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Does anybody else wonder why some people would wake up early to get free food at Denny’s today?  If you haven’t heard, Denny’s is giving away a free Grand Slam breakfast this morning from 6am to 2pm.  Charissa (my wife) and I drove by one of the shops this morning hoping that there wouldn’t be a line.  Turns out there was over an hour wait to just get into the restaurant.  People were wrapped around the building, waiting OUTSIDE in 24 F degree weather, just to save $5.  Now you can argue that the experience was what they were after or that it was just a fun thing to be a part of, but is it really worth it?  Is it worth it to stand out in the cold waiting for a seat to save $5?  Your time is really only worth $5/hr?

Did anyone else see this phenomenon this morning?  Did you participate?  If so, why?

The following by Dr. Moorehead from the Overlake Christian Church…I find it very thought provoking with all the technology that we surround ourselves with.  Have we ever really stopped to think about what we have today…how we should be better off in so many ways than we were in the past, but we really aren’t when it comes to personal and social interaction, when it comes to time, when it comes to many things…we just have less.  Have you felt yourself trapped in this kind of cycle where you believe you are getting in to something that gives you more time, but actually eats up your time?  I wanna hear about it in the comments!

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.  We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life.  We’ve added years to life not life to years.

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less.

We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent. Remember, to say, “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

-Dr. Moorehead

Just a little thought provoking, huh?  Thought I would share!  I would love to hear what you think about today’s society in the comments!

I just wanted to share this great article I just read.  I’m sick of people using excuses to avoid anything and everything.  The video at the bottom accentuates the article very nicely!  Enjoy!  Don’t forget to let me know how you feel about the topic in the comments!  I love feedback!

We all make excuses.

But the successful ones are those who can kill the excuses like the miserable maggots they are.

I’m too tired. I don’t have the time. I don’t feel motivated. I’d rather do nothing. I don’t have the money, equipment, space. I can’t because …

We’ve all made the excuses. Here’s how to kill them.

1. See the positive. Excuses are usually made because we don’t feel like doing something — we’re accentuating the negative. Instead, see the fun in something, the joy in it. And maintain a positive attitude, or you’ll never beat the excuses.
2. Take responsibility. Excuses are ways to get out of owning up to something. If we don’t have the time, money, equipment, etc., then it’s not our fault, right? Wrong. Take responsibility, and own the solution.
3. Find a solution. Just about every problem has a solution. Don’t have time? Start with just 5-10 minutes. Make the time. Wake earlier. Do it during lunch. Don’t have a gym membership? Workout at home or in the office. Don’t have the energy? Do it when you have higher levels of energy. You’re smart. Figure out the solution.
4. See your goal. This is your motivation — your reason for doing it. Sure, you could just lay on the couch, but if you think about why you really want to pursue a goal, you’ll be motivated. Visualize that goal and just get started.
5. Be accountable. Have a workout partner, a project partner, a team, someone to report to. If you have to meet a coach or partner, you’re more likely to do something.
6. Go ahead and make your excuses. Then do it anyway.
7. Watch this. Then go and do it.

-Leo Babauta, ZenHabits

“Never be bullied into silence.  Never allow yourself to be made a victim.  Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.” – Harvey S. Firestone

Have you ever been around those people who can never blame themselves for their difficulties in life?  Those who always have an excuse for their problems and why they are there EXCEPT for the simple and usually true circumstance that they just didn’t perform or just didn’t do it themselves?

That’s what this post is all about.  I’ve been wondering why so many times in my life and possibly in your life, we have made ourselves victims all the while blaming those around us for our problems.  Why not take control of your own life?  The only way to do that is to take responsibility for our actions and the consequences of those actions.

“If it’s never our fault, we can’t take responsibility for it.  If we can’t take responsibility for it, we’ll always be the victim.” – Richard Bach

If you want to be physically fit, then stop eating junk food and start exercising.  If you want to have financial and time freedom in your life, get past American Idol on Tuesday at 7 and start taking the steps necessary to do so.  If you want to get out of debt, then please, oh please, stop blaming the credit card companies for abusing you and stop using their services.  If you want to do well in school, then put in the work to do it.  I don’t mean to be harsh, but you create the life you want for yourself.  The way you’re living now affects the way you’ll be living tomorrow.  Fix it today and live up to your own expectations.  Everything you want in this life is achieved by you and only you.  Create your future by taking responsibility for where you are at today and where you will be tomorrow.

“Accept fate, and move on.  Don’t yield to the seductive pull of self-pity.  Acting like a victim threatens your future.” – Unknown

Life is good, only if you make it so.  Live, love and laugh!

Most of my posts start out with something like, “I just happened upon an article that made me think the other day…”  This one is no different!  Sorry!  I know, I need to come up with some original content, but sharing content that’s already out there that has had an impact on my life isn’t so bad either, as long as I add a few comments of my own, right?

I recently read an article entitled, “Stop reading about it and do it.”  It caught my eye because Charissa had once shared with me a quote that has stuck in my mind since.  First, the quote:

You cannot be successful without passion, but passion alone will not make you successful. ~Chelsey Rippy~

So very true!  Passion, enthusiasm and excitement are very necessary to success, but true learning, experience and the actual end result of success comes through doing.  Here’s the article!  It’s not very long, so don’t whine about reading it. 

We learn more by doing than by reading.

That’s a simplified statement, of course, because reading teaches us a lot, but it’s in the actual doing of things that we do our real learning. It may be a fairly harmless statement for most of us, but think about this: do you actually put it into practice? How about in your efforts to improve your life?

It’s easy to see how this applies in a school situation: In an article in the Chronicle for Higher Education, studies show that the best way to study for an exam is not to read and re-read, but to put the book down, try to recall what you read, then write it down. Much more effective.

But how about in your everyday life? This isn’t as obvious, but it’s just as effective.

When you want to improve your life in some way — by simplifying, by being more frugal, by starting to exercise or eat healthy, by learning more productive habits, by being a more positive or compassionate person — you are learning a new skill.

And when you learn a new skill, all the reading in the world won’t teach you the skill. You have to learn by doing.

So reading countless self-help articles and books are great — I’ve written a few myself — but remember that it’s only the first step.

You have to put the personal development posts away, get away from the computer or book, and start doing it. Today.

Only in doing it will you actually learn.

Reading does help though: first in helping you to understand what to do, and second in keeping you motivated as you actually do the skill. But it’s not a substitute for doing.

So stop reading this post, and go do what you want to learn to do!

- Leo Babauta, Stop Reading About It and Do It

So what’s the end result to us doing instead of just being passionate about something or reading about it and thinking it’s a good thing to do?  We learn, gain new experiences, and actually grow, instead of rely on a roller coaster of emotion that is bound to have peaks and deep valleys.  When we are doing, there is no time to dream, because we enable ourselves to live the very dreams that we are passionate about.