The Importance Of Keeping Your Mind On The End Goal.

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Anyone that has ran a marathon, or even ran a shorter distance can tell you about something called "the wall". What exactly is "the wall"? I'm pretty sure that the majority of you know what the wall is, but for those of you that may not know, the wall is where you reach a point where you want to stop. Think of it as walking through your house in the dark and running against a wall in your house. It tends to stop you dead in your tracks right? Though "the wall" is a term that is most frequently associated with distance running, there are many more uses in life that "the wall" can define. For many of us, hitting a wall is something that happens on a daily basis depending on what we're doing exactly. There may be other times where a wall happens every so often compared to on a regular basis. So there was many different ways to describe a wall and how it relates to our lives. However, what the wall has in common with everything regardless of what way that it is being used is that it is often a make or break moment for us. Usually the wall represents the point in a journey that you find yourself able to push through the wall, or finding that it takes us out of the journey completely. As someone that has done distance running myself for many years, I can say without a doubt that the wall isn't for the faint of heart when it comes to running. I would also agree that this applies to life in general. So how do we defeat the wall and reach the goals that we're aiming for? Can we say that keeping our minds on the end goal is  of ultimate importance?

 

Back at it again! It's your boy Brad H. here to present you all with another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here to once more give my perspective with a topic that I believe would be self serving towards us in our everyday lives. I hope that you all have been doing well since the last post. If that hasn't been the story of your life recently, just know that things can and will improve in due time. So for my soapbox this week, I just want to say rest in peace to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Dwayne Haskins. For those that may not have heard, Haskins was struck and killed by a truck today. It is definitely a sad situation, especially with how young he was at the age of 24. It cannot be said enough, but life is so short. The way things have been going for the past couple of years has been pretty disheartening with all the death that has happened across the world. We all need to do our best to appreciate our lives as much as possible. We've all heard the saying "tomorrow is not promised", right? I think most of us take that phrase for granted. Our mentality has to change when it comes to this because the relevance of this phrase is probably a lot closer than many of us realize. Again, rest in peace Dwayne Haskins, and condolences to his family. So now that I've addressed that, lets go ahead and get into the importance of keeping our minds on the end goal. 

Before we get deeper into this week's topic, I feel that I need to address something that I want to begin with. One of the things about being on a journey besides the end goal that most people allude to is the journey in and of itself. We often hear people talk about the importance of enjoying the journey along the way towards your intended destination. I happen to be one of those individuals that agrees on the importance of the journey itself. However, for this week's topic, we're not going to be focusing on the journey towards a goal. This week's topic is going to be all about the end goal and why it matters so much to keep the focus on it. Now in bringing this up, I am in no way saying that the journey itself isn't important. The journey itself is probably the most important aspect of reaching a goal due to the amount of time that often goes into the journey. However, I wanted to write on this topic because many of us forget that while the journey is important, the end goal at hand isn't to be forgotten about. Furthermore, we all sometimes need that extra motivation to stay on our individual journeys, and focusing on the end goal can be one of the tools that helps us get to the end. I just felt the need to bring that up because I don't want to make it appear as if I am minimizing the journey. This week's goal is to hopefully show how the focus of the end goal can set a theme for how we govern ourselves in the challenges to come.

I brought up earlier the term referred to as "the wall" and how it relates to distance runners. One of the ways I used to describe the wall is make or break moment. For a runner, it is going to be the phase of the run where you either keep going, or you decide to pack it in. Now anyone that is a distance runner that managed to finish their race not only has experienced the wall, but they have obviously had to push through it at some point. Pushing through the wall is when you fight through all the pain that you're experiencing in order to get to the end. Though we are using running as a backdrop here, the same mentality applies when it comes to any journey that a person is on. When you are working towards a goal that you may be trying to reach, there is likely going to come a time while working towards that goal where you face your own version of the wall. Now there are going to be some people that are mentally tough enough to keep pushing regardless of how discouraged or unmotivated they may be. However, what about the people that may need a little more encouragement or motivation to keep on going? Those of us that face this situation may find the wall in these type of circumstances may be too difficult to overcome, which in turn leads to many of us packing in our goals prematurely. From my own perspective, this is where this week's theme of keeping your mind on the end goal comes into play most.

