Back in the eighties jeans were tighter. I don't dispute this. Some of them even tapered at the ankles. In the nineties the tapering effect really took off and was evidenced in almost every kind of pants. But in the eighties jeans were tighter. Now often times, in my opinion, music and fashion heavily influence each other. They speak to each other like the volatile lovers they are. Sometimes they fight and some times they make sweet love creating "the next big thing." Punk rock was big in the eighties too. And what did rockers wear in the eighties when they were rebelling against the spandex clad corporate rockers (no offense Van Halen, you know I would never say anything to hurt you!)? They wore jeans. And jeans tended to be tighter in the eighties.
Now every decade likes to go retro to some degree. This trend in fashion tends to mathematically calculate that whatever was fashionable 20 years prior will be called upon to influence the current fashion climate. So the eighties are back. You've probably noticed it yourself. But, as is the case with every current decade, the influence is often exaggerated. And so I give you: skin tight jeans on men.
Yes, in the eighties jeans were a little tighter. But today young men everywhere are starving themselves like the women of the eighties did and still do just so they can fit their pubescent bodies into a pair of Victoria Secret brand women's jeans. Does anyone else find this disgusting? This is the most dangerous fashion trend in five years. And it's causing the emasculation of our teenage youth en masse. This has to stop. But rock bands everywhere have adopted the trend and are perpetuating it with full force. Their videos depict them in tighter and tighter denim, kicking and power strumming with wide legged abandon. Kids see this and begin to "rock out" (rocking out is the action of moving one's head up and down, sometimes violently, while jumping or rocking back and forth whilst sitting. Often times rocking out includes raising one or both hands in the air in symbolic gestures implying devil worship or resisting the man). This action of "rocking out" subconsciously reinforces the image of the band in the rockee's mind. Once reinforced in the mind of the child, the slightest amount of music from that band or even their genre can trigger a flashback so powerful the child will do anything to emulate the band. Is it any wonder why women's clothing stores have replaced Michael Bolten with The White Stripes? They know that teenage males everywhere are now willing to do what a decade ago was unthinkable. They arrive in these stores loud and proud of their desire for thin women's jeans. They come in groups ready to spend their hard earned lawn mowing money on this overt form of emasculation. But what of the cost to the women in our society?
We've known for years that women tend to compete and compare themselves to one another. Advertisers have been shamelessly exploiting this fact since advertising began. It's cruel and horrible but it's real. Once women compared themselves to the latest touched up celebrity when trying on jeans but now they have to compete with the indomitable metabolism of teenage males. Women go to try on jeans and see a teenage male in the size 2 they long to be able to fit in. It's the ultimate slap in the face. Today's corporate rock industry has caught onto the once fresh punk revival and has created legions of bands who all dress this way. Corporate rock and the fashion world have joined forces to control women even more through the perpetuation of this abominable trend. It's killing two birds with one stone really. The fashion industry successfully emasculates teenage boys making them much more likely to become metro sexual fashion consumers or homosexuals. The corporate rock industry uses the extreme peer pressure created by this fashion trend to sell many more sales. All kids have to do is see a new rocker in tight women's jeans and suddenly that "artist" now has the street cred needed to own their hearts. The fashion industry wins again because once again they've been able to wear down the collective female psyche and demoralize them even more into submission or banishment. It's just awful. But do you know who the real loser is in all this? The skate board industry.
The skateboard industry has traditionally reflected the values of rebellion against what's fashionable or trendy. But now the current generation of kids largely skateboard or at least want to look like they do due to corporate rock's adoption of skater fashion and subsequent infusing of women's jeans. Suddenly every kid on a skate board is wearing women's jeans. This is bad for skating. These jeans are so tight it's almost impossible to move let alone land a pop shovit. The godfathers of modern skating are perplexed. And there's nothing they can do short of starting a public service campaign instructing kids that tight women's jeans are uncool.
