Bryan Parady's Blog, page 32
March 2, 2015
The Mud
Sometimes we fall hard. It can hurt. Once we fall we get bogged down in the mud we lie there, dirty, confused, hurt, angry.
A flood of emotions overwhelming us till we feel like it would be better if the mud just completely covered us. But to believe that is nothing more than a lie.
Mud can be a great place to grow even stronger. You can sink your roots, your dreams, and your goals deep into the soil, so when it hardens you are firmly planted.
We have to take our falls and make them our triumphs. We have to view them as lessons learned, as stepping stones in order to achieve our dreams.
No dream or goal worth having was ever achieved without failure first.
So don’t dread failure, embrace it, get back up and move on. It doesn’t have to hold you down or keep you stuck.
February 28, 2015
Not Easy
Sometimes making the right decision can be hard. What is important is not necessarily easy.
It can take a lot of guts to stand up against something you know is wrong. Sometimes it can cost you a relationship, a job, a friendship. There can be consequences to your action.
But what is the consequence if we don’t stand against it? How long will we have to live with ourselves and relive our choice. How many times will it haunt us when we think back on it.
Is it worth it?
We all have a chance to start over, to have a clean slate. Nothing is too far gone, nothing is hopeless.
So not matter what choices, decisions, and actions you’ve done in your life, don’t ever think you are too far gone, or hope is just too dim.
It’s not, and in fact the hardships and decisions you’ve made can even be a platform from which to launch yourself into a new and amazing you.
Stop beating yourself up, stop debating on which decision to choose. Choose what you know is right, what you know is the honest and good thing to do, and you will live with a conscience unstained.
Start today.
February 27, 2015
Never Let Go
We grow up with so many dreams. As kids we aspire to be so much. It’s not a matter of not having enough dreams, we usually have more than we know what to do with.
Then life happens, our creativity is stifled and we are taught that those who dare great things are dumb and just get hurt.
So we stifle the desires in us until we forget them ourselves. Nothing could be worse for our lives.
Those dreams and passions that once burned so bright inside us can come out again. It’s never too late, and you are never too far gone. Don’t stay stuck in a job you hate, in a city you can’t stand. Start over, go for the big job interview, get the degree, make the move to the city or country of your dreams.
What do you have to lose? I mean really? Worse case scenario it doesn’t work out and you try something else….but best case? You find a whole new life that you love. Go for it. Don’t live regretting the choices you never made.
February 26, 2015
Never Enough
What is enough? When you reach a certain goal, land a certain job? Make enough money? Get married? Have the right number of kids? Get the dream house perfectly decorated?
We all have some kind of idea of when enough will be enough. But there are two sides to that.
1. We put our focus getting “enough” of the wrong things.
and
2. We quit too soon, saying we have enough.
In the first mistake we focus on things that don’t truly matter, things we do to impress other people, satisfy other people who’s opinions we care too much about.
We tend to not chase after the things that we should be running after and instead let society and people tell us what to chase after.
In the second we give up. We reach a goal, but then we go no further.
If you look at successful people who have contributed major break throughs, they don’t quit once they “make it”, they simply move on to the next big idea they have.
There isn’t a one size fits all finish line. We should keep making bigger goals as we meet the small ones. Don’t ever just become complacent with life and let it just wash over you. Don’t let one goal be enough.
Keep moving forward, keep setting and breaking goals.
February 25, 2015
Why Do We Fall?
Why do we fall? It’s painful, it hurts, and it can be embarrassing. So why do it? Well honestly sometimes we can’t help it. We mess up sometimes unintentionally. It happens.
That doesn’t make the mess up right, but it puts it into perspective. We don’t always get it right, and we can’t ever hope to be perfect, but every time we do fall, it teaches us one more way to stay up.
Because when we fall, we tend to not fall in the same way next time. We might fall again, but not by the same means.
Falling and failure can be great teachers if we take the lessons to heart and don’t dwell on the failure, but instead focus on the lesson, and be a good student and learn how to be better.
February 24, 2015
Be Who You Are
What’s your personality? Are you outgoing? Are you quiet? Introverted, extroverted? We all have unique personalities that we develop throughout our lives.
Some personalities compliment others, some clash with others.
Some will try to change your personality.
Now before go on, we all have personality tendencies that probably need improvement. We all pick up bad habits in this regard in some area, and we need to control those bad tendencies. For instance if you are an introvert, you still need interaction with humans, you need to experience life.
If you are an extreme outgoing person, you need to be able to be calm at times and have times of quiet, and be able to listen attentively to other people.
So while there are certain characteristics within your personality that may need to be stretched, stay true to the core of who you are.
If we were all introverts, the world would be a very quiet place, if we were all extroverts, we would all having a shouting match all the time.
February 23, 2015
Make It Count
Every day matters. Every minute matters. I know this is a hard concept to grasp. It is for me I know.
But every minute does matter. Now I know we have responsibilities and things we have to do. We have to provide for our families, get our education and so forth.
But our attitude and our actions can all either propel us towards making a difference or it can keep us stuck.
We have to see what difference we can make in our every day life. How can you impact your family? How can you impact your coworkers or your customers? How can you impact your class-mates?
There is a way that you can make a difference in everyone’s life you come in contact with. It may be as simple as asking questions, or maybe it consists of lending a helping hand to someone you know is in need.
Regardless of what it is, change your perspective, change your attitude and look for ways to make a difference all around you.
Those seemingly little things are not little and will lead you to making a bigger difference.
February 21, 2015
Finding It
Sometimes it can be a challenge to find ourselves. It can be challenging to discover the core of what we love doing.
This is even harder if you grew up in a pressured environment, where peers or family tried to get you to do something that you weren’t originally thrilled about.
There is one way to really find who you are and what you love. This way is trying things.
If you are unsure of what to do, try something, take a painting class, try a semester of college, apply for that job that caught your attention. What do you have to lose? Worst case scenario you don’t like it and you come away with new talents or experience and move on to something new.
The most efficient way to NOT get somewhere is to do nothing. Living your life the same way day in and day out is not the answer. You have to be proactive.
It will seem strange as you start to do new things, but do it anyway. It will begin to feel normal.
Try it. Explore it. Find yourself.
February 20, 2015
Giving Back
What am I giving back? It’s a question I don’t ask often enough and then when I actually stop to ask it, I am faced with the reality that my answer is: “not much”. I try really hard to make the best of my family’s life and myself, but I often overlook helping others.
I would love to be able to say that I give all the time. But the sad fact is I don’t. I want to, but I don’t.
So it caused me to ask, what is the main reason I don’t? Is it a time issue? Is it a priority issues? Is it just a laziness issue?
I honestly don’t know the answer. It is something I’m asking myself more, and want to find the answer. So I am searching.
February 19, 2015
Where It Counts
It’s really easy to talk about great ideas. It’s easy to get in discussions on different topics and be very passionate about what you are talking about. It’s easy to have all the answers, have all the right solutions. Again…it’s easy in theory.
It’s easy to talk a big game, but when it actually comes to living out your ideas and theories, it falls under a totally different scope.
It’s easy to talk in the comfort of your home or restaurant, but when it comes to living out what you preach it’s much, much more difficult.
The real test of whether you believe something comes when you are faced with a real life situation that requires you to put your money where your mouth is.
Often it’s much better to do a lot less talking and let your actions speak for you. If you allow your actions to lead, you don’t run the risk of being all talk and no show. Words, are just words, but actions speak a volume of words.
