The Importance Of Having A By Any Means Necessary Mentality.

Tweet

"By any means necessary!" This is a well known quote that many of us have likely heard at some point of our lives. Upon doing a little bit of research on this statement, I come to realize how far back in history it goes. The original origin goes back to the year 1948 when it was used in a play by French intellectual Jean-Paul Sartre. However, most of us probably know the phrase more from human rights activist Malcolm X. Malcolm X used this phrase in a speech that he gave in 1964 for the founding rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity. When it comes to the phrase itself, it is generally considered to be one that encourages people to consider all tactics when it comes to doing whatever must be done. Unfortunately at times this phrase has been used as a catalyst to encourage violence. However, we are all about peace here on this platform, so the context in which we're going to using the phrase will deal with a different aspect of life. So what aspect of life are we're going to be using "by any means necessary" for? That is something that we're going to be addressing throughout the topic, so I humbly ask you all to bear with me for a bit. Anyone that has been alive long enough will know that problems will never cease to evade us for as long we live. When it comes to having problems in our lives, the most we can hope for is to minimize them as much as possible. One of the unfortunate things that happens when many of us deal with problems is a shift in our mentality. Depending on the severity of the problem(s) we may be facing, there can be a victim mentality that creeps in and cause us to lose hope and ambition. Though problems may happen in our lives, we must do all we can to maintain a by any means necessary mentality. 

Hello to you all once again! This is Brad H. to bring you another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! This is the blog that is all about motivating and thinking more deeper on various subject matters. I appreciate those of you that are joining me for another topic. I also hope that all has been going well for you all! So for my soapbox this time around, it looks like many people were wrong about hurricane season being a down one this year. We all know by now that the state of Florida just took a catastrophic hit from Hurricane Ian. I want to give my thoughts and prayers to everyone in that state that was affected by this storm. I also want to address something that I'm fairly sure that I've said in the past on here. For anyone that lives in an area that is prone to storms, please get out of dodge if your local officials call for a MANDATORY EVACUATION! Being that I live in one of those areas that is prone, I know that evacuating isn't ideal. However, when a mandatory evacuation is given, it's not only to save you, but to also keep the first responders safe from potentially having to rescue you. I've seen various people needed to be helped from this past hurricane, and all of that could have been prevented. I feel like we needlessly lose lives every year because people think it can't happen to them. I'll just end by saying that if you are able to get out, please do so. Again, my thoughts are with the people of Florida, and I hope they can begin to recover from this soon. Now that I've addressed that, lets get more in the importance of having a by any means necessary mentality. 

Now I touched in the opening on how the by any means necessary phrase is often correlated with violence. Of course we're not about all of that here on this platform, so we're going to try and view it in the context of the various challenges that we may face in our lives. When I mention challenges and the problems that we may face, there is not any one type of challenge that we're aiming to use this mentality towards. I believe from my perspective that it is up to us as individuals to decide what instances in our lives where we need to implement the by any means necessary mentality. There may be certain instances that we face where it may not be helpful nor beneficial for us as individuals to utilize this mentality. There may be times where using this mentality leads to even more troubles and issues that ultimately aren't even worth it in the end. I want to be certain to put that out as a disclaimer because I never want any of us to overdo anything that could potentially end up being detrimental to our lives. We always want to be able to evaluate things and use discretion when it comes to viewing things in a mindset that likely isn't part of the norm. The main theme that I hope we all can take away from this is that there is always more than one way to approach the challenges that get thrown at us throughout our lives. 

We've brought up and given a general definition of what by any means necessary means, but what are some instances where having this type of mentality can be beneficial? I believe from my perspective that having this mentality can be helpful when it comes to overcoming any type of adversity that means a lot to you. For example, if you struggle with money and have a goal of saving money, having a by any means necessary mentality can be helpful. This mentality can help keep you accountable when you find yourself waning in this goal. Having a by any means necessary attitude is also crucial when wanting to get through problems in your life. As an example, imagine that an athlete suffers an injury that stops them from participating in their respective sport. When that athlete has to do rehab in order to get strong enough to get back to participating, having a by any means necessary mentality can be good on the days where that athlete doesn't feel like doing rehab. If you are someone that has people depending on you, having a by any means necessary mentality can helps towards not letting those people down. I believe that adopting or maintain this type of attitude all comes down to mindset. Unfortunately for many of us in life, this mentality either doesn't exist within us already, or we allow it to wane whenever certain types of adversity begins to affect us. I believe from my perspective that when things begin to get difficult is when this mentality can become one of our most valuable tools. 

We've touched what it means to have a by any means necessary mentality, and we've also given brief examples of where this type of mentality can be beneficial. So why is it important for us to either develop, or maintain a by any means necessary mentality. Simply put, and from my own perspective, you can't afford to let yourself down. I personally believe that when a person has a consistent habit of believing that failure can't be an option, an added level of mental toughness comes into their lives. When we consider life and what is the best ways for us to navigate through it, I think we can all be in agreement that having the right mindset for various circumstances matter. There are going to be times where having a by any means necessary will be needed. For the people that do not already have or not able to find themselves being able to channel this mentality, the likelihood of not reaching your various goals will increase. I know it may be a difficult thing for many of us to think about, but there is never only one way to not only get through challenges, but also reaching our goals. Having a by any means necessary mentality to me means that you may have to go above and beyond what you normally would. I'm going to close this by using an analogy that I once heard from former Phoenix Suns guard, Kevin Johnson. Johnson once said that while the interior of a basketball court typically belongs to the bigger players, sometimes as a smaller player you have to go over the fence to show them that the interior is fair game. Find whatever it means to have a by any means necessary mentality means to you, and develop a refusal to be stopped when it comes to your goals and the potential challenges you face in life.

