P.U.S.H.

                             

When I took my series 7 another one of the concepts that stood out to me the most was the concept of realized and un-realized gains or losses. Here is an example.  If you buy 100 shares of a stock at let's say $10 per share, and the price of the stock were to go down by let's say $3 per share. If you continue to hold on to the stock and sell it (give up) because you BELIEVE that the price of the stock can come back, even though the stock is down because you haven't sold it (given up) it is called an un-realized loss. The loss isn't real yet, you haven't taken a real loss yet because as long as you continue to hold on (believe) your stock can still come back and you could still potentially profit. But if your stock goes down and you get discouraged or scared and you sell your stock (give up) it is called a realized loss. The loss is real because you locked in the loss and since you sold it (gave up) you gave up any chance or hope or possibility of your stock ever coming back and being profitable.

I guess my point is, if in life things aren't going in the direction you want them to go in and you feeling like life is going down and you have financial worries or family or relationship or marital problems, or if you aren't where you want to be in life etc. If you get discouraged and overcome with fear and you stop believing, you give up and no longer continue to try, You have a realized loss, if you give up on yourself and life, you have no chance at all of things ever coming back and getting better for you. You locked in your loss and you are done!

But, if when you experience hardships and difficulties and adversities in life and you feel like things are going downhill in your life if you continue to believe and have faith and try to make things better and if you continue to hold on, things can still turn around for you and your life and circumstances can still end up profitable!

Hold on! Never stop believing in yourself and your abilities and the amazing possibilities for your life! Better and brighter circumstances and days could be right around the corner, but if you stop believing, if you get discouraged and give up, you will never get to see them! Remember that

"The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner."

"Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult."

"I will persist until I succeed."-Og Mandino

Continue to

P ERSIST
U NTIL
S OMETHING GOOD
H APPENS!

 
THE WORLD IS OURS!

PEACE!

Birds of a feather!

All of those sayings that we used to hear over the years all turned out to be true, reading is fundamental, a winner never quits and a quitter never wins, if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all and they all turned out to be true. But one of my favorites and one that turned out to be the truest to me is BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER. I mean its true. All my life ever since I heard that expression I have been trying to prove it wrong but wasn't able to. I would go to Getty Square or the downtown area of whatever city I was in and I would see tons of pigeons, but not once have I ever saw an eagle chilling with pigeons. When I have seen footage of Eagles soaring around in majestic mountain tops, I have never seen pigeons in that footage. Never caught a duck hanging out with a turkey.

Each of these birds have specific purposes and objectives and survival techniques and the same skill sets and mentalities and are all programmed to think certain ways to accomplish certain things they all have different diets and stuff.  Those birds that are all moving in the same direction and are trying to achieve the same goals stick together to make sure that they are all going the same way. Turkeys don't fly south for the winter like the ruby throated humming bird. Eagles do the work of hunting for fresh live food. Pigeons will eat old pizza crust off the sidewalk. If the Eagle was to hang out with the pigeon than there would need to be a decision made. Either a pigeon would need to learn how to soar and hunt for fresh food, or the Eagle is going to have to start hanging out downtown and eating pizza crusts.

I guess my point here is that in life if you have specific goals and objectives and places you are trying to go in life and destinations that you are trying to make it to. You will need to hang out with other people who have the same goals and objectives and destinations you need to fly with people who are moving in the same direction. Because if you don't a decision will have to be made. You will either have to force the others to start thinking like you and you will have to convince them to want to soar like you and end up in high places like you and eat fresh fish like you, or you will end up walking around in a dirty downtown eating old pizza crusts and beef patties off the sidewalk like them. When it comes to who you choose to spend your time and share your thoughts and energy with. Only one of two things can happen they will become one of you or YOU WILL BECOME ONE OF THEM. Your goals and dreams and objectives and your destination in life are far too important to chance. Consider this, what would happen if you tied a turkey to an eagle and let the eagle fly. Would the eagle stay on the ground with the turkey or will the eagle be strong enough to carry and hunt with the turkey attached to him? No matter how you look at it, the turkey will definitely slow the eagles progress down.

So, if you are moving in a specific direction and you have specific goals and plans and objectives and destinations you are looking to make it to in life. Fly with those who eat what you eat, who hang out where you want to hang out, that are going to the same place that you are going to and who want/need to accomplish the same things that you want to accomplish. Unfortunately, its the only way to get to YOUR destination.

"I was not delivered unto this world in defeat,
nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a
sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I
am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep
with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep
and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let
them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure
is not my destiny."
-Og Mandino

YOUR JUST GONNA HAVE TO TRUST ME ON THIS ONE!

ITS OUR TIME! THE WORLD IS OURS!

LETS GO!

PEACE!

