“First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst.”—Dale Carnegie
I was reading one of my new favorite blogs ThrillingHeroics.com this afternoon and I ran across a quote I had never heard, but had always intuitively known. The above quote from Dale Carnegie sums up how we should all do business and live our lives. Many of us tend to focus on the negative and worry about what could happen. Is there a place for this in our lives, of course. However, you cannot dwell on these things. You must be honest in what it is that you want to achieve, and be willing to take the risks to get there.
I have known for some time that I wanted to start my own business. I have worked for myself before, but I lacked the maturity at the time to stick with it. Now that I have completed my MBA (and many years have passed since my last venture out on my own) I am once again starting a company. Most of my friends, and some of my family as well, think that I am absolutely crazy. This is because most of the people that you know are thinking about what they can do to fit into an existing mold. This can be a good formula if you are only seeking limited success.
To truly be successful and happy in life, you should focus on what you can do that fits who you are. In order to do this you have to cast away your fears and do what you know is right for you. If you, like me, tend to have an adventuresome spirit the best thing you can do is to figure out what you want to do and then find a way to do it. Don't worry about the naysayer (there will always be naysayer) because in truth they are either worried because you haven't fit into a predetermined way to be or they are jealous because you are living out their dream to step outside of the box.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Top 20 Places I've Slept
The following is a list of the places that I have slept (yes quick naps count!). It is organized from my favorite places to sleep down to my least favorite.
1. My Bed – it may not be the best in the world but it is mine. Sleeping in my bed also means that I know where everything is and I can find pretty much anything without turning on the lights.
2. Other people’s beds – this includes hotels and the spare bed at my parents’ house… this even includes strangers’ beds. The point is, a bed is the ultimate trump card.
3. My couch – I have spent many a quality night (and don’t forget Sunday afternoons) while crashed on the couch.
4. Any hammock – hammocks are stationary (relatively) and therefore easily in the top 10. I prefer them when they are in Mexico looking out on the water.
5. Beaches – beaches are good, as long as you aren’t sleeping at Black’s Beach north of San Diego.
6. Poolside – a nap by the pool is always good (as long as its outdoors). Indoor pools have a strong and unpleasant chlorinated scent which makes sleep uncomfortable and tiled walls tend to reverberate the sounds of the children splashing which will probably make any sleep impossible anyway.)
7. My parents’ couch – this is one place that I find myself sleeping quite often. One of the best times to catch some z’s is after thanksgiving dinner (while the game is on)
8. An air mattress – I think you will agree that with the air mattress location is not a necessary piece of information.
9. A friend’s couch – It is always great when you discover that you friends are so kind as to offer their couch for your dreaming entertainment.
10. A stranger’s couch – Although it is great to be offered a couch, sometimes you just have to wonder if you are going to wake missing a body part or any personal item for that matter (dignity is included in the list of possible missing items).
11. Car – Because of the nature of cars, I feel that it is necessary to point out that they rank differently depending upon the circumstances. In this case, the backseat of a car is a great place to catch up on some sleep. This is also the first time that I will mention not only location, but inertia as well. Cars are not nearly as good if they are in motion. However, that being said, sleeping in the back of a parked car in TX during the summer is going to be way worse than sleeping in a moving car with an operational A/C.
12. A stranger’s floor – Much like the strangers couch before, you never know what you are getting into here. To make matters worse, the stranger being discussed either doesn’t have a couch or someone else has beaten you to it. Either way, you aren’t at the top of the pecking order here. If someone else is on the couch, it is also quite likely that you will be stepped on while the couch-dweller is making their way to the bathroom for some late-night relief.
13. Car – While sitting in the front seat of the car, sleep is possible and can be quite rewarding… It is also pretty cool because you are going somewhere new. The downside is that I never sleep that well while I am traveling. I quickly enter a coma like style of sleep and find it quite difficult to wake.
14. Tent – tent receives a low spot on the list because I have already mentioned the air mattress post stays constant regardless of the location. If you have a tent in your air mattress, you can easily expect me to feel like I am sleeping in one of my top 10 favorite places.
15. Airplane – Much like cars, I find it difficult to wake from my coma sleep while traveling. The added problem of airplanes is that I always get kicked in the back (if I’m near the window) or get hit by the drink cart (if I’m in the aisle seat).
