Why Self Improvement Is A Battle That You Can Only Win.

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There are constant battles that we all have to take on in this thing called life. Battles can take place in many forms, and aren't only limited to squaring off against an outside force. In fact, often times the most important battles that we as individuals will face are the ones that take place within us. I believe that these are the most important battles we face due to the fact that they are the ones that make us face things about ourselves that we may not want. Though facing off against something or someone besides ourselves often deal with external factors that may leave the outcome out of our control, the battles we face within ourselves are the ones that bring the most pressure. We're expected to win these battles because they're viewed as something that we should always conquer. Another what I would call is a misunderstanding of the word battle is the idea that battles always correlate to something negative. Going to war or getting into a confrontation with another person is what most people think of when it comes to battles. These types of battles are understandably viewed as negative due to the outcomes often ending tragically. However, I'm one that believes that not all battles are bad, and there are some that though they may not always be pleasant while they're taking place, lead can lead to something better for us. When I think of battles that involve and solely rely on ourselves, self improvement is the thing that I think of first. Most of us don't put something like improving ourselves in the same sphere as being in a battle, but there are small internal battles that will come when a person makes the choice to improve themselves. It can get discouraging at times, but it's important to remember that battles of this nature are ones that you can only win.

What's up once again to all you good people! This is your guy Brad H. back once again to bring you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Shout out to those of you that are joining me once again for another topic that will hopefully serve as some inspiration for us in our lives. I was just thinking about how fast this year is going by. I say that because during this time next week, the NFL season will be underway. I know all of you football fans out there are super excited. I'll more than likely be getting into more football talk in the coming weeks, but I want to address something more serious in this week's soapbox section. So we have a hurricane in the Atlantic that is heading towards the United States. As of right now, it appears that Hurricane Dorian is headed towards the state of Florida. The landfall is still a day or so away, so there is still so much in the air as to where it will ultimately land. As someone that lives near a coastal area here in Texas, I am familiar with having to get prepared for hurricanes. I know that this is something that I've brought up on here before, but if any of you are in Florida or an area where this storm could hit, please take heed and not take it likely. If you're someone that isn't in the path of this storm, please keep the people that are in your thoughts in hope that they'll be prepared. It just amazes me every year how so many people lose their lives because they don't take these things serious enough. We are dealing with mother nature here everyone, and she isn't prejudiced against any of us. Hopefully Dorian doesn't do too much damage, but with it likely being a category 4 storm if and when it does land, I highly doubt that isn't the case. Just be safe and take precaution everyone. Things like this are way more important than sports, etc. Now that I've gotten on my soapbox, I'm going to talk more about why I believe self improvement is a battle that we can only win.

Before I go deeper into this week's topic of why I believe self improvement being a battle that you can only win, I want to start off by saying that the idea of self improvement as a general statement has variance when it comes to us as individuals. It can mean different things for different people, and it can also include a variety of habits and issues that could be addressed by an individual. Rather than listening to what another person's idea of what self improvement is, I feel that it is more important for us as individuals to look within ourselves and define what it means to us. I wanted to be sure and start off this topic by mentioning that, because I know that this is one of those topics that is subjective to the individual. Now when it comes to the idea of a person making the decision to take steps towards improving themselves in life, it is going to be viewed by most as something that will be beneficial to that person. While this may ultimately turn out to be true depending on what actions are taken by the individual that is seeking to improve themselves, most people do not really give thought to the potential cons that come along with the decision of making changes. Many of us see self improvement as only a good thing, but we don't talk enough about how painful it can be for a person seeking to improve themselves. Taking on the decision to improve yourself as a person is something that will often come with some degree of anguish. Depending on what it is that you're trying to improve, it may be physical, mental, or a combination of both. This is why I liken self improvement to the idea of being in a battle; there will be attrition that comes along the way. But just like any battle that takes place, there is an end to what you're enduring if you continue to persevere.

