Setbacks Are A Part Of Life; It's Your Reaction To Them That Matters Most.

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There are many things in this life that are just impossible to avoid experiencing. I believe that one of those things is something that that we've both heard and experienced time and time again. What am I talking about you may wonder? I'm referring to setbacks, which is something that many of us experience more often than we'd probably like. Now what exactly is a setback? We all have our own interpretation of what a personal setback may be, but my personal definition of a setback is when something that may be important to us doesn't go as planned. A setback can come in all shapes and forms, and as I alluded to previously, no one is immune to them taking place. While the occurrence of setbacks may be a constant aspect of life, the various ways in which we choose to react to them is always up in the air. Because we are all different individuals with different ways of processing things, we all have different ways of reacting to setbacks. Just like anything else in life, there can be both positive and negatives that can be taken away from having setbacks. However, I believe it is safe to say that most people focus primarily on the negative aspect of setbacks. Regardless of what the setback may be, we find ourselves questioning ourselves and wondering; why is this happening to me? It's perfect normal to question why something may have happened to cause a setback, however, getting too caught up in the setback itself is counterproductive. We have to learn and understand that no matter who you are or what you've done, setbacks are just a part of life. What matters most is how we choose to react to them.

Hello once again ladies and gentlemen. It is I Brad H. back at it once again to present the end of 2016 edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. The blog itself isn't coming to an end, however, this will likely be the last entry of 2016. As always, I hope all has been good and well with everyone. For anyone that may be first time visitors and not familiar with how things go here, I normally come on here every other week to give my personal perspective on various thoughts and ideas that play a part in my life on a regular basis. I try to take those ideas and put them into words that can hopefully serve as an inspiration to others, as well as motivation for myself. Since we're near the end of the year, I wanna take a few moments and reflect. For me personally, it has been quite a journey with handling this blog series this year. In fact, I believe this is the first year that I've actually stayed consistent with updating regularly throughout an entire calendar year. That was one of the goals that I set headed into 2016, and I'm very glad to have accomplished it. I can only hope that through the process of staying consistent that I was able to reach and hopefully inspire others while being on this quest. Since 2016 isn't officially over yet, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself and say how good or bad this year has been to me. I'll just say that just like everyone else, I've experienced my share of highs and lows, but I'm also aware that anything whether for good or bad can still happen before the year ends. Since Christmas day is only a couple of days away, lets try to focus on enjoying that day itself, as well as the rest of 2016. Again, I thank everyone that has taken out the time to read any of these posts. Now that I've had the chance share a couple of reflections, lets go ahead and talk about this week's topic of setbacks and the importance of our reactions to them.

Before talking more about this week's topic, I always let others know that a person's individual viewpoints will always vary from person to person. The goal with this isn't to focus too much on what is considered right or wrong, but rather to encourage more in depth thinking on various subject matters. If anyone disagrees with or has a perspective different from myself on this or any other topics, that is all fine and well. I welcome all thoughts, and the promotion of learning from one another is something that I'm a firm believer in. Now, for a little insight on how I arrived at ending this year's blog series on this topic. I personally thought it would be both beneficial and therapeutic to write on this topic due to a recent setback that I've had personally. Not going too much into details, but I recently had a setback that has kinda thrown me for a loop a bit. Something that I was really hoping to work out recently just happened not to. Of course I'm disappointed about it, and I'm not going to front as if I'm above reacting negatively to setbacks. My hope this week is that I can show others that while setbacks aren't always an ideal part of our lives, we always have a choice on how we react to them. More importantly, I'm hoping that me writing this will serve as a form of inspiration to myself. Maybe it can help be the extra jolt that inspires to me pick myself back up from this setback that has knocked me down a bit. I'm trying to keep in mind that famous quote that goes; "If you fall down, you can look up, and if you can look up you can get up."

Now as I stated previously, the majority of people view setbacks happening in a negative way. Having negative thoughts towards a setback is totally understandable, and I would even say that depending on how severe of a setback that has occurred in your life may be, a negative outlook is sometimes warranted. I'm in no way saying that everyone handles a setback in this way. As I've stated in previous posts, we all handle and process things differently. Now while it may be both normal and natural to feel down or depressed following a setback happening, many of us allow those negative feelings to marinate within our minds. We often don't move forward fast enough from the setback, and that's when the negative state of mind can creep in and take over full force. Once that happens, it becomes even more difficult to get our lives back on course, and it becomes a vicious cycle of daily bouts of self-pity and doubt. Like I mentioned, we all handle and process things differently, which also means that the time frame of rebounding from a setback varies within us individually. However, the healing process takes a lot longer if we constantly allow a negative mindset to fester within following a setback. The biggest trait of a setback is that we often cannot control them, nor can we stop them from happening. They are guaranteed to happen in life, and they often hurt us deeply whenever they occur. While we often can't change nor stop them, we do have control of how we react to them.

People that are frequent visitors here are likely aware of that fact that I often talk about the power of the mind, as well as the importance of working towards strengthening our minds. In regards to getting through a topic such as this one, as well as many others, the mind is a key factor in determining if and when we bounce back from setbacks. It is easy to sit around and wallow in self-pity whenever a setback occurs. We are aware that participating in those self-defeating habits is equivalent to taking the easy way out. The hard part for us is developing the ability to be able to take positives from a setback, and then being able to learn and grow from them. Although this is can be a hard task to take, it's the one option out of the two that gives us the opportunity to grow as individuals. Embracing the agony and disappointment that comes with having setbacks isn't something that is easy to do, and I feel that it takes a certain amount of fortitude to do this. I know that I myself am working on trying to implement this tactic in my life. Again, much of this hinges on how big of a setback that a person is experiencing. I want to be sure and stress that the degree of impact that a setback can have varies, and if we're being honest with ourselves, there are some setbacks that may not be recoverable. Even if that is the case, we still have control over how we react.

Well I'm going to go ahead and bring this entry to a close. I guess I'll end by saying that we shouldn't focus too much on setbacks happening. Why? Because they are inevitable, as well as a part of life. We may have control in certain circumstances, but we can never control unexpected events happening. Instead of worrying so much about the setbacks, lets try focusing on how we react to them. Getting caught up in the self-pity and wallowing in our issues doesn't help the situation, nor does it add to our ability to fix whatever the situation may be. I want to state again that I definitely don't have it all together when it comes to this topic, and I'm still dealing with some backlash from the recent setback that I referenced to previously in this post. But like I said, this blog is all about me trying to inspire myself along with others. That said, me getting these thoughts out there helps me to learn myself. I can't speak for anyone else, but I will say that for me personally, you'll be surprised at how much you learn about yourself when you put effort into something you're passionate about. Well we're at the end now, so I'll leave you all with a quote that coincides with this week's topic. This one comes courtesy of Dau Voire: "A minor setback is an exquisite setup for a major comeback, remember that."

Well that's all for this edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' for 2016 folks! We made it guys! I hope you all enjoyed this blog entry, and I hope that some meaning and understanding was able to be gained from it. Before ending this, I want to say congratulations again to my younger sister for receiving her bachelor's degree last week. I mentioned her then upcoming graduation ceremony in the previous post, so I wanted to bring it to light once again. The commencement ceremony was truly great, and I'm so proud of you sis. Keep up the great work! Christmas is right around the corner, so Merry Christmas to everyone out there. Enjoy the day with your family, and take some time to reflect on and remember those that are no longer with us this holiday season. Alright, I'll see you all in a couple of weeks in the year 2017. Until then, I wish you all a happy holidays, and I'm sending light, love, peace and positive thoughts to all.

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Don't Be Afraid To Let People That Don't Respect You Go. (Having Respect For Yourself).

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Anyone that knows me fairly well are probably aware that just like many others out there, I love listening to motivational videos. One of my favorite motivational speakers that I've referenced to on this blog in the past is the great Les Brown. I was listening to one of his powerful speechless last night, and he mentioned how it's the people that we're the closet to are the ones that we're the most vulnerable to. This is something that many of us are already aware of, and it is something that I've frequently brought up in previous posts. Whether it may be family, friends, a spouse or associates, every single one of us have people in our lives that we have interactions with. Now I don't want to come across as if EVERYONE deals with disrespectful people. However, I think many of you can agree with me when I say that we all generally having dealings with a least one person in our lives that can be disrespectful towards us and others at times. One of the characteristics about disrespect is it isn't limited to just one type of person It could be family member, a girlfriend/boyfriend, a friend, etc that displays a lack of respect towards us. We all are going to experience disrespectful people from time to time, but when it becomes something that is rampantly happening towards us, it's probably time to take a step back and evaluate our relationships with these people. I believe that the biggest form of respect that can be displayed is self respect, and allowing others to constantly disrespect you without any repercussions can be damaging from a mental standpoint. It's okay to let go sometimes, and it's okay to not be afraid to let go of the people that do not respect you.

