In a conversation with a close friend this week, I mentioned how some people never seem to take action in their lives. They will outfit themselves with the best accessories, dream of how their life will be (or could be), yet never pull the trigger and make something happen.
The excuses I have heard (and yes, used myself) include "when I get my new business cards, when I get that new suit, when I lose that 20 pounds, when I have more money, blah blah blah".
This is basically the equivalent of having a car and waiting to drive it until it has a new paint-job, has the best accessories, is vacuumed out, has shiny new tires, etc."
Does the car run? Is it operable? If so, turn that key and give it some gas!
Is your life running? (hint: if you are reading this, it is).
Sitting in the breakdown lane of life is no way to enjoy it.
People are blowing past you, on their way to something great, leaving you in the dust, literally and figuratively.
Does your life have a few dings in it? Maybe a couple of rusty spots? Got a headlight out?
So what?
Vehicles were made to be driven. Lives were made to be lived.
Get yours out there, and give it some gas!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Never Shoot a Gift Horse (in the mouth or elsewhere)
A recent news article made me smile. Not all of them do, as they generally trumpet doom and gloom and showcase the 'worst' of humanity. This one was from Australia.
A female student was caring for her parents, struggling to help with their financial woes. She came upon several lottery tickets in a drawer, including one which her father had purchased as a birthday gift 10 months prior. On a whim, she decided to have them checked...and found she had, in her possession, a winning ticket worth $10,000,000!
Happy (belated) birthday, indeed!
Her reaction was one of comfort that her parents' money difficulties were finally over, and they could now live with the comfortable reassurance that they were out of the woods regarding debt.
Her next comments included her desire to give some money for research and charity.
Honorable endeavors, both.
Where this story went off the rails for me (as my smile dissipated) was in the list of comments following the article. The first two were of a congratulatory nature. The third sat firmly in opposition. I could almost hear the thunder and see the lightning from the top of Mount Negativo (neg-ah-TEE-voh)
"She should tear up the winning ticket and run the other way!!" (paraphrased, with negative comments condensed into this one line)
Let me examine the situation:
1) Parents are struggling with money issues
2) woman caring for them wins $10,000,000
You're right, this is terrible. She should flush it down the toilet and let her good fortune swim with the fishes.
Do I think that money is the answer to all of life's problems? Certainly not. There are plenty of tragic case studies to show that it doesn't automatically work that way.
However, a gigantic windfall can definitely help to overcome problems attributed to the lack of money, in the same way finding an amazing true love can end of period of feeling alone and unloved, finding an abundant source of food can solve hunger issues, etc.
It is the negative attitude from this source which creates the issue for me. There is an old proverb which states 'Never look a gift horse in the mouth'. Apparently, one can tell the age of a horse by looking at its teeth, and assess its value.
According to Answers.com, the proverb warns against questioning the quality or use of a lucky chance or gift.
The comment given here is basically advising this woman to shoot the horse, or perhaps tear it up and flush it down the toilet. I do not condone either action.
In my opinion, this is yet another doom and gloom, glass-half-empty response to what I consider to be an opportunity for a positive outcome.
Sadly, I have heard the same thing over and over throughout my life:
* Look, a new puppy! Response: Oh great, it's gonna crap on the rug.
* Let's go on vacation! Response: Why, the airlines are ripping us off!
* Wow, I got a raise! Response: Great, now you'll have to pay more taxes!
Have you had a taste of good fortune recently, only to have someone dump all over it?
Are doom-and-gloomers raining on your parade?
Is someone trying to shoot your gift horse?
A female student was caring for her parents, struggling to help with their financial woes. She came upon several lottery tickets in a drawer, including one which her father had purchased as a birthday gift 10 months prior. On a whim, she decided to have them checked...and found she had, in her possession, a winning ticket worth $10,000,000!
Happy (belated) birthday, indeed!
Her reaction was one of comfort that her parents' money difficulties were finally over, and they could now live with the comfortable reassurance that they were out of the woods regarding debt.
Her next comments included her desire to give some money for research and charity.
Honorable endeavors, both.
Where this story went off the rails for me (as my smile dissipated) was in the list of comments following the article. The first two were of a congratulatory nature. The third sat firmly in opposition. I could almost hear the thunder and see the lightning from the top of Mount Negativo (neg-ah-TEE-voh)
"She should tear up the winning ticket and run the other way!!" (paraphrased, with negative comments condensed into this one line)
Let me examine the situation:
1) Parents are struggling with money issues
2) woman caring for them wins $10,000,000
You're right, this is terrible. She should flush it down the toilet and let her good fortune swim with the fishes.
