New year.  New resolutions.  New hope and people looking to make a fresh start.  It's a starting point for change in some people's lives and a new beginning of sorts.  There is always new hope attached to the changing of the calendar.  
Yet, some people never change.  
You go into the new year with thoughts, ideas, resolutions on how THIS year will be different! This will be the time that you finally make that change, lose the weight, finish that project, get the promotion or kick that guy to the curb!
Then August rolls around and chances are you still haven't made that change, you weigh the same if not more, the project is still sitting there, you've been passed up for promotion and you're making coffee for that guy you were supposed to kick to the curb.  
Why?
Because you didn't do anything different to achieve those goals.  You didn't realistically or physically map out how you were going to chase down that dream and make it a reality.  We all kid ourselves into thinking that just talking about it or thinking about it will make it come true.  
Ever since you were a kid you had lofty aspirations.  Astronaut.  President. Pro football player.  These are just some of the dreams we might have had on our 8th birthday.  Life gets in the way, you grow up, reality sinks in, doubt and failure become familiar and your dream of throwing a TD pass to win the game is replaced with paying bills and feeding your family.   It happens to all of us.  
What do you REALLY want to accomplish this year?  Goals have to be realistic and not pie in the sky ideas.  You can't go from secretary to President of the USA....especially in a non election year!  Your aspirations, at least the short term ones, need to be within grasp.  Write them down.  Put together a list of steps that will need to occur in order to get there.  Next to those steps, put a timeline of when you realistically expect for each to occur.  Keep this document somewhere you can see it everyday.  Share this goal with people you feel will not try to drag you down, or doubt you, and have them help keep you accountable (this is a good one for dieters).  When opportunities come up to advance your plan, have the courage to go after them. The promotions opens up that you want?  This time actually apply for it!   If you don't get it, seek out information to add to your timeline so that you will be better equipped the next time it opens up.  
Stop kidding yourself.  It's easier to trample your dreams than to go after them.  Sharing your goals and dreams with others can be frightening.  Listen to what people have to say, but certainly don't let them derail you.  Every rapper in the world has "haters" that supposedly fuel their drive and success.  Truth be told, those haters might actually be themselves and their internal voices of doubt.  We all have that internal voice that doesn't want us to succeed.  The key first step is getting beyond that voice and into a positive headspace.  
Above all, be real with yourself.  Not only when setting the goal-keep it real during the timeline as well.  Hold yourself accountable and be relentless in your approach.  If you settle, it will always be short of your true expectations and potential.  Tell the internal doubter to shut up and get to work.  Pull the trigger and be the person on that piece of paper.  If you don't, you might as well just wipe your ass with it and call it a day.  
#newyear #2013 #resolution #football #goals #dreams

People need people. Some of us more than others.  This is evident by the number of people that go to the mall this time of the year to buy nothing.  They do!  Take a look around (if you have time) to the number of people at the mall who are not holding a bag or actively looking for an item.  People want to be around people.
The reason?  Some have a concern that they will miss out on something by not being there.  Some have nothing better to do.  Others just want to be around people.  The energy, the warmth, the need for stimulation, etc.  People just want to be around people.  
Yes, all of us have some desire to be alone.  Yet,  at the end of the day, our human nature kicks in and we need to communicate.  I have a 45 minute drive home from work each day, which I could easily use as a time to be alone with my thoughts.  I can't.  5 minutes into the trip, I'm calling someone to catch up or discuss a work related issue. I too have a need for people and communication and mine stems from a need to be productive with as much of my day as I can. 
People move out into the country...only to invite everyone they know to come out and see them.   I grew up in the middle of nowhere-I know from experience.  
 
Before I start coming across as Barbara Streisand (obscure song reference)...  People need to interact or they will die.  It's a proven fact that those who have a circle of friends and family members to engage with,  live longer than those who don't.  You need the stimulation and the feel of "community".  
Take a look at your single friends.  The ones who live by themselves.  The older they get, the    stranger they become.  You get weird living out there on your own without another person to engage with on a regular basis.  If you have a friend that is socially awkward, chances are they live alone or spent much of their life alone. If they are no longer single, they might have stumbled upon a mate that was just as awkward as they are. (It's the couple at the party that people talk about after they leave).
There is no material based benefit to twitter or Facebook.  I don't get paid to write this blog.   We don't make millions for every follower or "like", so why do we care?  Why do we do it?  Chances are, you don't even communicate with most of your Facebook "friends".  Your followers are a combination of people you like, people you work with, people you were guilted into friending and a mixed bag of people added for various reasons (exes you want to make sure see how well you are doing).
In short, there is no valuable lesson in this blog or call to action.  This is simply an observation of human nature.  The place where most of my blog topics come from.  
Merry Christmas!  
#people #barbarastreisand #christmas #mallshoppers

