Sunday, April 6, 2014
Tested Truths: Good Times
Tested Truths: Good Times: The reality of life is that it is the hard times that cause us to learn and grow as people. Whereas the fun and the good times, though nec...
Good Times
The reality of life is that it is the hard times that cause us to learn and grow as people. Whereas the fun and the good times, though necessary, add little if anything to our knowledge about life. If you were to look back in your memory at the good times in your life, you will find them harder to remember as time passes, because the details about that time will become less and less available to you. But the opposite is true for the hard times, especially those times of extreme trouble and tribulations, and that the details of those times will remain all too clear! I think that perhaps this is because little if anything is learned from the good times? But in those times when we have experienced difficulties and trouble, these will remain painfully clear. The good times are just that, good times, times of fun and enjoyment, necessary only in that they provide us with a way of escape from the mundane, and the difficulties that is the reality of our lives, but add almost nothing to our knowledge and understanding of that life.
So then, it is our trials and tribulations that cause us to grow as people. Where the good times, however desirable as they might be, add little if anything. It is widely accepted that a person who has had little in the way of problems in their lives is usually a dull person, dull not only in wisdom, but dull in personality.
Surely no one desires to have bad things happen in their lives and to have a hard life, but these will come anyway, no matter your station in life. So the next time you find yourself having trouble in life, keep in mind that you cannot run from it, at least not for long, but that you can certainly learn from it.
So try to keep those hard times at bay as best you can, but when they do occur, embrace them for what they are meant for, as a learning experience. That is what history is really all about. Not as just a compilation of stories from the past, but rather as lessons to be learned to avoid the bad things, and as a way as to how we can keep from repeating those mistakes that led to those things. History is meant to be learned from, not only in the larger sense, but also in the personal. Because if you learn from the mistakes in your life, you are less apt to repeat them, therefore having less of the bad times, and more of the good!
So then, it is our trials and tribulations that cause us to grow as people. Where the good times, however desirable as they might be, add little if anything. It is widely accepted that a person who has had little in the way of problems in their lives is usually a dull person, dull not only in wisdom, but dull in personality.
Surely no one desires to have bad things happen in their lives and to have a hard life, but these will come anyway, no matter your station in life. So the next time you find yourself having trouble in life, keep in mind that you cannot run from it, at least not for long, but that you can certainly learn from it.
So try to keep those hard times at bay as best you can, but when they do occur, embrace them for what they are meant for, as a learning experience. That is what history is really all about. Not as just a compilation of stories from the past, but rather as lessons to be learned to avoid the bad things, and as a way as to how we can keep from repeating those mistakes that led to those things. History is meant to be learned from, not only in the larger sense, but also in the personal. Because if you learn from the mistakes in your life, you are less apt to repeat them, therefore having less of the bad times, and more of the good!
Friday, April 4, 2014
Tested Truths: A Simple Kiss
Tested Truths: A Simple Kiss: The best of professional athletes, no matter their sport, will talk about slowing the game down. There is a clarity that comes when the im...
A Simple Kiss
The best of professional athletes, no matter their sport, will talk about slowing the game down. There is a clarity that comes when the immediacy of the game is slowed, and the game of life is no different. For instance, if you were to take football as an example, running backs who are able to see the entire field in front of them, can anticipate the blocks before they develop, and therefore make the best decisions which allows for the most yards on a particular play. These decisions don't always mean following the play as it was designed, but rather they can adjust their run as the play develops. These small decisions made during the game will almost always result in a higher grand total of gain, and taken as a whole, have a direct bearing on whether the game is won or lost. Life is no different, in that it is those small decisions and adjustments that we all make every day, that when taken in total will decide whether our day is a successful one or not. Put enough successful days together, remembering to take one day at a time, and before you realize it, you have a successful month. put enough successful months together and you have a successful year, and successful years give way to a successful life!
So in reality, it is those small decisions that we make on a daily basis that will lead to how successful we are in life. So then, assuming you buy into this theory, how then do we put this concept into action? How do you slow down the pace of life, a life that more often then not, comes at you so fast that you can be easily overwhelmed by it?
The key of course is to simplify things, because it is by taking the complexities of life, and reducing them to their simplest form, that the rapid pace of life slows down. And when you are able to slow down that pace, you will find that there is a clarity to it. Obviously, the clearer things are to you, the better your decisions will be, and the clearer your life becomes, the better your life will be. I realize that I made it sound so simple that it is almost redundant, but keep in mind that this is a learned response. One that I don't always follow myself, because it is one that takes a lot of practice, and a solid commitment, a commitment that in the difficulties of life is easy to loose sight of.
So if the key to a successful life is to simplify it, how is it that we go about accomplishing that? The first and most obvious thing that we must do comes from that old AA standard, The Serenity Prayer. Admit to yourself what it is that you can control, and separate it from the things which you cannot. In other words, the things that you can change from those you cannot. Leaving the things that you cannot change alone, and listing the things that you can in the order of importance. You will find that the things of importance will take the most time. These important things should be prioritized and then compartmentalized into groups of actions that must be taken to achieve whatever that goal is. Of course there will be problems and obstacles, and you should expect these. But when these things arise, remember the word KISS, which means, keep it simple stupid!
So in reality, it is those small decisions that we make on a daily basis that will lead to how successful we are in life. So then, assuming you buy into this theory, how then do we put this concept into action? How do you slow down the pace of life, a life that more often then not, comes at you so fast that you can be easily overwhelmed by it?