F. O. C. U. S.!

 

Throughout the course of my entire life or at least as far back as I can remember I always wanted to be just filthy stinking nasty rich. So much so that when I was 14 I started writing in this notebook, all of the things that I was going to do in order to get me rich. I recently found the notebook and I saw all of the plans that I had to get rich. I was going to be an actor, I was going to write a book, I was going to start a clothing line, I was going to be a stock broker, A neurologist, a sports agent, I was going to be a screenplay writer. I somehow thought that I was going to be able to do all of these things. I mistakenly thought that the more things I did, the greater my chances of getting rich.  Recently, even as a full grown adult, I thought that I was going to be able to be a successful real estate agent and a hedge fund manager at the same time. I went and got my real estate license and was working with some friends of mine to get a hedge fund started and running. But, I started noticing that whenever we would have a hedge fund meeting, I would get a call from someone or I would have to leave the hedge fund meeting to go take care of something Real Estate related. And every time there was an important real estate meeting or seminar I would have to go take care of something hedge fund related. I just couldn't seem to get the reaction that I wanted from either one.

Then I remembered playing as a little kid playing with a magnifying glass. I remember taking a magnifying glass and reflecting sun rays through the magnifying glass and focusing the Sunlight on a stack of leaves.  If you magnified the power of the Sun on ONE spot, like stack of leaves or something, that concentrated heat or energy would become so intense it would cause a reaction eventually that magnified power of the Sun will get so hot and intense it will start to burn the leaves. But if you walk around with a magnifying glass and you keep moving it around and instead of shining it on ONE thing, like  a leaf, and you keep moving that light and shining it on different things the energy will never be intense or concentrated enough to cause a reaction.

See I had intense heat and passion and light coming from me. I worked extremely hard and sacrificed and never slept and was passionate. My light and energy were intense. But the intensity was scattered because I wasn't FOCUSING my heat and light or shining my heat and light on ONE particular thing. Because my heat and light was never FOCUSED on one thing, because they were scattered, the heat was never able to get intense enough to cause a reaction that I was looking for.

I realized that I could have accomplished each and every one of those things that I wanted to accomplish, IF I would have FOCUSED on them one at a time. So when you have something you are working on and that you have been focusing your light, heat and energy on, even if you are not seeing an immediate result, don't give up on it or try to stretch your energy out and try to do something else or a bunch of things at once. When your friend comes along with the next big idea or you see someone else doing something and its working for them don't abandon what you are doing to go and try something else. REMEMBER THAT IN ORDER TO GENERATE A REACTION, YOUR HEAT AND LIGHT AND ENERGY NEED TO BE EXTREMELY INTENSE, IN ORDER FO IT TO BE INTENSE YOU GOTTA SHINE, FOCUS AND MAGNIFY YOUR HEAT AND LIGHT AND ENERGY ON ONE PARTICULAR THING FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME!

THE SUNS RAYS DO NOT BURN UNTIL BROUGHT TO A FOCUS!
-Alexander Graham Bell

DONT GIVE UP! DONT STOP! KEEP SHINING! YOU WILL GET THE REACTION YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IF YOU JUST

F ollow
O one
C ourse
U ntil
S uccess

HE WHO CHASES TWO RABBITS, LOSES THEM BOTH!

KEEP GOING! THE WORLD IS YOURS!

PEACE!

Live on purpose!

Ever since I was a little kid, I always thought my purpose in life was to get money and be rich. I just knew that this was my purpose, so I chased it down vigorously. I was going to get filthy stinking rich. I didn't quite know how I would do it. But at an extremely early age, I set out to accomplish my mission of finding my life's purpose of getting rich by any means necessary. I thought it was a part of my mission so as a kid in search of my purpose I read Think and Grow Rich several times when I was a kid. I read What Makes the great, great. I read The Magic of Thinking Big, The Power of Positivity. As a Man Thinketh, The Master Keys to Riches etc. I thought I would find my purpose of getting rich by selling cars, selling encyclopedias, selling vacuum cleaners, Kitchen Knives, Real Estate, Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds etc. I was pursuing what I thought was my purpose of becoming rich. I was in the game. I was out there reading, trying stuff and failing, getting hurt, learning lessons, experiencing stuff. I spent years chasing down and looking for my purpose but for some reason, I could never find it.

But, years and years later when my daughter passed away and we were planning my daughters funeral with the pastor. We get to the part about who is going to do the eulogy and I tell him that I will be delivering it. I felt like no one would be able to verbally serve my daughter justice better than I. I almost felt like it would have been disrespectful to my daughter to have anyone do her eulogy but me. The pastor says I don't think that's a good idea. "It may be a little too hard or emotional for you on that day". I told him I was cool, and I had it under control. I wanted her eulogy to be not some sad somber occasion but I wanted it to be more of a PEACE, POSITIVITY, MOTIVATIONAL, GRATTITUDE, LOVE, ENCOURAGEMENT seminar or rally. The day of the funeral comes and I'm crazy nervous. I'm like maybe the Pastor was right. What if I cant handle this? What if nobody is moved by anything I say? What if I don't say the right words to honor my daughters memory? What if I get overwhelmed with emotion and breakdown and cry? Oh no, what have I done? What have I gotten myself into? I know, I'll call the Pastor and I will back out. I'll tell him I cant do it. But, then all of a sudden it hits me. Along my journey, I learned first hand about the power, importance of faith, love, hope and positivity, I learned that the best "things" in life aren't "things" at all. I learned the power of never giving up. I learned not to take life for granted etc. I felt like if I didn't share my experiences and lessons that I had learned with others, they would all die with me. Everything I learned and experienced and have grown through would be wasted if I didn't share the lessons with others. It also hit me that I had a built in audience that had to listen to me, who wouldn't dare boo me or tell me to get off the stage. All of a sudden, my need and my desire to share and spread love and positivity and motivation and inspiration became more important than my fear or nervousness.

