The Importance Of Accepting Things For The Way They Are.

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There's an old and famous saying in life that goes; "You can't have your cake and eat it too!" Most of us have heard this before and know what it is referring to. It's basically a way of saying that you can't have everything you want in this life without giving up something. Once you eat the cake it is gone, which means you can no longer have it. I somewhat liken it to the idea of a person being selfish. If we're going to be completely honest with ourselves, I believe that most of us can grasp onto the idea that we're all selfish at times. Some people are selfish more than others, but regardless of how unselfish a person may claim they are, there is no way around we as individuals being selfish at times. We all have certain moments and instances in our lives where we have our own individual agendas that we want to work out in our favor. If you ask me there isn't anything wrong with that, especially when it doesn't come at the expense of hurting other people. I mean it's our lives, so we should do all that we can in order to make ourselves happy. Well unfortunately in this game of life that we're navigating through, there are going to be also be moments when things will not work out for us in the way that we'd like them to. We all have different ways of dealing with such moments, but there are times when these moments can become too much for a person to bear. Moments of this nature can cause us to become uncomfortable and can lead to unhappiness in our lives. I'm a believer that the majority of the unhappiness that many of us experience in our lives is pretty much self induced due to the fact that most of us have a hard time accepting the harsh realities of life.

Hey, what's going on people? This is Brad H. back once again, and you are now tuned into another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here for another week to bring you all a topic that can serve as a bit of inspiration to us all. Thank you all in advance for visiting, and I hope that things are going well in your life. You know, I'm beginning to believe that free agency in the NBA is becoming more exciting than the season itself. So since free agency has started, we've had several key moves happen. However, the biggest move happened last night/early morning when the biggest free agent on the board, Kawhi Leonard finally made his decision. He decided to join the Los Angeles Clippers, and equally as big was the Clipper acquiring Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. All I can say is WOW! I'm personally happy with this, because though I'm not a Clippers fan, I think this is big for their team. Another aspect I noticed was how the sports media were trying so hard to push Kawhi to go play with LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers. You had guys saying that the Clippers had no shot of landing Kawhi, and some saying that there was a 99% chance that Kawhi would go back to the Toronto Raptors. I think that just proves that most of these guys that are commentators really don't have inside information like they claim. Not only do I think it's pretty dope how Kawhi zigged when everyone else seemed to want him to zag, but I think this move makes the NBA much more competitive. I mean lets face it, had Kawhi joined LeBron and Anthony Davis on the Lakers, it would likely be a foregone conclusion that the Lakers would win it all next season. It has been a very interesting free agency period so far, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens next. Alright, now that I've gotten on my soapbox for a bit, lets go ahead and talk more about this week's topic of the importance of accepting things for the way they are.

Now before I go into the heart of this week's topic on the importance of being able to accept things for the way that they are, I want to preface it by saying that pretty much anything can be applicable to this topic. It's not limited to just one or a few things, but more so applies to us as individuals in our own lives. As I've stated many times before, we're all individuals that have varying viewpoints. There are some things that certain people will be able to accept on move on from, while others may not be able to do so. It all comes down to you as a person. So now that I've gotten that point taken care of, lets go ahead and get into the meat of this week's topic. I think it would pretty accurate for me to say that we as people in general prefer to be in control of things. Like I pointed out earlier, we're all selfish in our own ways, so it would make sense that we'd prefer to have things go our way at times. Now I'm not speaking for anyone else, but I'm pretty sure that most of us have found ourselves in certain circumstances that we had little to no control over. It could have been a situation involving a family member or a friend, or maybe even a complete stranger. It could have been a situation or scenario that involved some sort of events happening that you had little to no control over. If we really think about it for a second, I think most of us can agree that we've dealt with dilemmas of this sort. Now if you think about a child that doesn't get their way, what does a child do when they don't get their way? They often cry or pout right? Well even as adults, many people act in this manner, yet instead of pouting we often become angry and frustrated right? From my perspective, it is in here where the problem lies when it comes to accepting things for the way they are.

Now expanding on my points of anger and frustration, from my perspective, they are often the starting points for more potential issues taking place in our lives. I mean most of us don't properly channel the anger that we experience in positive ways, which means that our anger frequently works against us. Last week I saw a video online of a Walmart employee throwing objects off of the shelves because he had been let go. Obviously he was angry, which is why he raged out in the manner that he did. Now depending on the circumstances and how much of a role that he played in what caused him to be let go, it is understandable why he would be angry. However, being let go by the company is something that he he no control over once they made the decision to part ways with him. It was no longer under his control, which means that there wasn't much more that he could do to change the situation. Rather than seeing the situation that he was in for what it is and thinking that maybe there is a greater meaning behind what happened to him, he made the situation worse with his actions that followed. Not only is he no longer employed with the company, but he will likely be facing criminal related problems. This is a prime example of what I mean when I say that we don't always properly channel our anger. It is also an example of what I mean when I say that anger and frustration are the breeding ground for more potential issues in our lives.

So why is it important to accept things for the way that they are? Well from my perspective, and from what I've already touched on, there are so many aspects of this life that you're never going to be able to change. It's like being in a relationship with someone that you want to change their ways, yet they never do, unless they are ready for it. It's not something that you can control, so it sorta defeats the purpose of even worrying about it. I believe that this is much how life in general is. We worry about and stress over so many things that we have absolutely no control over, which in turn causes us to be unhappy. There are many of us right this moment that are struggling with being happy in our lives because we're overly concerned with circumstances that we don't have the ability the change. I haven't always felt this way, but I believe one of the best ways to find happiness in this life is accepting life the way that it is. There has to be an understanding that not everyone is dealt the same hand when it comes to life, and that is one aspect of life that just has to be accepted. However, rather than focusing on people and circumstances that we cannot change, wouldn't it be more beneficial to put more energy towards the things that we do have power over. What am I primarily talking about right here? Yes, got you it, I'm talking about OURSELVES! We are the only ones that have the power to change our lives in a manner in which we can find peace and happiness. I believe that by doing this, we're able to gain a sense of power over ourselves and how we react to the world around us. So with all that being said, remember that there is only so much in this world you can control.

