The Beauty of Change

It seems that the older we get, the more resistant to change we become.  When we are children, we adapt more easily to it because we are almost always focused on the positive things that can come about as a result of change.  As we grow older, our experiences make us more cautious, and less likely to embrace change.  While change is a scary thing for many, it can be a beautiful thing.  In fact, change is inevitable in nature, and we are in awe of its beauty (most of the time)!

In fact, change must occur in the world's ecological system to renew it.  Fall comes in late September each year, and turns the leaves red, yellow, orange, and brown.  Those leaves eventually fall to the earth, leaving many tree branches barren of their typical beauty, and will even make the most manicured yards look amazingly different during this time.  This change carries on through winter and then into spring, where we see the budding of green leaves on those same trees, which make their way to the surface to restore them to their previous glory.  Life is much more evident in nature during the summer, as we see more wildlife come out from hibernation and scamper about as if they are reveling in the change of the landscape. 

Change is important to life in order to live it to its fullest.  We will make mistakes, some of them can bring about major setbacks.  But by pushing forward to help bring about change that is good, will always be successful, if people band together for that good.  Life without change would be dull and not worth living....so don't be afraid of it.  Embrace it!

Is it time to re-invent yourself?

There are certain times in our lives (and I believe that everyone experiences this), where we get a little bored with ourselves.  This is true, even when we've achieved financial security, amassed our desired material possessions, have what we consider to be the perfect relationships, etc.  Once we've accomplished these things, we tend to tell ourselves, "If it isn't broken,then don't fix it!"  We have all of the worldly possessions we need, so we must be doing something right, even if it doesn't feel as if we are for some reason.

Well, maybe it's okay not to "fix what's not broken" in your current systems for creating the material world that you desire.  And if you've done a great job at setting those systems up, then chances are, they will continue to run and be the successful things they are, even if you focus a little attention somewhere else.  While, it is of uber importance to us all to create material wealth and worldly satisfaction for ourselves, sometimes the desire to achieve more still lingers.  If the call is not answered, for some of us, we will still wind up with a wanting desire to do something more.

If you have felt this way before, or are feeling it right now, then surely it's a great time to assess what's going on in your world and take the the to reinvent yourself in some area of your life to bring back the vigor you once had which helped you accomplish all of your prior successes.  Over the course of our lives, our needs, desires, and what we feel is important in this life changes...most of us just don't get the guts to go with the flow!  I admit, it does take some boldness, but it can be done!  Here are a few tips on how to make it happen:

• Think about your existing accomplishments and ask yourself, "What else can I bring to the table here, that no one else can?  Did I make these strong enough that they can still stand, if I am not involved in every aspect of their development?"
• Where have I served others, and where is there a need for others to be serviced that I can surely help out in?
• Stop thinking about your past!  Focus on what you want the future to hold for you...Paint a picture in your mind and work on it everyday! 

Do you want to re-invent yourself?  What areas would you like to start with?  Don't know what to do next after you've painted your picture?  I'd love to help!  Comment on the blog post or email me and together, we can get started on bringing out a NEW you!

The children are our future

When I was child, my parents pushed me always to be the best and most productive person that I could be. They encouraged me to get a good education. They taught me the value of a dollar. I learned that success came from hard work and the proper application of education and skills that I acquired through formal education and life lessons. While I did have a social life, my parents played a major role in the choices I made when it came to hanging out with certain groups and/or engaging in certain activities. My parents believed in supporting me and they also believed in solid and quality family time being spent with the children.

I believe that the foundation that my parents gave me afforded me the opportunity to grow up strong and with sound morals and values. And even though life can sometimes throw me major curve balls, my goal is to still hit them all out of the park! Being the mother of a teenage daughter, I am exposed a lot to other teenagers and I see the stark differences in the way I was raised, versus how a lot of them (not all of them) are being raised now. They are exposed to way too much inappropriate material by way of the television and radios. Parents sometimes take a less active role in helping them make good choices about who to hang out with and what functions to attend. Where I had to be inside my house before the street lights came on, I see children now of all ages being allowed to stay out til the wee hours of the morning. Left to their own vices, and to make adult choices with immature minds. I often hear parents complain about the task they are faced with in raising children. They say they are uncontrollable, stubborn, lazy, and sassy. When I ask these parents how much time they take up with their children, they say, they have to work long hours, or really can't afford to do much with them.

As a result, more and more children are making bad decisions. They are losing their desire to have more, to be better, stronger than the generation that came before them. Instead, they are regressing. They are backtracking and falling in those societal traps that are meant to imprison them mentally and eventually physically. They are becoming more violent, and have less respect for their bodies and their minds than ever before. It's alarming to see that children have such a different mindset than I did growing up. What's even more scary is that these are the people who will run the world when we are too old to do so. Answer these questions for in your mind:

Can you imagine what kinds of decisions that some of them will make as leaders?
How many of them will actually break from the bad habits they developed when growing up being mostly unattended?
Are you confident that the young people around you have a good chance of growing up to be responsible, caring, open-minded and positively driven to want to and put action behind changing the world for the better?
Are you sure they won't make it worse for you? When is the last time you asked a teenager what they wanted to be when they grew up? Did you ask them how they were going to accomplish their goal?
If your answers to these questions alarm you, then why don't you take some action too?

Try mentoring a child? Help to expose a them to something great that they wouldn't otherwise be. It doesn't have to be expensive, and it's very possible that you will be exposed to something that will change your life too! We must remember that we are taking care of our futures too, when we make sure that the children can see one. By preserving their quality of life, we preserve our own.