16. Black’s Beach – I know I already mentioned beaches but this one is worthy of its own post with a lower ranking for sleep. I love that beach and it is absolutely beautiful. My reluctance to sleeping there is that it is a clothing optional beach and I have seen some freaks there. Plus, you never know where you are going to get sunburned… Although I have caught a few winks at Black’s, they were short and not nearly as satisfactory as your typical beach nap.
17. Bench – On more than one occasion I have caught a quick 15-minute nap on a bench. These occasions have always been unintentional. Sleeping in public isn’t the best because you are putting yourself at risk to whatever strangers want to do to you (Am I starting to sound paranoid?).
18. Classroom – During middle school and HS I got a lot of sleep in the classroom. I didn’t like it, but it was necessary. I still remember being used as an example in a biology class in HS. My teacher wanted to know how I slept through the majority of classes and yet still received higher grades than the majority of the class. It was not one of my favorite moments in school.
19. In the airport – A few years ago I had a layover in ATL from 2AM until 8AM. Rather than getting a room I decided to lie down and get some sleep in front of my departure gate. I had a very nervous sleep constantly worrying about someone stealing my bag that was also acting as my pillow. The worst part was waking up to find that my flight was boarding and that everyone was just stepping over me. No one had even bothered to nudge me or tried to wake me in any way. This has led me to feel that Atlanta is a crap city. Hopefully, time will change this perception.
20. On the ground – Offhand I can’t think of sleeping on the ground, but if I had to, it would probably be pretty miserable.
1. My Bed – it may not be the best in the world but it is mine. Sleeping in my bed also means that I know where everything is and I can find pretty much anything without turning on the lights.
2. Other people’s beds – this includes hotels and the spare bed at my parents’ house… this even includes strangers’ beds. The point is, a bed is the ultimate trump card.
3. My couch – I have spent many a quality night (and don’t forget Sunday afternoons) while crashed on the couch.
4. Any hammock – hammocks are stationary (relatively) and therefore easily in the top 10. I prefer them when they are in Mexico looking out on the water.
5. Beaches – beaches are good, as long as you aren’t sleeping at Black’s Beach north of San Diego.
6. Poolside – a nap by the pool is always good (as long as its outdoors). Indoor pools have a strong and unpleasant chlorinated scent which makes sleep uncomfortable and tiled walls tend to reverberate the sounds of the children splashing which will probably make any sleep impossible anyway.)
7. My parents’ couch – this is one place that I find myself sleeping quite often. One of the best times to catch some z’s is after thanksgiving dinner (while the game is on)
8. An air mattress – I think you will agree that with the air mattress location is not a necessary piece of information.
9. A friend’s couch – It is always great when you discover that you friends are so kind as to offer their couch for your dreaming entertainment.
10. A stranger’s couch – Although it is great to be offered a couch, sometimes you just have to wonder if you are going to wake missing a body part or any personal item for that matter (dignity is included in the list of possible missing items).
11. Car – Because of the nature of cars, I feel that it is necessary to point out that they rank differently depending upon the circumstances. In this case, the backseat of a car is a great place to catch up on some sleep. This is also the first time that I will mention not only location, but inertia as well. Cars are not nearly as good if they are in motion. However, that being said, sleeping in the back of a parked car in TX during the summer is going to be way worse than sleeping in a moving car with an operational A/C.
12. A stranger’s floor – Much like the strangers couch before, you never know what you are getting into here. To make matters worse, the stranger being discussed either doesn’t have a couch or someone else has beaten you to it. Either way, you aren’t at the top of the pecking order here. If someone else is on the couch, it is also quite likely that you will be stepped on while the couch-dweller is making their way to the bathroom for some late-night relief.
13. Car – While sitting in the front seat of the car, sleep is possible and can be quite rewarding… It is also pretty cool because you are going somewhere new. The downside is that I never sleep that well while I am traveling. I quickly enter a coma like style of sleep and find it quite difficult to wake.
14. Tent – tent receives a low spot on the list because I have already mentioned the air mattress post stays constant regardless of the location. If you have a tent in your air mattress, you can easily expect me to feel like I am sleeping in one of my top 10 favorite places.