What can be done to stop this insidious fashion blunder? It has to start at the grass roots level. Talk to your kids about the importance of gender. Men should never wear women's clothing. Teach them about music and the evils of corporate rock. Corporate rock would have you and your children believe that it's gone but it's not. Corporate rock is bigger and more powerful than it ever has been. Listen to the radio and you'll see. The music's all the same. It's all the same!!!
In closing, I'm mad at fashion. Why did they do this to us? Why are they doing it to our children? I'm mad at the music industry. Why are they jumping on this? Why do they continue to mass produce bad music? Why are they destroying rock?! You probably already know the answer to these questions. Money. Women's jeans have always been more expensive than men's jeans. And true rock has always sold more records. The music industry has discovered a way to mass produce rebellion and market it to our unsuspecting youth while at the same time watering it down from its true rockness, thus polluting the joy that is rock. And how have they done this? With skinny women's jeans. It's a vicious cycle and I hope you'll join me in educating our youth about this horrible crime.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Mystery Chips
The other night I came into work and found a gigantic bag of potato chips. This bag was stuffed full of potato chips. This wasn't like an ordinary bag of potato chips, you know, full of air. This was a bag with weight and substance to it. The bag was out on the counter, seemingly in the open but I had to be sure. I started casually asking people in the office if they knew who the owner of the large bag of chips was. No one knew and then someone said what I had been waiting for,
"Well they're out in the open, so I guess they're probably for everyone to eat."
Yes! I had been officially absolved of any guilt or responsibility and could freely indulge my curiosity. Surely a bag this full of chips had to mean something. I had been analyzing the situation all night. A bag of chips that big could denote its origin being from a bulk discount center like Sam's Club or Costco. But this bag showed evidence of having hardly any air stored in it before it was open. To me this could only mean one thing: The manufacturer had total and complete confidence in his product. The manufacturer knew that these chips were so delicious that it would be a crime to fill the bag only halfway with the actual product. I walked up to the bag in question and hefted it. Its weight was very satisfactory indeed. I peered inside the open bag and examined the tears at the top. It was clear that whoever had opened this bag of chips had done so with reckless abandon. Surely everything was adding up. These had to be the best chips in the world. Why else would someone tear into the bag with such violence of action? I looked deeper into the bag, this time to examine the actual contents. I was impressed that the structural integrity of the majority of the chips was not only intact but appeared to be quite solid. This could only mean one thing: Kettle cooked chips. I quickly looked at the outside of the bag. I was right. These were of a homemade quality and durability that only a factory steeped in tradition could produce. I reached inside the bag and removed a chip. Its aroma danced around my nostrils implying the tapestry of intricate taste and delight I was surely in for. I placed the chip on my tongue and it began.
The room went white and air began to thin. I looked up and saw the universe before my eyes. Stars were streaking past me at incredible speeds until only thin stream of light were visible all around me. A vortex of light appeared in the distance directly in front of me and I knew that I was approaching something beautiful. I struggled to remember how to breathe. I felt my body relax amidst the dazzling display of space and time. Suddenly it was over just as fast as it had begun. I looked around. Know one had noticed my reaction to the chip. I had never tasted anything like it before and I was sure I would never taste anything like it again. I slowly regained my breathe. My body was shaking from the excitement of the experience. I slowly walked back to my desk momentarily forgetting about the bag of delight on the counter. My coworker caught sight of me and asked,
"So how are the chips?"
"Eh, okay I guess," I lied. "I've had better," I said selfishly.
The bag is still in the office. Others have tried these chips and I can tell by the changed looks on their faces. We who have eaten them can identify each other. Soon the bag of chips will be gone. I never found out from whence they came or to whom they belonged. I don't even know if I can find them again. I hesitate to look for them in any store. I do so because should I find them and partake again, I may not return from the cosmic journey they will undoubtedly create.
"Well they're out in the open, so I guess they're probably for everyone to eat."
