Your friends, associates, spouses ... are they "dead weight" or are they "ballast?"
There's a difference between dead weight or excess baggage and ballast.
We all need ballast, just like a ship does.
But there's no place in our lives for dead weight. Dead weight slows you down. Dead weight keeps you from performing at your peak. Dead weight wears you out. When you face headwinds in life that dead weight will bring you to a dead stop ... maybe even make you go backwards. Maybe it will send you in the wrong direction, down the wrong path.
I love this quote and I think I've used it before, Mark Mero said "your friends are like an elevator, they can bring you down or they can bring you up." So very true!
The ones that bring you down (physically, spiritually, etc) are "dead weight"... jettison them! Be polite ... but don't spend too much time with them. You will develop their habits, mannerisms and vocabulary.
Take some time, step back and take a look at your friends ... do you really want to be like them? Separate your friends/associates into two categories ... the "dead weight" category and the "ballast" category.
The ones that bring you up belong in the "ballast" category ... they're not perfect. But they can help you set the right course, sail straight, they bring you up. They don't always have all the right answers ... but they care and they won't steer you wrong.
To quote a corny phrase, the ones in your "ballast" category will be "the wind beneath your wings." They will lift you up. They will help you focus. They will help you "be all that you can be."
Have a great and blessed day!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Friday, September 20, 2013
Hungry?
Do you ever just find yourself feeling hungry ... you're just not sure what for?
Have you ever found yourself at home on the prowl for a treat, a morsel of anything, even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You stick your head in your pantry and all you find is a box of cereal that your 'ex' left behind, a can of black beans and some old nachos. Next, you open every cabinet in your kitchen to realize that all you have are dishes, pots & pans, a box of mac&cheese and a bunch of spices on a shelf. Not being in the mood for mac&cheese, you ask yourself ... "I wonder if oregano, garlic powder and dried chives would be good together?" You wisely decide against that combo and move on ...
Ah-ha! The refrigerator ... there's got to be something good in the refrigerator! You run to the door, whip it open, packets of Taco Bell sauces fall off the door ("who put them there anyway?"). You are now standing in front of your 'frig' in a 'Superman' pose, chest puffed out, ready to conquer the goodness that is stored in this fine Kenmore side-by-side.
Alas, there is nothing edible left. There is a white foam box from your favorite Italian restaurant ... but you don't even open it, you're too scared. You know you haven't been to that place in over a month and now is no time for a science experiment. Your eyes land on a large transparent plastic container that holds what might possibly be a joyful and bountiful container of eggnog. You turn the container to find the handle and realize that the label says "Milk" ... you scour the container for the 'best by' date and loosely interpret it to read:
"If you value your life put this container down now!"
You've been searching long and hard now for some morsels to satisfy your hunger ... which has only made your hunger stronger, louder, more painful. In a final act of desperation your hand moves to the vegetable drawer ... yes desperate times, desperate measures, you will settle for a salad! You grasp the handle and close your eyes, you slide the drawer open and hear something rolling around, could it be ...?
Your eyes open and fall upon a tri-colored spherical object that you assume was once an orange. Lying next to it is a clear plastic bag filled with something that is a shade of green you've never seen before and what might be more water than you drink in a day.
You are spent. You've been conquered. You sit on the floor in front of your still open Kenmore with your head leaning on your bent knees and your hands folded behind your head. You realize now that the grocery shopping that you had been putting off would have really paid off at this very moment. Defeated, you get up, close the refrigerator door and grab your car keys. Your hunger, while not fed yet, has won. You are now on a mission to feed that hunger. As you get in your car, you realized an important lesson, you realize that it is best to be prepared for situations like these.
You will be hungry ... sometimes you won't know what for. When you go to the 'grocery store' of life. Load up on a variety things. Try something new. Take a class in pottery even if you don't like getting your hands dirty. Go to a Korean BBQ restaurant even if Italian is your favorite, you might end up with two favorites. Pick up a book on time management even if you don't think you need it. Take a yoga class even if you don't think your are stressed.
Trying new activities, reading new and challenging materials, tasting new cuisines will help you expand every aspect of your life. You will have a bigger appreciation for all that our world has to offer. Don't wait until you are hungry to shop around; be prepared, make sure you have choices available to you, passions that you can pursue!
Feed your hunger!
Have you ever found yourself at home on the prowl for a treat, a morsel of anything, even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You stick your head in your pantry and all you find is a box of cereal that your 'ex' left behind, a can of black beans and some old nachos. Next, you open every cabinet in your kitchen to realize that all you have are dishes, pots & pans, a box of mac&cheese and a bunch of spices on a shelf. Not being in the mood for mac&cheese, you ask yourself ... "I wonder if oregano, garlic powder and dried chives would be good together?" You wisely decide against that combo and move on ...
Ah-ha! The refrigerator ... there's got to be something good in the refrigerator! You run to the door, whip it open, packets of Taco Bell sauces fall off the door ("who put them there anyway?"). You are now standing in front of your 'frig' in a 'Superman' pose, chest puffed out, ready to conquer the goodness that is stored in this fine Kenmore side-by-side.
