Viewing Your Struggles As Experience For Down The Road (Banking Analogy).

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What is one of the biggest assets in this world that most, if not all people want to attain and have a comfortable amount of? If you guessed money, then you are absolutely correct, however, I'm sure that most of you already knew where I was going with that question anyway. Yes it is indeed true that we all need money to sustain ourselves, but one aspect of money that most people strive to do more of is save. People look to save money for all kinds of reasons. Maybe you're looking to save to take a trip, or you're trying to save for a big ticket purchase, etc. There are all kinds of things that people try to save for, but I'm willing to bet that the biggest reason why people aim to save money deals with emergencies. Like is unexpected, so it is always good to have money saved just in case you need it down the road. Now you may wonder why I'm starting off this week's topic talking about money. Well I'm far from a financial expert or guru, but what I do know is that life experiences can be similar to putting money into savings. The experiences that we go through in life can often help us down the road when it comes to future encounters. Every single one of us experience struggles and hardships from time to time, and instead of embracing them for what they are and using them for experience, we often complain about them. It is okay in my opinion to be discouraged by our struggles in life, however, I think it is time that we look to change our mindset a bit. Instead of seeing tough times as a bad thing, why not use them as experience to bank in the future?

Hey, how's it going people? This is Brad H. once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that things have been going well for everyone as of late. I know that the planet has been dealing with some trying times as of late, but hopefully you all are maintaining wherever you are. As some of you may already be aware of, I'm here once again to give my perspective on a particular topic for the week that I've been thinking about as of late. Before getting into the topic for the week, I'd like to quickly give my opinion on something that I'm sure many of you are aware of; the protests that took place in the NFL last Sunday. Again, this is just my opinion, so I don't expect everyone to agree with me in regards to this. Now from what I've seen so far, the response to the protests by the NFL players and owners has been fairly positive. However, there has also been quite a bit of criticism as well. Now I'm not in the heads of the players that protested and spoke out against the president, but just from a solely generalized perspective, I don't personally feel that the players not standing for the American flag and national anthem means they are not patriotic or un-American. Part of being an American in my opinion means holding onto the values and principles that you believe in. Some of the greatest leaders that we've had in the history of our country had views that went against the grain, but still maintained respect for American culture. We have the freedom of speech here, but it feels like we only have freedom of speech for as long as it doesn't go against what the majority wants. It shouldn't like that in my opinion. Even if you disagree with the protesters, or someone that doesn't share the same beliefs as you do, those people have the right to peacefully protest if they choose to do so. That's pretty much what I wanted to say real quick in regards to that topic. Now it's time to move onto the real topic for the week that deals with using our struggles for experience.

Now that I've gotten all of that out of the way, I'd like to go ahead and give my weekly disclaimer before diving into the week's topic. We're all aware of the fact that we all have different views and opinions when it comes to life. The idea here is not to focus on what is deemed to be right or wrong, but rather to give some inspiration and hope to others that will aid in helping encourage us all to view topics in a manner that we not not have before. As always, any feedback or thoughts are welcome. I'm just one individual, and since there are various ways of viewing things, the feedback of others is something that I can learn from as well. Now onto how this week's topic came to be. I recall having a conversation with my sister about a week and a half ago, and I remember telling her something along the lines of how our struggles can help us in the future. Besides the dialogue of the discussion that we were having, I honestly have no idea where I came up with this. Then I got to thinking about how most people try to save money for later on down the road, and then the idea came together of tying the two together. I personally think this is a pretty good analogy to compare these two things to. Although saving money and struggles may be two different things, there is one main similarity they have; the ability to help alleviate the damage that may occur when emergencies strike. I want to stress again that these are just my own personal opinions, so there isn't any right or wrong. Hopefully some of you can identify with where I'm coming from.

One of the ideas that I've mentioned and tried to convey on many occasions in previous posts deals with the idea of we as people not seeing things clearly when we're facing struggles. Often times when we find ourselves in the middle of a stressful situation, we allow our emotions to overtake our ability to rationally see things. There are different degrees to this, and everyone different when it comes to this but from a general perspective, this is often the case. The reason I bring this is up is to show that most people only see the bad and darkness whenever things are going bad, which is totally understandable. But with that said, for everything that happens whether it is for good or for bad, there is always something that can be learned from it. I'm sure many of you have heard the famous quote by Nelson Mandela that goes; "I never lose, I either win or learn." Learning from an experience isn't always guaranteed, but it is something that can happen if you're willing to open your mind up to it. Now when we find ourselves in hardships, we often allow the negative that comes from it to cloud our minds to the point where the negative is the only thing we see. The ability or willingness to try and learn from the situation often gets thrown completely out of the window. In my opinion, this is exactly why we need to try and work on changing our mindsets. Is it easy? Absolutely not, but as with anything else in life, consistency and practice can help get us there.

