Chasing Dreams

I feel that it is important to continually grow each day. This is something that I will say often. Like I have said before, on a chalk board as I leave the house, I have “Dream Big” written on it. This reminds me that each day I need to make sure that I am dreaming beyond my imagination and shooting for goals that at one point I thought I couldn’t do.

            The latest and greatest goal/dream I have is to get my motorcycle endorsement. It would be a while before I can afford to buy a motorcycle, but I have often considered something cheap for the summertime. Something cheap that I could ride on nice weather days to work to save on gas on the truck. To be able to go out and just enjoy the weather and cruise. It would be something that would be neat to be able to do with my brother as well. Just hit the road for the weekend and travel.

            I have ridden dirt bikes a few times in my life and would definitely need to take the course to know the proper way to ride. I know that it is a freeing feeling when I am out on my 4-wheeler and I would assume it would be close to the same type of feeling riding a motorcycle on the road. Feeling the wind hit against you as you control this machine underneath you. I need to update my vision board, but this is now going to be on it. I am looking into motorcycle classes currently so if you have any tips, tricks or locations in the metro Detroit area let me know!

Strengths and Weaknesses

If I were to ask you about your own strengths and weaknesses what would the list look like? This is something that I decided to do recently, and I discovered interesting things. I made my list and tried to be as honest with myself as possible. This can be difficult to do. You don’t want to admit things that you are bad at, but it is important that you are honest with yourself, so you know what needs improvement. My lists are as follows.

Strenghts	Weaknesses
Good work ethic Team player trustworthy reliable  accountable people person humble cares for others open minded	Can be too passive doesn't follow through can be forgetful Get overwhelmed

·        

What made this more interesting for me was that I took the time to ask other people that know me well what they thought my strengths and weaknesses were. Believe it or not, most people don’t want to tell you what they think your weaknesses are even when you genuinely ask them. the responses from friends and family though made me think more about myself and how I am perceived to others. I want to make it clear that the opinions of others don’t matter as long as you are staying true to yourself. This is something that I have working on for a while and can be difficult. However, the people that did participate answers are as follows.

Strengths ·         People person                               ·         Encouraging ·         Creative ·         Caring ·         Able to handle jokes/criticism ·         Will do anything for other people ·         Willing to try new things ·         Genuine when communicating ·         Leader ·         Positive attitude ·         Ability to adapt ·         Willingness to work ·         Work hard to provide for family and others ·         Good friend ·         Smart ·         In their words “badass driver”

Weaknesses         Forgetful         Don’t follow through         Get sidetracked      Not being confident         I don’t posture myself as the leader I am     Shy/introverted     Does stupid things every now and then      Let people walk over me      Communication (didn’t tell my cousin I was getting married. She found out through Facebook)

 

 

            Half of the people I asked wouldn’t say what my weaknesses were. On one hand I get it, but this is for research! The point is that other people see the good qualities in you that you might overlook. Although most are ones that I believe to be true, the leader part is one that stood out as crazy to me. I never have thought of myself as a leader. I like to be in the background and assess the situation and go from that point. I don’t really like having the decisions fall on me, not because I think I will fail, but because I don’t like being the person that any potential hostility can be thrown at. This is something that I need to work on however because I do want to be able to be a leader. I believe that leadership is something that can open many doors in my life.

 Some of the weaknesses that others pointed out took me a little by surprise too. I know that I don’t like conflict, but I never took the step back to realize that I have let people walkover throughout parts of my life. I need to stand up for myself and as Madea would say “speak my damn mind. Hell”. I know that I am forgetful, and I need to work on that. If any of you have tips or tricks to increase memory however, I am all ears!! Without fail I will forget at least one thing at the grocery store every time I go.

As you can see, parts of my lists for myself match with what others have said. The others list however, touch on points that I would overlook on most occasions. It brings more awareness to myself and the things that I know I am doing well at and the things that I need to improve on. If you are feeling up for it, try this out with your friends and family as well. You may be surprised with what people say (if they truly say what they feel). This isn’t something that you should get upset about either. take others opinion as just that, opinions. If you feel it is valid and you want to do something with that information, then that is totally up to you.

 

Much Love and God Bless

Early Start to the Day

 Update on my post about getting a dog the other day. I am currently watching my moms’ dog while she is out of town. I couldn’t tell you what breed he is because I really have no clue. But he is a smaller dog that kind of looks like a mop in a cute way. With everything going on, dog groomers haven’t been able to cut his hair in a while. He is a little shaggier than normal.

            The time was 330am. He was whining at the back door because he needed to go out. Let him out. Notices that he does his business and, on his way, back to the house, it looks like he keeps squatting down. I don’t realize until he is in the house and smelling like BOOTY that something is up. Check it out and to my surprise……… IT is smeared allllll ooovvvveeerrrrr his back side. Keep in mind that it has been 80 plus degrees in this house, already haven’t slept for crap. Now at 330 in the morning I have to give this dog a bath. I know its not his fault. He’s got long hair; he can’t control it. What makes it worse though is that this little dude doesn’t want to stay still in the shower while I am trying to clean him! Like my man, I am doing this for you! for reference I usually get up at 530am for work, so I now have an hour and a half of time that I cant fall back asleep. This is going to set up for a great day.

            I will take this opportunity however to make a real breakfast this morning, maybe take a shower just to cool down and try to restart my day. So, todays p.s.a is to either get dog that doesn’t grow moppy type hair or to invest in some trimmers and get that fur short to avoid this problem.

 

            Much Love and God Bless

Get a Dog

Let’s talk about dogs for a minute. They truly are man’s best friend. Growing up I had two dogs, Chance and Cleo. They were both yellow labs but very different from one another. Chance was a loudmouth and was always getting into trouble. Whether it was getting into dog food, getting animals in the backyard or occasionally getting out of the yard, he was a handful. Cleo on the other hand was very quiet and almost skittish. She was a really friendly dog and just went with the flow of whatever. She was so quiet in fact that we accidentally left her tied to a picnic table at a campground… we made it about 5 minutes before my friend pointed it out to my parents. She was obviously excited to see us when we returned, and we all felt terrible.