Well that is all I got for this topic on the importance of having a by any means necessary mentality. I hope that you all enjoyed this topic, and I hope it adds some benefit to your life. Thank you one more time for those of you that came through for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! If any of you have any comments or feedback that you'd like to contribute, please feel free to do so in the comment box. I hope all of you enjoy the rest of your weekend, and continue to keep the people of Florida and North Carolina in your thoughts. Have a good week ahead, and I'll get up with you all soon with another topic. Take care everyone! 

©2022 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Elevating Your Mind Above Your Circumstances.

Tweet

I'm likely going to sound as if I am coming across as a broken record with what I'm about to say. This will especially apply to anyone that has been reading my topics for any significant amount of time. However, I am okay with it due to the fact that I stand behind what I'm going to say so much. Our minds are probably the most important tool that we have when it comes to governing ourselves in this life. I've written many topics in the past on the importance of the mind, and I highly doubt that will be a trend that ends anytime soon. I feel that this is so important because there are numerous aspects of life where our minds play a factor. The possibilities are basically infinite, which is even more of a reason why the mind has been brought up in so many of my topics. You may wondering by now how does the mind relate to the topic that will be covered in this post. Anyone that has been alive long enough has and will deal with some sort of problems in their lives. Facing struggles, problems and issues are just an inevitable part of life that we all are going to contend with on occasion. Of course not all problems and issues are the same, nor can we expect everyone to handle them in the same way. However, what I've noticed over time, and especially in the past few years is that many of us have allowed our problems to take control over our minds. In some ways you can almost say that for most of us that our problems have put our minds in a proverbial choke hold. The motivating thing with this is that a choke hold can be reversed by someone strong enough to do so. How exactly do we remove the choke holds that our problems have on us; we do this by elevating our minds above our circumstances.

What's going on folks? This is Brad H. here to present you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! This is the blog where I give my perspective on a topic that can hopefully serve as some inspiration for us during these trying times we're in. A big welcome and thanks to both new and frequent visitors! I hope that all has been going good in everyone's lives as of late. This is the soapbox section of the topic where I talk about something besides the topic itself. Well folks, it is here! What am I referring to, you may wonder? That's right ladies and gentlemen, I'm talk about football! The upcoming NFL season is right around the corner! I do however want to pose a question for those of you that are fans of the NFL. What is your opinion on the preseason games? Do you like watching them, or could you do without them? I've asked a few people this question and the responses have been mixed. One person I know enjoys preseason because he feels it gives him a look at what to expect from his team. Another person told me that they don't mind because it signals the season is near. As for my opinion, I don't mind the preseason, but I absolutely dislike how many of the starters see no time on the field at all. I do understand that they need to be protected for the regular season, but I also remember a time where most of the starters would play up to an entire half in at least one preseason game. I know this doesn't apply to all teams, because I did see some teams that gave their starters playing time in the preseason. I don't know, I just don't like it when they don't play at all. What are you guys thoughts on it? Well that is my soapbox folks, so lets move into the main theme of elevating our minds beyond our circumstances.

The act of elevating our minds to rise above the circumstances that we face sounds pretty easy and straightforward, right? I wish that I could say that this were the case when it comes to a topic of this nature. However, speaking solely from my own perspective, the elevating of the mind is no easy feat when we're facing challenges. First off, staying positive in general becomes much harder if you're in a cycle of having issues in your life. Adding onto that is the fact that many of us have been conditioned to see the worst in most of the circumstances we find ourselves in. As the old saying goes; "old habits die hard". The reason I'm bringing this up is because I hope anyone that reads this doesn't feel like elevating your mind is going to be easy. Frankly speaking, even if you work towards doing so, there is a high chance that you'll never gain full mastery of it. I feel that the primary aim with this should be to take the approach of improvement over perfection. I feel that it is necessary to put that out there because I believe that no one should feel bad for not being able to have this viewpoint at all times. We all have different circumstances that we're facing, and there is no one way to look at how we should view them. Believe me, I know how difficult this can be from my own experiences. It is something that I struggle with at times myself. However, I do believe that with the right attitude, we can begin to consistently view the circumstances we face in a different manner. 

