Do actively shape or passivley wait for life to happen

The difference in approach between actively shaping your life and passively waiting for life to unfold is crucial in determining how when looking back over one's life. The choice interprets the outlook on the journey. In retirement, you are in control and you can decide if the journey through retirement will be shaped by you or by others. 

Choosing to Go, Do, and Be:

This approach involves actively engaging with life, making decisions, taking risks, and pursuing opportunities. When you look back at your life, you'll likely find a sense of empowerment and control. The uncanny events, wild timing, weird coincidences, and chance encounters are seen as a result of your intentional actions and choices. You'll attribute your life's good fortune to the decisions you made, the risks you took, and the paths you forged. In this perspective, destiny is a product of your proactive efforts and the opportunities you create.

Choosing to Wait, Wish, and Hope:

This approach is more passive, characterized by waiting for things to happen, wishing for better circumstances, and hoping that fate will intervene positively. When reflecting on your life, you might express shock and dismay, attributing your experiences to destiny. In this case, the uncanny events, wild timing, weird coincidences, and chance encounters may be viewed as strokes of luck or misfortune, with destiny determining the outcomes. The lack of active participation in shaping your path can lead to a feeling of powerlessness and a sense that life's events are beyond your control.

In essence, the key difference lies in the level of agency and intentionality. Actively choosing to go, do, and be involves taking charge of your destiny, participating in the unfolding of your life, and embracing both the challenges and successes as outcomes of your choices. On the other hand, waiting, wishing, and hoping may result in a perception that life's events are predetermined by fate, leading to a sense of being carried along by circumstances rather than actively steering the course.

Ultimately, the way you engage with life influences not only the paths you took or will take, but also how you interpret and attribute meaning to the events that unfold. Embracing a proactive approach allows for a more empowered and intentional journey, shaping a narrative where you are an active participant in the creation of your destiny.

Character building in retirement

 “Our retirement has not turned out as we had planned either. It's been character-forming” was a comment by Jean in a post about the Ukrainian invasion on a posting at “A Retirement Blog by Caree Risover. Her blog is always an interesting read, and one that I sometimes go to if I am stuck for ideas.

Jean’s statement that retirement has not turned out as planned is one that I am sure many of us would say is accurate for ourselves. I have talked about my retirement and the fact that it took me years to accept that I was retired. I still do a lot, and my friends wonder at how I find the time. Someone once told me that if you value something you will find the time to do it. Take a look at what you spend your time doing, and that is what you value.

One of my closest friends said to me, “You and I did a lot of volunteer work when we were working and for times, we were working 60 to 80 plus hours a week, on top of our jobs.” I think he was exaggerating the hours, but he had a point. He went on to say, “Since I retired, I am devoting myself to my wife and my family to make up for the lost time when I was younger.” He said, “I don’t think I can ever make it up, but I am going to work hard at it.”

He values his wife, his daughter, and his grandchildren and they live close to him and his wife, so he can take the time to spend with them. If my daughter and my grandson were close, I would do the same, but my daughter and her family are on the other side of the world and when they are here, I do spend all the time I can with them. Remember we spend time on or with those that we care about. Take the time to spend your time wisely so that your retirement can be what you want it to be, not a character-building exercise.

 

Dance like no one is watching

I love that saying, and I know that if you just start dancing, I can assure you, music will be added. as will partners, the giant disco ball, and whatever else you like. The magic happens because you took the first step and others who were afraid to start, had a leader so they followed.

But I must warn you, the start is not to be confused with start and then stop to see if anything happens. No, that's I'm scared, tired, and not sure what I really want.

When you start to dance, it means, to me, "start" as in "never stop, never look back, because even if you make a 'mistake,’ at least you still get to dance." and isn't that worth it?

What dream lives on in me?

For as long as a dream lives inside of you, there's a plan for its time in space. A is a cherished hope; ambition; aspiration. A cherished hope of mine and many of you I think is to be able to contribute a sense of legacy including values, principles and ethics to my grandson so that the dignity of the family lives on in future generations.

Being appreciative of those who sought wisdom at the end of their life beyond the accumulation of material things gives me a sense of gratitude for lessons learned from my parents.

Here are five ways you can start living your dream life today so you can pass it on to your children and grandchildren.

·       Get honest about what you want from life.

·       Use the Internet to research your dream.

·       Put a plan together and take the first steps.

·       Ignore self-limiting beliefs and negative people.

·       Choose to live life every day.

