Today or Next Year

“Today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well therefore to this day.”
― Francis Gray

Now that the reality of 2015 is ending and a new year is about to begin, what happened this past year and what did we learn? Did we do all of those things we promised ourselves back in late December of 2014? Are we ready for what will come in 2016?

Spoiler alert - I'm not so sure.

The life we live is full of contradiction, happiness, sadness, surprise and terror. We plan for a smooth road with rest stops along the way in perfectly timed succession. But what we get is a hilly and bumpy path which gets us sort of where we want to be.

And that path many times branches off in directions we had not planned for. Yet we continually plan and make arrangements, adjusting to the new course we are on. Life will not get in our way of achieving what we want.

So we trudge along looking for something beyond today.

You see it in our politics ... soon as someone is elected the opposing party sets their plans towards the next election instead of working today, together. The middle ground is only a future possibility once they are elected again.

You see it in our religion ... sermonizing of what a god may have for us, for our good deeds, for our religion. Knowing the future and eternity is ours if only everyone else would just get on board with our way of believing.

You see it in our culture ... the year old smartphone which is now deemed too old, too old fashioned for the bright new shiny toy. Always looking for the next big thing and never taking the time to enjoy what we do have.

To simply give up is not in the human spirit.

So we trudge along, confronting each of the day's battles yet planning of a greater tomorrow. And maybe those plans will lead us where we want, but what if we planned for today? What if we dealt with things today?

2015 is closing on the calendar and we tell ourselves of a plan for 2016.

In 2016 we will pull back from the far edges of our political arguments.
In 2016 we will live for humanity and not for a single religious ideologue.
In 2016 we will embrace what we have and marvel at what comes along.

Or we can start today, December 29, 2015.

Stay inspired my friends.

But What Of Tomorrow

“Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”
― Corrie ten Boom

Even after a huge tech deal in which Dell Corporation of Round Rock, Texas acquired Hopkinton, Massachusetts based EMC Corporation - the sun came up.

And it will continue to do so long after this deal completes.

Get on with the business of today and let tomorrow worry about itself.

Stay inspired my friends!

Start Tomorrow By Starting Today

#FallbackFriday

"I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day." - James Joyce

Each of us are a product of what we did yesterday. The things we did, what we ate, what we read, and how we treated people created the person who woke up today. It changed big things and little things about us and now in today's light, we must live with those changes in us.

The same thing will happen based upon how we approach today.

The news we read and the books we finish change us just a little bit. What happened to us at work or on the drive home modifies our personality slightly. How we reacted to all the events and people who passed through our world during the day have an impact.

We can make a resolution to change something about our life today.

But then we tell ourselves it can wait, tomorrow I will change. But tomorrow comes and you believe yourself to be the same person, but something has changed. You have created a person will to accept changes by putting it off. Even though we continually say we are going to do something with our life, it feels that change never happens.

To put off today until tomorrow.

But something did happen....you lost one more day, one more opportunity, one more chance to do something with your life. The you today might be similar to the you of yesterday, but there is less to show for it; less of what you want in life.

Yesterday creates nothing more or creates the start of everything for you.

Forget about yesterday and take hold of creating your tomorrow, today. Grab hold of the opportunity so that tomorrow when you wake up, a different you is slipping into those shoes and heading out the door. In order for that to happen, you must take steps today. It begins with making that first step.

One change today, changes the you of tomorrow.

Stay inspired my friends.

Atomic Bomb Fears

“You don't drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.”
― Edwin Louis Cole

In 1946, the United States conducted the first two tests nuclear bomb tests conducted after the WW-II bombs denoted over Japan. These tests were called Operation Crossroads and occurred at the Bikini Atoll string of islands.

The first, named Able, occurred on July 1 and was detonated from an altitude of 520 ft. The second, shown here called Baker, was detonated at a depth of 90 ft underwater on July 25. Many, many more tests would occur but the awesome power of destruction man can unleash upon ourselves was now a part of our lives.

Fear of no tomorrow had begun.

As the years followed, many thought the world was near an end. Parents worried, children practiced ducking under their school desks and politicians pounded many a podium. There was a race to complete destruction of all human life as many worried.

Yet we have continued to survive and continue on with life.

Parents were able to raise their children. Children came out from under their desks, growing up to carry on full and productive lives. And the politicians continued to pound many a podium. The race to our destruction was just life passing through another period of man.

Many more events occurred previous to this and since. As humans we have found a way to get through the worry and fear of each event. We have survived and will survive today's event and many future events.