Hey, how's it going everyone? It is your man Brad H. once again on the mic about to spit a few bars. Nah, I'm just messing around with you all. I'm definitely not an emcee or a rapper, but I'd classify myself as somewhat of a wordsmith when it comes to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Hope everyone has been doing well out there wherever you are in this world. For those of you that may be first time visitors and not know how things go on here, I come on every other week to give my personal perspective on various thoughts and ideas that I think about on a regular basis. I try to take those ideas and put them into words that can hopefully serve as an inspiration to others, as well as motivation for myself. So Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we're now in the very last month of 2016. Wow, it's amazing how fast this year has flown by. It seems just like last month when I was writing the first blog post of the year for 2016, and now we're less than a month away from a brand new year. This December is going to be a pretty exciting month for my family. In exactly a week from today, my younger sister will be graduating from college. This is a huge accomplishment for our family, because she is the first to actually attend a university and finish. I received an associates degree back in 2007, but she will be receiving her bachelors. I, along with the rest of the family is extremely proud of her and this achievement. Way to go sis! Beyond that, I'm just excited for the rest of the football season, as well as the upcoming Christmas holidays. I've been hearing people complain about hearing so much Christmas music already, but I'm personally loving it just like I do every year. Well now that I've gotten on my soapbox for a minute, lets go ahead and talk a little about not being afraid to let go of people that consistently display disrespectful actions towards you.

Before going more into this week's topic, I always let it be known on here that a person's individual viewpoints will always vary from others. The objective I have here isn't to focus too much on what is considered to be right or wrong, but rather to encourage we as people to think about topics more in depth. If anyone disagree with me on this or any other topics that I've covered, that is totally fine. All thoughts are welcomed here, and the promotion of learning from one another is something that I think should be promoted more. As for how I came to discuss this topic for this week, the only thing I can point to is hearing others mention things about disrespect as of late. I actually wrote a post a little over 3 years ago titled 'Never Tolerate Disrespect From Others(Cutting People Off)'. You can check that out here if you'd like. I believe out of all the topics that I've written about, that one received the most comments from others. That particular post was probably more straightforward in terms of cutting me off. However, I want to piggyback off of that topic with a more less straightforward approach, and instead implement a more cerebral approach that hopefully inspires us to feel more empowered. Any one of us can cut a person out of our lives because of emotions like anger or fear, but letting go off others because we recognize that self love and respect are more important than our relationships with others is something that can leave us feeling more confident and empowered.

So as I stated earlier, we all generally have interactions with people that are disrespectful occasionally. Now in a scenario where we're dealing with someone that may be disrespectful, but it's a scenario that is only temporary or for a moment, it's a little more easy to not be phased by those kind of people. You know the kind of people that you may encounter out in public, but you don't have any previous interactions with them. We typically have no kind of feelings or attachments to those kind of people, so it's much easier to speak your mind and forget about them. The dynamics change completely when it comes to feeling disrespected by someone that is a big part of your life. These are the kind of situations that are often harder to not be phased by, and they can be even harder to just walk away from. Why is this so? Well, most of us have close bonds and attachments to these people, therefore, walking away is often not an option. Think about it for a second. Imagine that you have a spouse that is being disrespectful towards you, but they weren't that way towards you when you met them. Do you really think it would be easy to just let them go if you had years of time invested into them? More than likely, it would not be easy to just walk away from them, in comparison to someone that you don't know. Now I used a spouse as an example, but it can be any kind of relationship with someone that is a big part of your life. The bottom line is that it isn't always easy to let go of someone close to you that is being disrespectful, but here is why you have to at the very least not be afraid to let these people go. You are disrespect yourself.

So how are we being disrespectful to ourselves if we are allowing people to treat us any kind of way? Well from my perspective, when we allow people (regardless of who they may be) to be disrespectful towards or treat us any kind of way, we are basically not viewing ourselves as an individual of value and importance. Allowing this kind of behavior from others is basically a form of devaluing yourself, which can affect your level of confidence and self worth. One thing that I've learned as I've gotten older is that when a person is afraid of potentially losing you, their real feelings and emotions begin to show. In other words, when people see you as someone that is of importance and value to their life, they will often treat you accordingly. This means that they will consistently treat you well, and they likely won't ever disrespect or devalue you because having you in their life gives them fulfillment. Do you really believe that someone that really cares about you would constantly disrespect you if they knew that you would walk away if they never stopped doing it? I highly doubt they would, and if they did, then that's probably a person that doesn't truly care about you. No matter who you are, you are valuable to someone in this world, and the people that see you as being valuable are the ones that will consistently treat you with respect. As I stated earlier, self respect is the most important kind of respect that we can have, and when you respect yourself unconditionally, you won't allow others to constantly disrespect you.

Now with all of that being said, I want to say that I'm not saying that we should just completely cut off people that we're close to. What I'm saying is that if someone doesn't show you the respect that you feel you deserve, then it's okay to reevaluate your relationship with them. From my perspective, there is a bit of difference between letting someone go, and cutting them off completely. I see cutting someone off as an act of retaliation against someone that you feel have wronged you. In other words, it is more than likely done out of spite in order to hopefully hurt that person. In my opinion, letting go means that you're open to trying to work out whatever the problem may be, and then if there isn't a solution to your liking, then you basically remove yourself from the situation. I view letting go as a way of putting yourself before others, which is something we should always do when it comes to having self esteem. So don't ever be afraid to let go of people that don't respect you. Again, there are all kinds of respect, but self respect is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves. I'm going to leave you with a quote that I came across that I feel gives some credence to this particular topic. "No relationship is ever worth sacrificing your dignity or self respect for."

Alright ladies and gentlemen, we have come to the end of another topic. As always, I'd like to thank everyone that came through for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. My hope is that there was some meaning and understanding that could be taken away from this topic, and hopefully it served a source of inspiration for someone out there. If you feel the need to add or contribute anything else in regards to this topic, feel free to drop it below in the comment box. Well I'm about to go ahead and sign off for now folks. The Christmas holiday will be right upon us by the next time I update, so continue to stay positive and in the holiday spirit. I know this can be difficult to do sometimes, especially around this time of the year. Many people grieve even more during the holidays, and we also lose a lot of people during the holidays. It can be rough, but try to be thankful for everything you have whether big or small. Alright, I'll see you all in a couple of weeks. Until then, I wish you all peace and positive thoughts.

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Where You Are Now In Your Life Is Just A Snapshot Of A Bigger Picture.

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I think that most of us have moments in our lives where have questions as to why we're dealing with certain things. Whether those moments may be for better or for worse, there will always be questions and curiosity in regards to why certain things happen to us. Now in my opinion, this logic applies to everyone, and isn't limited to how old or young a person may be. However, I believe that the various questions on why we may be where we at in certain point of us lives is something that younger adults ponder on more than the older generation. Now I'm in no way saying that older people don't question things about their lives. But from what I've noticed in my time on this Earth, the more older and mature people generally know how to handle life issues better than the youth. Today's generation of young people deal with all sorts of temptations and pressures to succeed in life, and this invisible bar of reaching the standard of success that society has set leaves many of the youth feeling mentally and emotionally unsettled. I believe that this is something that many people can probably relate to regardless of what your age may be. Now while I do believe it's perfectly normal to have questions as to why we have have to individually deal with the less than ideal conditions that life may throw at us, I feel that falling into the pit of believing that the way things may currently be in our lives will always be that way is a huge mistake. Some people may already get this, but for those that may not, we have to change our mindsets. We have to realize there's a big picture going on, and that where we are now is only a snapshot of something bigger.

YO! Hey everybody, how's it going? It's your ace Brad H. coming through once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! For those that may not already know how things go on here, I come on every other week to give a personal perspective on the various thoughts and ideas that I think about on a regular basis. I try to take those thoughts and put them into words that can hopefully serve as an inspiration to others, as well as motivation for myself. I normally take this time to get on my soapbox and talk about something outside of this week's topic, but I really don't have much that I wanna speak on. This is Thanksgiving Day, so I'd like to wish everyone a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. I know that many of us look forward to this holiday because of the two F's; football and food. However, there are are two more F's that are way more important and valuable; family and friends. I'm not taking anything away from the food and football aspect, because lets face it, most of us love them both. However, just remember to keep things in proper perspective, and know that both food and football are temporary pleasures. The family and friends aspect of Thanksgiving is what gives us a more long term happiness. So go ahead and feed your bellies on this Thanksgiving, but most importantly, feed your soul by interacting and enjoying the people that mean the most to you. We're quickly coming to the end of 2016, but remember that there is still an entire month left after this one. Basically what I'm saying is not to wait until 2017 to work on bettering yourself with things that can be done today. Alright guys, I'm done with my little rant, so lets go ahead and get into this week's topic on current circumstances only being a snapshot of a larger picture.