            Dogs have a way of knowing what is going on around them. Our current dog is very playful but protective of his momma. On the same note however, when my fiancé is having a bad day, somehow Leo will know and give her extra cuddles. Dogs can be a pain in the butt and rewarding at the same time. They can make situations difficult at times but also much more joyful in other times. The biggest downside I see with Leo is the second that you have food, he is on your butt and drooling just waiting for something to drop! Regardless though, dogs have a way of making bad situations better, and better situations great. They will do anything for you and stay by your side when stuff hits the fan. So really, today's p.s.a is to go get a dog. That is all

 

            Much Love and God Bless

Vigilant of your Surroundings

The people you surround yourself with have more of an impact than you may think. I’m sure you have heard before; you are who you hang out with. I only partially agree with this statement. I do think that your surroundings and the people that you hold close to you play a major role in your life, but I don’t believe that they can define you. The people that surround you only change you as much as you allow them too.

I have noticed that when I am around people that are more upbeat and enjoying life that it is hard to be in a bad mood. When these people are doing positive things for themselves and others and you can see the end result, its easy to want to make those same positive choices. This is because I allow them to influence my life though. I have seen how in a group of positive people; someone can still be that negative Debby downer. This is because they are not letting the surroundings influence their state of mind.

At a previous job I had, the overall daily attitude was greatly affected by others. As soon as one person would get pissed off and in a bad mood it would spread through the warehouse like wildfire. Especially when you are at work and you can’t physically get away from a negative person since you work with them, it can be hard to stay in your own mind space. I like to believe I am usually a happy and positive person but there were days that got the best of me and I wouldn’t be that positive person.

            Let’s face it, if you hang around criminals all day long and keep them close to you on a personal level, the chance for you to fall into that lifestyle increases. You listen to the conversations and stories and you may want to be able to tell those stories yourself. In the same manner, if you surround yourself with high achievers and people that are successful (keep in mind every person has different views of success) you have a higher chance of becoming successful. If you plan on making a big career change in your life, chances are you want to know what you’re getting into or how to maximize this change. If you were a mechanic but now want to get into stock trading, you most likely will want to start associating with people who trade stocks. You learn from the ones around you and they bring value to you.  It is important to be adding value into their lives also, otherwise the relationship you have may fall apart. If it is one sided for too long, that relationship starts to become parasitic. This is where one continues to benefit at the cost of the other.

            When you surround yourself with the people that you want to become you start to talk like them. You start to act like them and most importantly, you begin to think like them. You prepare yourself for the changes in yourself. This is why it is important to be aware of your surroundings. Unless your friend group is toxic to your life and who you want to become, I don’t think you should leave them all behind you. Long friendships are something to value and cherish. Like I said before though, there needs to be value added from both parties to make that relationship work better. Challenge each other is a positive way so that you both continue to grow.  At the end of the day the important thing to remember is that your surroundings help influence your life and your decisions. Sometimes to make the big changes if your life you have to decide what you want to keep in your surroundings and what you need to get rid of. 

 

 

            Much Love and God Bless      

Weekend Reflection

Weekend reflection. As the weather starts to get hot and the sun is shining, I want to take a moment to reflect. This week was my first week back to work in 2 months. I am happy and unhappy to be back. I’m happy to be back in a routine but I am going to miss spending so much time with the fiancé and the puppers. I did get use to all the cuddles. I’ve stayed busy this week between work, running errands, changing brakes, cutting lawns and more. Today and tomorrow I plan on relaxing and spending quality time with the fiancé and puppers outside while it is nice.           It’s important this weekend to remember why we have this long weekend in the first place. This weekend we remember all those who have sacrificed in order to protect our country and the freedoms we get to enjoy. I know right now with the government restrictions; some people feel we don’t have those freedoms. This time will pass however, and we will be stronger in the long run. I want to thank all of those who have served and send my condolences to the families that have lost loved ones fighting for our country. The military is something that is not for me but I respect the hell out of anyone that answers that call.

            I plan on making some cornhole boards hopefully this evening and finding bean bags so we can continue to enjoy this weather tomorrow. This weather makes me want a boat that much more so we could be out on the water with friends and family and jump in the lake when we get too hot. Spend this time with those that you love and remember all of those who are no longer with us this weekend. Stay safe and soak up the memories.

 

            Much Love and God Bless

           

Maintenance

As some of you may have noticed, I did miss a day of posting. I did say that I would do my best to post every day for a while, but I was unprepared on Thursday. I do have a valid excuse though. I was finally changing my brake pads, rotors, and calipers with the help of a good buddy of mine. This event took longer than planned and left me no time to focus on this blog. If you would have seen my front driver side brake however, you would understand that it NEEDED to be done. Matter of fact I will attach a photo below.

            Thinking about vehicle maintenance transitions into a good topic. Just like a vehicle, your body and your mind need regular tune ups and checkups. In order for a vehicle to work properly, all the parts need to work properly and together to get you from point A to point B safely. As you can see in the picture, safety was lacking! It is important to take time for yourself and to make sure that everything for you is in order and working properly. Take the time and check your physical health, your mental health, your dental health…just check it all. Sometimes in life things will happen and that will act as a warning sign that something may be afoot. For my brake assembly, as you may imagine, every time I hit that brakes, I was getting reminded that something is off. Obviously, I knew that I had to do something about it, so that’s what we did. We took the time to take it all apart, checkup other key components while we had access, and addressed the issues.  

            Leading up to this there were warning signs. These warning signs may have told me to change the brakes in a timelier manner before they got as bad as they did, but to be honest, I am a bit of a procrastinator. For a while, I could tell when I let my foot off the gas that the truck would slow down almost as if the brake was slightly engaged. It was something that always had me curious. I just never took the time to dive in and see what was going on. This is something to note, signs can come from all around and in many forms. Sometimes this sign will be big and flashy and grab your attention right away. The screeching from my brakes sure did the trick. Other times however, the warning can be subtle, and you really have to be in tune with yourself to pick up on these warnings. The truck seemingly slowing down faster than it should when I let up off the gas is an example of a small warning sign.

