Everything has a purpose…and a result.  Every thought has an action…whether it’s intended or not.

Reflect on what you think about.  Does your thoughts result in things such as laziness; result in thinking bad/good about yourself/others; result in you accomplishing or not accomplishing things you want to achieve; result in….. the list goes on and on.

Thoughts become ‘things’….and literally every second of every day our thoughts result in ‘something’.    So the probing question to ask yourself is…..what are your thoughts?

TMO

~Destiny is your choice~

First I’d like to say thank you to those who have run across this site and dropped me a comment.  I greatly appreciate your comments.

Second, I put together this site to jot down my occasional thoughts and lessons learned.  Kind of way and avenue to record these things so I’ll always have it.   For those that are trying to get me to promote the site via search engines, a better looking site, etc, I’m not interested.  Perhaps someday I’ll want to reveal to the world…but that’s not my original purpose.

I look to write more this upcoming year as I’ve been working for the past month to change & improve on habits.  Not a ‘New Year’s Resolation” type of thing…just something I’ve been wanting and needing to do as I reorganize my life and daily habits.

Thanks for reading and your support.  Have a great 2016!

TMO

~Destiny is your choice~

Fear is learned……a deep thought.

Ever notice how little kids are usually never scared of anything?  No fear to jump off the back of the couch, to slide down the stairs on their saucer sled,  or to ride ‘100 miles an hour’ on their bike down a hill.

Would we do such things as adults?  Probably not, and perhaps for many more sensible reasons, but fear is most likely a reason we don’t do a lot of things.

Brings up some interesting questions….when and where did we learn about fear?  Is it just we are more sensible now? Think more logically….like ‘oh, I can’t slide down the stairs because I’ll break an arm or put a hole in the wall’…..or is it the fear of breaking an arm or putting a hole in the wall that keeps us from sliding down the stairs.   A little kid isn’t scared….yet he also doesn’t think about possible scenarios if things go wrong.

Had a visit with a friend about scary things like bungee jumping, roller coasters, parasailing, etc….and ‘the fear’ of what might happen if something went wrong became the conversation.   Is it practicality, sensibility, or fear that keeps us from trying things like the aforementioned?

Did we learn to be scared?……or were we genetically inclined to be scared of heights, scared of jumping off tall things, scared to take chances…….

~Destiny is your choice~

Had the opportunity to speak to a friend today going through a tumultuous time in his life.   In looking through my previous posts, I see I gave him similar advice I posted almost a year ago in May.

Going through a tough break up, I heard him tell me he was in a ‘battle’.  A battle with her…and long story story, consisting of how they could hurt each other the most.   I also hear phrases of “where I’m from….” this is what you do….retaliate until you feel you have the upper hand.

There was soooo many lessons to be learned as he explained his situation to me.  Lessons regarding ego, letting go of the past, choices, and valuing oneself were the top of my list I tried to pass on words of ‘advice’.

Ego:  His ego was directing his course of action.  Trying to ‘one-up’ her as they exchanged volleys on hurting each other.  Ego of feeling hurt from someone else.  Letting go of ego and operating within oneself, being true to your self instead of letting situations or other people ruling your thoughts/action.

Letting go of the past:  Not only was he living in the “where I grew up this is what we do” mentality, he was not willing to accept this relationship had run its course….it was now history.  Letting go of the past and moving forward is always the best path to take 🙂

Choices:  Every second of every day is a choice.  Choice to be happy/sad, mad/forgiveness, retaliate/turn the other cheek.  Examples of endless choices.  Bottom line is I shared the choices ‘theory’….you have one of two choices to make in each situation.  Each choice, regardless of the choice, has consequences.  It may be positive, or it could be negative.  Oddly enough, with some choices come as a roll of the dice….for example, you can make a choice but if no one finds out about it, it could possibly be a ‘harmless’ choice…that is until it catches up with you.  The consequence may/may not immediately reveal itself, but rest assured it eventually will.  The  question then comes, are you willing to deal with the consequences of the decision?

Finally, valuing oneself.  As I simply put it to him, does he deserve/want to be treated that way by her?  The answer was no…which then begs the question of why wasted your time being mad/angry/upset/etc over her actions towards him?  If he values himself as a ‘king’…worthy of respect/love/admiration…then why waste time on someone who doesn’t value you as a king?  Bottom line is if you expect and desire to be treated like a ‘king/queen’, then those who don’t value you as such or try to tear you down, are quite simply not worth your time/trouble.  Sound harsh or cocky?….nope, it’s valuing yourself.  If you don’t value yourself, then you are set up to be ruled by ego, your environment, and the thoughts/actions of others.

