Nobody Should Be Above Criticism.

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In life, there is always going to be a person or group of people that we pledge our loyalties to. Often times, loyalty is normally attributed to our family members, however, there are also friends and people that we meet throughout our lives that we deem worthy of being loyal to. In essence, the true meaning of loyalty can be viewed as something universal; not only limited to family and friends, but it can also be given to nearly anything regardless if it's a brand, entertainer, or city. The concept of having loyalty or loyal individuals in our lives is a crucial aspect of life, as we always desire to have those people that will be in your corner no matter what life brings. With all of that said, I think there are too many of us allowing people to get away with certain behaviors that could be considered as wrong, but because of our loyalty to these people, we tend let them off the hook so to speak. This is another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'.

What's good people? Hope all is well with everyone. It's me Bradrick coming back at you again after another long hiatus. I know my being on these hiatuses seems to becoming a common theme, and I apologize for that. It's just that sometimes in life, there are other priorities that must be taken care of ahead of others. At any rate, I'm back again with another topic that has been on my mind as of late. For some of you, this particular topic may not make a lot of sense, or you may view my thoughts on it as being wrong. There are some people that believe there's no in between when it comes to being loyal to something or someone, and if that's your belief, that's totally fine with me. While I believe that there is some truth to that, I also believe that no one single person should be above criticism, or being called out for certain things they do.

Picture this scenario; you've been friends with someone for many years, and you both are extremely loyal to one another. Whenever you need each other to be there, it's not even a question. You both have a tight-knit, close relationship with each other. Now lets say that your friend does or says something that you disagree with. I'm not going to go in-depth and come up with something that the person could have done, but lets just say it's something bad and deep down you disagree with what they done. Maybe something this friend said doesn't necessarily align with your personal beliefs. As a friend you want to have their back and give them support, but on the other hand, you want them to know how disappointed you are with them. What's worse is that you know if you reveal to them how you really feel about their actions, you know that they'll lash out at you and say that you're not being a real friend to them. Get where I'm going with this?

This is a dilemma that we all find ourselves in from time to time. The situation of having the choice to do what we feel is right in our eyes vs. supporting something or someone that we feel loyal to. Well from my perspective, and this is a perspective that I've developed in the last few years or so, nobody; regardless of who it is, should be above criticism. See in most people's eyes, being loyal to someone means supporting them no matter what they do, even if it's something that we don't agree with. No matter how close you are to someone, disagreements are bound to happen eventually. I believe it's very important to be loyal to those we feel are worthy of having our loyalty, however, being a truly loyal person also means having the ability to call out those we care about on the things we feel they're doing wrong, even if they don't necessarily like it. We've gotten to a point where we allow others to use the word "loyalty" as a handicap to make people feel bad for saying what they truly feel.

This is a trend that we're seeing a lot of in politics, sports, and many other areas of life. Now in my opinion, lets use a good example of what loyalty truly means. One situation that I can think of is while we were growing up as children, didn't our parents get on us whenever we done something wrong? It didn't mean that they didn't love us or care, it just meant that they were trying to teach us right from wrong. Even as adults, the learning process will always continue, and sometimes it takes a close friend or relative's perspective to call us out on certain things. It doesn't always mean that they're not a real friend, nor that they're not being loyal to us. Criticism can sting sometimes, and I'm in no way saying that anyone should be constantly criticized. All I'm saying is that regardless of how close we are to someone, nobody should be above criticism if it's necessary. Loyalty has nothing to do with, nor should it be limited to not criticizing the actions of someone if they're wrong. You can be loyal to anything, but that doesn't mean you have to agree or co-sign all the time. Again, regardless of who it is, in the end, right is right and wrong is wrong.

Alright, I'm going to go ahead and sign off for this edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. Like always, I appreciate those of you who stop by and read these posts. As with all of my posts, everything that I mentioned applies only to myself and how I strive to live. I'm in no way saying that my perspective or way of thinking is how anyone else should think. If any meaning and understanding is gained from this, that's always an added bonus. Well I hope everyone has a great rest of the week, and I'll see you in the next post. Peace!

Sometimes You Just Need That Spark to Become or Stay Motivated.

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"Motivation"; a word that most of us will see and hear multiple times throughout our lives. Not only is it a word that we hear and see often, it's also something that we all will need from time to time. For some people, being motivated is something that comes fairly easy. For some individuals, getting motivated is similar to breathing; it's like a second nature. While some people naturally have that drive and motivation that's needed to accomplish certain things in life, for others, becoming and staying motivated can be a huge a challenge within itself. Whether you're a person that is naturally self driven, or you're someone that sometimes needs that extra push, there are times in life when you just need that one spark to get yourself going. Welcome to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'.

What up to all my peeps out there. Like always, I hope everyone is doing well, staying up, and maintaining. It's been a hot minute since I've posted anything, but I'm back at it once again. In fact, what I'll be talking about in this post will somewhat coincide with the reasoning for my previous absence from posting in this blog. By the time I get finished with this post, it will all make sense. Now that I've stated that, it's time to get into what we're talking about in this post. So I started out talking about the word "motivation", and how for some people it comes naturally. Now for those of you who happen to read this that have no problem being motivated to do certain things, I definitely tip my hat off to you. However, the main people that this post will be addressing are the ones that occasionally have a hard time getting or staying motivated. Whether this applies to you or not, you're still more than welcomed to read on, and any feedback is always welcomed.

Now if you're a person that sometimes needs an added push to get motivated, I want to begin by saying that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. One of the things that frustrates me about our society is how quick so many people are to make someone feel bad because they're not like them. If you're someone that finds yourself always being self-motivated in life that's great, however, it doesn't give you the right to look down upon someone that may not be that way. Everyone processes things differently, and while certain tasks may come easy for some people, those same tasks may be equivalent to climbing up a mountain for others. Sometimes, a person just needs that extra spark to become motivated to start climbing up that mountain.

