Brad H.'s Perspective

Saturday, November 20, 2021

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

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!

Saturday, October 30, 2021

The Importance Of Finding A Degree Of Mental Maturity For Your Life.

It could just be me that feels this way, but from my perspective on life, it seems like it has become extremely difficult for people to relate to one another. Maybe it has something to do with the idea that we as a people have grown so cold and unsympathetic towards one another. Regardless of the what the reasons may be for how people have decayed into this way of thinking and treating one another, the harsh fact is that it likely won't stop happening. I bring this up to say that I can remember when there was an era of my life where this way of thinking and behaving did not exist. Even if it was happening, it didn't appear to be as prevalent as it currently is. People in general have always disagreed on a variety of things, but more often than not; generally speaking, a common ground could be reached. One of my theories as to why I believe we as people have lost this type of understanding deals with the word "maturity". Now in bringing up the word maturity I'm in no way saying that everybody that cannot relate to others is immature. However, I believe that as with basically everything that exists within this realm of life, there are levels to maturity. One form of maturity that I believe could be the reason for the growing lack of understanding one another stems from a lack of what I could deem as mental maturity. I believe this plays an importance role in life, hence why we're going to be covering the importance of finding a level of mental maturity for our lives.

Hey, what is going on folks? This is Brad H. checking back in once again, and I would like to welcome you all to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back for another installment to give my perspective on a topic that I think would be beneficial for us all! I hope all has been going well for everyone since the last topic. Well we have had the MLB World Series taking place since the last topic. I am currently watching the game four between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves, and I just watched the Astros go down 3-1. Now if you have been reading on my blog for an extended period of time, you probably know that I am an Astros fan. I can remember bringing up their victory back in 2017 on here. I was going to use my soapbox this week to give my prediction on how the series would go, but it may be pretty pointless for me to do that now. I'm not one to say that being down 3-1 is a guarantee that it is over, but it's not looking good at all for the Astros right now. Hopefully they can win game five and keep this series alive, but it's clear that the Braves have the momentum. I guess I will say that the series goes six games with the Braves winning it all. We shall see in the coming days, right? Well I guess I'll go ahead and transition into this week's topic on the importance of finding a degree of mental maturity for our lives.

Now before I get in more detailed on what I deem as mental maturity, I need to start off this topic by letting you all know that mental maturity is subjective to what you as an individual feel it is. I am solely giving my own perspective on what I feel mental maturity is for my own life. Also, I am in no way trying to judge or criticize the maturity level of anyone else. As with the title of this topic, it's all about finding what works for your own life. Now I spoke earlier on how difficult it has become for people in general to relate to one another. There are so many reasons as to why this may be the reality of life. However, I personally believe that one of the key reasons for this deals with how self-absorbed we as a people are now. A good majority of people are so consumed with themselves to the point where they feel as if everything should evolve around them. Now as I have pointed out many times in previous topics, it is totally normal and healthy for all of us to think of ourselves first. The thing is that some people become so self-absorbed to degree where it hinders their mental maturity. The primary theme here is that being too self-absorbed can lead to a person losing sight of the fact that life doesn't evolve solely around them; hence hindering your mental maturity.

One may wonder how does one inhibit their growth mentally from being so self-absorbed with themselves? I believe from my own perspective that one of the best signs of growth within a person is when a person is able to look beyond themselves. What I mean by this is when a person is able to realize that while the way you see the world matters and is important, it's not the only way of viewing things. Any example of this is when a person realizes that it is okay to consider the perspective of others before acting, or reacting. We've all been young in our lives before, right? I think that most of us can agree that we often acted quickly in certain situations, and that quick acting led to us making mistakes. Well for most people as they age, they do not always act so quickly because you realize the importance of the potential consequences of your actions. Unfortunately, there are people in this world that never get rid of the quick acting and reacting mentality. It follows them into their adulthood, and while it sucks to say, some people will leave this world with that mentality. The way that all of this relates to mental maturity is that when you find yourself dealing with others that you may not always share the same point of view, you're not quick to act and react. I personally believe this is what allows us to relate to others, which ultimately correlates with being mentally mature.