Once you commit to living your dreams a new world will be opened to your view. I tell people that opportunity keeps knocking but we don’t hear her until we are ready. Once you commit to your dream you will notice opportunities that have been in your reach all along, ones your conscious mind simply didn’t pay attention to when you saw these opportunities. The fundamental change taking place is your self-identity. Your only limitations are your consciousness, which is quickly expanding. Whatever you want quickly becomes yours because you see what most people don’t.

 A quote by William Hutchison Murray makes a lot of sense for those who are hesitant.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation): that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

What is your story?

Stories help you make sense of your life -- but when these narratives are incomplete or misleading, they can keep you stuck instead of providing clarity. How do you break free from the stories you've been telling yourself by becoming your own editor and rewriting your narrative from a different point of view?

Research shows that when we fail to make sense of our past, we find ourselves reliving and recreating it, essentially having old hurts re-emerge over and over again. When we carry around deep wounds, behaviours and beliefs about ourselves from our earliest attachments these unconsciously direct our lives.

So, in approaching retirement you might want to do some self-examination. One approach to self-examination is the “life story” approach. This helps you look backward to learn how the sum total of your past shaped you. If each life event is a star, our life story is the constellation. And if we spent all of our time looking at individual stars through a telescope lens, we couldn’t appreciate the magnitude and beauty of the constellations that dot the sky. To that end, the process of becoming, biographers of our lives is a profoundly powerful approach to better understand who we are, who we are becoming, and who we could be.

Think about your life as if it were a book. Divide that book into chapters that represent the key phases of your life. Within those phases, think of 5–10 specific scenes in your story — high points, low points, turning points, early mem­ories, important childhood events, important adulthood events or any other event you find self-defining. For each, provide an account that is at least one paragraph long:

·       What happened and when? Who was involved?

·       What were you and others thinking and feeling, and why was this event especially important for you?

·       What does this event say about who you are, how you have developed over time or who you might be­come?

·       When you are finished writing your account, take a step back and look at your life story as a whole:

·       What major themes, feelings, or lessons do you see in your story?

·       What does the story of your life say about the kind of person you are and might become?

·       What does your story say about your values, passions, aspirations, fit, patterns, reactions and impact on others?

When you look at the last point, you may find that there is an overarching theme (s) running through them. Identifying such themes can help make sense of seemingly contradictory aspects of ourselves.

Research shows that self-aware people tend to knit more complex narratives of their key life events: they are more likely to describe each event from different perspectives, include multiple explanations, and explore complex and even con­tradictory emotions. In many ways, this complexity is the opposite of the need for absolute truth; instead of searching for simple, generalizable facts, self-aware people appreciate the complicated nature of their life stories. Perhaps, for this reason, complex life stories are associated with continued personal growth and maturity years into the future.

When we’re able to find consistent themes across multiple important events of our lives, we can glean surprising self-insights. Common themes include achievement (i.e., personal success), relationships (i.e., forming and keeping connections with others), and growth (i.e., see­ing life as an opportunity to develop and improve). As a life long learner, I find the theme of redemption interesting. Whereas some people see a pattern of good things turning to bad ones, other people believe that bad things can turn to good.

So, when the time is right for you to write your life story, don’t look at it as a neat, clean Hollywood narrative. Embracing the complexity, the nuances and the contradictions will help you appreciate your inner reality in all its beautiful messiness.

Time passages

In early October, my son had something completely unexpected that occurred to him. Something that shook him to the core.

I’m not going to describe or explain the situation - but I will tell you how I suggested we responded to it.

First, we talked about it and his mom and I did a fantastic job of saying everything he needed to hear at that moment. 

Next, he worked his way through a few cycles of anger, sadness, disbelief, and despair. Everyone grieves at their own time, and he is still going through the cycle and will for a few more days. But each day is getting better.

Then, I suggested he go for a nice long walk. I often find that walking helps to clear my head and refocus my perspective.  He said no, he had other ways of thinking about situations, He took the time to ask what he could learn from the situation I suggested my son find a way not to take it to bed as he would have sleepless nights, but he did not act on that suggestion for a few days, and then he was able to focus on other things and now he is getting a good night’s sleep.

It took a few days but he put together a plan, which he shared with his mom and I. His plan included:

·       What he was going to do to shake off the feeling left by the situation.

·       How he was going to incorporate the lessons that the situation had taught him - what changes was he going to make.

·       How he was going to be on alert over the coming days and weeks for signs of the negativity and doubt creeping back in and what he would do to guard against it.

