The Importance Of Keeping Your Mind On The End Goal.

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Anyone that has ran a marathon, or even ran a shorter distance can tell you about something called "the wall". What exactly is "the wall"? I'm pretty sure that the majority of you know what the wall is, but for those of you that may not know, the wall is where you reach a point where you want to stop. Think of it as walking through your house in the dark and running against a wall in your house. It tends to stop you dead in your tracks right? Though "the wall" is a term that is most frequently associated with distance running, there are many more uses in life that "the wall" can define. For many of us, hitting a wall is something that happens on a daily basis depending on what we're doing exactly. There may be other times where a wall happens every so often compared to on a regular basis. So there was many different ways to describe a wall and how it relates to our lives. However, what the wall has in common with everything regardless of what way that it is being used is that it is often a make or break moment for us. Usually the wall represents the point in a journey that you find yourself able to push through the wall, or finding that it takes us out of the journey completely. As someone that has done distance running myself for many years, I can say without a doubt that the wall isn't for the faint of heart when it comes to running. I would also agree that this applies to life in general. So how do we defeat the wall and reach the goals that we're aiming for? Can we say that keeping our minds on the end goal is  of ultimate importance?

 

Back at it again! It's your boy Brad H. here to present you all with another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here to once more give my perspective with a topic that I believe would be self serving towards us in our everyday lives. I hope that you all have been doing well since the last post. If that hasn't been the story of your life recently, just know that things can and will improve in due time. So for my soapbox this week, I just want to say rest in peace to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Dwayne Haskins. For those that may not have heard, Haskins was struck and killed by a truck today. It is definitely a sad situation, especially with how young he was at the age of 24. It cannot be said enough, but life is so short. The way things have been going for the past couple of years has been pretty disheartening with all the death that has happened across the world. We all need to do our best to appreciate our lives as much as possible. We've all heard the saying "tomorrow is not promised", right? I think most of us take that phrase for granted. Our mentality has to change when it comes to this because the relevance of this phrase is probably a lot closer than many of us realize. Again, rest in peace Dwayne Haskins, and condolences to his family. So now that I've addressed that, lets go ahead and get into the importance of keeping our minds on the end goal. 

Before we get deeper into this week's topic, I feel that I need to address something that I want to begin with. One of the things about being on a journey besides the end goal that most people allude to is the journey in and of itself. We often hear people talk about the importance of enjoying the journey along the way towards your intended destination. I happen to be one of those individuals that agrees on the importance of the journey itself. However, for this week's topic, we're not going to be focusing on the journey towards a goal. This week's topic is going to be all about the end goal and why it matters so much to keep the focus on it. Now in bringing this up, I am in no way saying that the journey itself isn't important. The journey itself is probably the most important aspect of reaching a goal due to the amount of time that often goes into the journey. However, I wanted to write on this topic because many of us forget that while the journey is important, the end goal at hand isn't to be forgotten about. Furthermore, we all sometimes need that extra motivation to stay on our individual journeys, and focusing on the end goal can be one of the tools that helps us get to the end. I just felt the need to bring that up because I don't want to make it appear as if I am minimizing the journey. This week's goal is to hopefully show how the focus of the end goal can set a theme for how we govern ourselves in the challenges to come.

I brought up earlier the term referred to as "the wall" and how it relates to distance runners. One of the ways I used to describe the wall is make or break moment. For a runner, it is going to be the phase of the run where you either keep going, or you decide to pack it in. Now anyone that is a distance runner that managed to finish their race not only has experienced the wall, but they have obviously had to push through it at some point. Pushing through the wall is when you fight through all the pain that you're experiencing in order to get to the end. Though we are using running as a backdrop here, the same mentality applies when it comes to any journey that a person is on. When you are working towards a goal that you may be trying to reach, there is likely going to come a time while working towards that goal where you face your own version of the wall. Now there are going to be some people that are mentally tough enough to keep pushing regardless of how discouraged or unmotivated they may be. However, what about the people that may need a little more encouragement or motivation to keep on going? Those of us that face this situation may find the wall in these type of circumstances may be too difficult to overcome, which in turn leads to many of us packing in our goals prematurely. From my own perspective, this is where this week's theme of keeping your mind on the end goal comes into play most.