Before getting into the importance of what it means to elevate our minds beyond our circumstances, we must first define what this type of elevation is. We are all aware that the word "elevate" means to raise up. My perspective on elevating the mind is when a person doesn't allow the negative circumstances they're facing to dictate their life. I see it as being able to view whatever issues that we're facing with the state of mind that it's temporary. So as an example, lets say that a person is going through a rough patch that is affecting them mentally. Lets say that this individual has a friend or family member that invites them out to lunch. A person that is stuck in their circumstances and allowing them to dictate their life will problem decline the invitation. It's likely that they're interested in going, but because whatever they're facing is taking up so much of their mind that they allow themselves to wallow in their issues. Now on the flip side, a person that can consistently elevate their mind above their circumstances will likely accept the invitation. This person may not entirely feel up to going, but they realize that falling prey to their circumstances isn't going to help fix them. It all comes down to the mindset and how we choose to view the things that happen in our lives. Now as I stated earlier, none of us will be perfect when it comes to the various circumstances we face. However, as I stated earlier in the post, we have to take a progress over perfection point of view. This is just one example, but I feel like it could be applied to many variations of life. 

So why do I believe from my perspective that it is important for us to elevate our minds beyond the issues and circumstances we face? There are so many different reasons as to why a person should elevate their minds. However, for me personally, the biggest reason I find it of importance is the potential for chronic negativity in our lives. I believe that we are all beings of habits, so the things we do and the ways in which we think form much of how we view ourselves. This goes for both externally and internally. From my perspective, facing continued problems and issues can cause us to form new habits of thinking, and I don't mean in a good way. When we're not able to regularly elevate above the circumstances we face, those circumstances can begin to control too much of our minds. I believe from my perspective that all of this can be a catalyst for depression and other forms of mental illness. I don't have to go into all of that because most of us are already aware that constant depression isn't a good thing. This is why I believe that we have to be able to train our minds to be able to rise above the situations we face. I have to reiterate again that this is not an easy feat, and quite frankly, many people will probably need professional help to do so. The aim I have here is to bring awareness to this because I've seen how this has affected my own life. I also notice how it has affected others as well. From my perspective, we have to do what we can to train our minds up to rise above those circumstances. I believe that if and when we're able to do so, we're able to ease many of the burdens that we face.

Well it is time for me to sign off for this go around! I hope that everyone that reads this found it informative and helpful, as well as enjoyable to read. Thank you one more time for everyone that stopped by for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Feel free to leave any feedback or comments on this topic in the comment box. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend! Oh, and not that you all need another reminder, but this time next week we'll be near the first NFL Sunday of 2022! I am so ready folks! Y'all take care, and have a great week ahead. See you all next time!

©2022 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Knowing Your Limits Of What You Can Handle.

Tweet

I believe that many of us in this world suffer from something that I would consider to be both a gift and a curse at times. What exactly is this gift and curse that I am referring to you all may wonder? I don't know exactly what is the official definition of what to call it, but what I'm referencing is the idea of taking on a lot of problems that are not of our own. I'm sure that there is some type of medical terminology that applies to this, but I'm personally not aware of it. So what does it mean when a person takes on problem that are not necessarily of their own? In short, it basically means that we overburden ourselves with excess things that are potentially detrimental to both our physical and mental health. One example of this is absorbing the problems of other people. Another example could be worrying about world events that don't necessarily hit as close to home. These are a couple examples of many things, but why do I consider taking on outside problems to be a gift and a curse. One reason it could be a gift is because people like this have a great deal of empathy for others. On the other hand, taking on other problems in addition to our own problems can leave us drained mentally to the point where it plays a negative role in our lives. Something that I've realized as I've gotten older is that being drained mentally doesn't have the same affect compared to when we're younger. It's not always as easy to handle things with age, which is why I believe that it is of importance for us to know our limits when it comes to what we can handle. 

 

What's good everyone! Brad H. back here reporting once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here to hopefully bring you all another motivational message that can be beneficial. Hope all has been well for everyone since the last topic. It is so hard to believe that we have already arrived at the month of August. Hope you all are staying cool from this heat to the best of your ability. It has truly been brutal here in Texas. So for my soapbox this week, I'm going to give my perspective on the importance of rest. My reason for bringing this up is due to something I saw on television earlier. It was a news segment that talked about how the average American loses around 45 hours of sleep during the summer months due to excessive heat. It's extremely hard for many of us to get quality sleep these days, but many of us make our situations much harder. We be on our electronics all types of night before we go to sleep, and this makes it harder for us to shut down. We're all aware of how important rest is, so I encourage whoever that reads to this prioritize your sleep. Proper sleep is a huge part of what it means to be healthy, and too many of us are finding our health suffering from lack of sleep. Try and get your rest if possible. So now that I'm done with my soapbox, lets talk about the importance of knowing your limits of what you can handle.

So it has been established thus far that this week's topic will deal with limits when it comes to taking on problems that aren't our own. While I believe it is very important to know our limits when it comes to the things we absorb that are outside of ourselves, we have to be mindful that everyone has limits as individuals. We're all different and unique in our own right, so one person may be able to handle more than another person. I'm not saying that as a way to compare ourselves to the next person, but it is important for us as individuals to know our limits. I feel that this needs to be said because I believe that too many of us look to others when it comes to handling external things. We have to know our limits as individuals, and be able to govern ourselves accordingly. I also want to state that when we're talking about our limits and the things we're able to handle, this can encompass many aspects of life. It can apply to knowing your limits when it comes to health and fitness. It can apply when it comes to education, or finances. This can entail so much, but the purpose of this week's topic is to focus more on what we can handle when it comes to external problems that may come into our lives. Though much of what I will referencing deals with worldly events and things of that nature, the primary focus will be on our limits when it comes to handling extra burdens that may be put on us from those we're the closest to.