When it comes to the idea of being in battle, there is often someone that wins and someone that loses. There is also an unknown that comes along with being in a battle. Take two sports teams that are ranked number one and two respectively, and they are facing one another in the championship game. Since both teams are so close when it comes to talent and ranking, no one will know who wins until the battle between the two is over. Now I talked earlier about battles and how the most important battles that we face are the ones that come from within ourselves. This is how I see improvement in the sense that bettering yourself requires work, but the journey of getting to become the person you want to be can be one of wins and losses. For example, lets say that someone is trying to eat healthier to improve their health. Most people cannot just completely go cold turkey and stop eating things that would be considered bad for them all a sudden. It is often a gradual process that comes with successes and failures along the way till that person eventually rids whatever bad foods they've been eating out of their lives. I bring this point up because it is much harder for most of us to cut ourselves some slack when we mess up on the journey towards self improvement. For most of us that are on the path towards wanting to improve ourselves, it can become discouraging when those moments where we slip up happen. Again, it is important to not beat yourself up when this happens, and most importantly, do not completely quit and give up. This is why it is a battle, because there are both wins and losses during battles, but the war is what we should be aiming to win.

All of what has been said throughout this week's topic has brought us to the point of why I believe self improvement is a battle that we can only win. From my perspective, the reason why a person has already won the battle when they make the decision to improve themselves stems from the decision itself; you're making the attempt to make a positive change in your life. This is a win in my eyes because we live in a world that is full of people that abhor bad and toxic habits. This causes so many people to not even have the fortitude and courage to go against the grain and do something different than the majority. Also, self improvement is one of those things that only increases exponentially as you stay on the journey towards it. Once you begin to gain control of and master whatever you're aiming for on your journey, it gives you even more confidence to tackle other habits that may be hindering your in life. Again, this is journey that will not be for the faint of heart at times. There are going to be times on this journey that you're going to fail and be dejected. However, just like the battle comparisons that we've been using throughout this post, those small wins and losses are a small part of something greater. Remember that this is a battle that is totally within yourself and your own mind. Everything on this journey rests within yourself, which means that you can't hold anyone but yourself responsible for your successes and failures. The main thing that I hope anyone that reads this takes away from it is that self improvement isn't always going to be easy, and most people won't acknowledge the potential downsides that come with it. However, if you continue to push yourself and persevere through the failures, I believe that you'll be a better person for it. Remember, this is a battle that you can only win.

Well that's all I got for this week's installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' folks! I hope that some of you found it helpful and beneficial to you. Big thanks once again to those of you that tuned in for another week. If you have any comments or concerns, please feel free to leave those down below in the comments. If you're on Twitter and want to connect, you can reach me at the Twitter handle @BradrickH. I'm going to sign off now, and I hope you all are having a great weekend thus far. Please keep the people of Florida in your thoughts. Take care everyone, and have a great week ahead. I'll see you all on the next topic. Peace out!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Loving Yourself Through The Challenging Times You Will Face.

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There's a popular phrase that most of us have heard in regards to guarantees in life. The phrase was penned by Benjamin Franklin in a 1798 letter that he wrote that stated that; "But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Of course people have put their own spin on this phrase throughout the years, but the belief of the certainty of death and taxes is something that the world tends to hold near and dear. There is another guarantee that most of us can probably attest is a fact when it comes to life. What is the guarantee that I would be referring to here? I'm referring to the idea that we as individuals are always going deal with facing challenges in our lives. Though the individual challenges we will encounter may be different and unique as we are as people, the fact remains that we all are going to have circumstances and obstacles that we're going to have to overcome in our lives. Most of us can probably point to an instance or multiples times in our lives where something that challenged us in some form caused us to get down on ourselves. Maybe whatever we were dealing with was something that didn't think we could be past, or may have been something that questioned our belief in ourselves. In worst case scenarios, we may have dealt with something that we felt was so insurmountable that we began to hate our lives and ourselves. Facing challenge is something that is a part of life, which means that it is quite normal. However, the idea of losing faith in ourselves the point where we began to hate ourselves is far from normal. We have to know and understand the importance of loving ourselves through the challenge times we face.