Tomorrow had come and will come again.

Yet we must not be paralyzed by fear of what is or what may come. William White wrote, "I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today." We can not allow fear to stifle this beautiful thing we call life.

We must live.

And we must stay inspired my friends!

Bring on the Day

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." - John Wayne

Each day brings a new beginning, a new opportunity to improve upon that which we experienced today.

You live your best effort during the present with the knowledge that tomorrow will be there waiting for you.

Charles M. Schulz, creator of the comic "Peanuts" said, most likely tongue-in-cheek, "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia."

Tomorrow will come so live today trying all you can.

Improve yourself by the experience of yesterday and know a new day will bring fresh vision to your life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Consider Today

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34

A verse that goes back through many ages but very applicable today.

We spend a lot of time worrying about tomorrow.

We forget to live what is at hand today.

An old saying goes, "Do not worry about tomorrow for it is already tomorrow in Australia." Rest assure there are folks already there worrying about their today.

Your future tomorrow will come soon enough.

Live today with the moments you are given.

Stay inspired my friends!

What Worry

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength."
-Corrie Ten Boom

As you go about your day, things will happen that cause worry to come upon you. It may be little things like 'did you leave a light on at home', 'should I have brought an umbrella along' or other small nuisance types of worry. They are the nagging minor issues which fill the voids in our daily thoughts.

There are also the worries which impact us in a much bigger way. These are the worries that directly impact your ability to function on a daily basis. There are a hundred and one types of examples we could discuss. Many of you probably have one or two of them at this moment in time. It could be money, health, sex or job worries. Worries are anything that effect your day or impact your ability to fully function to your best.

Yet when worry consumes your life, it can be a detriment to your quality of life. It is said in an article from NetDoctor, that "many people openly confess to being worriers. They usually make the announcement as if to suggest the world is divided into the virtuous, who fret over everything, and the feckless majority who are laid back to the point of decadence."

Much of our worry can lead to bouts of anxiety and when diagnosed can be a very debilitating disorder. The anxiety can be treated and is best left to the professionals. But what I can say is that for constant everyday worry, "for worries sake" is not productive.

The time comes when you need to apply the energy consumed by worrying to one of making change and improvement. Once you have identified the issue, then take a breath and look for solutions. Certainly there are things out of your control but you do have control of you.

Look for advice, look for information, look to change the situation. And as the quote states, don't let worry steal your strength today, make change and let tomorrow bring a new and brighter day.

Stay inspired my friends!

A Big World

“Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty. I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be.” -George Carlin

You might expect the usual discussion about a glass half full or half empty at this point. I have written that article before describing and discussing the nature of our positive or negative attitudes. But this article is not going down that path.

In fact, for those that firmly believe in predictions of the wrold ending tomorrow, December 21, 2012, time spent reading this article won't matter I suppose. It is very likely that those people will not have the time as they prepare for what may or may not happen tomorrow. They will be rushing about ensuring their "bug out" packs are ready. I truly do admire their preparedness.

For me it is interesting to think people would be worried about that specific day though. Why not worry and prepare for December 1st, April 22nd, February 3rd or any "tomorrow" day? If not an interpreted doomsday word from thousands of years ago, maybe a large meteor hitting the earth, huge earthquake or world war. Are not the odds generally the same or more likely?

Then again, I am not against being prepared in life. It is smart to plan forlife's circumstances in order to have a chance at reacting to the curves it throws at us. But I am also on the side of having expectation of good things happening. I prepare but I also allow myself to have expectation of great things to happen as opposed to the worst.

If I read the quote from George Carlin again, I begin to realize that the glass is life itself. Life is so much bigger, so much greater than I can ever imagine. It means to me that we get to choose how full we want the glass to be. For some of us that will mean only a few drops of water. Others will fill the glass with as much as they can.

The glass will always be bigger than what we need.

Tomorrow

I'm travelling today but bet your bottom dollar I'll be writing again tomorrow.

The sun'll come out

Tomorrow

Bet your bottom dollar

That tomorrow

There'll be sun!

Just thinkin' about

Tomorrow

Clears away the cobwebs,

And the sorrow

'Til there's none!

When I'm stuck a day

That's gray,

And lonely,

I just stick out my chin

And Grin,

And Say,

Oh!

The sun'll come out

Tomorrow

So ya gotta hang on

'Til tomorrow

Come what may

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

I love ya Tomorrow!

You're always

A day

A way!

Stay inspired my friends!