So I have given my definition on what I believe mental maturity is, and provided a general sense of what I believe this entails. So why is it important for us to find a degree of mental maturity? Again, I want to state that this isn't something that has to be viewed from a vacuum. Your degree of mental maturity doesn't need to be to everybody else standards, but it is important to find it for yourself. Ultimately, it is important to find your level of mental maturity to help yourself become a person that can relate to others. Now you may be saying to yourself, why is it important for me to relate to others if I'm aiming to be mentally mature for myself? In the end this all goes back to you as a person because being able to understand and relate to others is something this world has lost sight of. When you develop and learn to have a degree of mental maturity, it makes it easier for other people to want to understand and relate to you. It helps you to stand out in a positive way and become a better person in the viewpoint of others. All of these things are positive things that help us to feel good about ourselves, and I believe that we can all attest that life is so much better when you view yourself favorably. While it is of importance to develop your mind to become mentally mature for others, the self benefits are even more beneficial to your life. So with all of that being said, focus on finding your degree of mental maturity, and if you feel like you're already there, keep on doing what you're doing!

That is pretty much all I got for this week's topic on mental maturity. I think all of you that came through to read another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that you all found this topic helpful, and that it can serve as some inspiration for your life. If any of you have any comments or feedback that you'd like to contribute, please do so in the comment section. If you are on Twitter and would like to connect with me, please hit me up on the handle @BradrickH. Well I hope you all have an enjoyable rest of the weekend. For those of you that celebrate Halloween, I hope you all enjoy the day tomorrow. I'll leave by saying Happy, Happy Birthday to my mom on October 31st. May you enjoy your day mother, and may you all have a great week ahead. I'll see you all on the next topic!

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Why Doing Right By Others Matters So Much.

"It's a dog eat dog world and that ain't no lie!" That's a line from the song Cloud Nine by the legendary soul group, The Temptations. The song Cloud Nine came out way back in 1968, which was way before my time. However, this particular lyric from the song holds a lot of weight; even today. Most of us would probably agree that we truly live in a world where it's hard to put a lot of trust into others. It's not because we don't wanna trust other people. I personally believe that it is in our innate nature to see the good in other people. However, so many people have been used and screwed over by others to the point where trust has become rare and invalid with a lot of people. I believe it's one thing to be with way with complete strangers. It does take a level of comfort and familiarity to develop trust for someone that you may not know well. However, it's another thing when we have this cloud of suspicion around people that you shouldn't have to. Yes, I am talking about friends and family here; the very people that you should always be able to feel comfortable around. My logic behind this does not apply to every single family and friend dynamic that exists. That being said though, we cannot just ignore the fact that sometimes the people that we should be doing right by are the ones that we use and abuse the most. I personally do not agree with this, and I think it is indicative of how much our society has decayed over time. It's an age old adage that you should always do right by others that do right by you, but those are principles that our society has seemingly forgotten about.

Hey, what's good folks! This is Brad H. here to once again bring you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here to hopefully bring a bit of inspiration that can hopefully serve us all on our life's journey. I hope you all have been doing good since the last topic. So for my soapbox this week, I'm going to give my perspective on the MLB Playoffs that started this week. I am currently watching game 2 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Fransisco Giants. We had some pretty exciting wild card games earlier this week with the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox winning their games. I'm just going to really quick give my thoughts on who I believe will be winning these first round series. Though the Giants are currently up 1-0 on the Dodgers, it looks like the Dodgers will have it even after tonight. I believe the Dodgers will win this series. The Milwaukee Brewers are currently up 1-0 on Atlanta Braves after their victory today. The Braves are good, but with the injuries they have I believe the Brewers will win this series. The Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays are currently even at 1-1. This is a tough one, but I think the Rays win. Finally we have my Houston Astros taking on the Chicago White Sox. The Stros are up 2-0, and I believe that they will sweep this series. At least that is the hope anyway. The coming weeks of the MLB Playoffs should be pretty exciting, and I'm looking forward to how it plays out. Now that I've gotten on my soapbox for a bit, lets go ahead and talk about why it is so important to do right by others.