Alas, there is nothing edible left. There is a white foam box from your favorite Italian restaurant ... but you don't even open it, you're too scared. You know you haven't been to that place in over a month and now is no time for a science experiment. Your eyes land on a large transparent plastic container that holds what might possibly be a joyful and bountiful container of eggnog. You turn the container to find the handle and realize that the label says "Milk" ... you scour the container for the 'best by' date and loosely interpret it to read:
"If you value your life put this container down now!"
You've been searching long and hard now for some morsels to satisfy your hunger ... which has only made your hunger stronger, louder, more painful. In a final act of desperation your hand moves to the vegetable drawer ... yes desperate times, desperate measures, you will settle for a salad! You grasp the handle and close your eyes, you slide the drawer open and hear something rolling around, could it be ...?
Your eyes open and fall upon a tri-colored spherical object that you assume was once an orange. Lying next to it is a clear plastic bag filled with something that is a shade of green you've never seen before and what might be more water than you drink in a day.
You are spent. You've been conquered. You sit on the floor in front of your still open Kenmore with your head leaning on your bent knees and your hands folded behind your head. You realize now that the grocery shopping that you had been putting off would have really paid off at this very moment. Defeated, you get up, close the refrigerator door and grab your car keys. Your hunger, while not fed yet, has won. You are now on a mission to feed that hunger. As you get in your car, you realized an important lesson, you realize that it is best to be prepared for situations like these.
You will be hungry ... sometimes you won't know what for. When you go to the 'grocery store' of life. Load up on a variety things. Try something new. Take a class in pottery even if you don't like getting your hands dirty. Go to a Korean BBQ restaurant even if Italian is your favorite, you might end up with two favorites. Pick up a book on time management even if you don't think you need it. Take a yoga class even if you don't think your are stressed.
Trying new activities, reading new and challenging materials, tasting new cuisines will help you expand every aspect of your life. You will have a bigger appreciation for all that our world has to offer. Don't wait until you are hungry to shop around; be prepared, make sure you have choices available to you, passions that you can pursue!
Feed your hunger!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
COASTERS - DON'T BE ONE!
Many, many things frustrate me, but the one that frustrates me the most these days is all of the "coasters" around me. Specifically, I am referring to colleagues that show up to work, collect their paycheck and go home.
Yes, it does frustrate me when someone gets paid as much as me (in some cases more), but seemingly does their very best to work as little as possible. This is one variant of the "coasters" that I am referring too.
However, the thing about coasters that frustrates me the most is that "coasters" don't contribute and/or they don't seem to grow. I blame Jim Rohn for the philosophy that I've adopted, which is "Don't just get through the day ... get from the day!"
I see so many people around me with unbelievable amounts of knowledge and experience ... but never share it! Are they stingy or do they just lack confidence? Are they too busy in their personal lives and I'm not aware because I've never connected with them? To these "coasters" I say "GIVE!" Find people who can benefit from your advanced knowledge. Help others to learn from your mistakes and experiences. Help others grow. Most of all, don't stop challenging yourself, keep growing and help others grow. You may feel that you "don't get paid" to do this -- who gives a crap, there are rewards that no company can compensate you for. Try it you'll see!
And then there is an equal number of newer colleagues that don't seem to want to grow (I use to be one of these). They show up for work and they wait to be spoon fed the information they need to not only conduct their job, but to excel at it. They blame others if they aren't given the resources to out-perform (blame game). They wait for a supervisor or colleagues to put new ideas in their heads and provide additional training/education. To these "coasters" I say "SEEK!" Go look for the answers. Go look for more questions. Challenge yourself. Challenge those around you! Just because you got a degree or an advanced degree doesn't mean you get to stop learning.
Coasting sucks. Don't be a coaster. Coasters on level ground don't get very far and are passed by everyone else; and life will leave them behind. Coasters that are going downhill rely on momentum/gravity and have relinquished control over their destiny or future. Neither is very attractive to me.
I CHOOSE NOT TO BE A COASTER! How about you?
Yes, it does frustrate me when someone gets paid as much as me (in some cases more), but seemingly does their very best to work as little as possible. This is one variant of the "coasters" that I am referring too.
However, the thing about coasters that frustrates me the most is that "coasters" don't contribute and/or they don't seem to grow. I blame Jim Rohn for the philosophy that I've adopted, which is "Don't just get through the day ... get from the day!"
I see so many people around me with unbelievable amounts of knowledge and experience ... but never share it! Are they stingy or do they just lack confidence? Are they too busy in their personal lives and I'm not aware because I've never connected with them? To these "coasters" I say "GIVE!" Find people who can benefit from your advanced knowledge. Help others to learn from your mistakes and experiences. Help others grow. Most of all, don't stop challenging yourself, keep growing and help others grow. You may feel that you "don't get paid" to do this -- who gives a crap, there are rewards that no company can compensate you for. Try it you'll see!
And then there is an equal number of newer colleagues that don't seem to want to grow (I use to be one of these). They show up for work and they wait to be spoon fed the information they need to not only conduct their job, but to excel at it. They blame others if they aren't given the resources to out-perform (blame game). They wait for a supervisor or colleagues to put new ideas in their heads and provide additional training/education. To these "coasters" I say "SEEK!" Go look for the answers. Go look for more questions. Challenge yourself. Challenge those around you! Just because you got a degree or an advanced degree doesn't mean you get to stop learning.
I CHOOSE NOT TO BE A COASTER! How about you?
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