Fear of Hard Work

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all." - Sam Ewing

Is hard work really necessary in order to get ahead in life?

Not if you are born into wealth and status that allows you to live a life unencumbered by a need for money. But even under those circumstances, it may require hard work to keep and maintain that wealth.

There are many people whom consider handouts to be a given right. They have a belief it is society's job to keep them well. It might be those that abuse the welfare system or those that steal in order to make (not earn) an easy dollar.

But a majority of people understand that it takes dedication and hard work to get ahead in life. It is also understood that hard work does not guarantee success. Yet we each go about working hard, striving for that little something we can individually call 'success'.

Never quit trying, never quit, never say never.

Reward will find you at some point. You simply need to keep moving towards it. Remember that "failure is not the worst thing in the world. The very worst is not to try."

Stay inspired my friends!

Carry the Day

"There is a destiny that makes us brothers, no one goes his way alone; all that we send into the lives of others, comes back into our own.." - Edwin Markham

As men, we isolate ourselves when faced with adversity or struggles. We close down our emotions and dive inward to deal with whatever it is we have to face. It is in this isolation that trouble gains a foothold upon our lives. In the darkness of isolation, nothing good can grow from it.

We can emerge from the darkness when we realize we have brothers to our left and to our right.

- It is okay to have someone help you carry your burden.
- It is okay for you to help someone carry their burden.

In this mutual bond of brotherhood that raises our ability to be much more successful.

Even when things are going great, life can begin to wear on us. The excitement of all that was good can become a distant memory. You will wake up each morning having to face the day full of struggle.

This is the point at which you have a choice to make. Will you draw back into the darkness of isolation? Or will you remain in the light, looking to your brother for support?

Face the day with knowledge that others have their eyes lifted, waiting to carry your burden with you. Face the day with the burning fire of a thousand fires carried with others.

Stay inspired my friends!

Regained Hope

“In depression . . . faith in deliverance, in ultimate restoration, is absent. The pain is unrelenting, and what makes the condition intolerable is the foreknowledge that no remedy will come -- not in a day, an hour, a month, or a minute. . . . It is hopelessness even more than pain that crushes the soul.” ~ William Styron

Wow, pretty depressing isn't it? It is a feeling of hopelessness that can consume us at different moments in our lives. We have lost a job, a marriage or direction in life.

When you reach this level of hopelessness, you feel your goals are unachievable and start to give up on them.

The idea of giving up itself feeds into your feelings because now you begin to feel you are a failure. It is a vicious cycle we put ourselves into. We begin to focus more and more on the problem or problems. As we do, the more helpless we feel as our spirit spirals into the ground.

The first thing to know is that there is no such thing as hopelessness.

Hopelessness is only a state of mind that we allow ourselves to get trapped into. There is always hope. You can back away and stop pounding your head against the wall. You can re-evalutate by stepping back.

More importantly, stop focusing on the problem...focus on the solution.

If we spend all of our time firmly fixed upon the problem, the hopelessness trap has us. But if we take those energies and focus on a solution, any solution; then we will give rise to new hope.

So stop spiraling into the hopelessness trap.

Step back from the situation and quit looking at the problem. Turn and exert your energy (or what is left of it) towards the solution. Pretty soon you will find hope creeping back into possibility. Pretty soon you will find a solution appearing on the horizon.

Lastly, look at the empty chair next to you. The chair might look empty, but think of it as opportunity. Opportunity that someone will come along, sit down and enter your life; change your life. Opportunity that can provide a little spark of encouragement and small measure of hope for you to grab hold of.

Remember, hopelessness is real only if we allow it to be.

Stay inspired my friends!

One Thing To Do

“The reality is that doing good unto others actually does more good for you.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich

It is cold in Boston this particular morning as I start my rental car. The dashboard reveals a single and solitary digit of 1 degree Fahrenheit. Yes it is cold, but that one digit reminds me that each of us should accomplish ONE act of kindness each and every day.

Every day, every moment, we have an opportunity to do, say or attempt at least one good thing. It isn't a difficult task nor does it require intense planning. All that is required is the desire to leave others with something positive in their own lives.

... a smile ...
... holding open a door ...
... allowing another driver to enter the freeway in front of us ...

Each are small acts of kindness we can perform.

... buying someone a meal ...
... tip the waiter a little more than usual ...
... donating regularly to a charity ...

Each are greater but still easily accomplished acts of goodness.

The one thing you can do each day is to give it from your heart. No matter how small it may seem, when done from the heart it will have a huge impact on others. So create goodness in your daily life by creating one good thing in someone else's life.

Stay inspired my friends.