The day of the funeral was here. Its eulogy time, I get up to the podium and there was maybe 150 people or so in the crowd. This was my first time doing any type of public speaking and it happens to be my daughters eulogy. I get up and I'm nervous and sweating and I'm a little scared. But then I think about the importance of my message and the fear and nerves all get pushed aside and I delivered my message and this is just a personal opinion but I think I rocked it! When I was done this incredible feeling of strength almost like some kind of a rush or high came over me. At the time I really couldn't explain it. But, now I can. That feeling that came over me, that rush, that high that came over me when I was on the mic behind that podium was the feeling of me finally identifying and finding my purpose after all of those years of searching for it.

AFTER YEARS AND YEARS OF SEARCHING I HAD FINALLY FOUND MY PURPOSE! I learned that my purpose in life, the reason I was put here is to spread as much MOTIVATION, INSPIRATION, POSITIVE ENERGY, PEACE AND LOVE to as many people as I possibly can. AS IT TURNS OUT MY PURPOSE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MONEY AT ALL!

I suppose the only reason I was able to find my purpose is because I had been looking for it. Had I not been looking and had just been kinda drifting through life, its quite possible that I would have drifted right past my life's purpose or it would have drifted right past me.

If you KNOW that your life has a purpose. If you KNOW that you were put here for a SPECIFIC PURPOSE, and you have identified your purpose. DO NOT GIVE UP ON IT! PLEASE KEEP GOING UNTIL YOU FULLFILL THAT PURPOSE! YOU WERE CHOSEN FOR IT, IT WAS CHOSEN FOR YOU FOR A VERY SPECIFIC REASON!

If you KNOW that you have a purpose but don't yet know what it is or haven't yet found it. PLEASE KEEP LOOKING! YOU ARE RIGHT! YOU DO HAVE A PURPOSE! SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND! DONT GIVE UP THE SEARCH! KEEP LOOKING!

There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.

-Napoleon Hill

 

THE WORLD IS YOURS!

 

GO GET IT!

 

PEACE!!

Are you crazy?

I took the series 7 exam about 14 or 15 years ago! One of the laws or theories that I still remember the most from the exam was something called the odd lot theory! The odd lot theory says that most individual (regular small time investors) don't usually have the financial wherewithal to buy the large blocks of stock 1000 5000, 10,000 shares so they usually buy what you call odd lots of 130 or 225 shares etc. The theory is that the average person or "average" small time investor is governed by fear, and has lower risk tolerance, and won't risk losing what they have, not even to potentially gain more.  So in times of panic in the market, small time individual investors just follow the masses and sell. So when you see an increase in random odd lots of stock being sold, Its being sold by "average" small individual investors. And whatever the large institutional investors see the "average" small time investors selling in masses and that's when the big/ institutional investors are buying. And when small individual investors start buying thats when Big/institutional investors are selling! I guess the point in saying all of this is that we know that by and large, the "average person simply wanders through life and follows the crowd. As a result, the average person in life gets average results in life. But, to those who have a burning desire to become, to have, to accomplish something different than the "average" person, you are going to have to do things differently than the average person. Just like the odd lot theory states, if the crowd and the masses are going left, you may want to look into going right, when the masses are sleep, you may want to be awake, while the masses are spending you may want to save. While the masses are satisfied and complacent, you may want to step it up and work harder etc!   BE, DO, BECOME, THINK, ACHIEVE SOMETHING DIFFERENT!   Don't worry about looking or wondering if the world thinks your crazy. I have learned that....   "THE ONES WHO ARE CRAZY ENOUGH TO THINK THAT THEY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD, ARE THE ONES WHO DO!" -Steve Jobs   But, then again as I had mentioned this all just a theory!  Carry on!   LEAVE YOUR MARK!   Have a great day PEACE!

Out of the desert!

Though I have an amazing relationship with my GOD. I have never considered myself to be deeply religious at all. But, I have always been curious and I have always tried to and I still try to learn as much as I possibly be can about all religions and cultures. I'm so curious in fact that I have read the entire bible old testament and new cover to cover 1 and a half times. I started and am still reading the Qur'an now. I just like to learn. I liked reading the Bible because some of the stories in it are incredibly motivational and inspirational and can teach a lot about life. To me one of the more motivational and inspirational stories in the Bible was the story of Moses. Now, I'm no theologian, I'm no religious or Bible Scholar or anything. I'm a complete amateur on all of this bible stuff so please forgive any imperfections in my story.     

