I Have A Question…

I was just wondering, when will all this political STUFF be over?

Everything is Relative

 There is a famous saying: “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” At times, human beings are not satisfied with what they have. People seem to do well until, unfortunately, they experience a loss. Then, usually, they want to be better - to experience the “green grass.” It’s human nature to always want to be better, to have more. Isn’t that what is meant by the phrase “dream big?” At times, dreaming big might be great; however, at other times one should be thankful for what one has.

Consider the story of the 85 year old grandmother taking her 5 year old grandson, Johnny, to the beach for the first time. She was so excited. She bought Johnny a brand new complete outfit for his first time at the beach: new cap, new swimsuit, new t-shirt, new shoes and a new sand bucket with a shovel.

They walked to the beach holding hands. As they got to the sand, Johnny said, “Grandma, because I can’t swim I won’t go near the water; so I’ll just dig up the sand with my new shovel far from the sea.”

However, Johnny had difficulty digging up the hard sand far from the water. Therefore, he said, “Grandma, this sand is too hard. Can I get close to the water where the sand is easier to dig?” Johnny quickly added, “But I promise I won’t go in the water.”

Hesitantly, the grandmother looked into Johnny’s begging big eyes and said, “Okay, but promise you won’t go in the water.”

Johnny screamed with glee, “I promise.” As he was close to the ocean he was having such a good time, digging and digging with ease in the soft sand. Unfortunately, a huge wave came on the shore and swallowed up little Johnny, taking him out to sea.

With her vigilant eyes, watching him from afar, his grandmother screamed, “Oh my God! Oh my God! Help me God!”

Just then, another huge wave thundered onto the beach from the ocean and “spit forth” little Johnny safely back on the shore.

Elated, the grandmother ran toward the boy and tightly hugged her 5 year old grandson. Wiping tears from her eyes she cried out as she looked toward the heavens, “Thank you God! Thank you so much!”

She then looked back down at her little sweet Johnny. She once again quickly looked back at the heavens and screamed, “Hey…Where’s his new cap!?”

—-

Life is full of people who are not satisfied and not thankful for what they have. Many times people are constantly dwelling on what they have lost, rather than being satisfied and thankful for what they still have left. Believe me, I speak from experience.

When I was 19 and well on my way to fulfilling my life-long dream of becoming a surgeon, I walked into a convenience store which was in the process of being robbed. One of the thieves shot me in the back of my head, leaving me for dead. However, I fooled everyone. Sure, I have my disabilities and I used to constantly dwell on the many things I had lost, being negative, saying, “Before I was shot I was athletic, now I can barely walk (with a significant limp), my arm is very weak, I speak somewhat slowly, my voice is hoarse. Before I was shot I could do 500 things really well, after the shooting, I can do only 200 things well. For a long time, I was constantly dwelling on the 300 things I had lost.” However, eventually I began focusing on the 200 things I could still do. It wasn’t easy and it took me a long time, but refocusing one’s attitude is crucial - not merely for people shot in the head, not merely for people who are sick, but for everyone. Having a more positive attitude is vital and essential.

One of my friends had a stroke. I would always try to encourage him by trying to get him to refocus on the positive. It was not easy but it was slowly working and he was improving. He still had a long way to go but he was getting there. He was always asking, “How long did it take you to walk? I hope I will be able to walk again.”

I would say to him, “Everyone is different. Even though I have problems walking, my hopes and prayers are that one day you’ll be able to walk.” With that statement I limped out of the hospital room.

When I visited my friend the next week I immediately asked him to “tell me something good.” He started by saying he had walked 60 feet with a cane in therapy, but just then his doctor (whom I knew) came in and asked how he was doing.

“Fine,” replied my friend, “but I just want to be able to walk perfectly again - just like Mike.” I stood there, a little shocked, but I said to myself, “He’s just started on the road to recovery. He’s beginning to think positive.”

Another friend of mine once told me that he used to feel sorry when he would see people who needed walkers. However, I will never forget what he said after that: “I would give anything if my daughter (diagnosed with a possible brain tumor and currently needing a wheel chair) could progress to the point where she just needed a walker.” He prays for that; I pray for that; and many other people are praying for that.