My son called his trusted friends and told them about the situation and what my plan was to move forward.  His friends listened without judgement.  That’s what great friends are for! Time heals all wounds but when a person suffers a loss you just have to be there for them.

Thoughts on our legacy

I have talked about the idea of commitment and starting because as I posted a while back, "the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred". So as you move into retirement, I want to do more than think about your legacies. My friend asked me the other day about why I did what I did. He wanted to know what motivated me. A good question, I thought about his question and I said to him, what motivates you, you are still working, coaching, being active in the work community contributing to our profession? He said, no don’t evade the question why are you doing all this stuff?

When I retired, I thought my life would be very different, but opportunities are everywhere and a number of them were of interest to me and so I started and one thing leads to another. For those who don’t know I wear a number of hats, I am on the Council of Advisors for the Senior Advocate in my province, I am on the Mayor’s Roundtable for my municipality, I am a Workshop trainer, presenter and writer for a seniors health and wellness group, which operates province-wide, I am President of my local Senior Center Advisory Association and I am on a local non-profit team looking at the issues of isolation and loneliness in my community, in addition, I write this blog. By the way, I do know how to say "no" and have turned down many other very interesting opportunities.

So, what motivates me, well in one word, my grandson, I want him to understand that we can all make a difference, no matter how small, to make life better for others. My hope is that one day, when he is old enough all the little things I did today, will be scrutinized, literally moment by moment, by him and perhaps by a future me, and future friends, as well as anyone else interested.

My hope is that all those who know me or who will come to know me, would all be looking at a number of qualities, especially patience, kindness, and love, that I hope I act on, during this game of games and tests of tests called life. Now when you think about how you will be viewed now or in the future; does it make you consider how you might treat the very next person, you see?

Winners in Training

We were watching our local football team, lose the game and my buddy said to me, “They are such losers.” I replied, “No, I think they are just winners in training.” We both laughed and we continued to watch the game, cheer and finally with seconds left and an interception killing our final chance of winning we left. Maybe next year.

Life is funny, we win at some things and we lose at others. When we talk about winners we focus on the difference between winners and losers, maybe we should also focus on the differences between winners and gracious winners. 

Some of us have learned to be gracious winners, some of us have learned to be winners. There is a difference between a gracious winner and a winner, just like there is a difference between a loser and a sore loser. I like to think that we are all “winners in training”. Every loss we face is helping us to understand our limitations and to test ourselves so we can do better next time. The biggest difference between a winner and a gracious winner is the conditioning of our subconscious mind.

A winner conditions their subconscious mind effectively toward their goals using positive thinking mixed with the powerful emotion of faith in self or faith in others. Many philosophers believe that we are the master of our own earthly destiny. We may become the master of ourselves, and of our environment because we have the power to influence our subconscious mind.

Persistent efforts will help you reach your goals, even if temporary failure comes your way, you will carry on with the same zeal and enthusiasm. A gracious winner, when faced with a temporary failure will try harder and when they win, give credit to those around them who helped them succeed. A winner thinks they did it on their own. 

Research suggests that certain healthy competitive environments help us perform better. But while a winner's high offers performance incentive, there's a risk that your self-esteem can become dependent on beating others.

Fierce or negative opposition causes anxiety that makes it hard for us to do our best. The key is to point out there can be fierce but positive competition.

If we want to become more gracious competitors and winners than the keys are cooperation and respect. Support and respect for each other all that is required.

To avoid some of the passive aggression that comes with winning, consider these tips for how to win gracefully at work.

·       Foster Collaboration. There's a reason collaboration has endured for so long.

·       Stay Humble.

·       Take the Me out of winning and put in the We  

·       Recognize Your Colleagues.

·       Keep Setting Goals as a team

·       Share the Wealth.

Six short stories

I read this on Time goes Bye and believe it is worth the 30 seconds it takes to read it. The editing was done by the author of Time goes Bye as there was no author listed and she edited it for clarity.

Story 1: Once, all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer, all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That's FAITH.

Story 2: When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you will catch them. That's TRUST.

Story 3: Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but still we set the alarms to wake up. That's HOPE.

Story 4: We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That's CONFIDENCE.

Story 5: We see the world suffering but still we get married and have children. That's LOVE.

Story 6: On an old man's shirt was written a sentence, “I am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience.” That's ATTITUDE

Are You at Risk for High Blood Pressure?

