Aspire

A single word title: "ASPIRE"
The verb form would have you "ASPIRING" towards a goal or greater objective.

But before we launch off into our typical tirade and practiced rant - I want you to calmly look at this humble word and try to connect to it.

• What does this word mean to you?
• How do you see and treat this concept?
• What and where do you find yourself moving towards?

I aspire to be more than I am (that is almost a given for most of us except those who might have suicidal impulses). I aspire to be effective in what I do, I aspire for excellence in any field of endeavor that I find myself in...
I aspire for fame and fortune, for happiness and content.

However when the accolades in our heads have died down - where are we along the ladder of our aspirations? Are we really aspiring to move and propel ourselves towards a greater good?

What are those dreams that propel you? Do you even know?
The better question for me would be what my dreams and "Aspirations" (another use of aspire) are worth? Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder and my eyes have beheld the grand place held for me should my aspirations be achieved.

We are all success stories waiting to be written and even if our "books" read like a testament of hardship (the human animal detests pain and suffering) the lessons learned are worth the investment in pain, sweat and blood...

I regret not believing in myself earlier - I regret the lost time spent wishing about better situations but I will not be held back because I arrived at the party "late".

If it comes to that I'll start a party for myself all alone.

When it looks the most like success seems impossible that's when I should stubbornly refuse to yield and focus - aspire and aim towards those goals that drive me...

Reality is after all the here and now and since I control that by my beliefs and what drives me - I control the direction of my fate and life.

We all aspire for success in our chosen endeavors - we all want the inner acknowledgment that comes from deep within particularly when we have attained all or part of our aspirations.

Success has a lot of bedfellows but before it got there it was often a lonely journey.
The deeper and inner conviction that we can is part of the chain of aspiration - that which binds our dreams and goals to our purpose to attain.

Remember that to aspire is to inch towards that which we truly seek - our dedication and commitment and perseverance is required for true success.

Aspire towards that dream.

TEN RULES OF "BEING A HUMAN BEING"

In my unending search for great articles on this thing we call life - I make a few discoveries along the way. A lot of these guides are basic common sense and some actually manage to knock some sense into my pattern of thinking that I might have originally been lacking. Regardless of which category I fall into there is always something to learn - some new perspective that I might not have considered or tried.

Before I go too deep into my rambling - I present to you the: Ten Rules for Being Human by Cherie Carter-Scott

Ten Rules for Being Human

by Cherie Carter-Scott

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life."
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."
4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10. You will forget all this.

The gift of lady fate...

Once again I am in the hands of this temptress - this paragon of mystique.
I am alone - trapped by my desires to subjugate her, to tame her and to succeed where very few before me had managed to do so.

The very specter of her - her beguiling wiles and enticing smiles continue to lure me in repeatedly like the call of the sirens - a dead man walking.
In spite of my open reluctance to fall prey...

She has seen the demise of men greater than me and yet - I still stand.

Why?

Was it because of my fascination and perseverance? Was it because I chose to stand firm in the face of her screaming wrath and brutal fury of her veiled claws...

She drew no quarters and expected none and yet there was something in her that promised me all I ever wanted only if I could pass muster and stay the course.

Each endeavor was repeatedly squashed.

It was one failure after another and yet I chose to continue because there was no other way. I had committed too much to turn back. I would not bow to the demands to give up - my spirit was tired but certain that If I kept it up she would relent.

The cult of success is guarded by the few who have seen the eyes of satan and lived to tell the tale and yet their silence was all the answer you got because they still bore the scars to prove to the disbelieving - to show as proof that they had faced down their worst fears and survived.

I would do the same and even though it would hurt me and leave me tattered and torn - I will never give up! Not to her and not on my dreams and aspirations for without them I am nothing - a rudderless ship set adrift in the tidal wave of life's currents. Subjected to the caprices of the storm's fury and scorn.

She bore down on me with venomous intent and I bore the brunt of her castrations - look, see how she has ravaged my masculinity and robbed me of my identity.

But not anymore - her time too shall pass and once more, I will tame her and make her fortunes mine.

There is no escape - only the reward that is due to me - to take that which is my right.

Fate has given me the ultimate prize - her beauty, her tempestuous nature and her favour for I stood where most had failed with the prize in plain sight.

She was a worthy goal in the end - regardless of the outcome, she was a worthy prize indeed!

This thing called: LIFE!

When you slowly rise from the deep mists of sleep and slowly become aware of yourself and your environment - your thoughts are slowly pulled through the fine filters of coherence as you become aware of yourself - it is almost like a computer coming online.

In the mist of this boot up sequence you might be unfortunate to load those pesky files we refer to as the baggage of yesterday. You know what I'm referring to of course: those problems or challenges in your life that seem to stick to you like a leech on skin - they are obvious and painful and often unwanted (except of course you fall into that peculiar category that love "leeches")

Often times the greater challenge for us is the WILL to face the day and give it the "rude finger" - this is of course not to say that our problems magically disappear after this so brief moment but rather that we generate the attitude required to stay ahead of our problems and situation.

I love to read quotes of people who have defined their fates and destinies and have a few words to say on the subject - each has demonstrated a personal philosophy that seems to summarize the "ATTITUDE" required to hold life by the short and curlies regardless of how it seems to look to you right now.

By way of introduction, i give to you a few wise words from: Maya Angelou (pronounced /ˈmaɪ.ə ˈændʒəloʊ/;^[1] born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928)^[2] is an American autobiographer and poet. (quote from: Wikipedia)

(Once again these quotes are not mine and i make no claim to them except as a means to buttress my point of view)

Find below a few of her quotes - find in them something that resonates within you and maybe this will set you towards that which we all seek - freedom to be as we are destined to...