15. Airplane – Much like cars, I find it difficult to wake from my coma sleep while traveling. The added problem of airplanes is that I always get kicked in the back (if I’m near the window) or get hit by the drink cart (if I’m in the aisle seat).
16. Black’s Beach – I know I already mentioned beaches but this one is worthy of its own post with a lower ranking for sleep. I love that beach and it is absolutely beautiful. My reluctance to sleeping there is that it is a clothing optional beach and I have seen some freaks there. Plus, you never know where you are going to get sunburned… Although I have caught a few winks at Black’s, they were short and not nearly as satisfactory as your typical beach nap.
17. Bench – On more than one occasion I have caught a quick 15-minute nap on a bench. These occasions have always been unintentional. Sleeping in public isn’t the best because you are putting yourself at risk to whatever strangers want to do to you (Am I starting to sound paranoid?).
18. Classroom – During middle school and HS I got a lot of sleep in the classroom. I didn’t like it, but it was necessary. I still remember being used as an example in a biology class in HS. My teacher wanted to know how I slept through the majority of classes and yet still received higher grades than the majority of the class. It was not one of my favorite moments in school.
19. In the airport – A few years ago I had a layover in ATL from 2AM until 8AM. Rather than getting a room I decided to lie down and get some sleep in front of my departure gate. I had a very nervous sleep constantly worrying about someone stealing my bag that was also acting as my pillow. The worst part was waking up to find that my flight was boarding and that everyone was just stepping over me. No one had even bothered to nudge me or tried to wake me in any way. This has led me to feel that Atlanta is a crap city. Hopefully, time will change this perception.
20. On the ground – Offhand I can’t think of sleeping on the ground, but if I had to, it would probably be pretty miserable.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Dove Chocolate and Enlightenment
This weekend I am dog sitting for a friend. I have been sitting in the living room and watching a History Channel special on Edgar Cayce. While sitting here I decided to indulge in a Dove Dark Chocolate square that was sitting in the middle of the table in a bowl. The chocolates have sayings in them and I am a huge fan of the quote that was inside my chocolate. It read, "Enjoy Life's Daily Gifts." This is one of the things that I try and do everyday. Yes, there are days when I am more successful than others, but I try to approach everyday with a child-like sense of wonder and I try to focus on the positive. Making a conscious decision to do this had led me to weed out some of my friends.
Downsizing my friend population has become a sad necessity to maintain a positive attitude. If you know of a way to avoid this, please let me know. I would love to keep all of my friends close, but have been unable to find a way to achieve this. It seems that some of the people whose paths have joined mine tend to be toxic or at least unsupportive of the way that I want to see the world and the way that I want to lead my life.
In order to continue on the path that I feel like I am supposed to, it has become necessary to include these people less and less. Thinking about it makes me a little sad, but sadness is necessary to understand the human condition. I cannot remove sadness from my emotional palette any more than I can change my friends’ beliefs and attitudes to make them more aligned with mine. As I sit here this afternoon, a thought echoes in my mind... Surround yourself with the people you love, and the people who make your life better and remove the influences that pull you down into despair. Have a great weekend and let's all try to get through it in one piece.
Downsizing my friend population has become a sad necessity to maintain a positive attitude. If you know of a way to avoid this, please let me know. I would love to keep all of my friends close, but have been unable to find a way to achieve this. It seems that some of the people whose paths have joined mine tend to be toxic or at least unsupportive of the way that I want to see the world and the way that I want to lead my life.
In order to continue on the path that I feel like I am supposed to, it has become necessary to include these people less and less. Thinking about it makes me a little sad, but sadness is necessary to understand the human condition. I cannot remove sadness from my emotional palette any more than I can change my friends’ beliefs and attitudes to make them more aligned with mine. As I sit here this afternoon, a thought echoes in my mind... Surround yourself with the people you love, and the people who make your life better and remove the influences that pull you down into despair. Have a great weekend and let's all try to get through it in one piece.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Truth is stranger than fiction
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. On Tuesday I witnessed a scene that has stuck with me all week. As I left my favorite coffee shop (insert shameless plug for Trianon coffee in ATX here) I saw a man driving a full size truck. Although that has become less common over the last two years, that isn't what shocked me.
