Hello class, today we discuss "Indeterminate Growth".
Indeterminate Growth is the condition or state of being in which an animal or plant continue to grow based on the size of their environment throughout the span of their life. This trait is common in vertebrae, fish and reptiles and THE HUMAN MIND.
"Ah, ha-ha! I got your attention with that one, didn't I?" Marshal smartly remarks to his class of zero.
More and more I realize that, as a friend of mine would say, we are a product of our environment.
I get to work with people a lot, it is the most interesting, frustrating, rewarding experience I can think of. I see people, including myself, from all different races, income levels, religions, self-esteems & ages plane out at precisely what they believe that they are worth. In all areas of our lives, ALL.
As a whole, we live up to the expectation for our life, the environment of our mind/soul/spirit. Not our dreams and goals or visions but the picture of ourselves that we can accept and not be twinged by a hint of doubt. It's a mental game, the whole enchilada, a big exercise in faith and growth. A game of how big can you believe and what do you see yourself worthy of? Not limited by our neighborhoods, education, parents, color or whatever other lame duck reason we can manufacture.
I believe it to backed up by scripture even; 3 John 1:2 " to prosper as does your soul prosper". How does my soul prosper? Growth, enlightenment, knowledge, faith, self-worth, realization of power, confidence, stability, becoming more! Mark 11:20-26 "to ask and not doubt in your heart and mountains will be moved", what kind of mountains? Literal? Figurative? I don't know but if at the worst they are only figurative and we can get the low expectation, hurt from the past, poor self-image, fear of people, hatred or sickness out of our life, wouldn't that be phenomenal enough?!? If it is literal then so be it! I say we try to not doubt and to prosper our souls as though it is!
Meditate on it, you don't have to cross your legs and go ahommmmmm, but think of it, often, strongly. Tell yourself that you are worth it, tell yourself it must be, picture yourself in it, make decisions based upon it.
You will begin to carry yourself in like fashion and the events of life will begin to line up to produce it. The entire world changes for a man of sustained thought.
Will there be challenges? You bet. It's a game, what is a game without surprises, traps and pitfalls? The only way to lose is to quit.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Today is a good day
Life is good.
Simple statement, massive implication. Life is hard! True but not the tone your life has to adhere to.
If the overwhelming experiences of our life is bad, painful and threatening we will conduct ourselves in a certain manner. In the same way, if our life has been has been filled with positive, joyful and safe experiences that outweigh the bad we would conduct ourselves in an entirely opposite manner. Does that indicate a type of predestination or does imply an absence of free will? Absolutely not. We are an unpredictable lot at best, humans are emotionally dodgy and influencable. But we can often decipher or delineate the reactions of others armed with the knowledge of thier history and others can do the same with us.
If we make our decisions with our conscience mind and direct our life against our cache of experiences, opinions, pains, joys, and influences and it is this that directs our path, then we should be able to sway the percentages in this cache or subconscience from negative to positive.
Put short and sweet, if we make the bulk of our knee jerk reactions or emotions or opinions off of this database of our personal history, we should be able to influence the input. We cannot change the past, we can change how we view it. We can not change the trajectory of others, we can change how we feel about them. We can change it all by the words out of our mouth and having the discipline to manage our reactions for a period in time enough to begin to sway the percentages of positive to negative experiences. Once we get over the dam it should become easier and easier.
One of the most disheartening things I see is an "adult" still being tossed to and fro by something they experienced at the hands of another fallible, imperfect, judgemental human being. Some have it worse than others, some people have been through hell. At some point you must grasp the rails of your own life and begin to sway the direction of your own destiny. Become the decider, not the predestined. Yes, what happened was wrong but do not allow it make wreckage of the rest of your life.
You have gifts, you have talents, that has not changed. Who told you that you could not win and things don't work out for you or that you are no good at something or no good in general? Who was it that said that you could not sing, write, dance, speak, influence or create? Who says you have to be a bad mother or father? That you have to live the same oppressed and ignorant existence you see displayed in your neighborhood? Someone in pain, that's who, someone who needed help themselves.
Let the dead bury the dead, shake the dust off of your sandals, move on, outgrow them. Direct your life, design your future, become strong, then, if possible, go back for survivors and help them.
You are worthy you are capable and "no" doesn't matter anymore. Live life out loud and make an impact.
Simple statement, massive implication. Life is hard! True but not the tone your life has to adhere to.
