It's about listening, not fixing

My mom sent me this link and I just about died. It's a classic example of the different perspectives of men and women. Check it out!

It's not about the nail

Have a great day, all!

Happy Birthday to Forest!

I may be biased, but to me, Boxers are the best dogs ever. And Forest, specifically, has traits that I didn't even know dogs were capable of. He's the most tolerant dog I've ever known. We have dressed him and posed him for pictures and he's dealt with it like a champ. And even the mundane maintenance stuff like baths and nail trimming, that many dogs hate and fight, he tolerates. He's also very considerate. He doesn't back down to other dogs, but he will allow them to eat first or drink from the water bowl first. His curiosity is off the chart. Any open door we walk past, he has to at least look inside. and he'd go inside if I let him. He wants to know everything that's going on. And he's so funny at the dog park because he acts like the governor of the park by greeting each new dog personally as if to say, "Hi! I'm Forest! Welcome to my park!"

Happy Birthday baby boy! I can't believe you're 9 years old!

Choices

Everything that has substance has a vibration; a force in the world. This includes inanimate objects. A bright red, glass vase has a higher vibration than a gray, ceramic coffee cup for instance. A patch of grass has a lower vibration than a blackberry bush.

Think of choosing your outfit for the day. (Unless you wear the same thing every day.) You decide on a key piece – maybe a blue sweater. It was talking to you. If it wasn’t, you would have picked the yellow pullover. But it was the blue sweater today. From there, the rest of the pieces begin their bidding. The stone-washed jeans call out. The leather loafers. The silver watch. And you walk out the door knowing you’re in the right clothing. You’re comfortable. But what happens if the blue sweater has a spot on it? You hastily go with the yellow pullover and try to “match” the rest together. And then you feel a little “off” all day long. This uncomfortable feeling can be alleviated by not choosing hastily. Close your eyes for a moment and something else will talk to you.

This also works with food. Have you ever seen a menu in a restaurant that makes everything look absolutely delectable? How to choose? Something will talk to you. After perusing the menu, close your eyes – what do you taste? Fettuccini Alfredo? Chicken wings? Fish and chips?

Matching your own internal vibration with objects around you is easily achieved by listening to the world as well as yourself. This works with more than food and clothing. If you listen closely enough to your own internal vibration, you will see what you really need in life. Personally, I believe you already know the answer even if you haven’t posed the question yet. Should I call my sister who I haven’t talked to in 3 years? Is this daycare facility right for my child? Do I take the first job offer or the second? Or neither?

Intellectually, you know what option is better. But you need to have the “gut” feeling to know you’re doing the right thing. If you learn to quiet all of the other “shoulds and should nots” and listen to your feeling, you’ll know the right answer.

I do this every day with both simple and challenging choices and I believe I’ve made the best choices for myself.

Failure

I never fail. I succeed at finding what doesn't work.

 This is one of my favorite sayings of all time. In the world of IT, new programs have to be learned on the fly, new updates have to be understood right now, changes are dynamic and immediate and you have to keep up. I'm continually finding what doesn't work. Then you back up and go again with the new knowledge.

In life, we are almost always reactive. Things happen and we have to deal with them. Sometimes we don’t deal well. Sometimes we deal quite badly. But, in doing so, we learn that regardless of how we deal with a situation, it’s still the same situation. And the stress we caused ourselves and/or others was completely unnecessary.

Your car gets a flat on the highway. You’re late for an important meeting. You get dirt on your suit changing the tire. You’re pissed. You call your secretary and yell at her to reschedule ASAP. You’re out of breath and your blood pressure is surely off the chart. 

 
Things happen. People know this. They know this because it happens to them too! Your reaction is the only thing you can control. People will understand if you need to reschedule a meeting. It’s life, not life and death. You don’t need the stress of this type of reaction any more than your secretary does. You’ve affected two people very negatively and, very unnecessarily. Getting yourself worked up and then yelling at someone else did not help your tire situation in any way, shape or form. It remained as it was. You, however, and your relationship with your co-worker are now considerably worse for wear. This didn’t work.

You readjust your attitude, apologize to your secretary and apologize to yourself – vowing never to react that way again. And you don’t. You’ve succeeded at finding what didn't work.

Alternately, this is a classic saying for inventors and creators. A first try of anything [typically] never works. Formula 409 was the 409^th compound tested by the inventors. It took Edison 1,000 tries to get the light bulb to work. R. H. Macy failed in the retail industry 7 times. And Babe Ruth, of course, struck out 1,330 times in his career.

Failure has a negative connotation that it doesn’t deserve. Failure is learning. Failure builds experience. Failure shapes character. Failure is the only true path towards success.

Find what doesn’t work, and you'll be closer to finding what does!

Vacation at the lake

Happy Fourth of July!

Cheers to all for a fun-filled, family-fraught, friend-full, fiesta feast for the Fourth!

A HUGE thanks to all of our US military who allow us to let freedom ring all year round!

It's all about your perspective

This is a classic, and rather moving, example of one realizing and changing his perspective. It's also a very interesting talk.

TED Talks - Peter Attia: Is the obesity crisis hiding a bigger problem?