Yes! I had been officially absolved of any guilt or responsibility and could freely indulge my curiosity. Surely a bag this full of chips had to mean something. I had been analyzing the situation all night. A bag of chips that big could denote its origin being from a bulk discount center like Sam's Club or Costco. But this bag showed evidence of having hardly any air stored in it before it was open. To me this could only mean one thing: The manufacturer had total and complete confidence in his product. The manufacturer knew that these chips were so delicious that it would be a crime to fill the bag only halfway with the actual product. I walked up to the bag in question and hefted it. Its weight was very satisfactory indeed. I peered inside the open bag and examined the tears at the top. It was clear that whoever had opened this bag of chips had done so with reckless abandon. Surely everything was adding up. These had to be the best chips in the world. Why else would someone tear into the bag with such violence of action? I looked deeper into the bag, this time to examine the actual contents. I was impressed that the structural integrity of the majority of the chips was not only intact but appeared to be quite solid. This could only mean one thing: Kettle cooked chips. I quickly looked at the outside of the bag. I was right. These were of a homemade quality and durability that only a factory steeped in tradition could produce. I reached inside the bag and removed a chip. Its aroma danced around my nostrils implying the tapestry of intricate taste and delight I was surely in for. I placed the chip on my tongue and it began.
The room went white and air began to thin. I looked up and saw the universe before my eyes. Stars were streaking past me at incredible speeds until only thin stream of light were visible all around me. A vortex of light appeared in the distance directly in front of me and I knew that I was approaching something beautiful. I struggled to remember how to breathe. I felt my body relax amidst the dazzling display of space and time. Suddenly it was over just as fast as it had begun. I looked around. Know one had noticed my reaction to the chip. I had never tasted anything like it before and I was sure I would never taste anything like it again. I slowly regained my breathe. My body was shaking from the excitement of the experience. I slowly walked back to my desk momentarily forgetting about the bag of delight on the counter. My coworker caught sight of me and asked,
"So how are the chips?"
"Eh, okay I guess," I lied. "I've had better," I said selfishly.
The bag is still in the office. Others have tried these chips and I can tell by the changed looks on their faces. We who have eaten them can identify each other. Soon the bag of chips will be gone. I never found out from whence they came or to whom they belonged. I don't even know if I can find them again. I hesitate to look for them in any store. I do so because should I find them and partake again, I may not return from the cosmic journey they will undoubtedly create.
Friday, February 16, 2007
My Daily Schedule
I work graveyard shifts. I work from 11:00 at night to 7:00 in the morning Sunday night to Friday morning. I need 7 to 8 hours of sleep every day as most human beings in my age group require. My typical schedule starting Sunday night goes like this:
Sunday night I try to sleep three hours before I go in for work. This allows me just enough rest to stay awake and alert until I get home in the morning.
At work, I work and I stay awake. Then I get off work at around 7 to 7:15 in the morning and I drive home. I get home between 7:15 and 7:30 in the morning. I walk in, take my boots off, go into my bedroom, take off my clothes and crawl into bed. By then it's between 7:20 and 7:35 in the morning). At around this time or a little later, say around 8:00 in the morning, my daughter comes in and wakes me up if I have fallen asleep, with, "The sun is up, it's time to get up Daddy." At that point she crawls into bed with my wife and I and wants "to snuggle with Mommy." Once she's in the bed, she will usually begin telling me about the night's dreams she had. At around 8:30 to 8:45 AM I drift off to sleep.
I am woken up any time between 12:30 and 1:30 PM. On a good day, this equals 5 to 6 hours of good sleep. On a bad day it equals 4 to 5 hours. If I get to sleep those 3 hours before the next shift starts that adds up to a total of 7 total hours on a bad day and 8 to 9 total hours on a good day.
