Temporarily Down

Im swamped with school work and interviews. Will be back either friday or monday. I apologize

983. Poem 1. Dr. Seuss

Sometimes I am going to be too busy to write about a specific quote. Today is one of those days so I have left for you one of my favorite poems by one of my favorite authors, Dr. Seuss.

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

You’re on your own.

And you know what you know.

You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

~ Dr Seuss

984. "No matter how many goals you have achieved, you must set your sights on a higher one."

"No matter how many goals you have achieved, you must set your sights on a higher one." Jessica Savitch


It's easy to become complacent after achieving a goal. When they are achieved, the feeling you receive is unmatched. You swell up with happiness, joy, you become ecstatic, and so on. However, you must not forget to set new goals. If you do not set new goals, you will find yourself stuck in a rut in the same routine.


While you must set new goals, it is also to celebrate each goal. Celebrations are always deserved when goals are met. You must be able to bask in the joy of achievement, and once this celebration is done, set new goals and begin again. This will always keep you focused and the reveling in your accomplishments will push you to accomplish more and more.

985. "Right now I'm just delighted to be alive and to have had a nice long bath."

"Right now I'm just delighted to be alive and to have had a nice long bath." Richard Branson


Often times in life we get so caught up to reflect on what is most important. This, of course, is still being alive. If you weren't alive, nothing else would matter. While it is important to be work hard, play hard, make new friends, etc. It is also important to take some time for yourself.


This time for yourself can be relaxing by taking a bath, perhaps escaping by playing a round of golf, or perhaps playing video games. When I need to take time for myself I often turn to blues music. Sonny Boy Williamson II is my personal favorite. The way he plays the harmonica inspires me, relaxes me, puts me in a good mood, and shows me what can be done with something so simple. 


I encourage everyone to take time for yourself. If you have the time, perhaps once a day. If you're a busy man, maybe once a week. And if you're a super busy person, at minimum once a month. Either find something that you love and that you enjoy doing and make sure to create time in your schedule for this activity.

986. "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." Dr. Seuss

Just like you've heard 1000 times, all good things must come to an end. No matter how much you love and enjoyed something, at one time or another it must end. This could be a relationship, a business adventure, a vacation, etc. However, when it does come to an end you shouldn't be upset. Reflect on how great it was and just smile.

It's easy to be upset when something ends, but thats not rewarding at all. I'm going to keep this post short because I want everyone reading it to do something. Think of the last big thing in your life that made you sad when it ended. Now take ten minutes to sit and reflect on the memories, the laughs, the people you met, etc. Then when you're done reflecting, Smile! Have a good weekend and get excited for the next post on Monday.

987. "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" Robert Schuller

Two of the things that people fear the most in this world are death and failure. Both of these often keep a strangle hold on people from actually living. To many, safety is comfort. However, if you stay safe your whole life, how much do you actually experience? The fear of failure comes in many forms; fear of your business failing, fear of not living up to your parents expectations, fear of getting rejected, etc. I believe this is a question that you should ask yourself everyday. 

Failures are no doubt going to happen to everyone. Once you accept the change of failure, there is no reason to fear it. Failure is part of life, so why be caught in its web of fear? If theres something you have been dying to do, something you're passionate about, why not go for it? Take the risk. My brother when he graduated college had a job offer (at the peak of the recession). Instead of taking it, he headed out to Hollywood to try and make it in an excessively competitive industry. As you can imagine, my dad was not happy. And most certainly my brother had a fear of failure and definitely a fear of letting down his father. However, it was something he was passionate about, and he knew to ever do what he loves he had to be in Hollywood. He's currently making positive steps in the direction he wants. He hasn't reached his dream, but hes living his life and my dad couldn't be any prouder.

You only live this life once. So you should never let fair of failure hold you back. Ask yourself "What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?", and if it's something you really want to do, go for it. If you fail, pick yourself back up and learn from it. If you succeed, you'll be the happiest person on the planet at that moment.

988. "Better be wise by the misfortunes of others, than by your own."

"Better be wise by the misfortunes of others, than by your own." Aesop

In a past post I wrote about learning from your mistakes. The truth is that mistakes and misfortunes happen to everyone and you must learn from them to become better. However, you are not always required to be the one who makes the mistake. Many mistakes can be avoided by studying others. In school I was always told that we take History courses so we do not repeat the past. I believe this should relate to all aspects of life. If the mistake has been made, why not try to learn about it?

The only way you can learn from others mistakes is to either see it happen or read about it. This is why I encourage reading a lot of books, especially autobiographies and any book that the author gives insight about his trials and tribulations. Also mistakes are made everyday but many people, so be observant and you can avoid these same incidents.

Mistakes are part of life, and you will certainly make many in your life. The goal here is to avoid all that are possible, and by learning from others you will be more equipped to spot and avoid a mistake before it happens. So start reading about other people mistakes and start observing people as they make and recover from their misfortunes.

989. Jimmy Valvano Speech

Sometimes with my posts, I'm going to use some longer quotes, speeches or poems. This is one of them, and one of my favorite:

"To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."


Ever since I saw this speech, I have been changed. I truly try to do these three things everyday. Its been tough, especially since I was never really an emotional person. The laughing and the thinking came very natural and easy to me. The crying is difficult, and I still don't cry everyday. However, when the opportunity arises, i try not to hold it back. When you do all three of these things in a day, you'll be amazed at how full of a day it really is. Its something special. Below is the full video for those who want to watch and I encourage all to donate the Jimmy V foundation. It is definitely a worthy cause.