• We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
• I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.
• There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
• There is a very fine line between loving life and being greedy for it.
• The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.
• Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.
• I want all my senses engaged. Let me absorb the world's variety and uniqueness.
• If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.
• Courage is fear that has said its prayers.
• Talent is like electricity. We don't understand electricity. We use it.
• One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
• I know why the caged bird sings.
• "I've learned people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel".
• History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, however, if faced with courage, need not be lived again.
• When you learn, teach. When you get, give.
• The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind.
• Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told, 'I'm with you kid. Let's go.'

The crime is not when we stumble and fall for without stumbling/falling where would we be on the ladder of life's experiences - the crime is rather when we stumble/fall and chose to stay down in defeat - take as much time as you need while on the ground but when you get up - PLEASE GET UP!

when you are not "YOU"

Funny title but one that rings true in alot of our lives.
When do we cease to really be ourselves?

Is it when the expectations made on us by circumstances and situations cause us to live outside our comfort zone - how do we even know "WHO we are"?

How can we tell what we really represent - what we really desire?
When is the you who you are currently not the real you?

Why do we wear so many faces? What are we really here for?
What do we really want in our quest to live life to the fullest?

In this regard I will introduce you to an note sent to me by a colleague (for the fear of legal action: I AM NOT the author of the attached piece and make no such claim) - the words of wisdom spoken in true context - to be taken in the dose required.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio.
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

I hope this means something to you - particularly as we live through this journey we call life.

and then there was silence....

for so long... these pages have stood as a testament to my wandering thoughts.
They mark the ramblings that pursue me or that make an entry into my thoughts like a familiar stranger.

I am occasionally lost as i wonder on what to write about. My past? My present? The future?
All questions that await an answer.
I miss the ability to quickly throw my words down and watch their impact.

The joy of expression is with the attendant reactions but after penning so many words a few thoughts have been formed as some sort of conclusion - temporary at this stage...

people connect mostly to stories that resound with their lives, emotions or memories.
We are shaped by what we read and our thoughts on those words. We are a sum total of our experiences as these provide the blue print that most of our decisions are based on...

what would happen to me and you without words? Would we wilt and die or simply find that one of the many facets that define us has been terminated.

What would the ensuring silence mean? Would i be less of me?

Each word; spoken or written is a nugget of power a means to entrench your ideas in someone's mind.

A means to propagate your visions and ideals - thus silence would be seen as "death"

Friday the 13th - In my own words

Nothing...

Just the silence and certainty that life is as is...
No sudden terror attacks, no slashers looming around the corner.

Just a typical day with an uncertain end - we're none the wiser to its final outcome.
However, today is NOT Friday the 13th...

I face the obvious challenges that a new day brings. One is often left to wonder what the outcome is and how it will end eventually.

We are all creatures of habit - then there are those habits that mark us up as individuals and yet we're more than the sum total of our habits - we are infinitely more.

Humanity's major problem is memory...
Funny the way that came out but that's the fact or summary - we fail to draw upon the lessons in life except they have consistently wounded us, then and only then do we learn our lessons.

The same set of circumstances occur that cause war or strife or discord and consistently we have failed to draw the morals and parallels from these events.

Instead we match blindly into the same set of situations and finally yield to the same fate but on a much larger scale...

I'm just rambling as usual...

My laws or rules are very simple and I would love to share them:

1. Define the common denominator - that which affects the most or bring the most gain to the most number of people.
2. Determine how to aid others achieve their dreams and objectives without sacrificing your morals and ethics.
3. Play the silent counselor in the background.
4. Compromise is the name of the game - what matters is the final outcome not the present situation
5. Align yourself with like minded people and multiply the effects of your actions
6. Be determined and focused

Just a few rules to lead one down the path of greatness...

I would rather be quietly acknowledged than to be loudly ignored...

In my words...

MAN's collective purpose and the great scheme of things

Once again the silence is shattered.
The need is to once more come clean - to confess of the exploits of my mind.

There was a time when this would have been a laughable offense, these days - it is not so funny.
In fact there was a time when in my naivety -  I assumed the world to be a simple place with simple rules, which only needed to be followed for all to be alright.

Oh the misery of time and the lessons learned.
Now I only too well understand - there are no absolutes.
There are only choices and the effects that the said choice or choices has - that is all.

It was indeed a sober time for me - to step back and see how my innocence and naivety where gradually eroded over time.

the bible refers to it as: breaking the hedge.

I have since broken mine in several places and all manner of cretins are now pouring in - I am a little afraid of the eventual outcome and the complacency of my morals.

The edict of man is a complex treaty - it requires more than anything else an understanding of our natures and the diversity that defines us.

It calls on us to give more of ourselves in the understanding of each other and hence that which animates us to achieve exploits of significance.

How much we can achieve depends on our abilities, motivations and support pillars (people, belief or temperament) and yet this are not the end of the list.

I have seen that humanity is no different from ever other system or colony made of diverse parts - each with a specified function and task - each assigned a role.

If the parameters of communication are well defined - you yield a system that works like clockwork and is as efficient as possible. If however the means of communication break down or mis-communication or misunderstanding occur then you start to witness the effects of system breakdown or parts of the system doing what they're not supposed to do.

We are a lovely species but infact we're no different than any colony of living beings - ants, beehives, lion pride, wolf pack - all follow laid down rules of behavior and conduct.

To break such rules is to single out yourself as a maverick and non-team player.

The irony however is that it usually requires one to challenge the system before great changes can be made or great advances. This normally creates moments of great tension but the rewards can often be well worth it.

The bottom line is to be part of a system that yields a result - the sum of its parts are normally greater than the collective taken together.

And that is all we require to move ahead.