Emotional Rollercoaster: Gettin on or Off?

Each day we are faced with a number of problems, situations, and issues in our lives. We are also faced with happiness and joyous experiences. Well over the years of my existence i’ve started to realize that how we handle those situations are completely up to us. We are the ones who control ourselves and how we react to the situations that come up in our everyday lives. “No one can make you do anything, either consciously or unconsciously you make the choice of how you will react” – Emmanuel Cleaver II. With that being said why do we choose to be angry or react the way that we do? Our emotions are just that “OUR” emotions. We are the ones who are in control of our emotions. If we don’t want to get upset or angry we don’t have to.

Let me give you an example. Today one of my friends tweeted about how she had only been gone from her house for five minutes and she was in traffic immediately. She then said that because of this traffic she’d be late to class. When I saw this I told her that she didn’t need to get upset it would work itself out. Just then she said that the whole situation was frustrating her. This made me think back to the sermon from Rev. Cleaver. The situation isn’t frustrating you, you are choosing to allow yourself to be frustrated by the situation…

Then I thought to myself how many of us do this. How many of us choose to get angry or upset over something that isn’t even that serious for us to put time into. If we do then we are allowing ourselves to waste time on something tat doesn’t matter. See the thing is this also goes along with understanding yourself. The more you are able to understand yourself and what really matters to you the better you will be able to control your emotions. Simply because if you understand that the person, relationship, situation, or material thing doesn’t matter to you then you won’t allow yourself to get upset by it. Thus being able to control your emotions and possibly the situation. “A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” Oscar Wilde

See anger is something that is a very powerful thing. When you get angry at someone you give them power over you. When you’re angry that person receives power over you because they have gotten you upset, not thinking straight, focused on them, and in a situation to where you are not in control. But when it all comes down to it you are the one who allows that person or thing to upset you. You have the choice not to get mad and still be in control, but once again that goes back to learning and understanding yourself. You get in control of yourself and the situation….The choice is up to you….I leave you with this….

“Feelings are much like waves, we can't stop them from coming but we can choose which one to surf.” ~Jonatan Mårtensson

I hope you had the time of your Life

"So take the photographs and still frames in your mind. Hang it on a shelf In good health and good time. Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial. For what it's worth, it was worth all the while. It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life" - Green Day

As I sat and listened to this song on youtube I could'nt help but laugh. I remember when this song came out everyone used it for high school memories to mark the end of something big and the start of something new. People across the nation used this song as a positive way to close a chapter of their lives. Just then as the song went to just music with no words the high school memories faded away and I started to remember the days of college life. The days where I lived a life of heartbreaks, growing pains, and lessons. Then I started to think about the upcoming graduation season and started to think to myeslf what would I say to a graduate now having completed that stage of my life.

Well it's very simple I'd use something along the last line of the song. "It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life" I say this because college is a time where you are supposed to grow and find yourself. A time where you can make a ton of mistakes and it's ok because you are trying to find out exactly who you are (if you haven't already). During college we all made mistakes, but we hopefully have learned from them and became better people. We aren't perfect and college isn't perfect. There are a lot of mishaps and things that don't go our way, but one thing is for certain that walk across that stage is a once and a lifetime feeling.

Walking across that stage is brings a sense of accomplishment and pride. That is one of the "Once and a Life time Expereiences" you will have in this lifetime. It's a stepping stone into the real world, and eye opener at the same time. As you hear your name called and you start to walk it's like a mix of emotions. There's happiness, a lil sadness, excitement, pride, and utter jubilation. In that one moment you expeirence so many things and then as you complete your walk it's over and you hope that when you walk away you can look back at it and remember something joyful about those years, because they are supposed to be some of the best years of our lives. Whether you had a great time in college or a bad time it's an experience. Being in college doesn't define who you are, but it does in some way help you get to where you are going in this life. It's a school for the better making of you. So to my graduates and people who have taken that trip as they said in the song.....I hope you had the time of your life....I leave you with this.

"Graduation is only a concept. In real life every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you'll make a difference." ~Arie Pencovici

Pride St.

This really isn't going to be long just a thought....

"Some people are overqualified. Therefore, God cannot appoint them.
Pride can befriend only those who are short in their inner heights and inner depths.
A man of pride is an "I" specialist. A man of humility is an "I" perfectionist.

Preference and indifference are the obverse and reverse of the pride-coin.
You are admiring yourself to such an extent that you have made it clear that you do not need even God's Admiration.
You are full of yourself. Poor God sincerely tells the whole world that His Heart is too small for you.