Before we get into why doing right by other people matters so much, I have to begin by giving a disclaimer. Though it may seem as if I am implying that everyone in the world has the qualities of the people that we're going to be talking about in this post, this is not the case at all. I am coming from a generalized standpoint, and I am also using experiences in my own life as a backdrop for this topic. The goal for this week's topic is to hopefully inspire those that may not always be doing right by others to work towards changing their ways. I talked earlier about this world being a dog eat dog world. In a sense it is understandable to see how this world has is exactly this. The world has always been competitive since the beginning of time, but I personally believe that competition among people has grown exponentially over time. I believe that competition can be a good thing when viewed in the right context. However, as with anything else that can be overdone, too much competition can turn people into savages. Hence is why we get the phrase dog eat dog being thrown out there throughout the course of time. So the point here is that we have to acknowledge that a dog eat dog world is just something that we have to accept. However, with that being said, at what costs does living in a dog eat dog world come at? This is what I am exploring when it comes to doing right by other people.

So right now I'm going to probably go on what will seem like a bit of a rant. Ranting is not what I'm aiming to do here, but in order for me to get the point that I'm trying to make across to the readers, I feel that I have to point out a couple of things here. The truth is that some of us right now have good people in our lives that we mistreat. We take their kind hearts for granted and always assume that they're going to always be there for us. There may people that care for us that we look straight into their eyes and lie to them. Some of us have people that will give us their very last to help us through a tough situation, but when they need us we're ignoring them. Things like what I have brought up here is what people do when they have a dog eat dog mentality, and the sad part is that most of the times the people that do these very things play the victim role when the tables flip on them. Now I stated earlier that competition is a good thing, but it should never come at the expense of someone you supposedly care for. Good people in general are hard to find nowadays, and if you're blessed enough to have a good person in your life, you should always do your best to reciprocate goodness back to them. It's really not that hard to do, but so many people over complicate things to the point where they cannot be fixed. I believe that this is where the potentially hazard lies when it comes to why doing right by others matters so much.

Now I went on in the previous paragraph about how many of us take people that we should be doing right by for granted. What happens when a person that has been long-suffering with you decides that they are tired of dealing with the way you treat them? Yes, you are correct if you said that they will no longer want to be a part of your life. From my perspective, this is why doing right by others matter so much. See I believe that when you treat people right that you rarely have to worry too much about them. Anyone that has ever owned a dog before will know that if you treat the dog right it will return its loyalty to you. I believe that people in general are the same for the most part in the sense that if you do right by a person, you never have to wonder where their loyalty lies. However, being that we're in such a decayed and dog eat dog world, finding true loyalty among people has become increasingly rare. The main point with this week's topic is for us to realize that the people you don't do right by may someday distance themselves from you because of your actions. If you are someone that is taking advantage of someone that you claim you care about, do the right thing starting right now and appreciate them. Don't wait until it is too late to the point where the relationship can't be mended. Finally, just because we're in the kind of world that we're in doesn't mean we have to be savages like so many other people. You always have a choice to do the right thing, and to do right by those that do right by you.

That's what I got for you all this go round, so I'm going to go ahead and sign off for now. I thank you all once again for joining me for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that I was able to present this topic in a way that had meaning and understanding for you all. As always, if any of you have any feedback to contribute, please do so in the comment box. You can also hit me on Twitter if you'd like @BradrickH. I hope you all have a great rest of the weekend. A lot is happening all across the world so be sure to keep those heads on a swivel. See you all on the next topic! Peace and blessings to you all!

Saturday, September 18, 2021

The Importance Of Staying In Your Own Lane.

There has probably been some point in all of our lives where we've said or heard someone utter the words; "Stay in your lane!" Maybe when you were learning to drive a car, your driving instructor said these words. You've probably been talking to someone that tried to intrude into your life, and these words came out of your mouth. If we think about what it means to stay in our lane in a literal sense, it means to stay on your side of the road when you're operating a vehicle. However, the "stay in your lane" statement can mean a lot of different things depending on who you ask. One of the most well known uses of it comes from what I brought up previously; intrusion. There are many people that use this statement to address people that overstep their boundaries. I know that personally have used this statement before; more so in the past. However, I do feel that this is a statement that while it can have a multitude of meanings, it is very important when it comes to our relationships with other people. Though many of us know and understand the relevance of staying in our own lane, there are far too many people in this world that have a problem with doing this. Just like when you're operating a vehicle and not staying in your own lane can have consequences, the same can apply when it comes to our relationships and the boundaries, or lack there of. This is why I believe that it is very important for us to understand the importance of staying in our own lane.

