Long Time

I know it's been too long since my last post. I fell out of the habit. I work into the mornings most of the week, and while I am, there is a commercial that I see. It says that it's a true story too. It shows a small boy at a concert. It's shown below, but I want to say, before you watch it, that I love this commercial.

The small boy ends up in an awkward place, socially correct that is. His parents are thinking about the embarrassment that they might face, not really about their son. It all turns out great in the end. I bet you have seen this commercial a few times before. It's just a good thing to look at it again.

It's interesting how so many of our daily actions are frowned upon, but in actuality they could become great additions to the world. Look at the man that is shown for instance. At first, he is wondering what the heck this little boy is doing on stage. He came to see a concert pianist, not a recital practice.

I love the way the pianist sees things as they can become. He saw a potential social scar in someones life, and turned it around to be one of the best memories that this boy would ever have. Who knows what impact this small moment could have on a life. I know that our lives are composed of many small choices and moments, and these small and simple things are what make us who we are. There are big occasions that can totally change our outlook on life for the good or bad. What do we do to impact others lives? How do we act toward others that can change them in many ways?

Living Life

I just heard a great saying here at my convention.

"You make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give."

I love it here, and I will be posting a bunch of short posts as I here them this weekend.

Purple-People-Eater

If you know what the title of this post means, please let me know. I want to know how obscure it really is.

I know I missed yesterday. to quote a very funny, albeit a somewhat coarse comedian, Peanut, "(with a hoarse voice) Sooorrry! I'm headed out of town today, and I've been getting ready.

I expect to have a great time this week in OKC, and have many new ways of looking at life. I will be busy all this week, so if I don't make a post, you will know why. I'm having a great time learning.

See you all later, and don't forget to tip your waitress,

Jamie

Pursuit of Happyness

Wake up and Dream

We've all have had them, dreams about what the future holds and where we fit in.

For some it's paying the bills with that dream job, for others it's the fun toys in the garage. Whatever your dreams are, they can come true.

I for one have had some dreams of travel. Thank you Rick Steve and Rudy Maxa. If you don't know who those two are, they are hosts for some travel shows that I used to watch when I couldn't sleep at night. Now that I literally can't sleep because I'm at work, I can't watch the shows either. They would travel through Europe and more showing good places to go to learn about the culture of a country and also great hidden places to eat the local cuisine.

One of the places I want to go to is Greece. I've always been fascinated by the Greek Mythology. Mostly because of the great heroes and the quests that they had to go through to get what they want. Come to think of it, we all must do that. When there is something that we want bad enough, we'd go through Hades and back to get it.

I know from experience that I respect and take care of something more when I work hard for it than if it's just given to me. I definitely know that my wife will be worth the hard work to find her and 'convince' :-P her to marry me. Not only my family, but the life I want to have with them. I want to be able to be there for them when they need me there. I don't want to be stuck at a job when I can be where I'm loved and where it matters the most.

So whatever your dreams are, I hope you get and take care of them. They are the important things in life and should not be settled for. Live up to the desires of your heart and go get 'em!

Word of the Day

Today's word of the day has many meanings, depending on the context and pronunciation. The word of the day is:

Bow:

1. A bend of the upper body or head as a sign of respect;

2. A main branch of a tree;

3. The front end of a ship;

4. A shaped object strung with taut string used to launch projectiles; arrows;

5. A knot tied with two loops and two loose ends, mainly used with shoes and decorative ribbons

Again, yes it’s a common word. The fun thing is to see how many other ways the word can be applied to my life.

One way is to look at it like I’m the bow⁴ and I think about what objects or projectiles am I launching. Another is to picture myself as the figurehead of a ship plowing through rough waters, headstrong and adventurous.

Each way I think of it, now thoughts come to my mind. Like what adventures I am going on, and what I’m going to see. I want to see the world, and what better place than on the bow of a ship sailing through the ocean?

Then I think of number five and wonder about the usefulness and beauty of a bow. On a shoe, it’s the best knot to use, easy to tie, and easier to untie. As a bow on a present, it adds the finishing touch to show love for the one that is being given the gift. The smile that I see on my sister’s face as a little girl and receiving a gift with a bow on top is a very fond memory.

