lives are baggage and what parts of our life are tools.  A good idea for recognizing baggage is what isn't needed right now, what you haven't needed on a year or more, and what just plain doesn't make any sense for your dreams and goals for your future.  If you don't really know what do to do some research.  There are a lot of books and audio programs about how to house clean.  Cleaning up your life isn't just important, its an absolute must.  The more distractions you have, the less you will be able to work toward your dreams and goals.  Have a wonderful life everybody.

Idle hands.

     When they say that idle hands are the devils workshop, they aint kidding.  I have a six your old with an awesome imagination and huge amounts of energy.  If we don't give her something to do, she will find something to do and it's not usually a good thing.  She does what she thinks about.  Grownups are exactly the same way they just don't want to admit it.  So, lets admit it, right here, right now, all of us.

     We need to remember that if we aren't running toward a worthwhile goal, then we are running toward a goal that is destructive.  We do what we think about, including me.  Kids are going to grow up, sooner then we think and so we need to teach them that they need to set and achieve goals.  Little goals, big goals, even goals with chickenpox.  Here's the deal.  Daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, yearly goals, in other words, short term, mid-range goals and long term goals.  Short term goals are three to five years, mid-range goals are ten years and long term goals are for life.  I'm not going to go into how to set goals the reach them because there are far too many of that sort of stuff already, at least not here and now.  I might try to tackle that mountain in another article.

     Kids need something to do all the time.  If they don't, they will get themselves into trouble.  Adults are just big kids with better toys and bigger ideas.  The best way to ruin a child's life is to not give them something to do.  I know, my little girl gets herself into trouble on a regular basis.  As I have said before, I'm writing this more for myself then for others.  We are going to work in this in our house.

     Here are some basic rules.  First, set goals and break them into parts and pieces.  Second, talk about these goals everyday.  Third, keep track of everything, not just the goals and there progress.  Fourth, reward them.  I'll let you figure that out for yourself because you know your own child better then anyone else.  Here is the most important basic rule of them all.  You need to do it too.  If you aren't setting and achieving goals your kids won't do it.  Make it a family deal.  Set a time every Sunday and work out a schedule for the week.  On the first of every month set aside time to work a plan for the whole month.  Do this for the whole year as well.  You will be so happy about your life, your kids will be better behaved and you and your family will be setting the ultimate example for others.  You will have fun and you will have success.

     Remember, "It's a Wonderful Life."  Enjoy you week y'all.

How to find me.

     Just a quick note.  You can find me at the following places.

www.facebook.com/IGetU2C
www.twitter.com/IGetU2C
www.igetu2c.wordpress.com
www.igetu2c.blogspot.com
www.igetu2c.tumblr.com
www.flickr.com/igetu2c
www.pinterest.com/igetu2c

     Thank you for your interest and I hope we can interact very soon.

Nothing, or, the blog about nothing.

     Have you ever sat down to write a blog post or article and couldn't think of anything to write.  It happens all the time.  There is a good reason for that.  It has to do with today's theme, attitude.  The truth is, when you get into that situation about not knowing what to write about its because you are trying to hard.  You are trying to write something beyond yourself.  You are trying to be wise, witty and wonderful.  You are trying to be philosophical or theological.  You are trying to be profound and influential.  You see, here's the deal.  Only write about what you know, what you have done, who you know, and where you have gone.  A good writer never runs out of stuff to write about.  Those who write about their feelings and emotions as a general rule are boring and uninteresting.  If you write about how you handled a situation, good or bad, you should write about how you resolved it and how you could have done a better job.  Write about what you will do next time in that situation.  The best rule is the only stand by, the five W's and an H.  If you've heard about this rule, then you are most likely a pretty decent writer. Here are the five W's and an H.  Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.  Answer those one word questions about any subject or situation and you will be on your way to writing like a decent blogger or article writer.  Remember to be positive and encouraging in your writing.  Remember to be honest and most important, don't write just because you think that what you have to say are the most valuable words in the world, because they are not.  They are, however, important to you.  They might be important to someone who is needing to hear the words that you are typing because they are experiencing that situation when they read it.  Never forget that most of the time, no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.  I hope this is helpful.

