Be Brave: Because Misery Loves [_ACTION_]: Recent Episodes
Eric Nies
PLAY WELCOME/INTRO HERE http://bit.ly/RadioShowWelcomeIntro
Wasn't life supposed to be easier? We see all the good life we're supposed to have, but yet, pressed with struggles, we get frustrated and anxious. Poorly understood, that anxiety can lead to depression (which is FAR TOO COMMON today). I've found that recognizing that we all have our challenges, being able to laugh at life's frustrations and treat them with some of the irony they deserve, helps us roll through the punches. We're all in this together. We're all struggling, one way or another, to keep on the good path. Some more than others. Some more visibly than others. Thus, in a world full of Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram perfect lives, it helps to face the truth: it's a little untidy behind the scenes.
It is amazing what comes back to you when you put positive vibes out there, especially in positive prayer. Prayers answered come back in strange packages that you may have never imagined, as it did today when some Ukrainians showed up at your house!
Ripe for the 4th Sunday of Advent, today's episode provides an analogy between St. John from who we've been hearing in Advent, to Trump! And, no where better to have recorded it than here in DC. Below is the quote which I referenced in the episode. PS. I have not yet watched the full speech from which this comes
Trump:
"Our country needs a savior right now and our country has a savior. And it's not me. It's not me. It's someone much higher than me."
Amen.
The focus has gone from man to God.
God is the one ultimately delivering us.
Full speech:
https://t.me/TheStormHasArrived17/7023
Procrastination would have us put off dealing with things we might fear are coming. However, as the Church warns us, we might do well to take advantage of time - which is fleeting! If what is happening in Europe (already) is any sign of what's coming to America....you might want to enjoy it while it lasts, or perhaps: prepare!
Sometimes life weighs heavy on us as we're going through it. With much of what we do we have directions or examples or explicit explanations of how to behave. However, in life, more generally, we can find ourselves adrift. Thankfully, we have the example of Christ, of course, but also His blessed mother - in her Immaculate Conception - preserved from the beginning of any stain of sin.
It seems we are being constrained on all sides and the attack on conservatives has never been worse. Is this the world's darkest hour...?
Did you ever have your kids tell you "It's Fine...." as if, "go away dad, I got this and you are so overly protective annoying". Well, are you? What do you do about it? Is it all worth fretting over or should we just be more permissive... Where's the balance?
We get comfort in unifying with those who believe like us. Those from our Generation (X) or having commonality of Faith. The Eucharist is a unifying identifier of Catholics and the vaccine (if people take it or not) is a identifier of how people believe.
Trinity Sunday had me thinking about God, The Thinker, and His Son, the Thought, those coming together in Love the Holy Ghost and that led me to the idea that we are and can be very "God Like" when we do something very simple: THINK!
What happens when doubt sets in and, to the contrary, what happens when belief regains the upper hand and takes control - oh, the blessings that will come to us...and how quickly that will happen.
From the time of Christ until now, the devil works the same old tricks and it is so sad how man gets tripped up and the pot of iniquity gets filled. Let us at least beware!
It is incredible how closely aligned the spiritual world is to our personal/physical realm and how, when we align with Christ's Will (i.e. doing God's work), how we see God's manifest blessing show up in multiples in our life - and we grow in spiritual harmony through it all.
It is amazing how Truths, real Truths, turn out to be prophetic over and over again through the course of history. I guess that is because history repeats itself, largely because human nature doesn't change and do what it ought. For us, we apply the BRAVE principals to break the downward cycle
GenX has been so disillusioned between what it expected it would get in life and...what it has got in reality. So, how do you get WHAT YOU WANT?
Succeeding in life, it takes interior change of heart. Not just doing what it takes on the outside, but doing what it takes every day....continuing forward.
"Carnival" as it is known, is an invitation to give yourself over to the hedonistic pleasures of the world. However, as Catholics, we're called to just the opposite: giving out ourselves over to God and leaving the world so it does not own us.
The idea of this podcast is definitely NOT to wallow in Self or Communal Pity....the idea is just the opposite.
Have you ever wondered if it was worth while to share in other people’s difficulties and hardships? Is that just going to drag you down or is it possibly a path to help strengthen each other?