Well that pretty much does it for this week's topic. I'm going to go ahead and bring this one to a close as I feel that I've been able to get my point across. Thanks once again to every single person that stopped by for another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I really appreciate you all, and you all inspire me to keep on dreaming and believing. If any of you have any comments or feedback to give, please feel free to do so. You can also connect with me on Twitter at the handle, @BradrickH. I hope you all have a great weekend, and I'll see you all in the next one. Oh by the way, stay safe out there everyone. I know there was a big earthquake in California yesterday, so everyone be safe and cautious wherever you are. Take care everyone! Peace!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Giving The Events In Your Life Time To Work Out.

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We've all heard various phrases and quotes that describe time when it comes to living life. Phrases such as "living on borrowed time, and "time heals all wounds" are just a few of many ways that time can be described. As with probably many other people in this world when it comes to time, I'm of the belief that time is one of life's concepts that can either work with or against us. In some ways it can be viewed as a "frenemy"; both a friend and enemy depending on the situations and circumstances that we're facing. Regardless of what your individual beliefs may be when it comes to time and how it relates to your life, there is no denying that it plays a major part in how we navigate through this maze of life. One of the things that I've talked about in past entries via this blog is patience and how it seems that so many of us in today's society lacks it. Living in and growing up in a fast paced world has conditioned our society to believe that nearly everything has to happen fast. Besides the idea of lacking patience, I believe that one of the issues with so many of us expecting everything to happen fast is that it can lead to self worth issues. How many instances have you seen where people you know have gotten down on themselves when something that they'd hope would work out didn't? Maybe it wasn't a situation where you witnessed it with another person, but rather it was a point in your own life where you faced it. Could it be something that wasn't only a period in your life, but rather something that you're dealing with at this current moment? I'm sure this may sound familiar to most of you, because I believe that this is something that most of us have either dealt with in the past, or we're currently dealing with now. Though we may fight with it at times, there are some events in this life where you have to let go, and give them the appropriate time to work themselves out.

Yo! What's up once again good people? This is Brad H. back once again for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I'm back to address a topic that has been on my mind as of late, and hopefully to use that topic as a catalyst that can inspire us. I hope that things have been going well in you all's lives as of late. So the NBA season is over, and the Golden State Warriors were not able to capture their 3rd straight title. They fell to the Toronto Raptors in six games. Now I'm on the record stating that I personally wanted to see the Warriors win despite not being a Warriors fan at all. I just think that the "3-Peat" would have marked a great close to their story being that there is so much uncertainty as to how their team would look next season. It also would have been great for them to win it all in their last season at Oracle Arena. Now as most of the world knows by now, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson both suffered season ending injuries that will likely keep both of them out all of next season. I know that Kevin Durant got and still gets a ton of heat for signing with the Warriors, but I truly hate that he suffered that injury. I come to have an even greater level of respect for him, because it was clear that he was not healthy enough to play, yet he still went out there and potentially put his career on the line. I believe that is an honorable thing considering we live in an era of sports where athletes appear to care more about money than the sports they participate in. I hope that K.D. has a speedy recovery, and his able to come back stronger whether he is with the Warriors or another team. As for Klay Thompson, guy is a true warrior in my opinion. The man tore his ACL, but still tried to be there for his team. That is admirable as well, but sometimes you need to be saved from yourself, and it seems like that is what the people that care for Klay done. I hope he has a speedy recovery as well. I say all of that to say that though I don't care for the Warriors, I gained an extreme amount of respect for their team. They fought to the end despite the injuries they had. Congrats to the Toronto Raptors for winning their first title, though their fan base that cheered when Durant got injured was wrong. We'll see what happens this summer in free agency, but I'm going to end the NBA talk for now and move into this week's topic of the importance of giving the events in our lives time to work out.

Now I mentioned earlier how the the world that we live in is generally full of individuals that are extremely impatient. I can think back to a time when I was younger when the majority of people received the news through the television, newspaper, or radio. Things such as the news back then weren't so fast and "breaking". Now the 24 hour news cycle that we live in via the internet puts the news at our disposal instantly whenever it drops. Now I'm in no way implying that this is a bad thing. I'm just setting up how a fast paced society can lead to people wanting things fast. As I brought up earlier, the biggest downside I see to such a fast paced world is a lack of patience among people. Now from my perspective, patience is something that we all need at exhibit at times. However, I do believe that it is important to know when circumstances calls for it. None of us can always get what we want when we want it, nor does being overly patient benefit us. It's importance to find a healthy balance between being patient, and going to the extreme with it. Now when it comes to the lack of patience that so many of us have, the scary thing is that not having the proper amount of patience can potentially make the circumstances in our lives even more worse. It's a known fact that often times when we illogically rush into situations that aren't thoroughly considered with patience, we end up doing or saying things that we often live on to regret. It is those very situations that had we exercised a little more patience and given them the chance to work out, they likely would have ended favorably for us. Picture a boxer that rushes in throwing punches without any regard for what could happen to them. The chances of that boxer being caught by a punch and going down is greater than had that same boxer had patience and a plan going into the ring.

Before I go more into why it I feel it is important to allow things to work themselves out in our lives, I want to relate it to a story that is personal to me. When I was in the 9th grade I decided that I was going to play basketball for the school. I had always been playing basketball with my friends, but I had never played organized basketball. On the third day of school I had an incident happen at home during the evening where I cut the middle finger of my left hand, which is my shooting hand. It was bad enough that I had to immediately go to the emergency room and have stitches placed on my finger. So basically this kept me from doing anything basketball related besides running. Of course I felt dejected about this due to the fact that I hadn't even gotten a chance to practice since it was so early in the school year. As the weeks went on afterward the incident, I was starting to feel as if my finger wouldn't heal and be the same again. I started to become impatient, and even tried to test myself one evening to see if I could shoot a basketball, which turned out to be a painful mistake. Eventually the stitches came out, but there was still an open wound in my finger. Again, I was worried that it wouldn't heal, and I begin to doubt if I would ever be able to play ball again. Eventually the finger healed up, and though it has some residual nerve damage that will be with me the rest of my life, I was able to eventually play basketball. Though I was a teenager when this happened, it is something that I still reflect on today when the though of if things will work themselves out will come. This is just one example of many, and I'm sure that many of you have your own personal stories of how your patience was tested.

