Positive and Negative Effects

I am on vacation this week with my wife Laura watching our grandkids. Here is an article from November, 2009. I hope you enjoy it. Stay inspired my friends!


“There must be a positive and negative in everything in the universe in order to complete a circuit or circle, without which there would be no activity, no motion.” -John McDonald

So maybe I should let that sink in a little bit or let people wonder just what a quote like that is doing on a blog like this.

This blog is a positive, motivational, self improvement website that people can get a little bit of inspiration from. It is a way of helping you find some goodness to help you get through whatever it is you might be going through.

Yet I fully understand the reality of life, that you can not always live in the happy Neverland. There will be periods of the "not-so-happy". Even I have been called (in a nice way) a cynical b@$tard. Although I much prefer the term "centered contrarian".

My view is much more positive then not, but I find that I have to keep my life centered. So when I start approaching the starry, "pie-in-the-sky"; my instinct is to ensure I step back and view the other side.

The reason why?

I can not speak to those going through bad times with out understanding what they are facing. The 'positive' means nothing to them if it isn't relevant. So my cynicism for things can peek through from time to time. But again, that cynicism can come off sounding like I don't believe in having a great attitude.

Having a great attitude and leaning to the positive is what dreams are made of. Without it, we would never move forward. We would never try anything new or even want to for that matter. My contrarian ways are in some ways left over attributes but in no way do they diminish my belief in living life in a positive fashion.

You have to choose the way you want to live your life. That is the great thing about it. We get to choose it, we get to also change it. We can pull ourselves out of misery and choose happiness. No one else, no artificial thing, no magic potion can make that change...only you.

And if you say the sky is blue and I happen to say its not; then its just the cynic in me dreaming of a great sunrise.

Day Before

"The best babysitters, of course, are the baby's grandparents. You feel completely comfortable entrusting your baby to them for long periods, which is why most grandparents flee to Florida." -Dave Barry

Today marks the last post for about a week. I will be taking a vacation week along with my wife Laura. We will have nine days of what some would call rest, relaxation and removal from the daily grind of work. There have been a few people asking where we are going on our vacation.

- Is it to the beach in Florida? (no)
- Is it to the south Pacific? (no)
- Is it on a cruise ship? (no)
- It has to be a mountain hideaway? (no)

No, Grandma and Grandpa are spending nine wonderful days at home watching our four grand-children. A fun-filled week with ages ranging from 18 months to ten years of age. Two grandsons, two granddaughters and more energy than I have probably seen in a year or two.

There is a possibility that I might take time to write of the "goings on" around our home. It is possible I might escape for an hour very early in the morning to write an article. What I do know is that the week is going to be awesome and we have Grandma to thank for that. Grandma's are the best.

They give the best hugs, the best smooches, the best grilled cheese, the best games, the best...well, you get the picture. Grandma's put the wheels in motion and create the memories that last forever in the minds of grandchildren. Now for us Grandpa types.

Grandpa provides sticks of Juicy Fruit gum. We help make sure the Big Wheel wheels keep turning. We ensure the car seat gets locked in correct. And we make sure the punctuation is properly applied so that we don't get eaten while we are taking a nap!

I'll post some of my favorite posts over the next week and maybe an update or two of our fun. So until then, stay inspired my friends!

Good Intentions

"The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention." -John Burroughs

I knew there was something special about today, May 31. The thought was itching the back of my brain so I had to check the internet. My suspicion confirmed, today in 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed by the U.S. Congress. How would I know about such a thing? Only because I grew up in Nebraska and we were taught this little bit of history in high school.

I guess it stuck with me because I was a small town farm boy seeing how huge Nebraska (albeit a territory prior to statehood) was at one time. It also stuck with me how the good intentions of people can get exploited. It caused the violence which erupted in Kansas, was the seed that created the Republican Party and firmly placed the United States on a path to the Civil War.

The best intentions of a few can have such a grand effect upon the lives of millions. Violence and war were not the intended outcomes, but that is what happened. Historians will forever debate those actions, the war and the results of all that occurred so long ago. We, the ones that live in the aftermath of history, must learn from those good intentions.

Intended for Today or Tomorrow

Maybe it is human nature, the way we are wired inside. So many times we hear that we must "learn from history and not repeat the mistakes." We say these things while also declaring that we must provide a better, a greater world for future generations. But many times our actions are for the short-term, for the present and for self.

Are our good intentions for a better future for everyone real? Do we really want to change things for the better? Or are we shouting loudly these good intentions simply to line our own pockets of today? I see quite a bit of latter happening. You read about it in the news daily. It comes from people of all political and religious affiliations.

Small Deeds

We can do great things if we turn those good intentions into good acts. If we truly want to change the future not only for ourselves but for others, we need to think outward, not inward. We need to truly make big and mostly small changes in the way we do things. If we truly want a better future, it is time we start turning our words into deeds. Actions will do more than words on a paper or in a blog, my own blog included.

Do good things in life, create small deeds, perform small random acts of kindness and create a greater world. We can stand up and make terrific speeches regarding good intentions. The people will cheer and clap in rallying support. But if we each act upon one, two, or many of these intentions, that is where success will truly emerge. That is where intention dissolves into real greatness.

A small town farm boy sees a map from 1854 that stays with him throughout life. It gives him the desire to help people in small ways later in life. A young woman attends a parenting class early in life. It gives her the desire to teach other parents how to be great parents. All of us can be inspired by the smallest of things, by the smallest of intentions, which turn into great deeds.

Stay inspired my friends.

Your Birthday Smile

"A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles." -William Hazlitt

Today is the birthday of my wonderfully beautiful wife, Laura. So give me just a moment before I proceed.

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Laura!
Happy Birthday to you!

With that heartfelt song for my wife, let me tell you something about her. She has a smile that can literally change lives. I can attest to it because she changed my life from the moment I first saw her smile. And guess what? You can do the same for countless others by simply smiling.

So on this day, my wife Laura's birthday, smile and change the world. Or maybe just one other person's day.

Love you Laura. Happy Birthday!