Hello once again folks! This is Brad H. back to bring you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here to give my perspective on a topic that I feel would be helpful towards us in our lives. I hope you all have been doing well since the last time! Quite a bit has happened since the last topic. We had a couple of hurricanes make landfall on the United States mainland, and the NFL started as well! I know all of you football fans out there are extremely excited that this time of the year has arrived. We are only two weeks into the new season, so it is pretty pointless to announce who we think the favorites are going to be. However, what I can speak on is my team, which is the Dallas Cowboys. Those of you that are long-term readers are likely aware of that. The Cowboys faced off against the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on week 1. They ended up losing the game, but I was pretty happy with what I saw from the Cowboys. In particular I am talking about the Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. For those that may not follow the Cowboys, Prescott suffered a gruesome ankle injury last season that put him out for the rest of the year. There were a lot of questions as to whether he would be effective after such a bad injury, and that is understandable. I know it's just one week, but I think he looked pretty good in his first game back from the injury. Dak has always carried himself in a humble manner, and that makes it easy to root for him. We'll see how he looks as the season goes on, but I would say he is off to a good start despite the Cowboys loss. Would love to hear what some of you are expecting from your teams this season in the comment section. So now that we've gotten that out of the way, lets go ahead and talk about this week's topic on the importance of staying in your own lane.

Now I began this topic by giving a general idea of what staying in your lane means in the context in which I'm using for this topic. I basically used it as a comparison when it comes to having boundaries, as well as being intrusive in another person's life. I want to point out again that these are not the only ways to define what it means for a person to stay in their lane. Just like I do with all the topics that I cover on here, I am simply giving my own perspective on this topic. It is up to everyone else to decide and define what staying in your lane means to them. My aim this week is to giving my perspective on the importance of staying in your lane. With that being said, I also want to state that being intrusive isn't always a bad thing. There are going to be times when a person may have to intervene when it comes to helping a person that you care for. If you happen to see someone you care for spiraling out of control in their life and they're needing help, you should definitely intrude in that type of situation. The angle that we're talking about when it comes to staying in your own lane deals with getting involved in something that you have no business doing. I'm going to give a few examples of what I mean by this in the coming paragraph, but there are levels when it comes to boundaries and being intrusive. There is a difference in being intrusive from a caring standpoint compared to a more nosy one, and the more nosy one is when a person goes out of their lane.

So what are some examples of what it means when we say that a person isn't staying in their lane? Again this can mean a multitude of things, but as I see it, not staying in your lane is when you intrude upon something that you are not familiar with. We all probably know someone that is a "know it all" in the sense that they have an opinion about everything: even when they have no clue about certain things. This is probably the most popular example of a person that doesn't stay in their lane. However, for this week's topic, the primary example I am going to use is people that insist upon prying into others lives. We all have or have had someone in our lives that feel that because they have a certain relationship with us that they're entitled to have an opinion about how we live. Yes, there are levels to having opinions about people you care for, but as I stated earlier, there is a difference between caring and being intrusive. Now I realize that some people don't care when it comes to allowing others to know about the the inner workings of their life, and that is fine. But what I do know is that I have seen more often than not that most people don't respond well when it comes to others being ultra intrusive and not staying in their lane. Often times people will get into some type of conflict when it comes to having boundaries, and it doesn't matter how close-knit those people are. I believe that excessive intrusion and a lack of boundaries is where the largest problem lies when it comes to staying in our own lane.

We've given a generalized definition of what it means for a person to stay in their lane, as well as an examples of what it means to not stay in your lane. I believe that regardless of what context that a person views staying in their lane, is never good when you cross into someone else's lane. I believe that when you cross into a lane that you either know nothing about, or you intrude into a lane that you shouldn't that you are asking for trouble. When you're driving on the highway and you stay within your lane on the road, everything goes smooth for the most part, right? We all know what happens if you happen to go into another lane and there is traffic incoming. The outcome is never good, and the damage can have life-long consequences. I believe that this same mindset goes for when it comes to staying in our lane when it comes to others. You have to know the boundaries in which you shouldn't cross when it comes to dealing with people. The potential consequences from not staying inside of your lane is why I believe that it is so important for us to stay in our own lane. When you keep to yourself and mind your own business everything is just fine and peachy in your life. When you go around prying and looking into the affairs of others, you could be bringing unneeded stress into your life that could be more than you bargained for. The main takeaway from this topic is to remember that staying in your own lane is a win/win for you. Keep in your own lane, and you'll find that you'll have a more peaceful life.