Yo, yo, yo! What's happening good people? This is Brad H. reporting once again, and you are now tuned into another installment of 'Brad H's Perspective'! I am back once again to bring another topic that will hopefully serve as inspiration for us all. Hopefully all has been good and well in everyone's lives since the last topic. So for this week's soapbox section, I want to get back to some sports related talk. Now I know those of you that are football fans are probably getting super hyped now that we're less than a month away from the start of the NFL season. Now for those of you that may not know already, I am a Dallas Cowboys fan. If you aren't a fan of or follow the Dallas Cowboys, you may not know about this, but Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot is currently holding out for a new contract. Now I'm bringing this up because I had some friendly banter last night with a good friend of mine about this situation. His position was that Elliot should honor his contract and report, which I do agree with. However, I personally feel that there is nothing wrong with a running back of Elliot's caliber getting more money. He's the focal point of the teams offense, and he has more than exceeded what he was expected to do on the field. All of this begs the question: should we be pro team, or pro athlete? Now as a fan of the Cowboys, I want him on the field. However, I can't help but think that what if he suffers a career altering or worse yet career ending injury, and he never is able to get the money he deserves for what he's done? People need to remember that anything can happen to any athlete playing a physical sport, and nothing is always guaranteed to come to them if they get hurt to the point where they can't play anymore. So for those of you that are sports fans, should players honor their contracts regardless if they feel they're being underpaid for what they've done, or do they have the right to demand more? Would love to see what you all think. Alright, now that I've gotten on my soapbox, lets go ahead and talk about this week's topic of the importance of loving yourself through you challenges that you will face.

I want to preface this week's topic by saying that if anyone that is reading this post is having problems to the point where you feel like you no longer want to live, please try and seek some professional help for what you're dealing with. I'm no doctor or mental health expert, so I hope that if this happens to apply to anyone reading that you would please get the proper help if necessary. Besides giving a disclaimer, I wanted to bring that up because this week's topic will be bringing up the idea of engaging in suicide. Now I realize that the word suicide is a sensitive word that can spark emotions in everyone. However, I think it is important to address it in regards to the topic that I'm covering this week. Furthermore, suicide is unfortunately something that is prevalent in today's society. Now I brought up earlier that we all have challenges within ourselves that will lead to us getting down on ourselves. None of us can go through this life without ever experiencing any sort of failures. It's just something that is feasible to do. I've talked about failure in previous installments that I've written on here, and I think it is important to address it as often as I can. My reasoning for this is due the thought that failure in today's society is often looked down upon so horribly. I'm in no way saying that failure is something that we should celebrate or be happy about. However, what I am trying to say that failure is only a state of mind, and it doesn't have to define the moments in our lives. Also, if put into the proper context in regards to whatever it is that we're seeking to accomplish, failure can be an opportunity to learn from and become better. Failure itself isn't always bad, but unfortunately the world we live in doesn't see it that way.

Now for most of us that find ourselves in those challenges times that we're referring to this week, we often will seek out the counsel of other people. Now depending on who and what type of counsel that you may be seeking in these situations, this is definitely a good thing right? However, many of us fall into the habit of always thinking that people will always be there to assist us in the challenges we face. Most of us have what we call a "go to" person that we call first when we're in trouble. Again, there isn't anything wrong with seeking help, that is until the "go to" doesn't pick up. Now this is something that probably won't happen often, and if you're lucky enough in this life to find someone that will always be there for you, cherish them cause it is rare these days. Regardless of that, there is always a risk that other people won't be able to help you through your issues, as there isn't much in this life that is guaranteed. Now the problem with relying on people to help guide us through our personal issues is that many of us often attach too much of our self worth to others being there for us. It's the same concept as being in love with someone to the point where you begin to love them more than you love yourself. It's that emotional attachment that causes us to do and act in irrational ways that we probably would never do if that attachment wasn't there. This can create a life of toxicity to the point where we're not properly attending to our own well being, and it is in these times where we can find ourselves not caring how our life goes. Now there are all type of ways that a person can self deprecate themselves, but the worse is what I mentioned earlier about the idea of a person taking their own life. Now again I'm no expert, but I think that much of these thoughts and feelings stem from a lack of self love.