I was not aware that I had high blood pressure until my doctor told me and at first it was a shock. I did not know what the risks for high blood pressure were and when I found out what they were, I was still surprised by my diagnosis. There are many different causes of high blood pressure. 

Your blood pressure is high if it is over 120/80, which is the normal level of blood pressure. There are many everyday lifestyle habits that raise your pressure that you might not be aware of. One of those is being overweight. If you are overweight you are at a greater risk of developing high blood pressure.

Try to start a healthy diet or start exercising. Even losing a measly ten pounds can help you drastically and keep your blood pressure normal. Physical inactivity is also another lifestyle habit that causes many of us to develop high blood pressure.

If you are not very physically active, consider starting. You can easily adapt any exercise to your everyday routine; you just have to plan it out. Try to do at least thirty minutes of exercise a day. This will help lower or control your blood pressure.

Many people are not concerned with what they eat, yet they want to be healthy. These two do not go together. If you want to stay healthy, you have to watch what you eat. Having unhealthy eating habits can cause high blood pressure as well. Try to eat less salt or sodium and more vegetables and fruits.

If you are using tobacco products there is a great risk of developing high blood pressure. Smoking is a very common habit in the world and many people who smoke, might have high blood pressure and not even know it. There are many ways to help rid the habit of nicotine or use of any tobacco product. 

Everyone is stressed at some point during their lives. You might be stressed every day or just once in a while. Whatever the case may be, you can still develop high blood pressure through stress. If you find yourself stressed more often than not, consider some relaxation techniques. Meditation is a great way to start. If this doesn't work, consider something different.

Drinking alcohol also causes high blood pressure. Do you drink quite a bit? More than two drinks for a man and more than one for a woman can raise their blood pressure. If you drink more than this, consider cutting back. Once again, if you are addicted to drinking, or smoking, you can find many ways to help you quit.

These are very common lifestyle habits that cause high blood pressure. If you are at risk for high blood pressure or already have it, consider purchasing a home blood pressure monitoring device. This can help ensure that whatever habits you are changing or modifying are working.

Sometimes this change is not enough. You might have to use medication or incorporate medication with your exercise routine, etc. The best way to know this is to visit your doctor. Ask any and all questions you might be concerned about. They will happy to assist you in helping you have a healthier and active lifestyle.

Happy days are here again

What if funky, confusing, gray, lonely days were just part of a "system" that, in turn, created bright, rich, happy, friendly days?

What if they were just meant to give deeper elements of your creativity a rest?

What if they were deliberately crafted holidays, of a sort, devised by your inner psyche to relieve you from the pressure of artificial expectations?

Would you still bemoan them, wonder what's wrong with you, or fear that they'll never end? Or,  would they kind of tickle you pink?

Something to think about.

Have you ever wondered if you had a friend who you could call your friend, but that was not quite enough? You could call them your guide, but there's more to it than that.

You could call them your conspirator, your helper, or your agent; your coach, counselor, or confidant; your father, mother, or child. You could call them the sun, the moon, and the stars; the wind, the sky, and the rain; the past, the present, and the future.

But really, what I'm getting at, the purpose behind some of my writing is and perhaps what I'd most like to hear one day, is you calling them "yourself."

O-h-m-m-m-m-m... 

Sailing

Living the life of your dreams is a lot like sailing. You pick your destination, hoist up your sail, make minor adjustments while the journey is underway, and let the wind do all the hard work.

In other words, imagine the end result, do what little you can, make minor adjustments while the journey is underway, and then blow your mind.

W-e-e-e-e-e-e!

A challenge

See everyone, as a brand new challenge to find a new friend or to fall in love.

Sneaky, huh?

Kisses,

One idea can enrich the world

One idea can enrich the world if it is acted on. Back in 1973, Volunteer Grandparents Society was founded by Marjorie Anderson, who was a working as a social worker in Vancouver. While manning the phone lines in the Crisis Centre, she received calls from numbers of families and elderly people who were without the benefits of extended family. With this in mind, she set out to establish a voluntary grandparenting program. Today that organisation connects older people with younger people to enrich both generations. They have an extensive program and our well established in BC, and they are providing a model of how to connect generations in other jurisdictions.

The Volunteer Grandparents Program, at Family Service Association, works to facilitate the creation and growth of extended families of choice throughout Metropolitan Toronto.

Started in 1991, the Volunteer Grandparents Program is an intergenerational matching program that is preventive in nature. Through the exchange of cultures, friendship and learning, the program promotes well-being, positive experiences and social supports between families with young children and older adults. The program welcomes and encourages the participation of families from all of Toronto's multicultural communities.

