The Importance Of Staying Motivated During Trying Times.

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One of the main themes that this blog revolves around is a word coined as "perspective'. After all, the word perspective is the title of this blog, so therefore it would make sense that it would make a regular appearance on here. There is however a reason as to why I am beginning this week's topic off with the idea of what perspective means. There is something that many people refer to as "trying times" that describe the various hardships and challenges that an individual may face in their life. Now I would say that we all have been experiencing trying times over the past year and a half, but it all comes down to a person's perspective on what trying times may mean to them. Now I myself will admit that I have been experiencing trying times in recent years. I'm sure that many of you that may be reading this have as well, and I'm sure that some that happen to come across this may not be able to relate. Hey, that is okay, and I am happy for anyone that can handle themselves in a manner where certain things that may affect others doesn't so the same for them. However, for those of us that have dealt with trying times in not only recent years, but at various other times in our lives as well, finding ways to stay motivated in the midst of those times can be a daunting challenge. Despite the challenges that may come along with trying to stay motivated in trying times, it is of great importance for us to find a way to do so. 

 

What's going on everybody? This is Brad H. back once more to bring you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! We are back for another installment of motivation that will hopefully help us to keep progressing in our lives. Thank you all for joining me for another topic that will likely be the last one for 2021. It is so hard to believe that we have made it to the month of December once again. I just wanted to use my soapbox to express how grateful I am to everyone that have been continually coming here to read my thoughts. Even though I get a great deal of gratification and personal benefit by sharing my thoughts, knowing that there are other people in this world that find value in what I share means way more to me. I know that this has been a year where I have slacked off from how I had been doing things in the past several years, and that is something that I will likely address in the first topic for the upcoming year. However, I had quite a few personal challenges just like pretty much everyone has this year that forced me to not be as attentive to this blog. All that said, I appreciate everyone that has stuck with me, and I am hopeful that we can head into 2022 with a positive mindset. So now that I have addressed all of that and gotten on my soapbox for a bit, lets go ahead and talk about the importance of staying motivated during trying times. 

So I talked in the opening about perspective and how it relates to coping with trying times. One of the reasons for me wanting to write about this topic deals with the state of our world. I pointed out earlier how the past couple of years have been challenging for so many people. Those challenges are much of the inspiration behind this. For the most part, everything that I am going to address in this post will all come down to everyone's personal perspective. Trying times will mean different things for different people, but the main theme is that we want to focus on within this topic is how to get through those tough times. Now due to the fact that trying times are going to mean different things for different people, it would make sense that motivation would also, right? For example, there are some people in this world that are able to navigate through trying times without being affected by it much. Then there are those of us that may find ourselves struggling with staying motivated during trying times. You know when you suffer a setback on something that you may be passionate about, it can be hard sometimes to maintain that desire to keep pursuing it. The latter is what we're going to be giving credence to with this topic of staying motivated during trying times. 

Before going into the importance of staying motivated during trying times, I think we must first give a few examples of how to stay motivated. Staying motivated with anything is a challenge in and of itself, let alone trying to do so in an ever changing world. I pondered on this earlier this week, and here is what I was able to come up with. First off, keeping up with good habits during trying times help in keeping us motivated. A lot of times we has people use setbacks and hardships as reasons to give up. We have to stay on top of the good things in our lives regardless of what's happening. Secondly, thinking about the people that depend on you helps with motivation. No matter who you are in this world, you probably have someone or a group of people that rely on you. Maybe you have kids that rely on you, or a elderly parent, etc. For most people, letting down others that depend on them is not an option. We have to always be mindful of them despite any hardships we're facing. Finally, set some daily goals for yourself. So many of us get so caught up in having big goals that we forget that the small goals matter also. Setting small goals regardless of what they may be gives us something to look forward to daily. From my perspective, I believe this is helpful when it comes to dealing with trying times. 

