The Importance Of Being Grateful (Someone Else Always Has It Worse).

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Believe me, I get it. I know all too well about complaining when things in my life aren't going the way I'd like. In fact, I think it is quite rare to encounter a person during these times that we're living in that never complains about the issues in their life on occasion. As with nearly everything in this life that has variance in how little or much something may be, the habit of complaining to others about our problems is another one of those things. We may all complain at times throughout our lives, but some of us do it more than others. Since we all complain at times, the degree as to which we as people complain really doesn't matter as much, and that isn't the primary focus where I'm trying to go this week. While there may be a degree of normality when it comes to complaining, something that most of us forget is a word that is something that we should express on a daily basis; gratitude. For many of us, it seems that whenever we're dealing with various issues in our lives that we often forget the importance of expressing gratitude. Again, I believe this is quite normal, and it is very difficult for most of us to focus on the positive whenever we're facing a dark moment(s) in our minds. By now, I think most of us know and understand that complaining without any action behind it is pretty pointless. Now I'll concede that there are times when we just want to vent to others. However, I do believe there is a fundamental difference between complaining and venting. That may be a topic for another day though. The primary purpose of the topic for this week is to bring light to why it is of importance to express gratitude. There can be many reasons why being grateful is important, but one of the key things that we often forget about whenever we're complaining is that while things may be bad and not going your way in this life, there is someone else out there always has it worse than we do.

Hey, what is going on everyone out there? It is I, Brad H. back once again, and welcome to another fresh off the take edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! We are back in the mix for another installment of information and insight that will hopefully encourage and inspire us to strive to become better versions of ourselves. Hopefully all has been good and well for you all that are taking out a few minutes to check out what my thoughts are. So for my soapbox this week, I'm going to give a little tribute to the "Queen of Soul", Aretha Franklin. I'm sure that most of you know by now that she departed this world on August 16, 2018. Now I'm not going to get on here and portray that I was the biggest fan of hers or anything like that. Quite frankly, a good portion of her music was way before my time. However, I do feel that the music and entertainment industry suffered a huge loss with her passing. I think that most of us can agree that she was among the musical giants that have been a part of American music. One of her most popular songs that mostly everyone has listened, or even if you haven't heard it you have more than likely heard some say the letters; R-E-S-P-E-C-T, to spell "Respect". My personal favorite from her was the 1985 song she had called "Freeway of Love." I remember hearing that song as a kid, and the uptempo pace of it really appealed to me. I recall seeing a few days before her passing that she wasn't doing well, so I hope that her transition from this life was a peaceful one. My condolences go out to her family and everyone who is directly affected by her passing. One of the great things about people that are extremely gifted and talented at a craft is that we can always listen to or watch them even when they're no longer here. She has given this world so much music over her lifetime, so in a way she continues to live on. If you have a favorite song by Aretha Franklin, please feel free to leave that below. Well now that I've talked about that, it is time to go ahead and get into this week's topic of the importance of being grateful.

Before we talk more on the topic at hand for this installment, I'm going to go ahead and give the regular disclaimer that I always give before putting my thoughts out there. Since we're all unique individuals in our own right, it is unrealistic to believe that we're all going to think the same way. The object here isn't to focus on what is considered right or wrong, nor do I want others to cosign with everything that I address here. The objective is to hopefully inspire other people, and through that inspiration, to hopefully allow this to serve as a catalyst that will inspire us to see things in a manner in which we may not have before. I'd like to think of this as an outlet that helps us to learn from one another. Believe me, some of the comments and feedback that I've received have definitely helped open my eyes to things that I never thought of, and I hope that my words are able to do the same for others as well. Of course I don't expect everyone to agree with me, and even if you do not share in my beliefs and sentiments in regards to this or any of the other topics that I have covered, I still appreciate every single person that has dropped by. So how did I arrive at the topic of being grateful for this installment? Well, the practice of gratitude is something that I aim to do on a regular basis. However, like so many of us that manage to allow the issues that pop up in our lives to affect our judgement and how we view things, I do fall short at times. But with that being said, I thought about something that I heard a guy in a Youtube video that I watched several months ago in regards to how regardless of how bad we may have it, there is always someone out there that has it worse than you. This is something that most of us have been taught throughout our lives, but it is often hard to conceive when you're in the midst of a storm in your life. I want to come from this perspective because I believe this perspective will help in putting this topic into its proper context.

If you've been living long enough to have a general understanding of life and how things tend to work, you will likely know by now that life isn't always fair. One of life's harshest realities is the idea that everyone won't always be dealt the same cards, nor will everyone be afforded to have the same opportunities in this life. While there are many aspects of this life that we're all equal and the same, there are also many aspects that exemplify our differences from one another. We have differences in how we think, look, etc; however, we're all the same in the sense that we're all human-beings that have the same 24 hours in a day. We're also similar in the sense that we all will die someday. We're similar to the yin and yang that exudes the balance between two opposites. Now going back to the original point that I'm trying to establish in this section of how we're not all dealt the same circumstances, some people in this life are just gonna have it worse than others. Some people are just born into circumstances that afford them the ability to have a better quality of life, while there are some people whose situations were much worse. Think of the average celebrity that has an abundance of wealth as an example. Most of their kids are likely born into a situation where they're able to attend the best colleges. They're able to do this because their parents likely have the connections and resources to afford them that chance. Now think of a the average person that is either poor, or don't have the kind of wealth that allow them to put their children through college. A person in this situation aiming to rise above this situation will probably be much harder. Now we can agree or disagree as to whether this is fair or not, but the fact of the matter is that everyone's circumstances are different. I wanted to be sure and use this portion of the topic to establish this. I'm not saying this is right or wrong, but it is something that we cannot deny happens in this life.

