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 Biggest Battles We Face Often Come From Within (In A Battle With Your Own Mind).

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Everyone has enemies right? Growing up during our youth, we would often hear people categorize people as either friends or enemies. We've been taught to believe that an enemy can come in the form of a friend, family member, or someone else that we may have close ties with. We've also been taught that society in general can be our biggest enemy. Everything from money to the government, food, etc have all been deemed as potential enemies to us. While the list of things I mentioned can all be potentially harmful to our lives, there is often a potentially enemy to our lives that we either overlook, or choose not to face at all; ourselves. Yes I did say ourselves, and it's true that we can often be our own worst enemies. If anyone is surprised to hear me say this, please don't be. If we really think about it for a second, we as a society in general have been our own worst enemies for centuries. However, I don't want to focus too much on society, but rather the internal battles that we all face from within. Yes it is indeed true that we will face many forms of battles throughout our lives, but the biggest battles will likely come from within ourselves.

Happy 2017 party people! It is I Brad H. once again, and I'd like to welcome everyone to the first 2017 edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Yes we have arrived at 2017, and I hope that this brand new year has been treating you all great thus far. I'm sure many of you have made resolutions for the new year, and while I personally stopped making them years ago, I don't knock anyone that still does. However, as a reminder, I just want everyone to keep in mind that the changing of a date isn't going to instantly change you as a person. Any changes that you plan on making towards bettering any aspect of your life for this new year won't work unless you commit to it. This means that despite facing any setbacks that may occur in whatever you're hoping to become better towards, you have to remain steadfast and consistent throughout a daily basis. This is something that we all may be aware of, but it never hurts to rehash it again from time to time. Again, I hope 2017 has been going well for you all so far. With that said, lets go ahead and tackle the topic of how the biggest battles that we will face will often come from within.

Normally, I would only use this portion to talk a bit about how this week's topic came to be. However, I want to use it for this moment to address a change that I plan on making to this blog going forward. I still will be updating on an every other week basis, however, I plan to keep the posts a bit shorter going forward. One thing that I've come to realize in the past view years is that many of our attention spans are pretty low, and many people often go the the other direction whenever they encounter something that they see as being too long. I don't feel that my topics were long in general, but I do plan to compact them down a bit more to get straight to the point. I think that would probably work out a little more better for not only potential readers, but also for myself. I feel that I will be able to put out better quality write-ups implementing this tactic going further. Besides that, I plan on keeping the same formula when it comes to any topic that I write on. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I want to say that individual viewpoints will always vary. The mission for me here isn't to focus on what is right or wrong, but rather to encourage more in depth thinking on various subject matters.

Now as I referenced to earlier in the post, a good many of us put a lot of energy into the external battles that we face on a regular basis, but we often fail to give enough energy to the battles we're up against internally. I believe that much of this has to do with so many people being in denial about issues that may be happening in their lives. However, regardless of who you are or where you're at in life, every single one of us are battling something internally. An internal battle can be anything that may be troubling us or hindering us from finding that peace within that we're constantly striving for, and I feel that there is no shame in admitting to having an issue or issues in life. Think about all the celebrities, athletes, and people with a certain degree of status that have struggled with addiction. These are individuals that many people deem as having everything that life has to offer, but they still had internal battles that they tried masking with their addictions. Masking our issues isn't only limited to people of status, but it is something that so many of us choose to do rather than addressing whatever issues we're facing. It's similar to putting a band-aid on a wound; it only hides the bigger issue at hand.

Life in general is probably the toughest test that we will ever face, however from my perspective on this topic, the finding of the necessary motivation and willpower from within to pass on daily basis can be even harder. There is so much temptation and negative forces in the world that are constantly working against us daily. However, from my perspective, the reason many of us struggle with these things is due to not properly training our minds to overcome these things. Too much emphasis on being entertained and engaging in activities that don't really help in bettering us as people often takes precedent over the addressing of our internal issues. Just like anything else in life, it is important to prioritize things, and there are so many of us don't make ourselves a priority when it comes to facing the battles that are happening within. This is something that we have to work on changing right? Nobody is perfect, and it is indeed true that we will all fall short every so often. But, the idea of potentially falling short doesn't mean that we shouldn't address the issues that we may be internally facing.

So with everything being said, I think we as people should address and focus on the battles that we're dealing with internally. I'm not saying that we should ignore the outside factors that may be enemies to us, but what I am saying is that everything starts within you first. Being able to equip our minds first to handle the things that life may throw at us should be the first priority. I was watching a video on Youtube by actor Terry Crews yesterday, and he said something in the video that I wanted to make sure and put in this post. He said; "We don't battle people, we battle mindsets. You battle mindsets that attempt to hold people back, that's what I'm battling. I don't battle people, I battle the way people think." I'm glad that I happened to come across those words, because they speak to the idea that while other people and outside forces may be an enemy, it's not them that you're battling. The real battle comes from the ability to adapt to whatever comes at us. It's all about training and strengthening the mind, and then being able to change that mindset for the better.

Well we've come to the end of this particular topic, so I'd like to once again thank everyone that came through for another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. Whether you made any resolutions for the new year or not, lets try to make 2017 a great year everyone. I'm sure some of you out there are sport fans, so like many of you out there, I'm excited for the NFL playoffs that kick off tomorrow. My team (Cowboys) have a first round bye, so they won't be playing tomorrow. However, I will be tuned in anyway because I love watching football, but also to find out who they will be playing. Alright everyone, I'm out so I'll see you all in the next post. Until then, I wish you all a Happy New Year, as well as peace and positive thoughts.

©2017 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.