Your excessive love of yourself destroys you not only beyond your realisation but also far beyond your imagination.

Your body is proud of its simplicity. Your vital is proud of its vitality. Your mind is proud of its majesty. Your heart is proud of its humility. Your soul is proud of its luminosity. And finally, your God is proud of His unity in multiplicity."

-Sri Chinmoy Library

I read that today and couldn't help but think to myself that too many of us show a ton of pride but not enough humility. A lot of us in fact don't know how to be humble and only know how to be prideful, but in the end that pride will not lead you to success What do you think?????????....I leave you with this...


"I assure you, If you think you have A number one enemy,Then it is your pride And nothing else."

- Sri Chinmoy

Do what you Love, Love what you Do

So, Today as I’m sitting and proctoring the MAP Test of the teachers whose class I’m helping in comes up and starts to tell me about a frustrating situation with a parent. As she tells me about this situation she says “Sometimes I just think about doing something wild so they would just send me on leave for the year, and I wouldn’t have to deal with these kids anymore.” As I sat there and listened to her statement I thought to myself “Why are you here????”

I asked this because we all meet people in our lives who are just in the wrong field, but when it starts to get to that point you really just need to get out of that profession in my view. My question though is why do we do this to ourselves? If you don’t like the profession why get into it? Now of course some people don’t know at first and it eventually comes to the surface as to why they made a mistake, but others get declare majors, take jobs, and start professions on the basis that they are only interested in the selected field. I personally believe that you should do what you love, because at the end of the day the less and less you like the work you do the more you and others will suffer.

We suffer on the basis that we resent the work that we do. We slack off, are not enthusiastic, and our performance basically sucks. Usually we take forever doing our work unless there’s a deadline on it, and unless you’re very conscious about the work you turn in that usually become very poor as well. Then on the other hand other people suffer as well. Our spouses suffer, our students, shoot even other family members suffer. They suffer because being in this environment puts us in a dull or terrible mood simply because we are in something that we don’t want to do. So how do we change this?

It’s actually very simple. We find a place to refocus and find what our purpose is. Now as I said in a previous post I’m not saying up and quit your job. But I am saying take some time out to find out what makes you truly happy. Find what matters to you the most, because at the end of the day you are the one who has to be content with what you do. If it’s working in corporate America great, if it’s teaching excellent, if it’s nonprofit work Great, but in the end find out what makes you happy and do it to the best of your ability. You need to do this because if you don’t you aren’t fulfilling your life’s purpose you’re actually wasting it. Now you won’t find your purpose on the first day, but take steps to finding it and then make the necessary changes to ensure that what you do with your life if pleasing to God and makes you happy. Do what you love and find your passion. I leave you with this…..

“The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but in reality it is to live a life that is without purpose.”

The Waiting Place

"The Waiting Place ...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.”

As I sat and listened to this story I couldn't’t help but stop and think to myself how incredibly true these statements were. Though this came from a children's book, "Oh the Places You'll Go", by Dr. Seuss it still hit on some key points that each of us go through. "The Waiting Place".

“The Waiting Place ” is another part of our society that's very interesting. Most of us fall into this place at one point in our lives. This place can be a number of different things. It can be positive and negative. On the positive side it may be exactly what you need. A number of us don't have the talent of being patient in this life and it hurts us. Some of us are so busy to jump out and do something without planning or thinking it through that we put ourselves in worse situations then what we were before. Sometimes God puts us in "The Waiting Place" to prepare us for something greater. God knows that for some us the stage we are at in our lives at this point shows that we aren't ready for some things. So he allows us the time to work on ourselves so when he gives it to us we will be ready. So in that time take the time to prepare yourself and focus on getting better. At the same time though "The Waiting Place" can also be negative.

Sometimes some of us fall into the waiting place by accident not knowing that we are there, and it takes some type of jolt to get us out of it. Others find the waiting place by choice and the feeling of staying with something that feels familiar. This then turns into a place of complacency. It’s the place where sometimes we feel too comfortable to leave. We see things that could be opportunities, but we find all different types of reason *cough cough* (EXCUSES) as to why we can’t partake in opportunities. This then hinders our growth and stunts our progression. Colin Powell once said “If it ain't broke, don't fix it' is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It's an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms.”