Too often we tend to believe the first thing people tell us, especially those in the media - after all, they are Dr.s and specialists, etc. So, we should take what they say at face value, right? No, not so quick. Get a 2nd opinion and get some help from people to help shape your opinion which squares up with your conscious.
Today is the feast of Mary's Purification, where Simeon says to her: "and thy own soul a sword shall pierce." I think many of us can now feel (in some small sense), after this election or some other personal trauma, know what it is like to have your soul pierced....life is not all peaches and cream and if we miss the opportunity to profit from sacrifice, we miss a lot.
Not only for our soul, but succeeding in life is every day becoming more and more like competing in the Olympics. Fortunately, we can get help of the BRAVE Principals to help us succeed.
Many times we will not say or do those things we really need to do/say, for fear of it being awkward. Challenge is, sometimes the moment passes and we never get it back - and live with regret!
Not necessarily in the religious sense, but converting ourselves to do what it is we know (deep in ourselves) that we need to do, to experience satisfaction in life.
Everyone pursues (financial) FREEDOM, but what does that mean exactly and how can we get it virtually, if not practically. How can we each get the sense of security that a $1M cash account would provide to our sense of confidence.
They say continual pursuit of "more" is a path to ultimate disappointment, because the wants of the eternal soul can never be satiated in this world. However, being content with the good, the bad, the ugly that comes our way helps us rest more Beautifully in this life.
How do we get what we're looking for in life? How does invocation of God and those loves into our life help us endure and indeed success in contentment with what comes to us: good, bad, or ugly.
Ah, Christ underscoring the vocation of marriage and how important it is to have a marriage sanctified as a a sacrament...how that helps.
It is kind of hard to cross the finish line hand-in-hand when you're not aligned on the destination. Trump found this out with Pence on the Jan 6 vote certification. We too find it out in marriage - the goal of joint Eternal Salvation can be the binding glue.
You got to give a little to get a long. The value of a little self-sacrifice goes a long way!
Boy, how frustrating is it when we would have someone do something, the way we want, and then they don't. How do we deal with people not following what we feel is pretty good advice..?
The call for "ACTION" or following our calling reminds me of the seen from the movie Santa Clause is Comin' to Town. Just get started and soon you'll be walking across the...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRNiOpoZHV4
It's not about who you know; it's who you know and what you do about it. And everyone has access to the most power person who ever lived. Use and call on the power people for success!
PCSD (Post Corona Stress Disorder) can indeed cause a lot of anxiety. Dealing with that, by submission (or deferring completely) to God's Will relieves so much concern, worry, and anxiety as turn it over eliminates worry and delivers so many Blessings
While speaking some our failings (and saying sorry for them) may be an efficacious way to put them behind us, harboring anger and never getting over it (even if kept in silence) only festers and makes the problem worse.
I call it PCSD (Post Corona Stress Disorder) and many people are suffering from it. So, what is the solution? How do we get "unstuck" from a downward spiral of negative thoughts? Answer (at least for me): speak them!
Bridgewater Associates Chairman, Ray Dallio, Hedge Fund manager extraordinaire turned philanthropist, suggests that Capitalism is broken and it takes revamping Education (among other things) to regain our footing. That's right, but not just educational instruction, we need to regain our moral footing and apply, at the individual level, the BRAVE Principals which formed the character of previous generations which made a nation great!
They say Well-bought is half sold. I think the same rings true for accomplishment: well-scheduled is half done! It's rather basic: when your task is laid out in front of you, it's easy to get cracking at it. Sometimes a good reminder is nonetheless useful.
We're so enveloped in our cultural norms that sometimes we are not fully aware of what we're engaged in until we step out and...look back in. Seeing other norms helps us more objectively view our own. I had this experience today 1 hour away from my home in the Diamond District of Antwerp Belgium.
Many of us are somehow driven toward entrepreneurial ambitions and many of us are seemingly encouraged to "take the leap" as a fundamental necessity toward entrepreneurial success. It is like you can't be a successful entrepreneur if you don't take untold risks. Well, I'm not so sure.