Modelled after the Volunteer Grandparents Society of British Columbia, the Volunteer Grandparents Program is the only program of its kind in Ontario. 

The program does not have one central location. Instead, its activities take place in the homes of the parents, the homes of the volunteer grandparents, or through community outings to the park, playground, zoo or library. Through a scrupulous screening process, healthy active adults (50+) are carefully matched with families that have at least one child who is between the ages of two and eight. Matches are monitored through regular, supportive contact with the Program Coordinator. Program members attend orientation and training sessions and participate in the program's development and operation as members of the Advisory Council and/or its working committees. There are large social events held throughout the year so that parents, children and volunteer grandparents can meet each other and share their knowledge and experience.

There are also many other moves to connect the generations, and the focus of each is different. In the US there is Foster Grandparents and this organisation provides Grandparents who are role models, mentors, and friends to children with exceptional needs. The program provides a way for volunteers age 55 and over to stay active by serving children and youth in their communities.

In 2010 the NorthWest Territories Senior Society launched an intergenerational program with the aims to bring people together in purposeful, mutually beneficial activities which promote greater understanding and respect between generations and contributes to building more cohesive communities. Intergenerational practice is inclusive, building on the positive resources that the young and old have to offer each other and those around them.

In Toronto there is the Intergenerational Partnerships (TIGP), which first came into existence in 1981 as a working group in Toronto’s Riverdale community, responding to the needs of two distinct groups – children and youth, and seniors.

Founded in 1986, TIGP has been the only non-profit charity mandated and funded to bringing generations and communities together through intergenerational programming across the GTA.

Why should we try to connect to the younger generation, because there are benefits to us? Benefits such as:

·       Improved life satisfaction

·       Enhanced self-esteem

·       Ongoing skills development

·       Feelings of continued usefulness and connectedness in the community

·       An opportunity to meet other caring and talented seniors

·       An opportunity to develop meaningful connections with children and youth that extend beyond family and acquaintances

There are also some benefits to the younger generation. Such as:

·       The development of healthy attitudes towards aging

·       Educational enrichment

·       Improved self-esteem and opportunity for leadership skill development

·       A strengthened sense of community and social responsibility

·       The promotion of culture, heritage and history

·       Intergenerational Programs Serve to Build Stronger Communities:

Needs and demographics of the senior population are changing and evolving. Seniors living in poverty, low and diverse literacy levels, isolation, health and social needs and abuse within an ageing and increasingly multi-cultural population are some of the main issues cited in current Statistics Canada information. It is shown that intergenerational contact contributes to:

·       Both the individual and the community’s health and well-being. Increases the mutual understanding, acceptance and support for each generation.

·       Improve the safety and security of neighbourhoods.

·       Statistics Canada’s socio-economic analysis of Health and Literacy Among Children Report demonstrates that the socio-economic environment remains an important determinant of health and that variables such as income and literacy continue to have a direct and indirect effect on people’s health status.

·       There is a relationship linking literacy and populations with high risk among senior citizens. This relationship tends to occur for all ages and both sexes.

·       The National Council on Aging in its "Seniors Independence: Whose Responsible", believes that government, individual families and groups in the community can collaborate to maintain seniors’ independence and autonomy and that within a supportive and complementary partnership, each can play a significant role.

The speed of life

Our lives move so quickly that we sometimes forget what the real speed of life is.

Life moves deceptively quickly. Watch a sunrise. The sky gradually gets lighter and lighter, yet you wait and wait for the sun to peek above the horizon. Then you blink and it's already cleared the horizon and jumped up into the sky. It's easy to forget that the earth is spinning at around 1,600 km/hr (1,000 miles/hr).

Now I don't usually get up early enough to watch the sunrise, so I look for other things to remind me of the speed of life. 

If you sit and observe it, a garden seems to be completely static. But in reality, the growth is constant and deceptively quick.

It's the same with choosing the life you want. When you plant the seeds of conscious choice, it seems like nothing is happening. But their growth is constant and deceptively quick. And completely invisible if you just sit and wait.

So plant the garden of your life. Weed it and water it and let nature do its thing. You'll have a bountiful harvest before you know it.

Wow, time flies

Wow! How did it get to be December 21 already??

In my den, I use a dry-erase wall calendar that lets me see my year at a glance. Yesterday I took the time to wipe away 2016 and get set for 2017.

Yes, I believe in living in the moment - but I also believe in being practical and doing what you can to plan ahead.