So how does one find that spark to become or stay motivated? Well, finding a spark varies from person to person and whatever circumstance that warrants extra motivation. But, what I do know is that finding a spark doesn't take much at all to do. The urge to become motivated towards life often comes in the form of the simplest things. For example; lets say someone is a writer, who for whatever reason or another, has recently lost their motivation to write. The days and weeks begin to pass by, and the author's motivation continues to stay in the doldrums. Then suddenly out of the blue one day, that same author receives an e-mail from a fellow writer telling them that they've read some of their past works, and how they were impressed by it. Suddenly, the writer that has lost their motivation to write recently potentially feels motivated again, all because someone else saw their talent. That scenario right there can be the true example of a spark that initiates a person to become motivated.

Now although I used the writing analogy, there are various other examples where that one little spark can ignite someone to become motivated. A person that may be in the process of trying to lose weight may need a spark to stay motivated to keep going. Their personal spark can come in the form of someone complimenting them on how far along that they've already come. There are various other examples, but I'm going to go ahead and end this blog post. Always keep in mind that it's okay to lack motivation in life, however, never allow your lack of motivation to completely weigh you down. Remember that if you're willing to change for the better, there is always that little spark out there that can help you become motivated. It's always out there, so always keep yourself open to finding it.

Well that's it for this weeks edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As always, thank you to those of you that have tuned in. My hope is that this blog can help be somewhat of a spark for someone else. Like with all of my posts, everything that I write are my own thoughts and how I strive to live my own life. If there can be some meaning and understanding gained from this by others, then that is an added bonus for me. Alright I'm out for this time everyone, so I'll see you in the next one. Peace!

Stopping With the Band-Aids, and Focusing On Long Term Solutions.

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One of the sometimes unfortunate things that come along with being human is a word called "pain". Part of being human means that we all are going to fall victim to some sort of physical and trauma related pain. It's a common occurrence for us to receive minor cuts, scrapes, bruises, and scratches from time to time. Now while growing up as a youth, and for some people even today, most of us used band-aids to cover those minor physical wounds that we received. We're all aware that the band-aids themselves weren't a permanent solution to healing the wounds, but we used them as a method to help ease the pain right? Well, it's become my belief that many of us not only use band-aids for physical related injuries. Some of us are using them both mentally and emotionally as well, rather than looking towards finding long term solutions to our issues. Welcome to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'.

What's up, and hello to everyone out there! As always, thanks for stopping by to check me out again. I've definitely been on somewhat of a hiatus in recent weeks, but I'm back at it once again. Now I began this post talking about band-aids, and how they mostly provide only temporary relief to pain. Then, I began to talk about how many of us are using band-aids as a way to cope with our mental and emotional well-being. Hopefully, I didn't veer too far off of the track and confused anyone. However, people that are familiar with my pasts blog posts are probably aware that I often use unconventional analogies to try to get my points across. In the end, however, there is still a point to be made.

Now it's no secret that we will all find ourselves in some rough spots and situations throughout life. Some of us are just happy to get through our problems on a day-to-day basis, while others prefer to think about their life from a long-term spectrum. Now I'm not 100% certain, but I'm willing to bet that there are more of us just looking to get through our problems on a daily basis, rather than getting to the real roots of our issues, and ultimately fixing them permanently. I could be wrong in making that assumption, but I have a hunch that I may be right. Now regardless of which end of the short-term, long-term spectrum that a person views themselves on, it's wise to keep in mind that it's a good thing just be able to get by and make it. However, do you believe that your life would be much better if you got to the root cause of your problem, rather than just putting a band-aid on them?

Now getting back to the band-aid analogy that I previously referenced to. It's true that most of us are using mental and emotional band-aids to deal with our problems. The primary reason I state this is quite simple; I myself have, and sometimes still use this strategy as a coping mechanism. In a way it's almost like someone that procrastinates often. We become too accustom to putting off things that can be done today for a later date, and sometimes we ultimately end up not doing them at all. That's the approach that many of us have in regards to our personal problems. Just like a minor bruise, we're using the band-aid, instead of really finding a solution.

I think I've pretty much hit on the main point that I want to make, so I'm going to bring this post to a close. We all create our own mental and emotional band-aids in life. Of course they can be helpful for the short-term, but using them over and over again will create a sense of dependency on them. Whatever problems that we're experiencing in our lives, we have to stop with the band-aids, and begin to focus on finding solutions to them for the long-term. I personally feel that's the only way to not only help rid ourselves of the constant struggles we face, but also helping to find a certain level of peace within ourselves. Just my opinion.

That's all that I have for this week, so thanks again to all the readers for stopping by and checking out another one of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As with my previous posts, everything that I write are my own thoughts and how I strive to live my own life. If anyone finds what I've written useful or informative, then that's definitely an added bonus. Alright I'm out, so I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week. See you in the next one. Peace!

Don't Be Bitter, Try To Become Better.

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I don't claim to know everything, nor do I feel that I'm able to grasp the limitless amount of feelings and emotions that come along with being alive. However, for as long as I've been able to comprehend and understand certain things that deal with life, I've come to realize that the emotion called "jealously" just won't ever go away. People in our society are always going to be jealous and envious of others; there's just no way around it. There are even some people that continually claim they're not jealous of others, but their actions and words seem to say otherwise. Everyone gets jealous from time to time. If you're a person that is jealous of someone or something for whatever reason or another, it's perfectly normal. In some cases, it can even be a good thing to an extent. However, some people allow their jealously to control them, which in turn can be a catalyst for bitterness and hatred developing within them. Just something that I've been thinking about lately. Welcome to another 'Brad H.'s Perspective' blog post.

What's good my people? So for this week's blog post, I'm going to writing about the importance of trying to become a better person, rather than being a constantly bitter one. In the previous paragraph, I mentioned how jealously is one of those traits that can cause a person to develop a bitter attitude. Now although I feel that is true in regards to someone being or becoming bitter, I don't always believe that jealously is the sole cause of a person being bitter and angry. There are all kinds of reasons why a person could always display bitter and negative actions. In fact, I'm fairly certain that there are some people out there that stay mad and angry at the world for no apparent reason at all.