So why do I feel as if it is of utmost importance for us to keep our minds on the end goal? I believe as I have pointed out throughout this topic that we all are going to face running in the wall in certain aspects of our individual journeys. Since these walls are viewed as being make or break moments for me personally, the decisions that we make in these moments set a theme for how we will view challenges in our lives. I believe from my perspective that when we focus on the end goal, it helps us to find the strength to push through those walls. Also, due to the fact that I believe that we as people are products of habit and condition, pushing through those walls will set a theme for how we face challenges in the future. I believe that if we set a tone for being able to push through hard challenges, it helps strengthen us into not giving up so quickly when things get tough. If we allow ourselves to frequently break when we face those make or break moments, we will likely find ourselves breaking at most of the challenges we will face. This is one of the reasons that I believe that it is important for us to keep our minds on the end goal. Again, you want to enjoy and embrace the process and the journey towards the end goal. However, the end goal is the ultimate payout for putting ourselves through the rigorous trials and tribulations that come along with life. So the next time you find yourself at a make or break moment, it is totally up to you to choose the easy or harder route. The choice is always ours, so we have to choose wisely. 

That is what I got for this all this time around. I hope that you all enjoyed reading this topic, and I hope that there was meaning that was able to be taken away from it. I would like to thank everyone that has read this far, especially to those of you that have been coming by for a longer period of time. I truly appreciate all of the feedback and kind words that many of you have provided me over the years. Feel free to leave any comments on this topic down in the comment section. This has been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I will catch you all on the next topic that I cover. Take care everyone! 

©2022 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Giving Fuel To Your Purpose.

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I can't remember exactly the year and date when I done so, but a couple of years back I wrote a post about the importance of a person staying on their purpose. That particular topic mainly dealt with not only a person defining what their purpose is, but also the importance of a person staying on their purpose. One of the things that I didn't touch on in that topic is how does a person fuel their purpose. Now when most people think of fuel, you probably think instantly of a car or some other type of vehicle that is operated by gas. I totally get it, and though there is a huge difference between a vehicle and a person's purpose, there are some similarities as well. Now in order for any type of instrument that runs by gasoline to work, it must be fed fuel, right? Though it may be different in terms of how different a vehicle is from a person's purpose, the same logic applies when it comes to an individual giving fuel to their purpose. A person can claim that they know what their purpose is, but it doesn't mean anything if that person isn't taking the necessary steps to fuel their purpose. Because I personally feel that a person's purpose is so important in life, I think that addressing the importance of giving fuel to your purpose can add an aspect of purpose that isn't often talked about. 

Happy 2022 everyone! I go by the name of Brad H., and I'd like to welcome you all to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here to once more give my perspective on a topic that I think that would be beneficial towards keeping us motivated in our daily lives. I'd like to extend a thank you to those of you that have came through for another one of my topics. I hope that the new year has been treating you all well so far. We are only 8 days into the year 2022, so we have to be mindful to temper our expectations on what we think this new year will bring. Try not to let your highs get too high, and vice versa with the lows you may face. I really don't have much of a topic to contribute to my soapbox for this week. I just watched my Dallas Cowboys beat down the Philadelphia Eagles, and I am pretty pleased with that. Since I don't really have a topic to add to this section, I will just use it to say thank you to everyone once again. I know I say it a lot, but I believe any and everyone that reads these topics deserve it. This year marks 12 years of my maintaining this blog! I'm just truly grateful for the people that have spent time reading over the years. Like I heard the rapper Big Remo say in one of his songs; "If I could I'd hug all y'all at the same time!" Seriously though, thank you all! So now that we've addressed that, lets get into the importance of fueling our purpose.

Now as I pointed out earlier in this topic, the primary goal with this week's topic isn't to focus on what you purpose may be. We are coming into this topic with the idea that we have already defined what our purpose, or purposes if you have more than one are. So hopefully for everyone that may be reading this has already found what their purpose is. Now I previously defined in past topics what I believe it means to have a purpose in life. I personally think it's a fairly straightforward definition, but I will go ahead and reiterate what it means to me for anyone that hasn't read previous topics. From my own perspective, I feel that purpose is the thing or things that give us a reason for want to exist in this life. Your purpose is basically all the things that motivate you to want to get out of bed every single day. Purpose isn't limited to only one thing, and can include a multitude of various aspects of our lives. We all may have similar purposes when it comes to certain facets of life, but we also have different things that we define as our purpose. Most of can see that having a purpose is very important in life, and I would dare say that many people probably would lack desire and motivation with having a purpose. 

Now we're all aware that if you do not put any energy towards anything you're passionate about in life, then you will likely not get anything back in return. There is always going to be effort that is required on our parts for the things that we want to work out in our favor to work for us. You may wonder how does this relate to purpose? From my perspective, many of us start off fueling our purpose, but as time carries on, many of us allow the purpose gas tank to run completely empty. Now I'm in no way saying that this applies to everyone, but I can admit myself that I have had the problem of allowing my tank of purpose to run on E. There can be many reasons as to why a person can lose fuel for their purpose. One of the biggest reasons is becoming too results oriented. If we don't see the results that we want when we feel we want, the motivation can dry up. Stagnation is another potential reason why a person can lose interest in their purpose. Again, there are many reasons that can be specific to a person and their circumstances. I believe that in order for purpose to work for us, we have to consistently work at fueling it. This can be extremely difficult to do if and when that desire begins to dry up. However, there is something key that we need to remember when it comes purpose, which is why I think it is of importance to fuel that purpose. 