If the overwhelming experiences of our life is bad, painful and threatening we will conduct ourselves in a certain manner. In the same way, if our life has been has been filled with positive, joyful and safe experiences that outweigh the bad we would conduct ourselves in an entirely opposite manner. Does that indicate a type of predestination or does imply an absence of free will? Absolutely not. We are an unpredictable lot at best, humans are emotionally dodgy and influencable. But we can often decipher or delineate the reactions of others armed with the knowledge of thier history and others can do the same with us.
If we make our decisions with our conscience mind and direct our life against our cache of experiences, opinions, pains, joys, and influences and it is this that directs our path, then we should be able to sway the percentages in this cache or subconscience from negative to positive.
Put short and sweet, if we make the bulk of our knee jerk reactions or emotions or opinions off of this database of our personal history, we should be able to influence the input. We cannot change the past, we can change how we view it. We can not change the trajectory of others, we can change how we feel about them. We can change it all by the words out of our mouth and having the discipline to manage our reactions for a period in time enough to begin to sway the percentages of positive to negative experiences. Once we get over the dam it should become easier and easier.
One of the most disheartening things I see is an "adult" still being tossed to and fro by something they experienced at the hands of another fallible, imperfect, judgemental human being. Some have it worse than others, some people have been through hell. At some point you must grasp the rails of your own life and begin to sway the direction of your own destiny. Become the decider, not the predestined. Yes, what happened was wrong but do not allow it make wreckage of the rest of your life.
You have gifts, you have talents, that has not changed. Who told you that you could not win and things don't work out for you or that you are no good at something or no good in general? Who was it that said that you could not sing, write, dance, speak, influence or create? Who says you have to be a bad mother or father? That you have to live the same oppressed and ignorant existence you see displayed in your neighborhood? Someone in pain, that's who, someone who needed help themselves.
Let the dead bury the dead, shake the dust off of your sandals, move on, outgrow them. Direct your life, design your future, become strong, then, if possible, go back for survivors and help them.
You are worthy you are capable and "no" doesn't matter anymore. Live life out loud and make an impact.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Warm Holidays in a snow storm
Hey there, good morning! How was your Christmas? Ready for New Years? It's going to happen whether we are ready or not isn't it!
Holidays were great, Christmas Eve was a lot of fun. Brandy had the idea of an "Acts of Service Scavenger Hunt"; totally uncomfortable, totally awesome idea. I was not wild about it initially but it grew on me for sure. Everyone was involved, kids, adults, older adults and strangers. The concept is a list of good-Samaritan's acts to be acted upon in order to benefit someone not expecting it. Every thing from handing out Christmas cards to feeding the homeless or vacuuming someones carpet.
The initial fear of talking to strangers is wild. I have been meeting people for my Amway business for a long time but I still get the heebie jeebies interrupting someones life or momentum or thoughts. We met some amazing people who were entirely grateful and even offered us money in return (we didn't take it) and some other people who were totally taken off guard and made totally uncomfortable by the idea of someone doing something nice for them. It was a truly revealing experience in a lot of ways.
I got to see how scared even children are to talk to a strangers, I got to see how many strangers are afraid to be talked to! Almost everyone assumed that there was an angle or something required of them. Spoke a lot to the condition of the world and people's hearts.
I think it is a great exercise and a great family experience, I hope we do it many times again.
At the completion of the scavenger hunt we went home for opening gifts, dinner, a warm fire and the enjoyment of each others company. It was a great evening.
Christmas morning was just Brandy, Ryley & I, Ryley was given a miniature kitchen toy with all the pots, pan, toaster, phone & other accessories. She immediately went to Ryley land with it. I was amazed that she immediately knew what it was and what to do with it. She began to cook Brandy & I imaginary food and feed her baby dolls. This went on for an hour plus. We sat and drank coffee, watched her play and exchanged gifts. Brandy arranged a weekend at a winery for the two of us for a weekend in February, it will be a great trip and a great time. I attempted to buy shoes and a jacket for Brandy, I am a total novice at this and it showed! She appreciated the gifts and the gesture but I had picked the wrong size jacket and wrong size/style shoes, it will all be made right of course but women's clothing is obviously not my area of expertise, no fear of Marshal being a crossdresser!
That afternoon we went to my father-in-law's for dinner, 28 people there, all family! Talk about loud! Good fun though, a bit over whelming for me but Joe & Cindy pulled it off like champs, everyone was fed, full & happy. Good times had by all.
Roanoke was next on the list, we left out of Hampton Roads right in the middle of the biggest snow storm I can recall in the 13 years I have lived here. Made for a very interesting trip out of town, glad we pulled it off though, right before we got clear of the bad roads and bad weather I got a tad over confident and kicked the truck into a back and forth sideways skid that scared the pee jabbers out of both of us. Made for a good laugh when we pulled out of it though.
