Thursday, June 30, 2011

Where does America END?

     As I read through the News this morning I am flabbergasted by all of the hand-outs or the idea that this country, the good ol' U.S.A., can dig any further into debt. Where does fiscal responsibility start?
     We all know that everything in life has a beginning, middle and an end, or a start, change and stop. If you didn't know this...whoops, my bad! (And yes, there is no Easter bunny or Satan Clause) lol. America had a rough start, changed quite a bit over the past two centuries, and as it looks now, will be coming to an abrupt end if things don't change drastically.
     This morning in particular I see that HUD has a billion dollars to give away in $50k increments to people who are behind on their home loans. To top it off, the people who receive the money may not have to pay any of it back if they stay in the home for another five years. When does it end?
     I don't necessarily want people to become homeless, but really, is it fair to those who are working and making payments on property that is upside down? What ever happen to pulling one's self up by the boot straps? If you lose your house, you make due; you regroup and build yourself back up. What happens when the people who take the $50k to repay their late loans eventually default again because they're out of work? So, what happens, the bank has received past payments, a boatload/influx of taxpayer money and still takes back the house. I'm telling ya, when I grow up, I want to be a Bank!
     This morning there are suggestions of raising the country's debt ceiling. Well hey, instead of raising the availability of cash that doesn't exist, how about if we stop giving away cash to other countries that have screwed us for years? Why don't we take Kadafi out (and I don't mean to dinner) and take all of his oil? If we're going to raid a country or overthrow a dictator, then let's be in-humane about it. Why cut his throat and then dress him up nice? Americans are footing the bill for too many issues, and it will, at some point, have to end; whether we want it to or not.
     Other country leaders are already looking for the monetary system that can replace the U.S. dollar. Yes, leaders are having meetings and not inviting the U.S.. The only reason we're still the leader of the free world is because of our ability to create money. The U.S. dollar is what all monies are measured against, but not for long. Again, everything has a start, change and stop, a beginning, middle and an end. Rome fell, the wall in Germany came down, North and South Korea are hashing it out. If you don't think the U.S. can fall, well, I have some beach front property in the Everglades for sale...CHEAP!
     I don't want to give up on America, but with the direction our leaders have taken us, what other alternatives are there? They took the straps off the boots! We're expected to continue paying taxes to a system that is run like the SS of Nazi Germany; not at all in favor of the citizens of this country. One has to ask, "Is this all for naught?" "Is it really the end?" "There has to be a turning point, doesn't there?"
     In his book, Down the Drain, available at www.downthedrainsociety.com  Vince Mancino talks about how our government does everything it can for other countries, while we work our asses off just to get by. Anyone heard of the Federal government not allowing Arizona to handle an "illegal" alien problem? We're throwing hundreds of billions of dollars to others who hate us, instead of paying it into our debt. Doesn't this piss you off? Your government is not supporting you, the person that pay the bills through your tax dollars, but instead, basically spits in your face the way many middle easterners would if you walked down their streets. They like your money, they just don't like you.
     Where did the beginning of the end all start? It started with a misconception of what winning is all about. When soccer started in this country the message was, everyone gets to play, no matter how good you are...no one is allowed to sit out for most of the game. Then the idea rolled over into baseball, the new declaration (started 20+ years ago) was that, "nobody wins or loses, we're just here to play." So, young children the ages of five and six have this idea drummed into their brain, into their subconscious, that no one ever wins or loses, and that they're just here to play a game. They grow up and have little care about winning or losing, they're just here, nothing really matters. Twenty years later, you see it in the workforce; kids that don't care, it doesn't really matter, I can live at home with mom and dad if I don't like my job, they'll take care of me...it goes on and builds. Sure, there will be some kids that rise to leadership roles, but I would wager good money (not U.S. currency) that they were brought up the old fashion, boot strappin' way; by parents that taught them to WIN.
     A Junkie has to hit rock bottom before they can even consider making a change. Our politicians, like the Junkie, obviously have glazed over eyes that won't allow them to see reality or understand that they're heading straight for a cliff (the end). What is your backup plan? Like a real Junkie who steals for his next high, the politicians are stealing from you, the taxpayer, not for their high, but so they don't have to confront their high.

Hmm, maybe we just need to go back to the ballpark and remember why it's called a GAME...so we have a target to aim for, so we can WIN.