Fueling your purpose; why it is so important for us to fuel our purpose? There are numerous reasons as to why I believe it is of importance for us to fuel our purposes. However, one of the things that sticks out to me is how purpose can sometimes be all that we have. What I mean by this is that there are some people in this world that would be nothing without their purpose, or a purpose in general. Whether that is real or imagine is solely up to the individual. I touched on this earlier, but without a purpose, many people would likely cease to have a reason to want to live. From my perspective, if a person's purpose can be that great of magnitude to a person's life, then it is something that needs to given utmost attention. I personally believe that this is the main reason as to why it is so important for us to fuel our purposes. For some people it comes down to have reason to want to live, so in order for people that view it in this way to survive, they have to constantly fuel their purpose. This means that we have to be willing and able to always give the proper attention to our purposes. Just like the car analogy that I used earlier, you can't allow your tank to run on empty. You have to always refill and refuel, otherwise there is that possibility that life can come to a screeching halt is more than one way. 

That's what I got for you all with the first topic of 2022. I hope that you all found it to be both helpful and enjoyable. If you found it to be of some sort of benefit to you, please let me know down below in the comment box. Any other questions or concerns can be left in the box as well. If you've read this far, thank you once again for coming by for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that you all are enjoying 2022 so far, and I hope that this year brings you all the happiness that you desire. I'll see you all in a couple of weeks with the next topic on deck! Have a great rest of the weekend, and an even better week ahead! Peace out!

©2022 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Avoiding "Motivational Killers"!

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One aspect of life that I believe the majority of most people realize as we age is that you cannot make it through this life all alone. Of course there may be some people that feel otherwise, but those are people that likely have a bit of an ego. That's fine if they feel that way as they're entitled to their opinion. However, I also believe that most people will acknowledge that it is nearly impossible to navigate life without help from others. There are people that are going to be there throughout our lives that will help us out when we're in need. One form of help and encouragement that others bring to our lives comes in the form of motivation. Motivation is defined as "the general desire or willingness of someone to do something." Think back to when you were a child, and if you were someone that didn't always enjoy waking up to go to school like I was, you probably had some motivation from your parents to do so. It's not like we had much of a choice to begin with when you're that age, but I think you get my drift here. Motivation is a very crucial aspect of being able to make it through life, but motivation can also work against us if we're not mindful of how to use it. This equates to the importance of avoiding the motivation killers as much as we possibly can. 

Hello once again folks! This is Brad H. back once again, and I would like to welcome you all to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! This is a space where I share my personal perspective on a topic that can hopefully help towards keeping us motivated and inspired in this life. Last week was my schedule week to put this installment out, but I decided that it would be more beneficial for me to enjoy the week with my family. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We are now in the month of December, which means that we got less than 30 days left to end this year on a high note. It is absolutely mind-boggling right now just thinking of how this year is almost over with. Despite the world at large dealing with all types of issues this year, 2020 has managed to go by very quickly. Before I get into this week's topic, I just want to encourage everyone to remember that this year isn't done yet. There is a lot that can still happen both good and bad. More importantly, we still have the opportunity to work on and improves ourselves. There is no better time than now, so there is no use in waiting for 2021 to start. So now that I've gotten on my soapbox for a sec, lets go ahead and transition to the theme of the week, which is avoiding the motivational killers. 

Now before we go more into the aspect of motivational killers, I want to begin by stating that the things that may and may not motivate us are purely subjective. As with the majority of the topics that I bring up via this outlet, I'm coming from my own perspective, as well as a more generalize perspective. We are all unique in our own ways, so there will always be variance when it comes to the things that do, as well as do not motivate us. Now some of you may wonder to yourselves; "Brad H., what exactly is a "motivational killer?" Well it is elementary my dear readers! Okay, I'm kidding with the Sherlock Holmes reference there. However, from my own perspective, a motivational killer is anything that pretty much puts a cap on motivating us to do things. Now this isn't limited only to people, because we do know that some of the biggest motivational killers are going to be people. That said, motivational killers are also things that could be considered as being habits. Now some people may not necessarily look at bad habits as being motivation killers, but I would dare say that they are probably more damaging than people are when it comes to this topic. Why, you may wonder? Because anything that is created by us (which most habits are) are more difficult to break.  