One of the things that I've brought up on here a countless amount of times is the idea that our judgement is often clouded whenever our mental state is all over the place. It is hard to see the good in this life when you aren't feeling good about yourself right? Isn't it hard to be grateful and appreciative when you feel like you don't have anything to be grateful for? Whether what we may be thinking of ourselves and our situations is a reality or an illusion, these are the things that we often think in the midst of dark times. Now I'll admit that it is never wise to compare ourselves to others. However, what if we took those thoughts of negativity and being unappreciative that we experience and compared them to another person that maybe has things worse than we do? Do you think we would still complain if we looked around and realized that while things aren't what you may want them to be, you are doing much better than you believe you are? From my perspective, I believe that a wise person would take a chill on the complaining and learn to be more grateful. I want you to think of this as an example. Lets say that you are a track athlete and you are competing at the state championship. You go into the event with a lot of confidence, but lets say that you end up losing the race. Naturally you're going to be hurt by this, but if you take the time and think about all the people in this world that are in wheelchairs and won't ever have the opportunity to run in their lives, you'll realize that in the grand scheme of life that your loss doesn't compare. Even in a defeat, you'll likely still be able to run again someday, while the person in the wheelchair will probably never have that experience. Again, we often don't think about these kinds of things at the moment, which is understandable. However, this is one of the reasons why I think it is important for us to try and shift our way of thinking when it comes to life if you find that you struggle with this.

So why is it important to be grateful and express gratitude? Hopefully by this point I've shown enough examples that have helped in getting my perspective across on this. However, besides the obvious fact that being grateful and showing gratitude should innately be in our nature, expressing gratitude is is utmost importance due to the fact that someone else in this world always has it worse than you do. Some of the very things that we often take for granted are also the same things that less fortunate people are wishing to have. Like I mentioned earlier in the post, we aren't all dealt the same hand in this life, and there are going to be certain areas of your life where you may be lacking in comparison to others. However, for the same areas where you may be lacking in where others aren't, someone out there probably wishes they had an area of your life where you're blessed. You are alive if you're reading this right now, which means that you are already doing pretty good. Remember that there is someone out there right this moment that is taking their last breath and likely wishing they had more time in this world to spend with those they love. You may not have 20/20 vision, but there is someone in this world that is blind and may have never had the opportunity to see anything. There may be people talking a lot and annoying you right now, but there is someone out there who is deaf and have never heard how another person's voice sounds. Again, when I take the time to think of things in terms of this, it helps me to realize how important gratitude is. Though I don't want anyone to think that it is good to compare yourself to others, I also believe that getting a point across sometimes requires us to think outside of the box a bit. So I'm challenging myself and others to try and be more grateful. Again I know this isn't always an easy thing to do, but while whatever hand of cards that you're holding now may not be the best, just being alive allows your another chance to play those cards better to improve your life.

Well I think that I've pretty much said and summed up my feelings on this topic. I'm going to go ahead and bring this one to a close, so I would like to thank everyone that came through once again for another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that this provided some insight, and I hope that I was able to express myself in a way that many of you can relate to. If you have anything that you want to contribute to this or any of the other topics that have been addressed, please feel free to do so. You can also connect with me on Twitter @BradrickH if you'd like. I just finished watching a preseason football game between my Dallas Cowboys and the Cincinnati Bengals. NFL football is right around the corner folks! Gosh do I love this time of the year, and I'm sure that many of you do as well. Well I hope that you all have a great rest of the weekend, and I wish you an even better week ahead. I'll be checking back in soon, so please stay on the lookout for me. Till then, I wish you all the best, and keep on smiling! Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Can Someone Else Really Know What Is Truly Best For You?

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Throughout your journey of life, how many times have people in some many ways tried telling you what is best for you? Probably more times than you can count right? When it comes to people telling you what they may feel is best for you, most people do it in subtle ways. Nearly every one of us can relate to the feeling of telling another person how you feel about something and being told in response that you shouldn't do that. Something that I pointed out a few times in the most recent topic that I covered was the idea that while most of the times when people try to keep us from doing something that we want to do is often for honorable reasons, there are also some occasions where the discouragement is coming from a more questionable place. Finding that someone with whom's opinion you value isn't quite in line with what you believe can often be a disheartening thing for some people to deal with. In some cases that are more extreme, it can even cause friction that leads to potentially damaging the relationship. I do realize that in certain circumstances that something like this cannot be avoided. However, the perspective that I'm coming from encourages people to be more tolerant of the ideas of others so these kind of often irreversible situations can be avoided. The question as to whether or not another person can truly know what is best for you is one that will have varying opinions. There are certain circumstances where a person may be so emotionally attached to someone or something that they're not able to rationally see things for what they are in that situation. I believe that those type of circumstances probably call for an outside source to intervene in order to put things into perspective for whom it may apply to. However, I want to come from a perspective that most of us can relate to when it comes to the question; can people really know what is truly best for you?

