Why It Is Perfectly Okay To Outgrow Some People In Your Life.

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One of the most important things that we will all experience within this life is change. Change can take on many different forms, and those forms can vary from person to person. One of the forms of change that affects us all in some way or another is the word growth. Similar to the word change, growth also has various iterations of being interpreted. However, for this week's topic, the type of growth that I will be referring to is growing mentally and spiritually within yourself. We've all heard at sometime or another in our lives that nothing in this life stays the same. This world that we live in is constantly changing and adapting, which means that the same is happening to us as well. I believe that when we as people are growing as an individuals within our lives, there are certain things become somewhat beneath us. If you're a person that is on a pretty good streak of eating healthy and losing weight, certain foods that are bad and unhealthy for you probably no longer serve a purpose in your life. You have risen above those things, which means that they are beneath you now. Though it may be something that many of us may not like to acknowledge, this same logic also applies to the people in our lives. We all have maybe had friends that we've become more distant with just through time and space. In some instances of life, there can be quite a bit of guilt that can come with potential outgrowing certain individuals in our lives. We may have a strong sense of loyalty to them that puts us at odds with our personal growth. Now I'm one that believes that it is very important for us to be loyal to the people that reciprocate it back to us. However, what do we do when our loyalties put us at odds with our own growth? Furthermore, is it okay to leave behind the people that may be stunting us from growing? These are a few of the things that I will be talking about for this week's topic, but I believe that in certain situations and circumstances, it is perfectly okay when we've outgrown certain people in our lives.

Yo, what is going on people? This is Brad H. touching down once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back once again for another topic that will hopefully serve as inspiration to others. Welcome to those of you that may be a first time reader, and thank you once again for those that are back once again. So for my soapbox section this week, I wanted to bring up something that I've mentioned before on here, but I also rarely like to discuss. That would be politics. Now most of you know that we had a government shutdown happening this year, and that another government shutdown has recently been averted. Now, a national emergency has been declared by the president, and of course people have their viewpoints on all of it. Now I recently listened to a video on Youtube where a blogger said something that I absolutely agree with and endorse. It is also something that I've been saying for quite sometime now. I hope that most people realize this by now, but stop believing in and trusting these politicians. Many of us look at these politicians as if they are saviors that have our best interests at heart, but we should all know by now that the good majority of them do not. They are mainly in the business of politics for their own interests, and the interests of those that put the most money behind them. I've seen too many people get into arguments over these politicians and their viewpoints, and it honestly isn't worth it in my opinion. Again, I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do, but I hope that most of you know by now that politics is all a game. The majority of them rarely carry out the agendas that they run on to get votes, and we all know that it is hard to hold them accountable once they get in office. I just wanted to bring that up because right now the political climate in the United States is pretty volatile. The biggest takeaway I hope people have is to invest in yourself and carve out your own thinking. Don't be fooled by these politicians and the shenanigans many of them bring. Alright, now that I've gotten on my soapbox, lets go ahead and get into this week's topic of why it is perfectly okay to grow some people in your life.

Probably the biggest aspect of this week's topic that I want to address that plays a huge part of this discussion is the theme of loyalty. Loyalty is one of those unwritten aspects of life that many of us will have to bring into question at some point or another. It is something that works twofold in the sense that it can both beneficial and detrimental to us depending on the circumstances in which it is being questioned. Now we all have loyalties to various individuals and things. Some loyalties are stronger than others, and some situations can be either over or under when it comes to loyalty. I believe that the good majority of people want to be loyal always, however as I mentioned earlier, what does a person do when being loyal hinders their growth? I've already mentioned about the type of growth that I'm bringing reference to. Now if you're around people that could be deemed as being a hindrance towards you moving forward, are these people that really need a top spot in your life? I believe that many of us at times somewhat self-sabotage our own growth due to remaining loyal. Like I alluded to earlier, sometimes we just outgrow people as we develop more self-awareness. Now when I think of loyalty, another word that comes to my mind is guilt. Some may wonder how does loyalty and guilt coincide with one another. Well, in some cases (not all), and depending on the individual and your relationship with them, some people will pull the guilt card on you in circumstances where you find yourself moving forward. They may use tactics that question your loyalty to them, and may even try and make you feel bad about yourself for making positive changes in your life. Now that we've discussed how loyalty and guilt can play a role in our personal growth and how it relates to others, lets talk about why I feel it is perfectly fine to outgrow people.

As I mentioned earlier in regards to this topic, change is constantly evolving and taking place in our lives. I believe that is is highly unrealistic to believe otherwise. Think of other aspects of life that involves anything that has some form of life to it. A flower has to begin as a seed before it can grow into its final state. Like I've already mentioned, all living things have periods of growth and change. Think of how at one point in this life we were all small babies that couldn't do anything for ourselves. Now, because we have grown into adults, we're able to various things on our own. The way all of this relates to this week's topic is that growth and change is a natural aspect of life, and because growth is something that is inevitable, it is perfectly normal if you've come to a point where you've outgrown certain people in your life. I know that this is something that many people wrestle with because we want to stay loyal to the people we've outgrown. There is nothing wrong with being loyal to other people, but you also have a responsibility to be loyal to yourself first and foremost. Personal growth doesn't necessarily mean that you are better than anyone else, nor does it imply that you shouldn't be loyal to people. From my perspective, it means being able to recognize and prioritize yourself first. Think about all the clothes that you've owned throughout your life. At some point you likely outgrew those clothes and had to upgrade to clothes that you could properly fit. Now I'm in no way saying that people are like clothes, but what I am saying that since growth is natural, it makes sense if you have come to outgrow people. Also be mindful that growth doesn't just apply to people. It can apply to anything that you do or participate in that no longer serves a greater purpose in your life.

Now I'm not here to tell anyone else what to do, nor am I an authority on how people should live their own lives. I can only be responsible for myself and my actions. The main point that I want to get across with this topic is that we as people shouldn't have to feel bad for outgrowing things and people. Like I mentioned earlier, there are some people that you may be close with that don't want to see you growing as an individual. And to be quite honest, it may not necessarily be that they don't want what is best for you. It could be that they realize that your growth may mean that you may have to leave them behind. Another point that I want to get across with this is that growing as a person doesn't mean that you should just completely cut people out of your life spitefully. From my perspective, that is what arrogant people and people that feel like they're better than others do. You can still remain close to people that you've outgrown. As with most changes that come in life, relationships with others change as well. I'm sure that many of you have people that you've probably been friends with for years, yet you don't talk to them everyday. You may even not talk to them every month or week, but you know that you and that person are still tight with one another, and that it is an unsaid rule that you both will always be there in times of need. Life may have brought about time and space between the two of you, but the relationship remains. This is a perfect meaning of what I mean by why it is okay to outgrow some people in your life. Now of course if you have people that are trying to make you feel bad for growing as a person, then it goes without saying that you may need to reconsider your relationship with them. However, despite growth and change, you can still have those close to you in your life. So just remember that it is perfectly normal and natural to outgrow others. Don't ever feel bad for bettering yourself, stay loyal to others, but be loyal to yourself first.