Now I'm sure that some of you may not equate struggles with anything positive. However, if you work on changing your mindset to see that there is hope even in the darkness, the idea of changing can become a reality. Now in order for us to see our struggles as experience for down the road in life, we have to start looking at our lives as if it were a savings account. The same way that you acquire money and save it is the same mentality when it comes to the experiences we have in life. So in order for us to bank those experiences into our life savings, we have to be willing to not only endure the struggles in our lives, but also willing to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations that can help us to grow. As I mentioned earlier, it is not easy to see things this way in the midst of uncomfortable times. Now going back to the banking analogy, your money grows as you continue to deposit money into savings right? The same thing can apply when it comes to our struggles as well. From my perspective, when we endure our struggles and come through them, we not only come away with an added sense of confidence and pride from being willing to endure. We also gain knowledge and wisdom that we can use towards other things that may come our way in the future. Just like you put away money for a rainy day, the struggles and experiences that we go through can be deposited for future events as well. Again, it is all changing your mindset. That is something that I'm probably going to say on here till I'm blue in the face. It's all about the mindset folks.

The goal with this topic isn't necessarily to tell anyone that they should change their viewpoints. The main thing that I'm hoping for others to see is that everything that we go through that we see as being bad isn't always the case. Yes it is true that it can be very difficult to see the glass half full when you're going through things. However, you'll find that when you continue to stick with life and not give up on yourself when things are tough, you'll find that you'll be a better person for it in the future. Just like that bank account will grow with investing, your life will grow when you continue to look at those struggles like investments. I'm a firm believer that everything that we have been through already, as well as the things we are going through at this moment is just preparation for the future. Some may not feel that this is the case, but I do believe that our struggles can be seen in a different light when we open up our minds to change. Difficult, yes. Impossible, no. The quote for the week that I came across and I'm going to bring this to a close with comes courtesy of Napoleon Hill. It reads; "Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle". I think this quote reaffirms the idea that there is something positive that can come from the struggles that we have to endure.

Well that is all that I have for this week my people. Thank you all once again to those of you that stopped by for another edition of 'Brad H's Perspective'! As I always mention before signing off for the week, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be gained from this topic. I hope again that some of you out there can relate. We have arrived at another weekend, so I hope that everyone enjoys themselves. There is a lot happening across the globe, and things are even more unsettling here in the states as of late. Despite all the negativity happening, we all have to be positive and resolute in becoming the best version of ourselves. Stick to the plan my people, and lets keep on pressing forward. I'll see you all in the next one. Till then, I wish you all the best. Peace!

©2017 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Everything You May Want In This World Isn't For You (Knowing Exactly What You Want).

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We all have things that we want out of this life that we're living right? Whether it's to have the perfect partner or spouse, the white picket fence or a lot of money, we all have things that we want to accomplish while we're here. Some people know exactly what they want out of life, while there are others that somewhat straddle the fence when it comes to wanting things. You know how some people believe that there is something they want, but later realize that what they thought they wanted was really not what they wanted? Hopefully that makes some sense, but in short, we as humans are often indecisive about certain things in life. One day we may feel a certain way about something, and then the next we feel the opposite. One of the things that I've often talked about on here is how so many of us compare our lives to everyone else. Often times, not always, many people use the lives of others as a basis for what they believe they want in life. So we often look at what others have and in turn, we think the things they have will bring us the same kind of happiness that they seem to be experiencing. While that may be the truth in certain cases and scenarios, I generally believe that interpreting what you want in this world through the eyes of others isn't a good thing. As I stated, we all want things out of life, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, something to also keep in mind is that everything that you may think you want in this world may not be for you.