What's going on everybody? This is ya boy Brad H. back once again, so go and tell a friend. I'm just kidding, but I'd like to welcome everyone that came back through to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'. I am back for another week to give my thoughts on a topic that I feel would be valuable to the lives of others. I also hope that within the context of the topic that I have chosen for the week that it will give us all some wisdom and motivation to keep on moving forward in our lives. I hope that everyone has been doing pretty well since the last post. If that hasn't been your reality as of late, I hope that things will get better and improve for you. So for my soapbox for this week, I'd like to give a few thoughts on how everything in this world has become so politicized. Now politics is something that I choose not to talk about much on here. My reasoning for this comes from the fact that I prefer this blog to be a place of positive thinking and positive vibes. The fact is that controversial topics like religion and politics often create tension and hate. But I wanna say that we as people have to do better when it comes to making everything political. I know and understand that politics plays a big role in our country and our identity. However, not every little thing has to be turned into something political. I think it is pretty sad when things that are supposed to enjoyed have turned so politicized that the the things themselves are no longer the focus. I believe that it says a lot about our nation when people try and bring awareness to something, and are vilified for it. We have to focus more on what people are trying to bring awareness to, and stop trying to make these things about left or right. I get that people only want to talk and not listen, but in order for there to be progress, we have to learn how to listen more. That's pretty much all I wanna say about that, so lets go ahead and transition into this week's topic of whether someone else can truly know what is best for you.

Before getting into the topic that I'm covering for this installment, I'd like to go ahead and give the usual disclaimer that I mention before every topic. We all have different outlooks and views on life. The primary goal with this topic, as well as the others isn't to focus on what we think is right or wrong. The main focus is to offer some insight that will not only help keep us motivated, but to also encourage us to be deeper thinkers when it comes to the various aspects of life. As always, I do not expect everyone to agree with me. However, whatever you may think or feel about my opinions whether it is for good or bad, I do appreciate everyone that takes out a little bit of their time to read up on my thoughts. So how did I arrive at the topic of whether or not others can really know what is truly best for us? This topic came to my mind due to a conversation with my sister last week. I know that it probably feels like I often get ideas for topics to discuss from my sister, but I will admit it is the truth. I think much of it deals with the idea that a good portion of the talks I have with her are deep and thoughtful discussions. That is one of the reasons why she is probably my favorite person to talk with when it comes to life. Anyway, at some point during the talk that we were having, I recall mentioning how people don't always know what is best for you. Not soon after saying that, I thought to myself that this would be something good to address in the next blog post. I don't know about anyone else, but I think it is truly great how an idea can just come to you from some of the things that we deem as being so small. So with that being said, I wanna give thanks to my sister for the talk that helped give birth to this idea in my head. Beyond just that, I think that this is a topic that could possibly expand a bit more upon the topic that I covered in the last post. Hopefully you all have read that post already, but in case that you have not, it is always just below.

One of the many things that I've talked about on here, as well as in my everyday life is the idea that people often project their own life and insecurities onto others. What does it mean when someone does this? Imagine that there is something in your life that you want to do or achieve. It can be or relate to anything, but for the sake of having an example, lets just say that you want to go to a specific college when you graduate from high school. Now lets say that you come from a family that didn't have anyone else that went to college. These chose another path to go with their life that didn't involve academics, but that's not what you want for yourself. Now imagine that upon informing your family on your plans, they tell you that they don't believe that going to college is a good idea. They believe that picking up a trade or doing something that provides a little more stability is the better option compared to spending money to go to college. This is an example of how other people project their own life onto others. How so, you may wonder? The family that doesn't entirely support your decision to want to attend college never went to college, so the idea of taking this route is likely foreign to them. However, just because they don't see or have the same vision that you may have doesn't mean that you are wrong for wanting to go to college. As I touched on in the most recent topic on not holding people back from living their life, the fact that they don't support your decision doesn't mean that they're bad people, nor that it means that they don't want what is best for you. It's just an example of how when a person didn't do or can't see something for themselves, they also think that isn't the direction for you either. This is an example of how people project their own lives onto others. Again, this can be likened to any aspect of life; I just used the college thing as an example. The point is that situations such as this can put you at odds with others, and if you're not mentally strong enough to understand what is going on, you may find yourself being deterred by others.

From my perspective, and I'm sure that many of you will agree with me when I say this, but one of the biggest things in this life to live with is regret. If you have lived a number of years on this Earth regardless of how many years it may be, you have likely had moments where you've looked back at something you either did or didn't do that makes you feel regret. Now how does regret tie in with whether or not another person knows what is best for you? Well as I stated recently, a person that maybe isn't mentally strong enough, or maybe hasn't reached the mental capacity to fully think for themselves can be deterred more easily by other people. If you find yourself in situations where you are have to rely on other people to make decisions for you on how you should live your own life, you'll likely end up having to live with regret in the future. Now again, I want to stress that often times when other people offer their opinions on what you should do within the circumstances that you're dealing with in your life, they're coming from a place of meaning well. I don't wanna make it appear as if I am trying to vilify people that may genuinely care for us. However, the point that I'm trying to get across is that if you happen to just go along with whatever your peers or elders think you should do, you probably won't ruffle too many feathers, and whatever suggestions they have may even work out for you in the end. But keep in mind that not ruffling feathers or just going with the program when the program isn't something that you truly want to do can have consequences for your life. Instead of you doing what you want to do and live on your own terms, you are likely pretending to be someone that you're not. How can a person truly be happy if they're not able to be themselves and do the things they enjoy? This is when regret can settle into a person's life. The fact of the matter is that regardless of how much we may try to avoid stirring the pot a bit when it comes to pleasing others, it is inevitable that we will. It is just impossible to make everyone happy in this life, which is why you have to prioritize your own happiness.