            For your own health, a small warning sign may be small headaches that are more frequent. Maybe your noticing a tooth that aches a little when you eat ice cream. You could have random numbness in your fingers or toes. All these are things that you should pay attention to because they may be leading up to something bigger. The small headaches could be a brain tumor. The tooth aches with different temperatures could be a root canal. I am not really sure what the numbness could be signifying though, I haven’t taken medical classes, but just use your imagination.

            Other times there may be no warning signs. You could have a heart attack. You could faint while at the wheel and crash. This is why it is important to have regular checkups to help monitor your health. Just like many things in life, it is typically easier to maintain than to outright fix or change something. If I would have maintained my trucks brakes better and inspected them myself sooner, maybe we wouldn’t have had to use a 6-foot post to get the lug nuts off or a sledgehammer to get the rotors off.

            You also have to take care of your mental health. Take the time to meditate, relax, or see a therapist. Find ways to get your head right if you are feeling a little off. It is easy to overlook warning signs of mental stress as there typically isn’t a physical pain involved.

The point is, take or make the time to spend on yourself and make sure that you are operating the way you should be. If this isn’t something you already do, start by doing this once a month. Sit down and really write down the things that you feel may be off. Analyze what you write and make actions accordingly. As time goes on, try to do this as frequently as possible. The more you take care of yourself the better you will feel and the more productive you will become.

 

Much Love and God Bless

Are you in a Slump?

Let’s talk about slumps and getting out of them. This seems fitting for a couple reasons. The first reason is because it is easy to get stuck in the rhythm of things. The problem with that is, not all rhythms are productive. Some are just going through the motions.  It may not be a bad place to be, but I would argue that any time you are not growing, is time lost. I say that because there is so much out in the world and to be in a place where you could say, I think I’ve learned all I want to in this world, seems unfathomable. I’m not saying that you should all be out there trying to find the cure to cancer. (if that is something that you do, however, keep up the good work and keeping searching for better cures!) I’m just saying that there must be some part of your life that you can always work on to improve.

            Another reason this seems fitting, is many people that have had to stay home from work or school because of the pandemic have faced a change in their routine. This routine may have been the thing that keeps everything flowing for you. Getting up early for work is one thing that kept me on a routine. This gets me up and my blood flowing early on in the day and sets the rest of my day in motion. As I am on my feet, I am thinking about all the things that I want to do after work or all the dreams that I have. Not having to wake up in the morning for 2 months was actually kind of a downside. I loved sleeping in, but it allowed me to be lazy. I wasn’t getting my blood pumping and my mind going early like I was before. I would get up just to go to the couch to watch tv. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy this for a little while, however, I found myself not wanting to do much besides that either. Like Newton’s first law of motion, every object in a state of uniform motion will remain in that state of motion unless an external force acts on it. I found myself in a state of rest all the time.

            Another slump that I find myself in, is trying to write this blog. As good as all this content is, it can be difficult to start them. I have a list of topics to write about and it can still be tricky to start. With that being said however, once I get going, the words start to damn near type themselves. Let’s blame my grammatical errors on that fact. Even if you are facing something that you want to do, you can still find yourself in a slump. How do you get out of a slump? How do you find the ability to get motivated? It may be different for everyone. What works for me, may not work for you. For myself, just like Nike says, I have to “Just do it”. I have to force myself to start something and then I will realize quickly if it is something that ill be able to stick to. Each blog can be a battle. I may get a couple sentences down and then shift ideas and have to start a new one. This has actually happened to me multiple times in the few posts that I have.

            You don’t have to be upset when you fall into a slump. You just have to be able to realize that you are in one and be able to pick yourself up out of it. Maybe you have to ask for help. Don’t ever be too proud or embarrassed to ask for help. People need help all the time. I find it to be a good trait to be able to ask for help when you don’t have the answer or the motivation to make a change. You are not the only person to go through whatever slump you are going through. Talk to others and it will surprise you how many people deal with the same thing. Facebook is a great place to look for different groups that may be directly related to what you are going through.

            Maybe you are in a slump right now and just needed some sort of sign to make that change. This is it. I’m am telling you right now, if you are in a slump, do something about it.

·         Realize

·         Refocus

·         Recommit

Think of why you are in it. Think about what it looks like to not be in that slump for you. Ready for the big advice. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

 

            Much Love and God Bless

What type of worker are you?

What does work ethic mean to you?

            Whether you are an employee or an employer, you need to have an idea of what work ethic is. To me, work ethic is your drive to perform. Your punctuality of time and responsibility. Are you showing up to work on time or are you late every day? When you are at work, do you perform your best or do you half ass it just to get a paycheck. This is something that every person needs to step back and ask themselves to define. Once you define it, you then get to ask yourself the next important question. Do you have a good work ethic?

            I take pride in my work ethic. I do my best to show up on time to work every day. I try to leave any bad mood I may have at the door and step into work with positivity. While I am there I plan on working. Every job interview I have ever had, I make it a point to tell them I want to learn everything there is to learn to be the best person at my job. I want to make myself an asset. This way if shit ever hits the fan, I am one of the people that they would want to keep around instead of someone that drags their feet all day and complains all the time. Let’s be honest, most workplaces have that person. If you are not sure who that person may be at your work...well it might be you, so try and correct the action so people don’t try to avoid you at work.

            If I ever were to become an employer, work ethic is something that I would take seriously. Although I would strive to find people that believe in the mission of the company to work for me, that may not always be why someone wants to work for you. Let’s face it, some jobs are temporary steppingstones for people. Nevertheless, I would still expect these people to show up with a good attitude, on time, and ready to work. I haven’t loved every job I have ever had. That doesn’t mean that I go into that job hating my life. I recognize that it may not be my dream job, but it is the job that is in front of me right now. Its time to bust my butt and gain experience along the way so that when I am presented that dream job, I’ll be ready for it.