Now before I get into the heart of this week's topic, I always let it be known on here that a person's individual viewpoints will always vary and differ from others. The idea here isn't to focus too much on what is considered to be right or wrong, but rather to encourage us as a people to think about topics more in depth. Now if anyone disagrees or feels differently than I do on this topic or anything else posted on here, that is perfectly okay, as well within your right. All thoughts and feedback is welcomed here, and the promotion of learning from one another is something that can have a great impact on our lives. Now for how this topic came about, I have to give a little bit of credit to my younger sister for the inspiration to write this. I had a conversation with her earlier this week where she expressed some concerns about a few things that she is dealing with in her life. During the conversation, I found myself telling her several times that everything is going to be okay, and that where she is at in her life is just a snapshot. That conversation with her inspired me to come on here and talk about the importance of why it is important to see that there's a bigger picture. Furthermore, I know that this is something many of us wrestle with, and I hope that I can bring a perspective that others can relate to. I'm far from perfect myself; I'm not an expert, and I definitely do not have all the answers. However, this is a topic that I've thought about frequently, which makes it important to me. Since it is of importance, sharing my thoughts can't hurt too much right?

One thing that I can definitely say about this week's topic is that it is fairly straightforward. The substance of a topic of this nature is something that most of us is aware of, but despite that awareness, sometimes we need reassurance to keep our minds in the proper state of mind. Now as I stated earlier, we all have moments in our lives where we may ask questions like; "Why is this happening to me?" Another popular question we ask ourselves when things feel like they are falling apart is, "Why me?" These are a couple of the examples as to the questions that we ask ourselves when we're in the midst of the tests that life throw at us every so often. I believe that it is human nature, as well as perfectly normal for us to get down on ourselves whenever things aren't going to our liking. Where the problems enter for us in regards to this topic is when we begin to look at what is going on in our lives at that particular moment, and then developing a false mentality that what is happening now will always be that way. It's like we become way too entrenched within that moment to see that it's temporary. Think about this for a second; whenever things may be going good, we're happy right? We tend to feel good within our minds because for that period of time when things are going great, there isn't much to worry about. Now twist it around and think about how most of us react when things aren't that great. Do you see the similarity? Although being happy and sad are two different things, the thing they have is common is that they are driven by how we as individuals react to things. More importantly, they both are often temporary, which means that no one person will likely always be happy, just as that same person can't always be sad.

Now although this post is primarily focused on the importance of seeing the larger picture from the standpoint of when things may not being going as well for us, I feel it was important to show that the same reasoning also applies when things may be going great also. From my perspective, the thing is that we often allow the negative that may be going on in our lives to overshadow the positive, but that's something that I'll likely discuss more in depth in later blog entries. Now as I pointed to earlier in the post, much of what this entry is about has to do with the younger generation and their desire to achieve greater things. Something that I've talked about in previous posts is how we often compare our situations to others. We're all guilty of this at times, but I think that this really applies to younger people that may be trying to keep up with their peers. From my perspective, there's an obvious reason why so many of us fail to see the bigger picture. See, whenever things aren't going all that well, it's hard for most people to think clearly. The constant negativity often clouds our judgement and reasoning, which in my mind leads to why we can't see that there is often a larger plan for our lives at work. For example, think about a photo album right? Each picture in the photo album is only a snapshot, but each snapshot changes with each turning of the page. As you scroll through and turn the pages of the photo album, the pictures also change, which means that our lives are constantly changing. One particular snapshot doesn't define your entire life, and change is always possible.

So what is the remedy for shifting our focus to the larger picture in regards to our lives? I personally feel it is important for us to have the presence of mind to know that tough times don't always last. This is something that we should be reminding ourselves of on a daily basis. Of course this can be very difficult whenever things aren't going so well, however, it is something that I feel can be done with some added focus. We also need to realize that every emotion that we feel whether it's for good or bad is based on what is happening at the moment, which means it is often temporary. Try not to get caught up too much in the moment if you're in the midst of a storm, but rather focus on what could possibly be at the end of that storm when you weather it. Finally, know and take solace in the fact that there is always something bigger taking place that we may not always be able to see. The only thing we can focus on is doing our part to better ourselves, and I think the rest will take care of itself. I'm going to close out by leaving a quote that I think defines why we should be aware that there's a bigger picture. The quote comes courtesy of Damon Albarn. "No, every album is something like a snapshot. It only shows one moment in time. It shows what we feel and think right at that point in time, nothing more and nothing less." Keep on staying positive my friends, and keep on trying to press forward regardless of where you are in your life.

Well we've come to the end once again. Big thanks to all of you that took out the time to read another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As always, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be taken away from this post, and I hope that it was able to serve as source of inspiration to someone out there. If you'd like to add or contribute anything in regards to this topic, feel free to drop something in the comment box. Well we're nearing the end of the month of November, and 2016 will be out of here real soon. Again, I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and remember to be thankful always. We may not always have all the things we want in this life, but most of us have all the things we need. Even if you feel that doesn't apply to you, you have life if you're reading this, so be thankful for that. Alright I'm out guys, so I'll see you all in December. Until then, I wish you all peace and positive thoughts.

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Everything Starts With A Solid Foundation (Going Back To The Source).

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Most of us have heard that a strong foundation is essential to building a sturdy house. While a strong foundation may be the key to a house or building, it also applies to the importance of having a strong foundation for life. As with anything in life, the foundation is often the starting point of whatever endeavors and pursuits we chase in life. In general, a more stronger and well put together foundation is often the catalyst for having success. Of course there are exceptions when it comes to this theory, but it is generally thought by many to be true. One thing that I've come to notice over the last few years is how so many people seem to have strayed away from some of the biggest foundations that we grew up with. Simple things like family, love, and kindness seem to have taken a backseat in favor of more worldly things. I realize that everybody's circumstances in which they grew up are different, so I'm speaking mainly to the people that grew up in fairly good households and neighborhoods that provided a decent foundation for you. Some of us hold onto those simple values and maintain them throughout life, while others have totally abandoned them on the path towards progressing in life. I personally believe that this is one of the main reasons why so many people are unhappy and feel a sense of emptiness inside. It's truly unfortunate if this applies to anyone out there, but the good news is there is hope for everyone that may feel this way. Everything starts with a solid foundation, and sometimes going back to the source is necessary for regaining that inner peace.

Hey what's up ladies and gentlemen? It is I Brad H. once again, and I'd like to welcome everyone to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! As always, I'm here to give my personal perspective on the various thoughts and ideas that flow throughout my brain on a regular basis. I try to take those thoughts and put them into words that can hopefully serve as inspiration to others, as well as for myself. Before getting into the meat of this week's topic, I want to take a few moments and talk about the 2016 presidential election that took place this week here in the United States. I normally keep political and religious topics off this blog, but I'd like to take a moment and give my opinion on why I feel the election turned out the way that it did. We all know by now that Donald Trump is now the president elect. We're also aware that him being elected is not the outcome that many expected. I'll admit that I was one of those that thought Clinton would narrowly win, but it also doesn't surprise me much that Trump won. I'm not into throwing blame around, but if there were any blame to go around, in my opinion, the Democratic party is probably the biggest reason for Trump being elected. Throughout this election cycle, there was so much corruption that took place within the Democratic party that favored Hillary Clinton. They pretty much forced her as the nominee, and clearly felt like people would just fall in line; not because they liked Clinton, but rather for having a legit fear of what a President Trump would look like. In my opinion, that strategy doesn't work, and it obviously didn't this time. You have to give people a reason to want to support you, and it just can't be because the other guy is so bad. I think that had a lot to do with Clinton's demise in this election. Regardless of who anyone voted for, Donald Trump will be our next president. We can either make things worse by not accepting it, or we can try to work together as a country to move forward. That's all I really have to say about it. Alright, lets go ahead and get into this week's topic.

Before going more depth in this topic, I always let it be known in my writings that a person's individual viewpoint on any topic will vary. The end goal here isn't to focus on what is considered to be right or wrong, but rather to hopefully give anyone that reads these topics something to think about further. If anyone disagrees or happens to feel differently than I do about this topic, that is totally okay. All thoughts are welcome here, and the promotion of knowledge from everybody is something that I believe in. So for a little introspective in how this topic came to be. This is actually a topic that I've been talking about recently with a few of my family members. As I mentioned earlier, I've been relating it a lot as to why I believe so many people in today's society seem to feel empty on the inside. I'm not going to talk like I have all the answers, nor do I know everything. In fact, some or maybe all of what I'm going to say on this topic may very well not apply to you. However, I do feel that this is a topic that could maybe give some insight into why and how we can feel more joy inside. As I stated earlier, many of us have gotten away from the simple things in life that brought us real happiness. Whether there is good or bad going on within our lives, there is always a source in which those emotions begin. I believe that tapping into the foundation is not only the best way to figure out what's causing the issues, but it can also serve as a starting point for rebuilding if necessary.

Something that I often talk about with others about is the importance of how the kind of foundation our relationships with others begin with. Normally, the things that we have in common with others are the things that we build our friendships and relationships with. For example, if you have a childhood friend that you and this person had a similar passion for video games when the two of you were younger, that likeness between the two of you will probably last as your friendship goes on. Now lets say that you meet someone, and the biggest thing that you and this person have in common in the desire for have a lot of money. Lets say that you end up borrowing money from this person, and you find yourself in a situation where you're not able to pay them back when you said you would. Since the love for money is what brought you together, this would probably cause a rift in that friendship right? Now many of you may say that this would cause a rift in any friendship regardless if the love of money is the thing that two people have in common. While that may be true, do you think it would make a difference if the desire for money wasn't the sole thing that brought these two friends together? In other words, do you think that it would be easier to understand and forgive if there was something else besides the love of money that was the foundation for the friendship? While I do believe there are some exceptions, I do believe that two people whom friendship started by a genuine like and care for one another would likely be more forgiving.