She loved putting it on her head and showing it off to everyone. There are so many ways to look at the world, and they are all at our beck and call. There’s the cliché, “Look on the bright side.” Funny enough, it’s true.

Captain's Log

I decided that today's post will be shorter than usual... a lot shorter...

As I was going through the day, I stumbled upon this photo. I know it's funny, but that doesn't mean that we can't learn from it. I saw it and I knew I had to put it up.

Wisdom, sort of

"Wise men talk because they have something to say,

fools, because they have to say something."

~Plato~

When I saw this quote, it hit me pretty hard. All I could think of is, "How many times do I say something in a conversation because I have to talk about me?"

When should a person hold their tongue, and when to speak? According to Plato, only a wise person will know. I believe that we all have wisdom in parts of our lives and of things on the world. The challenge is to know when we are adding to a conversation, or just taking up space.

For most of my life, I have worked to be a 'Jack of all trades.' It was a while before I knew the whole of the quote. The last part of it is: 'Master of none.' I found out that most of what I said, when asked, comes from common sense or thin air. Funny enough, the majority of what I said turned out to be true.

I have since worked to have a better learning, so I don't have to make a fool out of myself. I have begun to watch what I say and when I say it. I know that I am the better for it. Another thing that I do now that I didn't really do before is to speak from my own experiences and not from other's point of view. That way, I know what I say is true, and I have less chance of misquoting or lead others astray.

One thing that you may notice in my blog is that I try not to use the word 'you' unless I am talking about you. If I am talking about something and it is for all of us, I will say 'we.' I feel that this way, I can talk to you, without preaching, or projecting.

I've kinda gotten off subject again. I will always try to do my best and only give what I know, and when it is applicable to the conversation. Tangents are fun sometimes, but they are included.

Thanks again,

Jamie

Chameleon

At times, it’s hard keeping up with how I want to be. I like to call it being a chameleon. I can change to the attitude and atmosphere of the room. I like to think of it as a blessing, but it can also be a curse.

I can be in a room that has great energy and I automatically adjust to that energy. However, when the emotion in the room is negative, I can also change to that negativity. Staying positive in that environment is a challenge, but it is still possible. I find new ways to do this everyday, luckily so.

One way that I have found is to get on the internet and search for inspirational videos, quotes, and audios. It gives me a boost in confidence and positivity for a time. Usually I do this in the morning and it lasts with me throughout the day.

I work with a company that lives to build people up and make their life better. One of the ways that we do this is to have a daily commitment to read ten pages of a good book and to listen to at least 15 minutes of a good audio.

One of my favorite books that I’ve read is a book called ‘Who Moved My Cheese’ by Spencer Johnson. I read this book in just an afternoon. It is a short story about a couple of mice and two men named Ham and Haw. If you’re looking for a quick read, I recommend it.

Now another way is to find things around me that have an uplifting message. One of the best messages I have found is with the Rocky story, not just the movies, but the story of the writing and production of it as well. One of my favorite scenes of the franchise is from the movie Rocky Balboa. I found a youtube link that shows this clip. When I’m feeling down, I watch this and it picks me up right away. It also makes me want to watch more inspirational clips.

Here’s the clip for the scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5OookwOoY

Word of the Day

Well, I decided to have a little structure here. I know, imagine me, semi-organized! Shocking!

So once a week I'll have a word of the day. Yes it's overdone, but this blog is about continual learning and expanding our horizons. I also want this to be a forum of sorts to come together and uplift each other.

Our first word of the day will be for the weekend as well. The word of the day is:

Satellite:
A natural or artificial body that revolves around a planet.

I got to thinking about the Moon and all of the concern that was brought up with the Japanese quake. Some people thought that the Moon would bring huge waves in after the tsunami.

It wasn't founded on anything solid, but it stuck in my mind that the moon has a lot more to do with the Earth and the weather than I realize.