Looking at our life comparatively to others is often a recipe for disaster. Rather than looking at how great we are (or inferior we are) in comparison to others, it helps to just look at how wonderful life is (in general) and abundant the possibilities which life provides for us every day. Do NOT look at others. Just concern yourself, with yourself. One foot in front of the other, every day getting better.
We've heard the coaching so many times "stay focused" but it is so hard not to look left, right and all around for a comparative assessment of how we're doing....yet, it is that looking around which distracts you and staying focused which invigorates.
Who would have thunk...Iceland, a place for development of an inspiring experience and example of the development of Beautiful perspective. It is really incredible how blessed we are today and all the experiences we can have, especially as you compare it what it took to do the same even just two generations ago.
In setting a BEAUTIFUL mindset with RESPONSIBLE vision aided by AMBITIOUS action according to our core VALUES, working on those things from deep down, from within, we will get what is EXPECTED will not come.
While that is all very simply and easily stated, doing that is much, much harder. And, it is harder for some than others. To that end and where the likes of Tony Robbins (Unleash the Power Within), Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich), St. Francis de Sales (Introduction to the Devote Life), Edward de Bono (Six Thinking Hats), David Schawartz (Magic of Thinking Big), and St. Therese of Lisieux (The Little Way of St. Therese of Lisieux) have all taught on that topic in much greater depth, I leave it at face value and refer you to them.
Growing up my dad refrained from telling me “how” to get something done, and just taught me the principals. And, it is in writing these last lines that I now better understand the benefit of that method. The "how" of applying the BRAVE principals comes from the doing.
A Vision, underwritten and driven by our commitment to strong Values will drive that which we do. Values, correct ones, form the basis of a successful life. That is why it is one of the first things our parents teach us. Unfortunately, the Values embraced by the Lucky Few have been under attack. We need to reclaim those.
If sitting on the sofa and lazy habits are what get you fat and out of shape; it stands to reason that Ambition and Action are the antithesis and core of what it takes to have us attain our Responsible goals. As the saying goes: the harder I work, the luckier I seem to get!
As noted by Warren Buffet, he himself one of the Lucky Few: it is better to be content with what you do rather than sacrificing everything in pursuit of endless wealth. We kill ourselves with frustration, pursuing things on unreasonable scales, where if we just do what we love more than what we imagined will come.
How we view and respond to the good, bad, and ugly that confronts us on a daily basis is what makes the difference. Viewing with a silver lining and any and all those things which come to us is the oversimplified way of viewing a "Beautiful" mindset. It's more than just "positive thinking" is viewing it as and being aligned with God's Will.
Did you know that GenX is the first generation to not experience the great American Dream? The idea of doing better then one's parents Bypassed GenX like mirage on the highway. As compared to their Luck Parents, who grew up on top of and led the Baby Boom, GenX got stuck with a slowing economy and secular stagnation to curb their purchasing power.
Do you ever find it extremely difficult to get crackin' on work or to even just enjoy the moment for what it is, whatever it is? Well, watching my daughter get excited about getting her braces taught me something about enjoying the moment, as a now participation in the future state.
When you view something from some distance or when you step away from it for while, you get another perspective. My view after having been away from America for 5 years is that this LGT-EYZPQ thing has run a-muck in America. This report would show why...
http://thefederalist.com/2018/08/31/explosive-ivy-league-study-repressed-for-finding-transgender-kids-may-be-a-social-contagion/
As the saying goes: School is what you make of it. That rings oh so true at a large college, where there are plenty of degrees and course to choose from. But, unless you're looking to a general liberal arts education, in choosing a small school you're going to need to make sure it as depth within field of study you desire. STEM or Music or Military or whatever, you have to pick the right school for you
Some people are suggesting their kids don't need college to get a career going, they may be right. But, rather than railing against college, in general, I believe these people are objecting to the cost of it and the overall return of investment equation. Is college worth it? I think so...as you lack credibility without it.
There are many sides to question regarding the value of college. Is it worth it financially? Is a university degree a basic necessity these days, or not? Will you lose your soul or child if you send them off to school? Will it strength and prepare them for life, or destroy them?
A constant hum of activity can be very gratifying, when it is organized and well-directed. However, activity for activity's sake can quickly become a cacophony of disordered distraction. Where we tend to disorder, keeping things in line takes time and effort...a principal of which is the effort of thought and planning. Order is often difficult without quite silent time for contemplative thought. Thinking pays massive returns.