Now besides the possibility of being around other individuals that could be deemed as motivational killers, what are the habits that can be classified in this way? Again, this is all subjective, but anything that potentially keeps you from having a desire to do anything is a motivational killer. This can include things like excessive eating, junk foods, television, entertainment, etc. These are just a few examples of things that can kill motivation. Now going back to habits and how they can affect us when it comes to motivation, I mentioned previously how they're the most damaging and difficult to break free from. It's one thing to deal with a negative person that may be detrimental to a degree when it comes to being motivated to do things. Of course this type of negativity isn't ideal, but you can always either tune out a negative person, or remove yourself from around them. However, when it comes to anything that may be a vice and has a hold on you literally, it's not always as easy to break those chains. Breaking these chains can be done, but it's much more of a challenge when it all falls on you to do the necessary work. The main point here is to understand that motivational killers can come in all shapes and forms, and it is always wise to be aware of the things that we're giving energy to. 

So all of this brings us to the title of the topic for this week, which is the importance of avoiding motivational killers. It's pretty obvious why we should strive to avoid things that decrease motivation. However, the main reason as to why I believe that it's of importance to avoid motivational killers is due to the fact that these killers blend into other aspects of our lives that may not have anything to do with being motivated. As an example, if there's a person that chooses to lie on the couch all day eat bad and watching television, that person probably doesn't have the motivation to do anything productive with themselves. However, the poor eating and lack of movement can also lead to bad health, which is another downside that comes with a lack of motivation. Again, it isn't enough to just rely on motivating ourselves to do the things we desire. When we allow the things that kill our motivation to control our lives, it trickles down to other aspects of our lives as well. Having one issue going on in our lives is one thing, but motivational killers can multiply the issues that we're facing. This is why it is essential that we must avoid the things that lead to diminished motivation. 

Well that's the topic for the week everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed reading this, and if you happened to make it this far, I sincerely appreciate you for coming through. This has once again been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective', brought to you by Brad H. Please feel free to leave any comments and feedback if you would like to do so. You can also find me on Twitter @BradrickH if you would like to connect on there. We are 20 days away from the Christmas holiday as of right now. Lets try to enjoy the rest of these days leading to the end of this year. You all take care, and I'll see you in a couple of weeks with another topic. Peace out everyone!

©2020 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.

Things Can Only Improve If You Keep Persevering (Motivation Headed Into 2018).

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Depending on how well you handle things, as well as how strong of a mindset you may have, one of the harshest facts of life is that life can be very difficult to cope with at times. There is so much unpredictability that comes along with living life, and if you don't consistently stay on top of your mental capacity daily, finding peace and joy within can be an uphill climb. In a perfect world, we would all be able to live, laugh and love without any of the stresses or strife that we all encounter occasionally. Just like how perfection is unattainable, a perfect world doesn't exist, which means that we all have to learn how to live in an imperfect world. For many, negative thoughts and feelings can become the norm when you feel like you're on a roller coaster of bad things continuously happening in your life. Some people may say things like "just pray about it", or "think more positive", etc. While this is all good advice and if we're being honest, these phrases are definitely true. However, for a person that has been dealing with so many negative things without a breakthrough coming in, it can be very difficult to remain positive and upbeat when you feel as if there isn't much hope for the future. I believe that this is a state of mind that can become a breeding ground for negativity and hopelessness. Feeling helpless and hopeless shouldn't be a chronic mindset that we have, so it is mindful be aware that regardless of what you're dealing with in your life, things can only look up if you keep on persevering.

What's going on guys? It is I Brad H. back once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to the end of 2017 installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back once again to hopefully dish out some knowledge and inspiration that will hopefully keep us inspired in this wild world that we're living in. Hope all has been good and well for everyone as of late. Well this is the final topic for the year 2017. I mentioned in the last topic that I was probably going to reflect on how challenging this year has personally been for me. Don't get me wrong, there have been some high points for me this year. However, if I'm being honest with myself, the bad has outweighed that good. Instead of reflecting on this year, I wanna talk about something that I mentioned in the last post. I mentioned how so many people usually transition around this time of the year. Well unfortunately, my family has suffered a loss exactly a week before Christmas Day. My grandmother's second youngest brother passed away on the early morning of December 18th. Although he had been very for a long time, his passing was definitely unexpected for most of my family. The last time we saw him as a family was on Thanksgiving. Upon leaving him on Thanksgiving day, I recall my sister mentioning that she didn't really like seeing him in the shape that he was in. She told me a few days after his passing that when she saw him on Thanksgiving that she felt like he didn't have long left here. Mind you, she didn't tell me this until several weeks after Thanksgiving. I say that to say that often time we never know when it will be the last time that we see someone. Life is so unpredictable, so it is essential to try and treasure those close to you. I wanna close by saying that I hope you rest easy uncle Grover. We know how much you have suffered over the years, but you can finally rest peacefully now. Alright, now we can go ahead and talk more about this week's topic of improving through persevering.