990. "A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval."

"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval." Mark Twain


I believe this goes with being comfortable and having confidence. If you're low in self confidence or uncomfortable with yourself, you will continue to lack confidence and be uncomfortable in life. What I encourage all to do, is try to improve yourself everyday. Set longterm goals and use everyday as a short-term approach. What I mean by that is set large objectives for yourself; lose 20 pounds, or be able to talk to women comfortably, or learn a new hobby. Then each day do something small to help towards these goals. Perhaps exercise or not eat dessert, maybe talk to the girl next to you when you're getting coffee or pumping your gas, and for a new hobby read a new article on the subject or ask someone about it. 

Each of these small tasks will eventually lead you to your ultimate goal. Remember my older post "Every artist was first an amateur." In order for someone to have lost weight, they had to have taken small steps. In order for someone to be a ladies man, they had to have started with small conversation. And in order for something to learn a new hobby, they must have started at the beginning. When you finally accomplish these goals, you'll be amazed at the self-confidence you receive and you will begin to become more comfortable with yourself. Setting goals, and accomplishing them is one of the greatest ways to build confidence, and when you're confidence you will certainly be comfortable with yourself. So start making that list of goals today.

991. "He that is good with a hammer tends to think everything is a nail."

"He that is good with a hammer tends to think everything is a nail." Abraham Maslow


This quote is about perspective. When you are a master of something, everything in the world appears to you in that context. For instance, if you're an artist you see all the world as an opportunity for a photograph or a painting. I think one of the greatest examples is show in the UPS commercial shown at the bottom of the page. Because the man works in logistics, he sees deeper into what Ben does. He isn't simply a UPS man, hes logistics.


While this is a great attribute to have, because it will make you a master in your field, it can also blind you to other perspectives. The artist does not see Ben in the commercial as logistics, but rather as a painting opportunity and vice versa. This narrow-perspectiveness often leads to disagreements on a simple subject. This is why I think it is important to have multiple things that you master. Sure you should master your career, but master hobbies as well. Soon you perspectives will begin to blend together and you will be a more well-rounded thinker. You can be the logistics man/artist/sports fanatic/human rights activist. That combination right there will enable you to see the world in many different ways, and your blind spots to certain aspects will begin to fade. So I encourage everyone to become masters of your career and masters of a few hobbies. Have a good weekend and ill be back on Monday.

992. "Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy."

"Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy." Lao Tzu


Think of this quote as a house, and the easy as the foundation. The foundation is the simplest part of a house, it is straight forward, without frills and designs, and rarely needs attention to small details. However, it is the most important part. If a strong, unanticipated wind blows, a loose foundationed house will fall, but if the foundation is in order, it has a greater chance at surviving.


The other day I had an interview. In the past certain questions had thrown me off, but that was due to lack of preparation. This time I managed what I could myself, and nailed the interview. I made sure I was well dress, well researched on the company and took an accurate assessment of my skills. I was asked many difficult questions, and ones I had definitely not prepared for, but because I have a great base of knowledge, I was able to roll with the punches and answer them well instead of searching for answers.


There are many things you can do in your life to be more prepared for the difficult. Make a to-do list, do your laundry, save a portion of your income, and I could go on and on. I have learned this through experience and it is true; if you are prepared, you will succeed. This doesn't mean knowing everything about everything, but have what you can control in order and you will be able to better roll when the difficult arises. 

993. "Every artist was first an amateur."

"Every artist was first an amateur." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Practice, Practice, Practice. Going off my last post about having role models and heroes, this post is about how to because others role models and heroes. At one point in time, every CEO was a high schooler, every MLB player struck out for the first, second, third time, etc, and every actor was in his first play. Not many people are born into the limelight (unless your Paris Hilton). 

To become famous, or enviable, you have to put in your time. The "Mona Lisa" wasn't Da Vinci's first attempt at art. His first ever drawing was probably just as bad as yours or mine (maybe a little better). If you have an interest, but think you won't be good at it, just try and keep at it. I'm not musically incline, so I didn't think I could play the harmonica, but now I can. If you want to be good at something, just keep practicing and hustling and you will be eventually. However, you have to start somewhere. Just thinking you would like to be good at something will get you nowhere. So act on you desires, act on your dreams and hustle and practice until you drop. Don't worry about failing and falling, pick yourself up and keep working. Eventually you'll succeed.

994. "As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary."

"As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary." Ernest Hemingway


Think back to when you were a kid. Most of us had heroes, idols, or role models. I know I had many. I idolized Ken Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones. Every chance I had, I tried to emulate these guys. I had Griffey's swing down pat, and I batted righty. I also looked up to Shaq. Since I was taller than everyone in 7th grade, I beasted the boards. The fact is, I probably wouldn't have been as good of an athlete if I learned on my own, instead of emulating this guys. So why stop having role models and heroes when we grow up? It's important to look up to someone at any point in your life. 


People who we regard as heroes are almost always great at what they do. They reached this point not without making mistakes either. So if we aspire to be them, we can possibly avoid the mistakes they made in their life. I currently have taken on a new role model, Richard Branson. The way he puts the customer first in his business endeavors is something I aspire to do (his ability to always leave room for fun is also something I admire). 


Role models and heroes don't have to be in sports, or in business, they can be anyone in your family, Mother Theresa, Christopher Columbus, etc. No matter what age you are, I encourage everyone to always have a hero and aspire to emulate aspects of their life. This will always give you a goal and something to strive for.