Well that is what I got for you guys this week! I hope that you all were able to gain some understanding from this topic, and I also hope that it was beneficial for some of you. If any of you would like to add any comments on this topic or have any other questions, please feel free to do so in the comment box. If you're on Twitter and would like to connect with me, you can follow me @BradrickH. Well I'm going to go ahead and shut it down for the night, so I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend. This has been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' brought to you by Brad H. Take care everyone, and I'll see you all on the next topic!

Saturday, August 28, 2021

Why Having Principles That You Stand By Is So Important.

One of the common themes that I have talked about at various times throughout the years via this blog is the subject of change. I've brought the idea of change up in sub-contexts, and I've also made it the primary theme of several topics in the past. I feel that the reasoning behind this stems from how prevalent change is within the grand scheme of life. I also believe that change is truly limitless in context and how it is understood by us as people. The context in which I am bringing up change in this topic deals with how much change the world has gone through. The world has and will constantly be changing, but I believe that most of us would agree that the world has changed fairly drastically in the last year and a half. Much of this global change has caused a major shift in how we as people view life. I would dare say that the changes that have occurred have created a more deep seeded division among people. It is almost as if people have been forced to choose one side or the other, and that if you aren't on a particular side that is deemed as being more popular, you are viewed as being an outcast. A popular and one of my favorite quotes is "If you don't stand for something, then you will fall prey to anything!" A good majority of people in today's world don't have principles that we stand by as individuals. Having principles that guide our thinking and way of life is something that we're not only lacking, but something that we have to understand the importance of having.

What's up my folks! This is your boy Brad H. to bring you another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back to give my perspective on a topic that I believe would be helpful towards helping us become better people. I hope you all have been doing great since the last topic! It is so hard to believe that we are already about to be in the month of September. Time just passes by so fast! So for my soapbox this week, I want to address something that some of you that are frequent readers on here may have noticed. I unfortunately have not been able to keep up with the regular schedule of posting every other week as I have maintained for much of the time I've been doing this. I know earlier this said I addressed that I may not always keep my usual schedule, but it has become more frequent where I am not posting when I normally do. There has just been a lot of personal things going on during this summer that has caused me to push the blog to the background. I just wanted to assure you all that I am still here and doing well. I think most of us can agree that the past couple of months have been pretty wild across the world, and that ultimately means that it will affects various aspects of our individual lives as well. I pretty much just wanted to use my soapbox to address that, so now lets go ahead and get into my perspective on why having principles that you stand by is so important.

Before going into the importance of standing by our principles, we have get a couple of things out there. When it comes to the idea of an individual standing by their principles, it is important to remember that this can having a different meaning for different people. I am just coming from a more general perspective on this topic, so it is up to us as individuals to define what having principles mean to us. Also, I'm in no way using this topic to question anyone's principles or what they may believe. Everyone is free to live and think however they feel is best for them. The main goal for this topic is not to focus on individual principles, but rather the importance of us sticking by them. Now what are principles when it comes to our lives? From my own perspective, a generalized definition for principles in the context of this topic is a system of beliefs and truth that we have that guide how we carry ourselves. I wouldn't call that an official definition, but rather how I personally interpret what it means to have principles as I see it. Believe it or not, we all have principles in some form or another. Many of us have certain beliefs that we adhere to and use those beliefs to govern how we live our lives. Some people may refer to it as a "code" on how to live or act when it comes to life. Though we all have principles that we abide by, knowing what value they mean to a person and how they affect a person's life is not addressed enough today.

What does it mean for a person to have principles? What are some qualities that people with principles have? I'll start by giving my perspective on what I believe it means for an individual to have principles. From my perspective, a person with principles means simply standing by what they believe in. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are always right in what they believe. It means that this person doesn't allow society to dictate how they think and feel, and it will often take more than jumping atop a bandwagon to get them to waver in the things they believe. I personally believe that people with solid principles have a bit of wolf mentality when it comes to how they approach life. When I say a wolf mentality, I mean that they probably stand alone in a lot of what they believe. We all know and have heard how wolves have a loner mentality when they are out in the wilderness, right? Now this isn't something that we want to take literally. People with principles are not always loners; I want to be sure and make this clear. I also believe that people that stand by their principles are people that are comfortable in their own skin, and also not afraid to speak what they feel to appease others. I do realize that not everyone can relate to people that are straightforward, but I think we can agree that most people this way are respected, even if they're not always liked by a lot of people.