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Monday, June 20, 2011

Diets of a Caveman

Diet of a Caveman, does that sound interesting? It would probably make for a great title of a book, if it isn't one already. Hmm, maybe one day I will write it. Actually, since I am an author, but also a ghostwriter, then maybe someone will pay me to write it for them. Recently, a Facebook friend, Nayri Hannah, posted a link on her page regarding healthy eating habits. If you visit her website, www.hannafitness.net you will find some great information on health and fitness.

So, back to the story. After Nayri had posted a link on FB, I followed it and read the information. Though I won't go into all of the details right here, I read some things that I'd heard long ago, and my memory was refreshed. Could I start this new regimen and be successful? Of course I could! I just completed writing a book titled, Breaking You in the World of I, and regaining control of one's I AM status is what the book is all about.  It's not food that needs to change, but how I choose the foods I use to sustain a healthy life.

What I didn't put into in my book, is about eating habits that most of society has become so relaxed about and how important eating the right foods are, not only to one's health, but also their ability to think and act.

So, after reading the article I began recalling the information and how effective it would be. Okay, so it's time to make a commitment. I know I don't feel as energetic as I used to and I know that all energy must start from within. It's time to make use of a good, solid plan of nutrition. It's time to quit playing games and stop making excuses as to why I can't make this change permanent. In the article, I learned that for economical reasons, the producers of food use corn and two other ingredients that help to keep society unhealthy. It's not that these producers of food want you to be unhealthy, but they do want to make as much money as possible...if that means taking short-cuts that put you at risk, oh well.

My new plan of action as the article suggests is to eat foods that are made up of one ingredient, things like; vegetables, fruits, meat, nuts and fish. get it? Basically what a caveman would eat. Have you ever seen a caveman in the movies that wasn't shredded? Okay, I know those are only movies and that real cavemen struggled to keep healthy, but you don't have to. There are so many sources for good one ingredient foods that it boggles the mind as to why someone hasn't started the caveman grocery store.  

My objective is to retrain my brain how and what to eat. I do like fruit, but have often chose pretzels. I do like fish, but it's so easy to buy a burger. Well, the new frame of mind is to...listen close because this is important...tell myself how much I like my new choice of "good for me foods" and how much I dislike the "bad for me foods." Did you know that the more you tell yourself how much you like something, your brain will rewire itself to accept that new truth and then run with it until you decide another change? Eventually, you really won't miss the soda, the candy, the quick burgers. After each good meal, be sure to give yourself an "attaboy" because when you do, you begin the neurological change back to a system that you were meant to use from the beginning of your birth, au-natural; the natural state of existence.

One of the things the article mentioned was that when you purchase eggs, they should have been hatched by free roaming chicken, not one's caught up in a cage and fed corn. When it comes to meat, you should purchase meat from cattle that was allowed to graze on grass, again, not corn-fed. Did you know that fish are now being fed corn? That means that even fish won't be a healthy meal. What are you going to do?

Keep coming back to this blog because over the next few months I'll not only tell and show you what I'm doing to create a change in my eating, but where I'm actually going to get my food. You will be shocked, trust me.

This is the link to the article:

http://tinyurl.com/3foods-to-stop

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Are you accountable for your actions?

Are you accountable for your actions? Sometimes, I have to ask myself this very question. Then, as I stop to ponder my thoughts, I realize that I need to delve deeper into the definition of the whole question; accountable for your (my) actions? What are the actions? Apparently, as I think about it, our actions are not just what we do, but it is also what we say we are going to do. Have you ever told someone that you were going to do something, but then you didn't do it? You know; make a call, send something in the mail, check something out or relay information to another. There are many examples, but these will suffice.

Why is it so easy to drop the verbal actions? Because they're invisible. People can't see you do them, and unless the other party, the recipient of your non-action, complains to everyone the two of you know, then usually you're off the hook. Or, you think you're off the hook, but that's really not true.

When we continue to offer something and then not follow through, we begin to set up a pattern. We make it easier to become more, and then completely, unreliable. The more often we disregard our promises (yes, verbally telling someone you will do something is as strong as a promise) the weaker our integrity, and eventually, the less we can expect to be productive for ourselves. It's kind of like the road to procrastination...you run out of people to disregard so you start disregarding your self. You tell your self that you're going to do this and do that, but you never seem to get around to it. Hmm! Is there a correlation?

