Failure Can Still Be Progress.

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From a strictly generalized perspective on life, the society that we live in often associates failure as something bad. Whenever an individual fails at something regardless of what it may be, they're inclined to feel they're a failure by society's standards. None of us want to fail at anything that we're passionate about, and failing at something isn't going to make us feel good about ourselves at that moment. However, while no one wants to experience failure, the undeniable truth is that we're all going to fail at multiple things throughout various points of our lives. As I've gotten older in my life, I've come to realize and understand that failure itself is not as important as what can be learned from our failures. With each failure that we may experience in our lives, there is almost always something beneficial that can be taken from it. This fact alone may not ease any disappointment that comes along with failure, however, it can become a motivational force towards succeeding and moving forward in the future. From my perspective, while failure may not be ideal for us, it can still represent progress.

Yo, what up folks? It's the everyday average guy Brad H. back at it once again with another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. How are you guys doing out there? I hope that you all have been staying up and maintaining wherever you may be, as well as whatever situations you may be facing. We're almost at the month of April, which is kinda hard for me to grasp my mind around at this moment. Maybe it's just me, but doesn't it feel like the year 2016 is speeding through like a spaceship in hyper drive? (Forgive the Star Wars reference, ha). I once heard someone say that time tends to move a lot faster the older we become. I'm not sure how many of you may agree with that statement, but I can say from my perspective that I find that statement to be very true. Anyway, the month of March was a pretty positive month for myself. I celebrated another birthday, ran in another race, and had an enjoyable Easter spending time with family members. I hope that March was good to you all as well, and here's to the month of April being even better for us all. Alright, now that I've gotten on my weekly soapbox for a bit, lets go ahead and get into this week's topic of how failure can still be progress.

Before we go any further, I want to be sure and state that a person's individual viewpoint on a topic will always vary. My personal goal here isn't to try to change peoples minds on how they feel about a certain topic, but rather to leave anyone that reads these posts with something to think about and maybe consider further. It's totally fine with me if you happen to disagree with me on anything I've written here. Again, the mission is to use this platform as a way to express my ideas and opinions. Alright, so this week we'll be talking about why failure can still be progression. This is a topic that I feel needs to be addressed for the aforementioned reasons I stated earlier. However, I also want to use this topic as a way to hopefully motivate and inspire anyone that may be feeling a bit down on themselves for a recent failure that maybe has occurred in their life. Again, society as a whole associates failure as something negative, but here at Brad H.'s Perspective, we're not overly focused on what society as whole does and think. Much of our society thrives off negativity as is, so it's no wonder why we often beat others down whenever they fail. For this week, I'm going to point out how using our minds can help in viewing our failures in a more positive way.

Every single one of us probably has a goal or goals that we're working towards. When you're working towards achieving something important to you, there will always be little hiccups and setbacks that may happen along the way. The degree of these setbacks will vary, as some setbacks are more bigger than others. Despite the variance of any setbacks that may occur towards reaching a goal, there is almost always a moment when we may want to give up and quit on that goal. You may begin to think to yourself that you're facing an uphill battle, or that you're trying to get somewhere while swimming against a strong current. You're facing all these outside problems along with chaotic things going on while trying to reach a goal, and it feels like it's just not meant for you to succeed. Sounds familiar? We may find ourselves believing that it's time to throw in the towel because there's no point in going on with so many factors that are working against you. Quitting may indeed be an option, and it may even be an understandable one when you feel that you're not making any progression towards your dreams. However, this is when the power of the mind becomes so important.

See, because we have been conditioned by society to feel like we're failures whenever we don't achieve something big or important, many of us tend to forget the importance of whatever progress that we've made before we stumbled. The thing many of us forget is that when you've started taking action towards a obtaining a goal, you've already done something very important whether or not you've reached that goal; made progress. If you're working towards something you're passionate about, and you've managed to slip up along the way and made a mistake, it doesn't signify failure because you've already taken positive steps towards progression. Your mind, along with a negative society will try and play tricks on you to convince you that you need to quit completely because of a setback. This is when the important usage of your mind will play into either breaking you, or inspiring you to keep on pressing forward towards your goals. Rather than giving into negativity, we have to use our minds to focus on all the progression that we've already made. Just as an example, how do you think people that run marathons are able to complete them? They tap into the power of their mind whenever their body wants to give out.