Now that I've thrown around a few ideas of what I believe entails a strong foundation in relationships, I want to get into the importance of going back to the source. Now as I mentioned before, I view the source as the point where most of our happiness begins. Some may differ with me on what I'm about to say, but I personally don't feel that we were born to constantly feel miserable and unhappy. Remember back to those days of growing up as a kid; the days where you were carefree, and life was much more simpler? The days where you spent the majority of your time doing things with your family and friends? Now as we age and become older, those times tend to slowly drift further and further away, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We meet need people, and priorities, situations and circumstances change. This is all a part of life's progression right? However, what I've come to notice in today's society is that many people seem to totally abandon those simple things that gave us the happiness many of us had during our youth. So many people get so caught up in their own issues and life struggles that they neglect most of the people and things that were the main source of happiness growing up. Now I'm not saying that we should be aiming to become kids again, nor am I suggesting that we need relive our childhoods again. That's impossible right? What I am advising for anyone that any of this may apply to is implement some of the things that were part of the source of happiness you may have had during those times of life you were at your happiest.

So how do we exactly go back to the source? From my perspective, it all depends on whatever you define as being your source of happiness. As I stated previously, we all grew up differently and had different experiences, and everyone's foundation of life will differ. The main goal of this post is to show that just because priorities and situations change in life, we don't have to totally block out the things that made us the happiness. Home is often the biggest foundation of happiness for many, and we've all seen and heard of people going back home every so often to put life back into perspective. Ever notice how some people can call someone in their family or someone that they grew up with, and find themselves feeling happy just by hearing their voice? It's the little things that always tend to cheer us up the most when we're down. Finally, I want to end by reiterating that everything in your life starts with a solid foundation. I believe that this is something that we need to keep in mind on a daily basis. My reasoning for this is that for as long as we may live, we're always going to encounter new experiences and people. Whatever foundation that a relationship or friendship begins on will likely be the determinant of how and if it falls apart. We've come to the end now, so I'm going to leave you all with a quote that I found that I think is relevant to this topic. "Without a solid foundation, you'll have trouble creating anything of value."

Alright my peeps, we've come to the end of this week's installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As always, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be taken away from this post, and I hope that it was able to serve as source of inspiration to someone out there. If you want to add or contribute anything else on this topic, please feel free to do so in the comments. Well I hope everyone has a great weekend ahead. I know that the presidential election has kinda shaken up the country a bit, but we're going to be okay guys. Take the weekend to maybe unplug from the Internet for awhile, or turn off the television from political related topics for a few days. Winter hasn't set in yet, so try to get outside and forget about all of the country's worries for a bit. There is always so much beauty out there to enjoy. Alright I'm out guys, so I'll see you all in the next post. Until then, I wish you all peace and positive thoughts.

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

There Is Always Inspiration To Be Found (Stay Inspired).

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I think it's fairly safe to say that most, if not all of us find ourselves in the good ole doldrums every so often. I'd also go so far as to say that even if you're one of those people that rarely sink into the doldrums, you're likely able to somewhat relate to those of us that do. We're all living life, and there will always be a degree of bad that comes with life regardless of how good things may be going at the moment. For many people, whenever those tough times come along, it becomes almost second nature to fall into that pit of negativity that is surrounding you. Our minds start playing on our psyche, thinking it's okay to be negative since things are already going bad. Before we know it, we look around and see that we've fallen into a habitual state of depression and self pity. Whenever moments of this nature come at us, it becomes crucial to remember the importance of seeking inspiration. Inspiration can have a slew of meanings to different people, but I personally see inspiration as a force of motivation that inspires us to keep on pressing forward. All that being said, we all know and understand how difficult it can be to find inspiration with all the bad things happening in the world. I'd be remiss to not state that fact. However, we must remember that just because a lot of bad and negativity exists within our world, it doesn't mean that we can't or shouldn't be inspired. Inspiration is a key human element to life, and regardless of what's happening in the world, there is always inspiration to be found.

What's up, what's up, WHAT'S UP! Look at me channeling my inner Martin Lawrence. Nah, I'm just kidding with you all but on the real, how's it going everyone? It is I Brad H. once again, and I'd like to welcome everyone to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! As always, I'm here to give my personal perspective on the various thoughts that float throughout my brain regularly. I try to take those thoughts and put them into words that will not only inspire me, but hopefully serve as a catalyst of inspiration for others as well. I hope all has been good and well for you all since the last post. A lot has been going on in our world as of late. It's no accident that I jokingly quoted Martin Lawrence earlier, but jokes aside, I want to take a moment and say rest in peace to Thomas Mikal Ford. Most of you probably remember him as the character Tommy Strawn from the television show 'Martin'. Mr. Ford died back on October 12, and I honestly forgot to give mention to his passing in my previous post. My thoughts go out to his family, and I hope his soul rests in peace. The presidential election here in the United States is also beginning to wind down. I believe there is only 10 or 11 days until election day, so by the time I publish my next post, the United States will have elected a new president. I personally like to keep my political views separate from this blog, so I won't be stating who I am voting for. I will say this however; Like many others out there, I'm not enthused about this election at all compared to past election years. I think these are two of the worst candidates that we've been given to choose from, and if you're one of those people that seek out third party options, I totally understand and get it. In summation, I think many of us will be elated whenever it's over with, but there will be a sense of disappointment regardless of who it is. Alright y'all, now that I'm rambled on my soapbox for a bit, lets go ahead and talk a little more about inspiration, and how it can always be found.

Now before I get more in depth with this topic, I always point out in my writings that a person's individual viewpoint on any topic will vary. The aim isn't to focus on what is considered to be right or wrong, but rather to hopefully give anyone that reads on these topics something to think about further. I always point out that if anyone disagrees or feels differently than I do about this particular topic or any other topics that I bring up, that is totally fine. Whatever your thoughts and opinions are will always be welcomed here. We can always learn from one another, and the promotion of knowledge gained from others is something that I can definitely cosign with. As for some added insight into how this topic came to fruition, I can't really point to anything specifically. In regards to the topic at hand, it's just something that crossed my mind earlier this week, and I felt like it would be something relevant to address. I also want to add that this blog in general is a hub that I like to use for inspiration, and that's something that I try to document on a frequent basis. However, I do realize that although many of us may have an added need for inspiration, it can be difficult to seek it out whenever things may not be going so well in our lives. We're all human and fall short, but we must also be mindful that those bad times are when we need inspiration the most.

Now depending on how you think as an individual, as well as the things going on around you in your daily life, there may not be a lot of positive things happening around you. Many people hate to acknowledge this fact, but it is definitely true that various circumstances for some people may not always be ideal. If circumstances aren't the primary cause of this, then it can likely be attributed the people you're around, and sometimes it's a combination of both. If allowed, all of this can be extremely draining and taxing on a person's mind and well being. When you take all of that into consideration, most of us can understand how some can lose the inspiration and desire to live life to the fullest potential. This may not apply to many of you, but I'm also willing to be that a lot you can relate to this feeling. The loss of inspiration doesn't just apply to life in regards to be alive and breathing, but it also entails the various people, projects, and interests that we may be passionate about. Ever wonder why so many of us start things that we often don't end up finishing? From my perspective, a loss or lack of inspiration is probably one of the main reasons for many of us quitting on the things we care about most. I think it is hard for some to build up the drive to do certain things, but if and when it's developed, it's extremely much easier to lose.

As I stated earlier in the post, there is so much negativity happening out here in the world, but for all the negatives that are going on, there is also a lot of positive to match it. The biggest issue with many of us is that when we lose that inspiration for life that we develop through positive habits, we often allow ourselves to stay in a negative mind state whenever those moments of strife hit. There are so many channels and outlets that we can tap into for inspiration; we just have to look for them, and most importantly, we have to be willing to apply them. Now I know everyone isn't religious or spiritual, and that's something that I like to keep away from this blog. But for those of you that believe in a higher power regardless of who or what it may be, that can be one of the strongest sources of inspiration to help get you back into the game of life. There are also various motivational figures out there that we can draw inspiration from to get us back motivated. It doesn't matter who or what it may be as long as you're seeking it from a good place. From my perspective, I think one of the biggest keys to being inspired is to find someone or something that you don't want to let down or fail at, and use that as a source of inspiration for your life. The best part about this method is that it can be anything or anyone to give you inspiration.

