Brad H.'s Perspective: October 2020

Saturday, October 31, 2020

Why Thinking Outside Of The Box Can Be Beneficial In Your Life.

"Thinking outside of the box!" This is a phrase that most of us have heard within various points of our lives. People have a variety of ideas and thoughts when it comes to the idea of thinking outside of the box. I would argue that within itself is what makes thinking outside of the box such an appealing characteristic. It means so many different things to different people, which is why it's one of the ultimate unique concepts that exists within our society. Thinking outside of the box can mean so many things, but for me personally, it means being able to freely outside of the normal social constraints that dominate our world. There are so many various ways that an individual can choose to live their life, but how many of us are truly free and open thinkers when it comes to our outlook on life? Again, this is something that a person has to define for themselves, but one of the positives is that there are always instances that can be used a basis for this type of evaluation. I believe that we as people tend to look for advantages and things that can benefit us in our lives as we go through various phases of growth in our lives. I personally believe that when it comes to gaining knowledge and tools that can benefit us in our lives, developing our own definition of what it means to think outside of the box is one of the top habits that can assist us on this journey.

What's going on everyone? This is your boy Brad H. once again, and I would like to welcome you all again to another topic of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here to once again bring my perspective on a topic that has been on my mind as of late. The goal I have with this is to hopefully present my thoughts in a way that can be of some kind of inspiration to us all. I hope that all has been good and well with you all as of late. I know the temperatures are beginning to drop all over the states, so hopefully everyone is staying warm. So for my soapbox on this week's post, I wanted to briefly talk about the importance of having respect for others despite the differences you may have. The reason I bring this up is because we all know the presidential election is happening in a few days here in the states. I know that this isn't anything new, but I've personally been seeing a lot of videos and posts of people taking personal shots at other people because of different political affiliations. It's been rampant on both sides of the isle. The thing that we all need to remember is that just because you happen to disagree with another person doesn't mean that you can't have respect for that person. I saw a picture last week of a supporter of Trump shaking hands with a Biden supporter. I think that type of mutual respect is more of what we need in today's volatile political climate. So with that being said, lets try to agree to disagree, respectfully! No need for all the personal attack, etc. So now that is out of the way, lets get more into why thinking outside of the box can be beneficial to us.

I talked in the opening how thinking outside of the box can mean a variety of things. Before we try and begin to open our minds up to be able to think outside of the box, we have to first be able to define what thinking outside the box means to us personally. I mentioned how I personally feel that thinking out of the box means being able to think freely. Though that may be what it personally means to me, it could mean something completely different to another person. The main thing for us to try and navigate is being able to use this way of thinking towards our benefit. Now when I personally think of how a person that thinks outside of the box carries themselves, I think of someone that basically questions things in an attempt to get to the facts. You know how most people will almost believe anything, even if there aren't any facts that are presented with what they're being told? Someone that is more of an out of the box thinker will likely not be that way. These are probably the kind of people that will see or hear something on the news, and instead of just accepting what they hear, they may end up doing their own research on what they've heard. Now again, this is just my personal opinion and one example of what I think it means to think outside of the box. If you're someone that may be aiming to be more of an outside the box thinker, you have to be able to open up your mind to more than what you just see and hear.

Now why would, or should someone have a desire or strive to become more of an out of the box thinker? Just as with being an open thinker in and of itself, there are so many reasons why this may be something a person strives to become better at. When it applies to my own life, I believe that a good reason to aim towards being more of an outside of the box thinker helps in gaining a more broader outlook of the world. We all know or have been around a person that probably has a limited scope when it comes to various beliefs. Now I'm in no way trying to demean anyone that has a limited scope of view when it comes to life. Frankly speaking, we all in some ways deal with a small viewpoint, and it isn't always because a person is close-minded. Sometimes we just don't know certain things, and that is okay. However, we've all been around people that when you tried to enlighten them on something that you may be aware of or learned at some point in your life, and their responses are one of non-belief. They shoot down what you're saying because they may not know, or they just have a limited outlook in their beliefs. I believe that when someone is more of an outside of the boxer thinker, they will at the very least listen to and entertain what someone else is saying before forming a concrete opinion on the subject at hand.