We've defined what it means for a person to stand by their principles, and we've talked about what I perceive to be qualities that principled people have. So why it is so important for us to stand by our principles? My perspective on this comes down to the society that we're currently in. I believe that too many of us don't always stand by our principles because we want to liked by everyone. Now I don't believe there is anything wrong with wanting to be liked, but there is a line that needs to be drawn. That line is that even if you are liked by many, you will never be liked by everyone. Too many of us sway and waver on things that we're passionate about because we want to accommodate others. There are going to be times when you have to accommodate others, but you should never have to compromise who you are and what you think to do so. It's unfortunate that this society we live in today has forced too many of us to stray from our principles just to fit in. With everything happening in the world today, we cannot afford to not stick by our principles. There are too many entities that are seeking to control how we think, and many of us are going to be manipulated by this in the end. If something that you believe in feels right to you, stick by it. Don't worry about if it aligns with the masses. Like I pointed out earlier, sometimes it is best to have and maintain a wolves mentality in this world.

That's about all I got for this time around everyone! I want to thank you all once again for tuning into another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that you all found this topic helpful, and that you were able to take something positive away from it. As always, feel free to add any comments or feedback in the comment box. You can also find me on Twitter @BradrickH if you'd like to connect with me on there. I hope you all have an enjoyable rest of the weekend, and please keep the people of Louisiana in your thoughts as there is a major hurricane about to bear down on them. Have a great week ahead, and I'll see you all on the next topic!

Saturday, July 31, 2021

The Importance Of Not Being Distracted And Focusing On What's Important In Life.

I had a conversation a few nights back with a friend of mine about how much simpler life was back during the era we were growing up in. Not to give away our ages, but we both were born in the 80s, which meant that we spent our teenage years in the 90s. Some may say the reason why we believe life was simpler back then by the sheer idea that we were kids. There could be some truth to that statement; I definitely will not deny it. However, when I bring this subject up to people that were young adults during this particular era of time, most of them agree with the sentiment of me and my friend that I was conversing with recently. I personally believe that one of the biggest reasons as to why life was simpler stems from the belief that the distractions back then weren't as relevant as they are in today's society. Many of the things that the youth of today consider to be normal today was definitely not back then. I do realize that life is constantly changing, and that we as people should always be looking to change and adapt with it. However, I believe that distractions have and are currently affecting our world in a multitude of negative ways. I believe that the constant distractions have ulterior motives behind them, which is why I believe that it is pertinent for us to understand the importance of not allowing distractions to deter us from what's important in life.

Hello once again folks! It is I, Brad H. back to present you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here to once again bring my perspective on a topic that I feel would be beneficial towards helping us in this life. I know that I have been away for a few weeks, but I hope that you all are doing well. Before we get into this week's topic, I want to briefly talk about the NBA Finals that recently took place. In the last soapbox, I gave my prediction for who I thought would win the finals. I predicted that the Milwaukee Bucks would be victorious, and they indeed were. However, I will admit that after the first two games that I was a bit concerned as to whether they would pull it off or not. One of my buddies texted me and said that whichever team won on the road first would win the entire series. The Bucks were able to win first on the road, so I suppose he was right about that. At any rate I thoroughly enjoyed the finals this year. It felt more like a real finals this year compared to last season where they used the bubble format. I am extremely happy for Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks. I've always liked how he carried himself. I'm also happy for Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Those guys definitely deserve all the adoration that they've received. Now that the NBA is done, we can begin to shift our focus to the NFL! It will be here very soon ladies and gents! Well that is all I have to say about that, so lets go ahead and get more into the importance of not being distracted.