As with the usual format I use before getting into the main talking point for the week, I'd like to go ahead and give the regular disclaimer that I use. Every single one of us have different views and ideas when it comes to any topic. The objective here isn't to try to change or alter anyone's beliefs, but rather to hopefully educate and encourage others to view a particular topic in a way in which they may not have before. The basic goal is to provide some insight and inspiration that gets the juices in our brains to flowing. Just like every other part of the body that is working when the blood gets flowing, the brain is similar as well when it comes to thought. I am just one person with an opinion, so I don't expect everyone to share in my views. Regardless if you agree or not, I am happy that you chose to come by and see what I have to say. As for how this topic came to be, I can mainly point to this year in general for the motivation to write this. I've mentioned previously how rough this year has been for me, as well as several other people that I am close to. There have been instances throughout this year where others, as well as myself have thought about giving up on the things we're trying to achieve. I'm sure that some of you can relate to this. These instances that I'm referencing have come and gone, but the fact is that as long as we're alive and breathing, they will likely happen again sometime. Starting right here right now, we have the opportunity to head into 2018 with a more positive and optimistic outlook of how we see our live and goals. The time to give up isn't here, so perseverance is what will be required to keep on going.

Now if you are an individual that is into personal development and motivational speakers, you have probably heard of a very well known speaker named Eric Thomas. He is someone that I admire quite a bit, and I know for sure that I have mentioned him in previous installments. Anyway, there was a video of his that I watched on Youtube where he was talking about perseverance and not giving up. In order to help to get his point across, there was an illustration that was shown within the video. The picture featured two men, both of whom had shovels in their hands. There were diamonds featured in both men's screens, however, one of the men was using his shovel to dig away at the diamonds, while the other was walking away in defeat. Now here comes the important aspect of the illustration. Both men were only a few more digs with their shovel from knocking down the dirt that was directly in front of the diamonds. They were both so close to their goal, but one of them walked away right before the victory was at hand. It was a simple cartoon illustration, but it was one that I think says a lot. Too many of us often give up right before the victory that we're seeking is near. I believe that because we're often not able to see that the victory is right around the corner, we opt to give up and go the other direction like the digger that was featured in the illustration. Just like Eric Thomas referred to in his video, all he had to do was dig just a little more to reach those diamonds. Since he walked away too quickly, he didn't achieve his goal, despite being right at the cusp of it.

So how does this illustration tie-in with this week's topic? Well as I mentioned already, some of you may have dealt with many challenges during 2017. Whatever those challenges may be are totally unique to your situation and circumstances. However, more than likely depending on what those challenges have been, they have likely left you not feeling too optimistic at times throughout this year. There are levels to everything, and from my perspective, optimism or lack thereof is no different. I say this to say that if you've experienced a lack of optimism for your life at sometime throughout this year, you've probably dealt with feeling hopeless also. Now back to the illustration that I referred to in Eric Thomas's video. Although there is no way to prove it beyond the actions that we see, the digger that gave up and chose to walk away likely done this due to feeling hopeless that he would eventually reach those diamonds. Now the illustration deals with diamonds, but those diamonds can represent anything in our lives. They can be something related to academics, business, relationships, etc. Whatever it is that you want to do or achieve requires patience and perseverance, but this state of mind should also apply to life in general. As I mentioned earlier, life can be difficult to cope with at times, and it is okay to get down at times. The point is to rise back up and have belief that whatever is happening in your life can only improve if you believe and persevere.

I often disclaim that I try to promote deep thinking and motivation here. I think that added motivation for this upcoming new year is where I wanted to go with this topic. I know that many of you including myself have faced difficulties this year, but we are still here and kicking because we are fighters that don't give up. Life may bend us at times, but we never break completely. Sure we deal with storms and hardships, and those trials knock us down at times. However, despite those dark moments in our lives, we have a belief that there is a light that is on the other side. I want you all to keep this in mind since we're heading into a new year. If you do no already adopt this philosophy, you don't have to wait till 2018 to do so; you can try and start right now. So for all my people out there that are dealing with things in your life, things can only improve if you keep on keeping on. There is a battle between us and this life that is going on, but remember it is a battle within our minds. The quote that I'm going to leave you all with that deals with this topic comes from one of my heroes; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I'm sure it is one that you've heard before, but it goes; "If you can't fly, then run, if you can't run, then walk, if you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward."

