Wednesday, February 29, 2012

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.

- Katharine Hepburn

Now I wouldn't advocate breaking the law, but sometimes, you just have to really let loose and have some fun.



myeccentrictees.com

 

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

We will either find a way, or make one.

Hannibal

There are always going to be people that will say it cannot be done.  The naysayers, the disbelievers, the ones with no drive or ambition are the ones that try to dissuade others from accomplishing something special.  There is society and life in general that seem to stand in the way of progress, possibility, logic even.  Sometimes it may even seem like fate and the universe are against you, holding you back and subverting all you efforts.  And for the pessimistic personalities, it could even be said that existence itself is against you.  Well, sometimes that may seem very true.

But it doesn’t have to be.  Finding a way to make the impossible possible is hard, extremely hard.  Achievement takes original thinking, imagination, courage, resolve.  I can’t really imagine what went through Hannibal’s mind when he realized that to keep Carthage free he had to defeat Rome.  That would have been a tall order for anyone.  Now I’ve never had to invade an ancient military superpower, but I’ve had some pretty difficult obstacles to overcome.  Being completely broke, alone in a city with no friends and family, and yes, even homelessness.  To say it was hard to come back from that is an understatement.

How hard is it to start over? I can tell you it was stressful, disheartening, and painful.  However, as it turns out, starting over and making a new way was not as difficult as giving up would have been.  I’m not one to quit, I don’t think I know how.  It’s really just a matter of understanding what is really important, what really matters and what I really want.  If you know those things, finding a way, or making a new way is not so impossible as you might think!


Myeccentrictees.com

Monday, February 27, 2012

The best revenge is massive success.

- Frank Sinatra

To me, it's a waste of time trying to tear down and destroy your opponents or enemies, because that does nothing to build you up. For my effort, I'd rather work on myself and be the best Me I can be. What do you think? Is it better to try and bring someone else down, or build yourself up?
hand reaching toward sky
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Friday, February 24, 2012

A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.

- Arnold H. Glasow. When things are really down and everywhere you look is dispair and hopelessness, look for one of your true friends. They'll be there for you.
four friends sitting on a pier
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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Frustration

What do you do when your mind gets so frazzled you can’t think straight?  We’ve all been there, that point in time when even though you know how to do something, your brain just refuses to function properly.  You might find yourself standing there with your pen in hand, notebook at the ready and you find it difficult to spell the word ‘what’, or you’re patting yourself down, checking your pockets for your phone while you are actually holding it in your other hand.  Or even worse, you’re trying to explain something to someone and you can’t seem to form a coherent thought, even though you know the material like the back of your hand.  You try and try, but nothing works, for the moment you are just stuck. 

Frustration for me at least, comes from trying to do too much, too fast, or something I know is difficult without enough preparation time.  It happens; we’ve all done things and made it a success even when we were under the gun or short on time.  So why is this time different?  In my opinion, I think sometimes you need to empty your mind of the extra ‘mind trash’ that gets in the way.  You know how sometimes you should clean out your computer of old files, some of you might know it as ‘Disk cleanup.’ Well the same thing applies to the human mind.  There are so many things that bombard us everyday it’s impossible to process all of it, although sometimes we try anyway.  This is usually to our detriment.

If you find yourself in this temporary mind funk, just stop.  Seriously.  Stop what you are doing.  Redirect your thoughts, actions, attention.  Obviously this isn't a good idea of you're operating heavy machinery, but we'd all hope you weren't doing that in the first place if total frustration had overtaken you.  The idea here would be to 'delete' the unnecessary distractions so you can focus.  Short bursts of relaxing meditation can be very helpful.  If you're not one for meditation, staring at the wall for two minutes might work.  Okay that sounds silly, but if you're stuck in a mind funk, paralyzed by frustration, maybe you need a minute or two just to space out and relax.  It can't hurt, right?





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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.

- Dalai Lama

Being kind should be the first thought in people's minds, not the last.





To go with the Dalai Lama's statement, I found this video.  I think it speaks for itself:







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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit.

-Aristotle

Discipline is the personal force that drives you toward making a habit, sticking to it and achieving your goals.  I was asked recently what it is about me that fuels my personal discipline.  For me the answer might be easier to answer than others.  At the very core of my discipline is the desire to change, to improve, be better than I am right now.  Also, the steadfast knowledge that no one, No One, will do it for me, no matter how nicely I ask.  Making the attempt to succeed a success and not allowing myself to accept that failure is a reason to stop are also powerful motivators to solidifying my discipline.

Now I will admit, I was in the military and that helped a lot when it comes to discipline, however, I did have a strong-willed nature before that.  I guess having to work since I was 15 years old to make sure I had my own clothes helps a little too.  But you know anyone can learn discipline.  Whether it’s adding things to your life in baby steps, or jumping in completely with a total shock to the system, introducing discipline can be done, and if you’re serious about structuring your life in a more efficient, positive way, it’s worth a shot.

When you have a sense of discipline, completing a task or achieving a goal has so much more meaning, because you understand what it takes to get there.  What is more, you’ll know how to recreate that type of discipline to achieve that same success again, or achieve something even greater.  And for me, that type of improvement is almost irresistible.  What about you?



