I suppose it is a sign of maturity when you do what you swore you’d never do.
You see, it takes some growing up to realize that a lot of decisions that you made when you were younger were made at a level of maturity of that era in your life. Now that you have grown up a bit, you could let go of the immature bits and pieces and move on. It also takes courage to accept that you might have been wrong. That you were wrong.
Back in the early 1980′s it became popular to jog. There was a wave of awareness going around that made us realize that we were getting over-weight as a nation, and one of the things we could do to combat it was to execise, and jogging was said to be very effective.
Back then, I weighed a mere 120 lbs and wore size 28 pants (I struggle to get into 36 these days, but it is changing), and I saw no sense in subjecting the body to that kind of torture. What really gave good laughs was when I saw people jogging along the sidewalks in pouring rain, okay, at least in a drizzle. I swore I’d never be silly, crazy or stupid enough to do that.
I got dressed to go for a walk this morning and as I opened the door, I noticed it was raining. Not a hard rain, just a little drizzle. Without a second thought, I shut the door behind me as I headed out for my 15 minute walk. As the rain covered my glasses and made it difficult to see clearly, I wondered, how ever did I get this crazy.
I smiled to myself as I realized that finally at the age of 56, I was growing up.
Is there something you swore you’d never do, but found yourself doing? Share in the comments below or send me an e-mail.
Posted in Life's funny lessons.
Tagged with commitment, Weight Loss.
By Rasheed
– July 19, 2010
I had an opportunity to speak toady in front of an audience. I spoke in front of my Toastmasters club.
The topic of my speech was Paradigm Shift. I talked about my passion for being Independent, and being Joyfully Jobless, as Barbara Winter would put it.
I was dressed in a pair of pants and a t-shirt. I was chastised for not dressing professionally. Well, not really, but more than one person commented on it in their feedback.
One of the members, whom I have known for several years and who is a good friend of mine, in a very friendly helpful manner told me that I need to wear a suit the next time. I told her it wasn’t happening. I have donated all my suits to Goodwill. I have no suits.
As I looked over the friendly notes, it confirmed my passion for the topic. Many of them felt inspired by what I had to say. “Thought provoking” was one of the common comment. It felt good to deliver the speech and it felt even better knowing that I had made an impact. But the best part was that I had somewhat of a cocky attitude toward the usual concerns about following the norms.
In my speech I mentioned that I will soon be holding an entrepreneurship seminar titled “Mind Your Own Business.” I have been playing with the title for some twenty plus years, but today after I delivered that speech I felt ready to do something with it. I have been working on “perfecting” it for several weeks, almost several months, or is it several years? And today, for the first time, I felt that I was ready. There is no better time than now, and there is no better way to get started than to get started. So I have set a date for my first Mind Your Own Business seminar. It is August, 28, 2010
Then, as if right on clue, when I got home, a couple of blog posts arrived that made be laugh out loud for their impeccable timing, reassuring me that everything I need or want is always available to me at the precise time of need.
I have always preached the gospel of being different, and being yourself, but, I have also been hesitant and reluctant to rock the boat, so to speak. But today, today I have found myself and I am very pleased to meet myself for the very first time.
I will introduce me to you, as I get to know me better.
Posted in Passionate Pursuits.
Tagged with Barbara Winter, Joyfully Jobless, making money, Mind Your Own Business, Passion, Success.
By Rasheed
– July 14, 2010
I woke up this morning (more like in the middle of the night), but I didn’t know what time it was since I don’t wear a watch and I don’t have a clock in my room. I didn’t feel like rolling out of bed and stumble over to where my phone was being charged overnight. A voice within me said to get up, but I ignored it and tried to go back to sleep. The voice reminded me that when I listen to it, I find life to be good.
I rolled out of bed. It was 2:30 AM. Suddenly, I realized that is all about our attitudes. Life is what we make of it. I have learned over the years that when I listen to that still voice within me that I know as my intuition, wonderful things happen, while I don’t always know what happens when I don’t listen, I know there are times when I am consumed with the regret of I should have listened to that voice.
So, as I sat there in the darkness, wide eyed, at the end of my bed, this calm and blissful feeling came over me knowing that my life is great and I have total control over how my life will turn out based on the thoughts I choose to entertain. As my friend Cathy (@CelibritiCat) put it, “Just because a negative thought comes to visit you doesn’t mean that you have to welcome it, or entertain it. If you entertain it, it will stay.”
I knew in that moment, that as long as I trust my intuition and allow it to guide me by taking inspired actions, regardless of whether they make sense or not – like rolling out of bed at 2:30 in the morning to find out that it’s 2:30 in the morning – I will always find happiness.
As far as I am concerned, there is no better way to define success than to find happiness.
What do you say?
Make sure to share your thoughts and feelings in the comments s0 we can continue the conversation.
Posted in Life's funny lessons.
Tagged with Celebriticat, Happiness, Intuition, Success.
By Rasheed
– July 9, 2010
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