"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.

Daily Living...

We are bombarded by both good and bad energies on a daily basis. We try to stay strong and wear many masks and armor shielding to appear strong and brave in order to feel like a leader, instead of looking as if we are followers. We build walls around ourselves to feel safe and try to keep a distance from the evils that surround us. This may seem like a good idea but, we might not realize that we are also making it difficult for the good to get close too! Why are we so stubborn? Why is it that we accept and maybe even are expected to yell at someone who disagrees with our opinions or even the simple act of someone stepping on your shoe by accident? Why is it considered being weak if we are followers? These are all questions that I ask myself as I write in my daily journal and I try to seek the answers to in everyday life. The one fact that we all must face is that just as we are born we will all die and we will never know for certain when. Our bodies do not live for eternity and we are not invincible. Our bodies are a true work of art and we should love who we are because there is only one of us! We are born tiny little babies, nurtured to childhood, grow into adulthood, and hopefully will grow old. The fact that death is a fact of life poses an even more powerful question, why is it so difficult to discuss sickness and the final stages of life, which is death? I have seen the tallest walls ever built around us suddenly crumble down in the final moments of life with a simple touch of a hand, a hug, and by the simple act of showing love and forgiveness. As we go through life we love to carry extra baggage, hold grudges, and carry around anger in our own hearts which is only imprisoning us behind those thick walls of hate and anger. Forgiveness and Love will knock down those prison walls, so why wait until we are on our deathbeds to get the courage to do so. One of the best ways to enjoy life today is to realize that we are not promised to live until we are ninety or one hundred years old. We are not even promised the rest of today let alone tomorrow! Live today to your fullest, enjoy the changing colors that autumn season brings, smile and laugh, sing and hum, give a squeezing hug and don’t hold back! The most important thing is to never walk away from someone with a hurtful thought, only walk away when you know for sure that you just left that person feeling better than when you first walked up to him or her. Never forget that we all make mistakes and that we are only hurting ourselves when we walk around angry and ticked off at everyone around us!

SILENCE

In my last posting I wrote about all the noise that is around us, today I am writing about the noise that is inside our heads! We are constantly in a hurry to get somewhere, anywhere, it seems except, where we are! Why is that? Are we worried about missing something or are we feeling like we need to fill an empty spot in our life? Sometimes we are anxious to make a good impression, to have many friends, and to feel esteemed. Yes, these things are natural and are good to an extent but, to seek them too intently is dangerous. Too often we are judged by our failures and weaknesses and not by our efforts and ideals, this is why it is foolish to fix our hearts on the approval of what others think of us. By doing so we are causing ourselves a lot of noise in our own heads! Sometimes it is easier to just avoid the attention and to enjoy the quiet solitude and sometimes it is simply needed in order to stay healthy. I enjoy writing about issues in my life and how I try to become a better friend to everyone who surrounds me but, it has consequences too. I have been told on multiple occasions “Mike, be careful what you are putting on the site because it may hurt your career” or “Mike why would you write that you were a drunkard for many years? Don’t you know that you won’t ever live that down and people will only judge you?” I am grateful for the advice and listen carefully when it is given to me and I agree to some extent. The way I feel is, if you are always honest about what you are doing, where you have been, and where you are, then, you will never have to have that constant chatter in your head worrying about someone thinking suspect of you or not accepting you for whom you are. If they do, it won’t matter because you will be able to lay your head on your pillow at night knowing that you did the best that you could at the present time and will have the self-respect that is key to living a good life. A while back I was talking with an elderly woman who was very ill and she told me that the key to living a peaceful life is actually quite simple! It doesn’t matter how rich, powerful, attractive, or popular you are, just remember the plain truth about yourself and throw away all your foolish pride. So often people consider themselves to be better than their neighbors because of money, some talent they have, or circumstances in their lives but, forgetting that time changes everything! We all will hopefully grow old, lose some hair, maybe a few teeth, and start losing our muscular strengths. That is part of life, what really matters is that we do as much good in our daily lives while never becoming proud of our deeds! If you consider yourself better than others, you are certainly a fool! No matter how angry you may get, never let a hurtful word out of your mouth. If troubles come to you, do not let them disturb you because it will only fill your head with nonsense. Her words taught me to work on my dark thoughts, my dirty words spoken, and to be careful as to what I say while in a heated situation. Her words of wisdom from living ninety one healthy years of a good life made me realize I have A LOT to learn! Today is a good day to slow down our inner noise and to take notice in the goodness that surrounds us and a lot of that noise will diminish on its own!

