Is the Glass Half Empty Or Half Full???

We live in a cynical world full of pessimism. There's no getting around that fact. We all have friends, acquaintances, sometimes even family members who always see the glass as half empty. When we are constantly surrounded by all that negativity, often times it can rub off on us without us knowing it! Not only do we get this kind of attitude from people we know, we are constantly bombarded with negativity in movies, through the media, the internet, and countless other sources.

On rare occasions we will run across people who aren't filled with negativity. These people are quite the opposite as a matter of fact. These are the people who will find the positivity, even in the most dire of circumstances. They could be in the middle of a natural disaster and they will still have that spark of positivity.

As we make our way through our life journey, we have a choice as to whether we allow ourselves to display a negative behavior or a positive one. We can look at the glass half empty...or we can choose to look at the glass half full. If we choose to look at the glass as half empty, then we will deliberately look for the negative things in other aspects of life. The same can be said if we look at the glass as half full. When we do this, we will purposely look for the positive things in any situation. When we choose to see the positivity in life, our attitudes will reflect this decision. That one decision can work wonders with other things we undertake in our life. We will be able to face the challenges in our life and know that we will be able get past those challenges. We will be able to look at the negativity in the world and know that there is beauty in the world, despite what the naysayers tell us!

So the next time you feel the urge to feed the monster of negativity with even more negativity, remember that you have a choice. You have the choice to rise above the negativity and see the glass as half full. You can make a deliberate decision to not allow such negativity in your life. You can make a difference by turning that negativity around and letting your positive attitude shine through to others. Give someone a reason to see the glass as half full!!!

We Are the Dreamers of the Dream...

I think we've all heard those immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,

 "I have a dream..."

Dr. King had a dream of equality for people of all races. The dream he had was a dream, that in his time, seemed impossible...especially considering that the civil rights of many African Americans were being violated. I'm sure Dr. King knew that before his dream would become a reality, it would take sacrifice, hard work, determination and hours upon hours of dedication to the cause. I'm sure that it didn't matter to Dr. King how long it took to achieve the dream...as long as the dream became a reality.

 If you really think about it, the overall attitude of Dr. King should inspire us to realize our dreams and goals... it doesn't matter what goals or dreams you may have. Maybe you want lose 30 pounds...or start your own business. Maybe you want to build a better relationship with your family and friends. Whatever your dream or goal is,the same traits that Dr. King possessed are necessary to obtain your goals.

1. Sacrifice- All goals and dreams require a sacrifice of some sort. If you want to improve your health, that might mean giving up certain foods and replacing them with healthier choice. If you want to start your own business, that might mean that you have to stop spending on non-essentials in order to save up starting capital. The sacrifices you make today will put you one step closer to your goal.
2. Hard Work- Nothing EVER comes easy when it comes to achieving your goals and dreams. There's no getting around it...you must work hard to get that goal you're chasing. Everything from fitness to relationships REQUIRE that the work be put in order to get results. DO THE WORK!!!
3. Determination- If you want to succeed at anything, you have to have an attitude of being determined. You can't allow the everyday challenges in life to get you down. In order to progress, you have to rise above those challenges.
4. Hours upon hours of dedication and committment- What are you willing to do to achieve your goal? In order to reach your dreams, time MUST be spent in order for your dream to become a reality. The more time you spend in working on your dreams and goals, the more you stand a chance of succeeding

Having a dream or goal is the easy part. Working towards and achieving that goal is a different story altogether. No matter what your dream is, no matter how big it is, no matter what it takes, each and every one of us has the potential to reach deep inside ourselves and achieve greatness!!! So what are you waiting for? Like the picture says, time will pass anyway...might as well chase that dream and make it a reality!!!

What is YOUR dream??? 
 

Leaning From Your Past & Moving Forward With Your Future

We all have a past...there's no denying that fact. For some, the past is full of wonderful memories and nothing but happiness, maybe infused with brief moments of loss or trials. But overall, the past is for the most part enjoyable.

For others, the past is a painful reminder of decisions and regrets that were mistakenly made. The past is full of hurts that seem to always creep back into existence at a moment's notice, and the past will always be a hindrance and sometimes an excuse to keep from moving forward. Some people would rather use the past and cling onto it and carry it around like a big bag of rocks! Let me tell you...that bag of rocks can get HEAVY if someone decides to carry it around for a long time...no wonder the past keeps dragging some people down!