I recently spent 6 weeks on tour in America and fell out of the daily routines I have at my home office. I found that my productivity fell as my waistline expanded - from an over all sense of laze and inability to get much of anything done without a schedule. That is part of my self-observation and intro to what will follow this week with my observation of the State of America, based on my recent trip back "home."
Sometimes it just takes and is worth blowing the budget to have some experiences in life. But, don't make a habit of it.
How we spent money and budget our expenses has a lot of options, including: rent, buy, or borrow. I like to get stuff borrowed, but that only happens every so often. So, plan the allocation
I learned quickly in high school economics that there is "no such thing as a free lunch" - someone is always paying the bill. So too with holding costs. There is always a costs to things, maintaining them or other. For example, your paid off house or paid off car has a cost...taxes and maintenance to start. Think differently about things and manage your money!
It's not everyday that someone is able to put a plan together together to travel with world, for a year, with a small family. Well, Addie Dwyer did it and she reveals how in the Episode...and in her blog post: http://micholadele.com/budgeting-services/
According to a 2013 Gallop Poll survey, only 33% of households prepare a monthly budget. The problem with that is, without a budget or tracking, it is hared to know where the money is going. And, when we don't know where it goes, it leaks out pretty too darn fast. We'll take more about Saving/Investing/Budgeting this week...and here's a link to open your own Acorns account. http://bit.ly/AcornsAccount
A young 18 year old friend was just given $250,000 to go to school. How? He hung around the right crowd and applied himself. It is near natural law that our future is directly connected with how and with whom you are living your life. This is an age old adage which we all know, so well, but it is worth repeating and worth refreshing - and worth continually working on. We must guard ourselves and hang around the right kind of people. If we do, what we envision will show-up with greater ease.
Sitting in the dentist chair today I found myself reflecting (perhaps a little too) deeply on comparative paradigms and relative paradigms. In the end, how we stack up against others, relatively, is not what matters. What makes the difference and defines our progress in life (even relatively) is focus on improving ourselves, day-in and day-out.
FAIL! That’s what my kids call it when something goes wrong! This week - big fat EPIC FAIL! in representing myself smack in the middle of a crucial moment of opportunity. Due to a shortcoming of self-image, I sold myself short…it was a rather embarrassing moment! But, I’m getting over the embarrassment and cut at my confidence leveraging the opportunity for a real “kick in the pants” to get myself back on track. Life is a series of missteps and, needless to say…I recovered and (hopefully) endeared myself to the #corporate vice-president of #Microsoft
With a little help from oue friends (and practice and dedication) we can break the perceptions of what may limit us and, in the end, do more than we ever believed possible. We'll even suprise ourselves. Often, what holds us back is more about perception than reality.
After a week of americana on steriods (1st Vegas and then Seattle) I realize all the more that my perceptions shape my paradigm which inturn shape my actions and reactions to all that goes on around me. Boy, is there alot going on around us and plenty to react to.
Have you ever felt a little, well, let's say..."uncomfortable" in setting out in a new role in life. Talking with Jerry Rice was uncomfortable for me, as was signing my book for some interested readers. Pushing outside of and through your comfort zone is, well, a little...uncomfortable. The solution is in the doing (taking action). Getting more comfortable, over time and with experience, helps grow into the role.
Between The Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam lies the small town which was the inspiration for "Radiator Springs." The Native American's have harnessed God's creation (the beautiful canyon) to sustain their life. Leaders harnessed the Colorado River with a dam to provide safe water and electricity. The creators harnessed the power of story to create the hit movie Cars, which in fact inspired the title of my 2nd book: BYPASSED: GenX's Vanishing American Dream. We are all created in God's image, with a free will and intelligence to be put to use for good!
Have you ever thought more deeply about what it is that gives someone their magnetic attraction and calm cool in their seat of leadership? Well, in Vegas, people do (and others don't) have that calm/cool at the craps table, and in the T-Mobile Arena this past Wednesday Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, showed impressive vision and cool command at the helm.
People talk about "knowing your WHY." I find it goes deeper than that...not only knowing it, but renewing your "why" many times daily in order to to remain reinvigorated amid life's inevitable events.