So why do I feel as if it is of utmost importance for us to keep our minds on the end goal? I believe as I have pointed out throughout this topic that we all are going to face running in the wall in certain aspects of our individual journeys. Since these walls are viewed as being make or break moments for me personally, the decisions that we make in these moments set a theme for how we will view challenges in our lives. I believe from my perspective that when we focus on the end goal, it helps us to find the strength to push through those walls. Also, due to the fact that I believe that we as people are products of habit and condition, pushing through those walls will set a theme for how we face challenges in the future. I believe that if we set a tone for being able to push through hard challenges, it helps strengthen us into not giving up so quickly when things get tough. If we allow ourselves to frequently break when we face those make or break moments, we will likely find ourselves breaking at most of the challenges we will face. This is one of the reasons that I believe that it is important for us to keep our minds on the end goal. Again, you want to enjoy and embrace the process and the journey towards the end goal. However, the end goal is the ultimate payout for putting ourselves through the rigorous trials and tribulations that come along with life. So the next time you find yourself at a make or break moment, it is totally up to you to choose the easy or harder route. The choice is always ours, so we have to choose wisely. 

That is what I got for this all this time around. I hope that you all enjoyed reading this topic, and I hope that there was meaning that was able to be taken away from it. I would like to thank everyone that has read this far, especially to those of you that have been coming by for a longer period of time. I truly appreciate all of the feedback and kind words that many of you have provided me over the years. Feel free to leave any comments on this topic down in the comment section. This has been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I will catch you all on the next topic that I cover. Take care everyone! 

©2022 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Understanding The Potential Consequences Of Avoiding Your Problems.

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There is a very well known term known as "fight or flight" that has been used to describe how people react when it comes to stressful situations. The fight or flight mentality is basically an individual's response to circumstances that are deemed as scary or stressful. Now being that I'm far a medical expert, I'm not going to even attempt to go more in depth on the science of fight or flight. However, I do think that the fight or flight response plays a role when it comes to certain situations that we may find ourselves in. Though it may not be as literal, fight or flight often comes into play when it comes down to the problems that we may encounter in life. There are times in our lives where we will face issues that we will choose to face head on. As soon as the problem arises, we find that that we're facing it head on in an attempt to fix it. This is from my own perspective what it means to fight against our problems. On the other side of the coin, there are going to be times where we avoid various problems that we're facing. This is a scenario where we make a conscious decision to just not face whatever the issue is. This is where the flight aspect of facing our problems comes into play from my perspective. Every single one of us are going to face problems in our lives at some point, and the reality is that the way we choose to handle those problems can have potential consequences. I believe this especially applies when we choose to avoid our problems. 

 

Hello to you all! This is Brad H. back to bring you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back to bring my perspective on a topic that can hopefully be beneficial to our lives. I hope all has been good and well for everybody since the last topic. It's so hard to believe that we are nearing the end of November. Wow! Another year that has gone by so, so fast. So for my soapbox this go around, I'm going to address the importance of staying guard towards weird things happening this time of the year. Most of us love the holidays because they bring us closer to our family and friends. I get it, and it's totally understandable. However, I just want everyone to be aware that this time of the year is when wonky things tend to happen. I know that I have personally experienced this, especially back in 2015, 2016 and 2017. I've already had some out of the ordinary things happen at the end of October, and the same applies for this month. I guess I just want to encourage everyone to not be complacent since we are in the holiday season. If you are able to do so, please save up or put back some money because there may be something that happens unexpectedly. I'm just speaking from my perspective, but I'm sure some of you out there can relate to wild things happening around this time of the year. At any rate, I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday months. Treasure and relish them because it will be a new year before we know. So now that I've gotten that out of the way, lets talk about the importance of understanding the potential consequences of avoiding our problems. 

Now I talked about the fight or flight response earlier as a comparison when it comes to the decision to either face or avoid our problems. I don't want this to be viewed in a literal sense, because the most often way our society views the fight or flight response is used is associated with physical harm and danger. The problems that I am using as a reference point for this topic are not as serious as being in physical harm or danger, but rather to the various poor decisions that many of us will make in our lives. This week's topic is something that is somewhat personal to me due to a recent encounter that I had. I'm not going to go into the details of what happened, but lets just say that choosing to ignore past mistakes can find a way to catch up with us in the present. For those of you that may be wondering if what I'm referring to is something to be concerned about, it is nothing major and I am totally fine. I just wish that I had chosen to confront the issue back when it probably easier to address. At any rate, I hope that this will be a topic that will serve as some encouragement to not brush off certain things that you find yourself facing. Believe me, I understand that most of us believe that ignoring certain things will make them disappear, but that is often not the case at all. There may be instances where ignoring things work out in your favor, but that isn't something that I think we should put a lot of stock into. 