I believe that what happens in our past should fashion and mold us into better individuals. Not everyone thinks or feels that way though. They would rather carry that bag of rocks around with them and let the past control their lives than lose all that unnecessary baggage. What people don't realize is that until they lose that extra weight, there is NO WAY that they can move forward towards a better future.

But here's the thing...all the mistakes you made, all the things you did or didn't do don't have to be a part of your future. You have a choice to make better decisions. You have a choice on the things you do (or don't do) in order to reach your goals. All the baggage of the past has no place in your future. All the hurts and pains of the past shouldn't keep you from achieving the greatness that you were born with! Leave your past behind you, discover your greatness, and move forward with your future!!!!

I've Fallen...But I'm Getting Back Up!!!

If you're like me, there have probably been times in your life when you felt like giving up. Maybe there have been times when you tried and tried to accomplish something and were met with failure. And maybe it seems that no matter what you do to try to get ahead, something always drags you backwards. You may think the saying, "One step forward and two steps back" might always apply to your life. The truth is that all of use have probably felt like this at one time or another. I honestly believe that when times get rough, it is our perspective on any given situation that makes the difference on whether we let that situation get the best of us, or whether we rise above that situation and use that experience to learn and grow as a human being. In today's society, we have it constantly ingrained in our consciousness that failure is a terrible thing.We need to be honest with ourselves and accept the fact that failure is a part of life. But the thing is...without failure, we can never have success!! There are countless stories of successful people who failed many times. The difference that separates those successful people from those who don't experience success is the willingness to learn from their failures and rise above their failings. The ability to accept failure and learn from it requires a fair amount of humbleness, dedication and a never say die attitude. In order to rise up above failure to achieve success, you can't let your failings keep you down. You have to get up, dust yourself off and keep going! Success doesn't come easy...but then again life isn't easy. Take your failures and turn them around keep getting up!!!

When Is Enough Enough???

Have you ever reached a point in your life where you realized that you are sick and tired? Maybe you're fed up with the direction your life is going. Maybe you're sick and tired of being sick and tired. You know that there is more to your life than just the everyday routine things you do. You know that you have greatness built inside of you and yet maybe for whatever reason you haven't realized your true potential. While we all have the potential to be great, we all have to reach a point where we say...ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!

SO...with that said...when do you reach the point where you tell yourself enough is enough? For me personally, my "enough is enough" moment came when I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. My blood sugar levels were WAY out of control and at the rate I was going, I was headed towards a big possibility that if I didn't change the things I was doing in my life, I was headed to an early death. That was my reality at that time. At the same time, I was recently married and we had a daughter. If there ever was a time when I had to make changes, that was the time! I had a wife and daughter who needed me to be around and take care of them. I had a responsibility to be there for them to provide for them and take care of them. I knew that I had to change my life or I would be letting them down in a big way. That is when I made some serious changes in my life. I started working out and I changed my eating habits. When I started exercising regularly and eating better, my blood sugar levels were back to normal and I was taken off all the medication I was on for the diabetes and high blood pressure.

Even though I was successful in making those changes in my life, there is always one thought in the back of mind that always makes me wonder. Why did it take being diagnosed with Type II diabetes for me to say enough is enough? Why does it take something as drastic as an illness to wake us up and realize, "HEY...I NEED TO CHANGE THE WAY I'M LIVING MY LIFE!" This sentiment doesn't always have to be health related either. It can reach into other aspects of your life as well. It can be relationships, financial matters (this holds true for me now, but that is another subject altogether), spiritual matters, or emotional matters. No matter what aspect of your life you feel you need to improve, you have to tell yourself that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! You have to be the one to wake up to the reality that you want better for your life. You have to be the one to say that making life changes is hard, BUT life is going to be even harder if you don't make those changes.

I know that making positive changes is difficult. If it wasn't difficult, then everyone would be making those changes and we would all be perfect specimens. Our world is not perfect. Our lives are not perfect. BUT...the decisions we make everyday is something that we can control.That decision to eat better, or that decision to take a walk is well within our control. It's all up to you. When are you going to reach the point where you tell yourself...ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!