Well I think I'm going to go ahead and end on that note. Thank you once again for those of you that came through for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I can't say enough how grateful I am to have received some of the feedback that I have from some of you. It is truly humbling, and I thank you all. As always, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be taken away from this topic. If you found some inspiration through reading this, please let me know in the comment section. You can also hit me up on Twitter if you have any comments or feedback at the handle of @BradrickH. I hope you all are having a great weekend so far, and I hope an even greater week ahead lies in the wings for us all. Till next time, stay strong and stay positive. I'll see you all in the next one! Peace!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Danger Of Projecting Your Fears Onto Others.

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Being fearful of someone, something, or even a combination of the two is something that most of us don't like to acknowledge. Why is this the case I wonder? I believe that the world that we live in seems to associate the word "fear" along with something that is negative. There appears to be a stigma that we as people should never show or display fear, and if you happen to do so, you are labeled as a weak individual. Now this isn't my personal thought when it comes to be fearful. I'm just giving my own interpretation on what I believe this world thinks of fear. Now if we're going to be totally honest here, I think most of us can admit to being fearful at times. We're not robots, we're human-beings, so it is highly unrealistic to believe that no human never experiences fear. Like many other people that may have an opinion on the subject of fear, I believe that being fearful at times is both a normal and a good thing. I personally believe that most people will admit that they often rise the occasion most whenever they face something that they're afraid of head on. This is something that I can personally admit to based on previous experiences. However, I think we can also admit that there are some people in this world that have fears that they're afraid to face. Though I may personally see the thought of a person not being willing to face their fears, I can't knock anyone that may not be willing to do so. As I have stated many, many times on this blog, we all have various outlooks and ways we live our lives. If a person isn't willing to face their own fears and attempt to have change in their life, that is all on them. However, something that I do see as a potential danger when it comes to people not facing their fears is the idea of projecting those fears onto other people.

Yo, what is up people? This is Brad H. back at it once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! A big welcome goes to anyone that is a first time visitor, and a big thanks goes to those that are frequent readers here. I'm going to go right ahead and jump into the soapbox by talking about something that many people from all over the world will be tuning into this week. Yep, that's right you guessed it, the Super Bowl. Like most people, I will be watching the game this weekend, but I probably won't be as engaged as I normally would. My reason for this comes from the fact that I don't care for either of the two teams that are playing. Anyone that knows me well is aware that I have never liked the New England Patriots. As for the Los Angeles Rams, I never had anything against them, but I didn't like how some of their players have been mouthing off during the playoffs. Also, though it was through no fault of their own, I don't feel like their victory over the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago was a legitimate one. I'm not a Saints fan either, but any and everyone watching that game knows that the refs blew the blatant pass interference called against the Rams that could have likely sent the Saints to the Super Bowl. I never thought I'd be saying this, but I actually felt bad for fan of the Saints. Hopefully the NFL does something in the off season that can remedy these kind of things. Now for who I believe is going to win the big game this weekend, I'm predicting that New England will win the game. It is extremely difficult for me to imagine New England losing two straight Super Bowls. I believe that their coach Bill Belichick is going to have a game plan that neutralizes the Rams offense. I could be wrong in saying that. I mean I didn't think that the Philadelphia Eagles would beat them last year, but that is exactly what happened. I still believe New England wins, but we all know how unpredictable sports, particularly football can be. The Rams and Saints game is a prime example of that. Anyway, I hope those of you that are looking forward to the game enjoys. Alright, now that I've gotten on my soapbox, lets go ahead and move onto this week's topic of projecting your fears onto others.

Now when thinking of a subject such as projecting your fears onto other people, what exactly is meant by this? I'm sure that everyone will have their own spill on what they believe this to be. I've already mentioned on multiples occasions on there that there is no one single way to view anything. Speaking for myself and my own personal experiences, I view this topic as when a person that is afraid of something themselves intentionally or unintentionally cast doubts and suspicions in the mind of another person. Now if you noticed, I mentioned that this can happen both intentionally and unintentionally. Some people may not even be aware that they're projecting their own fears onto other people. For the sake of the point that I'm attempting to make, I want to focus more on the people that do it intentionally. I have to tread lightly with what I'm going to say next, because I believe most people that may do this intentionally often mean well, they just may not know how damaging what they're saying can be. Many people that project their own fears onto others often do it out of care and love for other people. Now some of you may be wondering how exactly can you care for someone, yet you're projecting your fears onto them? I mean making another person fearful doesn't quite equate to caring for them right? Well in the context that we're dealing with, it depends on how the people that are in this situation are able to handle what is being said. For example, not everyone gets scared in the same manner, nor are we afraid of the same things. What may scare or make me fearful may not apply to another person. Projecting your fears on other people go a lot deeper than just scaring someone else. This is something that is psychological in the sense that it plays more to the mind than anything else.

Now I know that I've probably said a lot already, but hopefully you all will be able to see where I am going with this with the example that I'm going to bring up. I know this is something that I have touched on previously on here. How many of you know or are close with someone that don't like seeing other people that they're close with attempt something that they never have themselves? So lets hypothetically say that you want to attempt to go skydiving, and you have a friend that says you shouldn't do that because it is dangerous. Now I've never been skydiving, but I think we can all admit that regardless of whether you've ever done it or not that there is some risk to it. Now the friend that doesn't want you to attempt skydiving has concerns because they care about you; an admirable thing. However, are they really allowing you to live your life if they're discouraging you from doing something that you want? Is it possible that their concerns can create doubt within your mind to the point where you become fearful of even attempting what you want? See what I mean now by the danger of projecting your fears onto others? We have a situation where two people have never attempted something, yet one of them whether intentionally or unintentionally discourages the other from even attempting. This is something that happens all too much in my opinion, and it causes many people to potentially miss out on new things and experiences. Again, much of the potential fear that stems from this is out of care and concern, but it can still be damaging to the other person life. This is why I personally believe that you should always encourage other people whenever they present you with something they want to do.

Now in saying all of this, I'm not saying that you shouldn't never voice concern or care whenever someone you love wants to attempt something. From my perspective, I believe it is important to find a healthy balance of giving them their freedom, and knowing when to interject. Now if you're in a situation where you have previous hands on experience with something that someone wants to attempt, voicing your opinion will likely carry more weight because you have that experience. The crowd that I'm primarily referring to is the crowd that are afraid of trying something themselves, so they don't want to see you do it either. If you are a person that has these traits, I admire you for being concerned about others. However, if you look deep within yourself, can you honestly say that you have another person's best interest at heart if you're discouraging them from experiencing things? When you really think about it, you are likely looking out more for your own self-interests, and you never want to project that onto someone that you love. Be as supportive as you possibly can in these type of situations. Try not to create doubts and fears in the minds of others if they want to do something for their own life. I'm sure that there are many people in this world that live with regret because they listened to what other people said instead of following their own mind. I'm also certain that many of these people probably harbor negative feelings towards some of the people that tried to attempt them from spreading their wings a bit. The main thing that I hope the readers can take from this is to always show concern and care, but also allow other people to live.

Well I think that about sums up this topic. I think I pretty much got everything that I planned on discussing out there, so I'm going to go ahead and sign off for now. Thank you for those of you that stopped by for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I sincerely appreciate all of you and your encouragement to keep on bringing up these topics. As always, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be gained from this. If you found this inspirational or helpful, please feel free to leave any feedback below. You can also follow me or hit me up on Twitter at the handle @BradrickH. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend, as well as the big game tomorrow if you're looking forward to it. I also hope that those of you up north and on the east coast, as well as the Midwest stay warm. I know it has been brutal up there, so I hope you all stay safe. I'll see you all in the next one. Peace!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Things Take Off At Different Times For Us All.