 

I feel that in order for me to attempt to get across the point that I'm aiming to make on this topic, I have to use an example that all of us can agree with. We all can remember being kids and suffering some sort of nick or injury. Maybe you fell and scrapped a knee or elbow, or maybe you got some sort of bruise. For most people we they're kids, or just a younger person in general, bouncing back from those injuries wasn't all that hard. Now of course this depends on the severity of the injury, but most of the minor ones were fairly easy to get through. Now for those of us that have been alive for awhile, we know that this isn't the case when it comes to injuries. It takes longer to heal when you're older, and many of those injuries hurt a lot more when we get older. This is all a natural process of life due to aging. Now while a physical injury is much different than an emotional injury, I believe the same applies when it comes to knowing our limits. A person that is young and carefree likely doesn't worry much about world events that are stressful, and if they have people in their lives that are burdening them with their issues, they can probably handle these type of situations better. When you find yourself getting older, the burdens and problems from others are way more of a downside to your life. Unfortunately for many of us, avoiding stress in general is a very tall task, especially with age. However, because many of us don't know the limits of what we can handle, we tend to take on more than we should. The potential issues that I spoke on earlier is where this can occur. 

So why exactly is it so important for us to know the limits of what we can handle? I've already addressed how detrimental added stress can be to our lives. I believe from my own perspective that not knowing our limits is one of the major things that causes added burdens to our lives. Many of us have trouble setting boundaries when it comes to outside factors and how they can play a role in our lives. We often struggle with not answering that phone call that we know will be one that will leave us unsettled. Many of us may struggle with saying no to others, or just not knowing when to tell someone we care for to lay off of us sometimes. I pointed out earlier how it is much easier to bounce back from certain setbacks when we're younger. When we age and grow wiser throughout life, having added burdens and stress from others isn't as easy to move on from. The most important thing we can do when it comes to outside factors is to know our limits, but also have those boundaries. While we do have an obligation to be there for others when we're able to do so, we also have an obligation to ourselves first and foremost. I believe that this is why you have to know your limits. Knowing your limits means that you know when it's okay to put yourself first. Too many of us are carrying extra burdens that we would likely be happier within our lives if we cut back on those burdens. As I stated earlier, I know that this doesn't apply to everyone. However, if you find yourself resonating with this, it may be wise to evaluate yourself and your limits.

That's all I got for this topic folks! I hope you all found this topic to be enjoyable and beneficial. This has been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! If there are any comments or feedback that any of you want to leave, please feel free to do so. Thank you all once again for all the support. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend, and have a great week ahead. I'll get up with you all on the next topic. Stay cool everyone!

©2022 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Prioritizing Your Problems.

Tweet

There are so many things in life that are pretty much inevitable. Besides the usual ones like death and taxes that we're accustomed to hearing people talk about, the idea of having problems in our lives is one of those things that are inevitable. You may be a person that rarely experiences problems, and that is good for you if that is your life. However, for most people in this life, frequent problems are something that cannot be evaded. Generally speaking, problems are subjective when it comes to how we handle them. Also, the magnitude of our problems can have a great deal of variance. Some problems are more severe, while others are hardly recognizable depending on the individual and that their viewpoint. A big aspect of problems is that there is so many variations of not only how severe they, but also the frequency of when they can occur. Sometimes we will have problems that happen sparingly and few in between. Other times they will come in waves where it seems as if it's one problem after another. The latter happening is when we can begin to feel overwhelmed with all that is happening in our lives. We often hear talk about the importance of prioritizing things in our lives. People say things like we as people have to have our priorities in order. Though it may not be something we hear often, priorities and problems can often be intertwined with one another. This is why it is very important for us to be able to both categorize, and prioritize our problems. 

 

Hello once again to all! This is Brad H. back in the mix to bring you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Welcome back to the frequently viewers, and a big thank you to anyone that may be visiting for the first time. This is a hub that I use to give my perspective on a topic that I think could be helpful towards us progressing in our lives. This is the soapbox section of the topic where I address something besides the topic at hand. For my soapbox this go round, I want to talk about why we as people should be listening more. I know it sounds cliche, but it is something that has been on my mind. I was recently witnessed a discussion among people that I know that is the reason why I'm bringing this up for my soapbox. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like everyone thinks they know everything these days. I witnessed one person that clearly didn't know as much as they thought about a topic, and they were attempting to talk over someone else that was well versed on the topic. We all have things that we may be more knowledgeable on than others, but that doesn't mean you are above listening to someone else that is more sharper on a subject you may not be. Listening to another person isn't a weakness, and I believe much of this comes from too many of us having egos that are too big. I just want to encourage everyone to listen more, Like the old saying goes, you have two ears and one mouth; try listening twice as more as you talk. That's all I got for the soapbox, so lets talk about the importance of prioritizing our problems. 

