The Importance Of Not Allowing Other People To Deter You From Your Path.

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One of the things that we all know and must acknowledge within this life is that change is inevitable. There are all ways and forms that change can take on. Some changes are for the betterment of us, while there are some forms of change that we deem as being less desirable or downright bad. For some people in this life, adjusting to change and the intricacies that come along with it can be something difficult to overcome. Regardless of who you are or what you may believe, we all have defining moments in our lives that involve change in some form. I believe that this especially applies to people that have maybe found themselves wanting to better or improve themselves in certain aspects of their live. I'd like to think of this as being some form of an awakening. From my perspective, this is one of the most gratifying forms of change that a person can find themselves having. However, even though becoming an even more aware and enlightening individual can be seen as being a positive change for a person's individual life, this can also be a form change that some of the people that your close to will understand or accept. When you find yourself walking on a path that others may not fully understand or accept, finding the courage and willpower to stay on that path can make the journey of improving yourself much more daunting. Regardless of what path that you may find yourself on, if it's one that you feel is the right one for you, you must not allow others to deter your from that path.

Hey what is going on ladies and gentlemen? It is Brad H. coming back at you once again for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back here for another week of inspiration and knowledge that will hopefully help keep us all inspired and motivated. I hope that all has been going good and well for everyone out there. We are officially in the month of February now, so the new year isn't so new anymore. I hope that all the positive changes that you all have wanted to make for this year is going well so far. In the previous topic that I addressed, I talked about the NFL playoffs and I made my prediction who I felt was going to the Super Bowl. I was right in predicting that the Patriots would beat the Jaguars, but I was way off in believing that the Vikings would defeat the Eagles. Now I personally was pulling for the Jaguars and the Vikings, so you can imagine how disappointed I am with the Super Bowl that is taking place tomorrow. The Patriots beating the Jaguars wasn't that big of a surprise to me, but Minnesota totally shocked me. Being that the Super Bowl is taking place in their home stadium, I really thought that would be more that enough motivation for them to win. Instead, they got totally trounced by an Eagles team that is playing with a backup quarterback. I was at the movies during the game, so I'm not entirely sure what happened as to why the Vikings got dominated. With that said, I want it to be known that I really don't care about the Super Bowl this year. Probably the two teams that I dislike most are playing, so it's a lose/lose situation for me. If I had to make a prediction, I would probably say that New England wins. However, with the way this season has gone, you truly don't know what is going to happen. Alright, now that I've talked about something besides the main topic for the week, it is time to go ahead and get into this week's topic of the importance of staying on your path.

Now to the normal disclaimer that I give weekly on the topics that I discuss. We all have different views and opinions when it comes to discussing various topics. My mission with this isn't to force my beliefs on anyone else, but rather to hopefully to encourage others to think about things in a way in which they may not have before. Much of what I plan on talking about here is going to already be familiar to most of you. If you find that this or any of my other topics don't encourage you to think differently than you normally would, then my other hope is that you can find some inspiration through it. Whether this topic resonates with you or whatever your viewpoints have be on this or any of the other topics, I appreciate those of you that have stopped through and taken a few minutes out of your day to visit here. So how did we arrive at this particular topic for the week? Well I initially had another topic that I had thought about a few days back that I wanted to discuss for the week. However, as I began to sit down and plot out my thoughts on how I was going to get my point across, there was another thought that came to my mind that led me to think about the topic that we're tackling this week. I guess we can say that this is one of the rare times where a conversation or discussion didn't factor much into what I chose to address. Sometimes things happen on the fly and when that happens, you have to be willing to adjust, and that is exactly how we have come to where we are now. Again, I hope that you all enjoy it, and you find that there is something in it that can be applied to your life.