Moses grew up in luxury he was raised in the Pharaohs palace in Egypt. He passed as the Pharaohs grandson. Life was nice and sweet and comfy for Moses growing up. But, all of a sudden GOD chose Moses for an important mission. GOD chose Moses to LEAD the people out of slavery in Egypt.

So GOD creates these situations and circumstances in Moses life where Moses has to leave the Pharaohs palace and suddenly be "uncomfortable". GOD forces Moses to live on the run from Pharaoh in the Desert for 40 years. Moses has to learn how to survive the desert (Adversities and hardships). He has to learn what kinds of things he can and can't eat. He has to learn what snakes and animals are venomous. He needs to learn about the sun, and how and when and where and how to sleep in the desert. He needs to learn how to survive the desert (Adversities and hardships).

But if, GOD never forced Moses into the desert and never forced Moses to face the difficulties and adversities and hardships, Moses would have never been qualified to lead his people through the desert. Moses comfort and ease was stripped from him and his time in the desert gave him credibility. His followers looked to him as an authority and a leader because he had already been there and done the whole desert (adversity and hardship) thing. Instead of the people saying "Man, Moses don't know what he's talking about. What does Moses know about the desert (Hardship or adversity), if  he said go left I'm going right. Or man Moses was just some rich kid who grew up in the palace what does he know about the desert  what does he know about hardships or adversities. Without his time in the desert, Moses would not have had the influence or authority and would not have been qualified to lead his people through the desert. And would not have been able to fulfill GODs purpose for him.

I guess the point  in me saying all of this is, if you have ever been, or are currently stuck in the "dessert" be it a health desert, a financial desert, a relationship desert,
an emotional desert etc. and you are dealing with hardships, difficulties or adversity of any sort, consider this, you may have been personally selected by GOD to lead others who will walk through that same desert behind you out of the desert. GOD has allowed you or will allow you to survive your desert so that you will be qualified to guide and lead others that are going through or will go through the same desert that you made it out of.

All of your experiences mean something. Every last one of them ! It's meant to serve some purpose. So while your in your desert! Take comfort, be easy! GOD is with you! And when you make it out remember to turn around and help and guide and lead the others that are behind you out also.
"Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with."

-Thomas Carlyle

But again, I'm a complete amateur on all of this bible stuff so all of this stuff I just said is just a theory!
   
PEACE!

WE are ALL in this TOGETHER!

In my quest for something positive, motivational and inspirational to read, I came across this story. It was just what I was looking for. Check it out. One day a mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. “What food might this contain?” the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.” The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The pig sympathized, but said, “I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.” The mouse turned to the cow and said, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The cow said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.” So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house – like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer’s wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember, when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another. Each of us is a vital thread in another person’s tapestry. -Unknown I'm no expert on this whole life thing but, I have learned that each of our decisions, and actions effect other people! If it effects one of us, it effects us all! None of us live in a bubble! Believe it or not we are all connected we are all in this together. WE CAN DO MORE TOGETHER THAN WE CAN APART! You see... “What I can do, you cannot do; but what you can do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, can ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and TOGETHER we can do something wonderful.” -Mother Teresa  I LOVE, RESPECT AND APPRECIATE EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU! PEACE!

Keep your eye on the ball!

A few months ago I went to a golf driving range and hit an actual golf ball for the first time in my life. I walked in to learn a few lessons on golf. I walked out with some even more amazing lessons on life.

So I went in and I get all set up and I'm immediately thinking that I am going to be the next golf phenomenon. I just thought I was just going to be great, I thought I was a natural. My goal when I walked in to the place was I wanted to drive/hit the ball 300 yards. That was what my main focus, my mission was to hit the ball 300 yards. (keep in mind Tiger woods and Rory Mcilroy and professional golfers can drive a golf ball 300-400 yards). But what actually happened was that every time I would swing at the ball, I kept missing the ball completely. After a little while of completely embarrassing myself, I humbled myself and  I asked someone next to me for some tips and advice to see what I was doing wrong. He watched my swing, and he told me that the main thing I was doing wrong was while I was swinging before I would even hit the ball, I would lift my head to look up and see how far I hit it, before I even hit it.  I Was focusing on the outcome more than I was focusing on the work or the task at hand. As a result I got no result. I kept swinging and swinging but I kept missing the ball. Because, naturally YOU CANT HIT SOMETHING THAT YOU CANT SEE!

I just walked in for a few lessons on golf, but what I got was so much bigger. That ball represents our goals, and visions and aspirations. We all want them to go as far as we can possibly get them to go. And when we step up to put our dreams or business plans or ideas into motion. We are so focused on the outcome, we are so focused on the success, we are so focused on how much money we are going to make etc that we keep lifting our heads up to check for the outcome and we end up taking our eyes off of the ball. Instead of focusing on the ball and keeping our eyes on the ball or the dream and making sure that we do the work correctly to hit the ball. We pay more attention to how far the ball is going to go then we do actually hitting the ball. We focus on the outcome and not the work that needs to be done to produce the outcome.