Now I would say that I have more bad days than good days as far as sleep goes. I would say that my average is around 5 to 6 total sleep hours per day. But you have to take into consideration something I call "The Man Factor." When a man complains about something in his life he tends to exaggerate either he makes something out to be too great or too little depending on the circumstances and which description will benefit his side of an argument or garner him the most sympathy. So taking into account "The Man Factor," in my self reporting, I would say that I probably average 7 hours of sleep per day. That's one hour short of what we need but it's very doable. Now in all honesty I do have certifiable bad days. Days when I am woken up at 12:15 after falling asleep only 5 hours before. And sometimes the way I get woken up is just bad. Who needs to wake up to absolute stress after only 5 hours of sleep. There have even been days when I've had to get up with only 3 hours of sleep. Those are rare but I don't forget them.
Now I have two young kids and so this kind of thing is to be expected. I accept that. But let's keep moving here, there's still more of my day to cover.
So I get up at, on a good day, 1:30PM and go to the bathroom. I get myself together, take a shower, etc. So I'm ready for the rest of the day by around 2:15 PM. So let's see how much time do I have left in the day from this point? I have to go back to work at 11:00 PM. So on a good day I have 9 whole hours left in the day. Now if you're generous and allow me to sleep three hours before I go into work then I really only have about 5 hours. Now in how many of those hours are my kids up? They go to bed between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM. So that gives me about 5 hours with them. Now once I get up my wife usually has some things that she needs to do and needs me available to watch one or both of the kids to make, those tasks easier to accomplish. My wife is a capable woman who can accomplish the items on her to do lists with both kids in tow if she needs to.
Now I also go to school part time. I have mountains of reading for one class and hours of lab time for another. The lab time gets cut down significantly because I have the software needed to finish my projects on my laptop. This way I can work whenever I have a chance. The reading unfortunately takes a huge hit. It is impossible to read my assignments at home with my family present. By now you've probably figured out that I don't have too much time to be with my family. If I were to go to the library for 2 to 3 hours to read each day and then spend another 2 to 3 hours each day working on my lab assignments, well you get the idea. No time at home with the family, which in my life is mandatory by choice.
Often at home I play with the kids to keep them entertained during the time I am awake. This gives my wife a welcome break at time and opportunities to to work on her packages or other things that she wants to do, or things that need to be done around the house.
I struggle with doing what I need to do during the time I have between shifts. I have been trying to run a business and it's just not working. I just do not have the time I need to do what needs to be done to get it off the ground the way I want to. It requires travel within the area and time with clients. Time I just don't have. I have to divide my time with cleaning up the little disasters that occur in one's life on a daily basis, school, spending time with my children, and wife. So that's my life right now. I spend most of my "Internet time" at night when it gets slow and even that is not that much. I always have a plan when I get home for what I need to do when I wake up and I never accomplish it. There's always something that comes up or gets in the way or takes greater precedence.
I need to start taking my own advice about success.
Sunday night I try to sleep three hours before I go in for work. This allows me just enough rest to stay awake and alert until I get home in the morning.
At work, I work and I stay awake. Then I get off work at around 7 to 7:15 in the morning and I drive home. I get home between 7:15 and 7:30 in the morning. I walk in, take my boots off, go into my bedroom, take off my clothes and crawl into bed. By then it's between 7:20 and 7:35 in the morning). At around this time or a little later, say around 8:00 in the morning, my daughter comes in and wakes me up if I have fallen asleep, with, "The sun is up, it's time to get up Daddy." At that point she crawls into bed with my wife and I and wants "to snuggle with Mommy." Once she's in the bed, she will usually begin telling me about the night's dreams she had. At around 8:30 to 8:45 AM I drift off to sleep.
I am woken up any time between 12:30 and 1:30 PM. On a good day, this equals 5 to 6 hours of good sleep. On a bad day it equals 4 to 5 hours. If I get to sleep those 3 hours before the next shift starts that adds up to a total of 7 total hours on a bad day and 8 to 9 total hours on a good day.