There are a couple of questions that we must address before we get more into this week's topic. First off, what are distractions? The official definition that I found is "a thing that prevents someone from giving attention to something else". Now that is an official definition that I happen to agree with, but what could be entailed as a distraction is subjective to whom you ask. That being said, we all have different forms of distractions. It is up to us as individuals to pinpoint what are distractions to our lives. The next question I want to address is what is important in life? As with what could be defined as a distraction, this is also a question that every single person has to find out for themselves. We all have different priorities when it comes to how we view life, and I personally don't want anyone to think that I'm trying to speak for everyone when it comes to my viewpoints on this. Though we may all think and behave differently in our approach to life, we all deal with distractions. We also all have things in life that are important to us. I'm coming from a more general perspective with this, as I try and do with the majority of the topics that are covered here. So find what your distractions are, as well as what are the things that you may consider to be important in life.

I started this topic off by giving my perspective on how much simpler life was in past decades and how we as people have become more distracted over time. The level of distraction is this word is so powerful that it is difficult to get most people to sit still and watch a movie for a couple of hours. Over the course of time, life has changed so much, and we as people have changed and adapted to it. Now I am a firm believer that change and being adaptable is important. However, and I think I may have pointed this out in a previous topic, but changing and adapting isn't always for the best. Again, much of this comes down to personal perspective, but generally speaking, the constant distractions that are being hurled at us daily have caused many of us to lose focus. For example, I believe that the majority of mainstream news outlets push a narrative. Now there is nothing wrong with having a narrative, but shouldn't the main goal be to inform the people and then allow them to form their own conclusions? Many of you may not agree with me on this, but a lot of what is being shown in the media is aimed to keep most of us distracted from the more important things that are going on. I won't get into details with that, but I think that most of you probably get where I am coming from. That being said, these distractions have a purpose to serve, and I don't believe that it's a purpose that benefits us.

Now I stated earlier that it is subjective to an individual deems as being important in their life. However, one thing that I think that nearly everyone can agree with when it comes to life is the relationships we have with the people in our lives. I believe that one of the biggest things that makes up who we are as people is our relationships with others. I believe from my perspective that distractions keep many of us from remembering what really matters in life. I recently watched a popular film that came out a couple of years back called "Us". I'm not going to spoil anything for those that have yet to see this film, but there was a scene from that movie that totally coincides with what is important in life when it comes to family. There is going to come a time in all of our lives where we're going to have to come to face with something that many of us would rather not even talk about. I won't go into that because I know you all know what I'm talking about. Don't allow distractions, whatever they may be to keep you from focusing on what's important. Don't be one of those people that waits until it is too late to express how you feel about those you care for. Remember that there is much more to life than the news, social media and other distractions. We have to develop a mentality of being able to enjoy all that life has to offer, but also being able to keep those things in their proper context in the hierarchy of life.

Well that is all I got for you all this time around. I hope that you all found this topic to be one that you found relevant. Thank you all once again for coming through for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! If any of you would like to leave any comments or feedback, you can do so in the comment section. You can also hit me up on Twitter if you'd like @BradrickH. I hope that you all enjoy the rest of your weekend. We are headed into a new month in the next few hours. The year is flying by like they all seem to do now. I'll end by saying don't be distracted, and keep your focus on what's important.

Sunday, July 4, 2021

The Importance Of Accepting The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.

Anyone that has lived long enough will truly understand that life can literally be the equivalent of a roller coaster ride. There are going to be an extensive set of highs and lows, as well ups and downs that come along with navigating through life. There will be moments where you feel like you are coasting steadily, and you'll quickly have something happen that causes you to feel as if you've taken a fast curve on a coaster. These are just a few comparisons of how the twist and turns of life can affect us. There are some of us in the world that understand that this is how life operates. However, there are also people that may know that this is how life is, but they're also not always willing to accept it. In saying this, I am referencing people that are able to handle the good that comes along with life, but may not be so capable at coping whenever the bad creeps in. I'm not here to judge anyone, and I myself will definitely admit that I haven't always been the best role model when it comes to handling life. However, what I do know is that while gaining an acceptance of certain things that correlate with life can be a daunting endeavor to partake, we as people will never truly be whole unless we put in the effort toward acceptance. Life is full of the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I believe that it is very importance to us to accept all of these phases.