     There have been books, movies and TV shows about nothing.  There are celebrities, politicians, preachers and teachers who are all about nothing.  Nothing makes millions of dollars everyday.  Our goal in life is to find a way to move from the nothing to the something.  When we have a conversation, when we write and even when we are just thinking, we should remember to be solution oriented.  The nothing crowd is focused on the problem.  The nothing group like to gossip and tear everyone and anyone down.  Find a goal and work towards it.  Find a dream and make it happen.  That's why I am writing this blog, to help me find a way to accomplish my dreams and goals, and help others out at the same time.  Attitude isn't just how you think.  It isn't even about what you do or say.  It's really about a long term behavior.  Something that you do, even when no one is looking.  Lets do this thing, together.

Writing a blog.

     Yup, you guessed it, this isn't about writing a blog.  It's about attitude.  You see, the fact is, I do not like blogs.  I do not like writing.  I do, however, enjoy a good conversation.  This is it, the attitude part.  We do what we do not want to do so that we can do what we want to do later.  In other words, we do the hard stuff first, then the easy stuff is fun.  We whole point of this short article is to say that I am doing this because I need to figure things out for myself and at the same time help a few folks like you figure things out too.  Nope, I don't really enjoy doing this, but I do it anyway so that I can learn and grow and at the same time meet a few new folks and have conversations with a few folks that I know.  I don't believe that I am that great of a writer.  I do believe that my writing, if not now, at some point in the future, will be of value to others.  I hope so.  Attitude is ninety-nine percent of what we do or do not do.  We choose to make things easy or hard.  We choose to make things fun or a chore.  We have to do certain things so that we can be a better person.  If we don't, then we will be like all those who have very little in life wining about how everyone else isn't doing enough for them.  Here are the rules.  Read good books.  Listen to good audio programs, including music.  Hang out with those who are heading in the same direction as you.  Be supportive of others dreams and goals.  Be encouraging, no matter what.  Stop listening to radio and watching TV, they're dream killers.  Most important, at least to me, find someone to help in small ways everyday, regardless of how you feel.  That's it, that's my article about writing a blog.  It's not what you thought it would be about, huh?  At least it was short, very short.

Reading

     In this day and age when studies, research, polls and statistics occupy such a prominent place in our society I have decided that rather then hit you with more of that I would just talk about my own experience and that of those I have learned from.  If you need proof, then go to google and search for why reading is good for you.  Everything I mention here does have scientific backing though.  My goal is to give you something that you can use everyday that will help you to become a better you and have a more wonderful life.

     I have been spending time considering how to approach the reason or "motivation" for reading.  Many people overlook this because it seems so simple.  In fact, it's one of the most difficult tools in the toolbox.  Here is why I believe that.  Let me make a basic comparison.  Most people watch television.  They tell themselves that it serves a purpose, news, education, information, just to name a few.  But in fact they spend hours sitting there doing nothing and letting the TV control what they think about the world around them and how they are supposed to think about themselves.  Reading has the same potential as the television.  The only difference, and this is important, major difference, between them is YOU have total control over what you read and NO control over what you watch.  Oh, I know what you are thinking right now, you have the power to turn the TV on and off, or selecting a channel or show.  Not really.  Here is how you should be thinking about your TV.  If it isn't feeding you, it's killing you.  If it isn't providing you with new information about how to improve your life, motivate you, inspire you, educate you, and most important, helping you be more productive and successful in all areas of your life then it is eating away at your life and will eventually kill you.  Television leaves nothing to your imagination at all.

     Here are some simple steps to help you determine if your TV is poisoning your mind and not feeding it.  If you do not know how much time you spend in front of your TV each day, week, month and year, then you need to stop it.  If you spend more time in front of your TV then you do in front of your family, friends and business associates/clients, then you need to stop it.  If you pay more for your TV/cable/satellite then you do for personal development and improvement, including motivational, educational and business/sales training, then you need to stop it.  Lastly, if your "entertainment" is more important then your communication skills, social skills and relationship skills, then you need to stop it.  What should you replace the TV with, reading.  All of this also applies to sports and video games.