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The idea of people comparing themselves to other people is something that has existed since maybe the beginning of time. There is no way for me to truly know how long this has been a normal practice, but what I do know is that it is something that has existed since I've been living in this world. I'm certain that there are a slew of reasons why so many of us as people compare ourselves to others. Probably one of the biggest reasons that I can think of off the top of my head comes from the social constructs that have been established in this world. For example, there is are beliefs that exist within our world that a person needs to be married by a certain age, have children by a certain age, and retire by a certain age. These are just a couple of examples out of many that stem from the social constructs that so many people follow. Now I'm in no way saying that everyone believes this, but these social norms that have been placed upon us say that you need to have done various things by a specific time period, and in the event that you have not achieved some of these things by that specific time period, then something must be wrong with you. As I have gotten older and gained a greater understanding of this world and how people think, it has become increasingly difficult for me to even imagine why so many of us conform ourselves to these social norms. My reasoning for this is due to the idea that most of us realize by now that we're all unique individuals that have different upbringings and outlooks on life. If this is the case, why exactly do so many of us allow these social norms to dictate how we live our lives? Though it may be difficult to not compare ourselves to other people, the comparing of yourself to anyone in general is never a wise thing once you reach a certain age. We have to realize that everyone faces different obstacles in life, so naturally things will take off for us at different times.

Hey, what is going on peeps? This is your main man Brad H. back once again to bring you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! How is everyone doing out there? We are still anew in the year 2019, so I hope that those resolutions that those of you that still do make them are going well. So for my soapbox section of this week, I'm going to briefly discuss more football. We all know by now that my Dallas Cowboys took an L to the Los Angeles Rams last week. I was also wrong about the Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts game that I brought up two week ago in the last post. We got the AFC and NFC championship games taking place tomorrow, so I'm going to quickly give my prediction on what I see happening. So we have the New England Patriots taking on the Kansas City Chiefs, and the New Orleans Saints going up against the Los Angeles Rams. Out of these two games, the only one that I feel fairly confident about is the Chiefs and Patriots. I'll be rooting for the Chiefs cause I don't like the Patriots, but I believe that New England is going to win. They already played during the regular season in what was an awesome game that the Patriots nudged out in a 43-40 victory. I just feel like their experience will propel them into another Super Bowl appearance. As for the Saints and Rams, I really don't know who is going to win this game. They also played one another in the regular season, and the Saints were victorious at that time. The Rams have such an advanced offense in my opinion, so it is going to take a big defensive effort by anyone to beat them. Their offense totally had my Cowboys defense gassed out. I don't care for either of these teams, so it doesn't matter to me who wins. If I had a gun to my head however, I would probably pick the Saints to win. We will see what happens tomorrow, but it should be exciting to watch. Man it is so hard to believe that football season is almost over with. Seems like it goes by faster and faster each year. With all that being said, lets go ahead and get into this week's discussion of things taking off at different times for us all.

Now I've already brought up the idea of people comparing themselves to other people, and how the society that we live in has established these social constructs that the majority of people follow when it comes to living their lives. There is another word that is a key element when it comes to comparing ourselves to others. That word is "patience". I personally believe that patience or the lack thereof is one of the main reasons why people feel the need to compare themselves to others. I'm going to touch more on patience later on in this topic. Now I'm not going to be a hypocrite and act as if I don't ever compare myself to other people. I believe that it is totally unrealistic for anyone to say that they've never compared themselves to another person. That being said, there are different contexts that comparing ourselves to others can be put into. Simply put, I believe that a person can compare themselves to other in either a constructive way, or a nonconstructive way. Now these two comparisons within themselves can be totally subjective when it comes to what is considered constructive and nonconstructive. As I see it, constructive comparison is when a person compares themselves to another person in a manner in which it inspires the person doing the comparing to strive to be better. As an example, think of people in your life that you admire and look up to. These are people that may have a skill or personality trait that you admire. The manner in which they live their lives may be inspiration for you to want better for your own life. Athletes compare themselves to other athletes in their particular sports all the time. I believe many of them use this form comparison as a way to work harder to reach the top of their sport. Again, constructive criticism isn't only limited to sports. Like I mentioned earlier, it can be related to anything or anyone that inspires you in a positive manner.

Now onto what I deem as the downside of comparing ourselves to others, and the heart of what I want to get across in this week's topic. From my perspective, comparing ourselves to other in a nonconstructive way is what I brought up earlier in regards to the social constructs of life. I believe it is both nonconstructive and unwise to compare your life situation to others when it comes to meeting the expectations of society. Let me paint a picture for you all of what I'm referring to when I say this. Think of two people that are friends and have been friends for a long time. Lets say that one of these people is in a relationship and decides to get married. Now the other friend that isn't yet married could very well be supportive and happy for their friend. However, the society that we live in probably would beg the question to the unmarried friend; now when are you going to get married? If this person begins to hear this enough, they may begin to question and wonder when they're time to get married is coming. Furthermore, if they're not strong enough to ignore these type of questions, they may easily find themselves comparing themselves to their married friend, which could ultimately lead to jealousy and resentment. Keep in mind that this is just an example that I'm setting up, so hopefully you all don't think that I'm saying everyone thinks this way. The point of this example is to establish what I believe is a form of nonconstructive comparison. From my perspective, this is the type of comparison towards others that we need to try and cut out of our lives. I'm going to give my opinion on why next.

Now remember when I brought up the word patience earlier, and how so many of us lack having it? In my opinion, the lack of patience and comparing ourselves to others go hand in hand. For those of us that struggle in the arena of comparing our lives to that of others, we have to exercise some patience and understand that things takes off for us at different times. It's not meant for all of us to accomplish things at the same time, otherwise there would be no need for the individual struggles that we have to endure. We have to learn how to view our lives as if we're skydiving. I've never went skydiving before, but I do know that unless some type of malfunction happens during the jump, the parachute will open up. Everybody's parachutes don't always open at the same time, which means that none of us will always accomplish our goals at the same time. Always try and be happy for others when you see their parachutes opening, and know that as long as you are moving towards better things in your life, your chute will open up eventually. We have to have patience though when it comes to these kinds of things. I understand that the world we live in today doesn't push the idea of having patience. It shows in how so many people today want everything so fast. That's another topic for another day. So in closing, lets try and exercise more patience. Have the belief that things will work out for us in due time. Be happy for others when good things happen for them. Finally, if you have the opportunity to be a positive part of someone else's journey, do no hesitate to do so. I believe that playing a role in helping others gives us a kind of satisfaction that not much else in this world could. Whenever you may feel as if things aren't going your way in this life, and the opposite is happening for others, remember that things take off at different times for us all.

Well that is all that I got for you good people this go round. Like I always mention before signing off, I'd like to thank all of you that once again stopped by for another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that was able to be taken away from this. Also, if this post inspired you, or if you gained anything valuable from it, please let me know down below in the comment section. You can also connect with me on Twitter @BradrickH if you'd like. I hope you all have an enjoyable rest of your weekend. I know there is a lot of cold weather and snow out there, so be safe in whatever you're doing this weekend. I'll see you all in the next topic, so until then, take care everyone!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Are You The Driver Or Passenger Of Your Life?