In my own opinion, being mad and bitter towards the world is one of the easiest things we can do. Being bitter requires little to no real thought, and it also doesn't require a lot of physical energy to do. If you really think about it, in order to be bitter, all you really have to do is just sit around and be constantly angry. Sounds like a good plan right? Alright we're good to go, so I'm out! Okay I give up, I'm just kidding. Another failed attempt at sarcasm right? Anyway, although being constantly bitter and angry doesn't require much real effort, where does it really get us in the end? In what ways does it improve our lives and relationships with others? I don't know about anyone else, but I don't see a whole lot of upside to constantly displaying jealously, anger, and bitterness towards others.

As I stated previously, a person having a bit of a jealous streak is quite normal, and can even be a good thing when a person doesn't allow it to dictate them in a negative way. You're probably saying that I'm getting off topic now right? Well maybe I am just a tad, but here's why I say that jealously could potentially be a good thing. If you're one of those people that uses your envy to help fuel you to become better, I think that you're probably on the right track in regards to being jealous. For example, lets say you see people out in the world doing something that you'd like to be able to do as well, but you're currently not able at the time. You can use what you see others doing as motivation for yourself. I think that's the main way to not allow yourself to become bitter. Seeing someone else doing something is proof that if they can do it, then you can as well right?

I think that I've hit on the main point that I've tried to convey, so I'm going to go ahead and wrap this up. Just try to keep in mind that being angry and bitter without any action isn't going to aid in helping us to become better people. It's okay to be a little jealous at times, but never allow jealousy and envy to control your life completely. Instead, make the decision to use your shortcomings to take action in becoming a better individual. Sitting around and being angry at the world is truly negative, and can develop into a vicious cycle of negativity. Rather than helping you move forward and progress in life, it will likely keep you stagnated. In summation, being bitter and angry at the world really is not worth it. We have to focus on becoming better, rather than being bitter all the time.

Alright I'm going to go ahead and end this week's 'Brad H.'s Perspective' post. I hope that any and all who gave it a read enjoyed it. As with all of my posts, I'm not aiming to tell anyone how to live their lives. Everything that I write applies to myself, and how I strive to live my own life. At any rate, I hope it's useful to someone and even if it isn't, I still appreciate those of you that stop by and read my thoughts. Well that's it for now, so I'll see you all in the next one. Peace!

It's All Going To End Someday(Treasuring Those Close to You).

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I think that a lot of us take being alive for granted. It's not something I think we do intentionally. After all, being alive is the only thing that we know of. Being alive is the natural thing for us to do. Unless you've had a near death experience or something of that nature, none of us really know what it's like to die. Since being alive is all we know, I think that a lot of us believe that it's always going to be that way. From my perspective, it appears that most of us have to lose someone close to us to really grasp the fact that the gift of being among the living is really precious and valuable. I recall having a conversation with my mother about a month or so ago about how everything we're doing will come to an end someday. I thought that particular conversation would be a good basis for another 'Brad H.'s Perspective' posts.

What's up folks? Hope everything is going well for you all. So for this time around, we're gonna be digging into something that most of us don't really like to think about. Some people may find this blog post kinda sad and depressing. However, a depressing post is not what I'm aiming for, but I also believe in reality as well. Yes life is full of highs and happiness, but in reality, there can also be a lot of pain and sadness at various points of life. Remember some of those risks that we took when we were younger? It could have been anything from jumping from somewhere high up risking injury, or doing anything that could have resulted in a serious injury or death. Most of us engaged in risky behaviors mainly because at the time we done those behaviors, we believed that we were invincible. We're always seeing on the news people dying from taking risks, or we may even personally know someone that done something reckless that resulted in something bad happening. I can't speak for anyone else, but as we get a little more older and wiser, we tend to value our lives a little bit more. Most of us become more conscious of the things we do.

There's a saying that goes "Some people never realize what they got until it's gone." I'm not sure who came up with that phrase, but I think it perfectly describes the mindset of the many. Like I mentioned earlier, it seems that most of us have to lose someone to really see the impact and relevance that they hold in our individual lives. I think that because we're so familiar with being able to call and spend time with someone we care about, we begin to assume that it's always going to be that way. Whenever the time comes when it's no longer that way, it can hit hard like two cars colliding head on. Losing someone we love can be extremely taxing on our minds, and can be so hard to accept at times. This is why I think it's vital for us to do all we can while we can with the people we love.

Life always gets hectic from time to time, and for some people, it tends to be constantly hectic. Despite that, making time for those close to us should always be one of life's priorities. It's easy to live in the moment, and I think living in the moment is important. However, it never hurts to think forward as well. All the things that we're doing right this moment, along with the people we care for aren't guaranteed to always be there - nothing in life is. I told my mom about a month or so ago while going to visit my sister at school that one of the reasons why I enjoy the times she, my sister and I spend together so much, is because I know that someday it's going to end. Whether I leave first, or if it's either one to them that leaves, we're all on borrowed time just as all of us are. That's why I feel it's important to take care and value with everyone you love.

I'm going to go ahead and wrap this post up. The most important thing to remember is that nothing and no one lasts forever. Always live in and enjoy those irreplaceable moments with the people you care for. People always say that life is short, but I feel that life is only short for those people that don't have a better purpose for living besides getting ahead in life. Just keep in mind that no matter how much money or status a person has, it's all empty unless you have people in your life that help give your life a higher sense of purpose. Treasure those precious moments people, because all of this will end someday.

Well that's it for this edition of 'Brad H.'s' Perspective'. Hope you all enjoy the post. Again, I want to say that this post wasn't meant to be negative or depressing. Just wanted to give people something to think about, and show that yes there are good experiences in life, but there will always be tough ones as well. Like all of my posts, everything mentioned applies to myself and how I aim to live. Whether you found it helpful or useful, I appreciate you taking out the time to read these posts. Alright we're signing off for this time around, so everyone stay up and take care. See you in the next one. Peace!