So why is it of importance to give the events our lives time to work out? Well from my perspective on this topic, being impatient and irrational can exasperate us and our lives even more. I used the incident I had with my finger as an example, but this can apply to nearly any area of our lives. From my experience of living life, I've learned that most of the problems in our lives are circumstances that can often be worked out if we just allow things to run their course. The biggest evidence of this is something that I often relate to other people when they're conveying to me that they're facing difficulties. We've all faced situations in our lives that we didn't see an end to right? When you think back to those same situations that you felt were dire at the time they were taking place, and then you find yourself thinking about where you are right now, it is proof that you made it through right? If you're here now that means you made it through, and if you made it through in the past, why can't you do it today? Time is the biggest indicator of this, and it is often the most importance aspect of conquering the challenges we face. There are too many of us in this world that are engaging in habits that are bad in the long run for our lives because we expect everything to happen so fast. Furthermore, we hastily act because we believe that every issue in our lives has to be solved by us alone. While I will admit that the majority of the fixing in our lives has to be done by us, sometimes it is better to allow something or someone greater to take the reigns. The onus lies within us, but remember that sometimes other people are much better at handling things that we are. So for everyone out there in a situation that you don't see an end to, give it some time to work itself out. Doing this will allow you to look back someday and smile knowing that you made it through, and you'll be a much better person for it.

I believe that pretty much sums up what I think about this week's topic of giving the events in your life time to work themselves out. With that being said, I'm going to go ahead and bring this to a close. I'd like to thank those of you that came through once again for tuning into another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! As always, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that was able to be gained from this. I also hope that my words were able to serve as some kind of inspiration for you all. Feel free to leave any comments, or if you want to connect with me on Twitter, you can follow me @BradrickH. Well I hope you all are having a great weekend so far. Try and do something fun, but also keep yourselves hydrated if you're going to be outdoors. Take care everyone, and I'll see you all in the next one. Peace!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Stress Is A Part Of Life, But It Shouldn’t Dominate Your Life.

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There are a host of feelings and emotions that we as people will experience throughout our lives. With these feelings and emotions that we all will experience for our duration of living comes degrees and variances. One of the more prominent emotions, or feelings if a person wants to classify it as such that most of us deal with occasionally is the idea of being stressed. I mean we’ve all had a friend or family member tell us about something they’re dealing with, and they likely mouthed those three words: “I’m stressed out!” If we’re not in situations where we’re lending an ear to the stresses of life that others may be facing, it is probably ourselves dealing with our own stresses. Now I’m of the belief that while stress isn’t something that is necessary good for our lives, it can actually be a benefit to our lives when it is put into the proper context. Trust me, that way of thinking is something that I haven’t always subscribed to. I’ll get into why I developed this feeling this later as I navigate this topic. Now in bringing up the idea that stress can be beneficial in our lives, I’m in no way implying that stress is something that we should want in our lives. By in large stress is something that we should want to come and go right? More importantly, I think that stress is something we should learn to embrace. In order to embrace stress, we have to understand that it is a part of life. However, it shouldn’t dominate our lives either.

What's up everybody? This is Brad H. reporting for duty once again, and you are tuned into another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I'm back for another week to hopefully bring some inspiration that will serve as motivation for us to keep on pressing forward. I hope that things have been well in your life as of late, and for those of us that live in areas where it gets super hot during the summertime that you're adjusting. For this week's soapbox section I'm going to be talking about the NBA for probably the last time until the next season rolls around. Well it looks as if the mighty Golden State Warriors won't be winning a 3rd straight title this season. Well let me not get ahead of myself here. They are down 3-1 in the NBA Finals, so there is a chance I suppose. However, like probably most other people that are following the finals are thinking, I'm not expecting them to come back from that deficit. Looks like the Toronto Raptors will be capturing their first NBA championship in their team's history. Full disclosure, I am personally pulling for the Warriors to win it all. I know a lot of people are tired of them winning, but I'm of the belief that this would likely be their last run. It's a general belief that Kevin Durant won't sign back there, and the likelihood of Demarcus Cousins coming back is not likely either. I do believe that they would have won this series had they not had all these injuries happen to them at once. Times like this are a reminder that injuries are the great equalizer when it comes to sports. We'll see what happens game 5 on Monday, but I would be shocked if the Warriors win in Toronto with all the energy that the Raptors fans will be bringing. Maybe they will extend it another game or two, but without Kevin Durant in the lineup, it's hard to see them beating this hurdle. Alright y'all, that's all for this week's soapbox, so lets go ahead and talk about this week's primary topic of how stress shouldn't dominate our lives.

Now I’m pretty certain that the majority of you that are reading this week’s topic and have lived long enough have a general understanding of what stress is. Stress is similar to most other aspects of life that deals with human emotions; it means different things for different individuals. For the context of this week’s topic that I’m covering, I’m going to use a general definition of stress that I came across that most of us can relate to. Stress is defined as “a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body’s reaction to a challenge or demand.” By this definition of what stress is considered to be, it is easy to imagine why it is a part of life. I believe that most of us can probably check off everything mentioned in this definition of stress as something we’ve experienced in our lives. The reasoning for my bringing this up is to hopefully show that it is okay for us to experience stress or be stressed out at times. Stress often is associated as something bad to our lives, and while it can be if it isn’t handle properly, stress by in large can also benefit us in particular circumstances. There is a body builder named Kai Greene that I heard say that in a video that “stress is a part of life, but stress makes us better, stress makes us live. Stress is how we know we’re alive. If we don’t know what stress is, then we don’t know what feels good.”