It's the one that people know you by.  Think about it, when you are describing someone to a group of people that might know who you are talking about, it's the second sentence that connects the dots.
Do you know Jim in accounting?
You know, the guy that grabbed your ass at the Christmas party!
Or....
Do you know Jim in accounting?
You know, the guy that saved those orphans from the fire!
Which Jim do you want to be?
Remember that.  If you are looking to make the right name for yourself in your chosen field, or even in social circles, you need to make sure the best second sentence is what you are projecting.  
Do you know Jim in accounting?
You know, the guy that everyone looks up to.
You project the message that people use to describe you.  Some use their strengths.  Some use their shortcomings or oddities in an effort to come across as disarming and likable.  Some people don't know what they are projecting, but it is certainly something you should be aware of.  
Do you know Jim in accounting?
You know, the guy that keeps pissing everyone off.  
You can decide, through your actions and how you carry yourself, what people believe you to be.  Not through lies or feeding your audience stories, but through strong and healthy examples.  Through living up to your personal expectations and being conscious of your social surroundings.  
Do you know Jim in accounting?
You know, the guy that would give you the shirt off his back.
Pick a Jim.  Project who you wish to be and make sure you live up to those expectations.  Also, stay away from Lisa in the business office...she's a total hoochie.  
#bestfootforward #believe 

I am totally consumed with the tv show The Walking Dead.  I'm not usually into zombie shows or movies and I got bored quickly with the recent sergeancy in vampire stories.  The Walking Dead is a solid show and I'm hooked.  I'm catching up.   I am only on season 2.  Please no spoiler posts!
The show got me thinking about what I would do if the zombie apocalypse were to occur.  What would I do?  Where would I go?  What would be my role in the group of survivors?  This is why the show is so good-it makes you think.  I went as far as to assemble my "Zombie Attack Dream Team" and let the members know that they would be part of my group.  I'm dialed in and obsessed with the show.  
Beyond your vocation or hobby, what useable skills do you possess?  If you we're no longer placed in the role you are in today...who would you be?  Would you be the pizza delivery guy turned hero?  The former leader that cracks under pressure? Life events can alter your course and sometimes put you in the role you were meant to play.  Some of us are placed in positions or we migrated into a vocation or lifestyle based on expectations of others and just assumed that THIS is what you should be doing.  Roles are often chosen for you by others and sometimes those people have bad instincts.
If the zombies attacked tomorrow, I should be able to survive for a while.  I own guns, knives and a bag full of baseball bats.  I can hunt and fish, I'm a really good cook and I've been kickboxing for over 3 years now.  My cardio is good and at 37 years old I still run a 5.0 40 yard dash.
What about you?  What skills do you bring to the table? What skills do you possess beyond what you do for a living or occasionally do as a hobby?  How would you survive the zombie apocalypse?  Ok, more realistic, how would you survive a major change in life?  If tomorrow was your last day doing what you do-what's your next move?  
Recently my industry laid off a sizable number of people.  Many of these people were very talented and will most likely find another job.  Some will be forced to do something different and perhaps something completely removed from their chosen field. It concerns me when recently laid off individuals limit themselves and claim that THIS is the only thing they know how to do.  They, in their opinion, have no other skills and possess knowledge of no other subject.  
Losing your job might seem like the zombie apocalypse.  I have been there and it sucks (the job part-not the zombie part).  Yet, like the people in The Walking Dead series, you get a second chance in life.  An opportunity to do something different.  Perhaps to be thrusted into the role in life you were meant to play?
If you find yourself forced into a different situation, where you can no longer go back to your old job or rewind the clock back to the way things were, what would you do?  The average person changes careers 7 times in a lifetime.  You would not be alone.  Yet, if you don't have an exit strategy or a plan for your next "step" in life-today might be the day to invest in a hobby, go back to school or pick up a unique part time job.  Equip yourself with the "weapons" you may need for the future.  Having too many skills and talents is never a bad thing (aka buckets in your chamber)...especially if you are running from zombies.  
 
#zombies #walking dead #job 

A few weekends ago I shot a 7 point buck.  Yes, I hunt.  Something that many of you probably didn't know about me.  As far as shooting a deer, I have been on a dry streak and honestly, this was the first deer I had shot in more than 10 years.  
This blog isn't about hunting.  Those of you who might be reading and thinking about stopping before I retell the story of Bambi (the hunter in the woods played by me) can rest assured that my words will not be taking us that direction.  
Minutes before I pulled the trigger my mind raced with thoughts of doubt.  As I watched the deer though the scope, I was already crafting the story in my head on what to tell my friends and family about the deer I just missed.  I was actually creating  excuses before I pulled the trigger.  Expecting to miss the deer, I took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger and....you know the rest.  
The years of going hunting, not seeing or shooting anything...or even the times I shot and ended up missing- had conditioned me to expect failure.  Many people struggle with this same feeling based on years of disappointment and "missing".  You have to stop that.  
Through a streak of failure, you get conditioned and start to expect to lose.  You gain a defeatist attitude, embrace the negative and rely on good excuses or your ability to spin the story one way or another so that nobody really knows how bad you "missed".  Depending on the person, you could never ask the girl out because you are used to getting shut down or never try to grow your career status because you've been passed up for promotion once or twice before.   Regardless of your situation, you cannot allow the past to derail your future.  You need to learn from history, correct mistakes and possible reevaluate your pickup lines.    
In order to move forward, you have to break the cycle at some point.  Something different needs to happen if you are ever going to change your current status.  Do something different. Believe, each time, that THIS is the time you are going to change your direction.  You are going to miss a few more times perhaps, but belief is necessary in order to succeed.  
Take a deep breath.  Look at the future through the scope and pull the trigger with confidence.  Nobody ever wins in the game of life without taking the shot.  
#hunting #bambi #dating #failure #success #winning #pickuplines #taketheshot
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