The power of, "No."

It is one of the shortest words in the English language. Curiously it's the same word in several other languages. Two letters that when spoken with conviction convey volumes.
It's one of the first words that toddlers learn and then we forget what it means just a few short years later. Trials have been won and lost based on the intentions of the person who uttered the word. What did the person  mean when they said that word.
I had forgotten about its power too until recently. People would ask me to do things that I really didn't want to do and I would say, "Yes" when I should've said, "No." I should have been courteous. I could have said it respectfully, but the person was asking for something valuable: my time!

Toenail fungus

I had a toenail fungus. I have had it for years. It got so bad that I wouldn't wear sandals that exposed my toes because I was embarrassed about how the toe looked. At the time I only knew of three ways to treat it. One was a pill that I could take that was potentially harmful to my kidneys. The second way was a topical cream which is not very effective. The third way was to have the toenail removed. This was a radical way to eradicate the fungus and I thought it was uncomfortable.
I tried to treat it myself unsuccessfully with ointments that I had read about. I had limited success and I finally gave up entirely. Over time the fungus spread and eventually covered the entire toenail. It wasn't pretty, but it didn't hurt and I probably would have lived with it except I read about the dangers of fungus to my health in general. I told my doctor and he gave me a referral to the podiatrist.
One the day of my appointment the podiatrist gave me the treatment options. He said that their were new pills which were more effective than the previous ones. He also said he could refer me to a doctor who would "zap the toenail" with a laser, but judging from the looks of my toenail it wasn't my best option. He offered an ointment option as well. I thought about it for a moment told him that since I had already psyched myself up to have the toenail removed and since it had the greatest chance of success I would have it removed.
My point is that sometimes the best way to accomplish something is to remove it. You can try to procrastinate or cover it up, but it just festers and negatively affects other areas. Oftentimes the best way is to go ahead and remove it.

I'm learning as fast as I can!

It has been said that every experience in life is designed to teach us something. If we don't master that lesson it will repeat itself until we do. I'm a teacher so I get this.
My question is what is life trying to teach me and am I getting it? I naturally look for patterns in my experiences. If I notice a pattern, there's a high probability of that event happening again.
What has life taught you and are you learning?

Invest in yourself

I read about what successful people do to achieve success. Over the years I have learned that there really is nothing new. Someone else has done it before or thought about it before you have so forget about it!! It's been done before so don't try to reinvent the wheel! I'm learning that the key to success is to study the habits of people who have already done it and mimic their lives.
I read an article today about diversifying in several different areas. You should have a minimum of seven different income streams. Make your money work for you instead of you working for your money.
Make a list of seven different income streams that you can can claim today. One investor thinks that these shouldn't be your typical investments like 401(k) or stocks.
One of the best investments that you can make is investing in yourself by reading what other people are doing.

Self Determination

When I was a teenager my dad made a sculpture of a clenched fist with the caption "Self Determination" inscribed on the bottom of it. I didn't know exactly what that meant at the time. As I have become a mature man I am beginning to understand what this means.
I have always had a desire to work for myself because of the self determination factor and the illusion of "job security" when you work for someone else.
I was talking to a friend yesterday whose daughter works for a big employer which is laying off a huge segment of their labor force. My friend was telling me how some of these people were reacting to the news. Some people were crying and others were doing some juvenile things in response to getting a pink slip such as making donuts in the parking lot with their cars!
Much of their misery was due to the fact that they didn't feel self determined, but dependent on the company. My friend noted that these were skilled professionals doing these immature things! I am determined to be self determined and not rely on the government for my pay (SSDI). The thought of another government shutdown is out of my control. Self Determination is within my control. I choose option two.

God spoke to me today at the movie theater!

I had just finished watching the movie War Room for the second time. After the movie ended I sat in my seat and patiently waited to get up and leave. One of God's angels stopped on her way downstairs and asked if she could pray for me.
She said that she had seen me come into the movie theater and was inspired to pray for me. She prayed fervently and I knew that God was talking to me and telling me not to give up. It's difficult sometimes, but I know that He doesn't want me to give up. He wants me to be an inspiration to others who want to give up.
I have accepted the assignment. When I'm not sure whether I'm up to the task, He sends one of His angels to reassure me.