I'm a work in progress myself, so I don't know, nor do I have all the answers to reaching goals. However, what I do know is that we'll never get to those goals if we give up on them so quickly. Failure and failures will happen along this journey of life, but the most important thing is whether or not we learn from those failures. If we're learning from our failures and continuing to readjust our strategies towards reaching our goals, then I believe we're making positive progression not only towards a specific goal, but towards life in general. I believe that this game of life is one where for as long as you're alive and breathing, you never stop truly learning. Again, focus your mind and channel as much of your energy into your progressions rather than your failures. I believe that by doing this, we'll find the inspiration to keep on going whenever we feel ready to quit. More importantly, remember that you're never truly a failure unless you completely quit. Like the saying that we're all familiar with goes; if you happen to fall down, dust yourself off, and pick yourself right back up.

Alright my friends, I hope that I was able to get the point I was attempting to make across. I'm going to go ahead and sign off for this time, so big thanks to all of you again for coming through for another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. Like always, the hope is that some meaning and understanding was gained from this post. Even if there isn't, I still appreciate those of you that stopped by. At the very least, I hope that some of you find this inspiring to you. Well I'm up out of this peace for now, so I'll catch you all on the other side. I go by the name of Brad H., and I wish you all peace and positive thoughts. Till next time!

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Why Social Media Validation Shouldn't Play A Major Factor In Our Lives.

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Facebook, Twitter, Instagram; most if not all of us either have accounts on these platforms, or at the very least, know exactly what these sites are. The popularity of these social media sites along with the various others out there has probably risen above proportions that even these sites initial creators could even imagine. For many people in our society, the spending of hours upon hours on social media sites has often replaced the normal interactions that we once had with our family and friends. Some people would rather trade handshakes and conversations with everyday people for likes and comments on social media sites. With the expanding popularity of social media sites, there has developed a need for validation from others via these sites for many. Most of our society has developed into a world that compares and judges a person's value based on social media interaction and popularity among our peers through these sites. I will admit that the relevance of social media has become very important in our society, but seeking validation from others through social media shouldn't be a major goal. Quite frankly, social media validation shouldn't even play a major factor in our lives in my opinion.

What's going on ladies and gentlemen? It's me the everyday average guy Brad H. coming at you, and I'm back at it once again with another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. I hope everyone has been doing excellent since the last post, and hopefully this reaches everyone in good health, as well as a positive state of mind. As for me personally, I recently celebrated another birthday. So March 11th marked my reaching the age of 35. It's been nearly a week now since then, and even saying that I'm 35 is still somewhat weird for me. Probably the biggest reason for that is that I don't really feel like I'm that age. Then again, age 35 is still brand new for me, so I'm not quite sure how it should feel at this point. All I know is that I physically don't feel much different than I did in my mid 20's as of yet. I suppose age in relevance to how one feels physically is one of those things that will vary with each person. As for my birthday itself, it was pretty uneventful for the most part. The weather prevented me from doing what I initially planned, but on a high note, I was able to receive a few birthday gifts that were pleasant surprises. I also got to catch the movie "10 Cloverfield Lane" during the weekend. That movie was pretty disappointing to me, so I won't talk about it much. Better yet, I won't say anything else about it besides going and seeing it. Overall, while my birthday didn't go as planned, just being able to see another year is the most important thing. Okay I've rambled enough, so lets get into this week's topic of social media validation and why it shouldn't be an important factor in our lives.

Before we delve into this week's topic, I want to be sure and state that a person's individual viewpoint on a topic will always vary. My personal goal with this topic, as well as with all the others isn't to focus on what is considered right or wrong, but rather using this platform as an outlet to express my opinions. For those of you that maybe read this and do not agree with what I have to say, that's totally fine. However, my hope is to leave anyone that reads these topics with something to think about further, and maybe even find yourself evaluating more in depth. So as I mentioned earlier, this week's topic deals with people seeking validation through social media. Since nearly everyone uses social media, and so many people seek validation from others in everyday life, some of you may wonder why I feel this is a relevant topic to expand upon. Well, I personally think it's important because not only is it something that I see so many others participating in, but it's something that I myself struggled with awhile back. There was once a time where I put too much value into how others viewed me via social media sites, and it took awhile for me to realize what I know today. What someone thinks of you in your everyday life shouldn't matter to you, and the same rule applies when it comes to social media.

