Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

Buddha

What does it mean to have personal independence?  There’s a lot to be said to have a self-sufficient personality that allows you to make decisions, complete tasks, explore new opportunities, and just be able to think for yourself.  Being independent is easy for some, it comes naturally.  For others it’s a life long struggle to learn how to cope and manage, let alone thrive by themselves. 

I watch my daughter grow up and see the evolution of her character and personality.  At the same time I see her struggle for independence while still clinging to me for help and support.  I think it’s vital to foster her personal growth into a person that is capable and self-reliant.  Right now, in those formative years where she will become the woman she’s destine to be, I want to help her experience as much as she can to develop properly.  But what about those who didn’t have the right encouragement and direction, are they lost?  No.  I’ve known some people who unfortunately didn’t have very loving or nurturing parents.  But they took their situation as a motivator to improve and rise above the negative. 

Being able to depend on yourself is a gift that is hard to describe, but so worth the efforts in getting it.  If you find yourself clinging to others, unable to experience life on your own, you might want to try developing a new paradigm.  Independence doesn’t just happen, for some it takes a long time with a lot of effort.  Start out slow.  Pick an activity or task that you think you can accomplish with little help or supervision and try it.  Even if you fail, try again.  And keep trying.  Ask for advice if you need it while attempting to learn why you didn’t succeed.  Remember, I’ve always said there’s a success in every attempt.  So keep trying.  Some day you’ll be flying solo, and you’ll be proud of yourself and your independence

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We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Throughout my life, as I'm sure in yours, life has is small and large disappointments.  They can be bitter, stinging defeats, or they can be tools to help you recognize just how precious the good things are in life.  Keep hoping!

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I must lose myself in action, lest I wither in despair.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

  

There’s an old saying, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.”  Now I know that sometimes busy people can look frazzled, disorganized, and totally unprepared to take on yet another task.  However, what you might not realize is, their action keeps them moving.  Their success at accomplishing tasks feeds on itself and perpetuates.  They thrive on action.  Okay, so it may be that the busy person you know might not be the most organized, or efficient worker you know, but what good is an organized, efficient loaf?  Really.  The action those busy workers take may seem stressful to the outside observer (and to the worker themselves), but don’t underestimate the power of motion.  It kind of reminds me of Newton’s Laws of Motion. 

I’ve learned enough about myself to know that when I have a lot of things to do and not much time to do it, I get things done.  Usually I get those tasks done better than if I had all the time in the world. But what motivates a person to action?  What drives them to get up off the couch and do something, be active?  If you don’t have motivation but feel a call to action, you might just sit there and feel frustrated.  For me, I need a purpose or goal to make my action meaningful.  I tend to think about what my life will or would be like if I did nothing; if I didn’t bother trying to improve myself or make a difference.  Having that realization of unaccomplished goals and untaken chances is usually enough to get me into gear.  Remember, I’m all about living up to my potential.  What about you?  Are you going to loaf around or take action?

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Songs of Emotion

Last time I did Songs of Inspiration.  This week I want to do a couple of songs that illicite emotion.  I think periods of strong and intense emotion can be inspiring if you direct that energy toward something positive.

The first song is Into the west, by Anne Lennox.  This song was featured in The Lord of The Rings, The Return of the King. (All rights reserved to the orginal artists)

Also, as you may know, Whitney Houston recently passed away.  The song, I will Always Love You, was originally recorded by Dolly Parton, but for my money, Whitney's version is the best.

Hope you find inspiration in these selections!


Also, here's a picture of a Lilly Pond at Balboa Park, San Diego.  I took this about four years ago, but it's still one of my favorites.

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Scenes from Balboa Park, San Diego

One of the wonderful things about living in San Diego is being able to spend time at Balboa Park.  There are so many things to see and do, you could spend days being entertained and still not see the whole thing.  I've lived in San Diego for over seven years and I still haven't seen all of the amazing things the park has to offer.  As part of my mission in life to explore new areas and gain new experiences, I think I'll redouble my efforts to see every site in Balboa Park.

I have been trying to learn photography.  In that effort I've taken lots of pictures.  The last time I was at the park, I took several.  So here are a few that I think turned out pretty nice.  Enjoy!

 This is the fountain right near the Natural History museum.  It's a favorite spot to visit for most.

 The yellow of this flower just popped out at me and thought it should be captured.

I was surprised I got the entire tree in frame.  It so tall you might not even realize it.  If you look at the bridge at the bottom of the picture you can just make out a few people crossing.  That will give you an idea of just how tall this tree is.

 I have no idea what this is but it looked so cool I had to snap a picture.

Another flower picture.  I really like the contrast of orange, blue and green.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures.  Remember, inspiration and creativity can be sparked by many things.  Don't be afraid to explore and imagine.  Great things can happen.


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The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.

Abraham Lincoln

How would we handle it if the future came all at once?  Maybe it would be pretty cool, or not.  Traveling through time would be fun, just as long as you could get back to where you started from.

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Continue to be yourself because in the end that’s what people will remember about you.

-Author Unknown

What do you do when your voice is not being heard?  In an age where so many people can express themselves over the internet it’s easy to feel like your opinion and beliefs can be drowned out by the voices of a billion others.  And that’s a fair assessment.  With so many people finding the urge and avenue for self expression it’s hard to filter out all the noise.  With so many people, just finding any one single person that believes as you do may seem impossible.  So what should we do?  Do we give up, keep quiet and not bother?  Do we go along with the flow and just accept the loudest voice as the strongest belief?  Should we just accept it?

No.

You should shout like no one is listening.  Your opinions are yours, derived from years of experience, knowledge, dreams, and desires.  At the very least, they should mean something to you.  Expressing those opinions are an affirmation of those beliefs.  There have been plenty of times where I’ve felt completely ignored, rejected, and unwanted.  If you think about it, I’m sure most people have felt that way at least once or twice.  Heck if they haven’t I’d love to know what that feels like, but I digress.  So how do we get people to listen?  Well, you may discover that by examining your beliefs and opinions, I mean really dig deep into their meaning, that they aren’t as profound as you thought.  Maybe those beliefs and opinions need to have a few more experiences behind them to have more substance.  Reexamining your life should not be a onetime thing, it should be ongoing.

Feeling passionate about your beliefs is admirable, but it’s only part of the equation.  You have to have knowledge, experience, and wisdom to support your claims.  If you really know what you’re talking about and have facts and proof as support, you’ll have something that will reinforce your passion.  Then people will be forced to listen to your voice because it has so much profound resonance to it.  So, experience much, learn more, and speak up!

Do you think your voice would echo here?



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