Facing our problems head on or using the fight aspect when it comes to the fight or flight response isn't always the easiest thing to do. Often times when a person makes the decision to face things head on, they are automatically putting themselves into a state of discomfort. I personally believe from my perspective that this is the harder route to take in the beginning, but the potential upside about this approach it that often means that whatever you're dealing with won't be an issue later on. I believe that not only does accepting our problems head on help us to deal with them sooner, but it also helps us mentally. I believe personal growth happens when we push ourselves to go outside of what makes us comfortable. A person that has tested themselves enough when it comes to facing pitfalls in life will likely have the mental fortitude to continuously do so in the future. Now when it comes to the flight aspect of facing our problems, you are taking the route that is probably the most safest. However, the safest option depending on the context of whatever situation you're in may not always be the best route to take. Sure there are going to be times where you ignore your problems and they will disappear on their own. However, what happens when you ignore something that has no way of completely going away? I believe that this is where the potential consequences of not addressing our problems can come back to haunt us.  

 

There is a way of thinking that goes along the lines of when you don't give your energy to something that it doesn't exist. While this may be a truism when it comes to various aspects of life, it definitely doesn't always apply. There are going to be certain problems that we may ignore that will grow and fester because we didn't face them head on. When this happens, this is where things tend to get a whole lot worse for us. From my perspective, this is why we have to understand the potential consequences that can come along with brushing off our problems. Ignoring our problems will always be a short term fix, and just like I stated earlier that there is a mental aspect to facing things head on, this also applies when it comes to taking the flight mode. A person that has squared away and resolved any issues that they're facing will always sleep better at night compared to someone that doesn't address their issues. The bottom line that I hope we are all able to take away from this topic is that we can create an entire new set of problems for ourselves if we don't tackle them early on. Again, this isn't always the easiest thing to do, but sometimes in life we have to take the tougher route in order to live better later on down the road. I hope you all are able to just view this as some encouragement to tackle that next problem you have head on when it arises.

That is what I got for you all this time around. I hope that you all were able to take away something positive from this topic. Like always, please feel free to leave any feedback in the comment box. If you are on Twitter and would like to connect, you can follow me @BradrickH. Well I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend. We have the Thanksgiving holiday coming up shortly. For those that celebrate this day, I hope you enjoy the day. This has been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' brought to you all by Brad H. Take care everyone, and I will see you all on the next go round. Peace!

©2021 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Resiliency Is Our Natural State (We're Here To Rise And Overcome).

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Lets be real here; every single one of us that is breathing at this moment have had obstacles and hurdles to overcome in our lives. There may have been times where we've faced various circumstances that may have tested us, but didn't break us to the point where we didn't feel that we'd overcome them. On the flip side, there have also likely been situations that many of us have faced that have totally left our spirits broken for awhile. You know the kind of traumatic situations and circumstances that seem to have no end, and often leave us questioning whether or not we will ever make it through. I think in saying all of that, many of you can probably relate on some level. Getting our lives back on track after facing difficulties can be an extremely daunting task. This also varies and depends on how mentally strong of an individual that you are. There is a word called "resilient" that most people use when it comes to overcoming tough times and circumstances. Resilient is defined as the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Some people tend to have extremely good resilience when it comes to tackling issues, while others level of resiliency may not be at the level where they feel they can overcome those obstacles and hurdles. I've been seeing things as of late that totally confirm to me that every single one of us have a level of resiliency, and as I think about that word even more, I realize that being resilient is our natural state of being.

Hello once again people! It is your guy Brad H. back at you once again with another edition of 'Brad H's Perspective'! I hope that all of you have been maintaining and keeping your heads up since the last topic I discussed. In the last topic that I talked about, I mentioned the unfortunate happenings that have been going on in the United States as of late. I wish that I was talking about something more positive on my soapbox, but that definitely isn't the case for this week either. I'm sure most of you know about the natural disaster that was Hurricane Harvey that made landfall in Texas on three separate occasions. This storm left catastrophic damage to most of the Texas coast. The biggest impact made was in Houston, which we all know is the largest state in Texas. So many residents in Houston and along the Gulf Coast has been impacted negatively by this storm. Some of you may know that I'm a Texas resident myself, and I do live in the Gulf Coast region also. My specific area received a lot of rain and flooding, but nothing major like in Houston and others areas along the gulf. I just want to say to everyone that may not have been affected directly by Harvey to please keep everyone in Texas and along the Gulf Coast in your thoughts and prayers. Even if you weren't affected directly, you probably know someone that was. Keep in mind that Houston is the 4th largest city in the United States, so there are many people that live there and in the surrounding metropolitan areas in Houston. Being that I have family and friends in this region, I know that some people in the areas hit by the storm have been affected personally. So yea, that's pretty much what I wanted to use my soapbox for this week. I wish I could be talking about something less gloomy, however, we all know by now that hardships are part of life. Now it is time to transition into this week's topic of being resilient, and how we're here to rise and overcome.