We're coming to the end of this week's post, so the message that I've attempted to convey is clear and straightforward; there is always inspiration out there to be found. I know from personal experience that staying positive when things aren't looking so bright can be nearly impossible. From my perspective, it's okay to get down, but it's not to okay to allow ourselves to stay down. Inspiration is a lot like opportunities in a sense. Similar to opportunity, inspiration is out there, we just have to look for it. We're all individuals, so we will always have different things that make us tick and keep us inspired. Whatever those things and people may be to you, keep them important in your life as a form of inspiration. Before ending this post, I want to say that the will to want to quit whenever trying times come will be greater than the will to go on. However, with some discipline and added focus, I believe we can develop the necessary inspiration to overcome. I'll leave you all with a quote that I found that I feel gives credence to this post. Not sure who stated this quote but it goes; "To be inspired is great, to inspire is incredible." Keep pressing forward my friends, and continue to stay inspired.

Well we've arrived at the end of the post, so I'd like to go ahead and thank you all once again for tuning into another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As always, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be taken away from this post. I also hope that it serves as a bit of inspiration for anyone out there that may be needing it. If you have anything that you want to add on or contribute to this topic, feel free to drop your thoughts down below. Again, all feedback is welcome here. Well I hope you all have a great weekend ahead, as well as a great Halloween if you're one of those that celebrate it. Halloween is actually my mom's birthday, so despite me not being overly into Halloween as a holiday, I usually enjoy that day because of her. Alright I'm out everybody, so I'll see you all in the next post. Until then, I wish you all peace and positive thoughts.

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

You Are More Powerful Than You Believe You Are (Great Power Brings Great Responsibility).

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For those of you that are familiar with comic books or have seen the Spider-Man films, you have probably heard the classic phrase by Peter Parker's uncle Ben that goes; "With great power comes great responsibility." Even if you may not be as familiar with the Spider-Man franchise in general, you've still probably heard this statement being mentioned somewhere. I believe one of the biggest reasons that this phrase resonates with so many people besides so many people being fans of Spider-Man has to do with how authentic it is. I believe that the true meaning of this phrase goes far beyond comic books and films; it deals with various aspects of our lives as well. While this phrase may be authentic and true to life, it is also true that many of us do not realize how powerful we truly are. I believe that the downplaying of how powerful we are as individuals comes from society's mistaken idea of what power is. It is a fact that much of our society equates power to things like fame, celebrity, status, etc. Not to take anything away from any of these forms of power, because in a sense, all of these can be indicators of power. However, I believe that an individual doesn't necessarily need to have all of these things to be viewed as powerful, nor are they the only requirements in order to have an added sense of responsibility to others. Regardless of who you are or where you are at in your life, you probably have some kind of responsibility that's been given to you. Whatever that responsibility is alone requires a sense of power to maintain, and regardless of who you are, you are more powerful than you believe.

Hey, how's it going ladies and gentlemen? It's ya boy Brad H. coming right back at you once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I'm here once again for another week of giving my perspective on the various thoughts that cross my mind in my life. Like always, I take those thoughts and try to give them life through words that can hopefully inspire myself and anyone else as well. How have you guys been doing out there since the last installment? Things have been going okay for me since the last post. I'm pretty excited that the fall season is here. Those of you that stop through frequently already know how much that I'm not a fan of the summer anymore. The fall season is the time of the year where it's a lot more easier to get outside and actually enjoy being in nature. I'm also pretty excited that my Dallas Cowboys have started off the year with a 4-1 record. I'll be the first to admit that I was a bit skeptical about how well Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot would do, but they have both been pleasant surprises so far this season. Now I'm not one of those Cowboy fans that have gone all crazy due to the great start to the season. The schedule is definitely going to get a lot tougher going forward, and it starts this weekend when they face the Green Bay Packers. We'll see how good both Dak and Elliot are as the season carries on, but they've both performed exceedingly well so far. I know that Jerry Jones stated that Tony Romo will be the quarterback once he's fully healthy, but that may be a decision that he may want to give some more thought to. While I do believe Tony Romo probably gives them the best chance at going far from a playoff perspective, it may not be such a good idea to mess up the teams already good rhythm with the switch. We shall see what happens in due time. Alright, I've talked for a bit, so lets go ahead and talk about this week's topic of how you are more powerful than you may believe.

Like I always touch on in each of my writings, I realize that a person's individual viewpoint on any topic will vary. The objective here isn't to focus on what is considered right or wrong, but rather to hopefully give the people that read these posts something to think about and consider going further. I always want to point out that if anyone disagrees or feels differently than me about this or any other topics that I bring up, that is totally okay with me. I feel that we can all learn from each other as far as I'm concerned, so all thoughts and feedback aside of my own are always welcome here. So now for some brief insight into how this specific topic came about. Throughout the week last week or so, I had several thoughts about the phrase of how great power brings great responsibility. Coinciding with those thoughts was the thought I had that deals with the belief that so many of us tend to downplay our worth and value. The entire thought process of this is what led me to believe that this is something that I need to address in order to give those that maybe doubt how much power they have in this life to rethink that position. I want to help show others in this post that you don't necessarily have to be powerful from a materialistic standpoint to be powerful as a human-being. I'm a firm believer that it's the little things in life that matter the most, and it is often those little things that most of us overlook that can have a significant impact on the lives of others.

Now whether you believe this to be true or not, I feel that we all have some kind of responsibility. Of course we have responsibilities that deal with being able to sustain ourselves in life, but we also have a responsibility to our fellow humans. Maybe you have a responsibility to a child, your parents, or any other family member. If you happen to not have family related obligations, you probably have some kind of responsibility to a close friend. Finally, in the case that there's absolutely no one that you have a sense of responsibility to, you have a responsibility to yourself, which is ultimately the most significant responsibility that you'll ever have. See regardless of who you are, you are always going have responsibilities on some level or another for as long as you live. Now for the sake of this post and the point that I'm trying to make, I want to focus on the responsibility that we often have to others. Going back to what I stated earlier in this post, much of our society has what I feel is a skewed view on what power is, and there is what I personally believe is a myth to having power. The myth deals with the fact that being powerful can only come from high positions or the acquiring of certain material items. Again, I'm not trying to insinuate that those things aren't an indication of a powerful individual. I'm trying to show that those things are not the only requirement in order to be powerful.

From my perspective on this topic, if you have a responsibility to someone or something that's greater than you are, then you are already a powerful and valuable individual. One of the biggest mistakes I think many of us make is not always seeing the bigger picture in this life. Many of us get so caught up in ourselves that we often forget that we as a person is only a small link in a larger chain. We put so much value and energy into the superficial things that are considered to be "true power", that we often forget that the most ultimate form of power comes in the form of having a sense of duty and responsibility to others. Think of an army of soldiers as an example. They work together as a unit, and there are unfortunate instances where some of them may go down. However, the biggest thing is that they fight for a cause greater than themselves, which is why they should be viewed as powerful. This is something that I've mentioned in previous posts, but many people believe that much of a person's self esteem and value derives from the things they've acquired. I believe that anything that a person accumulates is a blessing, but are you able to share those blessings with others is the question? I believe that if you're a person that is able to do those things, then you are powerful. Again, this doesn't apply to material items; it deals with knowledge, wisdom, and being able to give things to others that don't have a price tag. In my personal opinion, this is the greatest form of power an individual can have, especially in a world where many people are so self-absorbed.

So the message in this week's post is pretty clear and straightforward. No matter who you are or where you are in life, you are more powerful than you can imagine if you are blessed with having the responsibility to something or someone bigger than you are. Many people are given responsibilities that they may not always want, which is something that most of us can attest that we've all dealt with that are some point. The thing to remember is that whatever responsibility that we have was given to us for a purpose, and I'm a firm believer that there isn't burden given to us that we can't at least find a way adapt to. We as people have to learn to embrace the responsibilities given to us, and always be mindful that there's great power that resides within to help us rise to the occasion of whatever of whomever we're responsible for. So to all my friends out there, don't ever believe or doubt that you are not a powerful person. More importantly, don't allow society to make you feel as if you're powerless for not having what everyone else has, or doing what everyone else is doing. In a world where the majority feels one way about certain things, being able to not listen to and get caught up all the hype is a power within itself. So never forget how powerful you are, and that great power brings great responsibility. Keep positive, and stay pressing forward everyone.

Well as in the words of the R&B group Boys II Men, "We've come to the end of the road." Nah I'm kidding, but we've arrived at the end of the this week's installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. A big thank you goes out to everyone that joined me once again. I hope that there was some meaning and understanding gained from this post, and hopefully it served as a bit of inspiration to some of you out there. If you have anything in relation to this topic that you want to contribute, please feel free to drop your thoughts in the comment box. The fall of the year is upon us, so wherever you are in this world, try to get outside and enjoy this great weather. I know that I'm definitely going to as long as it doesn't do any raining. I'll see you all in the next post, so until that time comes, I wish you all peace and positive thoughts.

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Not Being Too Hard On Yourself For Making Mistakes.