Christmas at my Dad's was great, he is all married and happy, it is a great sight to see. More food, more fun. Christmas at my mom's the next morning, more food, more fun, more food. Completed the day by changing spark plugs in 2 of my brother-in-law's cars, frozen solid but happy to help out. That night Brandy and I got to spend a little one-on-one time at a couple local restaurants. It always occurs to me that I would be perfectly happy trying to make her perfectly happy the rest of my life. I don't always do such a good job of it but I try and it is appreciated when I do I think but we are human and that means we are unpredictable at times. It is amazing to me how we can love people so much and still hurt them so much.
Back home that night after an arguous, long drive home which I managed to let slip by as wasted time. One home things got back on a positive page and we finished the night well. I would skip most of my day just to lay and hold Brandy at night. That is a drug I hope to never rehabilitate from.
Ups, downs, highs & lows. All invaluable parts of the human experience. I hope our ups outnumber the downs, I hope our highs outweigh the lows. It all becomes worth it in the end I think.
This life is a funny, unpredictable animal. You just can not call it. It is a totally untamed animal, it seems to me all we can do is work on ourselves.
I know if I can get me "right" enough I can master the lack of patience and mean natured temper that I seem to have been either born with or have adopted. I want my life to be more about the pursuit of enlightenment, control and self-mastery. I heard John Maxwell say recently that his definition of success is to have the one's that love you the most, to respect you the most. I think that is a life-changer. To become enough of a stable man for the people who see me with my armor off most often to respect me the most requires that my character and morals be fully intact and ring true all the way to the very core of my being. It is not so at this current moment in time.
The great thing about being alive is that just as everyone else is unpredictable in our eyes, we are also unpredictable in theirs. That means I can change! I can change absolutely everything about me if I want to, no one can keep me from doing this but myself. So, I will. I am going to be quicker to love and slower to hate. I am going to appreciate the great things about people and turn a blind eye to what I don't like. I won't be walked on or taken advantage of but I will be safe. I will be one of those calm places on earth where people can relax and let their guard down knowing that I am not going to pick apart or expose every flaw that they leave unprotected.
I am not the type to set New Year's resolutions but this will be a year of change for me. I will mold my character this year into something people will be proud to be associated with, my family will lean on and my kids will respect. I want to be regarded and remembered as a man who spent his life pouring into and helping others. I sit and watch our youngest, Ryley, love people and enjoy them. I think I can love people the way she does if I really try.
I could type forever today, I am full, my mind is racing but I need to close this out. I leave with this, life can be great, life can be a pleasure, we can be satisfied while in the pursuit, and we can love fully and uncompromisingly.
Holidays were great, Christmas Eve was a lot of fun. Brandy had the idea of an "Acts of Service Scavenger Hunt"; totally uncomfortable, totally awesome idea. I was not wild about it initially but it grew on me for sure. Everyone was involved, kids, adults, older adults and strangers. The concept is a list of good-Samaritan's acts to be acted upon in order to benefit someone not expecting it. Every thing from handing out Christmas cards to feeding the homeless or vacuuming someones carpet.
The initial fear of talking to strangers is wild. I have been meeting people for my Amway business for a long time but I still get the heebie jeebies interrupting someones life or momentum or thoughts. We met some amazing people who were entirely grateful and even offered us money in return (we didn't take it) and some other people who were totally taken off guard and made totally uncomfortable by the idea of someone doing something nice for them. It was a truly revealing experience in a lot of ways.
I got to see how scared even children are to talk to a strangers, I got to see how many strangers are afraid to be talked to! Almost everyone assumed that there was an angle or something required of them. Spoke a lot to the condition of the world and people's hearts.
I think it is a great exercise and a great family experience, I hope we do it many times again.
At the completion of the scavenger hunt we went home for opening gifts, dinner, a warm fire and the enjoyment of each others company. It was a great evening.
Christmas morning was just Brandy, Ryley & I, Ryley was given a miniature kitchen toy with all the pots, pan, toaster, phone & other accessories. She immediately went to Ryley land with it. I was amazed that she immediately knew what it was and what to do with it. She began to cook Brandy & I imaginary food and feed her baby dolls. This went on for an hour plus. We sat and drank coffee, watched her play and exchanged gifts. Brandy arranged a weekend at a winery for the two of us for a weekend in February, it will be a great trip and a great time. I attempted to buy shoes and a jacket for Brandy, I am a total novice at this and it showed! She appreciated the gifts and the gesture but I had picked the wrong size jacket and wrong size/style shoes, it will all be made right of course but women's clothing is obviously not my area of expertise, no fear of Marshal being a crossdresser!