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Control; a pretty powerful word if you ask me. What exactly is control, and how does it affect our lives? The official definition that I came across in regards to control is "the power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events." We all have moments and individual aspects in and of our lives where we want to have control over various things. However, I think that most of us know by now that there are some situations in this life that we're not going to be able to control, period. For example, we're all aware that when it comes to handling a vehicle, you're either the driver or the passenger of that vehicle. A passenger of a vehicle has very little say over what can happen while they're riding in that vehicle. Then we have the driver of a vehicle. Of course the driver is the person at the wheel and operating the vehicle. They are the individual that decides how fast to drive, when to turn, etc. Now while a driver may have the most control when it comes to operating a vehicle in comparison to a passenger, a wise driver also realizes that there are certain elements of being behind the wheel that they have no control over. A single driver for example has no control over what the other drivers around them are doing, which ultimately means that regardless of how well a driver is performing at driving, an accident is always only an unwise driver away from happening. Now with that being said, regardless the level of control a driver may have on other drivers, a driver still will have more control than a passenger does. From my perspective, this same comparison can be applied when it comes to our lives. Some of us are majority passengers when it comes our lives, while some are the drivers. Though the two may intermix at times depending on whatever a situation calls for, by in large, most of us are either one or another in general. We are officially in 2019, which means that a new year is upon us. For 2019, are you going to be the driver or the the passenger of your life?

Happy New Year everyone! This is Brad H. back on deck once again, and I'd like to welcome everyone to the first installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' for the year 2019. We are officially in a new year, so this is the time of the year where many of us try and reset and use the new year as a clean slate. I'm certain that I've mentioned what I'm about to say on here before, but in recent years, I have gotten away from the whole new years resolutions thing. I'm not against making them, and I think making them gives people something to strive for. I just now believe more in making daily affirmations that can empower us. That said, whatever method or outlook that anyone may have towards the new year is totally fine with me. I just hope that we all do our best to make 2019 one of the best years of our lives. I know that sounds pretty cliche, but we also have to keep in mind that the more of these new years that we're able to see means that the chances of there being more years behind us than ahead of us increases. Just something to keep in mind. So before getting into this week's topic, I want to talk briefly about the NFL playoff games happening today. We have the Indianapolis Colts facing off against the Houston Texans, and the Seattle Seahawks coming to Texas to take on my Dallas Cowboys. I think that these are two quality games to kick off opening weekend of the NFL playoff run. With the Colts and Texans, we have two teams from the same division, which means that this will be their third time meeting this season. The season series was split between the two with the margin of victory being three points in both games. I really don't know who is going to win this game, but I give the edge to Houston with the game being on their home turf. It also wouldn't surprise me in the least if the Colts pulled it off. That defense is much improved by Indy, and Andrew Luck has gotten better as the season progressed. Now with Dallas and Seattle, I see another potentially good game. These two teams met in the regular season also, with Seattle winning 24-13. That game took place in Seattle, so with the game being on Dallas's home turf this time around, I expect the Cowboys to be more competitive. Being that I'm a Cowboys fan, I am definitely rooting for them to win. However, I do believe Seattle will likely win this game. They are the more experienced team, and Russell Wilson is more trustworthy than Dak Prescott in these situations. It's the playoffs though, so anything can happen. Lets enjoy this playoff run, and see how it all unfolds. Alright, now that I've gotten on my soapbox for a bit, it is time to move forward with the topic for the week.

Now this is the section where I normally give a disclaimer and address how I came to the topic before addressing it. However, I'm using it this time to announce that I will no longer be giving a disclaimer or addressing why or how I arrived at the topic for the week. I planned on doing this two years ago, and if you go back in my entries and view the first post from January of 2017, you'll see that I mentioned this. I ultimately didn't follow through with it, and much of that was due to the fact that I felt I would be cheating the readers if I didn't give them insight into why I think the way that I do in regards to these topics. I also wanted to try and give out quality information, and at the time I felt the only way to do that would be to keep the posts at a certain length. After pondering on it for a bit the last few days, I decided that it is more important for me to try and get my point across rather than focusing on how I arrived at a topic. I also feel that there is no need to give a disclaimer before discussing the topics I come up with. Every single person that reads these posts are smart and intelligent people that don't need me repeating the same thing in every post. So with that being said, the standard seven paragraphs that I normally use to cover my topics will be reduced to six. In the event where I feel a certain topic needs more detail and depth beyond what I may have already mentioned, I'll use seven paragraphs. As of right now, that is only change that I plan on making to this site in 2019. The format will be the same, the length will just hopefully be shorter. I hope this is a welcome change for those of you that have been with me for awhile. Besides, I'm one of those people that believes it is often better to make things a little more convenient and easier when possible. A lot of you out there are likely busy people, and the probability of you staying and reading something shorter is a lot more higher than something that is long and drawn on. So now that I've gotten that announcement out of the way, lets talk more about the topic of whether you're a driver or passenger of your life.

We already understand the setup of how a driver and passenger works in regards to operating a vehicle. But how exactly does this equate to our lives? What are the qualities and attributes that define whether you're being the driver or passenger of your life? I believe that isn't a single answer to define this, and this is something that I think is totally subjective to individual thinking. I also believe as I mentioned earlier that this is one of those topics where there are times when these things will overlap with one another. This makes this one of those tricky topics, however, with that being said, I will give my own personal perspective on what I think of this. Simply put, I believe that a driver is more of a leader, and a passenger is more of the follower type. Again, I'm not implying that being a follower is a bad thing, but I do feel that we all should have a degree of leadership when it comes to our own lives. When I think of an individual that has more of a driver mentality when it comes to their life, I think of someone that isn't easily swayed by what other people think. The individual with the driver mentality is likely to maintain a level of control despite certain circumstances being out of their control. When I think of a passenger, I think of the word passive. I liken a person with the passenger attribute as someone that probably listens a lot to the opinions of others. Not saying that it is bad to listen to what others have to say, but there is a difference between listening objectively to what others say and being easily influenced by others. A person with more of a passenger mentality also probably allows others to run their lives in the sense that they constantly do things that they may not necessarily want in order please others. Now again, I want to stress that I'm in no way saying that being a driver is good, and being a passenger is bad. All of this is totally subjective, so everyone is free to form their own interpretation of this.

Now that I've given some examples on what I define as being attributes that a driver and passenger are equivalent to, I want to explain why I think it is more important to be a driver. Like I have mentioned several times already, there are going to be times when you are going to have to be a passenger. There is no way around that. However, I think that most of us should aim to have more driver qualities. From my perspective, we already live in a world that is filled with passengers in the sense that so many people don't really think for themselves. People nowadays are influenced by the media more than ever due to the constant consumption of information that we're being fed. From my perspective, this creates a world where we have more followers than leaders, that isn't a good thing when you really think about it. I touched on it earlier, but there are some circumstances that will always be out of your hands. However, we as people always have the ability to control what we think and do. You don't have to always follow what the masses think and do, you can seek out information on your own and form your own conclusion. You never have to be subjected to the thoughts and opinions of others. You have the ability to view yourself in your own light and know that the light in which you view yourself is the most important because you're the one that in your own skin. These are a few reasons why I feel it is more important to be a driver rather than a passenger. You always want to have the feeling that despite the various situations and circumstances that happen that are out of your control, you always are in control of your own life. I want to state again before I close out that having passenger qualities doesn't mean you're a bad person. We all have passenger qualities from time to time. However, with us being in a new year, lets try and focus on being becoming drivers that are in control of our lives.