What shocked me was his behavior. This man was in a parking lot backing up across a group of parking spots. There were no cars there so there shouldn't have been any immediate danger. He had a camper on his white truck, and it was packed.
I looked at the guy to make sure his vehicle wasn't going to be put in a forward gear as soon as I passed. As our eyes met, I realized that the tailgate was down. A wooden barstool, the cheap kind you can find at the rear of any wal mart, was falling out.
As the vehicle reversed I motioned for him to stop... He continued. I honked my horn, and yet the man continued to reverse towards part of the payload that had fallen out of the vehicle. Finally, after laying on the horn and waving my hand I got the guy to stop. He looked at me and I pointed to the object he was about to back over.
The next thing that happened has been puzzling me for days. The man waved me off. He shooed me as he would a common fly. Finally I threw my hands up and I decided to let exasperation take it's hold. I drove off thinking, "what a dumbass!"
After traveling a block I thought that maybe the entire thing had been planned out.aybe he intended to run it over, but why? I eventually decided that he's an idiot and he didn't know why I was honking my horn. That seems much more plausible than planning on a chair to fall out of your truck so that you can run it over, doesn't it?
What shocked me was his behavior. This man was in a parking lot backing up across a group of parking spots. There were no cars there so there shouldn't have been any immediate danger. He had a camper on his white truck, and it was packed.
I looked at the guy to make sure his vehicle wasn't going to be put in a forward gear as soon as I passed. As our eyes met, I realized that the tailgate was down. A wooden barstool, the cheap kind you can find at the rear of any wal mart, was falling out.
As the vehicle reversed I motioned for him to stop... He continued. I honked my horn, and yet the man continued to reverse towards part of the payload that had fallen out of the vehicle. Finally, after laying on the horn and waving my hand I got the guy to stop. He looked at me and I pointed to the object he was about to back over.
The next thing that happened has been puzzling me for days. The man waved me off. He shooed me as he would a common fly. Finally I threw my hands up and I decided to let exasperation take it's hold. I drove off thinking, "what a dumbass!"
After traveling a block I thought that maybe the entire thing had been planned out.aybe he intended to run it over, but why? I eventually decided that he's an idiot and he didn't know why I was honking my horn. That seems much more plausible than planning on a chair to fall out of your truck so that you can run it over, doesn't it?
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Austin doesn’t like my Xterra
The day I purchased my X I got a nick in the windshield. I should have known that it was a signal of what was to come. While driving down mopac one day, I hit a vulture. That became the week of birds. Before the week was to end I struck two more birds.
Moving on from the “acts of god” last week someone decided that my car wasn’t fast enough. That is the explanation that I am sticking with. To help me out they decided to improve my vehicle with speed scratches. For those of you who are unfamiliar with speed customization google the Simpsons and speed holes. I can’t tell if the scratch is working or not, but I’m pretty sure that if I was to punch the gas I would be able to tell the difference in acceleration now that I have a rather long scratch down the passenger side of my vehicle.
Just moments ago, my car received it’s most recent attack. A Pizza Hut delivery guy on Capital of TX highway in a small red hatchback decided that my vehicle would be much improved if it had a new windshield. To make sure that he got his point across, he cut me off and in the process threw the tiniest pebble up in the air. The reaction from my windshield was swift and unwelcome. I now have a 6in crack in my windshield. Thanks Pizza Hut!
Moving on from the “acts of god” last week someone decided that my car wasn’t fast enough. That is the explanation that I am sticking with. To help me out they decided to improve my vehicle with speed scratches. For those of you who are unfamiliar with speed customization google the Simpsons and speed holes. I can’t tell if the scratch is working or not, but I’m pretty sure that if I was to punch the gas I would be able to tell the difference in acceleration now that I have a rather long scratch down the passenger side of my vehicle.
Just moments ago, my car received it’s most recent attack. A Pizza Hut delivery guy on Capital of TX highway in a small red hatchback decided that my vehicle would be much improved if it had a new windshield. To make sure that he got his point across, he cut me off and in the process threw the tiniest pebble up in the air. The reaction from my windshield was swift and unwelcome. I now have a 6in crack in my windshield. Thanks Pizza Hut!
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