The act of prioritizing our problems comes down to what I brought up in the opening of this topic. We have to be able to first categorize our problems to begin with. I brought up how some problems are more severe than others. While I believe this to be true from my perspective, all of what I'm bringing up here depends on how we as individuals handle our issues. One person may view a certain issue in their life as being severe, while another person facing the same issue may not look at it the same way as the the former. A good portion of this topic is all about personal perspective and how you choose to view things in your life. The main purpose I have with this topic is to hopefully show how mentally draining our problems can be. Anyone that has dealt with problems know how difficult it can be to function when your problems seem to be piling up. Often times when we're in the thick of our problems, it can be hard for us to view things from a wider point of view. I believe that it isn't that hard to believe or understand how this can be possible. The scope of our problems can take up so much of our minds that thinking about anything else can be extremely difficult to do. That being said, there is no judgement, and we should all try to be understanding of others when it comes to how we handle problems. More importantly, having grace on ourselves when we are dealing with problems of our own is very essential. We're not perfect, so we cannot expect to deal with our problems perfectly.

Each of the problems that we face throughout our lives can be put into categories. This is where the prioritizing our problems facet of this topic comes into play. The same way that we prioritize certain things in life is the same way we should tackle our problems. Now preferably speaking, it is best to be in a situation where we have little to no problems. There isn't much to prioritize in that scenario. But if you're in a situation where the problems are beginning to pile up on top of one another, we have to put them in a hierarchy on how to deal with them. If we are going to come from a general perspective, the standard thing would be to face the biggest problems first, and then worry about the little ones when you can. While this may be the standard way of handling priorities, problems in and of themselves are not always easy to take care when it comes to solving them. As much as we may hate to acknowledge it, some of our problems may never truly be able to be solved. Because they may not be solvable, learning to cope with them the reality for many people. This relates to this week's topic in coordination with what I brought up in the previous paragraph; the mental aspect of handling problems. I briefly touched on how frequent problems can be mentally draining. Furthermore, some of the problems we face will be more mentally draining than others. This is where I believe the idea of prioritizing factors into our problems. 

The importance of prioritizing our problems! Categorizing our problems, and understanding how those problems can be mentally draining has led us to the importance of prioritizing problems. I believe from my perspective that prioritizing our problems is the key to mentally dealing with them. While we may not always be able to avoid or sometimes even solve the problems in our lives right away, we can at least try and control how much of our lives they consume. Again, all of this comes down to the degree of problems and the individual. Prioritizing our problems and being able to put them into categories can help towards easing some of that mental drain that they can cause. If you find that the issues in your life are continuing to build up, you may want to put the ones that you deem as smaller on the back burner until the larger ones are controlled or solved. I believe that all of this helps to de-clutter our minds and keep our problems in perspective. I believe that when we allow our problems to roam free within our lives and our minds, the mental drain that comes along with it robs us of our peace. I've said plenty of times on here that there is no price that can be put on having peace. So to sum all of this up, remember that it is of importance to access whatever problems you may be having. Look for and seek solutions if they can be had, but if it's something that cannot be solved in the immediate future, try not to allow it control you mind. Problems are always going to rear their ugly head, but prioritizing and having the right mindset towards facing them can be the difference between a draining life, or a joyful life. 

That is what I got for you all this time! Thank you once again to you all for coming through and supporting another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that those of you that read this were able to find some sort of meaning and value from this topic. Feel free to leave any comments or feedback down below in the comment section. Any and all feedback is much appreciated. Well I hope you all have an enjoyable rest of your weekend. Stay safe out there, and please stay out of this crazy heat if possible. Thank you all once again, and I will get up with you all in couple of weeks with the next topic. Take care and stay safe everyone!

©2022 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Power Of Protecting Your Peace At All Costs.

Tweet

One of the things that I have frequently brought up on this platform is the unpredictability of life. When it comes to living life, there are so many nuances and unpredictable factors that determine how we live our lives as individuals. I believe that this also applies when it comes to the word "peace". What exactly is "peace"? Most people equate peace to being a state of well-being that gives us both serenity and tranquility from turmoil. Generally speaking, peace is something that is associated with what most people want for the world. We often hear others say that we need to work towards increasing peace in this world. As there is so much uncertainty that exists within this world, the more uncertain of peace there will be. Though world peace is something that many of us wish for, there are other forms of peace that have to be considered. I believe that one of those forms is the peace that comes from within us as individuals. Just like war is the opposite of peace, there are many of us that are at war internally with ourselves. There can be so many reasons as to why a person may be warring within themselves. However, one of the biggest reasons for this often stems from our relationships with other people. Many of us feel the obligation to always go over and beyond for people and responsibilities that come along with life. The obligations that we have are definitely important and should be tended to. However, we must also understand the great power that comes from us protecting our peace at all costs. 

 

What's up everyone? It's Brad H. back here to bring you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I'm back to give my perspective on a topic that can hopefully be beneficial towards our lives. I hope that all has been good and well in all of your lives as of late. So for my soapbox this week, I'm going to be giving my last viewpoint on the NBA Finals. By the time the next topic comes out, the finals will be completed. I initially felt like the Golden State Warriors were going to win the series 4-2 over the Boston Celtics. I will admit that I have gotten a little nervous about that prediction. Boston has played extremely well throughout the playoffs, and that has continued in this series so far. I'm still going to stick with my original prediction of the Warriors winning, but I think this series is likely going seven games. I don't think anyone besides fans of the teams would complain about seeing a seven game series. It just means more basketball for us to watch. This has definitely been an interesting NBA season, but we've reached the end of it. The playoffs overall have been pretty good though. There were some upsets that made it interesting for sure. For those of you following the finals, I would love to see your comments on who you all believe will win. Now that I've gotten on my soapbox, it's time to go ahead and talk about the power of protecting our peace at all costs. 