There are many sides and avenues to stress. One aspect of stress that most people talk about more frequently is the one that I alluded to in the beginning of this topic; the more negative side. I believe that most of us can agree that this is the type of stress that isn’t healthy nor beneficial to our lives. I brought up earlier how we’ve all talked about or head someone else talking about being stressed. Normally, there isn’t much, if any positive associated with this. You’re probably hard pressed to find someone complaining about being stressed complaining in a positive manner. At any rate, this is the type stress that can lead to health issues, and in worst cases it can spiral into other things that don’t need mentioning. Stress of this nature isn’t the kind that we need in our lives, yet despite the majority of people not needing or wanting this type of stress, it still exists in our lives. Now I brought up how stress has many degrees and variances. I bring this up to say that not all forms of stress are created equally, which also means that we all have different ways of handling the stress in our lives. Unfortunately for most people that deal with the more negative aspects of stress, the negative side can give birth to bad habits that can ultimately make a stressful situation even more stressful. Stress can cause our lives to snowball our of control, and this is why I feel it is vitally important that we find more creative ways to deal with the stress in our lives.

So now that we’ve addressed how stress can have both positive and negative benefits in our lives, what exactly does this mean, and what should we address stress in our lives? All of what I have brought up thus far has lead to the summation that whether it is beneficial or not, stress will always be a part of our lives. Stress is just one of those things in life that is inescapable. However, though it may be impossible to escape stress in life, it doesn’t have to dominate our lives also. When something dominates your life, it can take a hold of you to the point where it creates a false reality of how your life is. An emotion like stress depending on what form it takes in your life can do such a thing. It can make your life seem as if it is much worse than it actually is. This is why it’s vitally important to engage in activities that help curb the stresses that happen in our lives. Allowing stress to take over in our lives is something that can bring us to a dark place, and that’s something that we shouldn’t want. I talked earlier about embracing stress, but embracing stress doesn’t mean that we’re constantly welcoming it into our lives. From my perspective, embracing stress means that we’re aware that it comes and goes if we can accept that it is there, but also know when to let go of it. In closing, I would just say that acknowledge whenever stress comes into your life, but try not to allow it to dominate you. Accept it, embrace it, and then let it go if it doesn’t benefit you.

Well I think that pretty much wraps up this week's topic, so I'm going to go ahead and bounce. I hope that everyone that read this found it enjoyable or helpful, and I'd also like to thank you all once again for stopping through for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! As I always say before I close, I hope that there was something meaning and understanding that could be gained from this. I also hope that those of you that have anything to add will do so in the comment box. You can also connect with me on Twitter @BradrickH if you're on Twitter. I hope you all are having a great weekend, and I hope that we all have a positive upcoming week. Stay cool out there, and if you're in an area where there is flooding happening, please stay safe. I'll see you all in the next topic. Peace!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Reaching Your Full Potential Lies Totally Within You And Not Anyone Else.

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In this thing called "life", there are various milestones that will come along with living into later stages in life. There are special events and occasions that most people will experience that will leave lasting memories for as long as we live. A few examples of these milestones that I'm referring to could include getting your very first job and graduating from high school. Of course there are others that come as we live, but the two that I mentioned are ones that nearly everyone can relate to. Now I'm one of those people that believe that a good many people strive to live the best lives that we possibly can. I mean at the end of the day we only get one life to live anyway, so why not go all out to live the best life that you can right? I think that most people can agree that in order for us to live the best lives that we possibly can, it is pertinent that we must be able to reach our full potential. Now what is reaching your full potential? Reaching your full potential can mean various things depending on the individual that you ask. I believe that if you ask ten different people what it means to reach their full potential, you will likely receive various connotations of its meaning. I believe this is a good thing, and I'm going to get into why later on in this topic. People are going to have varying opinions on what reaching their full potential means, but people also are going to have opinions on what it means for YOU to reach your full potential. While it is quite normal for other people to have an opinion on our lives, their opinions can at times be unhealthy for us. There has to come a time in our lives when we have to realize that reaching your full potential lies totally within yourself.

Hello, hello once again to all you good folks out there! This is ya man Brad H. back once again bringing you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back once again to give my perspective on a topic that I think would help keep us all motivated. I hope all has been well in everyone's lives as of late. Before we go more into this week's topic, I want to start off by saying congratulations to all of the high school graduates out there that either graduated tonight, or are graduating during this weekend. I'm attending a graduation out of town this weekend, so I felt it would be necessary to acknowledge the graduates all over the country. So for my soapbox this week, I'm going to talk more NBA playoffs. We all know by now that the Golden State Warriors are just chilling and waiting to see who they will be playing between Milwaukee and Toronto. I believe that game six of that series is a potential closeout game for Toronto. Now most of you that are frequent readers here know that I'm a San Antonio Spurs fan, and that I didn't like how Kawhi Leonard basically abandoned his teammates during his last season in San Antonio. Now I may be a bit on the bitter side here, but I am rooting for Milwaukee to win this series. You can imagine how disappointed I was when the lost game five at home. I hate to say it, but I think the momentum has shifted, and I can see Toronto closing out this series tomorrow. I truly hope that I'm wrong in saying that. I ultimately think that regardless of which team wins the series, it is a likelihood that they'll lose to the Warriors. I would just rather see the Bucks get that opportunity. We'll see how it all plays out, but I think we can all agree that this has been an NBA playoffs full of drama and exciting games. It's almost a bit sad knowing that in only a couple of weeks that the NBA season will be over with. Well now that I've gotten that out of the way, lets go ahead and transition into this week's topic of how reaching your full potential lies solely upon you.