Who's next? Your boss, clients, co-workers, parents, children, pets? Can it get to the point where man's best friend doesn't even trust your words? What about the gold fish floating at the top of the bowl? How much worse can it get? Perhaps it can get as bad as no one wanting to be around you, or when you speak, the first thing people think in their head is, "yeah, let me hold my breath while I wait for you to do anything."

If we could read minds, the thoughts of our friends, what would they really be saying to us? How does one make a comeback from a string of empty actions/promises? Well, the first thing to do, is to be true to one's self. Admit that one has dropped the ball but needs to pick it up and get back in the game. Start a recovery process; with each non-action you've taken, apologize with the next action and admit that you're working on being more reliable. It really is not that difficult to tell someone you'll be somewhere at a certain time, but as life happens, plans are sometimes thwarted. If this should happen, don't forget that your integrity is on the line; make the call to let the person know you're running late or why you won't make it. It only takes a moment and the other party can at least go about their business. Sometimes, this is also called, being respectful.

If you've ever uttered the words, "life is difficult," rest assured, you're doing something that is a contradiction to the self, but that's a blog for another day.

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Monday, June 6, 2011

Are we Genius?

I know, by many conversations I've had lately, that very few people believe that they are actually of genius status. Often times, they save the word, genius, for people such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein or Nikolai Tesla. These are just three people who have done very extraordinary work in their fields. Though Leonardo, if I may call him by first name, was an incredible painter and an observer of life, what did he do that made people consider him a genius?

Leonardo, the intellect, the artist, the observer, the genius, helped mankind by just being who he was and taking the time to not only smell the roses, but to investigate what made a rose, a rose. The only reason I declare that Leonardo was a genius is because he took the time to delve into life at more than just a glance. Because he took the time to understand the mechanics of movement; he built war machines for the authority of the day. Because Leonardo took the time to be curious, he took the steps necessary to understand the human body and how it functions. Though science has taken us further than Leonardo ever could (because of technology), he laid much of the groundwork by cutting on cadavers and drawing out our muscular skeletal system. By having a well drawn out "schematic" of the human body, this allowed medicine to make great advances. Really? A genius?

Nikolai Tesla, to me, was a genius beyond the word genius. He was on a realm all his own. He may have been college educated, but the advances he made in science and the use of electricity, has gone far beyond what any college professor could have imagined, or have ever taught. Tesla even gave Edison a run for his money, and I dare to say, the only thing Edison had over Tesla was a greedy attitude and an ego that couldn't handle the likes of Tesla's natural ability. Really? Natural?

Albert Einstein was a lousy student. He, like many of the youth in his time, didn't know what he would do for work or what he would become. In his earlier working days, Albert was a patent clerk. You know, someone who did research on patents and whether they were original, or if a patent had already been issued. When it came to Albert's education, he wasn't a great student. As a matter of fact, he failed miserably at math. Yeah, all of that E=MC2 stuff...he couldn't understand...hmmm, maybe because it wasn't available for him to understand...he was the originator. Really? A failure?

As I stated in my most recent book, Breaking You in the World of I, everyone that has ever been born, has been of a genius status. Like these three men mentioned in this blog, at birth, and all through your life, you have a slate that can be drawn upon at a moments notice. Leonardo carried what were in his day, writing tablets: he drew or wrote down all of his thoughts so he could ponder and make sense of the life around him. Mr. Tesla was known to be walking and if a thought sparked in his brain, he would draw it out in a small field of dirt. Albert, good ol' Mr. E, as I like to call him, did exactly what everyone who has ever been considered a genius in their field, does. He took notes and studied day into night; his thoughts.

One may think that these men may have had very boring lives because all they did was to think about their particular field. Well, that, my friend, is where genius happen. Albert Einstein believed that everyone was a genius and he was correct in that assumption. These men only stand out as larger than life because they not only had tenacity, they had a desire to understand why things work...they were all very curious.

Curiosity is what makes human beings more of a genius than they have ever been taught. Are you living up to your original status? The genius status you were born with, but was eventually, unknowingly stripped from you;well, it's still there...waiting for you to turn on the light to your natural abilities. As Leonardo pointed out, you are more than the sum of your parts. Calm your nerves and accept your genius status, it's really there and always has been... you've actually been waiting for yourself to be curious.