So why is it important that we continue to love ourselves through the challenges we face? There are a number of reasons why this is important, but from my perspective, it comes down to what I have mentioned throughout this topic in regards to nothing being guaranteed. As much as I dislike saying what I'm about to say, there is no such thing in this world as a "go to" person. Anything and anyone that we're emotionally attached to can leave or be taken away from us at anytime. No matter what comes in goes in this life, the only true thing that you can count on as long as you're alive is yourself. Furthermore, life can often present challenges in our lives that can bring us to dark places. As I pointed out earlier, those dark places can often cause people to lose hope to continue living; hence why I brought up the act of suicide earlier. Challenges and issues in our personal lives are all parts of this life that we will never fully escape as long as we're breathing. However, what we can do is reinforce ourselves that regardless of what we're dealing with in our lives, we matter and are important. From my perspective, loving yourself doesn't mean that you have to always go around touting how important that you are. I believe it means knowing that regardless of what life throws at you, you know that there is a way to overcome it. Now I'm in no way saying that we should go through life being nomads. It is indeed true that we will always need other people in this life. However, when you love yourself through and through, you're more cautious about who and what you allow into your self. This especially applies when we're facing challenges, so make it a priority to love yourself through whatever you face. Don't allow the hurdles and obstacles of life to bring you to a dark place where there is often no return from.

Well that's all that I got for this week's topic on the importance of loving ourselves. I hope that those of you that read this found it both enjoyable and helpful. I'm going to go ahead and sign off for now, but thank you once again to those of you that came by for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! If any of you have any feedback to contribute or feel that I overlooked something in regards to this topic, please don't hesitate to hit up the comment section. Any and all feedback is welcome here. You can also follow and connect with me on Twitter at the handle @BradrickH. Well I hope you all are having a great weekend so far, and I hope that we all have an even greater week ahead. I'll see you all in the next topic. Take care everyone, and peace out!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Let Your Doubters And Naysayers Be The Fuel To Get You To Where You Want To Be.

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I've heard the great motivational speaker by name of Eric Thomas say in one of his past messages that "My haters are my motivation!" Mr. Thomas saying these words aren't the only time I've heard some interpretation of this being said. I believe that some form of this quote is often uttered in the society that we live in today. I believe this is the case due to the fact that nearly everyone nowadays feel like they have "haters" in this life. I personally believe that many of us exaggerate and overstate the term "hater", and the idea of haters is a false perception that we create. Whether the belief that a person has haters in their life is real or a perception is beyond the point, but what I do know is that many of us handle the people that hate on us in this world the wrong way. Now to each's own when it comes to dealing with doubters and naysayers, but I just personally have a belief that so many people resort to anger and bitterness when it comes to dealing with these skeptics. Now if you notice I used the terms "doubters" and "naysayers" instead of "haters", because I personally believe that they're pretty much one in the same for the most part. So going forward in this week's topic, I will be referring to haters as doubters and naysayers. Now as I have already stated, many of us give the wrong type of fuel to those that doubt our abilities. There are many ways that a person can choose to deal with a naysayer and unbeliever when it comes to our abilities, but I personally feel that rather than giving into the negative perceptions and words of these people, we have to let them be the fuel that gets us to where we want to be.

What's good once again everyone? This is your boy Brad H. once again bringing you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Thank you once again to all of you for joining me once again for another topic that will hopefully serve as some inspiration for us all. I hope everything has been going well for everyone that may be reading this as of late. Of course if that hasn't been the case in your life, stay positive and keep grinding to change that. For the last few installments during my soapbox section I have chosen to talk about the NBA. I mean there has been so much happening during free agency right? However, this week I'm going to address something that I've been watching on the television today that is so tragic. So there was another mass style shooting that happened earlier today in El Paso, Texas. If I'm correct about this, I believe this is the third shooting of this style that has happened in the last couple of weeks. I'm writing this off the cuff, so I hope that is accurate. Anyway, all the details aren't out as of yet since this incident only happened earlier today. From what I have seen there are multiple fatalities and injuries. I want to give my thoughts to the entire city of El Paso, and everyone that has been affected by this. I just think it is truly tragic that places where you wouldn't think of being unsafe are the main places these types of incidents are happening at. I can truly see it getting to a point where we're going to have to go through security procedures nearly everywhere we go. It's truly sad that people resort to having to do things such as this. Again, thoughts and prayers to everyone involved. Something has got to change. This stuff is happening way too often. So now that I've addressed that, it is time to get into this week's topic of letting the doubters and naysayers be the fuel to motivate us.