Now I would say that I have more bad days than good days as far as sleep goes. I would say that my average is around 5 to 6 total sleep hours per day. But you have to take into consideration something I call "The Man Factor." When a man complains about something in his life he tends to exaggerate either he makes something out to be too great or too little depending on the circumstances and which description will benefit his side of an argument or garner him the most sympathy. So taking into account "The Man Factor," in my self reporting, I would say that I probably average 7 hours of sleep per day. That's one hour short of what we need but it's very doable. Now in all honesty I do have certifiable bad days. Days when I am woken up at 12:15 after falling asleep only 5 hours before. And sometimes the way I get woken up is just bad. Who needs to wake up to absolute stress after only 5 hours of sleep. There have even been days when I've had to get up with only 3 hours of sleep. Those are rare but I don't forget them.
Now I have two young kids and so this kind of thing is to be expected. I accept that. But let's keep moving here, there's still more of my day to cover.
So I get up at, on a good day, 1:30PM and go to the bathroom. I get myself together, take a shower, etc. So I'm ready for the rest of the day by around 2:15 PM. So let's see how much time do I have left in the day from this point? I have to go back to work at 11:00 PM. So on a good day I have 9 whole hours left in the day. Now if you're generous and allow me to sleep three hours before I go into work then I really only have about 5 hours. Now in how many of those hours are my kids up? They go to bed between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM. So that gives me about 5 hours with them. Now once I get up my wife usually has some things that she needs to do and needs me available to watch one or both of the kids to make, those tasks easier to accomplish. My wife is a capable woman who can accomplish the items on her to do lists with both kids in tow if she needs to.
Now I also go to school part time. I have mountains of reading for one class and hours of lab time for another. The lab time gets cut down significantly because I have the software needed to finish my projects on my laptop. This way I can work whenever I have a chance. The reading unfortunately takes a huge hit. It is impossible to read my assignments at home with my family present. By now you've probably figured out that I don't have too much time to be with my family. If I were to go to the library for 2 to 3 hours to read each day and then spend another 2 to 3 hours each day working on my lab assignments, well you get the idea. No time at home with the family, which in my life is mandatory by choice.
Often at home I play with the kids to keep them entertained during the time I am awake. This gives my wife a welcome break at time and opportunities to to work on her packages or other things that she wants to do, or things that need to be done around the house.
I struggle with doing what I need to do during the time I have between shifts. I have been trying to run a business and it's just not working. I just do not have the time I need to do what needs to be done to get it off the ground the way I want to. It requires travel within the area and time with clients. Time I just don't have. I have to divide my time with cleaning up the little disasters that occur in one's life on a daily basis, school, spending time with my children, and wife. So that's my life right now. I spend most of my "Internet time" at night when it gets slow and even that is not that much. I always have a plan when I get home for what I need to do when I wake up and I never accomplish it. There's always something that comes up or gets in the way or takes greater precedence.
I need to start taking my own advice about success.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
KFED
KFED,
I salute you. You have done what no person thought was possible. You have, in one fell swoop, completely remade your image, garnering the collective respect of everyone in both Hollywood and the music industry. Through your shameless use of self deprecating humor you have allowed people to like you and get away with it. Yes, you have masterfully created a brave new world where everyone is allowed to like you. We have been given permission by the powers that be to accept you. And just who are those social powers that be? They are the very people you wooed-Hollywood and music world. Soon that respect will mature and you will be able to take it to the social bank and cash it in for a few hits on the billboard charts. You'll be guest hosting on Love Lines, and making respectable appearances on MTV. You, my friend, are in for the year of your life. 2007 is officially the year of KFED. You have the catchy moniker, you have the Justin Timberlake look, you have taken the butt of every one's jokes and turned it on it's butt head. How did you do it? Did you have help from Nick Lachey? It doesn't matter dawg, this is your year. I look forward to actually hearing your music on the radio, seeing you appear at everything from movie premiers to awards shows. KFED07. It has kind of a presidential campaign slogan ring to it doesn't it? Hey, my man, don't think it can't happen even though 08 is really where it's at, you can use 07 to use your new found street cred to fund your exploratory committee. Oh wait, your not old enough to be president yet. But maybe you could host the MTV awards. Now that would be something KFED, that would be something.