I have learned to focus on the task at hand, focus on the work, focus on actually hitting the ball. Don't take your eye off the ball! Don't take your eye off of the task at hand to worry about the outcome, the money, the rewards or success. Don't worry about how far you are hitting the ball.  Keep your eye on the ball! Keep your focus on the work and the task at hand! Focus, keep swinging. Focus on hitting the ball right. When you do, your focus and proper technique will do all of the work for you. Once the technique is down you can confidently hit that ball/your dreams and goals as far as you want to whenever you want to. DOING THE WORK WELL, FOCUSING ON THE TASK AT HAND MUST COME FIRST. RESULTS, SUCCESS, WEALTH, ETC WILL COME AFTER!

THE ONLY PLACE SUCCESS COMES BEFORE WORK IS IN THE DICTIONARY!
-Vince Lombardi
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL!

MOST IMPORTANTLY KEEP SWINGING!

THE WORLD IS YOURS!

 PEACE!

A person is a person!

I was born and raised in Yonkers New York.

When I was a little kid my father MADE me play baseball in a league on one side of Yonkers called COMIS with mostly middle class to wealthy white kids. In this league the kids had their own equipment and gloves and baseballs and all kinds of stuff. It actually cost money to play in this league. He showed me privilege!

On the opposite side of town my father volunteered and coached and MADE me play in a league called PACOY this league with black and latino kids where all kids didn't have stuff like baseball gloves, or baseball bats. I'm sure some of these kids who played in this league, sometimes didn't eat at night. All of the coaches were volunteers and this league was free. He showed me the struggle!

My father was heavily involved in the community. So growing up I was exposed to mayors, politicians, people with drug addictions, business owners, judges, felons, rich people, poor people, accountants, athletes, sanitation workers, etc.

He got people jobs, he bought and passed out turkeys, he started scholarship committees, he helped people!

He told me that I'm not better than anybody, at the same time nobody is better than me! he taught me to never disrespect anyone, but also to never tolerate anyone's disrespect. He told me that a persons value isn't determined by how much money they have or their title.  He told me that all people were worthy of love and respect, not just people with big fancy titles or money or people who can do something for you. He told me to spread love to as many people as I possibly could. He told me to help people whenever I could. He told me that WE WERE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!

 

He told me that the overwhelming majority of people in the world are good people! He told me to treat EVERYBODY good! 

The final test of a gentleman is his respect for those who can be of no possible service to him.

-William Lyon Phelps

 
I SINCERELY LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU ALL

PEACE!

Bark back!

When I was a little kid and first started walking to the bus stop by myself. There was this dog that lived in some house that was on the route that I used to take. My first day walking on my own the dog came out and he growled at me and started to pursue me. I power walked away until he stopped chasing me. Honestly, this was no big huge dog or anything, he was a little dog wit floppy ears and all of that. But I wont lie, I was scared of this dog. Everyday, I
would worry about having to walk past this dog and all day long I'm thinking and worrying about this dog. My fear of this dog consumed my mind. I ended up switching my route up and everything. I worried and worried about this dog. One day I was late and I decided I'm gonna go my normal route and hope not to bump into this dog. A friend of mine happened to be coming down his stairs that day and we start walking together. We start walking and the dog sees us, and the dog growls at us. I start power walking away, my friend turns around and stomps on the ground in front of the dog and growls back at the dog. The dog whimpers, turns around puts its tail between its legs and runs away.

So all this time, I'm so worried about and afraid of this dog and this dog is affecting the quality of my life, I'm changing my route and living my life so that I could avoid this thing I feared so much and all I had to do the whole time was face it, look it dead in the eye and bark back at it?

I have learned that that little dog was symbolic for every fear and worry that I would ever have in my life. The more I try to run from it, the more I try to avoid it and never face it or deal with it or stand up to it, the greater my fear would be of it. I've learned that if I don't face or deal with my fears and worries the bigger my fears and worries will become!

I guess the moral of the story whatever fear or worry that you have in life, whatever it is fear of failure, fear of rejection or disappointment whatever might be on your mind that you have been worrying about, you are only worried or afraid because you haven't stepped to it, you haven't barked back it. Step to your fears and worries, growl and bark back at them and watch your fears whimper tuck their tails between their legs and run away from you!
The next time you have a goal or destination, someplace you need to be or need to accomplish and something you fear is in the way BARK BACK AT YOUR FEARS AND REMEMBER

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”    
 -Jack Canfield

GET PAST YOUR FEARS, AND THE WORLD IS YOURS BECAUSE

Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is freedom.

-Marilyn Ferguson

FEAR IS NOTHING, IT'S LITERALLY NOTHING!

 GET YOURS!

PEACE! 

Things could ALWAYS be worse!