LIFES BATTLES

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, watching some horrific stories that are on the news, and listening to stories about situations that surround us on a daily basis. I came to a realization that there is a continual struggle within us and around us! Is it a struggle between good and evil, a battle between Heaven and the dirty devil? Are we faced with these struggles so that we are introduced to the negativity in order to become so accustomed that we feel better about ourselves designed by our enemy? If that were the case then aren’t we actually joining the enemy with our foolish pride, blind selfishness, and ignorance! Maybe, just maybe, we are becoming stronger by being engaged in these horrible battles. I am learning that we need to look inside of ourselves to recognize the clever camouflage of the enemy that spews out all of the noise in order for us to be distracted by nonsense. Don’t get distracted, instead, hold that firm and constant Love for good, pass it along to everyone that you meet, and our strengths will only grow! Don’t let the distractions overcome us through our weaknesses or by worldly people with self-seeking motives. By keeping our motives in check with the right and good intentions and having self respect for ourselves, our eyes will focus on the victory of that dirty devil. For many years I sought the approval and praise from others. Up until a couple of years ago I had many goals that were money based. Don’t get me wrong, I work very hard and enjoy the fruits of my labor but, I don’t base my life on those riches because I finally realized that the good things in life are from having a good conscience; the praises from others fall short of that! I would much rather see a friend being honored for their efforts, while I go unnoticed and feel their joy. We must remember that we don’t fail in anything because things turn out differently from what we may desire. We shouldn’t judge things by our disappointments or dislikes. We must keep discouragements out of our hearts, no matter how hopeless things may appear and always accept the results knowing you did your best today! I over-drank alcohol for a long time and was discouraged about the years lost and the experiences I missed. But, then I realized that I overestimated the passed successes or comforts of life. My life today is much more content and rewarding because of the life experiences of yesterday. I believe that we must learn from our mistakes but, more importantly we must help each other to know that the battle between good and evil is being won and that there is much more good than bad in our lives!

SUICIDE

Every day we make choices in our life. Choices big or small, important or unimportant, we are faced with these choices every minute of our waking hours. When we choose one thing, we are usually giving up something else. We are usually quite good at making these daily choices because we learn from our past mistakes and hopefully are surrounded by people who love us unconditionally. We know that we all make mistakes and are not by any means perfect! Today will bring us a number of occasions to help each other or to hurt one another. It will be our choice to make. A simple word can help a person to gain the strength needed to get out of a difficult situation where hope is lost or can be the frightening discouragement that will be a deciding factor of suicide due to shame, fear, and lack of hope. Fear wears many faces in life. If we fear work, we are lazy, if we fear future disgrace it is shamefacedness, if we fear present disgrace it is shame. We have these emotions of fear because we may feel that we are unable to cope with our lives, we feel paralyzed or powerless to the outcome of the situations, and that fear may prevent us from acting for our own good. Where there is fear there will also be anger and we need to remember that anger is a mixed passion. Anger will always seek vengeance for some damage that has been done, it implies a comparison between the damages done and the vengeance sought. When a person feels these emotions and is living through a difficult situation where he or she feels hopeless and ashamed the split second decision might be to just end it all and leave it behind; suicide. Our fast paced days and nights cause so much stress and feelings of being overwhelmed by competition, peer pressures, being accepted, and achieving both our own goals and goals that are put on us by society and our loved ones. If I were to fail to live up to these goals, pressures, and everyday competitions I might have self doubts about whom I am or what I was doing, but if I were antagonized, bullied, or made fun of, it could push me over that edge to the thoughts of “who cares” or “screw it, they are just going to make fun of me!” There are times in everyone’s lives where we are challenged and feel weak, no matter how strong we may be! I know that in my own life I have had many difficult choices to make but I am blessed to surrounded by loving and caring people who love me for whom I am and not what I achieve. We need to try to be there for everyone in our lives, we need to visit more often, and to take the time to ask how they are doing, but, more importantly is to actually listen to the answers! We need to stop judging one another and leave that up to God! Every day there are hundreds of suicides, suicides that could have been avoided if someone took the time to look into that kids eye or hold that senior citizens hand, or given a simple hug! Why is it that we find it so hard to show love but, so easy to laugh when we see someone hit their funny bone or slip on the wet grass or a banana peel? I just read a scary statistic that one in four of every gay or lesbian teenager has thought about suicide at least a dozen times! One in eight elderly persons in an assisted living home has thought or even asked for help in assisting in their own suicides! There are many difficulties in our lives, many chances for failure, and many evils that may work against our own greater good. The key is to help one another to achieve, to feel loved, and to be accepted. We must stop the hatred and the bullying that create a feeling of despair. If you see someone who looks sad or lonely take a moment to cheer them up, even if you walk away thinking that you didn’t help; trust me. You did! Learn to accept each others differences and love that we are so unique because, this is what makes’ it such a great world to live in. When someone feels so depressed that they forget what a great world it is, show them with Love and a few kind words. Always know that your efforts can and will help if you let it! If you suspect someone is suicidal take the time to talk to him or her, seek out the proper help needed, and show that you truly care. If you are feeling depressed or suicidal take that first step to get help, know that you are unique and that no one else is exactly like you, and that you are loved! Suicide is never the answer, what may seem unbearable today will pass, even though it may not seem so today! There will be many challenges and obstacles in life but you are so much stronger than they are, you are worth every minute of effort and you are filled with the beauty and strength of God and always remember that you are here for a reason. It is not important to know what that reason is as none of us actually know the answer to that, but what is important is that you know that we are all connected through love and together we can become stronger and happier! Together we can get through the tough times and start to enjoy the good times again. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and picture the best time of your life. Try to feel and smell the air that was there at that time, listen to what is surrounding you. Now open your eyes and take a second look at what is surrounding you and give it a chance, notice the smells, the air, and the sounds. Just know that there is much more good than bad and you really are a great person who has so much love to offer!