Monday, February 20, 2012

Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light.

- George Washington

I thought it fitting to supply a quote from our first president on Presidents day.  I think that striving for truth has value, not only in proving you to be an honest person, but also to expose honest people to you.  What do you think?


Friday, February 17, 2012

The greatest crime in the world is not developing your potential. When you do what you do best, you are helping not only yourself, but the world.

- Roger Williams

I've always worried that I'm not living up to my potential.  Sometimes I realize I'm not trying as hard as I should and other times I know I'm pushing too hard.  I guess it's a matter of finding balance without complacency.  What do you think?

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Expect the Unexpected


It’s funny how some clichés still have the power to make you think.  Life as we know it has twists and turns that effect the course of our journey.  We all know this, but sometimes, the unexpected hits us when we least expect it.  Now I know that sounds ridiculous, you might be asking yourself, ‘how can we expect something when we are least likely to see it coming?’  Well, that’s a great question and if I had the answer to that I’d probably be a billionaire.  What I do know is how you adapt and overcome those unexpected happenings is really what makes the difference.  Our US Marines use that mantra often; Adapt and Overcome.  I would say that the more you experience, the more you can apply those lessons to new and possibly unexpected scenarios. 

Today I woke up in pain.  Don’t ask me how I did it, but I must have pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve in my neck.  It hurt like hell, actually it still bothers me and it’s been about three hours now.  Anyway, I wasn’t really expecting to deal with an injury today.  Hey, I’ve got work, personal responsibilities, chores, etc to deal with, I don’t have time to worry about being hurt.  But guess what?  I don’t have the choice Not to.  Such is life I guess.  Now it’s obvious if I was in excruciating pain I’d go to the doctor.  This minor pain should go away soon, but it was unexpected and I do have to deal with it. 

If you have a life that seems to throw things at you all the time, and those challenges just knock you off your feet, maybe you should take a second out, re-evaluate how you prepare for the daily challenge of living and change your Modus Operandi (that’s Latin for mode of operation).  For me, I think it’s better to be proactive about life instead of reactive.  The more you prepare and learn, the less likely you’ll get blindsided.  You’ll still get surprised from time to time, but that’s to be expected, right?


Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.


Achievement can be considered the pinnacle of effort.  That which you have strived for, worked for, endured much, promised little and sacrificed to accomplish all becomes secondary to the pride and joy that comes with Achievement.  You’ve done it!  All feats, great and small bring with them a sense of satisfaction.  Once you’ve experienced that sense of wonder and awe at your own abilities you will finally understand what it means to be self-reliant, resilient, and persistent.  Picking a goal and powering through what life gives you to accomplish that goal has no substitute. 

Once you have reached that level of accomplishment and know what it takes to get there, you must push yourself even further.  You may have heard the old cliché “don’t rest on your laurels.”  Well basically that means you need to keep challenging yourself.  If you don’t, your achievement will fade.  I believe a fundamental goal in life should be to continually strive and push yourself to achieve ever greater accomplishments.  I can tell you personally, after 4 years, I’ve finally finished my Master’s degree.  I just received my diploma in the mail and it is now hanging on my office wall.  It means a lot to me, because I went through a lot, professionally and personally while trying to achieve that goal of getting my degree.  Now that I’m finished, I’m thinking of what my next challenge should be. 

Sir Edmund Hillary’s quote is quite apt, at least for me, but at the same time, I’m reminded of that little ditty we’d sing when we were kids “…The bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain… to see what he could see.  He saw another mountain, he saw another mountain, he saw another mountain, so guess what he did.  The bear went over the mountain…”  Life is full of mountains.  Go climb them, and conquer!

Mountains with cloud cover

Monday, February 13, 2012

Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.


Hennry Wadsworth Longfellow

Sometimes, we make a quick judgment about someone and decide they just aren’t worth our time.  Their disposition and demeanor seem to be so outside our comfort zone we can’t relate.  It may be however, that we’ve only misinterpreted them.  People sometimes present themselves as hard and unlikable simply because they are unhappy.  That doesn’t mean they’re not worth knowing.



Friday, February 10, 2012

www.myeccentrictees.com site information and similar sites

www.myeccentrictees.com site information and similar sites

Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.

Joanne Kathleen Rowling

Recovering from something traumatic, stressful, tiresome, profound or troubling can take a lot of time and effort.  It is possible.  Understanding, Acceptance and Perseverance can lead to recovery.  As simple as it is to say those steps, it’s infinitely harder to actually take them.  But Understanding is about having knowledge and wisdom together and using them concurrently.  What do you think?    

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Mistakes are the portals of discovery.


In your life, you will be confronted with a myriad of choices and decisions.  I doubt it’s possible to accurately equate just how many choices you will make in your lifetime, but I think it’s safe to say out of the ones you’ve already made you’ve probably made some pretty big mistakes.  I’m not talking about the minor, insignificant ones.  You know, “Oh, I took a wrong turn and now we have to sit in traffic” or “Oops, I burned the toast.”  I’m talking about the whoppers.  The huge ones that change the course of your life and make you re-evaluate everything, or almost everything. 

