In my last post I told you how I got my ass kicked on a regular basis. I’m sure you had a laugh. Such is life. Another childhood story about courage.

I’m sure many of you have a brother or sister, cousin or family member whose aim in life was to torture your existence. I have older boy cousins. They are about 10-13 years older than me. Their idea of fun when we were little was things like, filling my sneakers with tadpoles,driving me on a snowmobile and flipping it on purpose, to shooting BB guns at me as I run for my life. Those BB’s hurt like hell!

Growing up I was always rather shy. I got picked on a few times in school. It wasn’t as if I was really afraid of other kids, rather, just unprepared. One time when I was young an older kid on our block used to pick on me relentlessly. I mean this kid would take ice cream out of other kids hands (I grew up in Brooklyn and there was a whole army of these type of kids)…Anyhow one day this kid made my little sister cry (mind you my sister was 3 and I was 8 ) I can’t remember specifically what had happen, but we got into an altercation over it and he punched me in the chin. It didn’t hurt all that much. For some odd reason I didn’t hit him back. My grandfather was standing in the window. I was shocked more than anything I guess. Probably a little too young to have an inflated ego to mend. Old enough to know that I just got punched by the neighborhood bully…

Sometimes we can forget what’s really important in life.

It’s meeting people like John Challis that helps put things back into perspective.  His message is Courage + Believe= Life.  It is a message we should all live by every day of our lives.  So go ahead and watch the video, but be forewarned:

Meeting John Challis will definitely change your perspective on life.

America is a giant competitive country built on a dream.  Any person has a chance to make a fortune and everyone is chasing it, especially where I live in the Northeast.  While being financially sound is a necessary goal, the path to getting there may not be as clear.  As a matter of fact, I believe it is hidden for good reason.  But instead of chasing the dollar, what if you could make the money find you?  Sounds crazy?  Maybe not.

Let’s break it down to basics.  You grow up, leave your nest (some earlier than others), and are forced to sink or swim.  Each of us have many options and ways of making money.  What happens is, we tend to focus on the short term.  I need $2000 for expenses this month, therefore where can i get a job making $2000 or more.  Though this seems logical, and it may very well be, but it is extremely short sighted.

Today, after training this morning, I was driving home by myself.  My Jiu Jitsu school is located about a good 25 minutes away from my house.  The ride is quiet, through the backroads and farmland of North Brunswick, Jamesburg, Monroe Township, and Englishtown NJ.  There is not much to see except some old houses and lots of empty land.

I had the radio off and my mind was just wondering.  I was trying to drive and type in some notes on my phone to remember some of the thoughts I had.  This is not recommended.  However, it got me thinking.  Most of my blog ideas, my creative inspirations, and all sorts of ideas, come to me during my alone time.

What does it mean to be truly ‘great’ at something?

People talk all the time about how they want to be great, but what exactly are they hoping for?  It’s not always the same b/c people’s definition of greatness varies.  However, there is one quality that is found in all great people.  It is the one quality that we all should strive for as our top priority, yet many of us never do.

Before we get to the quality though, let’s define greatness.  Oxford American dictionaries defines it as ‘the quality of being great, distinguished or eminent.‘  Basically I would interpret that to mean being well known for your continued success.  To be great, you have to be better than everyone else.  You have to raise the bar to a new level of success by continually winning time and time again.

I came across this video on YouTube and had to share. It is another inspirational video about a person who overcomes obstacles others couldn’t even imagine. The story is about Patrick Henry Hughes, and his dedicated family.

Life would be so much better if we only worried about the things we have, and not the things we don’t. It may not be how we intended, but that does not mean it can’t be everything we ever dreamed.

Enjoy….

Most people out there always talk, or worry about how much money they make. They compare salaries for jobs. They get second jobs to supplement their income. They leave jobs to go make more elsewhere. Everything they do in life is based on the final end of year income. How much did that W2 or 1040 claim you made for the year?

Well, I’ve learned that this is the absolute worst way to judge your financial situation. In fact, it doesn’t matter how much you make. Your financial situation has very little to do with your income. It has everything to do, though, with your expenses, or what I like to call your ‘outcome’.

My mother sent me this, as she received a chain letter. I’m not in to those sort of things, but this one has some incredible sayings worth reading and digesting over the course of the day. I was supposed to send this on to many people, but I figured this is a much better outlet.

From the letter….

This is a nice reading but short. This is what the Dalai Lama has to say for 2008.

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R’s.

• Respect for self
• Respect for others
• Responsibility for your action

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.

Last Thursday, I received my purple belt in Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It was quite an accomplishment for me. For those that don’t know, the belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu go (from low to high): white, blue, purple, brown, black. Getting a purple belt usually takes 3-5 years (took me 4), if you stay consistent and progress. The cool thing about Jiu Jitsu is there is no test to get any belt. You just are ready when someone tells you you are. So getting a purple belt is quite significant because most people don’t ever get that far.