I wish him well.  Breakups are hard we all know and have experienced.  I only wish someone would have shared similar advice that would have undoubtedly helped me.

~Destiny is your choice~

“Be who you are”…such a simple yet complex statement.  Drawing inspiration for some, this statement can also draw inner confusion and what I find extremely troubling….the ire of friends, family, and/or the public.

Recent news documents the transformation of a man into a woman who is becoming ‘who he/she actually is’.

I have one thought, I may/may not agree with this man’s decision to ‘become’ a woman but who am I to judge?   My golden rule:  if it’s not hurting others in the true meaning of ‘hurting’, then pursue what makes you happy!  A happy you is a win-win for everyone!  Yes there are those opponents who say it in some way leads to the demise of society and the core Christian beliefs our country was built on…but wait!  Doesn’t God teach us to a) love everyone, and b) don’t judge?

This topic reaffirms many things I’ve been taught during my Christian up-bringing to my lessons regarding secrets of success/happiness:  You can’t control the actions/decisions of others but can control how you react to those actions/decisions.

As a Christian one should not judge this man’s actions to become a woman.  Instead, Christians should use this to fuel a movement of love, support, and launching of more and more programs/services/outreach programs to increase one’s self esteem/self worth/inner peace!  Embrace the bravery, the determination, the happiness, the inner fulfillment this man/woman is going through!  Is it correct in God’s eyes?  Christian teachings say no….but Christian teachings also say love this man/woman as you love every child of God.

My final thoughts on this topic….God bless you Bruce Jenner….Caitlyn Jenner!

Until next time….Destiny is your choice.

Interesting how I deal with strategic decisions at least weekly regarding various areas of responsibility, and/or have ‘counseled’ others in his/her life to take a strategic approach yet it’s been awhile since I’m mapped out a strategy for my own life.

Coming off the extended Memorial Day Weekend, I finally had a chance to have a little ‘me’ time.   I realized how much I have deprived myself….of me.  Busy in my professional life then in my little personal time, I’ve used it in helping others and basically other things that haven’t been progressive in my aspirations.

Today is a re-start to my strategy.  Changing/interrupting my current pattern will be the first task at hand as ‘habits’ are a tough beast to break but must be done to move forward otherwise we are simply treading.   A good strategy in setting out to accomplish any task/goal/aspiration is the ultimate definition of strategy:  A consistent way of getting the result that you want.

Let the fun begin! 🙂

Until next time….Destiny is your choice.

I just happened to look down at my phone to see if I had text messages.  I usually keep my phone on silent at work especially when knee deep in projects.  The time was 11:11, which is as well know, is the universal time ‘to make a wish’.

As I’m frantically trying to make the most of the no more than sixty seconds of wishful opportunity….rattling through all my wishes of all my friends suffering health issues and my own personal wish…a thought came over me which prompted this post.

Why don’t we treat every day, 24/7, 365 days of our life like it’s 11:11?   From the sense of urgency of the sixty seconds to placing our magical “11:11” wish, why don’t I apply this to my life?

Thinking about it….why don’t I live my life with urgency?  I certainly don’t have a magic ball that says you have 49yrs, 67days, and twelve hours of life left so I have plenty of time.  And do I honestly believe that placing a wish to the almighty “11:11 god” will make my wish come true?

This is provoking a lot of deep thoughts, but due to work duties, I’m going to summarize my thoughts.  Live today NOW, pursue my dreams NOW, it’s ok to wish….but put my wishes/dreams/passion into motion NOW.

~Destiny is your choice~

Earlier today, ESPN commentator Stuart Scott passed away.  A pioneer in sports broadcasting, I’ll remember Stuart as doing things his way.  Yes he had to adhere to policies and rules of his employer, but he was still able to apply his style within the guidelines.   Interesting concept!  Adhering to rules/policies/laws yet still able to perform at a high level and practice independence and prosperity.

The reason I say interesting is because we are in midst of a lot of civil unrest in our country.  Although most has been stirred by poor judgement of innocent and guilty persons, an underlying fact remains.  We have laws and policies in place for a reason.  If a criminal respected authority and laws….ADN authorities respected laws and policies….our country wouldn’t be in this civil unrest mess.

So how does Stuart Scott’s life and our current civil unrest have similar characteristics?   Because Stuart respected his employer/policies/procedures YET was able to prosper and maintain independent creativity/expression.   It’s a wonderful formula to succeed in society….just sadly I wish more would understand this simple concept.

I have my own thoughts and opinions about cancer, which was the culprit of taking Stuart’s life on earth….but I’ll close with his very own quote from his ESPY award:

“You beat cancer by HOW you live, WHY you live, and in the MANNER in which you live”

Why words Stuart, wise words.