I briefly brought up earlier how there can be various meanings when it comes to a person realizing their full potential. I believe that this is important part of this week's topic due to the fact that a person reaching their full potential is something that is subjective. The same way that reaching your full potential can have various meanings can also be compared to what is considered reaching your full potential is from one person to the next. What could be considered one person reaching their full potential is more than likely completely different for another person. One of the things that I've brought up on many occasions through this blog is how we live in a world of comparisons. We as a people are constantly comparing and contrasting our lives to other people. Now I do realize that this is something that not everyone does, but if we're coming from a general perspective when it comes to comparing ourselves to others, I think that most of us can admit that it applies to our society. I have a belief that the comparisons also apply when it comes to we as individuals reaching our full potential. Now I am a proponent of comparing ourselves to other people when it comes to seeking inspiration. I believe it is perfectly normal to admire someone that is in a field that you're interested in and look at them as a testament to where you can end up if you work hard enough at something. However, there are many of us that look to others when it comes to the idea of achieving our full potential, and herein lies what this week's subject matter is about. Just as there are various meanings and ways of defining what a person's full potential is, there are also various layers and levels when it comes to reaching your full potential in certain aspects of life.

Now that we've established how there are differences and variations of what it means for one to reach their full potential is, I want to give an example of variance when it comes to reaching our full potential in today's society. Now from my own perspective, I believe that reaching our full potential means getting to whatever peak that we have set for our lives. I think of it as being the ultimate degree of happiness and contentment that most of us are seeking to find in this world. Now generally speaking, I believe the world we live in also thinks this way, however, I believe that society at large definition of full potential is not plausible. From my perspective on this week's subject, the society we live in deems achievements and material items as the biggest indication of someone seeing their full potential. Now I'm in no way saying that achievements and material items aren't important when it comes to one reaching their full potential. However, what I am saying is that these aren't the only things that can define a person's success. The reality is that there are going to be people that work hard their entire lives, and they still won't be able to reach what society believes is a person's full potential. Now because a person maybe hasn't reached the same level of success as Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, does that mean that they're not successful in their lives? Like I stated previously, there are different levels when it comes to reaching your full potential, and in my opinion, the same applies when it comes to having success in this world. Rather than trying to compete with others when it comes to realizing our full potential, it is more important to focus on meeting the standards that we set individually.

Dealing with the idea of not trying to compete with others when it comes to reaching our full potential, along with the importance of meeting the individual standards that we set for our lives is the primary theme of this week's topic. No one else can or should be responsible for you reaching your full potential; it is totally up to us as individuals to both realize and reach our full potential. I've already touched on the comparing of others aspect when it comes to this subject, but what it all boils down to is the fact that someone else successes are not your own; you have to define what success means to you in your own personal life. Furthermore, and this is something that I've talked about regularly on here in the past is that no one else in this life can ever understand what makes you happy as a person. Another person can never totally understand this because they can never see the world through the same eyes as you do. The reason why I wanted to write up on this topic is due to the idea that so many of us use what society deems as a bar for a person reaching their full potential. Rather than trying to keep up with what society at large does, maybe it would be more beneficial to us as people if we done the things that we like. Again, not everyone is going to be a millionaire or wealthy in this life, but what matters most is if you as a person feel like you've reached your peak in this life. From my perspective, it is only then that we've reached our full potential, but it is something that we have to be aware of and work towards.

I believe that I'm going to go ahead and end this topic on that note, so that means that it is time for ya boy to depart once again. Like always, I want to close out by saying thank you to each and every single person that came by for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be taken away from this, and I hope that it was able to serve as inspiration for some of you out there. Feel free to leave any comments and feedback below in the comment section, and you can connect with me on Twitter at the handle, @BradrickH. Well I hope everyone has a great weekend ahead, and a big shout out once again to everyone that is graduating this weekend. Job well done! See you all in the next once. Take care everyone, and peace out!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Knowing Your Audience (How You Communicate With Others).

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During my time growing up as a youth in the 80's and 90's, there was something that I feel has somewhat become irrelevant in today's society. What I am referring to was deemed as a big deal to have, and if you didn't exhibit the characteristics that coincide with what I'm referencing, you probably had a harder time growing up compared to those that had these. I'm sure by now that you're anxious to know what I am referring to right? I am talking about "manners". I personally feel that the importance of having manners and courtesy towards others is something that has dwindled as I've gotten older. Now I'm in no way saying that people today do not have manners. It just seems to me that small things such as saying "ma'am" and "sir" don't have the level of importance that they once did. Maybe I'm old fashioned or whatever the case may be, but I'm still a believer manners and courtesy matter and are of importance in this world. From my own personal perspective, I believe manners and communication are interconnected. I bring all of this up to say that every single one of us has an audience at various points throughout our lives. By audience, I don't necessarily mean that we're filling up a packed arena of screaming fans. Though that may be the reality of some, the type of audience that I'm referencing doesn't have anything to do with a particular number of people. For me, it means having a person or group of people that are listening to what you're saying. We may not have the type of audience that a celebrity may have, but when you're in situations where you have to communicate with another person, you have to be aware of who is listening, as well how you communicate with them.

Yo, what is going on people? This is your boy Brad H. back once again, and I'd like to once again welcome you all to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back for a fresh perspective on a topic that can hopefully inspire us to keep on moving forward. Thanks to everyone that stopped by once again. Well for the soapbox section this week, I'm going to talk more NBA playoff talk. Boy I tell ya, the Houston Rockets were a huge disappointment last night. Most of you know that I'm a San Antonio Spurs fan first, but I got love for the Rockets. It was disappointing to see them go down last night and lose the series in six games to the Golden State Warriors. It's just hard to believe that they lost to a Warriors team that didn't have Kevin Durant. Furthermore, they were at home and Stephen Curry didn't even score a point in the first half of the game. I know there were many that believed that had Chris Paul not gotten injured last season that the Rockets would have went to the NBA Finals. Well they had a healthy Chris Paul this season and still managed to not get it done. I believe that the Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni's system can't beat this Warriors team. I'm not a Warriors fan at all, but you have to admit that the way they move and share the basketball is a thing of beauty. That isolation and three point shooting system by D'Antoni isn't a match for that. Maybe now the Rockets front office will see that by now and make some changes. As for the Warriors, there isn't a timetable on when Kevin Durant may be back. Even without him, I still would take the Warriors to win against any team that is left. Now we just have to wait and see who will be the other two teams that join the Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks in the conference championships. For those of you that have been keeping up with the NBA playoffs, what has been your opinion of them so far? Would love to see your comments on that. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, lets transition into this week's topic of knowing who your audience is.

