Once upon a time, a blog was a social media platform
I created a blog in 2009 that grew quickly. The American economy had just crashed. I lost my almost 7-year job in a massive corporate layoff. Most Americans were impacted. And you couldn’t just work harder to succeed.
You had to reinvent yourself (similar to the 2020 unprecedented time in history). So, I started blogging about deals offered from local businesses in a relatively, smaller town that I lived in, where no one there was doing what I was promoting on the internet.
Back then, I had a voice in a small backyard, such as the influence of a bigger fish in a small pond. I don’t know now if I would have had the same success if I wrote reviews in a larger pond backdrop like the Washington DC metro area I grew up in. …
I can hear helicopters circling around outside as I’m writing this. There’s a protest that’s happening outside and visible for everyone to see on the news.
There’s so many reasons to feel like the world can be ending and the sky is falling. It can feel like we’re amidst chaos or a war, and we need to survive.
But it doesn’t have to for you.
Whatever is happening (or not going on) in your life, strive to put one foot in front of the other.
When I was younger, the Red Hot Chili Peppers was a popular band that rose in the grunge movement that was popular in the early 90’s. The grunge era expressed the end of the late 80’s happy-go-lucky, economy soaring, Reagan era days. …
They make people curious about you and your personality
Having seen thousands of Zoom backgrounds, the best ones have bookshelves. The lines create uniformity and balance to an irregular shape foreground, formed by your head and body.
Setting your camera straight and head-on, makes you look more flattering, just like in photos where up the chin photo shots can add extra unnecessary pounds. Use the depth and length of the room (not ceiling) to provide nice perspectives.
If you want a good Zoom background, use your home library or setup some books on shelves.
Books are interesting to anyone, as people are curious about what’s on your bookshelf. You open up your world to others about your reading tastes and what books have inspired you on your path of discovery. …
What is joy vs. happiness? Joy is happiness, but happiness isn’t always lasting and isn’t internal joy.
The feeling of joy is something you learn in life.
If you go on an experiential retreat, it will only be life changing for you with your active participation. Similarly, internal joy is deep and can only be fully captured with your own recorded real-life experience.
Words on paper just don’t give the meaning of joy, the richness in feeling that it is. Internal joy, brings peace and purpose. No anxiety, worry, or fear.
Written simply on paper, joy is an internal feeling of peace and contentment. …
How they can help us and never compete with us
As robots are already in the news, being used, and among us, we can learn to embrace them instead of fear them.
The first thing is to eliminate any robot anxiety or worries around how they will replace you and me in the workplace.
A human can creatively out-think a robot. Robots will never have the brain capacity we have.
They will never be able to feel deeply beyond their machinery mechanics allow (such as, the Tin Man in the “Wizard of Oz” who just wanted a heart).
Their happiness and sadness will never be as empathetic and compassionate as our humankind. They may have more peace than worriers, but they will never feel love, joy, and gratitude. …
You’ve come so far this year — don’t stop now.
As we look back on 2020, all is not lost and there will be many gains to report back. We have history as proof. On the other side from past pandemics and world wars, the world developed revolutionary new ways that may otherwise never have been birthed.
Growth is inevitable. Unlike war post-trauma, there was no personal attack on a country. We all rose together as a nation and a world.
Most importantly, we gained connection, compassion, empathy, and our human-ness in a non-stop growing digital world. We learned to pause and value people over things.
With the fresh start of 2021, we have a bittersweet beginning ahead, where a vaccine solution is out, but every day will not change immediately for us. …
I think this will get you thinking, even if you never used an old typewriter.
While 2020 is almost ending and most are ready to turn the digital calendar page, there’s a technology trend that’s not going away and has already showed up this year.
We’ve been officially introduced to future AI in our daily lives. We’ve seen glimpses on the news where drones deliver packages and prescriptions, robots deliver towels in a hotel, and take vital statistics from hospital patients. This is just the beginning of our future. It’s better to embrace and lean into your adaptable nature.
The changes happening today that are driven by technology, aren’t like fashion trends where one day a style is in, and the next day it’s out and you know they’ll come back. …
Grow to think bigger and better past your loss and insecurities.
When you’ve experienced a loss from a job, a relationship, your health, or a situation you didn’t expect to lose, you’re left with a form of pain and hurt.
Giving yourself tough love discipline and jumping back on the saddle isn’t going to snap you out of your sad memories immediately, but will help speed things up for your healing and moving on.
Suffering beyond letting out the emotional cry for a week, is optional. You don’t want to stay immobilized from life any longer than you have to.
You have more fearlessness inside you than you may think, if you intently search without a map, for the internal treasure chest full of love. …
Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
You’ve probably heard this famous Bible verse… “perfect love casts out fear.”
The opposite of love is not hate, it’s fear. Because fear pushes away love, of yourself and others. You have no feelings towards love in insecurity, judgment, or letting something so big take over your mind with worry.
Do you have fears or phobias that get triggered and maybe even more so this season?
You can end these fears.
Seeing How Far You’ve Come…
When I was a youth I had many fears and holding onto fears made my mind feel safe.
Facing your fears and seeing reality as safe, for being nothing that you can imagine is freeing and good healing therapy. …
Love on #HappyWorldKindnessDay
A woman once said to a man, “Did you open the door for me because I’m a woman?” The man answered, “No, I opened it because I’m a gentleman.”
What has happened with our society? A kind gesture, can be met with a cold, chip on the shoulder response. But, thankfully not in all cases. Chivalry is not dead. Courtesy still exists. There’s hope. With love.
The Hard Rock Café says it well with the following brand motto: Love All — Serve All, All Is One, Save The Planet, & Take Time To Be Kind
In essence, love and respect people. And take care of things. …
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