Last week was the week for gremlins, not that car of the
sixties or seventies, but those tiny little creatures that like to sneak in and
tear up perfectly fine machines. Friday morning, while taking Char to work, the
electrical system of the new van decided to shut our van down. I couldn’t
switch gears. I couldn’t steer. I couldn’t even get the key out of the
ignition. We called the warranty people and had it towed for repairs. They
don’t work weekends like the rest of the universe, so we’re still waiting.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Breaking Out of the Comfort Zone
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But I'm comfortable |
The Comfort Zone ~ a safe place where we have fun, feel
confident and safe, and can pretend we’re really accomplishing our dreams. The
truth of the matter is that dreams are accomplished outside of our comfort
zone, where we are nervous about taking the risk and exposing ourselves–and our
fears– to the world. We don’t always feel confident. Most of the time we’re too
nervous to know we’re having fun and we leave the world of pretend for the
reality of do or die. The time for talking is over. It’s now time to muster up
the guts and jump. However, you don’t need to drop blindly into those deep
waters.
During your stay in the comfort zone, you should use that
security to build the skills and strengths you’re going to need to finally
break past those barriers. The more knowledge you acquire and abilities you
develop, the more confident you will feel stepping out. You won’t know everything,
because there is quite a bit we learn as we move forward. That’s growth.
However, we can gain a solid foundation upon which to build. This way, you may
wobble, but you won’t fall down; you won’t be overwhelmed. That is one of the
main feelings that keeps us in our comfort zones, the feeling of being
overwhelmed as we try something new.
Labels:
Authors,
Business,
Change,
Creativity,
Education,
Entertainment,
Inspiration,
Leadership,
Self Improvement,
Writing
Monday, August 11, 2014
Not Everything Is Bullying
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Stop bullying |
If you’ve followed the Mess for any length of time, then you
know that I’m pretty vocal about bullying. It has always been a crime with
lasting scars that really needs to be stopped. A friend shared on their
Facebook that instead of crying about bullies, we need to teach our children to
stand up for themselves. It’s not always that simple. Many kids do stand up for
themselves, but many times it doesn’t change anything and sometimes even makes
it worse. My response was that they should teach their kid not to be a dick or
when that bullied child goes to the school with a gun to stand up for himself
you will wish you had spent more time teaching the bully how to be a decent human being.
Labels:
Bullies,
Change,
Character,
Children,
Education,
Family,
Friendship,
Leadership,
Men,
Parenting,
Pet Peeves,
Self Improvement,
Teenagers,
Women
Monday, August 4, 2014
It’s All about Mindset
Recently, we took our annual family vacation. This is
different than a trip the girls and I take or one of our getaways with friends.
This vacation involves all of us–the girls and I, all of the children and their
significant others and an “adopted” child or two. A destination is picked, a
house rented and then the planning begins. This year, we visited historic
Savannah. This has actually become one of my favorite locales–outside of
Disney, of course–and I’m even considering it as a backdrop for some of my
stories.
Now, part of the reason I love the historic district so much
is that you park your car and walk everywhere. For a man who hates traffic,
it’s the perfect area. Everything we need is right there, including a grocery
store. And the crazy part is I look forward to walking each day. We’d wake up,
have breakfast and then go exploring. We averaged ten miles a day just in that
little area that takes about fifteen to twenty minutes to cross. We also had
the added hurdle of avoiding tour groups and trolleys. By the end of the day,
our legs were sore and we were exhausted, but it felt great.
Labels:
Change,
Character,
Creativity,
Fitness,
Health,
Humor,
Inspiration,
Self Improvement
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