So I have given my perspective on what I think it means to think outside of the box, as well as why I believe we should strive to be this way. So why does thinking out of the box benefit us in our lives? From my own perspective, thinking outside of the box benefits us because of the added knowledge it brings to our lives. I believe that even if you don't always agree with what someone says or does, you can at the very least learn something from that person. This is a wide world with an infinite amount of knowledge that can be gained. I believe that every bit of knowledge that we learn throughout our lives has the potential to help us during our life's journey. The even crazier thing is that sometimes the jewels that you pick up along the way won't benefit you immediately, and sometimes they may not ever do so. However, they will always be there for you to access if and when you ever need them. I believe that putting a cap on the box when it comes to thinking outside of it limits us from acquiring an abundance of knowledge. This is why I personally believe that thinking outside of the box can be beneficial in our lives. I'll end on this final note. The best part of learning to think outside of the box is something that you can pick up at any point of your life, and there is no better time to start than the present.

Alright everyone, that's all that I got for this week's topic. I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that was able to be taken away from it. This has been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' brought to you by Brad H. Thank you to those of you that stopped by again. Please leave any comments or feedback in the comment box if you'd like. You can also hit me up and follow me on Twitter @BradrickH if you'd like. I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend, and don't forget to set those clocks back tonight. Take care everyone, and I'll see you all on the next topic! Peace out!

Sunday, October 18, 2020

The Importance Of Being Able To Handle The Harsh Realities That Come With Life.

I think that we can all agree that life is truly a wonderful gift that we're all blessed to be a part of. Just think of all the centuries that have passed throughout time that we were not here. The fact that we're here in and of itself is something that should be both treasured and celebrated. I also think that we can all agree that while life is truly a wonderful gift, it can also come with its share of challenges and complications. The challenges that I'm referring to are truly immense in their nature, and are practically limitless when it comes to what they can entail. When being a part of such a wide and expansive world that has so many different people with different personalities existing, the thought of everyone being able to handle life's challenges the same is highly unrealistic. Basically, there are going to be some challenges that we're able to handle relatively easy, while there are also those that can pull us to the depths of ourselves that we'd rather not face. Regardless of how strong of a person you may be, none of us are immune to the hardships that come with life. The harsh realities of life will always exist, and this pandemic that we're currently in has probably forced many of us to ponder on some of those harsh realities. I've talked about adaptability on this blog before, and being able to handle and adapt to the harsh realities that come with life are key in winning in this life.

Welcome back everyone! Hope everyone is doing well! This is Brad H. back once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here to once again to hopefully bring some inspiration on a topic that I think would be helpful to us our lives. Before we get into this week's topic on the harsh realities of life, I'm going to get on my soapbox and talk about something besides the topic of the week. We all know that we have a big election happening here in the states in the next couple of weeks. I just want to encourage everyone to be aware of what is going on politically, but also take time away from it on occasion. The reason I bring this up is because I see so many people on social media these days that are constantly talking and debating others about this election. That is perfectly fine, but I believe that it is wise to not allow that stuff to consume us. Go outside and take a walk, or go and read a book that you've been putting off reading. Maybe you can watch a DVD that you've been meaning to watch. I can't tell anyone else what to do, but I would just suggest people to not allow it to consume a large portion of your day. Be aware, but be controlled with it. Now that I've said that, lets go ahead and talk about the theme of this week, which is handling the harsh realities of life.