Hello once again to everyone out there. It is me Brad H. back once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that everyone has been doing well and staying up since the last time we met up on here. If that hasn't been the case for any of you, just continue to keep on holding your head up and believe that things can and will get better. That is something that I have to tell myself often as well. So there are quite a few happenings that have been taking place in the world as of late. I talked a lot about Hurricane Harvey and the effect that it had on Texas in the last topic. Since then, we saw another devastating hurricane named Irma hit the state of Florida. Not only Florida, Irma totally destroyed many parts of the islands south of the U.S. mainland. In my personal opinion, this has been one of the craziest hurricane seasons that I've ever seen. The thing that is even more worrisome is that hurricane season is nowhere close to being over with, and there are storms still forming in the Atlantic right now. I guess I just want to use my soapbox this week to piggyback off of last week's topic of being resilient. There isn't anything that any of us can do to prevent these storms from forming, but what we can do is prepare for them as best we can. The biggest thing I would suggest is to try and stay informed on what is happening in the ocean in regards to when storms are beginning to form. The days of relying on the news to tell us exactly what is going on and when to prepare are pretty much nonexistent now, so we have to always be aware of what is going on. My thoughts go out to everyone that was affected by Irma, as well as those still feeling the after effect of Hurricane Harvey. Stay resilient everyone. Alright, now it is time to get into this week's topic of how everything you may want in this world isn't for you.

Now that I've gotten on the weekly soapbox, it's time for the normal disclaimer that I give before going into the topic for the week. We all have different views and opinions when it comes to life. The primary mission here is not to focus or give credence to what is right or wrong, but rather to give inspiration to others that will hopefully encourage people to view a topic in a manner which they may not have thought of before. I'm just one person with an opinion, so I don't expect everyone to see things the same way that I do. Any feedback or thoughts that anyone has is always welcome here. As I've stated plenty of times before, I see this as platform where we're all here to learn from one another. So as to how this topic came to be, I would just attribute it to another one of the many things that I think about on a regular basis. I think that there are so many of us out there that often focus primarily on the pros when it comes to the things we want in life. Since we put so much emphasis on the potential good that comes from things, I think we don't always see that there is also bad that can potentially come from the things we desire. Because I have the belief that everything has pros and cons, I think that everything that we may want or think we want may be good for isn't always. Again, this isn't to discourage anyone from pursuing anything that they're interested in, just something to hopefully give some thought to.

So as we have already established, we all have things that we want and desire in life. Another thing that we should all be aware by now is that life isn't always fair. This is something that can be hard for some to accept, especially when we're younger and don't fully have a grasp on how life works. So with knowing that life isn't fair, the idea or belief that everything we want should be ours isn't always true. However, there are some of us that still hopelessly chase after the things we believe that we want, and some of us continue to do this even when the very things we want continue to elude us. A prime example that most of us, especially guys can relate to deals with women. I'd say that at least 99.9% of us men have had a woman that we really liked, but she continued to not be within our grasp. She may have told you straight up that she wasn't interested, or she may have even played hard to get, but we still felt like there was something we could do to get her to admire her in the same manner that we do her. Some people say that persistence pays off, and I do believe that is true in the majority of cases. However, excessive persistence without ever seeing the results that you desire should be a sign that maybe what you believe that you want isn't for you. So in the example of chasing after a girl, the fact that she didn't share the same sentiments as you probably means that she isn't the one for you. This same ideology goes for anything else in life as well. Everything that you believe is for you isn't.

Now there are several ways I believe of handling being able to accept that some things in life aren't for you. The biggest thing that I want to bring up deals with changing your mindset. Those of you that often read my posts already know that I talk about the mind and how it is important to focus on adapting it to adjust to life changes. I believe that the main reason that many of us struggle with believing that everything that we want is for us comes from the fact that many of us don't know exactly what we want. This is exactly why I've said the words "think we may want" several times throughout this post. The fact is that many of us don't know exactly what we want, which means that we're often chasing after a lot of the wrong things. When you're chasing after the wrong things, you're likely never going to get back the results your hoping for. As I've alluded to, we all have had disappointments and setbacks when it came to something that we wanted. It is normal and okay to feel disappointed when something doesn't go our way, but instead of focusing on the cons that came with that disappointment, focus on the pros that came with it. Again, I believe there are pros and cons to everything, and that applies as well it comes to disappointments and heartache. It is difficult to see that when you're in the midst of that setback, but it something that comes to light in due time.