Charity

Language is a funny thing. We can have a room filled with five people and the same word may have a different meaning to each of us! When you hear the word charity, what is it that you think of? Did you think of an organization, the fireman standing on the road with a boot, or did you think of your daily life? Charity is helping each other in our lives selflessly, it means in some form we will sacrifice because we love unconditionally. A person of charity is patient in many circumstances which would arouse others to be angry or disgusted. We need to refuse to become impatient with others, even when they have wronged us! Revenge and anger are not signs of strength but, are signs of insecurity and weakness. Kindness brings confidence and encouragement to those who are afraid. Others will never hesitate to ask for help because they will know that a person who is kind will not willingly refuse. Someone who is charitable never envies those who have more earthly goods, more success, or even more talents. He is more content with the love that he possesses. A charitable person will always be considerate and fair in every aspect of his or her life, because he or she is not over-eager for personal gain or appearing to be better than anyone else. One whose heart is filled with charity refuses to judge others rashly. Instead, prefers to believe in the good of others, even when wronged. I have learned this valuable lesson in the past few days, as I was name called by a loved one who judged me without asking about the particular circumstances. The virtue of charity makes us so honest that we can admit the truth, even when it points out our limitations and defects. It is a challenge in our daily lives to try to live with unconditional love but when we are wronged the offense is painful, but not as bad as the harm done to ones self. I have learned that when we are wronged by others it is only temporary but, when we are bitter and hold grudges we are only causing ourselves to be in that very same prison that the one who wronged us is in. Letting go of any bitter thoughts of revenge, settling the score, or anger will free ourselves from that dirty prison cell that is offered by the confused person who wronged us and in turn will help us to feel much better. Charity makes us humble enough to face all facts, even disagreeable ones.

Life In A Week: What Is Spirituality?

I am very happy to let my friends know that the second book of the series will be available online by the end of this week! We will also be available at most of your favorite bookstores, libraries, and anywhere books are sold! Just go in and ask for it! I will post the link as soon as I get it, subscribe now (if you haven't already) so that you will get an email when I post it! This is a great book that is short and packed with some "deep" inspirational messages. Until next time, have a great day!

Bullies! Why?

I was just at one of my friends’ blogs reading her story about 'bullies' and could not help but get a little angry! She wrote about the bullies in school and how it affects the kid getting bullied. It brought back fond memories from my school days. I was lucky to have a few older brothers who were much bigger than me, so I didn't have a problem with getting bullied, plus I like to think that I was just so easy going that no one wanted to bother me (no, I think it was my brothers). I remember sticking up and even getting into fights trying to help classmates who were getting bullied. My Dad always used to say that "if someone is picking on you they are just jealous” and it stuck with me! I truly believe that we treat others how we feel about ourselves. As kids (and even as adults) if we feel insecure or afraid we will lash out on others whom we feel are weaker! This is a sad thought, but one that we all must think about. We need to teach kids about love, respect, and friendship by showing it in our actions, teaching it in daily habits, and helping others who may be different from us. I never really cared about being “cool” or “popular” because I was lucky enough to have parents who taught me that quality doesn’t come in quantity! We are blessed to have a few true friends in this life, we are lucky to have the opportunity to teach by example, and we are required to treat each other with respect! It is our duty to be vigilant when it comes to stopping useless bullying that will scar for a lifetime. The best way to stop this behavior is to sit down and talk to kids about this issue before it becomes a problem. We must remember that we all strive for attention from one another, most times if we don’t get it we will act up in order to get attention, because bad attention is better than no attention at all (or so we think). Think about how many times while growing up that we would not bother our Moms for hours on end, BUT once she answered the phone we would start screaming or asking her questions while she was trying to have a conversation with someone on the other end; this was to get her attention because all of a sudden it wasn’t focused on us! There are to many suicides, drug addictions, alcohol abuses, and depressed people in our own towns, let alone the world that happens because of low self esteem, feeling alone, or even unacceptable. We can all make a difference just by teaching more compassion to everyone who is around us and even complementing someone when they go the extra mile for someone who may have needed that extra smile or helping hand. Try to make it a habit to focus on the good and don’t assume that your kids, family, or friends know that you love them unconditionally; remind them with a few extra hugs, a smile, and maybe even say it! “I Love You!”

