The Pay it Forward Band! - Wow...

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

Some people value education for itself. They see in it a persons greatest achievement. They are mistaken. Knowledge is of no value unless it makes me a better person. It should broaden my view of life, bring me a deeper understanding of people and things. If education makes me judge others or I become self-centered and proud, then it is bad for me. True education should help me to live a good life by helping others. A common working man who tries to help others is a far better man than a learned man who learns the lines of scriptures; living the words is the key to true happiness!

I was talking to a really successful man the other day who told me that “ religion is for the weak who need something to look forward too.” I was amazed because I have such a firm belief and faith in God, I not only believe in God but I have conversations with him! His words not only sent shivers down my back, they made me realize that even the most successful of people might be seeking what seems to be good but, might be focused on earthly goods alone. We are on this earth for a while, some are here for ninety years, some for thirty years, and some for five minutes. We will never know when our time is up, but we are certain that our bodies will die. I firmly believe that our decisions today will guide us to where we end up tomorrow and this is why we need to keep our eyes on the bigger picture; our souls and our beliefs.

This Easter week I have learned a very valuable lesson on my daily living. I learned that I have been focusing to many of my efforts toward success, when I didn’t even have the true meaning of success in mind. I asked myself “what is success?” I now know that success is not having the fancy car, the bank account, or the big office but, it is having true friends and family whom know that I am there for them any time they need me! Success is about relationships, respect, and trust. We don’t need to agree on everything, know everything, or even want the same things but, we do need to believe in something; my greatest achievement is my belief in God and my knowledge that I will never be perfect...

This was the best show I've seen in years! These kids are TALENTED...

Only one night left to see these talented kids bring a classic show to a new level. I had more fun at this show than allowed by law (in the town of Bomont). If you are looking for a fun night out then check out this show but hurry because tonight is the last night! Just click on the title and get all the info...

 

It is so nice outside...take a walk!

I like the old saying "spring is in the air!" The birds are chirping, the bugs are crawling, the grass and plants are changing colors and most of importantly; we are in better moods! Shake that "old man winters blues" off and take a walk, go to the petting zoo, play a game of hoops, or go for a ride with the windows down! A good dose of fresh air will make our days much better. Happy Spring everyone, Mike Keller    

My newest xtranormal commercial! ARGUMENTS...

Give-Away Contest for "Dare to Be Yourself" by Alan Cohen!

This weeks Give-Away Contest is for one of my favorite self help books, it is the book that actually got me started on my writing career. It is "Dare to Be Yourself" by Alan Cohen (an amazing writer). All you need to do to join is sign up for the "Weekly Ezine" on http://www.lifeinaweek.com/ (top left hand corner) and send me an email that you would like to be placed in the drawing hat! Click on the link here to read all about it -      http://home.ezezine.com/3043/3043-2011.02.20.23.07.archive.html I hope to see your name in the hat!!
Have a really fun week everyone.

Relationships are tricky!

<>Relationships are always tricky. Good relationships don't happen by accident and must be consciously built, you will always have to take into consideration the person at the other end of the relationship. To start with, some people are not going to interpret your personality as you see it. You are going to have to be sensitive enough to determine who these people are, and then you must build a good relationship with them on an individual basis. It is not easy to change a cool relationship to a warm one, yet you cannot afford to allow it to remain in an unhealthy state. You should take some extra effort to build it into a stronger relationship. To build a stronger relationship, remember that she (or he) sees you differently than anyone else or how you might even see yourself! A really good friend of mine told me that "it isn't all about you" and that is so true when building life long relationships... (Change 'me' to 'we')

Our habits that turn into addictions!

Let’s face the harsh facts about our weaknesses. We all have dealt with addictions in our lives, whether it is alcohol, drugs, work, love, or even hatred. Life is about balance and moderation. Any addiction that we may be facing in our lives can and probably will dull our energetic spirits. If we let our addictions take over our lives, we will become weak and frail, letting our guards down for even an instant may be enough for us to fall hard. My weakness was alcohol, it threatened all that I believe in and the overindulgence of the drink felt like tentacles of an octopus grasping my every thought and breathe.




In today’s society addictions are of an epidemic proportion. The curses of these addictions are leading many down a rough path in life, without an anchor to secure our thoughts. We are readily influenced by our peers, media, and television. Our thoughts become confused and frustrated, while our bodies and spirits deteriorate. We teach the young by our examples, not by our words alone! We may have even introduced them to the drunkard or addictive ways by failing to check our own corrupt impulses, and our principles may have been carelessly disregarded. The bad effects of these addictions far outweigh the so-called benefits. An addiction will take over our thoughts throughout the day while working like a demon trying to claw your eyes out (wow that was a bit harsh) so that you won’t be able to see all the good that is surrounding you. These addictions are destroying our judgements, character, and lives.