Well I'm going to go ahead and close out this opening post for 2019. As always, a big thanks goes out to everyone that joined me for another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! That is something that I'm always going to say. I also hope that there was some meaning and understanding that was able to be gained from this. Feel free to leave any comments or feedback in the comment section, and you can also connect with me on Twitter if you'd like at the handle @BradrickH. I hope that 2019 has started off right for you all so far, and Happy New Year to you all again. The Texans and Colts game is starting in a few, so I'm going to go ahead and sign off. I'll see you all in the next one. Peace!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Having A Strong Cabinet Around You (Solid People You Can Consult With).

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Though cabinets are something that exist within the kitchen and bathrooms of the homes that we live in, they are an item that most people probably rarely think of or pay much attention to. That is unless you're in a profession where you install or paint them, or maybe you're in the field of interior decorating. For most that don't think of or pay close attention to cabinets, you may not care much how they look, but you do count on them to be strong and sturdy right? You know what? Let me stop bluffing here. I'm certain that most of you can deduce that this topic has absolutely nothing to do with the cabinets that exist within homes. While I do hope that you all have strong cabinets within your homes, I'm referring more to another form of cabinet. By now, most of us understand how the government works in regards to positions of leadership. Take a president for example, and this can be a president in any form whether it be government, private sector, etc. Most presidents have a group of advisers that are often referred to as a cabinet. The cabinet is a small group of people that the president often consults with before making important decisions. These are people whom decision making abilities that the president trusts. He also puts trust his cabinet to have his best interests in mind when it comes to the moves and decisions that he plans to execute. If you ask me, being part of a president's cabinet comes with a lot of responsibility. So what does this have to do with us when it comes to our lives you may wonder? Well if you think about it for a second, we are our own president when it comes to our individual lives right? We have to make decisions sometimes, and some of these decisions aren't always easy to make. Often times when we're faced with trying times and decisions that are of importance, we defer to our cabinet. That being said, not all members of your cabinet will have your best interest in mind, which means you have to be able to discern who and who doesn't belong in your cabinet.

Hey, what's going on everyone. This is Brad H. back once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here once again to present you all with another topic that I think could serve as some inspiration to us all. This is just all about me giving my own personal perspective on the things that I think of and encounter on a frequent basis. For all of you that are frequent visitors, thank you for joining me once again. For those that may be visiting here for the first time, I'm glad to have you stop through, and I hope that this won't be your last visit here. Christmas is only a couple of days away, so this will officially be the last post on this site for the year. I'd like to go ahead and wish everyone a Merry Christmas in advance. So for my soapbox this week, I'm not going to talk about anything sports related or anything in the news. Since this will be the last topic that I cover for 2018, I'd like to reflect a bit on this year. I think a lot of people like to reflect on the year before we head into a new one. For me personally, 2018 was a year that was filled with highs and lows. I'm sure most of you can relate to that. It started out really well the first few months. I got to experience a few things that I had been wanting to for awhile, and my birthday back in March was one of the best birthdays that I've had in my life. As the year progressed, things got a bit more challenging. There were some health related issues going on with a family member that I'm close with, and there were some other circumstances surrounding family that somewhat turned my world upside down. Adjusting to change isn't always easy for some people, and I will admit that I'm one that struggles with this. That being said, I think about this post that I came across a couple of months back titled "The 7 Rules of Life." Number 3 on the list was, "Time heals all wounds, give it time." Now I do agree with this, but in saying that, we never know how much time will need to pass in order for us to move on from something. What I can say however is that everyday that we show up and make it through is another day where we've built strength towards moving forward. I know that many of us are in phases of our lives where we're trying to heal or adjust from changes. It can be difficult at times, but we have to keep on showing up. So I just want to encourage anyone that faced any type of adversity this year to know that things can and will improve, but you have to keep showing up. I hope this encourages someone out there. Alright, now lets go ahead and talk about this week's topic of building a solid cabinet.

Now it is time for me to give the standard disclaimer that I give before going more in depth into what we're going to be discussing for this installment. We're all aware by that we're all different and unique individuals in our own right. Our physical features are different, as well as the way that we all think and see the world. Since we're all unique in how we view this world, it isn't feasible to believe that we're always going to agree or see eye-to-eye. The main mission that I have with these topics isn't to focus on right or wrong, but rather to encourage others (and myself) to open our minds up to the possibilities that being open minded can bring. I believe that we all have the capability to inspire others, but I also believe that we all have the knowledge within us to open up the minds of others. As I've stated before, the topics that I write on aren't intended just to one thing only. I just hope that whatever anyone can take from what I discuss is something that is deemed positive and inspirational. So how did I arrive at this particular topic of having a strong cabinet? By now I'm sure that most of you that frequently read my topics are aware that I draw a lot of inspiration from what others say. I was on Youtube last week, and I was listening to a video where a guy was talking about relationships. One of the points that he referenced to was consulting with your cabinet before getting into a relationship with someone. The idea that he was conveying was that if you want to know if someone is right for you, you have to consult with people that you're close to for their advice. Now whether you believe that to be true or not is up to you. My site and the topics of interest that I bring up aren't about relationships, but rather offering inspiration for life in general. Being that this man brought up the importance of having a cabinet in a way that I never considered before, I thought I would attempt to relate it to our lives when it comes having solid people around us. I'm going to try and show why I feel it is important to have a strong cabinet, and how your cabinet says a lot about who we are. So with all of that being said, lets go ahead and get into it.

Now I believe it is safe to say that most of us do indeed have a cabinet around us. I believe that our family members are people that can be a part of our cabinet. Of course we have friends and colleagues that we can consider as a part of our inner circle. The idea of this topic isn't to put emphasis on how to build a cabinet. I believe that by now that most of us already have a cabinet in our corner. The main question is what kind of cabinet that we have in our lives? What kind of people are we associating with? What type of people are we consulting whenever we're in need of assistance? These are the questions that I'm focusing on here, because if we're being totally truthful about the matter, not everyone has a solid cabinet to assist them whenever their in need. Most of us have had people tell us that they're here for us and all of that, but when the time comes when you need them to be there for you, they weren't there. Think of the crisis and decisions in your life as if they are meetings with your cabinet. Now I get that things happen, and there are some circumstances where an individual can't always be there. We can't always hold it against someone when they're not able to be around sometimes. However, I do feel we have the right to hold it against people when they're not being consistent when it comes to being a part of your cabinet. In other words, it's okay if a cabinet member of yours misses a few meetings because they have matters in their own life that they need to prioritize. But if you find yourself in a situation where the lack of times where they're not showing begin to outweigh the meetings they attend, then it is safe to say that the particular member of your cabinet doing this likely needs to be removed or demoted. The thing to remember with a cabinet in any capacity is that it is constantly changing. Some members of your cabinet will stay on for longer periods than others, which means that it is okay if you have to sometimes make changes to your cabinet.