Now this week's topic is one that I personally like to talk about. My reasoning for this is because I know it is one that most of us can relate to for the most part. The majority of us have all had times in our lives when we've had people doubt whether or not we were able to accomplish something. I believe that probably the worst thing about someone that is a doubter or naysayer is that they aren't prejudice for the most part. When I say that I mean that people of this nature can come in any form when it comes to our interactions with them. If you happened to encounter someone that doubts you, yet you don't have a close relationship with that person, their doubting of you probably wouldn't bother you at much in comparison to a relative or close friend that doubts you. Understandably so, it is those close relationships with the doubters that affect us the most. Part of this stems from the fact that we tend to expect more from the people that we're close to. So many of us have the belief that those we care for will always support and believe in us regardless of how wild our vision may be. However, we have to be mindful that we live in a world of realist for the most part. This doesn't apply to everyone, but most people are quick to shoot down something if they can't see it for themselves. You could tell someone that you have a goal in mind that you want to accomplish, and if the person that you're telling this to can't visualize themselves doing it, they probably will think it's unattainable. This ultimately means that they probably won't support and encourage you in your mission, and as I have stated already, this can often lead to frustration and anger. Basically, it leads to all the wrong things, but I believe there is a way that we can combat against this happening.

Before I get into how we can combat against the doubters and naysayers, I want to do what I normally do with topics of this nature and provide examples of the point that I'm aiming to make for this week. Now when we think of fuel and how it works, we most likely think of a special fluid that goes into a vehicle to make the vehicle run. Another standpoint that that most people view fuel in is from a food point of view. In order for us to have the energy to do things in this life, we obviously have to fuel our bodies with food right? Now the thing about giving fuel to something; regardless of what you're fueling, is not all fuel operates the same. Also, not everything that requires fuel to operate will react in a positive manner. There is such a thing as putting a certain kind of fuel into a car, only to find out that car doesn't perform properly. If an athlete eats something like a cheeseburger before an event they're competing in, that athlete likely won't be at their peak performance had they ate something healthier beforehand. With all of that being said and despite having bad fuel in a vehicle, the bad fuel will eventually cycle out of the car it was in. This means that next time you need gas you can fill it up with better fuel. The athlete that eats the cheeseburger may not perform their best, but depending on what sport they're participating in, they will likely get another chance to eat better before the next event. The point I'm making with these examples and how they relate to this week's topic is that of course doubters and naysayers can frustrate us just like bad fuel frustrates a car, and poor foods frustrates an athlete. However, the the doubts people project upon is is similar to fuel in the sense that those doubts if put into proper context can motivate us, but they eventually can pass on through.

So how can we take the frustration that can happen when people doubt us and use it in a more positive way? Remember how I mentioned how when put into the right context that doubts can help motivate us? You have to always be mindful of what people say while you're in the act of whatever you're seeking. However, instead of being mindful in a negative way that involves anger and frustration, you have to be willing to turn it on itself to where it makes you have a desire to work even harder. From my perspective on this week's topic, a good majority of us allow our frustrations from what naysayers and doubters say to either make us quit completely, or we will eventually forget about what was said and stay mediocre in what we're trying to do. These are the acts that we shouldn't engage in because when you quit or stay mediocre in your goals because of what someone else thinks, you are giving them exactly what they want. You have to be willing to see the doubters and naysayers as a form of competition. We all know how athletes tend to go even harder when they have a rival they're facing. The doubters and naysayers are your rivals, and you can't allow what they say to deter you from winning. Finally, using doubters as fuel isn't about trying to prove something to them. A lot of us would rather do something that we may not entirely want in order to prove other people wrong. I see it more as proving something to yourself in the sense that you are enlightened enough to take negativity from others and use it towards your own good. So don't allow what is said from the doubters and naysayers to affect your personally. Treat it as business, and use it as fuel to get to where you want to be.

Well that is all I got for this week's topic folks! This has once again been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective', and I once again want to thank those of you that stopped by. As always, I hope that there was some understanding that could be taken away from this topic. If anyone has any feedback or anything questions or concerns on this or any of the other topics that I've covered, please hit up the comment section. Also, if you're on Twitter and you'd like to connect with me, you can follow me at the handle @BradrickH. I'm going to go ahead and get out of here, so I hope you all are having a great weekend so far. Also don't forget to keep the people from El Paso in your thoughts. Have a great week ahead everyone, and I'll see you all on the next topic. Peace!

©2019 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.