We are given free-will to live our lives the way we choose. If we overindulge in drinking, we will become drunkards, if we eat everything that is in front of us we will be gluten’s who become so obese that we can’t tie our own shoes, and if we let habits turn into addictions we will be doomed to a life filled with poor judgments and derangement. I write these harsh words because I know that these addictions cause many of the problems we are facing in our own homes, towns, cities, and the world. Many murders, suicides, health issues, and divorces are the tragic consequences of these tendencies, don’t let them take over your thoughts. If you feel you have been heading toward an addiction from a bad habit that you may have, look inside of yourself and ask what it is that you are not facing about yourself and face it. Become stronger by fighting the demons from within. Always remember that as long as we do just a little better today, then we are heading toward a healthier and happier life, pass along that feeling to all you meet during your journey!

"A foot of snow... yea right!!

What a great day for some Advil! This was the best work out I had in a long while, now it's time for a nap. Happy January New England. Drive safe if you are traveling.

Turn that hate into Love!

It should be easier to see the good in people, we shouldn't have to search for it! Lately it seems that we hear more about all the hate, sadness, and controversies. I KNOW that there is more good in this world than there is bad. So, why is it that we are constantly focusing on the bad? Why is it that controversy sells more papers or gets more viewers on the television? We are good by nature and we will live happier lives when we remember this! Happiness is a journey not a destination, just as Love is a much more powerful tool than hate. Hate is an awful emotion fueled by fear and anyone who tries to feel powerful by scaring others is only going to be a sad and lonely soul. We need to start this wonderful year spreading the refreshing feelings of Love and hope. It starts from within and we need to carry these good feelings around with us through out our daily life, if we want to make this a better place to live and grow together.

Keep this little girl in our prayers!

I know that the readers of this blog are the nicest and most caring people in the world, so I ask you to please keep Phylicia in your prayers. She is a brave little girl who is fighting a brain tumor and our prayers will help her to make a full recovery! If you are on facebook, let her know you are praying for her by "liking" her get well page (click on the above banner and be directed to the page or go facebook and type in "Love & Prayers for Phylicia") Thank you! Mike Keller

Christmas is in the air!

One of my favorite times of the year is the Christmas season because we all seem to take a step back and think about others first. I often wonder why we don’t seem to hold on to that holiday feeling for the entire year? If we sincerely thought about others needs before our own all year round we would be much happier, healthier, and wiser! I am not talking about just the gifts that are bought, I am saying the hugs, the family gatherings, the laughter, the excitement, and the love that we feel toward one another. So often, we are so caught up in our own lives that we forget to slow down and ask a friend how he or she is doing? One of the biggest lessons I have learned this holiday season so far is that we all love to hear ourselves talk! I have been trying to do less talking and more listening (as I previously wrote about in previous blog entries) and I am truly amazed at how much better I am at listening than talking! Just by listening to others more intently is being a better friend. Listen to what others are saying and you will learn so much more about your own life as-well. The Christmas holiday season is a great time to practice doing this. I want to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season, a season to smile and build memories of a lifetime! Merry Christmas! Mike Keller

Listen more and chatter less!

I have been doing a lot of writing lately about everyday situations and how I cope with some of the challenging moments. I learned at a really young age to not let others attitudes change our own unless it is for the better. I was talking with a person about a month ago whom told me that his life is so hard, he hates his job, he doesn’t get along with his wife, his kids don’t listen to him (no matter how loud he yells) and that he is about to lose his apartment because the rent was raised by 30 percent by his landlord! I felt his anger over all of the bad things that were happening to him and I suggested that he take a step back and look at his situation from another persons’ point of view. Sometimes when we are in the situation we are to close to it to see the obvious solutions, it is really that simple. When I screw up on an invoice or a quote at work my boss will come into my office and show me what I did, I will initially feel annoyed because I cannot believe I screwed up on something that I have done a million and one times before. His advice to me was so simple the other day, yet so true “when you are exhausted from a long day, stop what you are doing and just pick it up the following day!” When we try to do everything all at once we are bound to make mistakes, we are human. So, when I told this man to step back and look at what was really going on, he too saw what I was seeing. Instead of condemning people for what they do, let’s try to understand the reasons why they do what they do. If you have a kid who is being a terror why would that kid behave better when he is being screamed at? We need to step back and see what it is that this kid is looking for, I would bet you a large coffee that he only wants your attention! I try to always remember that most people would rather have bad attention over no attention at all, ignoring others wants and needs and putting our own first is a selfish act but, striving to help others first is being a loving person. You will get much more satisfaction in life when you put others needs in front of your own, try to see the other persons point of view from a distance and start listening more than you talk. Another bad habit that we all have at times is that we love to hear ourselves talk! I will tell you that I have been watching everything I say in the past few months and I listen more than I talk now and have solved many issues in my own life by doing so. If you listen to what your friends and family has to say, you will learn so much more about them. If you chatter nonstop you are only babbling and people won’t listen to you as much. Take the time to listen to everyone around you, be truly sincere in your listening and life gets much easier. Ask questions and seek the answers. I received an email from my friend we were speaking about earlier and he started to listen to his boss, his wife, and his kids more intently. He started to take a breather before he would get defensive and genuinely started to listen to what they were saying! Within the first two weeks of trying to break his habit of “talking over” everyone and “yelling” about what is going wrong in his life, he started to see the changes immediately. He told his wife and his boss that he was trying to “lose his angry temper” and is working on becoming a better husband, father, and co-worker. His wife immediately saw the difference in the kids. They actually looked forward to their father returning home from a hard day at work and spending a little time playing with them without the yelling. His boss noticed he was coming into work with a smile and his productivity has increased tenfold, so he gave him a much needed raise of 20% and is paying for night classes to get him to become a supervisor with a life changing career within the company. The raise will pay for the increase in the rent and be able to pay off debt within two years. His story can be common if we have the right attitude toward both ourselves and everyone who surrounds us. We create our situations in life and we can change those situations in a very short time if we put in a genuine effort to do the right thing for the right reasons. We just need to think of all the good that surrounds us and brush off the negative emotions that arise in situations in our lives, start thinking outside of the box and seeing our own situations from outside of that very same box as-well. Bottom line here is to listen more and chatter less!