Now that I've established what a cabinet is in regards to dealing with people in our lives, I want to get into why it is important to have a strong cabinet around you. Now as I mentioned earlier, we all have some sort of cabinet around us. Though having a cabinet is important, it is also important to have a cabinet that will shoot straight with you. I mention this because though many of us have a group of people that we may sometimes consult with when it comes to making decisions, some of these people may not always know the best decision that is right for us. Picture the following as an example. We all know that celebrities have their own inner circle that is similar to a cabinet right? Imagine that most of the people in an individual celebrity's cabinet are people that are benefiting from being in this person's cabinet. They probably have access to all the parties, fame, and other things that come along with being around someone famous. Now lets imagine that a person in this celebrity's inner may not necessarily agree with something their celebrity friend is doing, but they also know that saying something to them will likely anger them to the point where they're willing to cut that person out of their inner circle. If the friend to the celebrity only cares about their own life and how they wouldn't want to lose the perks that come along with being around someone famous, they probably aren't going to say anything. However, if they genuinely care about their friend, they will tell them how they really feel, even if it angers them. Now I know none of us are celebs, but the fact of the matter is that some of us have these type of people in our cabinets. One of the nicknames they are often likened to is a "yes man". These are people that are benefiting in some kind of way from being close to you, but care more about how they're able to benefit rather than caring about what is best for you. These are the kind of people that don't need to be in your cabinet. Being a part of someone's cabinet doesn't always mean you're going to see eye-to-eye. What it does mean is that you have people that care about you enough to tell you when something you're doing isn't right.

Continuing on with the importance of having a strong cabinet deals with the fact that we aren't always experienced enough to make certain decisions. What do I mean by this? Simply put, there is a reason why nearly every single one of us have people in our lives that have more experience on certain matters than we do. I believe that one of the reasons why these people are placed in our lives for that purpose. Sometimes another person can see something that you don't get initially, and this is why it is crucial to take into considering what these people think. It doesn't always need to be limited to just one person either. Sometimes it behooves us to get the thoughts and ideas of several people to form a decision. This is why I feel that we all need to have a solid cabinet in our lives. Too many of us have shaky and unreliable people that are a part of our inner circle, and then we wonder why these people aren't never around when we need them. Just like the old saying goes; you are a product of the company that you keep. Even if it may not always be something you may want to hear from others, try and put people in your cabinet that will care about you, but will always keep it real with you when you're wrong or messing up. The only way to learn and grow from our mistakes is to first be aware of them. Sometimes it takes other people to make us aware that the way we're doing things may not always be right. A new year is quickly approaching us, so for everyone that has a shaky group of cabinet members, I want you to rethink and make adjustments to your cabinet if you deem it is necessary. Lets go into the new year with a strong and stable cabinet of individuals that have our best interest at heart, and make an attempt to cut out those that are missing in action when those meetings of life take place. We have to choose our decisions wisely, but we also have to choose wisely the people we put in position to help aid us in those decisions.

Well I think I'll go ahead and end this topic on that note. This has been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' once again brought to you by Brad H. Before closing like always, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that was able to be taken away from this. I also hope that if anyone has any feedback or comments to add on that you will leave those as well. You can also follow or hit me up on Twitter at the handle @BradrickH. I'd like to once again thank every single person that has read, commenting, and visited my site. I cannot say that enough. I hope that each and every one of you has a very Merry Christmas, and an even happier 2019 ahead. I look forward to interacting with you all next year. Till that time comes, I wish you all the best. See you in 2019! Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Dilemma That Is Caring About What Other People Think Of You.

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I believe the idea of caring about what other people may think of us is one that can be a tough nut to crack. It's something that is constantly talked about among people. As with nearly every other aspect of life, it is one of those things in life that has a degree of variance. You have some people that claim not to care what other people think of them under any circumstances, and you have those people that care only when it comes to the opinions of certain individuals. Adding to that, you also have people that claim to not care what people think of them, yet it is all for show because they know deep down within themselves that they actually do care. Again, this is one of those things that has so many different ways of being viewed. It is for that reason that I consider it to be a dilemma for so many people in this world. Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, the thoughts and opinions of other people always have a degree of influence in this life. When a politician decides to run for a position in government, their ideas are shaped by the opinions of the voters. When a person goes for a certain position in a company, making a good impression on whomever is interviewing that person matters. It matters because the impression that person makes will often determine whether or not the interviewer will hire that person, which is a form of having to care what someone else thinks. People are always going to be judging others at some level or another, which is why the thoughts and opinions of others is something that we will never be able to completely escape. I indeed believe that it is important to care about the opinions of others. However, I do believe that it all comes down to perspective and prioritization. Since I have deemed this topic of caring about what others think as being a dilemma, I believe I should give my own personal perspective on when I feel it okay to care or not care about what other people may think of us.

What's up once again everyone in internet land? It is I, Brad H. back once again to bring you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! For those that may not be a first time reader on here, this is an hub that I use to give my perspective on various topics that I think about and encounter in my life. Through the process of me giving my perspective, I try to paint a canvas of words that will hopefully serve as motivation and inspiration to others. Whether you are a first time visitor or a long time reader, I appreciate everybody that is tuning in. Wow, we are officially in the month of December! I can't speak for anyone else, but it is hard for me to believe that this year has flown by this fast. For me personally, it feels as if only 5 or 6 months have passed since January was here. I'd like to know something for those of you that would care to chime in. Am I the only one that feels like life tends to speed up the older that you get? I think that I may have asked that question before on here in the past, but I really would like for some of you that are 30 plus to respond if you'd like. I know that December is a special month for so many people that celebrate the Christmas holidays. This is the time of the year where we hang up Christmas trees, and exchange gifts with one another. However, and I've said this before several times, be mindful of those that are grieving during this season. I'm sure by now that most of you already know that quite a few deaths happen around this time of the year. This time of the years is supposed to be happy and joyous, but that just isn't the case for everyone. So I just want to challenge everyone to spend time with or call people you know that have lost a loved one around this time of year. It's coming up on a year when one of my great uncles passed away, and I can say without a doubt that going forward Christmases likely won't be the same for me. I just wanted to get that out there, but I hope everyone is having a happy holiday season so far. Alright, it is not time to get into this week's topic on the dilemma of caring about what other people think of you.

So before I go more into this week's topic, I'm going to go ahead and give the regular disclaimer that I normally give on these installments. We all have different viewpoints and outlooks on how we see life. Besides the obvious of physically looking different from one another, these viewpoints and outlooks are the things that make us all unique in our own way. Since we're all different in our way of thinking, I don't expect everyone to agree with what I'm going to be covering. The idea here isn't to focus on what may be considered to be right or wrong, but rather to hopefully use this content as a way to help inspire thought that can be used in bettering ourselves. Whatever information that I give isn't meant to only do one thing. I just hope that whatever takeaway people are able to come away from with this is something positive and inspirational. As for how I arrived at wanting to address the dilemma of caring about what others think of you as a topic of interest, I can solely attribute this to a discussion that I recently had this weekend with a few of my family members. The discussion itself wasn't about this specific topic, but rather about something somewhat related. A couple of days after thinking about what was being discussed, I walked away thinking about how difficult of the issue of caring what other people may think of us can be. Now again as I alluded to earlier, this topic is probably one that won't apply to many of you. Some of you genuinely may not care at all about what other people think, and that is totally fine. However, the biggest reason why I see this topic as a dilemma stems from the fact that depending on what type of situation that you're in, there are certain situations and circumstances where you may or may not have to care about what others may think. I think what I'm going to try and do with this one is point out some of those circumstances where it does and doesn't benefit us to care what others think. Again, what I'm going to be covering is my own personal perspective. I hope that I'm able to express this in a manner in which most of you will be able to understand. With all of that being said, lets go ahead and get into this.