The Pros and Cons of Life, and Learning to Take the Good With the Bad.

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"I love it when a plan comes together." Remember that classic line from the 'A-Team' television show? If not, then don't fret, as that quote has little to do with this week's topic. Just thought I'd throw it in there for nostalgic purposes. Although I do love a well thought out plan in general, I also love whenever I come across a topic or discussion that gives me something to think more in depth about. Some people say that thinking too much can be a bad thing, and I do agree with that to some extent. However, when we're thinking about things that can maybe challenge some of our views and help us to see the world a bit differently, then I don't necessarily see it as such a bad thing. I came across a Youtube video awhile back that really got me to thinking about life and the pros and cons that come along with life. Viewing this particular video kinda got my mind to thinking a bit and when that starts happening, it means that it's time for another 'Brad H.'s Perspective' post.

What's up good people? Brad H. back at you once again with another blog post. Hope everyone is doing well and continuing to maintain. So this week we'll be talking about the pros and cons of life, and how we sometimes just have to take the good with the bad. I think that's sometimes important just for our sanity ya digg? Since every single choice that a person will make throughout their lives will have consequences, I felt like this would be a good topic to give my thoughts on. Alright then, lets go ahead and get into the meat of this post. Now we're all aware that the majority of people in this world bask in the glory whenever they do something deemed as good, or whenever something good happens in their favor. Everything and everyone is happy whenever life is going good right?

This way of thinking is quite normal, as most humans from an emotional standpoint often respond to whatever is going on around them. When things are good people are generally happy, and when things aren't so good, people generally feel down and out right? Of course this doesn't apply to everyone. There are always people in this world that are going to find a way to be happy regardless of what is going on. On the flip side, there's always going to be those that see the worst no matter what. I personally think that we don't always fully grasp the true understanding of the pros and cons that come with life, especially when they relate to the choices and decisions that we make in life. It appears that most of us want only the pros when it comes to the decisions we make, but continuously gripe and complain about the cons that come along with our choices. I mean it's all fine and dandy to feel on top of the world when life is good, and it's also quite normal to feel down and out when things aren't going so well. However, we have to learn to be able to take the good with the bad, and realize that there are pros and cons to every choice that we make.

So what does it mean when someone says that there both are pros and cons with every choice that a person makes? Well it all boils down to one thing, and people that prefer not to take the good with the bad may not like this. The truth is there is no single decision in life that is all pro or all con. With every choice that's made, whether it's for the better or not, there's always going to be some kind of downside that comes along with it. Here's a prime example. Lets say that a person that hasn't been working out makes the decision to start going to the gym. This is definitely a choice that would be received as being positive by most people. You're making the effort to get healthier, and that's a good thing. However, in order to achieve your goal of being more healthier and looking more toned, you're going to have to put your body through some pain, which would probably be viewed as as one of the cons for the person that's enduring it. Some people love looking and feeling great, but hate the pain that they have to go through in order to get there.

It's been said time and time again, but the fact remains; we as people complain way too much. We often complain about the smallest of things, which most of the time are situations that we ultimately create for ourselves. We only want to be bothered with and take credit for the good in life, but we're so quick to run away from and reject the bad, especially when it's of our own doing. You ever notice how a lot of politicians and celebrities tend to be on their high horse when they're on top of the world, but try to humanize themselves whenever they makes mistakes like every human-being does? Pros and cons are all a part of life, and I think that people who really understand that are the people that have the potential to be well balanced in life.

I think I'm going to go ahead and end this week's post, so I'm going to close by restating that life is all about pros and cons. Every single decision that you make, regardless of how much it benefits you, will likely have a con that comes along with it. Instead of complaining about the cons that come along with the decisions that you have to make, embrace them as they are ultimately the result of something you chose. Just remember that you can't have it both ways in life. There will always be both a gift and a curse that comes from your decisions. All in all, you just have to be able to embrace both the good and bad things that can happen in life, and find a way for yourself to mentally find a balance.

Well that's it for this weeks edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As always, everything that I've mentioned applies to myself and how I aim to live my life. Whether you found some meaning and understanding from it or not, I appreciate you for taking out the time to read it. Alright, we're signing off for this week, so I'll see you in the next post. Spring is upon us, so try to get out and enjoy the weather. Till next time, peace!

Suffering Setbacks In Life, and Using Them As Motivation For the Future.

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Perfection is a false reality that does not exist. Although the majority of people are aware that attaining perfection isn't a reality, a good portion of people still aim to achieve it. I feel there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to achieve the best outcome that you possibly can in various situations, or even striving to be the best person in this life that you can possibly be. However, I sometimes believe that many of us view the setbacks and disappointments that happen in our lives as total failures. Many of us set out upon a journey with reckless abandon to achieve a goal, and if we just so happen to not reach those goals, we sometimes view ourselves as failures. I recently had what I would consider a humbling experience that I would like to share in this week's edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'.

What's good people? It's ya boy Brad H. back at you again with another blog posting. Hope all is well and good with everyone. For this week's post, I'm going to share with you all an event that I was involved last week, and use it as an example of how it relates to the topic of this post. Last week was not only a physically painful week for me, it was also a stressful one as well. I feel like what I endured last week is a fairly good example of how having setbacks and disappointments does not always equate to being a failure. We just have to use those setbacks as a motivating force for future events that we will encounter. If any of you have been a regular reader of my blog posts, you've probably seen mention of an annual 5K race that I've run in for the past three years. I enjoy being active and having the experience of running in this race. However, the primary reason that I've done this race three straight times is because it normally takes place right before my birthday. Since I value the old saying that "health is wealth", I've always viewed participating in the race as a birthday gift to give myself.

