Laugh, Explore & Understand
A wonderful friend of my sister, Margaret, mentioned that she would be singing in a Vivaldi choral arrangement at her church on Sunday. White Memorial is a beautiful church in old Raleigh. Having sung in an all boys choir at Church of Our Savior as a child, I jumped at the chance to experience the Advent celebration. Here are two phone recordings I made.
Enjoy!
It has always been my mission to cherish my body and mind in many ways. I try to protect my mind from being exposed to negative input and keep a focus on what I want rather than what I don’t have. I use personal affirmations on a daily basis to stay focused and review my goals and action plan every day.\r\n\r\nI also have an addiction to working out. I think the endorphins keep me calmer throughout the day. I like to exercise in the morning when possible, followed by a high protein breakfast and vitamin supplements. Kinda gets it all out of the way at the start of the day. Then I can focus more on the wonderful things that are going to happen in my life that day.
I like to do cardio for 30 minutes, followed by 30-45 minutes of machine and free weights.
I discovered this great Jazz bar in downtown Raleigh on my own and went to check it out. They do not serve any food and have a 6-page specialty drink menu. It started hopping at 8:30 when the Dixieland band started. Every night is a different style of Jazz. This could end up being one of my favorite hangouts. Introduced myself to friends I had not met yet. It was a blast.
I have a couple of thoughts about what I have done over the years to make tomorrow better than today and to know my family will be looked after. I always had plans for my future, however, when I was young, they were carried around in my head, as my great-niece described today, as some kind of sticky note, stuck on the bulletin board of my brain. Incredibly that got me through until I was in my early thirties. I had finished high school, completed my term in the military, extended my education to being certified as a Respiratory Technologist and Cardiopulmonary Pump Technologist, completed an undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Science, married and had a daughter.
I remember being at my brother, Mike’s house and seeing a set of personal development tapes on his bookshelf by Brain Tracy. I asked to borrow them. I listened to them and they changed my entire life forever. What incredible changes can come as a result of small millisecond decisions? The lesson here is that I arrived at a crossroad of existence, and recognized it. The key here is that I recognized it. I am never sure how that works, except to the fact that when the universe offers you a morsel of insight, grab it quickly, and act upon it. The more of these you grasp in your clutches, the more the universe will offer you. If you pass them off as weird, or doesn’t make sense, or “that’s not me”, the universe will not offer as many in the future. You must be open to receiving them, and acting upon them, in which case you will see more, sooner.
I took those tapes home to Elora, ON and listened to them in my basement office. They were called the Psychology of Achievement. One of the tapes talked about goal setting and required that I sit down and write out what I wanted my future to look like and what would be my major definite purpose in life. I was instructed to write out the answers to about six questions, of which here are three.
Questions are the answers in life, I have learned. It helped my design the following areas of my life that I use as daily areas of focus to help me create the life and lifestyle I have always wanted.
On Goals and Actions
Once I designed the areas of importance to myself, I then attached daily action plans to manifest those into reality. They all start with an idea. However, an idea, not written down, with an action plan is simply a dream, destined to be discarded to the pile of regrets. My rule is: “If it is not written, it is not so.”
Crystallize your Dreams into goals and action plans and you will be amazed at how your reticular activating system will bring those into reality.
I was introduced to this really quaint restaurant for the artsy folk, young and old. They had live music on a Sunday and it was packed. Tucked away in an industrial area. I had to go back a couple of days later just to enjoy the ambiance without the crowd. Well worth the find. It reminded me of Elora, ON in the eighties. Baklava to live for…everything fresh and very vegan as well.
Nothing could be finer than Carolina blue skies.
And to open the door for a lady that understands that real trucks don’t have spark plugs.
Great year 2013. Thanks. 2014 is going to be even better.
I keep seeing these kinds of lists that Successful people do that most others do not. I hate FB for sharing, because most people will judge and that is not my purpose. I simply want to live my life to the utmost.
Here is one that portrays my daily affirmations.
Things to be thankful for this year.
I woke up this morning and looked down and there was no tag on my toe. I knew it was going to be an incredible day! I love that joke. No matter how many times I use it with people on a daily basis, it always brings a smile to their face.
Things are great! Mary is feeling well, I am safe and well. Those closest to me are safe and well. I have friends and family who are grateful I am here. Life is good. I am grateful.
I spent US Thanksgiving with sister, Molly and her kin – that’s family in North Carolina talk.
I provided some entertainment after dinner.
I went to see Jeff Dunham last night in Kitchener with magnificent daughter, Mary. She bought me one of the best presents of my life, wait for it…… a Peanut doll! Why, you ask would a 65-year-old man want with a frickin’ doll? Easy…..it makes me laugh!
I have been looking back through pictures of me throughout my life and have discovered something amazing, I laugh a lot! Videos that I have taken and posted in my biography have me laughing on the audio. How cool is that! Isn’t that what we all want, happiness? If I can laugh a lot, I am convinced, I will experience more of life than if I don’t.