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We're all aware that mistakes are a part of life. This is something that most of us have heard consistency since our days of being a youth. I've mentioned this several times in the past on here, but to be a human-being is to make mistakes. While there are those that have no problem to admitting that we're all flawed as humans, there are also those that have a hard time confessing to being an individual that make mistakes. I'm not entirely sure why it is so difficult for many to us to admit to our mistakes. Maybe it has to do with so many people having big egos in this time and era. I'll leave whatever the reasons for this up to someone else to decided. At any rate, whenever we make mistakes regardless of how minuscule they may be at that particular time, we normally develop the tendency to brush them off and move forward. I personally think this is the right way to go in regards to making mistakes, however, there are also many of us that struggle with being overly hard on ourselves for our mistakes. There are instances where we tend to mentally beat ourselves up when it comes to our mistakes, and this can often lead to a cycle of struggling to break free from making the same mistakes time and time again. Similar to anything else in life that involves the breaking of a habit, mistakes are right along with that catalog of things in my opinion. It is okay for us to make mistakes, but it's not okay to constantly be hard for ourselves for them.

As in the words of the late Notorious B.I.G., "And another one!", welcome ladies and gentlemen to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! For those that maybe don't know the formula here, I'm here to give my perspective on various topics and thoughts that I think about in my daily life. I take those thoughts and try to put them into words that will hopefully inspire myself and others to keep on expanding our minds. If this is your first time visiting here, I'd like to say welcome to you. If you're a frequent viewer already, I'd like to say thank you for stopping by once again. I hope everything has been going well in everyone's lives since the last topic. Man, there has been a lot of unfortunate tragedies as of late. First off, and I feel bad for not mentioning this in my last post, my grandmother's oldest brother passed away earlier this month. He had somewhat been out of touch with a good portion of the family for the last few years, but we're all saddened by his passing. He was around 96 years old I believe. I'd like to say rest in peace to you Uncle Wilmer. The yearly trips you made home before you got down were always one of the biggest highlights of the year for me. We also had the tragic death of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez a few days ago. For some reason or another, Jose's death really affected me. I think a lot of it has to do with my uncle passing, but also due to the fact that he was such a young guy with a big future ahead of him. I'm not a Marlins fan, but I always enjoyed watching Jose pitch. It was easily recognizable that he had a zest for the game of baseball. Two other tragic deaths that I want to mention before moving on is golfing legend Arnold Palmer, and actor Bill Nunn, whom both passed last weekend. I hope my mentioning of these individuals deaths aren't a downer for you all. I just wanted to be sure and acknowledge them, as well as anyone else who has lost loved ones recently. Alright, lets go ahead and get into this week's topic on the importance of not being too hard on ourselves.

As I always touch on in each of my writings, a person's individual viewpoint on any topic will vary. My objective here isn't to focus on what is considered to be wrong or wrong; that's totally subjective and up to the individual. The goal is to hopefully give the people that read these posts something to think about and consider going further. As always, you don't have to agree with anything that I touch on, and I also encourage anyone that feels differently to leave their thoughts below. All thoughts and opinions aside of my own are always welcome here. So before getting into the topic itself, I want to give some brief insight on why I'm writing on this topic. Personally, I am one of those individuals that I mentioned earlier that often beats themselves up mentally for their mistakes sometimes. Now I don't consider to be someone with an ego that won't admit to his flaws, but I will admit that I can be hard for myself at times. It's a habit that I've gotten better at breaking in the last year or so, and I have some great people that I've come across to thank for that. This week's message is primarily for those that struggle with being too hard for themselves for their mistakes, but it's also a reminder to anyone else that beating yourself up for your failures will not accomplish anything. It's all about what you're able to learn and take away from your mistakes.

As I stated earlier in this post, it's normal for we as humans to develop somewhat of a self-defeating mindset after making mistakes. Now this state of mind normally depends on the severity of the mistake(s) we make. Of course the smaller and more less severe mistakes probably won't affect us as much as a mistake that have more serious consequences. I won't go into what is considered to be smaller mistakes compared to the ones that have a bigger impact on our lives. However, I think we all can agree that a general rule of thumb is that a mistake is a mistake regardless of how big or small it is, and the magnitude or lack thereof can definitely play on our psyche. Now you may wonder how do mistakes affect our state of mind? Take this as an example. Most people associate the making of mistakes as personal failures. Now I personally don't see this as the case, but we cannot overlook the fact that many people think this way. Since failure is associated with not being successful at something in particular, many of us tend to develop a negative state of mind whenever we make mistakes. Again, I personally see failures and mistakes as two different things, but you can see how the two can be viewed as being similar by most. From my perspective, this is exactly why so many people fall into a chronic negative state of mind. It all deals with seeing certain things for something they're really not.

So why exactly is it important to not beat ourselves up for our mistakes? From my perspective, being overly hard on ourselves can aid in putting us into that chronic cycle of having a negative state of mind. See, the thing with us being human is that our emotions and state of mind often depend on the things that happen to us. So naturally, we feel good whenever good things happen, and we feel the opposite whenever things don't go our way. Now the thing with making mistakes is that it's something we cannot avoid. We may be able to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again, but whenever we're tackling something that we're not accustomed to is going to come with some mistakes. Since mistakes cannot always be avoided, there is really no benefit to being hard on ourselves. Now I don't have to tell you the importance of not being negative all the time. This is something that I've discussed many times on here in the past. Now with that said, I want to stress that having a negative state of mind makes us even more prone to mistakes. Being negative all the time doesn't only sap away our energy, it also takes away our confidence and the ability to believe in ourselves. Whenever we're unsure of certain things that we may face, a level of doubt and insecurity in our ability to get through them naturally develops. I believe much of this stems from being constantly negative, thus why I feel it's important to not be too hard on ourselves whenever we make mistakes.

So how do we combat against beating ourselves up for the mistakes we make? Well I believe that there's really no solid answer to that question, mainly because we're naturally going to feel some regret or disappointment from our mistakes. However, there is something that I think can aid in this constant battle, and I stated it earlier in this post. We have to learn to view our mistakes as lessons rather than failures. Instead of being so hard on ourselves whenever we mess up on something, we have to be able to take something positive away from it that we can apply in the future. It's okay to feel a bit of disappointment whenever you make a mistake, but the key is to not dwell on it for too long. We've all heard it before, but the world in general already beats us up for our shortcomings, so there's no sense in adding to it by doing it to ourselves. Again, I know all this sounds more easier said than done, and I myself struggle with this from time to time as I stated earlier. But, as I've also stated before, being aware and conscious of something is half the battle of conquering it. So don't be too hard on yourself whenever you make a mistake at something. It's very important to not develop the habit of thinking negatively every time something doesn't go your way. I'll end with a quote by Robin S. Sharma that relates to this topic: “There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. There is no such thing as a negative experience, only opportunities to grow, learn and advance along the road of self mastery.From struggle comes strength. Even pain can be a wonderful teacher”

Well we've come to the end for this time around folks, so I'm going to go ahead and sign off now. I'd like to say thank you once again to anybody that stopped through for another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As I always like to mention, I hope that there was some understanding gained from this post, and I hope that anyone that read it can relate a bit. If you have anything you'd like to contribute on this topic or if you found it inspiration to you, please feel free to drop a comment below. Well we've arrived at the weekend, as well as a new month, so I hope everyone has a safe and happy one. I'll see you all in October. Until next time, I wish you all peace and positive thoughts. See you in the next one!

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Never Allow Others To Make You Feel Bad For Bettering Yourself.

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I'm pretty certain that most of you have heard of the saying that goes "people are like a bunch of crabs in a barrel". By chance if you have not heard of it before now, this statement deals with the obvious handling of a bunch of crabs stuck in a barrel together. However, there is a sublime mindset about this statement that many people use as a way to describe people that hate to see others rise above them in the real world. It deals with the fact that there are some people that hate to see others get ahead of them in life, similar to when one of the crabs begins to climb out of the barrel, the others will reach up and drag him back down. Now regardless of whether you believe in the crabs in a barrel mentality or not, the brutal honest truth is that there are people in this world that hate to see other people bettering themselves. It is truly unfortunate when you think about it, but there's no denying how much of a fact this is. This is something we both see and hear about daily. Anytime you find someone that is doing things to better themselves, there will likely be people that are also waiting for that person to fail. Despite how bad this way of thinking may be, it can somewhat be expected from outsiders that may not know you as well. You know the kind of people that don't like you, but also don't really know you. However, in some cases, this thinking applies to people that we're the closest to as well. Regardless of who it is that may be projecting their own insecurities towards us, we must never allow others to make us feel bad for trying to better ourselves.

What's up ladies and gents? It's your guy Brad H. coming straight at you once again with another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I'm sure most of you know how it works around here, but for those of you that are maybe visiting for the first time, I'm here to give my perspective on the various topics and thoughts that I think about in my daily life. I try to put those thought into words that I hope will not only benefit myself, but hopefully others as well. I hope that everyone has been doing well since the last post. I've been speaking about it for several posts leading up to now, but FOOTBALL IS FINALLY HERE. I'm not sure about anyone else out there, but football is what the bulk of my conversations with others for the past week or so has been about. Week one is officially in the books, and although my team lost on an awful play to end what should have been a winnable game, I'm just happy and excited that we have football back for the next few months. I may have mentioned this in the past, but this is the beginning of the time of the year that I enjoy most. Not only because of sports in general, but the fact that the weather will be starting to get cooler soon, as well as the holidays starting to approach us. I was just telling someone yesterday that it feels like people are more happier during the winter months, and I believe a big portion of that deals with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. I know I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but I'm just excited. Anyway, now that I've rambled for a bit, lets go ahead and talk about what this post is mainly about, which is the importance of not allowing other people to make you feel bad for wanting to better yourself.