Now besides enjoying the overall experience of participating in the Gusher/Kinsel Ford 5K, my initial goal when I registered was to beat my previous running times from the past two years. I had high hopes towards the end of 2013 when I decided that I would participate, as I was reaching a level of activity through running that I haven't experienced in a few years. I would dare say that I was somewhat at the level I was when I was a bit younger. However, unfortunately in late November of 2013, I went through another stage of inactivity after a close family member passed away. I basically went almost an entire month without doing any running, or any exercise for that matter. When I finally was mentally ready to start back training again, it felt like I was starting all over again. Just getting through one mile of jogging was a challenge within itself. Saying that getting back into the groove of things as you get a bit older is an understatement. However, after a month or so of training again, I began to make progress; but once again I had to take some time off due to knee problems and consistent bad weather.

Since I had it in my mind to do this race in 2013, I went ahead and registered for the race knowing that I hadn't been training properly. At any rate, I still held onto hope that there would be a slim chance that I would able to beat my race times from the previous years. Then six days before the event, everything came crashing down on me. The Sunday before the race, I lifted a dresser for a family member and hurt my back. Ouch! Instead of using the few days before the race to train, I pretty much had to rest because of the pain that I was experiencing. I thought about just pulling out of the race altogether, and I would have had to if it were only a day or two after the back injury. I just couldn't see myself running at all with a bad back. My back slowly got better during the week, but it was not 100 percent whatsoever. Not only was my back being a hinderance, my mental state wasn't where it needed be either. Despite the bleak outlook, I went ahead and participated in the race.

So you're probably wondering how did I do? Well, I ran my slowest time out of the three years I've done this race, but I did cross the finish line. Following the race, I felt extremely down on myself for not reaching the goal I wanted to obtain. It took me talking to and corresponding with other people to realize that I was being too hard on myself. People were telling me that I should be happy that I finished, and that I was only 3 minutes slower than my fastest time despite a bad back and little training. They were saying things like; "Imagine how well you would have done if you hadn't injured your back, and you did train properly for the race?" When I began to focus on the positive things that I was hearing, I realized that I indeed was being too hard on myself. A humbling experience, but it helped me to realize even more that having setbacks are all about how you handle them.

I'm going to go ahead and bring this week's post to a close, but the main point is that setbacks, failures, and disappointments are all a state of mind. When we have unfortunate situations and setbacks in our lives, it's totally up to us on how we choose to handle them. We can either wallow in them and allow them to take us out of the game completely, or we can use them as motivation for doing and being better in the future. I know this sounds like a simple concept, but sometimes it takes other people telling us that it's okay to fail sometimes. What matters most is as long as you pick yourself back up and keep moving forward. This message goes way beyond just running in a race; it's about all aspects of life, as there will always be disappointments and setbacks that will happen throughout life.

Well that's it for this week's edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As with all of my posts, everything that I've written applies to me and I how I strive to live. I hope that you enjoyed reading, and hopefully you can relate some of this post to the setbacks that we're all going to have in the future. I also want to apologize for being away and not writing last week, but now you all know why. Everything is fairly back to normal now, so I'll see you all in the next post. Till then, everyone stay up and keep on maintaining. Peace!

Real Friends Can Be Rare These Days(Being Your Own Best Friend).

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I was thinking recently how many of us defined the word "friendship" while we growing up. From my own perspective, I viewed my friends from my childhood and high school days like my brothers. I never based my handful of friends on how cool or popular they were, nor how much wealth their family had, or how I could personally benefit by being friends with them. There's a principal that I had, and I still hold it to this very day; if I like you as a person, then I like you for who you are. It seems like peoples' definition of friendship has changed quite a bit just like everything else in the world. I say this because it appears that these days, coming across real friends can be a rarity. It's okay though, sometimes you have to be your own best friend. Welcome to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'.

Alright, alright what's good people? Hope everyone is doing well, staying up, and continuing to maintain. As you can tell, this week's blog post will entail my thoughts friendship, and how rare it seems it is these days to find real friends. I'm also going to briefly talk about why I think it's important to be your own best friend at times. Now as I mentioned earlier, it seems like friendship these days is just a word that people toss around like a ball. I'm not saying that this is the case with everyone. I do realize that there are people in the world that are real friends to others. In fact, I can say without a doubt that I have a couple of friends that I know are real friends to me.

So what defines a real friend to me? Well in my opinion, a true friend is a person that stands the test of time. A true friend is someone that is there for you whenever you pick up the phone to call them and if they're too busy to talk right then, they'll call you back whenever they get the chance. A true friend may not always agree with your thoughts and ideas about certain topics and issues, but if they do happen to disagree with you, they'll do it respectfully. More importantly, a real friend respects and supports you unconditionally. Real friends will want you to be happy, and they won't say or do anything to deter you from that. Those are some of the qualities and traits that I think about when I think of a real friend. Everyone has their own personal definition and expectations of what a real friend is, and there's nothing wrong with that at all.

As I pointed out before, I seem to be noticing these days that many people only want to be friends with someone because of what they can do for them. It almost seems like people that carry on like this don't care much about a person for who they are, they're more overly concerned with what you can do for them. The second that you can't do anything for them, they kick you to the curb like a field goal kicker would kick a football through the goal post. Terrible analogy right! At any rate, a lot of these people that aren't sincere in their intentions are not real friends in my opinion. If anything, I would classify people that think and carry on like this as being users, and we all know that there are definitely a lot of those hovering around these days.

There are several points that I want to drive home before ending this week's post. First off, do your research on people before you classify them as a friend of yours. If you want to know how to reveal a person's true intentions, just keep the word "time" in mind. Time truly reveals who is a true friend and who isn't. Secondly, don't be afraid to be your own best friend if need be. When I say be your own best friend, I'm talking about being comfortable with being alone for a bit, and not settling for other people that probably don't have your best interest in mind. Finally, view your life like it's simple math. If someone that you claim to be a friend is too busy for you, or isn't saying or doing anything to empower you, then it's maybe time to subtract them from your life. At the end of the day, everyone that you claim to be your friend should be adding to your life. I'm not adding from a materialistic or getting ahead standpoint. I'm talking about adding to your ideas, and helping you to want to become better.