Now I'm a believer that we all have a purpose while we're here. I believe that from the time that we're born up until the time that we die, there is a greater reason beyond just existing that we're here for. Now for most people, figuring out what your purpose is and finding it can be challenge. Some people know early on what their purpose is, while many of us either discover what our purpose is later on in our lives and in some unfortunate circumstances, we never truly discover it. I don't want to focus on timing, because we all have different periods for things happening in our lives. Remember that figuring out what is right for you in your life isn't a race against other people, it's a solo race that takes place from within. Now as I alluded to earlier in this post, I'd like to refer to it as an awakening when a person discovers a purpose that is greater than them. I'm sure that everyone may have different reactions based on what they believe their purpose is, but I'd like to think of it as an "ah-ha" moment. It's almost as if things are beginning to make more sense to you, and it feels like things are coming together. Now again I want to stress that this may be a different experience for everyone. Like I have mentioned countless times, we all interpret things different from one another. So you've discovered what your purpose is, and you feel that things are coming together in your life, but there is another issue now. You find that others don't agree with, nor are they supportive of what you're trying to do. This probably sounds familiar for many of you whether you've experienced it personally or not.

Now I want to say again that this doesn't apply to everyone. I do realize that there are a lot of people that have supportive family and friends in their lives. However, I'm also certain that there are instances where people have found that others may not be entirely happy for them when they've discovered a different path that they may want to explore. Finding that the people that are close to you aren't supportive of what you're seeking can be a huge deterrent in your life. Why is this? Simply said, we all want to have our cake and eat it too whether we want to admit it or not. If it were a perfect world, wouldn't we all want to be able to live the way we want and have the support of everyone else that we love? I think that most of us would, however, we all know that this isn't a perfect world and sometimes situations like this happen. The thing that often happens is that other people feel like they know what is best for you. They mean well the majority of the time, and they're likely at odds with you and your decisions because they want what is best for you, which is understandable. That said however, no one else can truly know what is best for you but you. Of course people are going to have an opinion and though their opinions may be valid at times, they can truly never know, which brings me to the heart of this week's topic on the importance of not allowing other people to deter your from you path.

Being thrown off whatever path you may be on or seeking is something that too many of allow to happen in our lives because we're trying to have our cake and eat it to as I mentioned earlier. There are going to be instances in your life where you will be able to do whatever you want without any resistance from others, but in most cases this isn't how things are going to always go down. Whatever it may be that you want to do or feels right to you, try and make it a priority in your life regardless of who or who doesn't cosign with you on it. Other people cannot life our lives for us, which means that if we are the ones that have the opportunity to make ourselves happy, we must do it by any means necessary. As long as whatever path that you're on isn't hurting yourself or anyone else, then you stay on it and go for it with all that you have. Becoming a more aware and enlightened person when it has yet to happen to those closest to you will probably rub people the wrong way, and that is okay. The way that others react to what you do shouldn't be your main concern. Your concern should be to do whatever you want that makes you happy. So always remember that people can't live your life for you. If you're on a path that you feel is right for you, stay on it and pursue it to the fullest. Finally, if you ever need anyone to encourage you to stick to whatever path that you're on if it's working for you, remember that I'm telling you here to stick to the path. Not all change is bad change, and if you find that you're changing for the better, then keep on pressing forward.

Well that is it for this week folks! Another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' has come and gone, so it is time to part ways for now. I want to thank everyone once again that stopped by to check out what I had to say. As I always mention before ending my topics, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be gained from this, as well as the other topics I address on here. If you have any comments or feedback on any topic, feel free to drop down in the comments. You can also hit me up on Twitter @BradrickH. Well I hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend, as well as the Super Bowl tomorrow. I also hope that everyone has a great week ahead, and hopefully your February 2018 has started off well. Take care everyone, and I'll see you all in the next one! Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Journey Towards Becoming Better Will Not Be A Perfect One.

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I have a belief that there comes many periods in nearly every person's life where some kind of awakening happens. You know the kind of awakening that happens when a person feels something deep within their spirit that sends vibes that there is time for a change? It's almost like an epiphany. While some may ignore these messages and not take any action, many of us choose to embrace these awakenings with a deep passion. Those that choose to listen to themselves and take the steps towards become a better individual, often develop a passion for self-improvement that almost becomes obsessive. That type of obsessive passion can often lead to an added pressure of wanting to be perfect while on the journey of self-improvement. While striving for perfection can be a motivating force, we all know that achieving perfection is virtually impossible. This not only applies to life in general, but also the journey one takes towards wanting to become a better person as well.