            Work ethic is something that is able to improve. Its not set in stone that you either have a good or bad work ethic. There is always room to improve and it is something that I strive for. I never want to be the type of employee that is just skating by. I want to be the employee who shows up every day, asking what more can I do to grow. I believe that isn’t as common as it should be amongst people now a days. Many people have entitlement issues and have been spoiled way too much over their lifetime. Be the type of employee that you would want to hire if you owned a company.

            Much Love and God Bless

Having Faith

Alright people, this one is going to hit just a little different today. Today is going to be more about faith, God and Jesus. I know I will lose some of you with this topic. Not everyone believes in the same thing as others and that is perfectly fine. This is something that I struggled with for a while myself. I want it to be clear that in no way do I look down or think differently of anybody that has different beliefs. I won’t try to push or force my beliefs on you either. However, this is something that is important to me and helps guide me through life.

            With that being said let’s take it to the beginning. In kindergarten, I went to a catholic school. Only one year but it counts. I was raised catholic, if you aren’t familiar it’s the one where you stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down, stand up, kneel, sit down, and so on. Its obviously a lot more than that but that is a big difference between that and a Christian church from my experience. I also won’t pretend like I know it all about the bible and all the stories. Growing up catholic was tricky, being young I never liked going to church. It was something that I didn’t understand. There is all these rules and prayers (that never seem to stop changing) and as a kid it was hard to follow. As I got older, I wouldn’t go as frequently though. I went through catechism but struggled to follow along with the teachings at that point also. More time went on and I would find myself only going to the real big masses. The Christmas, Easter, Palm Sundays and so on.

            Come high school is when I began to resent the religion that I grew up in. It was during a world history class that I started to question it all. Learning about the Roman Catholics and the church in those times just made we think. Why? Why does it seem like you have to buy your way into heaven? I remember reading how when a family member would pass, another member of the family would walk to the main church and practically crawl up the stairs to a higher member of the church. They would essentially have to pay to get a prayer to allow their family member to get to heaven. At least that’s how I interpreted it. It just rubbed me the wrong way to think that you have to buy your way into heaven. I never stopped believing in god through this, I just found myself questioning the structure of church in general.

            And then came my fiancé. She was raised in both catholic and Christian churches. She is more involved in the Christian church, however. Pretty early on into our relationship she had asked me to go to church with her. I told her how I was hesitant and why I felt the way I did. She understood, so I decided I would give this church a try. And wouldn’t you believe it, the first time I felt really connecting in a deeper way to God was during this time. The pastor even spoke about how so many people try to put such strict rules on religion and if you didn’t follow them you are going to hell. This pastor however, said that what it really boils down to is that you believe in Jesus. You believe that he died for your sins on the cross and that he did that for you. If you believe that he is your lord and savior, that is all you really need to build from. Everyone will interpret the readings in different ways and that is okay. For me, I believe that Jesus did die for us and sacrificed himself for our sins. He did that so that we may join him in heaven when it is our time. I also believe that the simplest way to prove that you are Christian is to just be a decent human being to one another. Try not to judge others. It is okay to believe different things as long as you are still a kind human to one another.

            As more time would go on, I found this particular church speaking to me every single time I went. I didn’t go every weekend but every time I did go, somehow the message seemed tailored to exactly what I was dealing with. Dealing with my best friend's suicide is something that I really struggled with. This can be a deeper topic for another time. However, the church and Jesus are huge parts of my healing of this loss. The messages helped guide me to be able to talk about what was on my mind and the way that I struggled with this. I don’t believe that I would have come to terms with it when I did if it wasn’t for God.

            My faith was also there for me when I lost my sister. What is such a difficult time to think about and to put myself back in the emotions that I was feeling that day is hard. But it is a big part of this story. This will also end up being its own post at a later date because my sister is someone that I looked up to so much and she deserves to be shared with all of you in that way. Regardless, after receiving the call and my family coming together at my sister’s house, I felt so defeated and hurt. I remember turning to my fiancé and saying that I’m not really sure why, but I feel like I need to go to church tomorrow. This was probably the first time in my life that I felt such a strong pull to go to church. It was like someone took my hand and was saying follow me. It ended up being the first step that I needed in order to deal with the loss of my sister.

There is comfort in having faith in God. It can bring great peace. It can be difficult from time to time though too. I still sometimes question why God would let something terrible happen to people and how it doesn’t seem fair. These are the times that really test your faith. It is in these terrible times that make you realize that not everything will make sense. To hold onto that faith in the difficult times and to believe that it will get better because you have the greatest fighter fighting for you is powerful. I know that things will get better. As cliché as it is, ask yourself what would Jesus do, the next time that you find yourself facing a difficult decision or point in your life. You may be surprised at how he can help you.

I know this was a little longer than other posts so far and I thank you for taking the time to read it. This is something that just was really on my mind today as I go through a big transition in my life and need guidance. I have my faith though and I know that things will work out because I’m not alone. I have the greatest fighter fighting for me.

 

Much Love and God Bless.

I Got This

            Welcome back to another day and another post. If I asked you to go up to a stranger and introduce yourself, could you do it? Would you say, “no problem, I got this” or would your response maybe be, “are you out of your mind?” If someone were to ask me to do this, chances are that my response could be somewhere in the middle. It really would just depend on the day. Although, to be completely honest it would probably more often be like the second answer. This leads me to todays topic, Confidence.

            Confidence can be a weird thing sometimes. It’s something that can be difficult to achieve depending on your own mental and outlook. It is absolutely something that can be worked on and increased when you put your mind to it, however. Confidence to me is directly corelated to your own self-image and self-esteem. If these are low than your confidence is most likely to be low. If these are high, then you guessed it, your confidence is more likely to be high. Confidence is also more than just if you can go talk to a stranger or not. It is a part of your daily life and is so important when trying new things.