So can someone else truly know what is best for you? From my perspective on this topic, I'd have to say the answer is no. Now there are circumstances where people may care for you and want what is best for you, but there is a difference between wanting what is best for a person and knowing what is best for a person. I think much of our society gets the two confused. Now if I tell someone that I want what is best for them, I'm going from a place of supporting whatever it is they desire. I don't even have to know what that may be, but I'm simply saying that I want you to accomplish whatever your heart desires. However, if I say that I know what is best for you, then I'm basically projecting my own life onto you and saying that what I feel is best for me can also be what is best for you. Now I don't have any hardcore evidence or numbers to back up what I'm about to say, but I think a good number of people are part of the latter of the two. Again, I think that it is coming from a good place most of the time, but we also know that control can play a factor as well. That's a whole other topic for another day, so I'll leave that as is for now. Now if you're a person that feels different than I do when it comes to this topic, that is totally fine, and I'd love to see you leave a comment on why you may feel otherwise. The biggest thing that I'm hoping others can draw from this is that while it is good to seek out counseling and advice from people that we trust, you have to also be the captain on your own ship at times. Because we only get one life to live and no one else can live for us, no other person can truly know what is best for you. We often hear about how many of the answers that we're seeking for our lives are often already inside of us. I personally believe that this is true, but sometimes it takes a little bit of soul searching to find those answers. Always be humble and open the advice of others, but remember that it is called your life, because it's yours to live.

I think that I have said enough for this go round, so I'm going to go ahead and close this one out. Like always, I hope that I was able to express myself in a manner that people can relate to. My name is Bradrick H., and this has been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! As always, I want to give a big thank you and props to everyone that consistently has stopped by. If you have any comments or feedback to give, please feel free to do so. You can also find me on Twitter @BradrickH. I hope you all enjoy the weekend. Football is right around the corner, so I know all of your sports fan out there are pretty geek'd for that. I know that I am. I wish you all a great week ahead, and I'll see you all in the next installment. Till then, take care of yourselves, and keep moving forward. Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Don't Hold Them Back (Allowing People To Live And Grow).

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There can be many reasons as to why we sometimes want to stop the people that we care for from doing things. I feel that the most honorable reasons come when we genuinely care for someone, and we want to protect them from themselves. Imagine a friend or relative that maybe has an issue with drugs. It is both honorable and the right thing to want to try and keep them from engaging with something that is bad for them. Going out of your way to get them the help they need is a way to try and protect them. Then there are the more devious and deceptive reasons as to why we want to keep people from things. It's something that we often don't like to think about or address, but sometimes jealously and envy are the motivations behind why we try and keep people from certain things. I'm sure that many of you have heard of the saying that people may want you to succeed, they just don't want to see you surpass them. Overall, I do feel that for the most part that care and concern are the main reasons why we try to keep people from doing things. However, I also feel that many of us are blinded by our caring intentions. While we may genuinely care for and want what is best for the people in our lives, our own limitations and shortcomings often keep us from seeing the truth. What truth am I referring to? The truth that while we may care and be concerned, we are often looking out for our own interests for our own selfish reasons. Does this sound familiar? I'm sure that many of you have participated in this in some form or fashion at some point in your life. When I say participated, I don't mean just from the perspective of your wanting to keep others from doing something. I'm also coming from the aspect of people that may have tried to discourage you from doing something you wanted. Whatever side of the spectrum that you're on or have been on, it's important to not hold others back from living their lives and allowing themselves to grow.

Hey, what is going on with everyone out there in internet land? This the Brad H. back on the mic once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back for another week of wisdom, inspiration and insight that will hopefully keep us motivated and moving forward. I hope that all has been good and well for you all as of late. Things with the weather have been pretty wild as of late haven't they? There have been some super hot temperatures all across the planet, even in places that aren't normally accustomed to that kind of heat. Hope you are beating this heat to the best of your ability wherever you are. Before I go into my topic for the week, I want to quickly address the latest big trade that happened in the NBA. By now, I'm sure most of you heard about the trade between the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors involving the Spurs sending Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to the Raptors for Demar DeRozan and Jakob Poetl. Now those of you that are frequent visitors here know that I'm a Spurs fan, so this one definitely hits close home for me. I really don't like this trade to be honest. I was hoping that there was a way that Kawhi could be talked into resigning with the Spurs, but that bridge was more burned than I had imagined. I just don't really see where this trade benefits either team. I mean everyone knows that Kawhi wants to play in Los Angeles, so he probably isn't too happy about going that far up north. DeRozan was clearly upset with the trade because he was apparently told that he wouldn't be traded. I mean the guy personifies Toronto basketball, so it sucks for him that they shipped him off. I wish the Spurs could have acquired some younger players if they had no other choice than to deal Kawhi. I feel as if they have been fighting the rebuilding process since Tim Duncan has retired. They'll be competitive this upcoming season, but definitely not winning a title. As for the Raptors, it's a big help to them if Kawhi is fully healthy and gets on board with this team and decides to play. That remains to be seen this point, but I guess we'll have to see what happens in a few months. I'll probably be addressing some more thought on the NBA in coming posts, but NFL is right around the corner also. I'm sure a lot of you are excited about that also. Well I've talked on sports enough, so I'm going to transition into the topic for the week of not holding people back.