Alright that's it for this week's edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. I hope that anyone who read this post enjoyed it, and gained some meaning and understanding from it. As with all of my posts, everything mentioned applies to myself. Anything that I've written is what I attempt to apply to my own life. Whether you found it useful or not, I thank you for stopping by and taking out the time to read it. I'm going to go ahead and sign off for this time, so I hope everyone has a great weekend. See you in the next post. Peace!

You Don't Have to Pay These People Any Attention(Controlling Your Anger and Reactions Towards Others).

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Anger, frustration, hate, bitterness; words and emotions that are rehashed over and over again, but these words tend to describe how a lot of people these days feel more often than not. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's unnatural or not normal for us to become angry at times. I'll admit that being angry or frustrated at times is very normal, and you're sorely mistaken if you believe that there is no one person that gets mad from time to time. I'm one of those people that believes that some forms of anger are quite justified, while others aren't so much. I also believe that some people take their anger out on others unjustly, which can sometimes lead to damaged relationships. Then again, you can be one of those people that doesn't pay these people that seem to be angry a lot any attention. That's another option, one that I tend to prefer. Welcome to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'.

So we're back at it once again. For this week's posting, we'll be getting into the topic of anger and how the majority of people react to others that come at them in an angry manner. As I stated earlier, being and becoming angry from time to time is quite normal. However, I believe that some of us allow anger to consume us. Now lets bring up a question to think about just for a sec. How do the majority of people react whenever someone comes at them with an attitude, or you happen to come across someone that is being rude? If you're one of those people that believe that most people would get an attitude right back or reciprocate that rudeness back towards the person, then you're probably right. It's amazing how seemingly small altercations and arguments break out because people choose to fight fire with fire.

There are times where fighting fire with fire is okay, and sometimes that's the only option left. However, there are also times when you can diffuse that fire with water. You don't have to pay nor give any attention to people that are angry, bitter, etc. Sometimes just walking away and letting a person be is the best option. In fact, walking away is sometimes the best option left to possibly show a person that their way of handling people isn't always right. On many occasions when people unjustly direct their anger towards you, they're doing it because they either want attention from you, or they're trying to get a rise out of you. There are many reasons and whatever they may be, you don't have to always fight fire with fire. Just like the saying "there's more than one way to skin a cat", there's always different methods and techniques you can use to combat against others besides becoming angry and belligerent.

What does anger really do for us? Lets think about a few things in regards to anger and what it does for you. Anger normally equates to doing and saying reckless things to others that you may not even mean at the time. It can cloud your judgement in most cases, and can result in you doing something that you'll likely regret down the road. A lot of angry people tend to have health problems like high blood pressure, and they seem to stay stressed out about so many times. I don't know about you, but I don't see a lot of benefits from being angry all the time. I was once that guy that allowed my anger to control me at times when I was a bit younger. Now that I've learned just to let certain things and people go, I've found that I'm more at peace within. Anger and stress are not things that I want to dominate my life.

I'm going to go ahead and end this week's post, but I'm going to sum everything up by saying this. You don't have to pay any attention to people that take their problems out on you and others. You can always choose to walk and and not deal with or confront them. I see anger as a form of control and when you lowering yourself to others level, you're relinquishing control of your mind and emotions over to them. Focus on your training your mind on controlling your anger and reactions to others. Just like I heard in a movie once; "An angry mind is a narrow mind." Invest your frustrations and anger into things that can better you, and never ever give a person more control over your than they deserve.

Well that's it for this week's 'Brad H.'s Perspective' post. This post like the rest of my posts apply to me and me alone. Anything that I've written here is intended to be viewed as advice that you can either take or not. Whether you found it useful or not, I thank you for taking out the time to read. Alright I'm signing out, so everything take care, stay up, and keep on maintaining. See you in the next post.

It's Not About Having Time, It's About Making Time.

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"Hey man, how's it going? Haven't heard from you in a while." "Oh I'm doing good man, just been busy." How many times have we heard conversations that started off that way? None of us could probably count how many times we've heard conversations that start off that way. If you're someone that wants to prove me wrong in that point and find yourself unable to, don't feel bad; it's really not all that surprising to frequently hear the phrase "I've been busy." Now besides these words not being unusual nor surprising, they're really both understandable and justifiable words at times. People in general are busier now more than ever in today's hectic world. But, and you know I'm gonna take it there, can a person really be too busy? Do we really have the time, and just don't make it for certain things and people? When these kinds of questions come to mind, it means that it's time for another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'.

So for this week's post, we'll be talking about time and the lack of it that so many of us claim to not have. As I mentioned earlier, I believe it's totally understandable for the average person to not have time for everything or everyone. In all honesty, it's just not feasible for a person to have the necessary time for everything or everyone. Any person that attempts to make time for everything and everyone in their lives will likely end up working their mind to the verge of insanity. I commend anyone who makes the effort, but taking on such an endeavor would be the equivalent of giving someone like Usain Bolt a head start in foot race. If you're not familiar with who Usain Bolt is, I'll just summarize by saying that it would definitely be an uphill battle in such a scenario.

I'm one of those people that believes that some of us use time and the so called lack of it as an excuse at times. I'm not even going to say that I haven't used this tactic before, but with growing in age and wisdom, I've come to realize that for as long as we're breathing, there always have an adequate amount of time. The problem is that many of us don't make time for those invaluable things in life that should be cherished, but we'd rather resort to using excuses in order to justify not making the necessary time for those things. One of the easiest examples that I can think of, and I'm sure some of you have heard this one before; "I don't have time to exercise or workout." I'm certain that you've heard someone say that before right? It's not my business what anyone else does with their life, but if a person has time to gossip or watch television all the time, then they likely have a little time to exercise. In that kind of scenario, exercise just isn't a priority for that individual.