Now what are the harsh realities of life that we often hear about as we become older? I believe a topic such as this is one where a person as an individual must define what they consider to be a harsh reality of life. When I personally think of what it means to me as an individual, I think of all the blinders that we tend to put up when it comes to living life. I think of the things that I personally would rather not think about, or things that I would rather no address head on. Now again, this is something that a person must define for themselves in their own life. However, for this week's topic I'm going to try and use a few general examples of challenges that the majority of us will have to face throughout our life's journey. The goal this week is to hopefully use this topic to inspire us to see that the things that happen in life that bring us pain and sorrow can be overcome. Furthermore, the idea is to recognize and understand that the harsh realities of life will always exist for as long as we're alive. I believe that anything that is something that will always exist is also something that we as people have to train ourselves to live with.

So what could be deemed as being reality, and why can it considered to be harsh at times? I spoke earlier about having blinders up as an attempt to see life how we would prefer, rather than for how it truly is. Remember the popular movie back in the late 90's titled 'The Matrix'? For those of you that have seen that film, you can recall how the main character in the film, Neo had been living in a false reality. It was only when he took the red pill in the film that he was able to see the real world for how it truly was. This is how it is for many of us when it comes to life. We all have certain things in this life that we would rather put blinders up on to avoid facing. So what could be an example of a reality that is considered to be harsh? The first harsh reality that I initially think of is something that we will have have to experience at some point. I'm talking about the fact that we're all going to die someday. I know that may not apply to everyone, but I think that the idea of dying creates a deal of anxiety in the majority of people. I mean we know that we all will experience it, yet we still fear it for the obvious reasons. Again, this is just one example of a harsh reality, so it isn't only limited to only death.

Having the ability to be able to handle the harsh realities that come with life can be a daunting task for people. However, from my personal perspective on this subject, the majority of us look at harsh realities in the wrong light. We try to look for ways to handle how to deal with these type of challenges, when we should actually be trying to accept them. I believe that when a person is constantly seeking ways to deal with things that aren't meant to be dealt with because they're evitable, a pattern of bad habits and addictions can develop. Then is when we begin to find ourselves looking for ways to cope. Instead of trying to cope with the hardships that come along with life, I believe that we should try to embrace them as being a part of our life journey. Just as I stated earlier in the post, life can present both its share of good, as well as its set of challenges. None of us can stop the challenges from happening, so I believe that for better or for worse, it is best to just try and embrace them. This is why I believe that it is of importance to be able to handle the harsh realities that come with life. I see this as a very important issue due to the fact that there are so many of us that are vibrating at lower frequencies by implementing bad habits.

Well that's all that I got for you all this time around. I hope that I was able to give you all something to think about with this topic. I also hope that it was able to serve as a bit of inspiration for any of you that read it. Thank you once again to everyone that came by another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Please feel free to leave any comments or feedback if you would like. You can also hit me up on Twitter @BradrickH if you'd like. Well I hope you all have a great weekend, and stay safe out there. I'll see you all on the next topic. Take care everyone! Peace!

Saturday, October 3, 2020

The Importance Of Maintaining Boundaries In Your Relationships.

We all have people that are a part of our lives that we consider ourselves to be close to. These relationships can range from anything from a parent to a close friend. There are so many different and unique ways that a relationship can be defined as being. When we feel especially close to another person and vice versa when it comes to another person feeling close to us, there is a level of connection that is deeper than with most. For example, when you have someone in your life that you consider to be your best friend, you are more apt to share with this person things that you likely would not share with your other friends. Because you feel a deeper level of trust with the person that you consider to be your best friend, you are more willing to open more of who you are to this person. Again, this kind of relationship isn't only limited to a best friend. The same may apply to a partner or spouse as well. I personally feel that the relationships that we maintain with others are the backbone of what makes us who we are as individuals, and I truly see it as one of life's wonderful aspects. However, there can also be instances in our lives where despite having a close relationship with another person, there are boundaries that are needed to be put up. From my perspective, knowing and establishing those boundaries are of critical importance as to whether or not a relationship with survive and thrive.