Now I spoke in the opening on how peace comes in various forms. For this week's topic, I want to focus on the individual peace that comes from within us. My reasoning for wanting to cover this as a topic is noticing over the years the lack of inner peace within people. This is something that is across the board as the world has changed so much over the years. While peace comes in various forms and ways, there are also different things and entities that can rob us of our peace. Since there is no way for me to know what brings or disrupts every individual's peace, I'm going to be presenting this from a general perspective. For those of us that may be lacking peace within our lives, must do our due diligence to determine what are the things that may be affecting our peace. Everyone's life circumstances are always going to be different and unique to the individual. Therefore, it is important for us evaluate ourselves thoroughly in order to remedy whatever may be disrupting our peace. This topic may indeed not apply to everyone since some of you may not deal with this as a chronic issue in your life. Regardless if it applies or not, I hope that each and every person that comes across this is able to take something positive away from it. 

We all know that there are so many things in this world can rob us of having peace within ourselves. Many of those things are going to be circumstances that aren't necessarily within our control. What about the things that we do have control over when it comes to having peace? Though there are many factors that contribute to peace, I would dare say that other individuals are the ones that deplete peace in our lives. This means that most of us likely will have friends or relatives in our lives that affect us having peace. I mentioned earlier in the topic certain obligations that come with life often contribute to potentially disturbing our peace. Obligations come in many forms, but the biggest obligations that most people feel is to other people. Now that I've brought up the idea that family and friends can affect our peace, I am not implying that this is always the case. Some people will never know how it feels to have people close to them affect their peace, and that is a good thing for those this applies to. However, anyone that has dealt with an individual that has disturbed their inner peace will probably admit that it often comes from the people that they're closest with. The obligations that we feel towards these type of individuals is much of the reason as to why we keep them in our lives despite their presence robbing us of our peace. Though it may be very difficult to face, we always have the power to preserve our peace if we feel that it's constantly being trifled with. 

So why is there power in protecting your peace at all costs? I believe from my perspective that inner peace is one of the most important aspects of life. A person will never be happy if they do not have peace within themselves, and the evidence of that is taking a good look at the shape the world is in today. Due to the fact that I believe inner peace is an essential thing to happiness in life, having it is a powerful thing in a world that seems to be lacking it. Now that we've established why I believe peace is so powerful, it's fairly obvious why it should be protected at all costs. The often challenging thing is that sometimes the obligations that have been brought up throughout this topic have to be eliminated; or at the very least cut back on. It is understandable that it can be difficult to let go of certain things and maybe even people that take away from your peace. When it comes to various circumstances where this applies, the easy thing to do is just avoid those circumstances. However, when it comes to individuals that are affecting your peace, it may be necessary to let them know how you feel. See if there is some common ground that can be reached where you and the person can interact without it affecting your peace. There are so many different ways to go about doing this, so every person needs to figure out what works best for them individually. The most important thing that I hope everyone takes from this is that your peace is powerful. Therefore, there isn't anything that should constantly rob you of having it. If anything or anyone is doing so, you have the power to react to that situation accordingly. 

That is how we're going to end this week's topic here on 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that you all found this to be both helpful and enjoyable. Any questions, comments or concerns can be left down in the comment box. Before I end this, I want to say that for those of you that are movie fans, do yourself a favor and go see the film "Top Gun: Maverick" if you are able to do so. I know this should be in the soapbox section, but I just thought I would throw it in here at the end. I saw it earlier, and it is one of those films that needs to be experienced at a theater.. Alright, time for me to go now. I hope you all have a great rest of the weekend, and I'll get up with y'all on the next topic. Take care everyone!

The Importance Of Giving Yourself Positive Affirmations.

Tweet

There is a well known phrase that goes "life is what you make it" that has been around for the longest of time. I'm a firm believer in this phrase, but I also understand that differing circumstances among us all means varying beliefs. There are no two people that will have the exact journey throughout life, and if we're being honest here, some people may not be able to elevate their minds towards thinking positively on a consistent basis. I believe that life is what a person makes it, but I can't ignore the fact that we live in a very negative world also. Of course a person that consistently has a positive life's journey probably won't feel the same, and the same applies to a person on the opposite side of this argument. My reasoning for bringing all of this up comes from the control or lack thereof that we as people over our lives. Depending on what your life's journey is, you are going to have varying degrees of how much control you have over circumstances in your life. That being said, one aspect of life that every single human has control over is their attitude regardless of what side of the coin you're on when it comes to positive and negative aspects of life. Many of us give ourselves daily affirmations, but are those affirmations always positive? The truth is that many of the affirmations we give to ourselves are negative affirmations that cause us more harm than good. As I have stated already, we live in a very negative world, and being in a world that constantly sprouts negatively means that it is even more important for us to give ourselves positive affirmations. 