What's going on ladies and gentlemen? Welcome to the second entry of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' for 2016. Like always, I hope that everyone has been doing great, and hopefully the year thus far has been both peaceful and positive for you all. As for me personally, the new year has been going pretty good so far. For those of you that read the last entry, you may already know that my grandmother celebrated her 82nd birthday recently. Well now there is another upcoming birthday for another person that is special to me, and that would be my younger sister. Although my sister and still young and will only be turning 24 years old on her next birthday, I'm still grateful for both her and my grandmother being able to celebrate turning a year older. Alright, now that I've gotten all of that out of the way, lets go ahead and talk about how the journey towards becoming will not be a perfect one.

Like I mention in my blog entries, a person's individual viewpoint on any topic will vary from person to person. The goal here isn't to focus on what may be right or wrong, but rather using this platform as an outlet to express my opinions on topics that I think about. Through that process of thinking and expressing, the hope is to leave anyone that may read these posts with something to think about. Back in the year 2012, I wrote an entry titled 'Focus On Becoming Better, Not Perfect'. If you want to check that particular blog entry out, you can read it here. Today's entry will somewhat piggyback of that post, however, since its been nearly 4 years since I had written that post, I'm going to attempt provide a more clearer and fresher perspective on today's topic. Also, with what I've learned from experiences in the past couple of years, along with just becoming a few more years older than what I had written back then, I feel that I have a greater understanding of this topic now. Besides, the awakening that I mentioned people having earlier in this post is something that I can attest to experiencing myself.

There are many different kinds of awakenings that a person can have. Whenever a person has the kind of awakening that motivates them to strive towards acquiring more knowledge or becoming a better person, there will be all kind of emotions and thoughts involved. Now when we say becoming a better a better person, what exactly does that mean? It varies from person to person but from my perspective, choosing to become a better individual is something that starts with something that is often simple. For example, lets say that a person that drinks alcohol or smokes cigarettes has an awakening that calls for them cut out those vices right? It often begins with slowly cutting back on participating in those acts until the individual gets to the point where they no longer crave those things. We all know that any kind of positive change doesn't happen overnight, and you'll be hard pressed to find anyone that can put down any bad habits cold turkey. I'm not saying that it cannot be done, but its not likely. The main point is that whatever awakening that a person has towards becoming better will be a journey full of ups and downs.

I feel that one of the biggest drawbacks that we have towards the journey of self-improvement is pressure. I'm not talking about the pressure that others may put upon us whenever we're on a journey; that's already going to be a given. I'm talking about the pressure that we put upon ourselves. While the proper amount of pressure can be a good thing towards helping in keeping us honest with our goals, the pressure that we put on ourselves to be perfect in our journeys is one of our biggest hindrances from my perspective. We often put so much pressure on ourselves to do well, that whenever we do slip up and make a mistake, we end up on a downward spiral that often puts us right back at square one. Now what happens after that? Normally, all the progress that we've made; whether its been big or small, has likely been undone. Whenever we make the choice to stop a habit we deem as bad, we must understand and accept that the journey will not be a perfect one.

We're not perfect people, so whatever journey that we're on towards improving ourselves will not be perfect as well. Whatever vices or habits that you're trying to break from your life, think of them as stages. Lets say that you go a certain amount of days without participating in a habit you're trying to rid out of your life right? View the days that you succeeded as one stage, and then set goals towards reaching the new next stages and so on. Eventually, you'll build up enough resistance to the point where you won't have the need for those bad habits. When that starts to happen, that's when you'll know you're beginning to change for the better. Again, it varies from person to person, and you should never judge your progress with others. If you happen to slip up and make a mistake or relapse on your journey, don't go and undo the progress you've already made by falling back into your habits permanently. Pick yourself back up, and look to go even further than you did before you slipped up. I'm going to sum this up by repeating something that I heard someone say recently. The goal should be progress, not perfection.

Alright folks, I think I got the point that I was looking to make across. With all of that said, I'm going to go ahead and close out this entry of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As always, I'd like to thank everyone who joined me today, as well as in the past. My hope is that some meaning and understanding can be gained here, and even if there isn't, I still appreciate those of you for your support. Feel free to leave any feedback or thoughts on this topic. Hope you all have a great week ahead, and I'll see you all in the next one. Peace!

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.