Hello, hello once again folks! This is your man Brad H., and I'd like to welcome everyone to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! This is a space that I use to express my thoughts on a topic that I think would be helpful towards us becoming better people in our lives. Thank you in advance to those of you that are joining me for another week. So for my soapbox this week, I'm going to sound like a broken record and give my thoughts on the Coronavirus outbreak that has taken place in the NFL. Those of you that are football fans have probably heard about the Steelers/Titans game that was cancelled due to players from the Titans team testing positive. Then today we found out that Patriots QB Cam Newton has tested positive, which has led to the postponement of their game with the Chiefs that was due to happen tomorrow. Though I'm happy that we are getting to experience sports in the midst of this pandemic that we're in, I was iffy about the NFL coming back for this exact reason. I really hope that the season is able to carry on through this unprecedented time we're in, but if this week's news is any indication of the future, we may see a cancellation of the season happen. Hopefully everyone stays safe, and we are able to continue to enjoy some form of normalcy during this time. Well that is my soapbox for this week, so lets get into this week's theme of maintaining boundaries in our relationships.

So we're going to set this week's topic off by getting into what are boundaries when it comes to the people we're close to? Now this is something that can be purely subjective, and I want you all to keep in mind that I'm only giving my own personal perspective on how I see this. Now what is the definition of the word "boundary"? The definition I found via Google states that it is "a limit of a subject or sphere of activity." Now how does this correlate when it comes to how close we may be to a person? From my own perspective, I view it as a person not being inclined to reveal things to a person regardless of how close you may be. As stated with the definition of what a boundary is, there has to be a limit or cap on how involved a person is in your life. One of the biggest problems that I've noticed in regards to boundaries is that there are many people that feel that because you're close with someone that they're inclined to involve you in what's going on in their life. The thing to always remember is that you have very little ownership over another person, so no one is obligated to involve you if they would rather not. Now of course there are going to be times where they do involve you, but that doesn't mean that they're obligated to do so. I know some people may not like to hear that, but that is just the way it is, and you have to respect it when it comes to other people.

Now that we've established a general sense of what the definition of what boundaries are in the context of our relationships with others, I want to use this section to address the best way to maintain boundaries. I believe that it is pretty straightforward, yet it is something that can be a struggle for many of us. From my perspective, the best way to maintain boundaries in our relationships is to not be overbearing when it comes to the people we're close to. As I touched on in the last paragraph, there are a lot of people that feel entitled when it comes to people they're close with. If you are someone that feels entitled to know everything that is going on with a person, regardless of what your relationship with them is, you have to work on remedying that. You have to be able and willing to give people both the time and space to open up when they're ready to do so. One of the things I've learned throughout my life is that you'll get much farther with a person that you don't constantly press. Again, I know that being overbearing can be tough because when you feel a certain level of closeness with another person, you feel as if they are an extension of you. While there may be some truth to that, both you and the person you're close with are still individuals. This means that there may be aspects of them that you won't always agree with and vice versa.

So we've defined what boundaries are when it comes to relationships with others, and we've talked about the best way to maintain boundaries. Now we're at the point where I give my perspective on the importance of maintaining boundaries within your relationships. The main reason from my perspective why it is important to maintain boundaries in relationships is because having boundaries gives relationships the air they need to survive. I've talked about this in previous topics, but when you push and press other people too hard, you risk pushing that person over the edge. The edge in this instance is potentially fracturing your bond with that person. This is something that we all should understand because we all have things about ourselves that we may not reveal to people; even the ones that we're the closest to. Having someone not involve you in every aspect of their life doesn't mean that they don't care about you and vice versa. We're all human, which means that we do need interaction with other humans. However, we're all individuals as well, which means that we all need space on occasion. Your relationships with others will always thrive more if there are levels of boundaries. The goal is to keep people in your life; not push them away. This is why I feel that it is of importance to maintain boundaries in your relationships.

That's all that I got for you all this week everyone. I hope that you all enjoyed this topic, and I hope that there was something that you all could relate to. Thank you once again to those of you that stopped by for another one of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Like I always end on, if any of you have any feedback or comments to contribute, please feel free to do so. If you're on Twitter and would like to connect with me, you can follow me @BradrickH. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I'll see you all in the next one. Stay safe everyone and peace out!