 

What's good everybody? It's your an 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 will hopefully be beneficial towards us in our lives. Hope all has been good and well with you all since the last topic. So for the soapbox this week, lets get into some NBA Playoff talk. So we are down to only four teams now. We have the Golden State Warriors going up against the Dallas Mavericks, and the Miami Heat vs. the Boston Celtics. Boston and Miami played a hard fought game tonight with the Heat coming out on top. That was a crazy game with all of the injuries that happened. Currently the series at 2-1 with Miami up in their series, and Warriors have a 2-0 lead over Dallas. I know I haven't brought up any sports talk in the soapbox section as of late, but this has been an interesting NBA Playoffs. I would say that there have been more upsets than usual from my perspective. I'm personally expecting to see a Miami vs. Golden State NBA Finals. I think Miami is probably the most well rounded team from top to bottom. I think the Warriors are looking to pick up where they left off in 2019 when they lost in the NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors. The injuries they have hindered them during those finals, and I think they are looking to right that wrong now that they are fully healthy. Would love to hear what you all think about the playoffs if you've been watching. Well now that I've touched on that, lets discuss the topic of the importance of giving yourself positive affirmations. 

When it comes to a topic like this where we're obviously coming from a more generalized perspective, I think that it is important to always let it be known that this will not apply to everyone. I would dare say that I believe most people that are reading this are probably people that have no issues with positive reinforcement when it comes to themselves. This is a wonderful thing, and I would say that it is something that we should all be striving towards. However, as I brought up in the opening, we live in a very negative world that can sometimes test even the most positive individuals. The primary goal of this week's topic is to hopefully give a deeper perspective on why it is so important for us to apply those positive affirmations to our lives as often as we can. I also believe that it is important to address that we should never expect ourselves to be perfect when it comes to positive affirmations. Regardless of how positive a person may be, none of us are above having moments where negativity affect us. The goal is not to be perfect with this, but rather to develop a habit of viewing ourselves in a positive light more often than not. I believe this is so important these days, which is why I found myself wanting to give my perspective on this topic. I also want to forewarn that I will be coming from a perspective on this that many of you may not be accustomed to. I'm only doing this because I think it is necessary to get the main point across. At any rate, I hope you all enjoy and find it beneficial. 

Now I know that not everyone will agree with what I'm about to say, and that is perfectly fine. I'm just giving my own perspective, but I believe that there are two different worlds that we're living in. We have the physical world, which is what I'm using to type out this post. We also have the spiritual world, which is what exists that we cannot see with our eyes. Again, if you do not believe this, it's okay. I understand that everyone has their own beliefs. I believe from my perspective that the physical and spiritual world are intertwined with one another. Now how does this relate to the importance of giving ourselves positive affirmations? There is well known phrase that is derived from a scripture that says "there is power that lies in the tongue". This obviously means that the things we say about ourselves and in general matter quite a bit. We talked in the opening about everyone having different circumstances. An individual that may not be living in the best of circumstances will probably have more of a reason to not give themselves those positive affirmations. The important thing to remember is that since there is power that lies within the things we speak, we have to be careful of the things we say. Sometimes we can speak certain circumstances and curses into our lives even as a joke. The spirit world that I brought up doesn't know the difference between what is a joke and what is serious. Again, always be mindful of what you put into your mind no matter your circumstances. 

So why do I feel it is so important for us to give ourselves positive affirmations on a regular basis? We should all want to be positive individuals in general due to the well-being it provides us. However, I believe that one of the more least talked about aspects of the power lies within the tongue statement that was brought up previously is the potential curses that we can put on our lives. I believe that when we find that we're constantly speak negatively of ourselves is when those words end up becoming fulfilling prophecies. I'm in no way implying that this is always the case, but I do believe that the way we think and speak determine much of our well-being. I believe that giving ourselves those daily positive affirmations is one of the best ways for us to not only keep those potential curses away, but to also break them if they're already a part of us. Now you don't want to be a positive person to the point where you're being unrealistic, but you do want to speak things over your life that can benefit you. We should be assessing ourselves daily for both the positive and negatives qualities that we may have. The positive qualities that we have should always be repeated daily as a reminder of how good we are as individuals. Speak positively of yourself as often as possible, and be mindful of the what you tell yourself.  

 

That is what I got for you all this go around. I hope that this topic was of great benefit to those of you that stopped through. As always, feel free to leave any comments on this topic in the comment box if you'd like. Thank you once again to those of you that tuned into another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Before I go, I'd like to give a shout out to all of the graduates out there. I know a few graduates personally that are coming out this year, and I'd like to acknowledge everyone getting those diplomas and degrees. Well I'm going to sign off now folks, so I will get up with you all on the next topic. Have a great rest of the weekend, and an even better week ahead!

©2022 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Not Feeling Bad For Taking Mental Health Breaks.