The key of course is to simplify things, because it is by taking the complexities of life, and reducing them to their simplest form, that the rapid pace of life slows down. And when you are able to slow down that pace, you will find that there is a clarity to it. Obviously, the clearer things are to you, the better your decisions will be, and the clearer your life becomes, the better your life will be. I realize that I made it sound so simple that it is almost redundant, but keep in mind that this is a learned response. One that I don't always follow myself, because it is one that takes a lot of practice, and a solid commitment, a commitment that in the difficulties of life is easy to loose sight of.
So if the key to a successful life is to simplify it, how is it that we go about accomplishing that? The first and most obvious thing that we must do comes from that old AA standard, The Serenity Prayer. Admit to yourself what it is that you can control, and separate it from the things which you cannot. In other words, the things that you can change from those you cannot. Leaving the things that you cannot change alone, and listing the things that you can in the order of importance. You will find that the things of importance will take the most time. These important things should be prioritized and then compartmentalized into groups of actions that must be taken to achieve whatever that goal is. Of course there will be problems and obstacles, and you should expect these. But when these things arise, remember the word KISS, which means, keep it simple stupid!
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Tested Truths: Mission Acomplished!
Tested Truths: Mission Acomplished!: It took 25 miles short of 3,000 to do, but finally, something that I had set my mind to do, I did! The purpose of the road trip was a simp...
Mission Acomplished!
It took 25 miles short of 3,000 to do, but finally, something that I had set my mind to do, I did! The purpose of the road trip was a simple one really, even though it was something that I have always wanted to do. I drove down to Tampa Florida to catch the tail end of the Yankee's spring training. A long trip to catch one game, I caught last Tuesday's game against the Phillies. I sat in the best seats I have ever had, the kind that every baseball fan dreams about! I was no more then three or four rows from the field, and a section over from the Yankee's dugout! But that wasn't the best part? I arrived at Steinbrenner Field early enough to catch practice. Standing with some of the other fans, pressed up against the chain link fence, no more then ten feet from the players, I watched as a strange and wonderful transformation took place among the adults. We all became kids again as we stared out at our heroes! For myself, even though I am closing in on sixty five, and most of the men on the field were young enough to have been my sons, I felt like I was twelve years old again, as I stared out on the field in awe! As an added bonus, most baseball fans, and certainly all Yankee fans will remember the "flip play" made famous by our own Derrick Jeter, when they nailed Jason Giambi at the plate! Well, it appeared as if they were practicing that very play, how sweet is that?
Americans love our sports, sports of all kinds, but for most, baseball remains America's pastime. But why is that? I think that like the season itself, baseball represents a leisurely pace, a way of relaxation from our labors. Unlike other sports, baseball has no time limits. It is played for a minimum of nine innings, however long that takes. The same pace that some claim as a problem, allows the fans to discuss things like pitch selection, and the strategies of the game. But even in those times when the game itself is not a good one, the fans can sit in the warm summer day, discussing whatever else comes to mind while the game plays out. Even if you are all about action and suspense, baseball can give that too at any moment. Interspersed in any game, there are always fantastic plays and plenty of suspense. It is simply a great game!
Because I am a Yankee fan, it wouldn't be right for me to write about the game, and not mention one of the greatest players to ever play the game, our captain, Derrick Jeter! The last of the "core four" who were responsible for no less then five championships, Derrick like the other three before him, will retire this year, and he like the others represents all that baseball strives to be! Not just for his exploits on the field, but for his character and demeanor both on and off the field. He, like Mariano, Andy and Jorge, came up through the Yankee farm system, and like the others, lived up to the role model tag that fairly or not, is expected from our sports heroes!
So I traveled three thousand miles to witness this. Crazy? Possibly? But here's the thing, I'm glad I did it, and I would do it again!
Americans love our sports, sports of all kinds, but for most, baseball remains America's pastime. But why is that? I think that like the season itself, baseball represents a leisurely pace, a way of relaxation from our labors. Unlike other sports, baseball has no time limits. It is played for a minimum of nine innings, however long that takes. The same pace that some claim as a problem, allows the fans to discuss things like pitch selection, and the strategies of the game. But even in those times when the game itself is not a good one, the fans can sit in the warm summer day, discussing whatever else comes to mind while the game plays out. Even if you are all about action and suspense, baseball can give that too at any moment. Interspersed in any game, there are always fantastic plays and plenty of suspense. It is simply a great game!
Because I am a Yankee fan, it wouldn't be right for me to write about the game, and not mention one of the greatest players to ever play the game, our captain, Derrick Jeter! The last of the "core four" who were responsible for no less then five championships, Derrick like the other three before him, will retire this year, and he like the others represents all that baseball strives to be! Not just for his exploits on the field, but for his character and demeanor both on and off the field. He, like Mariano, Andy and Jorge, came up through the Yankee farm system, and like the others, lived up to the role model tag that fairly or not, is expected from our sports heroes!
So I traveled three thousand miles to witness this. Crazy? Possibly? But here's the thing, I'm glad I did it, and I would do it again!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Tested Truths: Mr. Koolaid Crashes Through
Tested Truths: Mr. Koolaid Crashes Through: "I've had all I can stands, I can't stands no more"!, Popeye. But O' Reilly's at it again? Cha chink, a coupl...
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