I believe that when it comes to what other people think of you us, we have to be able to put it into the proper context. Generally speaking, giving thought to what someone else thinks of you stems from the desire to be accepted. It is in our nature as humans to want to be loved and accepted for being the individuals that we truly are. Because of this way of thinking, it is normal to care about what other people think of you in some capacity. For example, most of us care what our family thinks of us in some capacity. You may not care what they may think when it comes to some of your actions, but you likely care what they think when it comes to them accepting you for who you are. We've all seen or personally have been involved in situations where someone was at odds with a family member due to a choice of how a person decides to live their life. If you think about it for a sec, there wouldn't be any need for two people to be at odds if people didn't care to an extent what other people thought. Again, the majority of this comes down to wanting to be accepted, and I personally think there isn't nothing wrong with wanting to be accepted by the people that should matter the most in our lives. Who are the people that should matter? Of course your family and close friends, but also the people that have helped you in some capacity throughout your life. The opinions of these people matter because they have in some form or another taken an interest in wanting to see you become a healthy functioning person in society. Think of a person or people that invest their money into starting a business. These individuals hire people to carry out their plans right? Because they have an investment in the business, their opinions on how it should run matters. I know that is a different comparison, but I think that most of you get where I'm coming from with that. Now I'm in no way saying that you should ever bend to the people that you care about will. I'm just saying that due to them having invested in you, you should be willing to value what they think of you.

One of the many things that I've noticed as I've gotten older when it relates to what people think is that we as people often care more about what the wrong people think of us. When I say this, I'm referring to the way that so many of us care about what people that have never contributed anything to our lives think. So who are the people that we're talking about in saying this? Basically, any and everyone that has never been a part of your life in some way or another, which means that it refers to a large portion of this world. If we're being pretty honest here, most of us go out of our way to impress people because we care about how we will be perceived. I mentioned in the previous paragraph that this comes down to wanting to be accepted, and this also applies to when it comes to people in general. It is like most people have a desire to want to be accepted by everyone, when everyone isn't going to be accepting of your regardless of what kind of person you are. For example, think about how prevalent social media is in today's society. This is something that I've already discussed on here before, but most people that spend mindless amount of time posting on social media are likely seeking acceptance from others. Now I'm not trying to say that social media is a bad thing, but just like with anything else in this world, it can be overdone. I'm also not trying to imply that the person on your social media don't matter. I do realize that many of the people on our social media accounts are family and friends. However, we also know that we have people that are "acquaintances" on there as well. If you take a moment and ask yourself what has anyone on social media done for you, you will probably not be able to say much beside liking a few photos and posts. Likes don't do anything for us but feed our egos, so why should we care about what people on these platforms think? I used social media as an example, but this applies to the outside world also.

So what is the main point that I'm aiming to get across in this installment? Simply said, we should always be mindful of what people think of us, but this should only apply to the people that matter in your life. Any person that has fed you, clothed you, and helped you in some capacity in your life thoughts should matter more than someone that you don't know or barely know. This world we live in has become overly consumed with people seeking acceptance from all the wrong people. This epidemic that I would call it is driving so many people mad to the point where they're sad and depressed whenever someone doesn't like or accept them. From my perspective, this is not a healthy way to live. I always say that you don't have to be liked or loved by all people, you just have to be loved by the RIGHT people. The right people are those that will be there for you through thick and thin. They will motivate and inspire you to be the best person that you can be. Those are the people whom you should be mindful of what their opinion of you is. When it comes to everyone else, you have to evaluate and discern how what they may think or you or not benefits your life. I'm not saying that you should go through this life with a chip on your shoulder not caring what people think. That is the way much of our society thinks now, which is why I believe so many people have inflated and over-sized egos. There is always an opportunity to encounter people that will genuinely care about you in this life. We just have to be able to know the difference. So with all of that being said, I believe that you should care what people think of you in regards to the people that you care about. You should always be mindful of what others think of you as well, however, if and when what the outside world thinks of you comes to your detriment, then it is likely time that you stop caring about what those people think. It is okay to care what people think, it just needs to be in the proper context.

Alright everyone, I think that about sums up what I wanted to talk about in this installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! A big thank you once again to those of you that came by. As always, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be taken away from this. If anyone has anything they'd like to contribute in regards to this or any of the other topics that I cover, please feel free to do so in the comment section. If you'd like to connect with or follow me on Twitter, you can do so at the Twitter handle of @BradrickH. It is time for me to depart for now. There's a boxing match coming on in a bit that I'm going to watch, so I'll check back in with you all on the next go round. Till then, take care everyone, and have a safe and happy weekend. Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Having Self Awareness.

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We all have various biases when it comes to life. Regardless of how we may try to deny the fact that we as individuals are partial to certain things and people in our lives, biases and nepotism is just something that exists within our world. Often times, the biggest portions of impartiality and biases come from within ourselves. Quite frankly, saying often times in regards to this thought is totally wrong. Now that I think about it, the biases and opinions that we have towards ourselves outweigh any other opinions that we may have. But when you take a second to think about the attitudes that we have towards ourselves, it really isn't that hard to believe that this is the case. We are the ones living our own lives, and being that no one else can live your life for you, the thought of being biased towards yourself really isn't anything out of the norm. I believe that we all should have a certain attitude towards how we view our lives. Of course since we're all different in our own unique ways, the attitudes and biased views that we take towards how we see ourselves will vary. However, I also believe that we all should have some degree of a positive outlook when it comes towards seeing ourselves. We're all aware how so many people these days are quick to put themselves down for whatever reasons they may feel are necessary. Though this is something that I don't advocate that we should be participating in, the fact remains that it is something that happens, probably more than it should be. While I totally endorse the idea of we as people viewing ourselves through a more positive lens, I also believe that many of us fail to look at ourselves with honest eyes. Basically, we allow our biases towards ourselves to cloud our ability to honestly access the shortcomings we may have. Self awareness is probably the biggest form of awareness that we as a people can have, and it is also one of various types of awareness that many of us are lacking.

Hey, what's going on party people? This is another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' coming right back you all once again. Of course I go by the name of Brad H., and I'd like to welcome everyone once again to another posting where I give my perspective on a topic that I feel could be helpful and relevant in all of our lives. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day. Now that we are a few days removed from Thanksgiving, I want to briefly talk about that Monday Night Football game that took place this week between the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs. Now it is rare where I will DVR a sporting event to watch a second time. If I do happen to DVR something sports related, it is because I know I won't be able to watch it live. This was a game that I had to DVR to watch a second time. For those of you that saw the game, you know exactly how exciting of a game it was. The Rams ended up winning the game 54-51. The fact that there was well over 100 points scored in this game is insane in its own right. We all know both of these teams are juggernauts offensively, but it was the turnovers that ultimately decided this game. Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs turned the ball over five times and still threw for 6 touchdowns and nearly 500 yards. All I can say is wow. At this point of the season, I think it is safe to say who the cream of the crop is in the NFL. There are several legit teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, and of course the New England Patriots. However, I think most of us can agree that the Chiefs, Rams, and New Orleans Saints are probably at the top when it comes to be favorites. As much as I don't want to say it (don't like the Saints), I believe the Saints are the top team in the league at the moment. Speaking of which, they'll be playing my Dallas Cowboys next Thursday. We'll have to see what happens there, but I'm not expecting Dallas to win that game. The good thing about sports is that anything can happen, and upsets are always possible. We're gonna have to see how the rest of the few weeks left in the regular season play out, but big props to the Chiefs and Rams for an amazing game.