Tweet

People has been experiencing burnout from life in general since probably from the beginning of time. I'm certain that life in any era of time has had its share of complexities. However, just think about how much more simpler life probably was back then compared to now. For anyone that may be reading this that was born in and grew up after the year 2000, there existed a time not too long ago where the Internet didn't exist. There was a time where people had no choice but to physically shop at a grocery store, rather than having purchasing it through an app and having someone bring it to your car. That's just one example of how life has changed drastically over the years, but the point is that burnout likely exists more in today's world than years of past. We live in a world now where people are openly addressing how tired they are from trying to do too much. I've talked about it plenty of times through this platform, but there is just so much happening in this world for people to keep up with. I believe that most of the cause of the burnout in which many of us deal with comes from the pressure of society to go over and beyond what is expected of us. I believe that there is a great danger that can come from this mentality of life. The primary danger that I'm talking about is the effect on both mental and physical health that can potentially come from burnout. Since I'm a staunch believer in us maintaining out health, I have come to realize the importance of not feeling back for taking mental health breaks. 

What's going on once again everybody? This is Brad H. back to bring you all another one of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' blog posts! I am here to hopefully push another message of hope and inspiration that will serve to our good in our daily lives. I hope all has been great with you all since the last topic a couple of weeks back. So for my soapbox this week before I go into this week's topic of mental health breaks, I want to talk about the importance of uplifting and encouraging others. There is a statement that we frequently hear that goes "be kind to others because you never know what they are dealing with". I do realize that the world has changed a lot and that much of this world is lacking empathy in general. However, if you know someone that may be going through a rough patch right now, pick up the phone and check on them. If you're able to hang out with them, schedule a time with them and grab some coffee or something of that nature. A lot of people these days are keeping much of what's going on with them inside, and unfortunately too many people check out without people even fully know what they were dealing with. I know that everyone gets caught up in their own lives, and that is truly understandable. Just take a little time for others if you can do so. It may be the difference between a person wanting to move forward, or wanting to be gone. Encouragement is something that we all need these days. With that being said, lets go ahead and get into this week's topic on the importance of not feeling bad for taking mental health breaks. 

We started this topic out with burnout and how so many people these days are dealing with it. This is going to be subjective for every individual due to the fact that we all have different thresholds when it comes to burnout. I'm sure that there may be some people that can juggle so many things and they don't ever experience burnout. More power and much respect to ya if you are one of those people. The week's topic is more specifically for those that may struggle with being able to wind down. Now I want you all to think about how we were when we were kids. If you grew up before the Internet became so popular, you probably spent a lot of time outdoors playing with other kids in your neighborhood. Most of us could play outside pretty much all day and not feel any ill effect from doing so. Now as we get older, we find that we're not able to do things as easily as we once did. You find that you become tired more quicker from things that you once did with ease. You may even find yourself having to take a break from doing something you enjoy due to injury or other life responsibilities. The setup I'm using here is to point out how age and time bring about a change. Though I am bringing this up from a physical standpoint, it also applies to us mentally as well. All of us will experience some type of decline as we move through life, so it is important for us to assess our limits and where we are at mentally in our individual lives. 

Now some of you may be wondering how aging and not doing things with the ease you once were able to has to do with mental health breaks. I think we all can agree that the society we live in pushes a message of constantly doing things and being on the go. There is no time to sit around and relax when it comes to society's way of thinking. From my perspective, I believe this is a very unhealthy way of thinking, and it causes too many of us to push ourselves way past our individual limits. This is where I believe the burnout aspect of this topic comes into play. This is also why I mentioned previously that we all have various thresholds when it comes to how much we can handle, and we have to assess ourselves as individuals. Unfortunately, too many people are listening to what others are saying and doing in regards to working constantly, or just going over and beyond what is required for life in general. I believe this is causing burnout and ultimately making people more sicker both physically and mentally. We hear too much talk about doing things and going in this world, but not enough talk about the importance of rest and relaxation on occasion. Some people will even try and make others feel bad for taking regular breaks when it comes to burnout. You should always push yourself, but never to a limit where it makes you unhappy. Finally, there is absolutely nothing wrong with an individual taking mental health breaks when need be.

The reason that I felt compelled to even write on this topic stems from the fact that so many people feel bad for taking breaks. I'm willing to bet that the majority of people that feel this way only do so because of how much society in general looks down upon rest. No person should ever feel bad for doing anything that benefits them, and the same applies when it comes to a person and their mental health. Too many of us in this world are steadily dealing with constant mental burnout, which in turn affects our mental health in a negative ways. If you're dealing with burnout or constant fatigue, that likely means that both your mind and body needs a break. I personally would recommend that everyone that is able to do so take a least one day out of the week where you do absolutely nothing. If you wanna stay in the bed all day and watch TV or read a book, do it. If you wanna spend most of the day catching up o sleep, do that as well. Giving ourselves time away from things is all a part of being able to maintain a balance when it comes to life. I personally believe from my perspective that this constant need to always go and be doing something is why so many people struggle with their mental health compared to days of the past. Finally, always remember that regular breaks come with benefits. I believe from my perspective that the biggest benefit we gain from rest is the added motivation to pursue something increases due to burnout not existing. Never feel bad for taking mental health breaks for yourself. 

That about sums up what I got for this week's topic on 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope you all found this topic to be enjoyable, and most importantly to be of some sort of benefit to your life. Feel free to leave any comments or concerns in the comment section. We are headed into the month of May in just a few minutes, and some of you are already there depending on where you stay. Lets try and make this upcoming month a positive one. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend, and have a great week ahead. I'll get with you all on the next topic! Take care everyone!

©2022 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.