One time we were in Ikea in New Haven. (This was towards the tail end of my daughters life) and there was this lady and she was pushing around a cart or some sort of stroller and in the cart/stroller was a little girl. I would guess the girl was maybe 12 or 13 years old but she was extremely small and had some sort of brace around her head. It looked like she had some form of dwarfism and maybe some other handicaps. But I can hear the little girl talking. So I'm looking at the mother and the little girl, and the mother gave me this mean look as though she thought I was staring at her daughter in some bad, condescending or derogatory way.

I remember it vividly because at the time, my daughter was in a hospital dying. She was on 15-20 different medicines hooked up to about 5 machines. She couldn't move on her own at all. I hadn't heard her voice or her make noise in over a year.  So I wasn't really staring at the lady and the girl in any derogatory or judgmental or condescending way.  I was just kind of looking at the woman and the little girl in my own world. Like I was in some kind of  a trance. I wasn't thinking any bad or derogatory thoughts. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I was actually thinking of how lucky the mother was. Despite the little girls handicaps and dwarfism, I was thinking how lucky the mother was to be able to speak with her daughter and hear her daughters voice, and how lucky the mother was to be able to pack her daughter up and bring her into stores and take her shopping and stuff.

 I HAVE LEARNED

1) That no matter how bad our circumstances are or might get, I have learned not to be negative or bitter or angry about my circumstances. I have instead learned to be grateful, because, no matter how bad we think we  have it, no matter how bad life seems, no matter how big or bad our problems are there are people in the world who would love to trade problems with us because theirs are just so much worse. I'VE LEARNED TO BE GRATEFUL FOR OUR CIRCUMSTANCES, BECAUSE THEY COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE.

2) In any given situation you never know what a person you encounter is going through or dealing with. The best bet is to just love EVERYBODY, and learn to respect and appreciate everybody and their story. Because EVERYBODY HAS A STORY!

3) Don't take for granted the fact that children are always just born healthy. It doesn't always go that way. Don't lose sight of exactly how blessed you are to have living, breathing, healthy children.

4) etc etc,

 
I ONCE CRIED THE BLUES BECAUSE I HAD NO SHOES. WELL, THAT WAS UNTIL I MET A MAN WHO HAD NO FEET!
-Unknown


I can go on forever with lessons I learned from this experience. But I wont, Ill leave y'all alone but before I do, please CELEBRATE YOUR LIVES, AND GIVE THANKS FOR YOUR CHILDREN!


PEACE!

Day one!

I'm at the golf driving range one day and I'm looking at this guy next to me and he's hitting the ball crazy far. I'm looking at him and the competitor in me wants to start hitting the ball as far as him. But I can't seem to do it. So naturally I get frustrated with myself. I swallow my pride and I ask him for help. We ended up talking and I ended up asking him how long he has been playing and he said since he was 10 years old and he is 56 now. He has been playing for 46 years and I have been playing for a month. Its funny, I was really seriously frustrated with myself because I wasn't as good as him. Here I was, I had been playing golf for a month frustrated and expecting to be as good as someone who had been playing golf since before I was even born.

Then I realize, wait a minute this competition isn't against him. I will probably never see him again for the rest of my life. This competition is against myself. I have learned not to worry about what the next man is doing or how good the next man is or where the next man is or how far the next man made it in life. WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF! You don't know how long ago that persons DAY ONE was. You don't know how long a person has been in the game. You don't know what a person went through or had to endure to get where they are. You don't know how many years a person spent in the mail room before they became CEO, you don't know if a persons loved one passed away and left them an insurance policy that they used to buy that big fancy car or house that you envy. You don't know how many parties a person skipped to go work out or to go shoot free throws, You don't know how many romantic dates people missed to go run sprints on a Friday night. You don't know what a person has been through or what they have done or sacrificed to get where they are.

AS GOOD AS A PERSON IS OR HOW SUCCESSFUL A PERSON YOU SEE THAT HAS BECOME AT SOMETHING, IT ALL BEGAN WITH A DAY ONE FOR THEM TOO! DON'T WORRY OR BE DISCOURAGED BY WHERE YOU ARE NOW COMPARED TO OTHER PEOPLE! EVERY LEGEND, EVERY STORY OF GREATNESS, EVERY HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT BEGAN WITH A DAY ONE! YOUR LEGEND, YOUR STORY OF GREATNESS WILL ALSO BEGIN WITH A DAY ONE! THE RACE IS INDEED LONG, BUT IN THE END IT IS ONLY AGAINST YOURSELF! THE ONLY PERSON YOU NEED TO COMPARE YOURSELF TO, IS THE OLD YOU!!

 

DON'T GIVE UP!  KEEP DREAMING, KEEP BELIEVING, KEEP WORKING!

 

AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, IT WILL BE DAY TWO AND SO ON AND SO ON!

"You can be anything you want to be, if only you believe with sufficient conviction and act in accordance with your faith; for whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve."
-Napoleon Hill


"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek."
-Mario Andretti

ONE DAY CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING, THAT DAY IS DAY ONE! 

Wonderful and amazing things are happening in our lives! I'm excited for us!

PEACE!

B-E A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E!