Before I go more into the topic at hand for the week, I'm going to go ahead and give the regular disclaimer that I state on every topic. Being that we're all unique and have our own individual thoughts and ideas, it is relatively unrealistic to think that we as people are always going to agree. The mission here isn't to focus on what is considered to be right or wrong, but rather to give some insight that inspires deeper thought. My wish is that my words can serve as a catalyst to help others see things in a manner in which they may not have. It's a fact that the old adage that when you know better, you do better is true, so I'm hoping that I can have that effect on someone out there. Of course I don't expect everyone to agree with me, and some of what I say may be obvious to many of you. Regardless of whatever your position or stance may be on this topic or anything else that I've covered on here, I truly appreciate those of you that have come through to read my thoughts. I know that I mention that quite a bit, but I honestly feel like it can't be mentioned enough. Many of the comments and feedback that I've received throughout the time that I've been doing this have been truly humbling. It has reassured me that there are still decent people in this world that want to make a difference in a positive way. I can't express my gratitude enough for that, so thank you once again to you all. So how did I arrive at this particular topic that I'm going to tackle for this installment? Just like with many of the topics that I cover, I have to give some credit to a family member and a discussion that I had with them recently. Beyond just the experience of that discussion, this is one of those topics that crosses my mind on occasion. I truly believe that this is something that everyone has to go through at some point in our lives. The goal that I have with this is to hopefully reach and get those that unintentionally may be holding others back from growing to see that there is another way to look at potentially letting go.

Now when I talk about not holding others back, this doesn't always necessarily mean stopping someone in a literal sense. This is one of those topics that can apply to many aspects of our lives, and there are so many different ways that it could be broken down into. For the sake of the points that I'm aiming to make, I want to discuss how we sometimes hold people back when we may not even be trying to. Now I want you to imagine that a big opportunity has come up for you that could allow you to experience some things that you may not have before. Lets just say that this opportunity will allow you the the chance to travel out of the country and experience things that you never thought you would have before. You are excited about this, so you go and tell everyone that you're close to about this upcoming change that will be happening in your life. The majority of the people that you inform of this are happy for you, and they feel like you should go for it. However, upon breaking this news, there is maybe a few people that you're close to that aren't entirely enthusiastic about this. These are people that love and care about you, yet they have their own reasons as to why you shouldn't go for this opportunity. In a situation such as this, often one of the biggest reasons why a loved one wouldn't want you to go is because they're afraid of losing you. They're probably used to seeing you on a regular basis, and they have become both physically and emotionally attached to you being around. Of course you care about this person also, but would you really want the pressure of choosing between them and your own happiness hanging over you? From my perspective, I highly doubt that anyone wants to deal with a situation like this, but this is a reality that so many people have to face at some point in their lives. As I touched on earlier, we all have our own selfish reasons for why we try and hold others back. However, if you really think about it for a sec, do you believe that attempting to hold others back is a battle that you're going to win?

Something that I've learned in this life is that when a person is given a choice between you and their own happiness, they're often going to choose their happiness. A person choosing their happiness over you doesn't mean that they do not love or care about you; it just means that you even putting them in a situation where they have to even choose shows that you're more concerned with yourself over them. Quite frankly, I personally feel that though while it may be admirable at times, it is also wrong, and this is something that I've had to ponder on in my own life the last couple of years. I can recall when my younger cousin with whom I'm very close to joining the Navy last year. He and I are and have always been very close, and I've been around him for all of his still young life. Naturally when he left for boot camp, I did feel a bit sadness about it as most of my family did. However, at the same time, he has to go and live his own life on his own terms. How would it look if I or other family members of his were discouraging him? Not a good look at all in my opinion. Not only is he now doing something that he enjoys, but he is meeting all kinds of people and having experiences that he otherwise may not have had. All of those factors bring me a ton of joy. Sure I wish I could talk to him more often and hang out with him more, but I'd rather see him living his life and being happy. We as a people often talk about how selfish people can be at times, and I do believe that is a valid criticism. Some people are and can be very selfish at times, but in this life if you want to find happiness, you have to be selfish at times. However, the important thing to take away from this is that while we do have to look out for our own self interests at times, doing this shouldn't come at the expense of others. You should always think of and put yourself first, but not if it keeps someone else from reaching their own full potential.

For those that this topic may apply to, especially when it comes from the aspect of possibly holding someone back, you have to stop regardless of how hard it may be. Again, it is natural to be concerned about others well-being when it comes to some of the decisions that they make for life lives. However, don't allow that to be a reason to discourage others from going after something they may want to do. If any of this applies to you, you have to learn how to shift your way of thinking. Instead of only looking at things from your own personal lens, think about the potential for happiness that whomever you're holding back could possibly gain for taking a risk. That person doing the things they enjoy should be something that brings you joy, especially if you play a positive role in that person's life's journey. Furthermore, often times when you're holding someone back, you're really and truly holding yourself back also. Depending on how close you are to the individual that you're concerned about, their journey also becomes your journey. The things that they may experience on their journey, whether for good or for bad, are experiences that they can share with you also This means that you have an opportunity to learn and grow through someone else. Not really a bad deal if you ask me. So to sum this all up, try not to hold others back. The same way that you have live(d) your life without wanting to have limitations should also be allowed for others as well. Try not to be overly concerned with your own self interests when it comes to others. We're only given one shot at this life, and I think that most of us that are 30+ can agree that this life passes quick as the years go on. The same way that we all want to live and enjoy life on our own terms is something that we have to allow for others. Don't hold people back, allow them to live and grown.