As I always touch on in my writings, a person's individual viewpoint on a topic will always vary. The object here isn't to focus on what is considered to be wrong or wrong; that's totally subjective and up to the individual. My goal is to hopefully give the people that read something to think about and consider further. You don't have to agree with me, and if you happen not to, that's totally fine. Your presence here is welcome regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the things I write. Like always, I'd like to take a little time and give some insight on how I came about writing on this topic. As with a good portion of the past things I've written about, this week's topic is one that I think about regularly. However, the primary reason why I decided to expand on this topic deals with my hearing of others talking about it via social media. I watch a lot of videos on Youtube, and I came across several people that mentioned something that deals with this topic in their videos. Their videos may not have dealt with this topic exactly, however, there were references in some form of the plight of dealing with negative flack from others while attempting to better yourself. Because this is a topic that I already think about and experience, as most of you probably do as well, something within me told me to address this in my own way. The crabs in a barrel mentality will never truly end in our society, but I feel that it's important for people that are trying to better themselves to persevere regardless of what others may say or think.

I'm a firm believer that for every action that a person takes, there is also a reaction. Whether it's for better or for worse, I believe that this state of mind applies to everything in life. Now going more into the context of this topic that we're dealing with, every positive action that we may take towards bettering ourselves will not always be met with a positive reaction from others. As I stated earlier, some people will not be happy for you because of their own insecurities and in some cases, people will negatively project those insecurities onto you. Most of the time, this action is conveyed solely as a way to deter you from whatever you feel is best for your own life. Now some people are able to press on despite all this, and ignoring their detractors comes relatively easy. However, for others that are facing this kind of backlash from others, blocking out the negativity from the doubters and haters can be a daunting challenge. In some cases, this can eventually lead to some people feeling bad or guilty for what they're doing to better themselves, which can stir up emotions that question whether or not we're doing the right thing. I know it sounds crazy for many, but it is a fact that there are people in this world that deal with this on a consistent basis. What's even more unfortunate is that this type of emotional abuse often comes from the ones that know us the best.

Now that we've established why there are people who will make you feel bad for doing things that will better yourself, I want to talk briefly about the primary way that others are able to do this. Going back to what I stated earlier, I believe that much of it deals with emotions. We all know that our emotions play a huge role in the things we do from a moment to moment basis. In some ways, our emotions often guide our actions and decisions. Much of this depends on what our emotional state is at that particular moment, which solidifies that our emotions have a big impact on whether we make good or bad choices. One thing that I think many of us tend to forget is that some people will often us their own emotions as a way to control us. Take this for example. How many times have you said no or didn't adhere to someone that you care for wishes, and then you found yourself changing your mind because they maybe begged or displayed emotions of disappointment towards you? We've all done this at some time or another to get what we want, and we all have fallen prey to others doing this to us. This is an example of how people use their emotions as a way to control others, and this is often the method that people will use as a way to make you feel bad for wanting to better yourself. Now I'm not saying that everyone is like this, however, this is something that we need to look out for when people are doubting something you may be doing to better yourself.

So how do you combat against people that go out of their way to make you feel bad for doing things that you think will better you? From my perspective on this topic, I just think that you have to listen to and trust your own instincts. We can't allow other people to deter us from whatever paths that we may be on towards the journey for self-improvement. Additionally, try not to fall victim to the emotionally insecurities that others will project upon you. Like I stated earlier, we live in a crabs in a barrel society, and you'll find that even the people that you're close to will sometimes subtly not be happy for you when you're changing for the better. Again, much of this is their own insecurities, so don't allow those to keep you from moving forward. Anything that you feel will better you as a person can never be truly bad. Why? Because it's your life, and only you can know what will make you happy in this life. I'll just end by quoting a lyric from a song called Sober Soldier on Stic.man's album 'The Workout'. "When you make a positive change people will judge you, some will take it personal, but don't let it budge you." Keep on pressing forward my friends, and never allow people to make you feel bad for wanting to better yourself.

Well that's all I have for this time folks, so I'm going to go ahead and end this one. Thanks once again for those of you that stopped through for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. Like always, I hope that some meaning and understanding was gained from this. Furthermore, I hope that someone found it inspirational and meaningful to their life. I'm all about keeping it as positive as possible here, and I try to use this blog as hub where others can find inspiration. We've arrived at the weekend, so I hope everyone enjoys and has a safe one. Alright I'm gone people, so have a good one. Until next time, I wish you all peace and positive thoughts. See you in the next one!

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

We're All At Different Stages In This Life (Comparing Your Situation To Others).

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I think it's a fairly normal habit for us as humans to draw much of our self worth and value from our peers. We often draw comparisons to where we may be at in various stages of life to those that we grew up around, as well as maybe the people we attended school with. It feels like the mindset for the majority of people is that you're only doing as good as your peers, and if we're not at or above that standard at the moment, then you're obviously a failure. Although it's a totally subjective thing from my personal stance, for most people, there is somewhat of an invisible bar that is used for the standard that people use to determine their self worth. Now although I feel this way about the subject, I will attest that drawing comparisons from our peers can be beneficial from a motivational standpoint. We all need inspiration to aspire for greater things occasionally, and using those that are maybe doing better than us in certain aspects of life can become a positive motivational force for us to do better. Now with all of that said, I also think that too many of us depreciate our own value at times. We put so much pressure on ourselves to live up to others, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy if we're not at the same level that our peers may be. Life has various stages that we all go through, and no one journey for one person will be exactly like someone else's. We're all at different stages in this life, so we shouldn't compare our situations to else's.

Hey, what's up ladies and gentlemen? It is me Brad H. coming right back at you like an arrow shot out of a bow with another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I want to start off by saying thanks and welcome to you all. Some of you may already know the drill, but for those of you that maybe do not, I'm here to give my perspective on the various topics that I think about in my daily life. I try to take those thoughts and put them into words that I hope to not only benefit myself, but hopefully anyone else that needs a little bit of motivation as well. I hope everything has been going pretty good for you all out there as of late. I know many of you are excited about the NFL season starting less than a week from now. Trust me when I say that I'm definitely right there with anyone that feels that way, although an injury that occurred to a key player on my favorite team has somewhat tempered my already low expectations for this upcoming season. Some of you may already know that I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan, which means that the injured player that I'm obviously talking about is the quarterback, Tony Romo. I was actually watching the preseason game that he went down in, and I was thinking to myself that a lot of Cowboys fans probably stopped breathing for a sec. He was able to get back up and walk away on his, but of course we know now that he has a broken bone in his back. The ironic thing about all this is that despite me being a Cowboys fan, I already had a feeling that Romo would get injured at some point this season; I just didn't expect it during the preseason. At any rate, the rookie Dak Prescott has looked fairly good in the preseason, so we'll see what happens going forward. Of course we know the regular is different, so temper your expectations Cowboy fans. Alright, I'm rambled enough, so lets get into this week's topic of being at different stages in life.

Like I always point out in my writing, a person's individual viewpoint on a topic will always vary. My focus here isn't to put a lot of credence into what is considered to be right or wrong, but rather to give those that read something to think about further. As I stated previously, the main goal with this entry and this blog in general is to hopefully inspire others, as well as myself through the process. Of course if there is anyone that disagrees with the things I discuss or the method in which I use to discuss them, that is totally fine. Your visit is still very much appreciated regardless if our views differ. So how did we arrive at this particular topic for this week? Well, like most of the other topics I've written about, it is something that I already think about pretty frequently. Furthermore, it's a topic that I've had several in depth discussions with people that I'm close with about, but I've yet to come on here and give my thoughts on it. Finally, due to how relevant it is to so many of us out here in this world, I think it's a topic that I need to address more deeply in a post. For far too long, we as a people have based our worth on things that really shouldn't define who we are as people. I realize that this will continue to go on, but I feel that I have to do my part in showing others why they shouldn't be comparing where they are in this life to anyone else.

Now as I stated earlier in this post, we all are in different stages throughout this life. Although many people are aware of this fact, many of us still feel the pressures to keep up with the "Jones's" as people would say. There are several examples of life where this state of mind has relevance. Some examples may include things like getting married, having children, and finding the right career. Now I'm not saying that none of those things aren't important; they most definitely are. I believe, however, that the problem stems from the fact that many of us lose sight of the fact that no two individuals circumstances will be exactly the same, which means that some people will achieve certain aspects of life quicker than others. The society that we live in has painted this image where life is similar to a race, and everyone is expected to reach the finish line at exactly the same time. Of course life doesn't work that way, nor should it be viewed in this manner. From my perspective on this topic, the biggest comparison to life and goals is like people running a marathon. You have one person that gets to the finish line first, and then other competitors finish the race behind them. Some people finish the race a little slower, and some may not finish at all. That is what makes life interesting, and also makes us all unique as individuals.