In order to set up the point that I'm going to attempt to get across in this week's topic, I have to first get into what I'm referring to in the context of what I mean when talking about having an audience. As I brought up earlier, an audience doesn't necessarily have to be limited to a specific number of people. You don't only need a group of people to have an audience. The type of audience that I'm talking about for this week's topic is the people that we interact with on a pretty normal basis. These are the people that are our family, friends, and business related associates. Basically any person that you have any sort of relationship with can be classified as part of your audience. Why is this? Simply put, anyone that you have a relationship with is someone that is going to have to listen to what you have to say at some point or another. These are the people that you have to communicate with, which means that the things you say and the way that you interact with them matters. Now there are some people in this world that don't care much about the reactions that they get from others based on what they have said. Those aren't the type of individuals that this topic will resonate with. This particular topic more or less is for people that actually care about what they say and the ways in which they express themselves. Now that we've talked over the type of audience that we're addressing with this topic, I'm going to get into why I believe it is important to know who your audience is.

Knowing who your audience is depends a lot on the circumstances in which you're having to communicate with someone else. A singer has to know who their audience is based on how well that audience will respond to the songs that they choose to perform. A comedian has to know their audience when it comes to the jokes that they are planning on telling. Whether you're an entertainer or not in this life, the same logic applies when it comes to knowing how you communicate with others. Since we as people have to deal with various types of people and personalities, it is important to be able to recognize those individual personalities. You can't talk to two different people the same exact way and expect to be able to communicate in a healthy manner. For example, imagine that you have two friends that have different personalities. Lets say that one of these friends is more sensitive, and the other is not. Now depending on how close you are with these two individuals, you likely won't talk to them in the same manner. You may show a little more compassion with the friend that is sensitive. You may cater more to their feelings than you normally would with people. With the other friend that may not be as sensitive, you can probably be more transparent with them when you communicate with them. It's the same logic as why we reveal certain things to some people, and we withhold those things from others. You know how certain people will react, and you govern what you say accordingly.

The final point I want to make is what I brought up in the first paragraph about courtesy and manners. As I stated already, these are traits that I feel do not hold the same level of credence as they once did in our society. Now some of you may wonder what exactly does this have to do with anything right? Well from my perspective, having manners and courtesy towards the people that could be considered our audiences is the catalyst for proper communication. I personally believe that the reason that so many people lack the proper knowledge of their audiences is due to the fact that manners and courtesy are missing. Think about it for a second. Would you be more willing to respond to or do something for someone who comes at you respectfully, or all buck wild and rude? The average person would probably say that they would respond more to the person that approaches them in a more respectful manner. I believe that this should also be applied when it comes to the people that we're close to. Don't always assume that because you have a friendship or relationship with someone else that they're always going to tolerate you if you're not approaching them in the correct way. Always know and be aware of who you are interacting with, and be willing to take their thoughts and considerations into account. Everything that I've brought up here is just a suggestion. Everyone is free to do whatever they please, but I believe that knowing your audience is the way to proper communication.

I think that pretty much wraps up this week's topic. I'm going to go ahead and sign off for now, but you all know that I'll be back again in couple of weeks as always. Thank you once again for those of you that checked out another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that this topic was able to serve as a source of inspiration for some of you out there. If anyone wants to leave any feedback or comments, please feel free to do so. You can also connect with me on Twitter @BradrickH. It's been a super wet and rainy weekend here in southeast Texas. I probably won't be able to go outside and enjoy Mothers Day, but I hope that everyone else has a great one. Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there, and I hope you all enjoy your weekend. Take care everyone, and I'll see you all in the next one!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Why There Is Strength In The Struggles That We Face.

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I believe that a good majority of people in this world have a difficult time coping properly when we find ourselves in stressful situations. Now I'm in no way implying that this applies to everyone, nor am I attempting to slight or demean anyone that this may apply to. Even I myself can attest to the fact that I don't always manage stressful situations in my own life the best. Thinking of this begs the question; Why is it that so many of us struggle with maintaining a positive outlook on life when we're facing difficult circumstances? This is one of those questions that isn't an easy one to answer, but I think much of it could likely be attributed to how the society we live in views the idea of struggle. The idea of struggle is one that isn't deemed as being a good thing. Many of us have been conditioned to think and believe that we can only be happy and content in life as long as things are going good or moderately well for us. Because of how many of us are raised and brought up in this society that we live in, true struggles and hardships are far in between the good times we experience. Now people on the other side of the coin that may not be as fortunate as others will likely think and feel differently. People that are accustomed to facing hardships in their lives likely find a way to embrace their struggles. These are people that while they may not enjoy the idea of facing struggles, they know that they're a part of life and learn from them. Now I believe that most of us can admit that challenging times in our lives is something we'd rather not face. However, as with nearly everything in this life, there are pros and cons that come with our struggles. There is also a degree of strength that is available for the taking in the struggles that we face.

What's going on everyone? Brad H. here, and I'd like to welcome you all once again to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back for another week to hopefully bring a topic that can serve as some inspiration to us all. Before we get into it, I'd like to thank you all for stopping by. In the last post that I covered, I talked about the NBA playoffs as they were just getting underway. The second round is officially underway right now as the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers are currently playing right now. Later on tonight, we have the last game of the first round going down between the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets. This has been a stressful series as most of you probably are aware that I'm a Spurs fan. Now I originally predicted the Nuggets to win the series, but the Spurs have really fought and showed a lot of heart during the series. I do believe they squandered an opportunity to win the series in two out of the three games they lost. I'm really hoping that they're able to pull this victory off tonight in Denver. I really believe they can do it despite being on the road and having the odds against them. The playoffs in and of itself has been okay overall thus far. The Oklahoma City Thunder were a huge disappointment in my opinion. The same could probably be said about the Golden State Warriors in the game where they blew a 31 point lead, but at least they did close out their series against the Los Angeles Clippers. That Warriors and Houston Rockets series should be a good one. Can't wait for that one to start. The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics should be a good series as well. Now that the weaker teams have been weeded out of the playoffs, we should see some more competitive series. I know all you basketball fans out there are ready to see what happens next just like I am. Well that is enough NBA talk, so lets go ahead and talk about the topic of why there is strength in the struggles that we face.