What's going on folks? This is your boy Brad H. back to bring you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here for another topic that will hopefully serve as a bit of inspiration for us all to progress and maintain. I hope that all has been good and well in your life since the last topic. So for my soapbox this week before getting into this week's topic, I want to give my opinion on the NBA Finals that will be coming up soon. After tonight's game six between the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, we have the representatives for each conference. For the West is the Phoenix Suns, and the Milwaukee Bucks closed out the Hawks tonight to represent the East. First off, I think most of us can agree that we probably didn't see this as the match up that would be featured in the NBA Finals. I think most people probably predicted the Brooklyn Nets to come out of the East, and there were a host of teams that were favorites in the West that others may have considered. So we have Milwaukee and Phoenix playing to become the NBA Champions. I really have no stake in this as neither team is one that I root for. However, I will say that I will be pulling for the Milwaukee Bucks to take it all. I just think that after several years of coming up short in making the finals, this will be the year they take it all the way. Of course injuries play a factor, and we've seen enough of that already. I just hope that we get a great NBA Finals that is a memorable one for years to come. I would love to hear those of you that enjoy basketball picks. So with all that being said, lets go ahead and talk about the importance of accepting the aspects of life that are the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good, the bad, and the ugly! Before we get to the main theme of the importance of being able to accept all of these aspects of life, we have to address a few disclaimers first. To begin with, what is deemed as good, bad or ugly is something that we all have to define for ourselves first and foremost. No one can see your life in the same way that you do, so it's important for everyone to define what these things mean to us personally. What I believe to be good for my life may not be viewed in the same way by someone else. The same goes for what some may consider to be the bad and the ugly aspects of life. Secondly, as I pointed out earlier, anything that I bring up here isn't intended to be judgemental or imply that I have it all figured out. Like I stated previously, I will admit that I am someone that doesn't always handle issues the best. The main goal with this particular topic is to identify why it is important for us to make the effort to accept these things. One of the frequent things that I, as well as many of you may notice is that many people accept certain things and choose to ignore others. I think that we're doing ourselves a disservice in the long run by not looking as all areas, and that is what this week's topic will mainly touch upon.

Now begin lets do a virtual raise of hands as a response to the question that I'm about to ask. Of course I'm just kidding; please do not raise your hands. Besides, I'm pretty sure that many of you wouldn't have done it anyway, and I honestly can't blame anyone for not doing so. Now the question that I want to pose here is this: how many of you acknowledge when something good happens for you, but you ignore whenever something bad happens? So lets say that you get a promotion at a job and you put it all over social media, but if you happen to lose a job or take some kind of setback in your life, you'd rather not let that be known? I think that a good majority of us if we're being honest will admit that we're guilty of this. There is absolutely nothing wrong giving credence to the good that happens in your life, but how are we supposed to cope whenever the bad and ugly comes. This is something that I believe many of us struggle with in our lives. I believe that much of this stems from the way we've been conditioned to think and process things in our society. Take the news for example: how often does the news show all aspects of what is happening? There is a narrative that is pushed in order to make people think a certain way. Often times, whatever is good or viewed as something that will increase ratings will be shown, but the bad is often pushed to the back.

There are some things that happen in life that we cannot change regardless of how much we'd like to do so. There are some things in life that you just have to learn how to live with regardless of how good, bad, or downright ugly they may be. This is ultimately what brings me to the main point of this topic: the importance of accepting the good, the bad, and the ugly. As I pointed to earlier, though we may embrace and accept the good things in life, the bad and ugly is also a part of life as well. Though the bad and ugly are the aspects of life that we'd prefer not to embrace, there is no getting around the cold fact. The fact is that there is no way to accept one aspect and leave out the others. We have to teach ourselves to embrace them all regardless of how hard it may be to do so. Now you can be a person that embraces the good and try and tune out the bad. However, when you leave out of a room and turn off the light, everything that is in the room is still going to be there, right? Making the effort to tune out the bad and the ugly may be a short term feel good, but it doesn't change the fact that there are still there. It is important to accept all aspects that come along with life, and I personally believe that in doing so that we mold ourselves into more well-rounded individuals.

Well that is what I got for you all this time! I hope that I was able to bring this topic out in a manner in which was both relatable and understandable. I would like to once again thank everyone that stopped by for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I sincerely appreciate all of the support that you all have shown me over the years. If there is any feedback that you all would like to leave, please feel free to do so in the comment box. You can also hit me on Twitter @BradrickH if you'd like to connect on there. Well I'm going to sign off for this time, so I'll see you all on the next topic. Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend. Take care everyone!