     Reading is TV for the mind.  Your imagination is the best TV set you will ever own and the best part, it is free.  You get to select what images and sounds you see and hear.  You even can imagine smells, tastes and touch.  What more can you ask for, really.  Reading allows you to create new ideas and learn new ways of experiencing life everyday.  You can read whenever you want as well as anywhere and everywhere.

     One of the most effective ways to learn is to read out loud.  Read to yourself or to someone else, it does not really make that much of a difference.  Something happens when you read out loud.  In fact, a whole lot of things happen when you read out loud.  First of all, it helps to increase your self confidence.  It helps to improve your public speaking skills.  It improves your vocabulary.  It helps you find out who is actually listening to you, how important is that?  Most importantly, by reading out loud, you actually increase your ability to remember what you are reading.  Reading a book more then once is a must if you want to learn what you are reading.  Taking notes, on a piece of paper/device or in the margin, makes a huge difference on how well you will retain what you are reading.  Reading before you sleep at night will help you get a good night sleep.  The news is full of what is wrong with the world and books are full of what is right with the world.  Reading is one of the most relaxing habits you can have.  Books will help you focus on your dreams and goals.  Books can be one of the most important catalysts to solving problems and challenges.  Others point of view through books changes your own perspective.

     Here are some tips on how to get the most from reading.  Read one chapter a day or at least fifteen minutes.  Read just before you go to sleep.  Read sitting up in a comfortable chair or propped up in bed.  Read books that provide you with motivational, inspirational and educational content.  Read books that apply to your daily life such as your family, job, business or career.  Mix them up.  Read a technical book and then a skills developing book and after that a book of stories of those who have achieved what you are after in your life.  Read more then one book at a time.  Read books that have inspired your family and friends.  Read biographies.  There are hundreds of book lists out there, find one and read the books on that list.  I have a book list that I use.  I get one book a month sent to me via a subscription.  If you'd like to know more about that list, let me hear from you in the comments.

     I have some final comments about reading.  I'd like to encourage you to do a thirty-one day challenge.  Read everyday during those thirty-one days.  If you forget, start over.  It has to be consecutive days.  Test your life against what you are reading.  If you notice a change for the better, then I'd say you have been successful at the challenge.  If you do not notice a change in your day to day experience, then I might suggest that you have been flubbing on the challenge or maybe even reading the wrong sort of books.  Successful people read, business people, sales people, leaders of companies, groups and clubs.  Teachers, students and parents.  All successful people who have become financially independent credit reading as a major part of there success.  If you want to have a more wonderful life, read!

     Here is a short list of books that have inspired, motivated, educated and broadened my perspective of the world around me and helped me better understand those around me as will as improved my communication skills, social skills and relationship skills.  My sincerest wish is that you will find one or more of them extremely helpful to you as well.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
How to Have Power and Confidence in Dealing with People by Les Giblin.
See you at the Top by Zig Ziglar.
The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz.

Everybody starts at the same place, the beginning.

     It's in the title!  It pretty much says it all.  At this point, we are all equal.  It's what we do everyday that makes us better, different, successful and so on.  Another way of putting it is "I want the equal right to be unequal."  We have all the same equipment.  We have all the same opportunities.  The fact, or truth, is, we don't all do the same thing about what we have right now, at this moment.  Some make things happen.  Some watch things happen.  Some wonder, "what happened?"  In baseball and life, there are winners and losers and there are some that are rained out.  The question is, which one are you.  Success is not determined by what we have or what we have done.  It's determined by what we do and what we say.  The beginning is the only place that we are equal.  Don't get left behind.  Get off your backside and start running.  If you are not busy being born then you are busy dying.  Standing still can't be done, you are moving backwards or forewords.  It's easier to run with a hundred than it is to drag one.  Lets run together and lets all support each other.  Remember to talk to each other.  Always listen.  Don't think to much.  Accept responsibility for what you do and say and never blame anyone when you can do something about it.  Always tell yourself, "it's a wonderful life."