Now I can understand how it can be hard for some people to comprehend how something positive can be gained from struggles. I mean if we could have things our own way and choose whether to live a hard or easy life, the majority of us would choose to never have any struggles right? The enduring of struggles is something that we'd rather not have to face right? If you think of a natural disaster such as a tornado or a hurricane, it's hard to imagine how something good can come from those things right? I understand that a natural disaster isn't the same as many of the struggles we endure, however, a struggle is a struggle right? I mentioned earlier that there are both pros and cons that come along with the struggles that we face. Since a good majority of us see our struggles as something that isn't good; understandably so, it is hard to be able to see any pros being taken away from them. This especially applies when we're right in the thick of something that is testing us. I can think of something that I'm sure that many of us can relate to at sometime or another, and it is something that some of us may be experiencing currently. What am I referring to? Yes, that is right, money issues. If you're in a scenario where you're struggle financially, it is often hard to see a way out of it, especially if it is an issue that has been going on for awhile. By now, most of us already know that the trying situations and circumstances that we find ourselves in will end eventually. However, once again, it is difficult to be able to see that when you're right in the heart of the "storm". For many of us that are facing struggles, it often can feel as if they're never going to end. However, there is at least one good thing that can be taken away from them.

Before I get into why there is strength in most of the struggles that we face, I want to set it up by referencing to a quote by David Goggins. For those of you that may not be aware of who David Goggins is, he is a former Navy Seal and ultra marathon runner. I first became aware of him a couple of years back when I came across a podcast that he was featured on at the time. He made quite the impression on me, but he brought up something that has stuck in my mind since I heard him say it. He said the following: "You have to build calluses on your brain just like how you build calluses on your hands. Callus your mind through pain and suffering." Now I believe this to be a pretty straightforward statement, but I can also see how it could be confusing to some. I believe what Goggins is saying with this statement is that the struggles that we endure in our lives are what build those calluses that he refers to. People that partake in work that involves using their hands will often develop calluses on them, and through the process of repeatedly doing whatever type of work that involves using those hands will callus them to the point where the hands become more rugged. One of the more popular activities that can lead to calluses on the hands is weight lifting. The bars that we use to lift the weights with can create calluses, but the good thing that can come from that is that your hands become stronger. Now I know most people won't view an activity such as lifting weights as a struggle, but the theme is that going through or partaking in something that isn't easy can be beneficial to your life; even when it may not feel like it is.

So why is there strength in the struggles that we face? Well from my perspective, the struggles that we face in our lives can be helpful towards us build the strength and fortitude to be able to face potentially obstacles that may be coming our way. Just like David Goggins likened the callusing of the mind, the struggles in our lives can develop those calluses that harden us to future issues. This is why I believe there is strength to be found in the struggles we face. Now with all of that being said, I want to make sure and point out that just because we do indeed face struggles in our lives, there isn't any guarantees that there will be strength taken away from them. We can't be the type of people that just sit back during tough times and say that this is strengthening me to face the future. Not only do we have to do the necessary work that is required to overcome our problems, we have to have an open willingness to the prospect of seeing strength in our struggles. I believe this means that we can't be people that wallow in our problems. Besides the necessary effort that is required to get through struggles, there has to be a belief that they won't last forever. There also has to be a belief in ourselves that we're strong enough to overcome whatever difficulties we're facing. We have to remember that there are often blessings that can be found in the worst of storms. So for every struggle that we're bound to deal with in the future, remember that if you're open to being willing to callus your mind and see the positive that can be taken from your struggles, a belief that we can tackle whatever the future holds is the greatest strength that can be gained from them.

That is pretty much all I'm going to say in regards to this topic, so it is time for me to go ahead and sign off for this go around. As always, this has been Brad H. bringing you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that there was some understanding that could be taken away from this topic. I also hope that it has been helpful and inspirational to others as well. I'd like to thank you all once again for stopping by, and feel free to leave any feedback if your heart so desires. Those of you on Twitter can also connect with me on there at the handle @BradrickH. Well I'm going to enjoy the basketball games today, so I'll catch you all later. I hope you all have a great weekend, and a positive week ahead. See you all in the next one! Peace!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Doing A "Checkup" On The People In Your Life.

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Checkup: What exactly is a checkup? The official definition of a checkup is defined as a "thorough examination". The word "checkup" it and of itself can apply to a wide array of things. If you happen to own a computer, a vehicle or any type of electronic device, then there is a likelihood that these things have diagnosed themselves via a checkup. If something happened to be wrong with your computer for example, the checkup that it gives itself will let you know that something is off. This same kind of logic applies when it comes to both our physical and mental health. The vast majority of us know the importance of getting a checkup when it comes to our health. A medical checkup is what can potentially warn us of possible health related problems that we could face in the future. The bottom line is that a checkup in the grand scheme of life is something that is necessary to keep ourselves healthy. Now I mentioned that a checkup can apply to a wide array of things. In certain aspects of life, a checkup can probably be done on nearly anything that has some form of bearing in our lives. I already brought up how a physical checkup is important for both our physical and mental well-being, but there is a large aspect of health that many people fail draw attention to, which is other people. I personally believe that many of us underestimate how the people in our lives can have on our health from a both a physical and emotional standpoint. For that reason, one of the most important types of checkup that many of us happen to neglect is the checkup of the people that we have in our lives. I believe this to be vitally important, and I think it is something that we should engage in more often.