Well that is it everyone. That is all I have for you this time, so I'm going to go ahead and wrap up this final edition for 2017 of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I again want to express my gratitude for those of you that take out the time to read these topics. The feedback that I receive on Twitter and other formats truly touches my soul. It is very uplifting and empowering to see that there are people out there that want to become the best versions of themselves possible. If you have any comments or feedback, please leave them below, or you can follow me on Twitter @BradrickH. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Lets try to end this year on a high note, and keep that momentum going for 2018. Thank you all again for the support. See you all in 2018!

©2017 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Sometimes You Just Need That Spark to Become or Stay Motivated.

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"Motivation"; a word that most of us will see and hear multiple times throughout our lives. Not only is it a word that we hear and see often, it's also something that we all will need from time to time. For some people, being motivated is something that comes fairly easy. For some individuals, getting motivated is similar to breathing; it's like a second nature. While some people naturally have that drive and motivation that's needed to accomplish certain things in life, for others, becoming and staying motivated can be a huge a challenge within itself. Whether you're a person that is naturally self driven, or you're someone that sometimes needs that extra push, there are times in life when you just need that one spark to get yourself going. Welcome to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'.

What up to all my peeps out there. Like always, I hope everyone is doing well, staying up, and maintaining. It's been a hot minute since I've posted anything, but I'm back at it once again. In fact, what I'll be talking about in this post will somewhat coincide with the reasoning for my previous absence from posting in this blog. By the time I get finished with this post, it will all make sense. Now that I've stated that, it's time to get into what we're talking about in this post. So I started out talking about the word "motivation", and how for some people it comes naturally. Now for those of you who happen to read this that have no problem being motivated to do certain things, I definitely tip my hat off to you. However, the main people that this post will be addressing are the ones that occasionally have a hard time getting or staying motivated. Whether this applies to you or not, you're still more than welcomed to read on, and any feedback is always welcomed.

Now if you're a person that sometimes needs an added push to get motivated, I want to begin by saying that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. One of the things that frustrates me about our society is how quick so many people are to make someone feel bad because they're not like them. If you're someone that finds yourself always being self-motivated in life that's great, however, it doesn't give you the right to look down upon someone that may not be that way. Everyone processes things differently, and while certain tasks may come easy for some people, those same tasks may be equivalent to climbing up a mountain for others. Sometimes, a person just needs that extra spark to become motivated to start climbing up that mountain.

So how does one find that spark to become or stay motivated? Well, finding a spark varies from person to person and whatever circumstance that warrants extra motivation. But, what I do know is that finding a spark doesn't take much at all to do. The urge to become motivated towards life often comes in the form of the simplest things. For example; lets say someone is a writer, who for whatever reason or another, has recently lost their motivation to write. The days and weeks begin to pass by, and the author's motivation continues to stay in the doldrums. Then suddenly out of the blue one day, that same author receives an e-mail from a fellow writer telling them that they've read some of their past works, and how they were impressed by it. Suddenly, the writer that has lost their motivation to write recently potentially feels motivated again, all because someone else saw their talent. That scenario right there can be the true example of a spark that initiates a person to become motivated.

Now although I used the writing analogy, there are various other examples where that one little spark can ignite someone to become motivated. A person that may be in the process of trying to lose weight may need a spark to stay motivated to keep going. Their personal spark can come in the form of someone complimenting them on how far along that they've already come. There are various other examples, but I'm going to go ahead and end this blog post. Always keep in mind that it's okay to lack motivation in life, however, never allow your lack of motivation to completely weigh you down. Remember that if you're willing to change for the better, there is always that little spark out there that can help you become motivated. It's always out there, so always keep yourself open to finding it.

Well that's it for this weeks edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As always, thank you to those of you that have tuned in. My hope is that this blog can help be somewhat of a spark for someone else. Like with all of my posts, everything that I write are my own thoughts and how I strive to live my own life. If there can be some meaning and understanding gained from this by others, then that is an added bonus for me. Alright I'm out for this time everyone, so I'll see you in the next one. Peace!

Suffering Setbacks In Life, and Using Them As Motivation For the Future.

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Perfection is a false reality that does not exist. Although the majority of people are aware that attaining perfection isn't a reality, a good portion of people still aim to achieve it. I feel there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to achieve the best outcome that you possibly can in various situations, or even striving to be the best person in this life that you can possibly be. However, I sometimes believe that many of us view the setbacks and disappointments that happen in our lives as total failures. Many of us set out upon a journey with reckless abandon to achieve a goal, and if we just so happen to not reach those goals, we sometimes view ourselves as failures. I recently had what I would consider a humbling experience that I would like to share in this week's edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'.