            If you were to go and try anything new today, chances are that your confidence level will help determine how great (or bad) that experience may be. I will give an example of both sides of the spectrum with job interview scenarios. Before I took the job that I am currently in, I was actually looking at multiple jobs. I had narrowed it down to 2 potential jobs. One job being an assistant warehouse manager for a family owned flooring store and the other being for a maintenance apprentice at Bedrock Detroit. As you can see, these jobs are very different in the type of work, location, and responsibilities required. My previous job was for another family owned flooring company where I worked in the warehouse but not as an assistant manager. I had an interview at both within a week of each other.

            Going into the interview for the flooring company I felt more prepared as I had experience in the field, I know I am capable to fulfill the job requirements, and I felt confident. To be transparent, I went into this interview with almost complete dumb confidence. I didn’t exactly expect to land the job as I was asking for more than what the position was listed for. I had no real expectation that I would get it for that reason and figured it wouldn’t be the end of the world to stay at my previous position. Going in with this much confidence, however, was a huge benefit. I answered every question quickly and positively. I essentially went into the interview cocky, and let me tell you, the interview went perfect. They fell in love with me and offered me a position on the spot. I didn’t accept right away because again I had another interview to go on and I felt confident that they would wait another week for me to say yes.

            The second interview with Bedrock Detroit was not nearly as smooth as the previous interview. I am not super familiar with navigating Detroit and that added its own set of issues. I didn’t have experience in the field whatsoever and did not feel confident. Realistically I probably only got the interview because of a buddy of mine that worked for this company at the time. In the interview I was stumbling answers, had longer pauses, and was just nervous the entire time. It ended with being told that I’m not exactly what they were looking for but to give them a week and they may call me to check in on some homework they had given me to do. Although I knew I was under qualified for the position, if I would have been confident in myself and put more emphasis on the type of employee and person that I am, the interview could have gone a lot better.

            You see it is not always about having the right answer or having all the knowledge. Confidence is shown through your body language, the way you articulate answers, and your overall presentation of yourself. When you are confident you can go into something with your head up and be aware of the different outcomes but be rest assured that it doesn’t matter what the outcome is if you give it your all. It may not work out in your favor but guess what, you can go back to the drawing board and figure out what you need to do better. Like Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that wont work”. Confidence can allow you to take that leap and not worry the entire way. Building confidence takes time and you have to allow yourself to become vulnerable. Overtime though it gets better and better and you will notice yourself gaining more opportunities. Leave a comment below about something that has helped you gain confidence or a time you were confident.

 

            Much love and God Bless.

Help Others Help You

Welcome back for another cruise down the boulevard. Let’s pretend that it is sunny and 75 with a beautiful sunset going down over the water. When was the last time that you helped someone else? When was the last time that you volunteered for something? Volunteering and helping others are the fastest way to actually help yourself without realizing it. What I mean by this is when you help out another person and do it for the sole purpose of helping them, you get something in return. After you help someone you will usually feel “good”. You know what I mean, go back to the second sentence of this post and imagine that feeling. That’s the one I am talking about.

            People all around the world need help every day. It can be as little as holding the door open for someone pushing a stroller or offer to pay the utilities for someone that is about to lose their house because they can’t pay their bills due to a medical emergency that happened and you offer to cover their utilities. The point is, if you want to volunteer, there are options everywhere. You just need to look.  Growing up I use to help at a food bank that my grandfather actually was in charge of for quite some years. As a little kid it wasn’t my favorite thing to do or look forward to though. When my parents would say we were going I would be hesitant and not want to. Once I got there though, things would change. I would start to get that good feeling from just the first family I help carry groceries for. These are people just like you and me that had fallen on hard times and just need some help. All I did was carry food. I didn’t think it was anything special, but the way that most of these people would thank me and be truly grateful for the help, would change my attitude. As the day would go on and we would help more people, that feeling got better and better. I'd start having more conversations and it felt good to see a smile on other peoples faces. By the end of the day when we would leave, i'd always feel comfort in knowing that we made a difference in someone’s life that day.

            Many people volunteer at children hospital wings and really do everything they can to make those kids feel just a little more at ease with whatever it is they are dealing with. When you give back and volunteer, you may be inspiring someone else to do the same as well. Whether it is the person that you helped or a friend that watched you go volunteer, it is likely that they may go and do the same because they can see the way that it made you feel and the way that it made an impact. I truly believe that what goes around comes around and that can happen in so many different ways. You never know if you may need help one day,  and when you do, I know you will be grateful when someone is there for you.

            I want to challenge you all to find a way to either volunteer in the next month or find a way to help another person. I understand with current conditions it may be a little hard to get out there and feel safe. By all means, only do something if you feel safe doing it. I will look into volunteering somewhere myself, or see what I can do to either help another. If you have any good ideas in the local Detroit area let me know! If you aren’t from this area, then maybe comment below something you could do in your area. During these pandemic times, there are more people than ever that could use a hand.

 

            Much Love and God Bless

Be Creative

      In a world riddled with rules and limits all around, it can be difficult to take a step back and allow yourselves to create. Being creative is something that is so beautiful and so pure. Think about it, if you are in a room full of kindergarteners and ask them to draw for an hour, what do you think you would see? You might see a stick figure family. You might see a dog, cat, or other animal. When I was that age all I could draw was a terrible beach with outlandish waves. Oh, and seagulls, lots and lots of seagulls! Now, if you were to ask each kid to explain what they drew, I bet you would be really surprised with what some of the kids come up with. On paper it may just be a stick family and a car with 1 and a half wheels. But, when they explain it, it may be a family that is going on a camping trip. There is only 1 and a half wheels because dad simply forgot to put the others on before they left. They just got done swimming at the lake and are getting ready to start a fire and cook smores. That is what is so neat about creativity. If you can dream it, you can make it possible in a picture.