Besides just informing others that everything that you want in this world isn't for you, I want us as people, including myself to change our mindsets and figure out exactly what you want in this world. No one is perfect, and I do believe that the journey to finding out exactly who you are and what you want is a constant one. However, if you find yourself and learn exactly what you want in this life, you'll do a better job at preventing yourself from experiencing disappointments. Because you know who you are and exactly what you want, you'll know exactly the things and people to go after in your life. Again, I want to reiterate that this doesn't guarantee that you'll never experience disappointment. Life is always unpredictable and changing, so nothing is guaranteed. However, I do believe that we can do much better at avoiding disappointments when you find ourselves and know exactly what we want. The quote that I came across that I think goes well with this topic comes from the telephone man, Alexander Graham Bell. I think it's a pretty good one and goes; "What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists...and it becomes available only when you are in that state of mind in which you know exactly what you want...and are fully determined not to quit until you get it."

Well we have once again arrived at the end of another topic. Thank you all to those of you that stopped by for another installment of 'Brad H's Perspective'! As I always say before signing off, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be gained from this topic. Hopefully some of you can relate, and it gives you a bit of inspiration. The weekend is here, so hope everyone does something fun. Also, I know I haven't mentioned anything NFL related, but the hurricanes have kinda overshadowed that. Life is all about priorities, so the safety and recovery of our fellow man are far more important than sports. But for those of you that are football fans, I hope you enjoy the second week of the NFL this weekend. I know that I most certainly will. Alright, I'm out for this week, so I'll see you all in the next one. Till then, I wish you all the best. Peace!

©2017 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Resiliency Is Our Natural State (We're Here To Rise And Overcome).

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Lets be real here; every single one of us that is breathing at this moment have had obstacles and hurdles to overcome in our lives. There may have been times where we've faced various circumstances that may have tested us, but didn't break us to the point where we didn't feel that we'd overcome them. On the flip side, there have also likely been situations that many of us have faced that have totally left our spirits broken for awhile. You know the kind of traumatic situations and circumstances that seem to have no end, and often leave us questioning whether or not we will ever make it through. I think in saying all of that, many of you can probably relate on some level. Getting our lives back on track after facing difficulties can be an extremely daunting task. This also varies and depends on how mentally strong of an individual that you are. There is a word called "resilient" that most people use when it comes to overcoming tough times and circumstances. Resilient is defined as the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Some people tend to have extremely good resilience when it comes to tackling issues, while others level of resiliency may not be at the level where they feel they can overcome those obstacles and hurdles. I've been seeing things as of late that totally confirm to me that every single one of us have a level of resiliency, and as I think about that word even more, I realize that being resilient is our natural state of being.

Hello once again people! It is your guy Brad H. back at you once again with another edition of 'Brad H's Perspective'! I hope that all of you have been maintaining and keeping your heads up since the last topic I discussed. In the last topic that I talked about, I mentioned the unfortunate happenings that have been going on in the United States as of late. I wish that I was talking about something more positive on my soapbox, but that definitely isn't the case for this week either. I'm sure most of you know about the natural disaster that was Hurricane Harvey that made landfall in Texas on three separate occasions. This storm left catastrophic damage to most of the Texas coast. The biggest impact made was in Houston, which we all know is the largest state in Texas. So many residents in Houston and along the Gulf Coast has been impacted negatively by this storm. Some of you may know that I'm a Texas resident myself, and I do live in the Gulf Coast region also. My specific area received a lot of rain and flooding, but nothing major like in Houston and others areas along the gulf. I just want to say to everyone that may not have been affected directly by Harvey to please keep everyone in Texas and along the Gulf Coast in your thoughts and prayers. Even if you weren't affected directly, you probably know someone that was. Keep in mind that Houston is the 4th largest city in the United States, so there are many people that live there and in the surrounding metropolitan areas in Houston. Being that I have family and friends in this region, I know that some people in the areas hit by the storm have been affected personally. So yea, that's pretty much what I wanted to use my soapbox for this week. I wish I could be talking about something less gloomy, however, we all know by now that hardships are part of life. Now it is time to transition into this week's topic of being resilient, and how we're here to rise and overcome.