That afternoon we went to my father-in-law's for dinner, 28 people there, all family! Talk about loud! Good fun though, a bit over whelming for me but Joe & Cindy pulled it off like champs, everyone was fed, full & happy. Good times had by all.
Roanoke was next on the list, we left out of Hampton Roads right in the middle of the biggest snow storm I can recall in the 13 years I have lived here. Made for a very interesting trip out of town, glad we pulled it off though, right before we got clear of the bad roads and bad weather I got a tad over confident and kicked the truck into a back and forth sideways skid that scared the pee jabbers out of both of us. Made for a good laugh when we pulled out of it though.
Christmas at my Dad's was great, he is all married and happy, it is a great sight to see. More food, more fun. Christmas at my mom's the next morning, more food, more fun, more food. Completed the day by changing spark plugs in 2 of my brother-in-law's cars, frozen solid but happy to help out. That night Brandy and I got to spend a little one-on-one time at a couple local restaurants. It always occurs to me that I would be perfectly happy trying to make her perfectly happy the rest of my life. I don't always do such a good job of it but I try and it is appreciated when I do I think but we are human and that means we are unpredictable at times. It is amazing to me how we can love people so much and still hurt them so much.
Back home that night after an arguous, long drive home which I managed to let slip by as wasted time. One home things got back on a positive page and we finished the night well. I would skip most of my day just to lay and hold Brandy at night. That is a drug I hope to never rehabilitate from.
Ups, downs, highs & lows. All invaluable parts of the human experience. I hope our ups outnumber the downs, I hope our highs outweigh the lows. It all becomes worth it in the end I think.
This life is a funny, unpredictable animal. You just can not call it. It is a totally untamed animal, it seems to me all we can do is work on ourselves.
I know if I can get me "right" enough I can master the lack of patience and mean natured temper that I seem to have been either born with or have adopted. I want my life to be more about the pursuit of enlightenment, control and self-mastery. I heard John Maxwell say recently that his definition of success is to have the one's that love you the most, to respect you the most. I think that is a life-changer. To become enough of a stable man for the people who see me with my armor off most often to respect me the most requires that my character and morals be fully intact and ring true all the way to the very core of my being. It is not so at this current moment in time.
The great thing about being alive is that just as everyone else is unpredictable in our eyes, we are also unpredictable in theirs. That means I can change! I can change absolutely everything about me if I want to, no one can keep me from doing this but myself. So, I will. I am going to be quicker to love and slower to hate. I am going to appreciate the great things about people and turn a blind eye to what I don't like. I won't be walked on or taken advantage of but I will be safe. I will be one of those calm places on earth where people can relax and let their guard down knowing that I am not going to pick apart or expose every flaw that they leave unprotected.
I am not the type to set New Year's resolutions but this will be a year of change for me. I will mold my character this year into something people will be proud to be associated with, my family will lean on and my kids will respect. I want to be regarded and remembered as a man who spent his life pouring into and helping others. I sit and watch our youngest, Ryley, love people and enjoy them. I think I can love people the way she does if I really try.
I could type forever today, I am full, my mind is racing but I need to close this out. I leave with this, life can be great, life can be a pleasure, we can be satisfied while in the pursuit, and we can love fully and uncompromisingly.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
John Doe.
So much for anonymity, it lasted 24 hours, are you impressed? I thought about it overnight and decided that if I am going to blog, I will only narrate my thoughts I entirely believe in. It occured to me that while hiding behind a screen name or a guise of some sort might be more convenient, is it also weakness and part of the problem.
I want to be 100% truthful, in all things, not for the sake of being cruel or rude but to allow the people I respect, love and trust to know the truth I need them to know.
In the past, I have lied. I lied to save face, I lied to protect feelings, I lied in order to avoid uncomfortable scenarios, I lied to avoid trouble. Lying has saved me embarrasment and discomfort, but only initially. In every instance I can think of, the truth would have been the better option. Many times it would have only been better in the long run, but still, the better option overall.
Honesty must be utilized properly and not allowed to be a camoflauge for malice, attack or manipulation. If a rising tide raises all ships then one person's honesty should increase the honesty around us. We must then accept the honesty of others without assuming that their honesty conceals some ulterior or malicious intent. If we can do this, we are open to recieve others ideas and points of view to ponder, consider, mull over and decide to either accept it or to intelligently debate it. Either way our lives will be enriched and we will grow more wise.