Well that is all I got for this week everyone. I hope that I want able to express myself in a way that made sense for those of you out there. My name is Bradrick H., and I'd like to thank everyone once again that stopped in for another installment of 'Brad H's Perspective'! I'm on the super late night tip this morning, so I'm going to go ahead and end this one pretty quickly. Had a lot going on yesterday, so I'm just now finishing this up at nearly 2:30 AM. Definitely a lot later than my usual posts, but I wanted to finish this up before I got off to sleep. If anyone has any comments or feedback, please leave those below. You can also follow me on Twitter @BradrickH. Alright I'm out, so I hope you all have a good week ahead. I'll be checking back in with you all soon. Till that time comes, take care and stay positive. Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

Why Your Emotions Can Manipulate Your Into Thinking Things Are Better Or Worse Than They Are.

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When it comes to the subject of emotions and how we as humans deal with them, a consensus can be established that we all deal with them in different ways. Because we are all unique as individuals and the way that we react to the things we go through, the way we handle our emotions will always have variance. Some people are more emotional than others, and some people know how to keep their emotions in check for the most part. Whatever end of the spectrum that you may be on in regards to your emotions and how you handle them, emotions are just a human element that we all have to deal with. While we may not be able to control the fact that we naturally have emotions, the way that we choose to handle and deal with the emotional aspects of our lives is something that we can potentially get a handle on. Some may wonder why is it even of importance to get a handle on our emotions? The effects that our emotions can potentially have on us can be a tricky thing. For example, whenever something good happens in our lives, it is in our nature to feel emotionally good right? On the flip side of the coin when it comes to emotions, we naturally feel bad emotionally when something bad happens. Now when something good happens to us, or we find ourselves in a good situation, our emotions tell us that we should feel good and happy. However, because life is unpredictable and can change in an instant, the dynamic between being happy or sad has no guarantee. The fact that we often allow our emotions to dictate how we feel can often separate us from both the harsh and great aspects of life Because of this factor, our emotions can often manipulate us into thinking that things are much better or worse than they really are. This is even more of a reason for us to work on controlling our emotions.

Hey what is going on everyone? Fresh off the hot take, it is me Brad H. hitting you all up once again, and I'd like to welcome everyone to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here once again to drop some insight and wisdom that will hopefully serve us in our everyday lives. As always, I hope that life has been treating all of you as of late. For the soapbox section this week, I'm going to briefly give my thoughts on the NBA free agency so far. So LeBron James has decided to go to the Los Angeles Lakers. This wasn't that big of a surprise in my opinion. I think most of us figured he would be leaving Cleveland. I think that his family factored a lot into this decision. While I'm not a LeBron James fan, I do think that this is a good move for the NBA. The Lakers will likely be more relevant now than they have in recent years. With the Celtics being a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference now, I think that it is good for the NBA that these two storied franchises will be relevant. I think the most surprising move so far has been Demarcus Cousins going to the Golden State Warriors. I definitely didn't see that one coming. I think that it makes a lot of sense for Cousins though. After that ruptured Achilles he had, taking a huge pay cut and going to a team where he won't have to be the man will allow him to show if he can still play or not. I've been seeing people bash this move by him, but people need to remember that the majority of past NBA players that have suffered this injury weren't the same when they returned. Being that he is a physically bigger player, I can understand teams having concerns if he can get back to the level that he was before this injury. For everyone saying that the league is unfair and that the Warriors are a lock to win it all next season, I would say calm down. Signing Cousins is big for the Warriors, but it may not even have the impact that many people are expecting. There is a lot more that I could get into in regards to the NBA free agency, but I'm going to end it there for now. I could probably write an entire segment on this, but that isn't what this topic is about. With that said, lets get into why our emotions can play tricks on us.

As per the normal formula that I use, I'm going to go ahead and give the usual disclaimer that I use before addressing every topic that I cover. We all have different ways of thinking and viewing things in this life. The goal here isn't to focus on what is right or wrong, but rather to hopefully provide some wisdom that helps inspire us to see things in a manner in which we may not have before. Maybe more than anything else, I hope that these opinion topics will be helpful in the area of critical thinking. Naturally, I don't expect everyone out there to agree with the things I have to say. I'm not doing this to force my beliefs on anyone else. This is all about having a hub for inspiration and growth, and I cannot thank everyone that consistently read the topics that I cover enough. So for how I arrived at wanting to address this particular topic, I would have to say that a conversation that I had with my younger sister inspired me to want to address this. I can't help but thank my sister enough for much of what I talk about on here, because some of the ideas that I get come from discussions that I have with her. Beyond that, I felt as if this would be a topic that most people could probably relate to. I believe that many of us suffer from the inability to control our emotions at times. In saying this I am not trying to bash or criticize anyone, because I know for a fact that this is something that I have problems with at times myself. Furthermore, I believe that it is quite normal for us to allow our emotions to control us at times. I feel that there isn't a blueprint for properly addressing a topic such as this one. This is one of those things that we as individuals have to figure out what works best for us in helping us to overcome this.