                                                                                            

            Kids are such a good example of what it means to be creative. At their age, they haven’t learned all the different life “rules” and they don’t know what certain limits are. That is POWERFUL. To be able to think and imagine something with absolutely no boundaries is something that I wish all people could do. Creativity is something that keeps the mind fresh and sharp. It allows you to think of solutions to problems in a way that others can’t due to their own “limits”. Creativity can be way more than just a drawing or solution. Open creativity can allow you to come up with a room design that stands out. It can allow you to come up with a game that could be so simple but allow you to have countless hours of joy at the same time. For real, my dad had my brother, my friends and I throwing a tennis ball at the curb all afternoon for days. You can think of something, and then if you are mechanically inclined, build something that no one else has.

            I’ve been trying to build more things from scrap wood that I find. Pallets have been an excellent source of wood for many projects lately. I have built many different things for my wedding in September already. Taking the time to think creatively has been a huge part of that. Woodworking is something that can be so neat to do and be creative with. There are many tools that I could acquire that would allow me to step up my creativity also. We currently have some 2x6 lumber that is from a warehouse rack that we are trying to figure out what to make. We have considered an outdoor farmhouse patio table. Maybe it will be a bench. We could make some sort of shelving or chair out of the wood as well. The beauty is that if we allow ourselves to truly get creative, the possibilities are endless.

            If you need help to improve your creativity, I would recommend picking up a coloring book. I know, you’re probably thinking, “why would I want a coloring book?”. Let me tell you why, you can have a starting point and then be as creative as you want with colors to make the picture come to life. Do this for a while and maybe you will start freehand drawing. If you like music, put music on and just let yourself free. Pick up a guitar or sit down at a piano and just let the instruments start almost playing themselves. Explore different notes and see what sounds good together. You might end up writing a song or more. The point is, you have to let yourself tear down your own limits and boundaries from time to time to really embrace your creative side.

            This blog is what my go to is currently for trying to be creative and think outside of my own box.  If you would have asked me 2 weeks ago if I would create a blog, I would have said you were crazy. I’m ripping down my own limits and barriers however to let the creativity flow. Take some time in the next few days and get comfy. Throw on your favorite sweatpants and hoodie and relax. Sit down with some music of your choice and try something creative. Draw a picture. Write a story. Get really crazy and take a bunch of cans out of the cupboards and build a fort. Figure out the different ways you can make a castle out of spaghettio’s. I would love to see what you come up with. Leave a comment or picture below of something that you created or came up with.

            Much Love and God Bless

Visual

This is just a few ideas of what your vision board could look like. Tailor it to what suits you and will help you remember your goals. 

                      

What are Your Goals

           Good morning to you all. I hope that you all are hanging in there with the pandemic and are taking this time to try and do something that is going to be beneficial in the long run for you. This is a perfect time to reflect and figure out if there are changes in your life that maybe you should be making. It is also a perfect time to put this plan into action, whatever that may be. When I first started typing this, I was planning on talking about confidence and how confidence is the key to open so many doors in life. I think I’m going to flip the script though. Something that is just sitting on my mind more so than anything else right now is goals and goal planning

            When someone asks you what your goals are what do you think of? For real, take a second and think about what your goals are right now. Either just think them in your head or even write them down on some scrap paper if you have it laying around. This question can be very broad in the way that you can analyze the question. You may be thinking about goals that are for the day, week, month, year, 5-year, 10 year and even longer. Goals are a driving force that can really kick you in the ass if you look at them daily or weekly and, let these goals help you make decisions.

            At first, your goals can be a little vague as to get the framework of what you are trying to accomplish down in writing. Think of it as building a house. You need to start with the foundation and work your way up until you have walls and can now decorate. It is easy to start simple and work more detail as you go. An example is, in the next year my goal is to change jobs and get into an actual career. As you can see, that is a very basic starting point. I could then get into what exactly I want to do for work, in what amount of time I want to make this change, and even what it may look like once I reach that goal. Once you put more detail into your goals it is easier to make an action plan and figure out how you will attack and reach the goals you have set. To visualize your goal and what it will look like once it is accomplished adds a deeper layer. This allows you to focus in on your goal and pick every action that will get you to exactly that point that you envisioned.

            I can admit that I need to work on my goal setting and visualizing. I won’t say that I always do this or that I’m perfect by any means. I can tell you though, from the times that I have written my goals out on paper, took the time to work the details, and visualize the end result that it happens much faster than if I didn’t. It is important to look at your goals daily if you can as well. Many people make vision boards so they can see what their goals or dreams are that they are working towards. I personally have a vision board, although it needs a little facelift it helps me stay focused on what it is that I want to accomplish. A vision board mixed with a journal of some sort is an exceptional combo. The board lets you see your goals and then if you start to forget what some of the details are that you told yourself you need to take to get there, you can refresh and refocus after reading the journal.

            Another trick that can help you stay focused and geared up to tackle your goal is to SHARE IT. When you share your goal with close friends or family you are actually speaking it into existence and allowing people to hold you accountable for your goals. In a way, that is what this blog is for me. This is going to challenge me to stay on top of my goals, one of those being to keep blogging regularly and to keep improving my writing. One thing that I have struggled with in the past is not following through and this will help me. Don’t think, however, that if you do fall off track that you are a failure. No, you are just a person, it will happen from time to time but it is not the act of failing that will define you, it is what you do to get back to the grind and back to your goal that shows what you are made of. I believe that everybody can reach their goals when they truly put their mind to it. Oh, and DREAM BIG. This is something that I have written on a chalkboard that hangs in the garage, so I see it every single time I come home. Side note, maybe I should move this to a spot that I see it as I leave the house instead.

            I will leave you with this, take some time today and think about your goals. Your short term and your long-term goals. Write them down, record them on your phone, make a vision board, it doesn’t matter how you do it just get those goals down somewhere that you can revisit them often. Figure out a plan for how you can reach those goals. Speak it into existence. Let others hold you accountable for these goals. Leave a comment below of one goal if you would like and we can all try to hold each other accountable.