I can think back to a period a few years back when a big reason for me posting status messages on Facebook was to impress others. It was a way for me to somewhat feed my ego by hoping that others would give attention to what I posted. Now I'm in no way saying that everyone does this, nor am I saying that it's necessarily wrong. If being a person that constantly strives for attention though social media sites is your thing, then go right ahead on if it makes you happy. However, for me personally, tying my worth to what others think via social media isn't something I'm interested in any longer. See, what I've come to realize over the past few years is that social media is somewhat similar to reality television. When we view reality television shows, they try to give off the impression that everything they're showing us is real when in actuality, there are many layers that go towards a reality show. There are producers, directors, sets, and crew members behind the cameras that are pulling all the strings right? Since there are so many layers that go into a reality show itself, it can't be entirely real right? Also, do you really believe that people on these shows are truly being themselves? I personally do not believe that to be the case. I want you all to consider this for a minute. Imagine you're at home and there was someone filming you. Do you think you would act the same way being filmed that you would act if there was nobody there? More than likely you wouldn't, and while that comparison is not exactly the same, there is a similarity when it comes to social media. Social media allows us to have an audience and in general, even subconsciously, most people act differently when they're given an audience.

Just from my perspective, and I'm sure most of you can agree with me on this, anyone can put on a facade via social media. Often times the people that seek the most validation through social media are the people that have the biggest issues and insecurities in their everyday lives. In today's society, the social media platform has become the reality show outlet for not only being able to receive the attention we may not be getting outside of it, but for also masking the lack of happiness that should already come from within ourselves. Why else would a person need to post multiple pictures of themselves daily, or constantly spend hours upon hours glued to what everyone else is doing on their social media? Again, I'm not saying that engaging in social media is wrong, however, the seeking of validation from others through social media is probably not the best place to go for attention. Lets be honest here; in most cases, most social media friends are not your real friends. A real friend may interact with you via social media, but they will also have interactions with you outside of it as well. I also want you to consider the following. If you were to die today, how many of your thousands of friends and followers via your social media would come to your funeral service?

It may seem like I'm bitter and bashing social media in this post, but that isn't the case at all. My goal is to get people to understand that a phone call from someone is more valuable than a Facebook like. Going out to dinner with a friend or family member should mean more to you than the comments you receive on a status or picture. There are some people out there that actually get upset when people don't like a photo or status they post. It really shouldn't be that serious, and that's something that I had to learn for myself. A genuine compliment from someone outside of a social media site should mean more than posting a picture and getting a truckload of likes and comments from people that may not truly care about you as a person. From my perspective, social media should be viewed as a tool for gaining and sharing information. It should be a catalyst for interacting with others and making new connections with other like minded people that could potentially become true friends beyond just social media. Social media should be a small part of your life, and not the end all be all in your world. In my personal opinion, what social media shouldn't be is a platform for seeking attention and validation from other people. This isn't a virtual middle and high school where everyone wants to be popular. There's a lyric from a rapper I like named Locksmith that goes; "Attract sharks when you fishing for compliments." Keep that in mind whenever you're looking for validation via social media.

Alright, alright; I believe or at the very least hope that I was able to get my point across with this topic. I'm going to go ahead and wrap this one up, so thanks again for those of you that took out the time to check out another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! As I always like to state again before I close that the hope here is that some meaning and understanding was gained from this. Even if there was not, I still appreciate those of you that stop by. Well I'm out of this joint, so I hope to see you all in the next one. I go by the name of Brad H., and I wish you all peace and positive thoughts. See you all in the next one!

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance of Controlling Your Emotions.

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We're all aware that our emotions play a huge part in our everyday ability to function. Our emotions are normally the driving factor behind the decisions that we make, as well as how we react to certain things that happen in our lives. While we all have emotional moments and experiences that are a part of our make-up, the degree of variance in how our emotions control us will vary from person to person. Some people will just be more emotional than others, and some people will allow their emotions in certain circumstances to control them more than others. It appears that in this day and age that society looks down upon people that are emotional, and while I'm a firm believer that it's okay for we as people to be emotional at times, allowing our emotions to control us can be a very detrimental thing to our lives. It's okay to have emotions, but it's also important to work on having a firm hold over your emotions as well.