Something that I have noticed within our society in regards as to how people view the thought of being emotional is that some people see it as a bad thing. You may have heard someone mention how a certain person is emotional in a manner which could be deemed as negative. I personally don't view a person being emotional as a bad thing. I just think that it makes us what we are, which is human-beings. Our emotions are what allow us to feel and experience both the good and bad in life. When you bite into one of your favorite foods you probably feel happiness, which is an emotion. When you fall and scrape an elbow or knee, you feel pain, which is also an emotion. There are so many different emotions both for good and bad that we can experience, so try not to allow other people to convince you that being emotional is a bad thing. Now while I firmly believe that experiencing emotions is both a good and normal thing that we as humans can experience, I also believe that they can also play tricks on us if we allow them to. Being an emotional person isn't necessarily a bad thing, but allowing your emotions to manipulate us can blind us from the realities of life. Some of you may be wondering; how exactly can our emotions manipulate us? Like I mentioned earlier, our emotions often dictate how we view various aspects of our lives. This can either work in our favor or against us depending on what the situation may be. While emotions are a part of our lives, the idea that we want to establish here is to not allow them to control our lives. We want to be able to separate between what reality is and what our emotions at that particular MOMENT are showing us. I put the word "moment" in all caps because often times whatever emotion(s) that we're experiencing is only a moment.

So what is an example of how our emotions can manipulate us? There are so many that can be used, but I'm going to use one that I'm sure that nearly all of us have experienced at some point or another; I'd like to call it the downward spiral effect. I liken to this to when we're dealing with something that has us down or depressed, and then through constant negative thoughts due to the situation that we're in, we find that our emotions start to creep in and makes the situation worse. So lets just say that you found out that you weren't accepted for a promotion or reward that you were hoping to receive. Naturally you would feel disappointed about this right? Now this is something that on the scale of life could be compared as minuscule compared to something like finding out that someone that you're close to has passed. Now depending on the mental fortitude of the person that has been disappointed by not receiving the promotion or reward, this can quickly turn into a scenario where their emotions can take this situation and make it even worse. You may begin to think and wonder why these things continue to happen to you. You may start to wonder if and when you will receive a breakthrough in your life. All of these thoughts can be self-defeating, and that is when those emotions can creep in. Those emotions can break you down to the point where you feel hopeless and depressed based only on the idea of not getting what you want in the moment. Again, I don't want to diminish something like this, but if you place it in the scale of life as I mentioned, you'll realize that something like not receiving a promotion is fairly small compared to more pressing issues in life. Again, this is how our emotions can manipulate us into thinking that we're in a far worse predicament than we think.

The same logic applies also when it comes to things going our way as well. Lets say that you do end up receiving that promotion or award that you wanted. Naturally you would feel joy and happiness right? I mean it would be normal to feel on top of the world and fulfilled, but lets just say that whatever promotion you receive comes with added responsibility that you may not be entirely ready for. While the emotions of joy and happiness would come along with this achievement, the added stress of having to live up to whatever you have received is still going to loom over you. The emotional aspect makes you think that you've reached the level of happiness you want, but the rational side that we often mask will come in and let us know that while things are going well at the moment, there may be challenges on the horizon. Again, this all deals with emotional content. I'm addressing this topic to help show that while we are emotional beings by nature, we have to try not to allow our emotions drown out the realities of life that we have to face. There's a saying that goes along the lines of that "you're never doing as good as you think you are, and you're never doing as bad as you think you are." From my perspective, whatever side of the coin that you may find yourself on in regards to this saying probably deals with your emotional state at the moment. The emotional aspect of life has caused many people to end up doing things that they ended up regretting. While controlling our emotions is a challenging prospect that life gives us, it is important in keeping ourselves on an even keel. We want to strive to be individuals that have the capacity to do things cause of our own free will, and not because we're allowing the emotions that we may be feeling at the moment to drive us. I challenge everyone to take a second and think for a minute if you find that you're allowing your emotions to get to you. Remember that although things may be going good or bad at the moment, your emotions can always trick you into thinking things are something they're not.

Well we have arrived at the end of another topic folks! I'm hoping that this topic was able to provide some inspiration for everyone out there. I also hope that I was able to write this in a way in which it has some meaning and understanding. This is your guy Brad H., and I'd like to thank you all for once again tuning into another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! If anyone has any feedback or comments that you'd like to add, feel free to drop them down below. You can also hit me up on Twitter @BradrickH. There has been quite a bit of strange weather happening throughout the country, so I hope that everyone is staying safe out there. I know that it has been hotter than usual in areas up north. Believe me, being that I'm a Texan, I feel those of you that aren't used to the excess heat pain. It can definitely be brutal at times, so stay safe and hydrated. Happy 4th of July weekend to everyone, and I'll see you all in the next one. Till next time, take care of yourselves and keep on pressing foward. Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Valuing Your Time To Yourself.