 

            Much love and God Bless

Grateful

What’s up everybody? How are you all doing today? Today it is a Wednesday evening with beautiful weather. It is a little chilly out, but the sky is clear, and the wind is almost nonexistent. We had gotten a swinging bench set up which was my fiancés grandparents and she has been asking me FOREVER to get this thing set up. I finally had found the chains needed to make it happen and although it is not perfect yet (got to repaint the frame and find some s hooks) it is perfect for sitting outside and enjoying this weather. Its about 9pm currently and I just started a fire in our firepit that sits about 5 feet in front of the swing. Fun fact about me is that I really enjoy being outdoors and sitting by a fire, it's one of my favorite things to do to relax. That’s what leads to this post today.

            Today I am embracing gratitude. Every day comes with its own struggles from all different sources but one thing that I can do to combat that is reflect and be grateful for the joys in my life. There are many people out there that say you should start your day by making a list of things that you are grateful for. I have tried this, and it does affect the way that you tackle the day but you have to be really committed to doing this if you are going to try to do this every day. I am guilty of giving up after a couple days because let’s face it, sometimes I just want to sleep for another 10 minutes in the morning before I have to get up. Although I may not practice this on a daily basis as I should it is important to me to take time and just stop. Stop the surrounding noises and really just FEEL a moment. That’s what I am doing right now. Glance at the fire and watch the way that it dances off the wood. Look to my left and watch our dog chew on yet another tennis ball that only lasts a day if we are lucky. Listen to the birds sing to each other in the distant trees. Take a deep breath and get that mix of fresh air and that sweet smell of bonfire. This is a moment that I love and that I am grateful to be able to have. People are struggling all over the world and I am fortunate enough to not be down to my last dollar. By no means am I swimming in money, but I am able to go to bed and wake up tomorrow knowing that we are going to be okay.

            I try to find moments like this when I can take that step back and soak it up and really enjoy it. I have heard people refer to it as taking a mental snapshot. Although my memory sucks and my fiancé can attest to that on the daily, I try to really capture moments when I catch myself feeling euphoric. These are moments that I cherish. A few specific ones come to mind anytime that I think about moments where I am truly happy and have not the slightest worry in the world. One of which is a moment when I was up north with some friends riding my atv through the trails near Indian river. There was a stretch of trial that I remember just standing up as I rode and looking from side to side and just taking in the scenery. To my left the woods sloped up a 50-foot hill with the trees just reaching for the sky. It was a beautiful blue-sky day and the trees seemed extra green. I look forward and just see nothing but empty trial and the sun shining through. This is one of those moments where I forget about everything and just am THERE.

            Another moment that stands out happened when I was driving. Me and my fiancé were headed east on 696 with the windows down, the sun shining, and the weather was warm. This moment happened just a few months after I bought my first truck which is my dream vehicle as it is. Anyway, as were driving, my fiancé was sitting crisscross on the seat and had her big sunglasses on. The music was on and man was she singing every word. I caught myself staring at her in awe and just thinking that I have everything that I want right here. I finally have a truck that I have been wanting since I first was able to drive. I have the love of my life next to me. And in this moment, everything felt perfect. I am forever grateful for that.

            When trying to write or think about things that you are grateful for, it can be big life things, or it could be as little as you found matching socks in less that 5 minutes. The important thing is that you take that time to appreciate and acknowledge the things that you are grateful for and be thankful that they are possible. Try to do this every day if you can but if not just try to do it a couple times a week. Especially do this if there is a lot of stress going on in your life and you feel like everything is against you. Taking the time to realize the things that are going good can completely change your mood and day.

           

 

            Much love and God bless

Stress

STRESS, this can be a very daunting emotion to feel. Stress can cause people to feel sick on many different levels depending on how they cope with it. Unfortunately, in today’s time stress is just about everywhere especially in the midst of a global pandemic. Maybe your stressed about money and the fact that you have been off work for going on 6 weeks and trying to tackle the unemployment route. I can tell you firsthand that with the number of claims, all it takes is one wrong answer to cause all sorts of headaches due to how long it takes to get things sorted out. I’m not happy to be trying to collect unemployment right now but I know I am not alone. I just wish that I wouldn’t have answered anything incorrectly and I wouldn’t be waiting on 5 (soon to be 6) weeks of back-pay currently.

            Stress can also come from events that are planned for the future but have no clue what may happen since the government is extremely vague with numbers that they expect as far as gathering sizes go. The important thing with stress is trying to find a positive way to deal with it. Always easier said than done but you truly do get out what you put into it. The first thing I want to do is turn to comfort food and do nothing but watch movies. Try to forget about the problems and pretend they don’t exist. This may work for a while, but it doesn’t solve any issues. Others may turn to alcohol or drugs to ease the stress. That also is not a productive way to handle situations. I think it is important to feel emotions as they come but to not dwell on negative emotions. It is fine to feel sad or overwhelmed with stress, but it is equally important to move forward and correct the stress.

            Correcting the stress may not mean that you solve the problem that is causing it, however, correcting it could be just the way you handle it. For me, sunshine helps A LOT. Getting outside to soak up the sun and fresh air definitely help me feel more at peace even when the world could be crashing. I find myself trying to process what is going on and really think about what I may be able to do to reduce the stress. I try to find a deeper meaning or good in any situation. Something that Ed Mylett says often on his podcasts is that things happen for us and not to us. Just this simple mindset change can transform almost any situation into something that you can use to be positive. It forces you to really examine what is going on and pick it apart. Typically, every situation could be worse. Bad days and bad situations can be tough, but THEY DON’T LAST. You need to remember that everything can change and all it takes to start that change is a simple choice of how to handle it.    

            If your currently feeling stressed, try to look at it from a different angle and find something positive that can come from it. Drop a comment below and let it off your chest. Talk to others and see what good may be hiding in the shadows.