So I've defined what I believe trying times to be, and I've given a few techniques that I believe that help with staying motivated during trying times. So why do I believe it is of importance for us to stay motivated during trying time? The obvious answer would be that if you choose not to stay motivated, you are going to likely get swept away by life. While I believe that this is definitely true, I personally believe the importance of staying motivated during hard times stems from hard times themselves. What I mean by this is that trying times are always going to be a part of our lives for as long as we live. As long as you are breathing, you are going to be challenged by life in some way or another. Trying times are inevitable, and they are always lurking around the corner. I believe from my own perspective that finding ways to stay motivated during trying times help us to better cope with them in the future. One thing about trying times is that they come in so many ways that are often unique to us as individuals. There are going to be moments where they are tougher compared to other times, but the constant is that they are always going to exist. I believe that if there is something in this life that you can't stop completely, you have to learn how to adapt. So to sum it all up, you have to try and stay motivate during trying times because your next obstacle is always waiting for you. In order to prepare ourselves, we have to work towards staying motivated. 

That is what I got for you all this time around. I hope that you all were able to take some positive away from this topic. I also hope that I presented it in a way that had meaning and understanding. I'd like to thank you all once again for stopping through for another topic on 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Before I go, I want to thank you all once again for the continued support and feedback over this year. 2021 has been a very interesting year in so many ways. Hopefully we all make it to 2022 and it brings us much better than this year did. You all have a great rest of the weekend, and I'll see you all in 2022. Have a happy holiday season everyone! Peace out!

©2021 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Only Way To Be Rewarded For Your Suffering Is To Endure.

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"You're already in pain, get a reward for it." Those are the words from popular motivational speaker Eric Thomas in his viral video on Youtube titled 'The Secret to Success'. I'd highly recommend anyone who has yet to view this particular video to give it a look. Mr. Thomas touched on many important points in that video, but the words he spoke that I quoted earlier have been resonating with me recently. As human beings, we're naturally inclined to give up whenever we're facing any kind of adversity we're not accustomed to. It's almost as if our bodies and minds are programmed to shutdown whenever we're confronted with something out of our levels of comfort. I believe this notion applies to every aspect of our lives regardless of what type of challenges we're facing. I believe the biggest thing with facing obstacles that do not coincide with our level of comfort deals with growth. Having a willingness to endure in times of hardships is how growth happens, and growth is one of the biggest regards that comes from suffering.

Hey, how's it going ladies and gentlemen? It's your guy Brad H. once again, and welcome to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I'm back at it once again to give my perspective on another topic that I feel will not only be beneficial to myself, but hopefully to you all as well. At least that is my hope. I hope that you all have been maintaining since the last time we spoke, and like always if that hasn't been the case for you, keep on holding your head up high. Things can always get better or worse for us, but the better will not come without some effort and a positive state of mind on our part. As for me personally, things have been pretty good since the last installment. Some of you may know that I'm a San Antonio Spurs fan, so you can imagine that I was disappointed to hear about the retiring of longtime Spur Tim Duncan. I've always admired him as a player, and I hate that I never got to see him play in person. However, after such a long and distinguished career in the NBA, I suppose it was about time for him to get out. Thanks for the memories Tim, and I'm certain most fans of the Spurs feel the same way. There are also a few birthdays happening within my family the next few days. Actually, there was one celebrated yesterday. One of my cousin's will be turning 18, and his little brother celebrated his very first birthday yesterday (June, 20). Also, today is my grandmother's youngest brother birthday. It's kind of amazing when you think about how much time seems to pass so quick. I can remember when the 18 year old wasn't even a year old yet, and now he is grown. I can also remember writing last year about the birth of his younger brother whose birthday was yesterday. Kinda hard to believe that it's been a year already. At any rate, although I will be seeing them both, I want to say Happy Birthday to both Biggie and Zay, as well as my great uncle Grover. Now that I've gotten on my soapbox for a bit, it's time to get into this week's topic that deals with being rewarded for your suffering.