So getting back to the mental aspect of this topic, there are too many of us attach our self worth to how we view others. Much of the mental part of this deals with we as people allowing others to make us feel this way. Like I stated earlier, in a generalized society, if a person hasn't gotten married or obtained a certain level of success by a specified time period, many people will paint your life as a failure. From my perspective, there are two key elements that we must keep in mind. First, try not to live your life based on a time schedule set by society. I believe a lot of people make some of the biggest mistakes by trying to live up to society's expectations. Instead of participating in this habit, try to remove those barriers from your mind, and live at your own pace. Secondly, do no compare your situation to your friends, your classmates, or your family. Whatever path you're on in life is yours and yours alone. It's not for anyone else to understand, which means that much of what we do will already be under scrutiny from other people. People may not always like your lifestyle or your choices, but most people will always respect a person that stands firms in their convictions.

Now touching once again on the self worth aspect of this topic, and this is the portion of the post that is the most important from my perspective. No matter who you are, where you are in life or what you've done, you are a person of value. No matter what anyone else may say about this, I believe that every person in this world has some kind of value. Some may wonder where is the proof in this? The proof is that we're here and breathing, so even if you don't feel you have much to contribute to this world, you still have the opportunity to do so because you're alive. I realize and understand that we live in a superficial society that places value on people by how much they've accomplished. While we should always strive to do better for ourselves, not obtaining the same level of success as our peers doesn't make you any less valuable. You may not have all the fancy or material items in this world, but your value to this world is priceless if you're the kind of person that gives yourself to others for a cause bigger than you are. So with all of that said, just remember that we're all at different stages in this life, so try not to compare your life to other people. Just keep focusing on being the better individual you can be, and I believe that the universe will reward you in kind.

Well we've made it through another week folks, so it's time for us to part ways for now. Now don't go crying on me now. I'm just kidding of course. Anyway, thank you all to everyone that came through for another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' once again! I hope that this post was of inspiration to someone out there, and even in the event that it wasn't, your visit here is always welcomed and appreciated. Feel free to drop any comments or feedback like always. I hope you all have a great weekend ahead. Football is right upon us, so enjoy. I'm out people, so until next time, I wish you all peace and positive thoughts. See you all in the next one!

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Mentally Protecting Your Eyes and Your Ears (Watch What You Choose To Give Energy To).

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The eyes and ears; two of the very most vital organs of our bodies that we use for listening and visualization. There are so many quotes and references that have been made throughout the years when it comes to the importance of both the eyes and ears. One of the most popular quotes in regards to the eyes goes; "The eyes are the window to the soul." A recent quote that I came across that deals with the value of the ears says; "Ears are the extension of the heart, so if you know how to listen, you know how to love." When the average person may hear anything about taking care of their eyes and ears, they likely think of a visit to an optometrist, or visiting an ear doctor. While it is indeed a fact that we must care for both the eyes and ears from a medical standpoint, there is another aspect of self care many people neglect when it comes to these two organs; the mental side. The eyes and ears are not only physical organs that we use for everyday sights and sounds, they're also valuable to maintaining a healthy and tempered state of mental wellness. I've been thinking about this topic as of late, and I think it's an appropriate one to get a bit more deeper with, and give out some information on. The eyes and ears must be maintained physically, but it's very important to protect them mentally and spiritually as well.

Hey, hey, hey, it's the Fat Albert show! Nah, I'm kidding with you all of course. What's up guys? It's the young soul Brad H. coming back at you once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. Some of you may already know how the routine goes, but for those of you that do not, I'm here to give my perspective on topics that I feel will not only benefit myself, but hopefully be of help to others as well. So how have you all been doing since the last entry? I know many of you probably have been watching the Olympics that are taking place. I've been watching it off and on, but it has been pretty exciting seeing so many Americans doing so well in the individual competitions. I mean what else can you say about Michael Phelps other than he's absolutely an Olympic legend? People normally classify athletes as legends once they retire, but I think it's safe to say that Phelps being regarded as a legend before he even retires is justified. Also, Simone Biles has continued to show just how dominate of a gymnast she is. Finally, seeing Simone Manuel become the first African-American woman to win the gold in an individual swimming event was great. Her interview afterwards was really touching and heartfelt. Being that they're both her and Simone Biles are Texans like myself, I'm very happy for them. Congrats goes to them both, as well as everyone else who is doing well this year in Rio. There are too many for me to name at this time, so congrats to everyone. We still have a few more days of events left, so lets cherish and enjoy them. After all, they only come around once every four years. Alright, now that I've used up my soapbox for a bit, lets go ahead and get into this week's main topic of the importance of protecting your eyes and ears.

Before getting started, I always aim to point out in my writings that a person's individual viewpoint on a topic will always vary from person to person. My focus isn't to put too much energy into what is considered to be right or wrong, but rather to give those that read on these topics something to think about further. My primary goal with this entry and this blog in general is to hopefully inspire others, as well as myself through this platform. If anyone happens to disagree with my perspective on this or any of the topics I discuss, that is totally okay. Now I usually give a little insight into how I came to write about whatever topic that I'm discussing for the week. However, I don't feel it's necessary to do this time since it's something that I've somewhat highlighted in previous posts. If you're familiar with some of my past blog entries, you've probably heard me say something along the lines of; "My ears are closest to my eyes and mouth, so any advice that I give applies to me as well." Although I've been thinking about the topic that we're talking about as of late, it's something that I already give thought to on a frequent basis, which is evidenced by my mentioning of it in past posts. Because of that factor, I'm just going to go ahead and dive right into this topic, and why I think it should be considered such an important thing.

So as I stated earlier in this post, the eyes and ears aren't just organs that we use for seeing and hearing. Although sight and sound are regarded as the primary purposes of the ears and eyes, there is a mental aspect that goes along with the things we give our eyes and ears to. Now the eyes and ears may be two different organs, but like everything else in our bodies, they connect to our brain. Most of us are already aware of this fact, but despite having different organs that make up our bodies, everything in our body connects in some way. We also know that the brain is the main organ of our central nervous system, but it's also much more than that. There have been many debates as to whether or not our brains are similar to computers. I'll leave that up to you to decide whether you believe that to be true or not. However, there is no denying that our brains are the haven for the things we see and hear. Everything that we see and hear gets stored within our brains in some way or another. Whether it is happening knowingly or subconsciously, everything that we give our ears and eyes to is being stored in our brains. Now I'm far from a doctor, and I apologize for all the medical jargon. However, I hope that you can see where I'm going with all of this.

Now we can't always control what we see and hear, however, there are times when we knowingly give our eyes and ears to less than positive things. There are all kinds of things on television and the Internet that we consciously give a lot of energy to that don't generally benefit our minds. We all know people that like to gossip and spew a lot of negativity about others, and while we may not personally participate in this kind of stuff, our ears are still taking in all this negativity. Where do you think all these negative things that we see and hear are going? They're going straight to our brains, which plays a huge part on what kind of state of mind we maintain. Do you really think that we as a people are going to be able to maintain a healthy and positive state of mind if we're constantly feeding our brains negativity? I personally don't think so, which is why it's important to do all you can to protect what your eyes and ears give energy to. I'm sure that most of us have watched or heard something that had such an extreme shock value that despite it probably happening years ago, it has still stuck with us and has a negative impact on us even to this very day. Again, I'm not talking about things that we see or hear that couldn't be helped. I'm referring to the things we consciously give energy to.

While I see it as imperative to protect our eyes and ears from a mental standpoint, I'll attest that it's definitely not an easy thing to do in a world that continuously feeds us a lot of garbage and negativity. Besides the obvious choices of limiting what we choose to watch on television and the Internet, as well as who we choose to hang around, I honestly can't say that I have any other sound advice or solutions to better ways to watch the things we feed our brains. All I can really do is try to do my part in trying to make others aware of this topic and it's importance. From my perspective, I see this topic as something very important to address in a world that I feel aims to influence us negatively on a daily basis. It's very crucial to our lives to care for ourselves physically. However, we also want to have our minds healthy and functioning at its peak. The powers within our minds are limitless, and I feel that in order to unleash those power to their fullest potential, an awareness of the things we choose to view and listen to is a requirement. With all of that said, I want to say to anyone that may already be striving to free their minds of the negativity that is constantly be shoved in our faces daily, keep on pushing to combat against it. Again, it may not be easy, but being aware of something arms us with all the needed tools to defeat it.

Well I believe I'm going to go ahead and end this week's post. I hope that there was some kind of meaning and understanding gained from this week's topic. Thank you again to those of you that stopped through for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' once again. As always, feel free to leave any feedback or comment on this or any of the other topics that I have discussed. The weekend is upon us, so I hope you all enjoy and do something exciting. Alright, I'm out folks, so have a great weekend and upcoming week ahead. Till we all meet again, I wish you all peace and positive thoughts. See you all in the next one, and peace!

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.