Along with the satellites that orbit planets, I thought or some things that revolve around us, or that we orbit. For instance good friends. Do my friends orbit me, or do I, them? Do I influence them more, or vise versa? What is that influence, and does it better my life? Is the influence that I give to others good for them? Only I can answer these questions for myself.

Another thing to think about is the balence of satellites. Yes we have a satellite that goes around us (the Earth). We revolve around something bigger (the Sun). Then the Sun orbits something even bigger yet.

To put this to my life, I have people that I influence to good or ill. I have people that I look to, also for good or ill. I can decide who I want to look up to, but I can't decide who looks to me. So all I can do is find those who I want to be like and follow their example, and work to be someone that I would want others to be like.

Thanks for 'listening' to my ramblings.

Jamie

Remembered Loved Ones

As I was thinking about what I would write today, I ran through my memory of the last couple days. A couple of instances stuck out in my mind. The one I am writing about today is of an encounter I had last night.

A couple times a week I go to some business meetings in the evenings, and afterwards we all go to dinner together to relax and enjoy one another’s company. While I was on my way to the meeting last night I got to thinking about a one of my friends that I met at these meetings, but haven’t seen for quite a while. We’ll call her Candy.

I called them up and see how she and her husband were doing, but they didn’t answer the phone. I didn’t press it because I figured they must be at work or busy with their family. So we have a good meeting and then head to over to Mimi’s Café for some food. During dinner I get a text message from my friend that I called earlier.

It said that she was just getting off of work and wanted to come by. I told her where we were so she could find us, and didn’t tell anyone that she was coming. I thought it’d be a good surprise for everyone else that was there.

Well, people started getting finished up with their food and were about to leave. I told a couple of others that Candy was coming so she would have more people to see. (Now Candy and her husband are a couple that switch phones all the time so I wasn’t sure which would show up.) Needless to say, it was a pleasant surprise when she walked into the restaurant and saw us all there.

Now I can guess that you’re thinking that this isn’t a tale that is really uncommon, and it isn’t. It’s just the perspective that I put on it while I was reviewing it in my memory.

Anyway, back to the story. We all hung around for a bit longer than we normally do to catch up. What was funny was that another friend that gave birth a short while ago showed up for the meeting and went to dinner as well. She mentioned that she had thought of Candy earlier that day, about the same time as I called her, as well. I think it’s interesting that we would both think about Candy near the same time.

That night was fun. Like I said, it’s been a while since I have seen her, and I’m glad I called her. We’ve made plans for me to come over and hang out with her family soon. I’m grateful for the chance I have to rekindle this old friendship, and it all started with a small thought of curiosity and concern for an old friend. It’s definitely worth following the urgings to care about people. Calling someone that you haven’t talked to in a long time is like what Mr. Gump says.

“You never know what you’re gonna get.”

Hello,

For those of you just joining me on this journey that is to say, all of you; Welcome.

The other day while my mom was working on her blog, I got a text from a friend of mine that was thinking of writing her own blog. I got to thinking, “if I wrote a blog, what would I make it about?”

Just so you know all I seem to do right now is work and sleep, and throw in a little of video games to try and switch up the monotony of life. For the last few years, I have learned a lot about myself and the world around me. I found out that I’m never too old to learn. There are so many things to learn today, just to keep up with the rest of the world, let alone get ahead.

I was taught when I was little that I have two ears and one mouth for a reason. That was that I am supposed to either listen twice as much as I talked, or to talk half as much as I listened. Either way I’m being told to shut-up and listen. Apparently, I can learn a whole lot better if I’m paying attention. Who knew?!?

Anyway, back on track after that little tangent, geometry was my favorite math class; I decided to make this blog about a thought for the day. I have many of those, usually all jumbled together to make everyone think I’m a weird random person, but that is what makes life interesting.

So the types of thoughts that I am looking to post are things that will uplift others. I have always liked to read short quotes from people. Sometimes I look for a specific person, or a genre of something that I’m in need of. Other times, I just pick one at random. Those can be a lot of fun, depending on what my mood is like.

Anyway, I know this is a somewhat random post, and I know that I will get better as we move along. So thank you again for joining me on this journey that we call life with me and I hope to see you in the future.

Jamie