I went to Gorton High School in Yonkers, NY. I could never figure out why this one particular memory of Gorton stayed in my head. I couldn't understand it until recently. At the football games, the cheerleaders from Gorton had a specific cheer that I have always remembered. The cheer went B-E A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E BE AGGRESSIVE BE AGGRESSIVE. Over the almost 20 years since I graduated high school I would actually say this cheer in my head to myself after all of these years. Then one day it dawned on me why. You see even before I got into high school and after I left high school I was on this mission or journey. It all started when I was about 6 years old. One of my oldest friends and I decide that we are going to take some of her moms cookies and sell them in front of the house for a quarter each. We made a sale, we turned nothing into something and I was hooked. From that day forward, all I wanted to do was get rich and be ridiculously successful. So after high school I went to college, but it wasn't enough, I wanted to get rich! So while I'm in college I see an ad where you could make a ton of money doing telemarketing, so I get into it. I start and everyone is saying how big this opportunity is and they are happy for me and supporting me and cheering me on. But, there was no way to get rich doing that. So I decide I'm going to get rich selling cars, Ill get rich for sure! And even then my cheering squad was still with me. But, the kind of rich that I wanted to get I couldn't achieve selling cars, So I read another ad where I can get rich cleaning carpets, I start cleaning carpets and it really wasn't for me. But, my family and friends are still in my corner cheering me on. I became a bar tender, stock broker, tried my hand at cooking, became a real estate agent, I met with a little success in each but they just weren't what I wanted to do, I discovered that these things would not be my conduit to the riches that I sought. So I left all of those things alone. By this time my cheering section seems like they are running out of steam. They are trying to be there and want to be there for me in full force to continue to cheer me on but. After this pattern of "Failure after failure" it kind of felt as though they were kind of giving up on me. Kind of disappearing on me one by one. But, I cant give up I got to become super rich and super successful. So, I keep going, I decide that I am going to start my own business. I still have the main core of my cheering staff in tact and still with me and cheering me on so, I'm  full speed ahead. I implement my business and its working success at last its growing. But my daughter was born extremely ill and demanded and passed away and demanded all of our attention and the business ended up on the back burner. Eventually the business faded away. and after this "Failure" It was at this point that I lost most of the members of my cheering squad. Everyone loved me and wished me the best for sure. But, there was no one left to tell me to get back up and keep trying. No one there to tell me to keep pushing on. What was I to do? I still needed to be super rich and super successful!

So, what do you do when suddenly your ideas and thoughts and plans aren't as exciting to everyone else as they are to you?  How do you move forward when it feels like your family and friends belief in you isn't as strong as it once was?  How do you push forward when those who once cheered you on are now suggesting that you just get a job like everyone else? What do you do when your cheering squad disappears and there is no one to cheer you on and encourage you anymore?
I mean after all your cheering squad is what makes the grind more bearable and tolerable. Its their encouraging you to get back up after you get knocked down, telling you that you are going to make it, its their belief in you which makes you want to almost succeed just for them. What do you do when your cheerleaders leave you?

I've learned that at times like this is when you must B-E  A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E, BE AGGRESSIVE. After all of these years I figured out why I remembered that cheer. It was because I would eventually at some point have  to become my own cheerleader. When my cheering section backed out on me, that wasn't a good enough excuse to give up. Just because they stop cheering for you doesn't mean that you should give up. What it means is that you are going to have to become your own cheerleader. See, your cheering squad hasn't traveled the path that you have they don't know that "failure" is not failure as long as you don't give up. They don't know that all "failure" does is give you the knowledge and the information that you need that will help you to succeed on your next attempt. They may have heard or read somewhere that "you have to stick to one thing" in order to be successful. But they don't know that its going to take you trying many different things before you can find that "one thing". You see, you know things that they don't. You know that in order for your dream to come true, THE PERSON THAT MUST BELIEVE IN IT THE MOST IS YOU!

So when you have that business, or idea in your mind and you share it with people and they aren't as excited as you are. And when there is nobody left to cheer you on because they have watched you "fail" over and over again. ITS OK. You simply have to cheer yourself on. You will need to B-E  A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E,  you just BE AGGRESSIVE and pursue your purpose and your dream with all of your might. Continue to know in your heart of hearts that you WILL be successful. You will fulfill your destiny and your dreams. KEEP BELIEVING, KEEP THE FAITH AND KEEP WORKING. You will look up and you will have cheer yourself on to victory!

"Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records."

-William A. Ward

KEEP GOING!

ITS OUR TIME!

PEACE!

It could've been costs too much!

One time when I was about 13 years old my father put a hat on me and some sunglasses and snuck me in a casino. He puts $100 in a slot machine and says play. I'm immediately ready to hit cash out and go home with this $100. He makes me play and my first pull , I win and I'm up like $9. I'm like dad were up! Lets get out of here! He forces me to play! He raised his voice a little and all of that. He told me that I could have found $9 in the street I could have returned bottles and made $9. He asked me if I would be willing to sell an opportunity to make millions of dollars for $9! I said but what if I lose the $9 and the $100 he told me that that was the cost of trying to make millions. It's called sacrifice, paying the cost! And anything you are going to ever want to have, become or do is going to have a cost! And if you want something bad enough you are going to have to pay the cost, or forget about having what you want.