Although the exercise example is just one example of many that could be used, it is a fact that we as people justify many of our shortcomings with excuses. The excuses that we use become a defense mechanism, which in turn gives us a false sense of comfort. Basically, we use excuses as a way to feel better about ourselves, even when in our minds we know we haven't always done the right thing. Now you're probably wondering what does any of this have to do with the topic of this post. Well, many of us claim that we don't have time for certain things or people in life; that is until we need them, or something bad happens. I always say that it shouldn't take anything bad happening to someone that is a close friend or relative to bring you closer to them. However, that unfortunately is the case with so many people today.

The main point that I want to get across this week is that if you're a person that tells someone who cares about you that you're too busy for them, then you probably don't deserve to have them in your life. Although life's priorities are important and time consuming, they should never deter you from maintaining close relationships with others. A person always make time for the things they consider to be important to them, and if you're not making time for someone who cares for you, then you maybe should reconsider your priorities in life. Keep in mind that you only have one life to live, so taking care of your health and making time for your family and friends should always fit somewhere in your life.

Well that's it for this week's edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As with all of my posts, everything that I mentioned applies to myself. Anything written here is only intended to be viewed as informative advice that you can either use or not. Whether you found it informative or useful, I thank you for taking out the time to check me out. Alright then, I'm signing off for this week. Peace out folks, and remember that life is not about having time, but making time.

Life Is About Your Perspective And What You Make Of It.

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I have problems, you have problems, we all have problems right? I feel one of the biggest mistakes that a person can make is comparing their problems to those of the next person. My problems are no greater than yours, nor are yours any greater than mine. Some people control their circumstances, while others allow their circumstances to dictate all aspects of their lives. Most of us have heard the saying; "life is what you make it" right? Well, due to several factors currently happening with people that I know, I've been thinking quite a bit about the "life is what you make it" statement. As always, when something weighs fairly heavily on my mind, I have to come on here and write about it ya digg! What up peeps? This is Brad H. back at you once again, and thanks for joining me on this installment of 'Brad H's. Perspective'.

Alright, so we're back at it once again. Hopefully by now you've noticed that I've titled this blog post 'Life Is About Your Perspective And What You Make Of It'. Before going any further, I realize that most of us pay little to no attention to these so-called "comfort cliches". Call me naive or whatever, but I just happen to believe that some of these small cliches that so many of us tend to take for granted can have an effect on our lives in a positive way. Again, that's just my personal opinion. Now, lets get into the meat of what I'll be discussing this time around. As I mentioned, there have been several reasons as of late why this particular topic has been on my mind. However, the primary reason as to why this topic has weighed on me is because I'm noticing how so many people are allowing the various circumstances they're facing to affect their moods, attitudes, and even their relationships with others.

Now from my personal perspective, I believe that it's time for a bit of self-reflection whenever our circumstances are affecting us in the ways I mentioned in the previous paragraph. No one is perfect, and we all deal with and face trials that bring out both the best and worst within ourselves. If you're a person that isn't totally happy in life or with the circumstances you're currently facing, that alone can be enough to mentally break you down; if you allow it to that is. In my opinion, there's not anything wrong with feeling sad or down because you're facing hardships or tough times. However, I believe that there is only a certain level of happiness that a single person can reach, and we must learn to train our minds to be able to handle those less than ideal circumstances that will eventually come our way.

Some people don't need to train themselves, as they're naturally able to face whatever comes at them with conviction. However, for those of us that struggle with our circumstances at times, it is indeed true that life is all about our perspective and how we view things. There's this skit on one of my favorite hip-hop groups (Panacea) album titled 'Thinking Back Looking Forward'. The name of the skit is titled 'Whole World To See'. During the skit, there is a woman talking to a man about how she has never left the village she lives in, and how she must be missing so much out there in the world. What I gathered was that she was in a rough place being stuck in the village. The man replied back to her and says; "Not really. The sky is the sky wherever you go, people are people, always waking you up from a good nap." You're probably wondering how this skit relates to this topic that I'm writing about. Well, what I took from the skit is that the man was trying to tell the woman that she really isn't missing anything beyond where she lives, and that her personal view on life is what determines her happiness. There's a bit of a comedic and lightheartedness element to the skit, but I think there was an undertone in it.

The main and obvious point that I want to make from all of this is that life is really what you make it, and that you don't have to allow whatever circumstances you're dealing with to control or define you. You can always view your life as being bad, but always remember that no matter how bad you believe things are, there's always a possibility that your circumstances can get worse. Furthermore, there's always someone out there that's maybe doing worse than you are, and would trade places with you in a second. It's all about your perspective. Everyone has problems, but it's all about how we view them, and how we choose to handle them.

Well that's it for this edition of 'Brad H's. Perspective'. As with all of my posts, everything that I've written about applies to myself. It's only to be viewed as informative advice that you can use however you see fit. Whether you found it useful or not, I still appreciate you stopping by to check me out. Alright I'm signing out, so I'll see you in the next posting. Peace!

What Other People Think About You and Your Life Is Their Business, Not Yours!

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Many of the thoughts and inspirations that I draw upon come from some of the motivational speakers that I enjoy listening to. One of my favorite motivational speakers to listen to is a man named Les Brown. Some of you may be familiar with him already. I haven't been up on Mr. Brown's work all that long, only for maybe a year or so. However, during the short span of time that I've become familiar with him, I've made an attempt to listen to as many of his speeches as I can. One of my favorite Les Brown speeches is his speech titled 'It's Possible'. Although I found the entire speech to be both informative and inspiring, there was something that Mr. Brown spoke during that speech that I thought would be a good title for this post. What's good folks? It's ya boy Brad H. back at you again with another edition of 'Brad H's. Perspective'.

I'm not going to go into many of the details of Les Brown's speech because to be honest, an entire book could probably be written about the particular speech that I'm referring to. However, what I plan on doing is using the quote from Les Brown that I'm going to use as the basis in this blog post, and relating it to how so many of us live our lives. Most of us may try to deny it, but the honest truth is that too many of us care about what other people think of us and our lives. We often hear people saying that they don't care what others think of them, but many of the people that constantly say this are the main ones making the hardest efforts to impress other people. Don't believe me? How many people do you know that go out of their way to purchase things that they probably don't really need, but their primary motivation for buying these things is that they're hoping to impress someone. Oh yea, we can't forget about the people that go way out of their way in attempts to make other people jealous.