Do I think that money is the answer to all of life's problems? Certainly not. There are plenty of tragic case studies to show that it doesn't automatically work that way.
However, a gigantic windfall can definitely help to overcome problems attributed to the lack of money, in the same way finding an amazing true love can end of period of feeling alone and unloved, finding an abundant source of food can solve hunger issues, etc.
It is the negative attitude from this source which creates the issue for me. There is an old proverb which states 'Never look a gift horse in the mouth'. Apparently, one can tell the age of a horse by looking at its teeth, and assess its value.
According to Answers.com, the proverb warns against questioning the quality or use of a lucky chance or gift.
The comment given here is basically advising this woman to shoot the horse, or perhaps tear it up and flush it down the toilet. I do not condone either action.
In my opinion, this is yet another doom and gloom, glass-half-empty response to what I consider to be an opportunity for a positive outcome.
Sadly, I have heard the same thing over and over throughout my life:
* Look, a new puppy! Response: Oh great, it's gonna crap on the rug.
* Let's go on vacation! Response: Why, the airlines are ripping us off!
* Wow, I got a raise! Response: Great, now you'll have to pay more taxes!
Have you had a taste of good fortune recently, only to have someone dump all over it?
Are doom-and-gloomers raining on your parade?
Is someone trying to shoot your gift horse?
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Playing Dodgeball With the Devil
I recently enjoyed a conversation with a friend about how we can benefit by being moral, acting ethically, and surrounding ourselves with good people and situations.
We also discussed how people who do the opposite generally stand a higher chance of experiencing misfortune.
Case in point: a newspaper report of a woman in a position of ‘responsibility’ with her job, who was caught dipping her fingers in the company funds, to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars.
What were the emergencies this money was used for?
Travel, her daughter’s wedding, paying bills, etc.
My opinion of this?
She, and others like her, are playing dodgeball with the devil. Do I think the earth is going to open up and she will fall into a fire-pit of eternal damnation? Not quite. But, I believe in karma. I believe that the energy a person puts out there into the world will ‘come back’ on him/her in life…sometimes sooner, sometimes later.
I describe it as a boomerang. Throw positive energy out there every day, generally positive results occur. Throw it out there with negative energy: deception, theft, criminal acts…guess what happens: you will likely receive some negative energy of your own in return. And when it happens, I do not want to hear about how unfair life is. Wahhhhhh.
You see them out there. I see them, and hear them, too. Wow, are they whiny!
“The world is so unfair to me. My life stinks. Nothing good ever happens for me.”
Is it so hard to bring even the slightest bit of positivity to the world around you?
A simple gesture such as holding a door open for someone, making a friend laugh, or helping a neighbor out can be generating positive returns in the karma bank. Do it every day and the numbers can ratchet up faster than the National Debt clock…but in a good way.
So what do you feel like doing today? Tossing a boomerang with positive energy or playing dodgeball with the devil?
It’s your choice. And if you make the wrong one, I suggest you look over your shoulder and duck now and then. Because that ball is coming.
We also discussed how people who do the opposite generally stand a higher chance of experiencing misfortune.
Case in point: a newspaper report of a woman in a position of ‘responsibility’ with her job, who was caught dipping her fingers in the company funds, to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars.
What were the emergencies this money was used for?
Travel, her daughter’s wedding, paying bills, etc.
My opinion of this?
She, and others like her, are playing dodgeball with the devil. Do I think the earth is going to open up and she will fall into a fire-pit of eternal damnation? Not quite. But, I believe in karma. I believe that the energy a person puts out there into the world will ‘come back’ on him/her in life…sometimes sooner, sometimes later.
I describe it as a boomerang. Throw positive energy out there every day, generally positive results occur. Throw it out there with negative energy: deception, theft, criminal acts…guess what happens: you will likely receive some negative energy of your own in return. And when it happens, I do not want to hear about how unfair life is. Wahhhhhh.
You see them out there. I see them, and hear them, too. Wow, are they whiny!
“The world is so unfair to me. My life stinks. Nothing good ever happens for me.”
Is it so hard to bring even the slightest bit of positivity to the world around you?
A simple gesture such as holding a door open for someone, making a friend laugh, or helping a neighbor out can be generating positive returns in the karma bank. Do it every day and the numbers can ratchet up faster than the National Debt clock…but in a good way.
So what do you feel like doing today? Tossing a boomerang with positive energy or playing dodgeball with the devil?
It’s your choice. And if you make the wrong one, I suggest you look over your shoulder and duck now and then. Because that ball is coming.
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