If your scared to lose what you have then don't play! But you can never ever expect to win if you don't play! But if your going to play, play with the excitement of what if you win! Not the fear of what if you lose!

I NEVER GAVE FEAR OF LOSING, FEAR OF DEFEAT, OR FAILURE ANOTHER GLANCE SINCE!

WHEN CONSIDERING YOUR DREAMS AND GOALS, DO NOT COUNT THE COST! DONT WORRY ABOUT WHAT IF YOU LOSE OR WHAT IF YOU ARENT SUCCEESFUL! GO FULL THROTTLE INTO YOUR DREAMS! JUST GO FULL SPEED AHEAD AND YOU WILL WIN!

 

Because if you don't, pursue your dreams, you will have to pay the huge cost of spending the rest of your life wondering what might have been. You will have to spend the rest of your life saying it could've been, and that's a huge cost! Having to say what if for the rest of your life is too huge of a price to pay!

 

GO LIVE YOUR DREAMS!

 

ACT NOW!

 

“Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”  
-John Greenleaf Whittier

PEACE!

GET UP!

I read this story yesterday and it was pretty amazing. If motivation and inspiration is what you are looking for, then you will find it, no matter where you look. One of the best lessons that we will ever need to learn to succeed in life, business or even just to survive can be learned from the life of a Giraffe. I read that Giraffes give birth to their young standing up, so at birth the baby giraffe begins its life by dropping 10 feet or so from its mothers womb. Instinctively,within seconds of the baby giraffes life the baby giraffe tries its hardest to get up and stand on its own feet. While it is still covered in birthing fluid, barely able to see, because there is birthing fluid still in its eyes and ears, it tries to stand on its own. Amazing feat right? Just seconds old and it is so ambitious! After the baby stands on its own feet, the mother isn't so impressed. The mother giraffe doesn't go around bragging about how great and amazing her child is, in fact the mother does quite the opposite. As soon as that baby giraffe makes it onto its feet, the mother harshly introduces it to the harsh reality of life, and teaches the baby the first rule of life that it will need to know in order to survive

Once the baby makes it on to their feet, the mother stands over the newborn calf and after a minute or so, it kicks the baby down to the ground. The baby is disoriented from the whole, just being born thing and from being kicked down by a full grown giraffe. So, once its kicked down the baby is very slow to get back up. but when it doesn't get back up as quickly as the mother sees fit, the mother will go and kick it again to stimulate its effort. She gives it some time, the baby struggles to make it back to its feet and once it does, the mother still doesn't celebrate, she goes and kicks it back down again. The baby giraffe is forced to struggle to get back on its feet once again

Now, one could make the case that giraffes are extremely cruel and unusual animals. How can you do this to your own offspring. What kind of love is this?  Well, as it turns out, its the best kind of love and protection she could give to her child. See, the adult giraffe already knows that there are Lions, Hyenas and stuff that enjoy eating baby giraffe, and in the wild safety is in numbers. The mother knows that if that baby is to survive it is going to have to stay with the pack. So that baby giraffe is going to need to learn how to get back up as quickly as possible after it falls and keep running to stay with the herd to avoid being eaten. So, IMMEDIATELY AFTER BIRTH, THE MOTHER KICKS THE BABY DOWN OVER AND OVER AGAIN, NOT TO BE CRUEL, BUT SO THAT THE BABY WILL GET IN ITS HEAD AND REMEMBER HOW TO GET BACK UP! If the mother didn't teach its baby how to get back up and keep running, then its easy prey for the lions and hyenas.

So, then I started thinking, about the adversities we face on a day to day basis. What if the tragedies and obstacles we face on a day to day basis, those times we got kicked down in life What if maybe they aren't really bad things? What if instead of viewing them as mishaps or misfortunes, what if we simply viewed them as lessons. I mean, the harsh reality of our lives is that WE WILL ALL GET KNOCKED DOWN. Make no mistake about it. But, Those who survive and thrive in life aren't the ones who don't get knocked down. The successful, and those who thrive in life are the ones who learn and remember how to get back up.

I guess what m' saying is that when life throws you your next obstacle, your next adversity, your next challenge, don't lay there and think life isn't fair or lay there and try to figure out why you. Its not just you! There will be others on the ground too. When you think of laying there and wallowing in self pity just remember that the lions and the hyenas are gaining on you. The longer you lay there, the less chance of survival you have. Falling is a part of life/survival, IT WILL HAPPEN!

So, don't worry about falling, don't worry about getting knocked down. ALL YOU NEED TO REMEMBER IS HOW TO GET BACK UP!

Our dreams are far too important, to just lay there and give up on! GET BACK UP!

"If you ain't  never been down, how you gon get on up?
-James Brown

PEACE!