I salute you. You have done what no person thought was possible. You have, in one fell swoop, completely remade your image, garnering the collective respect of everyone in both Hollywood and the music industry. Through your shameless use of self deprecating humor you have allowed people to like you and get away with it. Yes, you have masterfully created a brave new world where everyone is allowed to like you. We have been given permission by the powers that be to accept you. And just who are those social powers that be? They are the very people you wooed-Hollywood and music world. Soon that respect will mature and you will be able to take it to the social bank and cash it in for a few hits on the billboard charts. You'll be guest hosting on Love Lines, and making respectable appearances on MTV. You, my friend, are in for the year of your life. 2007 is officially the year of KFED. You have the catchy moniker, you have the Justin Timberlake look, you have taken the butt of every one's jokes and turned it on it's butt head. How did you do it? Did you have help from Nick Lachey? It doesn't matter dawg, this is your year. I look forward to actually hearing your music on the radio, seeing you appear at everything from movie premiers to awards shows. KFED07. It has kind of a presidential campaign slogan ring to it doesn't it? Hey, my man, don't think it can't happen even though 08 is really where it's at, you can use 07 to use your new found street cred to fund your exploratory committee. Oh wait, your not old enough to be president yet. But maybe you could host the MTV awards. Now that would be something KFED, that would be something.
Monday, February 12, 2007
The Vault
Peter Pan, Cinderella, Alice, Ariel, Pinocchio, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, the Lady, the Tramp, Merry Poppins, Even Bambi all have something in common. They've all done hard time in the vault. And what was their crime I ask you? I don't know. No one does. All we know is that these beloved figures have been sentenced to time in the dreaded vault. Some of them have done multiple sentences in the vault. They are the victims of the greed machine known as Disney. They are separated from their beloved fans for decades at a time. Forced to sit idly by in the cold steel of the vault while new, more technologically pixar infused features burrow their way into the hearts of America's children. When our sad heroes are finally released from prison, they are left to fend for themselves in a world where their fans have grown up. Some find love again but many just fade away into the $5.99 bins of big box media stores. Those of us who have kept their memories alive are forced to live at the mercy of the vault keepers. We speak in hushed tones of their suspected release dates,
"Did you hear about Bambi?"
"Shh they'll hear you!"
Whispering, "I hear Bambi gets out in three months."
"Are you serious? I thought Bambi was gone for good."
I'm almost risking too much by even talking about it. There are those of us who think it's time to act. Right now, somewhere, behind closed doors, meetings are being held. Plans are coming together. Someday soon, there's going to be a break out. When will it happen? If you don't know, no one will tell you. Just wait for the sign. You'll know it when you see it.
"Did you hear about Bambi?"
"Shh they'll hear you!"
Whispering, "I hear Bambi gets out in three months."
"Are you serious? I thought Bambi was gone for good."
I'm almost risking too much by even talking about it. There are those of us who think it's time to act. Right now, somewhere, behind closed doors, meetings are being held. Plans are coming together. Someday soon, there's going to be a break out. When will it happen? If you don't know, no one will tell you. Just wait for the sign. You'll know it when you see it.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Why You Fail
I couldn't convert in midair to make the shot. I got sick. I missed my ride to the presentation. There was a horrible accident on the interstate that stopped traffic for forty five minutes. I wasn't given enough time. The other people in the group did nothing and the burden was all on me. I was too tired. My kids wouldn't leave me alone. I had a family thing. My sister had her baby. I spaced it. I double booked. I'm sorry. I lost your contact information. I lost the account number. I couldn't remember the phone number. Someone in accounting got the numbers wrong. The company car broke down. We were delayed. I forgot. It's completely my responsibility. I apologize. I didn't know. It's not my fault. I got caught up. The other project took too long. The weather got really bad. There was a complication. I ran out of money. The competition beat us. I didn't plan properly. We didn't practice enough. I ate that doughnut. I couldn't resist. He asked me too. She wanted it.