Now for my normal disclaimer that I give before talking on the topic at hand for the week. We're all aware that we all have different ways of viewing and seeing things. The primary focus on here isn't to focus on what's right or wrong, but rather to offer some inspiration to others that will hopefully inspire them to see a topic in a manner that may not have been thought of before. I don't expect everyone to share in my views or thoughts, and it is totally okay if you happen not to. Whatever feedback and thoughts that anyone may have are always welcome here on this platform. As for how I came to want to talk about resiliency for the week, it's quite simple really. Seeing the devastation that Hurricane Harvey left along Texas is the biggest inspiration for why I want to talk about this topic. After all the stories and videos I've seen and read about how people have come together to help one another through this crises, how can you not believe that we as humans are resilient? Harvey may have been a strong category 4 hurricane when it made landfall, but I know firsthand that the people of Texas are even more stronger. This is an experience that will take time to get over, and it may even be years before certain areas of Texas are back to their normal state. However, I do believe that along with the help and support of everyone in this country, the people of Texas will bounce back and show that resiliency that is being discussed in this week's topic.

So now that we've gotten the definition of resiliency and established what it entails, I want to get more into the kind of qualities I feel people who are resilient exhibit. From my perspective, people who are resilient keep on going until they find a way to conquer the obstacles they're facing. A resilient person in my opinion persevere till the end and doesn't make excuses in my opinion. Seeing things through to their end is what resiliency personifies in my opinion. I know this is fiction, but being that I'm a huge fan of this character, I'm going to use Batman from the film 'The Dark Knight Rises' as an example. After being battered, bruised and broken by the villain in the film, Batman finds a way to come back to Gotham and save his city. People that are resilient throw everything they have at this life, and even when their all isn't enough, they still find a way to get back up and keep on trying. Now do any of these qualities resonate with any of you? I'm almost positive that most of you can identify with these qualities, and there is a reason for that in my opinion. I don't have any scientific proof or evidence of this, but I believe that the reason most if not all you can probably relate is due to my belief that we all have a natural instinct within ourselves to be resilient. I believe that it is our natural state to be resilient, and believe I believe this, I believe that we possess the power to rise and overcome.

So why do I believe that we're naturally resilient and here to rise and overcome? Well, I'm just one of those people that believes in the power of the human spirit and what it can do. When we look back at history, we have seen human-beings that have overcome all kinds of odds and obstacles. There are clearly too many examples to name when it comes to this, but some of you can probably take a look at your own life and think back to something that you may have felt insurmountable, but you still managed to overcome. Think about all the people here in Texas that have been affected by the storm. I'm sure there are many that have lost their homes and livelihoods that feel that they won't be able to get through this right now. It's okay to feel like that for awhile. However, it is in our nature to eventually act and exhibit the resiliency that is necessary to pick ourselves up and keep on moving forward. I may have mentioned this before in a previous entry, but I always like to think about this one particular thing when it comes to getting through the issues that we face in our lives. As I mentioned earlier, just think back to a time when you thought you wouldn't be able to make it through whatever you're facing. If you are here and still going, what does that mean? It means you made it through whatever you were dealing with, and if you can get through whatever it was then, you can also do it now.

Now I want to make sure and say that just because I'm talking about being resilient and the human spirit, that doesn't mean that life can't break us from time to time. There are always going to be times where life is going to throw up for a loop and leave us reeling, and unfortunately, there have been times where some people we broken to the point where they just chose to give it all up. Because we are all different and process things individually, some peoples level of resiliency and belief may vary, and that is okay. The main mission this week is to encourage and inspire everyone to see that we all have something deep within us that makes us want to persevere. So to sum it up for this week, we're all here to rise and overcome the challenges in our lives. We have to have belief that resiliency exists within us at all times. Finally, the people of Texas will rise above the devastation that Hurricane Harvey left us with. As I stated previously, the people of Texas are very strong, and will not allow this incident to keep us down. Now for the quote that I'm going to leave for this week that relates to the topic. The quote comes courtesy of Darwin, and goes; "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most resilient and responsive to change."

Well we have arrived at the end of another entry of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Thank you all to everyone that took out the time to read what I had to say. As I always like to close out with, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be gained from this topic. I also hope that it gives some encouragement to your everyday life. We have some difficult and rough roads ahead of us, but we can definitely overcome those times together. Lets not allow these trying times to defeat us, but rather empower us to reach deep within to find the strength to conquer them. Alright, I'm signing off for now, so I hope you all have a great weekend and don't forget to keep Texas in your thoughts. I'll see you all in the next one. Till then, peace and love to everyone.

©2017 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.