Giving thanks on a granular level

Many of us give thanks for the big things in our lives. The promotion, the new home or car. Are we thankful for the things that most people take for granted like our health? I was thinking about a song by Donny Hathaway called Thank You Master For My Soul and I began to think about all of the things that went into each event in my life on a granular level.
I went to a presentation last evening with a friend of mine. No big deal. It wasn't until I started to think about all of the things that could have made the trip have a less than favorable outcome.
I thought of all of the turns that I made that could have been wrong turns. Nothing major. Just a wrong turn. I thought about how this comparison applies to our lives as well. I think about all of the decisions that we've made on a small, seemingly inconsequential level which have added up to what we have now, which we call our life.
The thing that is more amazing is the amount of control that we have over these small things. Think about it. That's within your control too.

Fighting Gravity

One of the reasons that birds in flight are so majestic is that the act of flying is a fight against gravity. An eagle in flight makes it look easy. They glide on the air effortlessly.
As humans we too are in a fight with gravity. Every time that we stand up gravity is trying to pull us down. To make us fall. We take this fight for granted as I'm sure that the eagle does.
It not until we fall that gravity wins.
The question becomes will gravity win the battle or the war? It all depends on your attitude. Gravity will always be with us on this earth.
Buzz Lightyear said it best when he said that flying is falling with style! In the movie Space Jam, the vocalist Seal sang, "I believe I can fly!"
I believe that we can fly if we're willing to fight gravity.

Trapped

Most of us are trapped. We're trapped in a state of reality. Have you you ever had a bad dream or nightmare that you couldn't wake up from? It seemed so real that you thought that you were awake.
I believe that many of us are trapped in a state of reality that we can't wake up from. Deepak Chopra talk about seven states of consciousness and we spend most of our time in the third state of consciousness. What prevents us from moving on to the fourth or transcendental state and the fifth or cosmic state of consciousness?
We're trapped by fear, pain, suffering and lack. For many of us, there is so much of these four characteristics that we get stuck in the third state of consciousness and can't move on. These things serve as distractions.
I have always been able to snap out of a bad dream and return to the waking state of consciousness. Couldn't we use this same power to snap out of the waking state of consciousness and return to a higher state of consciousness? We have the power!

Terminal vs. Chronic

One of the most important things that I had to learn a few years ago is the difference between terminal and chronic conditions. Most of the time these terms are applied to disease and they're not used to describe good things.
I'm going to adopt the philosophy of the guys in the Kona Brewing Company commercial and change the use of these words. In the commercial the two brothers are seated at a table and they decide to make one hour a day "Sad Hour" and the other twenty-three hours "Happy Hour".
I have decided to make sadness a terminal condition which means that it will eventually die. Happiness on the other hand is a chronic condition and it will persist and there is no cure for happiness. I will have happiness for the rest of my life.
Effective immediately "Happy Hour" will last twenty-four hours a day! This is an Executive Order!

Gratitude

I have always been a "glass is half full" guy. I am the one who says that there is an upside to every situation. I'm the guy who can look at someone in prison and say, "At least they don't have to pay rent."
So, I looked at my current situation and found the upside of my current situation.
I actually found quite a few advantages. I have my family to provide love and encouragement. I could stop right there, but I'll continue. I have my own room and plenty of food to eat whenever I want it. All of my bills are paid on time. I am not in pain or discomfort. Most of my symptoms are inconveniences. I get prime parking spaces close to the entrance. I have the respect of young and older people. I have two sons who are doing well and making good decisions with their lives.
What I'm trying to say is that I'm grateful.
I look at life from a different perspective now and I'm thankful. I'm grateful for the little things. I'm thankful for everything that God has given me.
I'm even grateful that I have been blessed with MS. I know that sounds strange, but I have been able to do things that I probably wouldn't have done if I didn't have the disease. I have met some incredible people on my journey. God has shown me things that I wouldn't have recognized without the affliction.
He has given me the gift of discernment and for that I am grateful.

Quality Time

The concept of quality time is very subjective. Quality of life is subjective as well. I hadn't really considered it until I was talking to a nurse and completing my Advance Healthcare Directive. It is a potentially daunting task.
The nurse asked a series of questions with the goal of determining your quality of life if you aren't able to communicate with your healthcare providers. In the case of the person being in a coma or vegetative state do they want to be kept alive with a ventilator or similar device.
The question becomes what kind of quality of life do you want? How does a person measure it?
The nurse told a story of a woman who cooked for her family and friends. Cooking was such a vital part of her life that she had to be in the kitchen cooking or life was not worth living.
So, the question remains. What do you feel is so important that your life isn't worth living without it?