It's amazing how we as people sometime do things for all the wrong reasons. Think about it for a second; a person buying something to show off and floss to a group of people that doesn't even like them. Is there even much logic in that? Whatever happened to just being yourself, and doing things because doing it made you happy? Why are people so hellbent on fitting in and trying to impress others? I believe that we as people in general want to feel like we're accepted by others. As I mentioned in a previous post, being the individual that you really are can sometimes be a lonely road to travel down, and not everyone that you encounter is going to like you, nor are they always going to understand you. In fact, regardless as to how good or bad of a person that you believe that you are, people are always going to have an opinion about you and your lifestyle, and in many cases, their opinions aren't going to be good ones. Guess what though; what other people think of you and your life is their business, not yours.

You may wonder to yourself; why do I say it's their business and not yours? Well like they say, your life is called your life because it's yours to live. No one can live for you, nor are they responsible for your happiness. The way that you decide to live your life, and what you want to do with your life is all on you. Therefore, how or what others perceive of you and your your life isn't any concern of yours, that's all on them. Our only concern should be doing the things that make ourselves happy. We have to continue to remind ourselves that true happiness is living life on your own terms, rather than constantly caring about what others think of you.

Now of course, there are some instances where someone else's opinion of you may hold some weight. When I think of caring about what others think, I mainly think of family members and close friends. In most cases, these are the people that we truly know care about us, so we tend to value their opinions. There's a big difference between worrying about what people whom have never done anything to help, uplift, or support you in any way think about you, compared to those who have proven themselves. One of the biggest issues we face is that many of us put too much stock into caring about those who shouldn't matter, and not enough on the ones that do. I think that pretty much about wraps it up for this 'Brad H's. Perspective' post.

The key point that I want to drive home is that we shouldn't be overly concerned about what people think in regards to our lives. My thinking on this especially applies to the people that only have negative opinions and thoughts of you, but have never provided any ideas or support to help take your life to the next level. In fact, it's probably better to remove those kind of people out of your life completely. As with my other posts, I want to say that everything that I've written about only applies to myself. Just view it as advice that you can use however you see fit. Whether you decide to use it or not, I appreciate those of you that take out the time to stop by. I'll see you in the next post. Peace!

Focus On Daily Goals, Rather Than Long Term Goals. (Marathon vs. Sprint Mentality).

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November 15, 2013; the last time before now that I posted on this blog. Wow, it's now been exactly a two month hiatus that I've been on. As some of you may already know from previous entries, I'm not one to make excuses for my sporadic extended absences from time to time. However, there were several circumstances that led to me developing a lack of motivation to write anything for a few weeks. I don't want to get into too much detail, but I ended up losing a very close relative of mine a few days before Thanksgiving. We all know that it's never easy to deal with the loss of a loved one. It's one of those things that we all experience at sometime or another and no matter how many times we have to go through it, it's a feeling that we can never fully get used to. R.I.P. to my Aunt Gloria. You will forever be missed.

Although we're a little over 2 weeks into 2014, I want to begin by wishing everyone a Happy New Year! Because I literally haven't posted since 2013, I think it is fitting to start off the 2014 run of 'Brad H's. Perspective' by wishing everyone a happy and prosperous new year. Since we're still fresh into this brand new year, I think that the topic that I have planned comes at a good time. I think that this topic will apply to those of us that may have some goals set for this new year. I also hope that it resonates with those who make those New Years resolutions that often disappear after a month or two.

Anyone that knows me pretty well are aware that I'm not one to make New Years resolutions anymore. I'll admit that I've made them in past years like most other people when a new year rolled around. However, I made the decision to throw in the towel on them maybe 3 or 4 years ago. I just personally started to find them to be nothing but excuses for some of the things that I should be already doing year round on a consistent basis. Also, I found that the New Years resolution pep talks sounded good at the beginning of the year but as the months began to pass by, they began to become more and more irrelevant.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for people being optimistic in regards to living to see a new year. For some reason or another, a brand new year can mentally gives us hope and a fresh outlook that we can change whatever wrongs that exist in our lives for the better. However, I personally believe it's more beneficial to concentrate on setting daily goals, rather than long term goals that may be more difficult to achieve. You're probably wondering to yourself; What is the difference? Well from my viewpoint, those daily goals that you set and accomplish are the ones that can help those long term goals to be reached the proper way.

Prime example; lets say that a person is aiming to lose weight for the new year, which is a goal that A LOT of people set for the new year. Now do you believe it would be more beneficial to lose weight the healthy way by dieting and exercising daily, or by partaking in poor dieting habits where you're probably not exercising, and starving yourself to get those pounds off? Both of these methods can lead to reaching the goal of losing weight, but focusing on losing weight daily will allow the weight to come off in a manner that is not detrimental to your long term health. One other thing to keep in mind when it comes to daily goal setting is that it helps in teaching us to become disciplined in life. Positive daily habits and consistency are the key, regardless of whatever our long terms plans may be.

Always try to keep in mind that life is a marathon rather than a sprint. Work towards those long term goals by focusing daily on whatever it is that you're trying to achieve. View your daily goals as pieces of a larger puzzle that you're planning on piecing together. We don't have to always rush and accomplish things overnight. Sometimes it's good to just take your time and pace yourself. Slow and steady wins the race.

Well that's all I have for this edition of 'Brad H's. Perspective'. I want to stress that what was discussed in this post applies to me, and that I'm not telling anyone how to approach their goals. Just view it as friendly advice through my own thought process. I hope that it touches someone. I have more ideas and topics planned for this year, and I hope that you'll join me on this journey. Again I want to wish all a healthy and prosperous 2014, and I hope that you all achieve whatever goals you have for 2014. I'll see you in the next post. Peace!