Did you ever see someone on the street and think: "boy, at least I'm not like that guy/girl?" Kind of the opposite of what this Radio Show deals with, aka: "look at all the nice stuff those guys have...I feel inferior." Either way, positive or negative, it's a comparative assessment of one's self to another. Making you feel better (or worse) about yourself. Either way, it is not healthy. Don't do it! Just focus on you! The comparative stuff is so easy to do, we must be extra vigilant to guard against it.
This is something you don't want do by "burning bridges" of relationships, but rather something you do with conviction and belief in a bigger brighter better future.
Today, my big moment of truth was pressing SEND on the button to submit this Press Release: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3855280
However, where the results of the future are unknown one does well to protect themselves against the risk of failure.
Over promising is a recipe for disappointment.
Unpromising and over-delivering is a excellent way to be exceptionally pleased with whatever comes your way.
Have you ever been in a funk? Have you ever been on a very productive "jag?" If so, your normal! But, have you ever noticed that these environments becomes habitual? If we think positive, we see and get positive. If we think negative, we get negative. Where you can go from one state to the other, it is very, VERY important to have coaching and use tools that help keep the orientation of your thoughts on the up and up. Take close care of your thinking!
Some people take what are apparently impossible dreams and succeed with them - to the amazement of everyone around them. They go on and pursue their dreams with seemingly reckless abandon. Are they crazy? Or are they driven by pursuit of a dream, something they know the world needs. Something they can see amid and beyond the fog and confusion of all the naysayers of life.
Did you ever feel like the economy or some situation is keeping you down, such that you might not be able to succeed because of it? Well, if that's the case, we could just stick our head in the sand and hope it all goes away. Or maybe better still, we could take an account of the situation and put forward some extra positive self-belief in our own path forward - protecting ourselves from the onslaught of forces might be working to overwhelm us.
Have you ever believed something, logically, knowing it needs to go to heart to really get it - but been unable to move it from your head to your heart. Not so easy to do and easier said than don, taking a leap of Faith can be powerful, very powerful when it positively happens. But, too many negative experiences in the past can cut at Faith.
Do you ever find work over whelming, keeping you away for the family and other pleasures you love? Or, on the other side, stuck in the funk of leisure not able to get crackin' with some productive momentum on moving yourself forward economically. Can you have both? Can you have success with work and family? Today we're met by Aleksandra Wrzos of the Proctor Gallager teaching us that we CAN, definitely CAN have it all - to the point that it might even be that we can't have one without the other. Success at work and family are perhaps inextricably linked.
One of the most delightful, bright, happy ladies I ever met was Mother Superior of a group of nuns here in Belgium. About my age (young), she gave me some really good advice when I asked her how she was always chuckles and laughs. She said "just don't think too much. Enjoy the moment!" That is good advice for parents too....enjoy your kids before they're gone!
Do you ever get that sick feeling watching the money sieve out of your pocket as it tends to do on vacation. Why is that? Why does spending a little money have an impact on some more than others?
Have you ever noticed that stuff, no matter how hard you work for it or how nice it is doesn't by happiness. The stuff we get, like paint on a car, looses it's luster over time - and quickly. Though money is no secrete recipe for happiness, in this world, it certainly helps. What would you rather have: some stuff, like a 1990 Jag-XJS in mint condition or £332,000 pounds? Me, as much as I like Jags, I'll take the money over the stuff.
Do you ever get to that point like wondering, where is this all going? Like, boy, this is hard and sometimes not too satisfying. Why am I don't all this and what's the bigger picture. What about something for me? Well, if so, don't worry, I guess we all do. And, knowing WHY we're doing what we're doing helps.
Sincerely speaking ... at a base level, we're all looking for appreciation. Recognizing that, Andrew Carnegie became the richest man in the world - his secret to success was simply encouraging people. Here too, sincerely exposing some of the challenges in putting this podcast together, I encourage you to take action on whatever it is you feel you need to be doing - really, deep within your heart...what is it you need to be doing to make yourself: Better, not Bitter.