What's good people? It's ya boy Brad H. back at you again with another blog posting. Hope all is well and good with everyone. For this week's post, I'm going to share with you all an event that I was involved last week, and use it as an example of how it relates to the topic of this post. Last week was not only a physically painful week for me, it was also a stressful one as well. I feel like what I endured last week is a fairly good example of how having setbacks and disappointments does not always equate to being a failure. We just have to use those setbacks as a motivating force for future events that we will encounter. If any of you have been a regular reader of my blog posts, you've probably seen mention of an annual 5K race that I've run in for the past three years. I enjoy being active and having the experience of running in this race. However, the primary reason that I've done this race three straight times is because it normally takes place right before my birthday. Since I value the old saying that "health is wealth", I've always viewed participating in the race as a birthday gift to give myself.

Now besides enjoying the overall experience of participating in the Gusher/Kinsel Ford 5K, my initial goal when I registered was to beat my previous running times from the past two years. I had high hopes towards the end of 2013 when I decided that I would participate, as I was reaching a level of activity through running that I haven't experienced in a few years. I would dare say that I was somewhat at the level I was when I was a bit younger. However, unfortunately in late November of 2013, I went through another stage of inactivity after a close family member passed away. I basically went almost an entire month without doing any running, or any exercise for that matter. When I finally was mentally ready to start back training again, it felt like I was starting all over again. Just getting through one mile of jogging was a challenge within itself. Saying that getting back into the groove of things as you get a bit older is an understatement. However, after a month or so of training again, I began to make progress; but once again I had to take some time off due to knee problems and consistent bad weather.

Since I had it in my mind to do this race in 2013, I went ahead and registered for the race knowing that I hadn't been training properly. At any rate, I still held onto hope that there would be a slim chance that I would able to beat my race times from the previous years. Then six days before the event, everything came crashing down on me. The Sunday before the race, I lifted a dresser for a family member and hurt my back. Ouch! Instead of using the few days before the race to train, I pretty much had to rest because of the pain that I was experiencing. I thought about just pulling out of the race altogether, and I would have had to if it were only a day or two after the back injury. I just couldn't see myself running at all with a bad back. My back slowly got better during the week, but it was not 100 percent whatsoever. Not only was my back being a hinderance, my mental state wasn't where it needed be either. Despite the bleak outlook, I went ahead and participated in the race.

So you're probably wondering how did I do? Well, I ran my slowest time out of the three years I've done this race, but I did cross the finish line. Following the race, I felt extremely down on myself for not reaching the goal I wanted to obtain. It took me talking to and corresponding with other people to realize that I was being too hard on myself. People were telling me that I should be happy that I finished, and that I was only 3 minutes slower than my fastest time despite a bad back and little training. They were saying things like; "Imagine how well you would have done if you hadn't injured your back, and you did train properly for the race?" When I began to focus on the positive things that I was hearing, I realized that I indeed was being too hard on myself. A humbling experience, but it helped me to realize even more that having setbacks are all about how you handle them.

I'm going to go ahead and bring this week's post to a close, but the main point is that setbacks, failures, and disappointments are all a state of mind. When we have unfortunate situations and setbacks in our lives, it's totally up to us on how we choose to handle them. We can either wallow in them and allow them to take us out of the game completely, or we can use them as motivation for doing and being better in the future. I know this sounds like a simple concept, but sometimes it takes other people telling us that it's okay to fail sometimes. What matters most is as long as you pick yourself back up and keep moving forward. This message goes way beyond just running in a race; it's about all aspects of life, as there will always be disappointments and setbacks that will happen throughout life.

Well that's it for this week's edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. As with all of my posts, everything that I've written applies to me and I how I strive to live. I hope that you enjoyed reading, and hopefully you can relate some of this post to the setbacks that we're all going to have in the future. I also want to apologize for being away and not writing last week, but now you all know why. Everything is fairly back to normal now, so I'll see you all in the next post. Till then, everyone stay up and keep on maintaining. Peace!

Be your own motivator!

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Hello once again good people. It's ya man Brad H coming back at you again with another weekly edition of "Brad H's Perspective". As always I hope this blog post reaches everyone in great health and spirits. As for me, I'm doing better myself. I had gotten sick early last week, so that slowed me down for a few days. It was even more unfortunate because I had to miss a few days of running. Some of you may remember that I mentioned in a couple of blog posts ago that I set a goal of 25 total miles of running for the month of May. My little sick spell held me back a few days. However, I'm now back on track and feeling much better. I think that Runkeeper, which is the site I use to track my runs has a option of posting runs to a blog. I'll be sure to check next time, and if so, I'll start posting my running activities on here. There is also something else that happened recently that excited me. I got the opportunity to see "Marvels: The Avengers" yesterday. This was the first movie for 2012 that I was highly anticipating to go see, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Being a huge fan of comic book and hero movies, I enjoyed it a lot. I hope some of you have been able to see it also. Alright it's time to get into this weeks topic.