So how do we get out of the waiting place? We don't get complacent. Now I'm not saying quit your good job that's paying your rent, because you want to go and chase after your dreams. But what I am saying is start working and taking the necessary steps to be able do that in the future. Instead of just waiting around and waiting for someone to come and rescue you from "the waiting place" do it yourself. Stop making excuses for all of the things that are supposedly holding you back from moving forward in your life, and start to take action and responsibility for yourself. If you want it then go get it. You may not be able ti drop everything and change your life at the drop of the hat, but that doesn't mean that you can't make small strides that will put you on the path to achieving them.

"NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!" -Dr. Seuss

"Good things come to those that wait, but there is a grave difference between being patient and being complacent. God wants us to be Patient on Him, but he doesn't want us to be complacent when He's given us the tools to succeed." -Nick Johnson

Participate in your own Success

This isn't going to be a long one....just something I've been witnessing that a lot of people are missing so here it goes...

Success is something that we all want in our lives. I have never came across a person that didn't want to succeed. But I have ran across people who are unmotivated to succeed. They are the people who make all different types of excuses as to why they can't do something. Or their the person who waits till the last minute then when it's too late looks for others to fix things. Why do we do this? Who knows? Some people call it a fear some people call it a lack of motivation. Shoot some people even call it a learned helplessness they've seen all these bad things happen in their lives and now they believe that because of the past they never can be successful. But who knows to me there are a number of different reasons.

One thing that is true about success though is that you have to be present during the process to get there. When you look back through history everyone who has been successful has worked for it. Whether it's been good or bad they've put in the work to be able to become successful. If you choose to "check out" of this life then you can cause one of the biggest challenges in regards to progression and success. The challenge simply is the progression stops. When progression stops we can become stagnant and complacent.But how do you stop this challenge?

It's simple participate in your own success. If you want something then go do it. Stop making excuses for people who are holding you back or things that you have to do and get it done. Because at the end of the day one thing is true if you are not participating in your own success you are allowing other factors to control your destiny. Participating in your own success simply means when an opportunity comes make sure that you are able to take advantage of it. Take care of all the necessary work that you need to get done right now, so when opportunity knocks you'll be able to answer the door. A wise man once said "Even when opportunity knocks a man still has to get up off of his seat and answer the door." If you don't participate in your own success then how will you ever be able to take advantage of the things in your life. I leave you with this....

"In a free society, every opportunity comes with three obligations. First, you must seize it. You must mold it into a work that brings value to others. Second, you must live it. Opportunity is nurtured only by action. Third, you must defend the freedom to pursue opportunities. You must embrace these three obligations as if the future of the United States depended on it. In fact, it does. "
Robert C. Goizueta

Get In Where you Fit In...

"In life, "fitting in" shouldn't be geared towards fitting into society's place for you. It should be centered around understanding that God gave each one of us a purpose in this world and instead of trying to fit into someone else's spot for us find your own. We all fit in someplace." - Nick Johnson

In society today a number of people keep trying to fit into the image that others have for them. Parents do it to their children. Bosses do it to their co-workers. Shoot honestly, we even do it to our so called friends. Fro some reason it's always the mindset of today's society to tell us that we must fit into what their puzzle looks like, but why do we have to? One of the reasons why people have so many problems is that they are being forced into a part of the "puzzle" that does not fit. And when you think about it if you have ever worked on a jigsaw puzzle you can't put pieces in places where they don't fit. Those pieces may look like they fit, but as you try and place it in not only difficulty will increase, but as you step back and look at the overall picture you'll notice that regardless of how hard you try and force that piece into the place that you want it, it just doesn't fit.

So why do we try and force things in places where they don't fit? It's mostly because we think that we can make things happen ourselves and that we know the overall master plan when really that's so far from the truth. God is the only one who knows the overall master plan. In reality he is the artist and we are the pieces on the table waiting to be put into the correct spot. And see that's also one of the beautiful things about our heavenly father. Even though our society tries to put us into these places where we don't fit, God never does that. God doesn't have to try and guess, because he knows where we fit in he's the one who created us and gave us the tools that we need to be the "piece" of this overall "puzzle".

So how do we learn to get in where we fit in? It's simple really. Take the time to understand that you don't have to live up to anyone expectations but your own. We aren't living this life to please anyone else other than our heavenly father above us. So take the time to sit back, reflect, and grow the tools he's given you so you can use them effectively. This also means that after you figure out what your "piece" is in this world just do that. As I said in the beginning society says we have to fit into this certain part of the puzzle, but if that's not where our piece fits in this crazy world then quit trying to fit into a place where you were not meant to be. Just take time to grow as a person, find your purpose, and be truthful to yourself. You will eventually find the "piece" of the puzzle you fit in......I leave you with this.....

-There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the bigger puzzle