It will be a process, it will take time, it will not be easy and it will hurt. God gives wisdom liberally to all who ask and I have to believe that the pain of the process will be worth the enrichment of our lives.
Wisdom is power and knowing the truth will set us free.
I want to be 100% truthful, in all things, not for the sake of being cruel or rude but to allow the people I respect, love and trust to know the truth I need them to know.
In the past, I have lied. I lied to save face, I lied to protect feelings, I lied in order to avoid uncomfortable scenarios, I lied to avoid trouble. Lying has saved me embarrasment and discomfort, but only initially. In every instance I can think of, the truth would have been the better option. Many times it would have only been better in the long run, but still, the better option overall.
Honesty must be utilized properly and not allowed to be a camoflauge for malice, attack or manipulation. If a rising tide raises all ships then one person's honesty should increase the honesty around us. We must then accept the honesty of others without assuming that their honesty conceals some ulterior or malicious intent. If we can do this, we are open to recieve others ideas and points of view to ponder, consider, mull over and decide to either accept it or to intelligently debate it. Either way our lives will be enriched and we will grow more wise.
It will be a process, it will take time, it will not be easy and it will hurt. God gives wisdom liberally to all who ask and I have to believe that the pain of the process will be worth the enrichment of our lives.
Wisdom is power and knowing the truth will set us free.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Well then...
We begin! I am contributing to the width and the depth of the Internet. I already feel like I am doing my part. I am certain I will sleep the sleep of babies tonight.
I am not a blogger yet I am blogging. In much the same way as I am not a writer yet I am writing. I can't imagine my blog actually being followed or someone anxiously awaiting a new post, trembling with anticipation like a tween in skinny jeans at a vampire movie but sometimes I do feel like I have something to say and I rarely find myself in a forum that's appropriate. Even more rarely do I find myself in an environment where it would be appreciated or tolerated.
As I am not sure of the true anonymity of these gems I will do my best to bridle my tongue in some of the more fragile and delicate topics that have absolutely no place in our current form of society even if they seem painfully true, relevant and obvious.
I suppose a proper start would be to introduce myself. I am a son, a brother, a husband to an amazing woman, a father to amazing kids and a leader to a group of men who have voluntarily put themselves in that position. I am over 30 years old, my occupation is not that important or intriguing. I am not a formally educated man in the sense of college or university but I did stumble upon a treasure trove of secrets most men my age have yet to discover called books. Books have given me the permission to think for myself and to begin to see some things I am not sure I would have ever noticed or realized about life, about others and about myself. I believe in the potential of man, I believe in God (probably not in the same way you do), I believe in freedom and I believe in love. I have strong feelings about life and the passing by and wasting away of the greatness and strength we were meant to possess. I will try to keep my postings along those lines.
We will see where this ride takes us. If you are reading this maybe I'll provide a perspective or something valuable for your life. At the same time, it is equally as possible that I am a rambling mad man and madness is contagious. Either way it should be fun.
I am not a blogger yet I am blogging. In much the same way as I am not a writer yet I am writing. I can't imagine my blog actually being followed or someone anxiously awaiting a new post, trembling with anticipation like a tween in skinny jeans at a vampire movie but sometimes I do feel like I have something to say and I rarely find myself in a forum that's appropriate. Even more rarely do I find myself in an environment where it would be appreciated or tolerated.
As I am not sure of the true anonymity of these gems I will do my best to bridle my tongue in some of the more fragile and delicate topics that have absolutely no place in our current form of society even if they seem painfully true, relevant and obvious.
I suppose a proper start would be to introduce myself. I am a son, a brother, a husband to an amazing woman, a father to amazing kids and a leader to a group of men who have voluntarily put themselves in that position. I am over 30 years old, my occupation is not that important or intriguing. I am not a formally educated man in the sense of college or university but I did stumble upon a treasure trove of secrets most men my age have yet to discover called books. Books have given me the permission to think for myself and to begin to see some things I am not sure I would have ever noticed or realized about life, about others and about myself. I believe in the potential of man, I believe in God (probably not in the same way you do), I believe in freedom and I believe in love. I have strong feelings about life and the passing by and wasting away of the greatness and strength we were meant to possess. I will try to keep my postings along those lines.
We will see where this ride takes us. If you are reading this maybe I'll provide a perspective or something valuable for your life. At the same time, it is equally as possible that I am a rambling mad man and madness is contagious. Either way it should be fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)