So where's your head right now?

• Are you pushing like mad to get the most out of 2016 before the ball drops in Time Square on New Year's Eve?
• Are you already in 'holiday mode' and have taken your foot off the gas and are planning to coast into the new year?
• Or maybe you're already dreaming and scheming about the life you're going to choose for yourself in 2017.

Seriously! In order to combat the 'holiday slide', I suggest you put together a small mastermind group of people who want to get a jump on 2017.

Imagine how much further ahead you will be on New Year's Day if you start now!

Motivation - Practical Tips To Get Yourself Up and Going

People have different issues with motivation. I find it hard to begin, while others find it excruciatingly hard to finish. Both ends of the tasks are often the hardest to accomplish. It could be because the task is unpleasant, uninteresting, or lacks the thing that makes you feel motivated to get off your butt and start working. When having troubles with getting or staying motivated, try these following tips.

Kick the habit of procrastination - Procrastination is very enticing, that is why many people are led to its path. But, never for a second believe that it is satisfying. Procrastination eats up a lot of your time while leaving nothing for you to get ahead with your task. Procrastination also leaves that lingering, powerful guilt feeling that saps the energy out of your body. 

The unwashed laundry. The unfinished business plan. The project that lays idle on your table. All these are reminders that you haven’t done anything with your habit of procrastination. And all these produce that same sense of half-pleasure, half-guilt feeling produced by not doing the task on time. 

Push yourself – Over pampering yourself is a bad habit, and a fatal one too. You may not lose your life while procrastinating, but you can lose your job, opportunities and the chances of success whenever you hesitate and delay your tasks. No one wants to miss out on these things, so just do the opposite of pampering, try to push yourself. 

If you think you can do a task in one hour, try to finish it in 30 minutes. Add more outputs every day. Make yourself extra productive. There is a certain sense of pride and accomplishment in being able to defeat your worst enemy – yourself. 

Be careful not to push yourself too hard though. Always leave time for rest and relaxation as these can charge your mind and body to keep your energy and interest in the things you do at the highest. 

Stop talking yourself out of it - There are always two parts of your head that are battling for your attention. One part convinces you to start working on your task; the other gives you all the convincing arguments to delay your work. In most cases, the second part wins. But for people who have no serious issue with motivation, the good, inspiring side always wins out the debate. Always try to listen to that part that talks you into doing your tasks, not to the one that pulls you back to that cozy bed where you can steal a few minutes' worth more of rest. 

Envision the completion of the task - Think like you have already finished your task. Few people appreciate the benefits of creating mental images of finished tasks. The reality though is, this can help a great deal in motivating you to get on with it. Think of the euphoria of not having anything to make you feel guilty. Or the sense of pride in being able to accomplish something. The more you think of the benefits of finishing your tasks, the more convinced you will become to get ahead with it. 

First they came for .....

When things get so bad that the leaders can no longer be honest with their citizens about the true state of affairs and the real causes for it, and the citizens are either too fatigued or too cynical to figure things out for themselves, a search commences for scapegoats.

Next to money, scapegoats are the mother’s milk of modern politics.

When created (and test marketed), scapegoats provide the simple, easily understood explanation of why things have gone in the crapper – and much more importantly, the simple and easily understood remedies for setting things straight. 

These remedies are about as intellectually sound as phrenology and faith-healing. But they are emotionally appealing, particularly when every government in the world now uses fear to keep the Plankton People under control.

Frightened people always have an index finger ready to point to the external causes of their woes. They’re also more likely to ignore any part they played in creating the morass and deny their involvement. 

We need to recognize that if our leaders start to play the blame game, we cannot sit back and do nothing. 

 At this time I am reminded of Martin Niemoller, 

Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps.

Niemöller is perhaps best remembered for the quotation:

First they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

Now is the time to speak out, if we wait, we do so at our own peril.

Its your story, tell it WELL!

It’s your story. Tell it well.” ~ Nancy Juetten

“It’s people, not things, that will give you a meaningful experience. You don't need a budget for love.” ~ Morgana Rae

“Our thoughts and feelings are the colors that paint our reality.” ~ Eva Gregory

“When you choose, you have the courage to conquer…” ~ Jon-Paul Rippetoe

“In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”  ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

“No matter where we are in the journey, we must live today like we want tomorrow to be. It is in fact the only way to achieve it.”  ~ Kathi C. Laughman

“Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions.” ~ Unknown

“There is no one, true, right, and only way.” ~ Mercedes Lackey