Like I always mention in my writings, a person's individual viewpoint on a topic will always vary. My focus here isn't to put too much credence into what may be considered to be right or wrong, but rather to give anyone that reads these posts something to hopefully think on and evaluate further. If that happens to be the case for you personally, then these entries are doing exactly what they're intended to do. The main thing for me here is to use this platform as a way to express my views and opinions. If anyone happens to feel differently or disagree with my views on this or any of the topics I write about, that is totally okay with me. So we're going to be discussing how enduring our struggles is the the only way to be rewarded for your suffering. Besides drawing inspiration from Eric Thomas as I mentioned earlier, I've been dealing with some personal issues as of late that I'm looking to see through to the other side. It's not anything serious or life-threatening, just some habits that I'm trying to cut off that I feel will give me a better clarity of mind, body, and spirit. We're all aware that it isn't always easy to break habits, and sometimes there will be some pain and suffering on the journey towards breaking them. However, I do believe there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and that's what I keep telling myself on my personal journey.

Now what is suffering? What exactly qualifies as suffering? Everyone is different and have different interpretations of what they consider to be suffering, so it's purely subjective for the most part. The official definition of suffering that I found is; "the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship." When the majority of us think of suffering, we normally liken it to something that deals with the more serious aspects of life. Examples of this could be the loss of a loved one, financial hardships, or dealing with chronic illnesses and diseases. These are only a few examples of suffering, and I think we can agree that they are definitely the most serious examples that I'm going to provide. Unfortunately in most cases, these examples often come with no real rewards or benefits. While all of these examples, as well as any other serious forms of suffering is both unfortunate and sad in many cases, I want to address suffering from a lesser perspective than the examples I mentioned. I'm aiming to view it from the perspective of having to endure the suffering that is required in order to achieve something you may want. I'm talking about the kind of suffering that we sometimes purposefully choose to put ourselves through in hopes to see a greater reward in the end.

So what I am referring to when I talk about the kind of suffering that we intentionally choose to put ourselves through? From my perspective, I'm thinking of various achievements and goals that we may be striving to reach. It doesn't always have to necessarily have a tangible reward at its conclusion, but the completion of it leaves you a sense of joy and accomplishment that can't be bought by any price. I want you to think about this for an example. Imagine someone running in a marathon or any kind of distance related race. Throughout the course of testing your body to the limits and physical rigors required to finish, there is going to be some form of pain and suffering along the way. Now imagine the person running the race quitting at the halfway point because it has become too uncomfortable for them. Think of it like jumping out into the deep end of a swimming pool without a life vest. Now I'm not saying that a person should push themselves to the point of harming their body. However, the point I'm trying to prove that quitting while we're facing any kind of adversity won't leave us with a sense of fulfillment if we know we didn't do our best with whatever task is at hand. You can liken it to one of those feelings we have when something is wrong or missing in your life, even if everything else may be going right for you.

Before I bring this post to a close, I want everyone to realize that regardless of what kind of suffering you may be enduring, whatever you're dealing with is exactly where you're supposed to be at that moment. I'm one of those people that doesn't feel that things happen by accident. Furthermore, I want to stress this point. Anytime you're facing challenges that are causing you pain and suffering, that's probably where all the change and growth is happening in your life. This is the exact reason to keep on enduring when you want to give up. The only way to truly test your character and know what you're made of is if you're willing to go through the pain and suffering that is required. It's kinda like a rights of passage in my opinion. Again, we're always going to have that inkling of doubt that wants to trick us into giving up because it doesn't feel comfortable. However, like I mention in most of my writings, this is where the power of the mind comes into play. We can get through nearly anything with a strong and healthy mind. So to all my friends out there facing challenges, keep on enduring if you're able. There is always a greater payoff for your suffering if you're willing to stay the course, and I truly believe that we'll become better people at the end for our willingness to endure.