Again, “Be thankful for what you have, and set your goals for higher things.” The world is full of many horrible things, as well as many wonderful things. Sometimes a person is constantly looking at the “horrible” things. However, my hopes are that they will be able to find the beauty in life.  It’s there - if you look for it!  Michael Jordan Segal, MSWShot in the head during a robbery, Michael Jordan Segal defied all odds by first surviving and then returning to college. He then earned two degrees with honors, married his high school sweetheart, Sharon, and became a father to their daughter Shawn. Mike is a social worker at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston and an author (currently he has two book projects he’s working on: an autobiography and an anthology of his short stories - as well as very soon he will have a CD of some of his best stories available). He also is a popular inspirational speaker sharing his “recipe” for recovery, happiness, and success.

  An old wise cat came upon a young cat chasing his tail furiously
in an alley. When the old cat stopped him and asked him why he was 
running around stupidly in circles like that, the young cat
said, “You know I’ve recently graduated from Harvard and
discovered from my brilliant teachers that happiness and
all its secrets are in the tip of my tail. It’s so exciting
all I want to do is chase it and get it every day all day”.
The old cat replied, “You know son, I haven’t been to a
university like you or done anything particularly educational
but I too have discovered that happiness is in the tip of my tail,
but I stopped chasing it a long time ago and here’s what I know
that you apparently don’t. 
Once you discover that happiness is in your tail, you then know
where to look and you can stop chasing it forever because what
you eventually understand is that the tip of your tail is not only
always with you, but it has no choice but to follow you everywhere 
every day all day!”

Happiness is right in front of you…stop looking so far

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

We have been very busy receiving new calves and I have been trying to stay on top of things, but I guess not good enough.  The last couple of days we have had several cattle to doctor and this really frustrated me.  I knew that I needed to figure out something different to do, for them and for me also.  And I need to figure it out NOW!

So…this morning when I went to work with the cattle I had a whole new attitude…and it worked!!

Bud says,  “What you anticipate you create”.  And It Is True.  I don’t think I was thinking that there was going to be trouble, I just wasn’t doing everything I should have been doing to keep trouble from happening.

This morning when I exercised the cattle (about 800 head) I also took them to different traps for the day so they could graze.  These cattle have only been here for a few days.  When I say I exercised them I mean I took them out of their pens for a walk.  I let them play and I let them know that I was happy to be with them. I was going to do whatever I needed to do to make them feel more comfortable.  They know if I’m thinking about other things, worrying, etc.  They don’t like it, just like we don’t like to be around people that worry, complain or put alot of pressure on us.  It makes us uncomfortable and that’s what it does to the calves.  When this happens we have cattle that don’t want to eat (or won’t eat at all) and then they get sick.  That is why it is so important to work with cattle and have a positive attitude around them. 

This afternoon when I brought the calves back in to feed them I made sure I had a positive attitude and it was a whole different story. They acted happy and they looked happy. They were happy! I was happy! It was such a great feeling… I can’t wait to do more tomorrow. 

Have a great day, be happy and enjoy your life…Enjoy It Every Day!  Remember It’s Up To You!!!

Remember: “What others do or say is their stuff; how we react, or not, is our stuff”!
And: “True Happiness in life isn’t having what you want but wanting what you have”!

It’s Your Life…It’s YOUR Choice

Have A Wonderful Day!!!

Now that’s cute…I don’t care who you are…that’s cute!!

Curing Victimitis

Watch your thoughts; they lead to attitudes.
Watch your attitudes; they lead to words.
Watch your words; they lead to actions.
Watch your actions; they lead to habits.
Watch your habits; they form your character.
Watch your character; it determines your destiny.

These words of unknown origin tell us that our silent and often subconscious choices shape our future. Every aspect of our lives, at home and at work, can be improved if we use our power to think, reflect, and make conscious choices about our thoughts, attitudes, words, actions, and habits.

Instead, many of us think of ourselves as victims. We complain about our circumstances and what others did to us. Whatever psychological comfort there is in feeling powerless and blameless when things aren’t going right, in the end, victims lead unsatisfied lives.

We’re most vulnerable to victimitis when we’re under the influence of powerful emotions like fear, insecurity, anger, frustration, grief, or depression. These feelings are so powerful, we believe our state of mind is inevitable. Our only hope is they will go away on their own. Yet it’s during times of emotional tumult that using our power to choose our thoughts and attitudes is most important. We can’t make pain go away, but we can refuse to suffer.

Even when we don’t like any of our choices, we do have some – once we realize we can take control. It isn’t easy, but what we do and how we choose to feel about ourselves has a profound impact on the quality of our lives. Victims may get sympathy for a while, but that isn’t enough.

Taking personal responsibility for our happiness and success can be scary, but the payoff is enormous. Although we can’t make our lives perfect, we can make them better – usually a lot better.

Wishing everyone a great day!!