You fail simply because you do not succeed.
This statement begs the question, "how do I not succeed?" You do not succeed because you do not overcome the obstacles that stand to prevent you from succeeding. This statement, in turn, begs the following question:
"So how do I succeed then?"
You succeed by overcoming the obstacles that stand in your way to success.
Before you start you must operationally define success. What is success and how will you know when you've accomplished it? Once you have defined it, it must become your quest. You must burn it into your soul. It is your mission. When one knows what success is, one can more clearly see the opposition to that success. When you can identify that opposition you will then come to know it as your enemy. It is then that you must destroy your enemy without hesitation. Often you will discover that this enemy is a part of you. This can make identifying the opposition to your success difficult and painful. If you are focused on your success, if it is truly your mission, you will be able to destroy that part of you that prevents you from succeeding. The first time you do this will be painful and difficult. It will be sloppy and may take some time. As you discover other parts of you that are of the enemy to your success you will more easily be able to vanquish those aspects. Soon they will melt away as you move ever closer to your success. And then you shall have it. Success will be yours.
That is how you succeed in life. Does it seem easy? It should not but its difficulty depends on how converted you are to your success. You must believe that you will succeed. Once you do you will not fail. You will do everything in your power until you feel the power of your very mental will pushing you forward toward your success. This will work for you. You fail because you do not do this. Not because you cannot do this, but you do not do it.
There is a distinct difference between "Cannot" and "Do not." "Cannot" means that one is temporally unable to accomplish some task. "Do not" means one has chosen not to accomplish a certain task. All human beings regardless of circumstance are able to choose to "Do not." "Cannot" is a falsehood perpetuated within the human race by those who fail and by those who succeed but wish others to fail. "Do not" is the only truth in the matter. You fail because you have chosen to fail. That is the simple truth. You fail because you have defeated your mind and will and you have chosen to do so. You allow your defeatist mental state take power over you. You become a slave to failure until you believe the great lie of "Cannot." You are a disciple of "Cannot" and slave to it's master "failure."
You must acknowledge the truth. You have chosen this life. Then you must simply start again, omitting "cannot" from your mind. You will succeed. You will conquer.
Are you looking for a better job? Are you struggling to overcome an addiction? Do you want more money? Do you want to find love? Are you unhappy with your weight? Do you hate yourself? Do you want to be happy? Then succeed and you will be.
You fail simply because you do not succeed.
This statement begs the question, "how do I not succeed?" You do not succeed because you do not overcome the obstacles that stand to prevent you from succeeding. This statement, in turn, begs the following question:
"So how do I succeed then?"
You succeed by overcoming the obstacles that stand in your way to success.
Before you start you must operationally define success. What is success and how will you know when you've accomplished it? Once you have defined it, it must become your quest. You must burn it into your soul. It is your mission. When one knows what success is, one can more clearly see the opposition to that success. When you can identify that opposition you will then come to know it as your enemy. It is then that you must destroy your enemy without hesitation. Often you will discover that this enemy is a part of you. This can make identifying the opposition to your success difficult and painful. If you are focused on your success, if it is truly your mission, you will be able to destroy that part of you that prevents you from succeeding. The first time you do this will be painful and difficult. It will be sloppy and may take some time. As you discover other parts of you that are of the enemy to your success you will more easily be able to vanquish those aspects. Soon they will melt away as you move ever closer to your success. And then you shall have it. Success will be yours.