"Work" (from Life In A Week - A book about being really happy!)

We all have to work, so we should make the best of it! I took the following from my first book about being really happy: The one thing that most of us have in common is that we all must work for a living. We spend a considerable amount of time at work and really need to remember not to let work take over our lives. We need to balance work and home life; this gets even more important as we get older. I’ve seen so many people devote their entire lives to their careers only to die within weeks of their retirement. The reason for that scenario could be that they put all their effort into work and forgot how to live. The only thing they focused on was their job, and they forgot how to enjoy the wonderful day without stress. I admit that I love all the challenges at work. I even love the pressure of the day at work. I sometimes need to remind myself that work doesn’t make my life important; I make work important. We sometimes think that what we do for a living or how much power we have at work decides how important we are, but this is the furthest thing from the truth. I was out to dinner the other night and was waiting for my Shirley Temple to come out when I overheard the manager screaming at my waiter that she doesn’t care what the customer wanted and that she was in charge, not the customer. I thought, “Wow! Doesn’t she know that the customers are the ones making it possible to have the work? All I was asking for was an extra cherry in my drink!” We sometimes need to be reminded that it really is how we do our work and how we treat others that is important. If we move up the ladder in the jobs we are in, we need to remember that for every step up, we will need to come back down; it’s the power of gravity. We need to find joy in our work even if it is not the choice of work that we would really like to be doing. The saying “fake it ’til you make it” is a favorite of mine because I think it is funny that we have already made it; we just might not know it. Every day that we wake up and are able to go out and earn a living and help people on the way is an exceptional day. It doesn’t matter what you are doing; you can always help someone while making a living and making money. It’s all in the way you look at it. You might ask, “Well, how is the meter maid helping anyone?” Every ticket given out is helping with the economy by helping to pay for the pavement on the streets. The guys who pave the streets are able to work. If the streets don’t have potholes, then there may be one less motorcycle accident, saving someone from getting hurt or killed. It works as a chain reaction, just like everything. Every action really does create a reaction. The bottom line is to do your job the best you can and be grateful that you are able to work. Always remember that work is an important part of our lives, and we should take pride in it, but we need to take pride in our rest, too. We are not machines, and when we take time to relax, we will end up doing a better, more efficient job in the long run. We can’t make our jobs or careers our only priority because we forget to slow down and enjoy the here and now when we do that. Money will buy luxuries but not true love. Love is bought with kind hearts, by being true to ourselves and others, by simply caring. It is key is to have patience with our coworkers and to try to help each other achieve, not compete. I have worked in many fields and found that the most successful business owners and managers were the ones who taught the employees everything that they knew, in the hopes that they would become a better employee. I have also seen the opposite, where the business owner or manager was nervous to instruct to the employees to do anything more than what was needed, out of fear that they might possibly take over his or her position or take that knowledge to the competition. That fear stalls the progress of the company and slows the ambition of the learning employee. Unnecessary fear in the workplace is a waste of energy. I think of work as a relationship. If you try to better each other and grow, you will prosper. If you treat each other with respect, that loyalty will inevitably grow. If you work smart and hard and have good work ethics, then you should be compensated for your efforts. If you have a lousy paying job and do something that you hate, then you should look inside of yourself honestly and evaluate why you are in such a situation. You should also decide to make the small changes in your daily life that are needed, but whatever you do, please don’t blame everyone else. There will always be people who will not be helpful in trying to see you succeed, but don’t let that discourage you because they are nervous about their own shortcomings. Watch and learn from the people who are happy to be at work, the people who are successful because they know how to do it. Keep going, and nothing will be able to stop you. People are judged by the company they keep, and I have always felt that a company should be judged by how they treat the employees. If everyone is rewarded for the quality of work that is done, then the company will be successful. If the company leaders are honest and caring, then the rest of the company will follow suit. If the company leaders are shallow and cheat, then why wouldn’t those traits trickle down to everyone else? This is true with every aspect of life. We lead by example not by words alone. We all need to remember that we are a team and that a team will win when its members work together and help each other along the way. Competition is healthy and beneficial, but only when individuals help others to win, too. Thanks for reading part of my first book (published in 2009)and available via links on my website or anywhere books are sold. The second book (Life In A Week - What Is Spirituality?) is in the process of being published and will be available within the next few weeks. Be sure to sign up to the RSS subscription on my site to get instant emails when I post; so you can be the first to get it directly from the publisher! "Read it and share it"