So now that I've addressed something besides the topic that will be covered in this week's edition, it is time for me to now give the usual disclaimer that I give before putting my thoughts out here for you all to read. This regular disclaimer is just something I do to let it be known that my viewpoint isn't the only way to view things. Some of this may not even apply to many of you, but hopefully there are various nuggets of wisdom that can be taken from this. This is just an outlet to express thoughts and ideas, so I hope they're able to help someone else out there. So as I have already addressed, we all have different ways of viewing things in this life. The objective with this isn't to focus on what is right or wrong, but rather to inspire some thought and wisdom that we can use to be applied to our lives. Some of you may not agree with some of my views, and that it totally your right to do so if that is the case. However, I also hope that most of what I say will be helpful in some of your lives as well. Whatever you may think or feel on this or any of the other subjects that I have discussed on here, I'm grateful for every single person that chooses to spend a few moments of their lives reading what I think. Also don't forget that if anyone has anything that they would like to add in addition to what I have brought up, please feel free to do that in the comment section at the end. I can't say it enough, but we're all here to learn from one another. So how did I come up to wanting to address this topic for this installment? Similar to the most recent topic that I covered on being a forward thinker, this edition's topic was inspired by something I listened to on Youtube earlier this week. I heard a guy bring up the idea of self awareness in a specific context, and the words "self awareness" stayed with me throughout the week. I pondered on it for a few days, and I thought to myself that the idea of self awareness is definitely something that our society is lacking in these days. I figured I could try and use it in a context that show why it is important to be self aware. So basically I'm going to provide a few examples of what I think self awareness is, and then try and show why it is important that we keep this in our minds. I hope you all can relate.

As I brought up earlier in this topic, the ability to have self awareness stems from looking at yourself with honest eyes. Ever notice how easy it is for so many people to criticize the lives of others, yet people are rarely able to apply that to their own lives? Picture someone that constantly talk down on other people, but this person doesn't ever say anything bad about themselves. I'm sure this is something that most of us have done before, and if we're being honest with ourselves, it is something that many of us probably do on a regular basis. It is definitely not something to be proud of in my opinion, but again we're trying to look at things from an honest point of view here. I personally believe that much of this way of thinking comes down to self preservation. We're all guilty at times of diverting attention from ourselves in order to serve our own self interests. Another negative trait that this stems from is jealously as well. When a person is jealous of another person for whatever reason(s) that may be, it is much easier for the jealous person at hand to direct negative energy towards someone else. There are various things that can cause us to direct negativity towards others, and I could probably go on and on about the traits and habits that cause people to do this. Now what do negative habits such as pride and jealously have in common? I'm sure we can come up with a few things they share, but the thing that really stands out to me is that they come from internal issues within us. These negative traits don't have anything to do with what others may do to us. They are internal traits within us that we project unto other people, and that is where the issues lie in my opinion. I believe that much of the reason why we lack self awareness comes from not properly addressing the internal issues that we face within. If a person isn't happy within their own life, or course it is easier for them to try and point out the flaws in others. I believe gaining or having a sense of self awareness can help us combat against some of these negative habits. I say this because instead of always putting the onus on others, you look for ways to address the issues in your life that come from within.

From my perspective on this subject matter, I believe that someone that has the proper amount of awareness of themselves are able to sustain themselves longer in all aspects of life. Those of you that are frequent readers here know that I often use sports to make examples of the topics that I discuss. I'm going to use another sports related example here also, however, I think the example that I'm going to use can also be applied when it comes to getting older in general. Imagine an aging athlete that is still participating in whatever sport they're a part of. Now we know that with age comes decline in abilities right? Besides the obvious reasons such as potential injury and future health related problems, a decline in skills is another major reason why athletes are encouraged to retire. Most athletes that still participate at an advanced age just can't contribute in the manner they did when they were younger. Now being that most athletes have huge egos and outspoken personalities, many of them have a difficult time acknowledging when it is time to let go. Having the right amount of self awareness would be beneficial to those athletes that still believe that they're able to do the same things they done when they were much younger. A self aware athlete would likely know where their level of skill is at, and they would have the ability to adjust their game to fit their strengths at whatever stage of their career they're in. A veteran linebacker in the NFL may not be able to move sideline to sideline like he once did, but he may be able to plug up the middle keep running backs from getting shorter yardage. An advanced age linebacker may not be able to tackle like he once did, but he may have the knowledge and veteran leadership to understand all of the defensive schemes. He may not have the physical skills anymore, but his knowledge may allow him to properly lead a defense. I know that not everyone can relate to this example, but I think you can get the gist of what I mean. Again, it is all about being able to look at yourself with honest eyes.

The main reason for my bringing up the topic of the importance of self awareness comes from knowing first hand how hard it can be to view yourself with honest eyes. I know this is something that many of us either struggle with, or have struggled with in the past. Being honest with yourself when it comes to issues that you may be facing in your life isn't an easy thing do. We all have aspects of ourselves that we may not be happy with. The insecurities that we keep within ourselves are much of the reason why we focus on the flaws of other individuals. Diverting the attention from ourselves towards other people isn't going to help us out in the long run. Also, it is hard for me to imagine that people that engage in downing other people because of your own insecurities are truly happy within themselves. Having self awareness will allow you to not only look at yourself with those honest eyes that I've brought up several times already. It also gives you the tools and knowledge that you will need to work on fixing those aspects of yourself that you may not be happy with. It's okay if you're not the best person in this world, but it's not okay if you know that you're not being a good person and you don't even try to change it. It is okay if you can't run as fast as you did when you are younger. It's not okay if you think you can do things the same way you once did to the point where you're putting your own health in danger. This is all about being aware of where you are in your life, and being able to properly access yourself honestly. Again, this isn't an easy thing to do and if you are interested in going down this rabbit hole of self awareness, you will have to come face to face with things about yourself that you honestly won't like. You may find a lot of hurt and pain on the journey of self awareness, but you can also learn how to become a better version of yourself if you maintain an open mind.

I think that pretty much sums up what I wanted to discuss for this go round, so I'm going to go ahead and leave it there. Thank you all for those of you that tuned into another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Of course if anyone has any feedback or opinions, feel free to do so in the comment section. You can also hit me up on Twitter @BradrickH. It is so hard to believe that the next time I discuss something on here will be in December. It just amazes me how life seems to speed up so fast the older you get. At least it feels that way for me, but I know people that have told me the exact same thing also. This year is quickly coming to an end, so lets try and make this last month or so the best that we can. I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving, and I will see you all on the next go round. Till then, take care everyone! Peace!

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