Now for my normal disclaimer that I give before talking on the topic at hand for the week. We're all aware that we all have different ways of viewing and seeing things. The primary focus on here isn't to focus on what's right or wrong, but rather to offer some inspiration to others that will hopefully inspire them to see a topic in a manner that may not have been thought of before. I don't expect everyone to share in my views or thoughts, and it is totally okay if you happen not to. Whatever feedback and thoughts that anyone may have are always welcome here on this platform. As for how I came to want to talk about resiliency for the week, it's quite simple really. Seeing the devastation that Hurricane Harvey left along Texas is the biggest inspiration for why I want to talk about this topic. After all the stories and videos I've seen and read about how people have come together to help one another through this crises, how can you not believe that we as humans are resilient? Harvey may have been a strong category 4 hurricane when it made landfall, but I know firsthand that the people of Texas are even more stronger. This is an experience that will take time to get over, and it may even be years before certain areas of Texas are back to their normal state. However, I do believe that along with the help and support of everyone in this country, the people of Texas will bounce back and show that resiliency that is being discussed in this week's topic.

So now that we've gotten the definition of resiliency and established what it entails, I want to get more into the kind of qualities I feel people who are resilient exhibit. From my perspective, people who are resilient keep on going until they find a way to conquer the obstacles they're facing. A resilient person in my opinion persevere till the end and doesn't make excuses in my opinion. Seeing things through to their end is what resiliency personifies in my opinion. I know this is fiction, but being that I'm a huge fan of this character, I'm going to use Batman from the film 'The Dark Knight Rises' as an example. After being battered, bruised and broken by the villain in the film, Batman finds a way to come back to Gotham and save his city. People that are resilient throw everything they have at this life, and even when their all isn't enough, they still find a way to get back up and keep on trying. Now do any of these qualities resonate with any of you? I'm almost positive that most of you can identify with these qualities, and there is a reason for that in my opinion. I don't have any scientific proof or evidence of this, but I believe that the reason most if not all you can probably relate is due to my belief that we all have a natural instinct within ourselves to be resilient. I believe that it is our natural state to be resilient, and believe I believe this, I believe that we possess the power to rise and overcome.

So why do I believe that we're naturally resilient and here to rise and overcome? Well, I'm just one of those people that believes in the power of the human spirit and what it can do. When we look back at history, we have seen human-beings that have overcome all kinds of odds and obstacles. There are clearly too many examples to name when it comes to this, but some of you can probably take a look at your own life and think back to something that you may have felt insurmountable, but you still managed to overcome. Think about all the people here in Texas that have been affected by the storm. I'm sure there are many that have lost their homes and livelihoods that feel that they won't be able to get through this right now. It's okay to feel like that for awhile. However, it is in our nature to eventually act and exhibit the resiliency that is necessary to pick ourselves up and keep on moving forward. I may have mentioned this before in a previous entry, but I always like to think about this one particular thing when it comes to getting through the issues that we face in our lives. As I mentioned earlier, just think back to a time when you thought you wouldn't be able to make it through whatever you're facing. If you are here and still going, what does that mean? It means you made it through whatever you were dealing with, and if you can get through whatever it was then, you can also do it now.

Now I want to make sure and say that just because I'm talking about being resilient and the human spirit, that doesn't mean that life can't break us from time to time. There are always going to be times where life is going to throw up for a loop and leave us reeling, and unfortunately, there have been times where some people we broken to the point where they just chose to give it all up. Because we are all different and process things individually, some peoples level of resiliency and belief may vary, and that is okay. The main mission this week is to encourage and inspire everyone to see that we all have something deep within us that makes us want to persevere. So to sum it up for this week, we're all here to rise and overcome the challenges in our lives. We have to have belief that resiliency exists within us at all times. Finally, the people of Texas will rise above the devastation that Hurricane Harvey left us with. As I stated previously, the people of Texas are very strong, and will not allow this incident to keep us down. Now for the quote that I'm going to leave for this week that relates to the topic. The quote comes courtesy of Darwin, and goes; "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most resilient and responsive to change."

Well we have arrived at the end of another entry of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Thank you all to everyone that took out the time to read what I had to say. As I always like to close out with, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be gained from this topic. I also hope that it gives some encouragement to your everyday life. We have some difficult and rough roads ahead of us, but we can definitely overcome those times together. Lets not allow these trying times to defeat us, but rather empower us to reach deep within to find the strength to conquer them. Alright, I'm signing off for now, so I hope you all have a great weekend and don't forget to keep Texas in your thoughts. I'll see you all in the next one. Till then, peace and love to everyone.

©2017 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.