Hey, what's up everyone? Y'all already know who it is and what time it is! However, just in case you don't, this is Brad H. coming back at you all once again with another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I'm back in the mix once again to give my personal perspective on a topic that I've been pondering on as of late. My hope is that the topic that I address is something that will serve as a bit of inspiration for us all to keep on moving forward. So now is the section where I talk about something besides the topic for this week. All you NBA fans out there already know what time it is! IT'S PLAYOFF TIME BABY! Yes indeed the NBA playoffs kick off later on today, and ya boy is pretty excited. I don't have a lot of time to run down the entire playoffs, but I'm going to give some quick predictions on the series taking place in the first round. So 1 and 8 in the Western Conference is the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers. I see a Warriors sweep in that one. 2 and 7 is the Denver Nuggets and my San Antonio Spurs. I think the Spurs win two games, but I see Denver taking the series. Of course I hope I'm wrong about that. Three and 6 is the Portland Trailblazers and Oklahoma City Thunder. I think this is a bit of a toss up, but I'll go with OKC due to Portland losing Jusef Nurkic. Four and 5 is the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz. I think the Rockets win this one. Onto the Eastern Conference where 1 and 8 is the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons. I think the Bucks sweep this one. Two and 7 is the Toronto Raptors and the Orlando Magic. I think the Magic maybe wins one game, but Toronto takes the series. The 3 and 6 matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets is going to be interesting. I think Philly wins, but much of this is contingent upon how healthy their star center Joel Embiid is. Should be a good series though. Four and 5 features the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. I think Boston wins fairly easy. The Pacers losing Victor Oladipo to injury seriously weakened them. So those are my predictions for the first round. I wish I had more time to go more in depth, but this isn't a sports blog. I hope you all enjoy the playoffs though. It is definitely an exciting time of the year for us sports fans. Alright, it is now time to dive into this week's topic of the importance of doing regular checkups on the people in your life.

Now when it comes to having a medical checkup done, we all know that a physician runs a series of tests to make sure that we're good and healthy. What exactly does it entail when doing a checkup on the people in our lives? This is something that is subjective, and could be left for interpretation for whomever is doing the checking. However, from a generalized standpoint, I personally think that doing a checkup on the people in your life means evaluating what kind of impact their having on your life. I'm of the belief that many of us have people that we've had in our lives for so long that whether for good or bad, we just kind of grow accustomed to their habits and behaviors. I also believe that if you've become accustomed to the behaviors of others, you probably feel that you have no desire or need to do a checkup on people. I'll give you an example of what I'm attempting to reference to. Now I mentioned that both good and bad can be applied when it comes to being accustomed to the habits and behaviors of others. However, for the example that I'm going to give, I'm going to refer to something that is considered bad. Now picture two people that have been married for many years, and there has been some form of emotional abuse that has been going on for a long time in that marriage. While many people wouldn't tolerate this form of abuse from anyone, there are some people out there that would stay in that marriage because the emotional abuse has become natural to them to the point where they feel it is okay to accept it. Now I'm in no way saying that everyone would tolerate this, but we all have seen instances where people have tolerated things that where beneath them. That is just one example, but I'm trying to set up a picture of how easy it can be to become complacent with the behaviors of others.

Now why it is of importance to perform regular checkups on the people in our lives? Before I go into detail on the reasons why we should be doing this, I want to relate it to something powerful that I heard someone say on Youtube several months ago. This is also something that I may have brought up in a previous topic, but I'm not entirely sure at the moment. I'll have to go back in the archives and look, but what the person on Youtube that I'm referencing to said was the following; "The people in your life are either lifting you up or bringing you down; there is no in between." Now this statement is pretty simple and straightforward right? It is also something that most of us are aware of as well right? If it is indeed the case, then why is it that we tolerate those that are bringing us down in our lives? Why does it seem as if most of us do not appreciate and celebrate the ones that are uplifting us to become better people? I believe that because we are flawed individuals that have varying degrees of moods and emotions, we find it justifiable to tolerate what could be considered "in between". So basically if you have someone in your life that equally lifts you up, but also equally brings you down, then it balances itself out to the point where it is tolerable. Now while I do agree that we're all flawed beings, that doesn't mean that it is okay to be content with being in the middle of good and bad. Now as I have stated already, many of us become accustomed to how the people we're close to treat us that we just accept it. This is exactly why it is of importance to do regular exams on the people that you have in your life. Being associated with or having a history with someone doesn't justify tolerating them when they're not adding to your life. If a regular checkup is being done on these people, it becomes more easier to discern who is bring you up and who is bringing you down.

So we've established why it is important to have regular checkups on the people in our lives right? So how exactly do we perform these checkups that this topic is all about? From my perspective, the straightforward answer is to just evaluate how the people in your life make you feel when you are around them. Do these bring you joy and happiness on a consistent basis, or do you find that your spirits get lower when they come around? Are they encouraging you to become a better person, or are they beating you down on a regular routine? These are the kind of questions we have to ask ourselves when we're performing these checkups. Upon asking and answering these questions when it comes to those that you're closest to, you have to be able to make a decision on whether or not that is a person that needs to be in your life. Remember what I mentioned earlier about what the guy in the Youtube video stated, there is no in between. Now I do realize that there are some people such as family that you may not be able to totally boot out of your life, but if any of what I have brought up applies to them, we have to be willing to handle them with a very long handled spoon. Finally, I want to end this topic by saying that while I used a medical checkup as a comparison for this topic, the emotional and mental affect that people can have on our lives can become something physical. I'm one of those people that believes that how we allow people to treat us can trigger our bodies into various illnesses. We all know that something like stress can be the onset of developing high blood pressure and other potentially dangerous sicknesses. Just be aware of the people you deal with, because they can definitely play a role in all areas of your health.

With all of that being said, I believe that I have gotten the point that I tried to make across. This has once again been your guy Brad H. bringing you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! As always, I hope that I was able to convey this topic in a way that was both meaningful and understandable. I hope that everyone that read this can also relate to it, and if so, then I hope you're able to apply it to your own life. I'd like to thank everyone once again that came through, and feel free to leave feedback in the comment section if you so desire to do so. If you're on Twitter and you'd like to connect with me, you can find me at the handle @BradrickH. Well I'll see you all in the next topic, and for those of you that are NBA fans, enjoy the playoffs. They should be a lot of fun this year. Have a great weekend folks, and an even greater upcoming week! Peace!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.