Until next time….Destiny is your choice.

Every trip I take to visit friends in Colorado, I spend time listening to ‘self-improvement’ CDs.  “The Secret” has been one of those, but supporting CDs such as ______ have accompanied me in my drive.

Usually what I like to do is find a book and CD that ‘speaks to me’.  Browsing titles of books/CDs in the Self Improvement section, usually a title will jump out at me letting me know this is what I need to hear now.  “Hey pick me!  I’m what your soul needs at this moment!”  haha sounds silly but it works for me.  The latest CD to jump out at me is Tony Robbins’ “Unleash the Power Within”.  Now I’ve known about Tony for many years….loved his enthusiasm, his ability to keep things simple, and his straight talk….but never had listened to any of his work intently.  So his CD talked to me and I listened and off to the register I went.

I drove home from Denver today and was able to get through 3 of the 10 CDs.  I would have gotten further but I took audio notes on my phone so was pausing and rewinding a LOT!

The first thing he talked about is something I have lived my life patterned after for quite sometime.  It’s been a positive and negative thing people say about me, but I’m driven for excellence.  Call it anal, a workaholic, too picky, or whatever….but when I do things, I strive to be the best.  Yes I realize I will never be the best….but, my standard of excellence is high within myself.  Do I ‘compete’ against others and/or against other companies?  Of course I do, but the key is I don’t consider my effort a pass/fail based on others.  My pass/fail grade is from within.  I have an extremely high level of excellence within myself.

Robbins talked about this in the beginning of the CD.   I demand more from myself than anyone or anything could ever demand of me.  And as Robbins asks….is my standard a must or a should?

Interesting question.  In my work life it is a must (for me anyway).  I’m often criticized by my boss, coworkers, family, and friends of my dedication to my career.  I take it in stride because this is the life I want.  I want to be the best in my profession, I want my company to be the best, I want to be the bar that others strive to achieve.  Why?….it’s not ego driven, it’s that if I myself can take the bar higher, then those around me or competing against me/us will raise their bar.  Everyone wins when we take ourselves and our companies to a higher level!

The flip side of my standard is my personal life which is where I need most attention.   Yes I still have the higher standard of excellence bar which is what I know I should do.  I’m a good person, give to others, tip well, etc but where I lack is the ‘must’ have to taking my personal life to the next level.

What the heck are you talking about Todd?  I know I should be more physically fit, eat better, sleep better, keep in contact better, eliminate clutter in my life/home, etc….but what I realized moreso through Robbins opening comments is “I must” do those things I value if I want to achieve my standards.  Simply knowing I should is not enough.  I’ve been complacent, knowing I should but not taking the next step.  My journey begins to turning the ‘should’ to a ‘must’.

Ever been sick and tired of being sick and tired?  I must have the life I envision.  I’m tired of treading this life that I appreciate, but have a higher standard of what I want my life to be.  My demand…my standard….is higher than what it is now.  I won’t live in the past four months, nor the past 46 years and make excuses.  It got me to this point now it’s time to set out on chasing the bar for the future I want.

~Destiny is your choice~

So I’ve spent some time through the years reading, re-reading, listening, and re-listening to books/cds about basicially making my life better…at least from an emotional standpoint.

Some of those lessons learned have been mentioned in my previous writings and some I just haven’t mentioned for one reason or another.  But I came to a point of almost proving to myself what life was like or is like if I veered away from my ‘newfound’ teachings.  I have spent the past four months doing just that….living my ‘old life’ to see if I could see a difference.

Well, I could see a huge difference in my life….and I don’t like what I see!!  Yes I always kept some of my lessons learned close inside which probably kept me sane through this process, but I really tried to live ‘my old life’.  So what have I learned this past four months?

Life had become ‘not as fun’.  I’ve been task driven and that has been my life.   Enjoyment of life?…not so much.  In fact it’s driven me into a state of depression.  It is absolutely crazy the power of the mind!  Thoughts become things, thoughts create you, thoughts have so much affect on oneself, ..it just goes on and on.   The bottom line is I don’t like what the past four months have produced and quite frankly don’t want to relive the bad thoughts and direction my life has been taking.  Perhaps when I have more time/energy to write I’ll go into detail…..but from this point forward I CHOOSE TO MOVE FORWARD and manifest the life I want, I need, I deserve, and more importantly get back to the main aspect of my life which is to help others.  I honestly believe, not just for my own life, but for everyone’s life, that doing good for the benefit of others can/will lift yourself to a higher state and therefore affect society as a whole.

So here we go….I’m buckled in and ready to enjoy the journey!

~Destiny is your choice~