What's up ladies and gentlemen? Good day to you all, and welcome to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As I tend to say repetitively because it's the truth, I hope this reaches you all in good health and spirits, as well as in a positive state of mind. The year 2016 is quickly progressing along, and we've already arrived at the month of March. March is always an exciting month for me as it marks my birthday month. I'll be celebrating my 35th year on this planet on the 11th, so I'm pretty excited about that milestone if you will. Also, I wrote in the last post that I would be participating in a 5K in late February. The race took place this past Saturday, and it was an overall fun and successful event. The event titled the Kinsel Ford 5K was the very first race that I ever partook in, and this year marked my fifth time participating in this annual event. Saying that it has somewhat of a nostalgic place in my life would be an understatement. For the past few years, it has become an event that I look forward to. Although it was a challenging ordeal participating with my dealing of a few injuries leading up to the race, I was still able to complete the race in under 30 minutes; the target goal that I normally set for myself. Its been a few days since the event took place, and I'm still pretty satisfied with the aftermath! So the next big thing happening for me will be my upcoming birthday, and I'll be sure to talk about that some in the next post. Alright, lets go ahead and get into this week's topic of dealing with our emotions better.

Before getting into this topic, I want to state that a person's viewpoint on a topic will always vary. My goal with all of this isn't to focus on what is considered right or wrong, but rather using this platform as an outlet to express my opinions. If you happen to disagree with me that's perfectly fine, however, through the process of expressing my opinions via this platform, the hope is to leave anyone that reads this with something to think about and maybe evaluate more. Now as I stated earlier in this post, emotions play a big part in how we live our lives. I would even go so far as to say that the way we handle our emotions is probably at the core essence of who we are as people. I believe that emotions are the catalyst for not only how we view the world in general, but for also how we view our relationships and interactions with others. When you really take it in and consider it, the happenings in our individual lives, along with how good or bad our relationships with others are play a large factor in determining how high or low our emotions can get. It's basically a process of what is happening in our lives vs. how we react to and handle what is happening.

Now from my perspective on this topic, being an overly emotional person can be a good or bad thing depending on what is happening in our lives. We're all aware that whenever something good happens for us that it normally sparks happy feelings and emotions, while the opposite happens whenever things tend to go south. Since happy and positive emotions are associated with things going well, for the sake of making my point in this post, I want to focus on the importance of having control of our emotions when things may not be going all the best. My reasoning behind this has to due with that the fact that many of us make irrational choices and decisions whenever we're allowing ourselves to be controlled by our emotions. This is exactly why I stated earlier that this is a habit that can be very detrimental to our lives. Whenever you're an emotional wreck when things aren't going all that well, it's important for you to understand you're not really your true self at that particular moment. At that moment, you've more or less become a slave to your emotions, which in turn puts you more at risk of making bad choices.

Some of you may wonder why is any of this even relevant since we all have emotions. I can't speak for anyone else, but it's important to me because I myself have allowed myself to become a slave to negative emotions at times. It's something that we all battle with at times but more importantly, it's something that I see happening in society way more than I'd like to see. Too many individuals are hurting themselves both in the long and short term by allowing their emotions to control them at certain moments. Think about this example for a second. You have a person that maybe loaned a family member or a friend some money right? Weeks go by and they haven't seen nor heard from the individual that the money was loaned to. Now the emotion of anger is probably beginning to kick in, and at this point it would be totally justifiable. Now lets say for the sake or argument that the person finally catches up with and confronts the individual they loaned the money to, and a heated argument takes place among the two. While being angry is understandable, do you believe it would do more harm or good if the person that loaned the money confronted the other individual in a more aggressive manner compared to a more calmer approach?

The point that I'm trying to make here is that allowing your emotions to control you in bad situations can be counter productive. We've all seen and heard of family members and friends falling out over certain things, which is similar to the example that I used. Normally in these type of situations, it begins with anger, which leads to a negative emotional state of mind that sparks these heated confrontations. In the end, these type of conflicts ultimately do more damage than good. As I've mentioned previously, it's perfectly normal for our emotions to play a role in certain situations. The thing we want to focus on is not allowing ourselves to do or say something we end up regretting because we were emotional at a particular moment. None of us are perfect and we're all flawed individuals, so of course gaining a hold on our emotions is a task that will not come easy. However, the thing we want to work on is becoming more conscious of our decisions whenever those negative emotions start to creep in. From my perspective, a more conscious person is a more aware person, and a more aware person makes better decisions regardless of how good or bad a moment is. One of my favorite examples I like to use in regards to controlling your emotions goes like this: Allowing your emotions to control you is like being in a moving car, and your emotions are in the drivers seat while you're sitting on the passengers side; a crash is bound to occur.

Well folks that's it for this entry of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. I believe and hope that I was able to get across the point that I'm trying to make. Like always, the hope is that some meaning and understanding was gained from this. Even if there wasn't, I still appreciate those of you that stop by. Alright I'm out this peace, so thanks again to those of you that stopped by. Have a great week ahead, and stay positive my people. See you all in the next one. Peace!

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.