You must understand, though, mistakes may feel like the end of the world, but they are not.  Granted some people make massive mistakes that take years to recover from.  Other people seem to never learn from their mistakes and are doomed to repeat them, over and over and over.  Sometimes, those nagging, backbreaking, sorrowful mistakes make you question your value and worth.  Sometimes those mistakes make you feel defeated and lost.  Even worse, sometimes your mistakes affect more than yourself.  Other people are hurt, or made to suffer.  It’s a terrible thing to have to live with knowing you cause someone’s death, or injury, or loss.  But it’s not the end of the world.  Want to know how I know?

Learning from our mistakes makes us better people.  If you take the time to actually sit down, examine the whole situation and figure out what went wrong, where and when, you can find a lesson to take you through the sorrow and pain of that mistake.  Beware though!  If you chose to ignore the mistake or actively deny it, the crisis or chaos that came with it the first time will happen again.  Don’t let that happen.  I’ve made some really big whoppers of mistakes, but I’ve honestly tried to learn from them.  For the most part I’ve been successful at learning from them.  You can too, you just have to be willing to Learn!  


PS: The title of this post is a quote from James Joyce.  I thought it was pretty apt.  Check out some of his books at amazon http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=James%20Joyce&tag=starlingtechnolo&index=books&link_code=qs

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.

Words once spoken by Henry David Thoreau

To me, that statement has special meaning.  I’m a dreamer first and foremost.  Yes I can get things done and be routinely diligent in my responsibilities, but left to my own devices I’d have my head in the clouds.  So actually following my dreams to make my life what I’ve always imagined is a great thought to live by.  What do you think?


PS: Originally found this picture from the following url: http://www.everything-beautiful.com/dream/ there's a great poem that goes along with it.  Check it out!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Take Time to Play

There is always work to be done.  It doesn’t go away and barring any of us winning the lottery, we’ll probably only live a life of pampered luxury in our dreams.  But you know what, that’s okay.  Real honest work can give us a sense of purpose, fulfillment and self-respect that is extremely important to our self-worth and self-esteem.  Sometimes, however, work, whether it be a 9-5er, the struggle against a disability, trying to cope with loss, dealing with someone with a mental disability, or your own, and life in general, you just have to let go and have fun. 
Play is just as important as work.  Not just relaxing and putting aside work for a moment, but actual, real Play.  Now playing for enjoyment can mean different things to different people and that’s fine.  Getting something positive out of the endeavor is the real value here.  If you like sports, play one.  If you like puzzles, put one together, if you like board games, go for it.  Even trying something new can be a great way to find a release through Play.  I never realized how fun surfing was until I actually tried it.  I never realized how bad I am at basketball until I tried shooting a few hoops.  There is a whole list of things I’ve tried and liked, and tried and didn’t.  Now I have a whole list of Playtime activities I can try to escape from the chains of work. 
Play for the simple joy of it.  Let it help clear your mind of all your worries, fears, and troubles.  Remember, the work will always be there, so take the time to have some fun and play! 

Thursday, February 2, 2012

The Final Frontier

Captain Kirk would say that Space is the Final Frontier, and for a kick ass Sci-Fi show, I’d say he’s right.  But in real life, I think that the Mind is the Final Frontier, but also the true beginning of life.  Think about it, can you not think?  Throughout your entire life, you live inside your mind.  Your senses tell you of the outside world, but you interpret that stimulus, thereby forming your impressions of the world.  Now I’ve said before that if you change your perspective, you change the world.  That is so very true, but that change begins with the Mind.  Your consciousness is truly your own, and uniquely yours.  Sure, you might have similarities to some, or many, but no one is exactly like you.  For some, these ideas are not new.  For others these concepts have never dawned on them.  But guess what, it’s in the Mind’s eye that you draw meaning.
They say you can’t change anyone, only yourself.  I totally believe that is true.  I’ve had people ask me advice, wonder what they should do, waffle, and procrastinate even after I told them what I would do in a certain situation.  I think it’s because on some levels people don’t want to do something that goes against their way of thinking.  But if you learn to control and alter the way you think, interpret things, and perceive things from different angles, you might find that the broader scope of understanding can be very rewarding.  Think of it as fluid thought.  The process where you can take in multiple ideas, understandings and perceptions and come to a conclusion that is much more meaningful and dynamic than it would be otherwise.  Granted, if you’re new to this idea, it can be difficult to try, or even grasp.  But see that’s the beauty of the mind.  It Can adapt, and will, if you give it a chance.
Sometimes I get bored.  Not because I don’t have anything to do, but because I’m not challenged.  I need mental stimulation that is challenging and new.  This is a personal thing and I wouldn’t expect everyone to thrive on new experiences or intellectual puzzles.  But, changing the way you approach something can yield surprisingly creative solutions.  Your mind is the most powerful tool in your arsenal of personal creativity.  Challenge your mind and it will richly reward you!


Tripado Review - Pentax Zoom II Binoculars

Thanks for watching.