Many of us constantly look to other people to help keep us motivated. I'm in no way saying this is a bad thing, it most definitely isn't. I will be the first to admit that there are tons of information and sources I use to help keep myself motivated. When I'm working out or running, I think about and refer a lot of the videos I've watched of great athletes or personal trainers. People who excelled at whatever sport they were good at, or words of wisdom they use always inspires me. Sometimes I may read a blog or article about someone who got themselves into excellent shape, or became more healthier by losing weight. Things of this nature this play a large role in my motivation. As great as outside factors besides ourselves are for motivation, it's important for us to be our own motivators as well. I know this concept may sounds really simple to some, but many of us are solely using the motivation from others as our primary motivating factor. If there are goals we want to achieve or obstacles we are looking to get past, we have to look within ourselves first. Everything that we do must start within ourselves. Other factors that we use for motivation are only supposed to help enhance what we already have within us.

I could use this blog that I post on as a prime example. I have to have a passion for writing in this blog and keeping it updated on a regular basis. When I read other peoples blogs or watch others post video vlogs on various online platforms, it encourages me to want to step up my game. However, it doesn't matter how much I read or watch others if I'm not personally driven by something within me. We can't always use others to be our sole source of being motivation. We need to find things and interests that we like, and focus on being our own primary motivators. Use the motivation from others to help you create and enhance what you should already have inside of you. If you can't find that fire or drive to do something, then it's most likely not for you. There's no need to force anything. If it's really something that you're interested in, you will naturally enjoy doing it.

Alright folks that's it for this installment of Brad H's Perspective. Just to recap real quick, focus on being your primary motivator. Lets allow the things we want to do in life be all us and not about other people. Try to stay personally driven. There may come a time where others aren't around to push us, so we gotta look deep within ourselves and find that source of strength. It's a simple, but important concept. One that I don't think can be stressed enough. So what do you think about this topic? I would love to see others feedback on this along with my other topics in general. Feel free to drop comments and leave your opinions. We're all on here to learn. Well I'm out peeps, but we'll be back later on in the week, or early next week if God says the same. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and post, and hopefully it helped provide some extra motivation. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm already feeling more motivated. Till next time, peace, love, and blessings.

My personal 10 Hubs in 10 Days Challenge.

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Hello once again folks. It's ya man Brad H. coming back at you again. I'm coming to you on a rainy Monday evening here in Texas. I can't speak for everyone else, but rainy days provide little motivation to do much. However, we can't let the rain keep us from doing what we got to do. At any rate I hope this reaches you all in good health and spirits. Today's post is going to be fairly brief and straight to the point. It's about a personal challenge that I embarked on almost two weeks ago. I called it the "10 Hub in 10 Days Challenge".



Some of you know or may be familiar with the passion that I've developed for blogging. The website, Hubpages is one of the sites that I blog on. I've been writing on Hubpages for around 7 months. Up until I decided to do this challenge I set for myself, I had written 19 hubs. Hubs are the name given to articles on Hubpages. I've been looking for a way to become more motivated to write on Hubpages, so I set the 10 Hubs in 10 Days Challenge for myself. Now before I go any further, I want to say that there is another challenge that many other writers on Hubpages do. It's called the "30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge". The name of this challenge is pretty self-explanatory like the one I made for myself. I'll talk more about the 30 day challenge in a bit.

I wanted to set a challenge for myself that I feel would challenge me, but would also allow me to reach it as well. As I mentioned in previous posts, you don't have to go all out everyday in reaching your goals. Small goals and small steps are key. Three days into my personal challenge, I posted a question on Hubpages asking if anyone wanted to join me on the challenge. I received two responses, and one of the writers decided to do the challenge with me. Now I personally found this to be a great thing. Not only did I have someone else encouraging me to finish out this task, but I was helping to motivate someone else also. I love it when support comes from someone else, or a group of other individuals. This is something that I actually wrote about in one of my hubs.

Now that I've finished the challenge, I'm going to be posting the 10 articles on my blog for anyone who wants to read them. I'll be posting one article daily until all ten are posted. I want to give a special thanks to Hubpages user http://karenhellier.hubpages.com/. She is the writer who took the challenge with me. We've corresponded several times through e-mail, and we've both decided to tackle the 30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge. She is the person who inspired me to want to take on this new challenge. We are planning on starting the challenge in June, so I'm going to start preparing myself to be ready. I'm definitely up for it. Well that's it for today folks. I'll start posting articles tomorrow. If you want to read my hubs, you can read them at http://prospectboy.hubpages.com/. I'm also going to be adding a widget from Hubpages to my blog, so you can read my material that way as well. Well take care everyone, and I will be back soon. Till then, peace and blessings to all.