Having you ever done a dream board and then wondered why all the stuff you envisioned (like that on the image here from my 2013 Dream Board) is not showing up in your life. Do Dream Boards work? Does Visualization work? Is it because I have not had my Dream Board in front of me? How should we visualize, it is the same every time....or is it and are we getting better with every step?
Do you ever get to that point in life where you wonder, how did I get here? If so, you know that can be a moment of reflection..taking stock of life. And, it can be confusing, indeed overwhelming, trying to figure out what you want to do next. How do we get out of that funk. How do we focus? Well: it's simpler than we imagine. Putting pen to paper, as we did in the old-school, is a very helpful tool for helping us get to where we want to be.
NEWS FLASH! Did you know: we're all different! We behave and operate differently, with how we approach life and situations. Seriously, some recognition of that is useful to keep in mind because it helps us be more accepting of others. Knowing ourselves and examining our thoughts and behaviors is an essential part of discovery and self-improvement.
Here's an intro to the podcast, which provides some insights into life - or at least my life and the challenges we face, as I see them.
Did you ever get to a rough point in life and then look back to realize that things just worked out - even though they didn't happen quite the way we imagined? Or, did you ever look back and realize that some of the stress we taken on is tightly linked to making sure the kids gets to a good place. If so, not to worry, we all go there and somehow or another, it all works out in the end.
AS you get out there in the world, do you ever find that sometimes your interactions with others: as service rep, waiter, manager, etc doesn't go quite the way you'd hoped. If so, remember, you can't control them. You can only control you and that is what you have to work with. So, try changing your approach. Re-frame the interaction. As necessary, move on to another rep, callback to get a different person and try again.
Do you have your set of rituals you go through to get charged up? If not, you should! And you should not feel guilty about taking the time. It is said that re-known conductor Paavo Jarvi (they call him "Bravo!Paavo!" in Cincinnati) goes through a meditation/relaxation - most likely a "visualization" strategy - to gather his thoughts and build his energy before stepping on stage.
If we don't have our Outlet and/or Ritual to help us get our grove on, we probably need one... All the best do it. We all need it. Just tell yourself Bravo!
Some of us get a great blessing with a "knock you off your horse" kind of moment of conversion. But, for most of us mere mortals, it's not the "serious as a heart attack" conversation that brings the change, but rather: study and daily application of steps to becoming better. Not some idealized impression of what others require us to be, but just being a little better today than we were yesterday - on the path to our desired state. Small improvements daily and you'll need a telescope to see where you'll be a year from now. Just as we all need a Gen Practitioner for our physical health, so too do we need a coach to guide us. Those with a Coach do better in life. All the best leaders have coaches. If you don't...you're at a disadvantage compared those who do.
As they say: "Make 20, spend 21 and life is nothing but misery; make 20, spend 19 life is joy." The difference between the rich and average dude is (after taxes, charity, and savings) not so much at the end of the month. Even Warren Buffet says that. Everyone has the "too much month left at the end of the money." The trick to feeling rich and actually being wealthy is keeping expenses as low as income rises - and work hard, with the application of the BRAVE Principals, to ensure that income grows and expenses do so more slowly.
Diligence and dedication to the effort is not only essential, but it takes time amid an already packed schedule of life. The 10,000-hour rule (how long it takes to become expert at something) has been proven in research and popularized by best-selling author/speakers, but that is easier said than done. Do you too find it is, unfortunately, oh so too easy to get distracted along the way and hard to stay the course ... If so, don't worry, we all do!
Change of just one or two habits and the ripple effect of positive change can turn into a raging river of success. Eliminate a couple negatives and replace them with a couple positives and you're off to the races. I'm not talking about changing the big bad hard habits, but just simple things...like, I'm not going to do the dishes anymore...the kids are.
Sometimes in life we have these dreams that seem more like a mirage - they keep disappearing in the distance the closer we get...but, worse still, we don't feel we're even getting any closer. We feel, more like a car stuck in the mud of life, we can't get out! URGH! Today, we'll talk about a means of getting our Vision Unstuck!
How small things can get in the way of your goal - it happens to us all. Right? And, why "misery loves" is not some negative sentiment of communal empathy and depression, but a rather a slightly ironic (some call it sarcastic) view of how recognizing that we're all in this together can be uplifting.