 

Much love and God Bless

TAKE A CHANCE

            There is a lot that has happened to get me to where I am at as far as deciding to start this. Really, almost 25 years of life events, relationships, school, work, and everything else that has got me to where I am today. The biggest thing that made me even think about starting a blog, is because we are currently in a global pandemic and in the middle of a government stay at home order. (I live in Michigan). I am off of work and I am really getting a lot of time to think about what I want to do with my life. I work for a flooring company, but I know that is not what I want to do long term. The other route I am working on is trying to become an electrician, however, i'm in the very early stages of that, as I don’t even have a job in that field. With the shutdown going on and the economy taking a hit everything is just moving kind of slow. That’s okay though, I am a patient man. I know all good things take time and that god has a way of working things out.

            I found myself looking at a job posting on Facebook and was thinking to myself “is this something I could do?” I ended up googling the job and what type of tips there are and one of the websites had mentioned that a lot of people that have been successful in this field have had previously or still currently have a blog. When I was younger I actually had a blog for a split second (don’t try to find it.. it is gone I promise!!!!). As this is something that I had once considered I figured what the hell, worst that can happen is that nobody will read it and I just talk to myself and have a virtual journal for all to read. I figure there are multiple benefits that could come from this such as being able to articulate my thoughts onto some sort of “paper”. If I begin to get traction, then that will make me stay up to date with it and continue to challenge myself to dive into my thoughts more. I plan to get vulnerable at times when I believe it will benefit others or myself. I guess at this point it kind of seems like this will be somewhat of a self improvementish type of thing. As for the job posting that began this search, only time will tell if that is something to pursue.

            All of these leads into what I guess we can talk about today. That is going to be TAKING CHANCES. As I have said before I have listened to multiple podcasts and an overwhelming theme of many are that you have to take chances in life. You will miss every opportunity by not taking action. You have to be able to get UNCOMFORTABLE in order to grow. If you really look back at any moments in time that you made a big step forward in anything, chances are that you were uncomfortable going into that situation. For myself personally there were many times that I have really had to “embrace the suck” but have come out of that experience gaining something. Great things come from when you force yourself into the land of uncomfort. The biggest example that I have that stands out above all others is when I had finally met my fiancé. We first met online as many people do know a days. When I had seen her picture I just stopped and thought to myself, “dang this girl is beautiful”. We had exchanged messages a few days, but nothing seemed to be coming from it. About a week after we last talked, she added me on snapchat by phone number. I sent a message just asking who it was because again at this time we haven’t had much conversation. After realizing it was the beautiful woman that had caught my attention before I knew I had to pursue her more. I finally had asked if she would want to meet and she had said she was sick. Something about her though made me do something different.

            I am typically a shy person. I don’t exactly like being the center of attention and get especially anxious when it comes to meeting new people in any setting, however, I found myself asking her if I could bring her soup. I like to try to be there for others and help out in any way that I can. Although we have never met, I knew that when I feel sick some soup usually hits the spot. She originally had said not tonight but I stayed persistent. She had finally agreed to meet me (she really did this because she believed I thought she was lying and wanted to prove me wrong). When I say I was scared s***less driving to her place I mean it. I was panicking in the car and second guessing if I really wanted to step out of this comfort zone. Well I did, so I show up, tomato soup, box of Kleenex, cough drops and cepicol in tow. She sounded like an old man because of her throat and she sure proved to me that she was indeed not feeling well. We sat at opposite ends of the table (again because I had no clue what I was doing at this point, still just nervous as ever) and talked for what felt like minutes but was actually hours.

            I was going through my own things at the time and so was she but somehow, we both got each other to open up about these situations like we were sitting at confession. The conversation just naturally flowed even though I felt like I was drowning at times. Regardless the night came to an end and it was time to leave. (here comes the proof of being shy) I left with a nice to meet you and not even a high five, handshake or hug… NOTHING. I got in my car feeling like a fricken idiot, but I was still proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone. Fast forward to where we are now, and we are planning our wedding and lives together! There is way more in the last 2 and a half years that got us here and I am sure that some of those moments will come up later on.

            I will explore this topic again at a later date because I feel it is such an important point to make. But until then, let me know a time that you had stepped out of your comfort zone and took a chance.

            Much love and god bless.

Welcome to ME

Whats up everybody, my name is Christopher Carl and I have no idea what the heck I am getting myself into. Right off the bat some of you may be asking who is this guy and why would I waste my time reading anything this person has to say. To answer that question, it will take a while I feel to really get you all to a point where you can say that you kind of know me. It is difficult to really capture a persona or true character of a person I feel like through written words. Maybe that is because I don’t read enough and haven’t made connections through literature like others have. Guess what, I plan on working on that throughout whatever this may become. As to the second part of the question, I implore you to take anything that I write (type) with a grain of salt and only truly listen if you feel it is something that will benefit OTHERS or yourself in a positive way. Also, I ask that you take the time to read this as well as future writing as a favor to me. I look forward to feedback and open communication.   

            You see as I have stated above, I have NO CLUE WHAT I AM DOING HERE. Here meaning writing this out and I think making a blog? I guess that is one thing that I am sure about. I plan to create and produce some sort of blog to freely vent, express, explore myself and who knows, I may just help other people along the way. I feel it is important to put in here right off the back that I am an expert in NOTHING when it comes to personal development and have not studied anything in the field with the exception of listening to different podcasts and feeling inspired along the way. I plan to use this blog as a way to find my deeper identity, ways that I can help others, and ultimately find ways that I can become a better version of myself.

            To continue this any further, I feel I need to start providing information about myself. I will let you in on a secret though… I will do this over a period of time and figure out stories that go with whatever topic I may have on my mind on the given day that I type this out. To start with the basics; I am currently 24 years old. I have a fiancé that I currently live with and cannot wait to marry (even amid all the global pandemic stuff). I have one brother that is 2 years older and currently in the navy. I have an older sister that unfortunately passed away May 4^th, 2019 (this will definitely be brought up in a later episode). Side note: I don’t know if blogs are technically filed as an episode or what the terminology is so just work with me here! Fortunately, both my parents are still alive, but they are separated. No ill will between either, just life happens, and decisions are made. Again, this will be covered later on as well. That is the basics of my very immediate family and each person will play a role in what is to come of this. I look forward to see where this journey takes us.

            Much love and god bless.