Well ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to go ahead and end this one. I believe that I was able to get my point across in this installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. Thank you once again to everyone that stopped by. My hope is that there was some meaning and understanding gained by this post. Of course if that wasn't the case for you, your visit here is always both welcomed and appreciated. I hope that everyone has a great weekend ahead, and feel free to drop any feedback or comments. Alright I'm out of this joint so until next time, I go by the name of Brad H., and I wish you all peace and positive thoughts. Peace!

©2016 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Lets learn to roll with the punches.

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Hello once again to all. You already know who it is, and what time it is. It's ya man Brad H. coming back at you again. Welcome to another edition of Brad H's Perspective. I hope that everyone had a positive and fulfilling week, and you're ready for another positive week ahead. I had a great run earlier this evening. It helped in getting me even more motivated to do this blog post. By the way, I set a goal on Runkeeper(runkeeper.com) earlier in the week. The goal is to run 25 total miles this month. I'm 12% of the way through with it, so I got a ways to go. However, i'll get there slowly through discipline and just showing up. I'll keep those interested with my progress throughout the month in future posts. Now lets get to what we're discussing today. In this post I want to discuss the term "rolling with the punches", and how we must learn to take the punches that life sometimes deals us. I think it's pretty fitting that I chose the right title for this particular post. We had a great night of boxing last night with Floyd Mayweather Jr. taking on Miguel Cotto. We also got to see Saul "Canelo" Alvarez take on "Sugar" Shane Mosley. I hope you all were able to catch the fights and enjoyed them. Now lets get into what we're discussing today.

First off, lets ask a question. If you happened to get into a physical altercation with someone, which type of punch do you think would hurt you most? Getting punched while you are standing still, or taking a punch that hits you while you are moving? I'm willing to bet you said the punch that hits you while standing still would hurt more. That's exactly right. As simple as that question may sound, it's a perfect example for being able to roll with the punches. We know that all punches hurt, but the ones that hit us while we are moving, or the ones that we are more prepared for hurt less. That's one of the reasons why boxers move so much in the ring. They know they are going to get hit, but the goal is to be able to absorb and take the shots. We can equate this logic to our everyday lives. It's a fact that no matter who you are, or how well off you are in this world, there are going to be times when life hits you. There is no way of getting around it. When life hits, it's often unexpected most of the time. There are a number of time in our lives when unexpected events will happen. Some can be for good, and some are bad. However, we must learn to roll with the blows that life sometimes deals us.

There are various unexpected events that can happen to catch us off guard. The death of someone close to us, finding out someone we love, or even ourselves having a terminal disease. A disappointment or setback in a job or something career related, or relationship problems can catch us off guard as well. There are no limits as to the tough times life can bring us. It reminds me a lot of Sylvester Stallone's speech to his son in the movie, "Rocky Balboa". He said that "Nobody hits harder than life". I found this to be such a true and powerful statement. When life hits, all we can do is keep moving forward. Yes it's sometimes going to hurt, but we can't allow the bad times keep us down. Any and all things can be overcome if we want to get through them. Wallowing in our problems is not the answer to solving them. Faith, belief, and effort are the keys.

Lets let today be the day we dust off our burdens and get up. Lets make an effort to roll with the punches that life brings us. Lets prepare ourselves to be as ready as we possibly can. Athletes train for competition to be prepared, so lets train our minds to be as ready as we possibly can for the hardships of life. We all know they are coming. I'm going to leave a link to the inspiration speech by Rock Balboa at the bottom. For those of you who haven't seen this movie, I hope you enjoy this clip. It's truly inspiring. Well that's it for this week of Brad H's Perspective. I already feel motivated by reading my own words. I hope that anyone who reads this finds it inspiring. I'm only focused on being as positive as I can be. I'm far from perfect, so like I've said before I want to push myself to be better. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll be back at it again later on in the week. Till then, I send peace, love, and blessings to all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Vg4uyYwEk