FATHER FORGETS

This is a very inspirational story by W. Livingston Larned in the early 1920's for Peoples Home Journal(condensed as in "Readers Digest")Please take a moment and read this, it will help us all to be careful on how we react! Listen, son: I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily I came to your bedside. There are the things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when you threw some of your things on the floor. At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table. You spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you started off to play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand and called, "Goodbye, Daddy!" and I frowned, and said in reply, "Hold your shoulders back!" Then it began all over again in the late afternoon. As I came up the road I spied you, down on your knees, playing marbles. There were holes in your stockings. I humiliated you before your boyfriends by marching you ahead of me to the house. Stockings were expensive-and if you had to buy them you would be more careful! Imagine that, son, from a father! Do you remember, later, when I was reading in the library, how you came in timidly, with a sort of hurt look in your eyes? When I glanced up over my paper, impatient at the interruption, you hesitated at the door. "What is it you want?" I snapped. You said nothing, but ran across in one tempestuous plunge, and threw your arms around my neck and kissed me, and your small arms tightened with an affection that God had set blooming in your heart and which even neglect could not wither. And then you were gone, pattering up the stairs. Well, son, it was shortly afterwards that my paper slipped from my hands and a terrible sickening fear came over me. What has habit been doing to me? The habit of finding fault, of reprimanding-this was my reward to you for being a boy. It was not that I did not love you; it was that I expected too much of youth. I was measuring you by the yardstick of my own years. And there was so much that was good and fine and true in your character. The little heart of you was as big as the dawn itself over the wide hills. This was shown by your spontaneous impulse to rush in and kiss me good night. Nothing else matters tonight, son. I have come to your bedside in the darkness, and I have knelt there, ashamed! It is feeble atonement; I know you would not understand these things if I told them to you during your waking hours. But tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum with you, and suffer when you suffer, and laugh when you laugh. I will bite my tongue when impatient words come. I will keep saying as if it were a ritual: "He is nothing but a boy-a little boy!" I am afraid I have visualised you as a man. Yet as I see you now, son, crumpled and weary in your cot, I see that you are still a baby. Yesterday you were in your mother's arms, your head on her shoulder. I have asked too much, too much, yet given too little of myself. Promise me, as I teach you to have the manners of a man, that you will remind me how to have the loving spirit of a child.

CHANGE IS GOOD

Life is full of what we put out there. Whether it’s happiness, love, and satisfaction or emptiness, loneliness, and sadness, it is all up to us. It’s really pretty simple. It’s like the old saying “you made your bed, now you have to lie in it.” If you feel that you cannot trust people, you probably won’t. If you feel like the world is against you, it probably will be. If you feel like everything is good and will work out for the best, it will. It takes the tough times to know the good times. If we didn’t have the tough times, then we would naturally forget how valuable the good times are and take them for granted. When you crush your finger between the balls at duckpin bowling and get a huge, throbbing blister on your finger that hurts every time you even get close to touching it, you will realize how lucky you always were when it wasn’t hurt and how much you will appreciate it in a few days when it is healed. When we realize that we really shouldn’t try to change other people’s habits or ways of thinking, but only change our own, it will have great rewards in all our relationships. We can always lead by example and actions, but we should never try to lecture and criticize others, even if it is the easy way out. Lecturing is one of the most destructive patterns we can have, and it will always end up with the same end result: resentment. Also, whatever change we were hoping for will be lost. Eventually, the person you are lecturing will reach the point of not even wanting to change and will start to look for your flaws instead. The love and respect that was once there will start to turn into more and more arguments; fighting will become a nasty habit or even the rule rather than the exception to the rule. Changing our own habits is much more important than trying to change someone elses.