That is how you succeed in life. Does it seem easy? It should not but its difficulty depends on how converted you are to your success. You must believe that you will succeed. Once you do you will not fail. You will do everything in your power until you feel the power of your very mental will pushing you forward toward your success. This will work for you. You fail because you do not do this. Not because you cannot do this, but you do not do it.
There is a distinct difference between "Cannot" and "Do not." "Cannot" means that one is temporally unable to accomplish some task. "Do not" means one has chosen not to accomplish a certain task. All human beings regardless of circumstance are able to choose to "Do not." "Cannot" is a falsehood perpetuated within the human race by those who fail and by those who succeed but wish others to fail. "Do not" is the only truth in the matter. You fail because you have chosen to fail. That is the simple truth. You fail because you have defeated your mind and will and you have chosen to do so. You allow your defeatist mental state take power over you. You become a slave to failure until you believe the great lie of "Cannot." You are a disciple of "Cannot" and slave to it's master "failure."
You must acknowledge the truth. You have chosen this life. Then you must simply start again, omitting "cannot" from your mind. You will succeed. You will conquer.
Are you looking for a better job? Are you struggling to overcome an addiction? Do you want more money? Do you want to find love? Are you unhappy with your weight? Do you hate yourself? Do you want to be happy? Then succeed and you will be.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Learning German!
So I'm learning German now through blog spot. I had no idea that blog spot came with it's own German tutorial when you sign up to create a blog. It's really well thought out too. At random, when I log in to my user account, the page will appear entirely in German! This is great because it forces me to learn how to read German in order to do what I need to to do. Because everything is in a familiar location, I can guess what everything means. The only down side to this new language learning program is the spell checker. Whenever I'm in German mode almost everything I write is misspelled according to the German spell checker. No program is perfect I guess.
Friday, February 2, 2007
My First Wrinkle
The other night at work while taking a bathroom break I noticed my first wrinkle. It's one of those that goes from your nose to the corner of your mouth. Maybe it was the lighting but it looked pretty harsh. it was on my left side. I think they're called "frown lines." You never hear of a wrinkle caused by smiling though, do you? Nobody get's smiling wrinkles do they?
I'm aging. My wife thinks aging is depressing. And in a way it can be. But when we really think of it, we're not old at all. I mean we're in our late twenties for crying out loud. It just seems as if time is moving faster than it did when we were younger. This can be explained though. The introduction of children into one's life and hence concept of time and space, alters that concept forever. Children have the ability to slow down time to almost a standstill, or speed it up to the point where you're asking yourself, "how did we get here?" If children realized this they would rule the world, but because they're children and they don't, they miss out on that.
I'm okay with aging though. I like the fact that my hair is going grey. I like the fact that I'm getting wrinkles. I'm excited to move into that longer period of my life in which people will think of me as "distinguished looking." I don't like being in-between. I've never enjoyed any of the "in-between" moments of my life. They were always filled with awkwardness. Maybe that's why Jay-Z says, "thirty is the new 20." I'm almost there Jay-Z, I'm alomst there.
I'm aging. My wife thinks aging is depressing. And in a way it can be. But when we really think of it, we're not old at all. I mean we're in our late twenties for crying out loud. It just seems as if time is moving faster than it did when we were younger. This can be explained though. The introduction of children into one's life and hence concept of time and space, alters that concept forever. Children have the ability to slow down time to almost a standstill, or speed it up to the point where you're asking yourself, "how did we get here?" If children realized this they would rule the world, but because they're children and they don't, they miss out on that.
I'm okay with aging though. I like the fact that my hair is going grey. I like the fact that I'm getting wrinkles. I'm excited to move into that longer period of my life in which people will think of me as "distinguished looking." I don't like being in-between. I've never enjoyed any of the "in-between" moments of my life. They were always filled with awkwardness. Maybe that's why Jay-Z says, "thirty is the new 20." I'm almost there Jay-Z, I'm alomst there.
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