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There is a saying that most of us have probably heard at some point in our lives. It is also a statement that can be found in the good book. The saying that I'm referring to goes; "Man isn't meant to be alone." Now there are various contexts in which this statement can be viewed. For the most part, I believe that most people associate this statement with the idea of marriage and a a union between a man and a woman. Though this may be the way in which this statement was intended to be, there are also those that may view it from the perspective of general companionship. When we talk about general companionship, we're referring to not only a partnership with someone that we're in love with, we're also talking about having a healthy social circle as well. This means that we have a a friend or friends that we can count on to be there for us, or we have a strong relationship with our family members. There can be a mixture of all of these examples in our lives that help us to never truly feel alone in this world. Now the following statement that I'm about to make totally comes from my own personal perspective, so I'm not saying that this is the be all or that this applies to everyone. However, I have noticed that this world that we're living in strongly pushes the idea of never being alone. There has become this belief that if a person is consistently by themselves, then something must be wrong with them. It's like in order to be accepted by this world, people feel that they have to always be around other people constantly. While I am a firm believer that it is wise to try and keep a healthy balance of being around others and being off to yourself, I have found that there can be many benefits to having alone time to ourselves. As I have mentioned already, I don't feel this is the case with much of our society. Because time is so valuable and never promised to us, it is important to value your time to yourself.

Check 1-2, check 1-2! Hey what's going on everyone? It is Brad H. coming at you all once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! Here at Brad H.'s Perspective, I try to provide some wisdom and inspiration that will hopefully be beneficial to us all in our everyday lives. I hope that everything has been going well for you all since the last topic, and if that hasn't been the case for some of you out there, I am hopeful that things will continue to improve in your lives. There wasn't anything happening that I felt noteworthy of using my soapbox to talk about before getting into this week's topic, so I wanted to share a recent family experience that I had. Now I'm sure that many of you probably do what I'm about to say pretty frequently, but there is a point that I'm hoping to make with this. So earlier this week, I watched a documentary movie with two of my close family members. The beautiful thing about this was that it reminded me a lot of past times when people could watch movies together and not be distracted by technology. It made me think back to when people could go out and eat dinner with family and friends and not be looking down at their phones every 2 minutes. We live in a world that is technology driven, and there are a lot of good things that come with technology. However, many of us have become zombies to our phones and electronic devices. Some of us would rather stay in on the computer rather than going to spend time with other people. Some of us can't enjoy a television show or movie because we're always looking at our phones. I just want to encourage people to remember that it is okay to turn off your phone for awhile. It's okay to step away from your computer or laptop for awhile. These devices aren't going anywhere, but special moments with the people you care about are going to be limited. The experience that I brought up, though it may be fairly simple was one that I'm going to remember as one of the best days of this year, and I'm truly grateful for it. Alright, now that I've gotten that out of the way, it is time to get into this week's topic of the importance of valuing your time to yourself.

Before we dive more into the topic at hand for the week, I'd like to go ahead and give the normal disclaimer that I give before all of the segments that I cover. I always try and hammer down the point that because we're all different and unique within our own right, we all have different ways of viewing things. The goal with these topics is to hopefully provide some inspiration and insight that will not only help to keep us moving forward, but also to encourage some critical thinking. I believe that an experience that gives us an opportunity to learn something new or see something in a manner in which we may not have before isn't a wasted experience. Of course I don't expect everyone to agree with me on this topic, and that is totally fine. I'm not here to try and force my beliefs on anyone else. I just want to share some of my ideas and thought processes. Any and all feedback whether it may be good or bad is welcomed here. As for how I arrived at the topic of the importance of valuing your alone time, I would just attribute it to something that I've been thinking about a lot recently. I can't speak for anyone else but me, but I find now that I'm getting older that I tend to prefer being off to myself a lot. Now I'm not trying to imply that I'm antisocial, or that I don't like being around people anymore. No, this isn't the case at all. I just feel that spending some time off to yourself on a daily can be a good thing for some of the reasons that I'm going to point out. As I alluded to earlier, many people in this world seem to only feel complete when they're around others. In a world where validation from others is what most people are seeking, most people will go to all kinds of lengths to appease to this world. One of the hopes that I have with writing on these topics is the idea of thinking outside of the box. Now everyone's circumstances are different, so I understand if many people just aren't able to spend quality time alone. However, for people that may not totally grasp this concept of alone time, I hope that I'm able to point out some things that can help encourage people look for more ways that will allow you to do so.

Now I'm sure that many of you have heard of the saying, "Alone but never lonely." This is another one of those phrases that I've heard quite a bit throughout my life also. What exactly does it mean when a person says that they're alone, but never lonely? As with the majority of statements and phrases that we often hear mentioned on a frequently basis, I think there is a multitude of meanings and contexts in which a person can mean when they say this. I personally feel that it is one of those phrases that people use to describe themselves when they feel that people don't quite understand or get them. I kind of liken it to another phrase that we've heard; "In a room full of people, but feel alone." I see it as a situation where you know that you have people that care for you and are there for you, but you often feel misunderstood, which in turns makes you feel alone. Now again, there isn't a single context in which to view this, but this is how I personally see it. I bring all of this up to aid in showing that although a person may have people in their life, it is also possible to feel alone at times. To be fair also, I think that most of us if we're being honest feel alone at times. I think that is one of those natural feelings that we all have occasionally. The thing to keep in mind is that there is a difference between feeling alone sometimes, and constantly feeling alone. Just like I mentioned earlier, a healthy balance of most things is the key. Of course nobody wants to feel alone, but as the theme of this topic suggests, being alone at times can have its benefits.

So why do I feel it is of importance to value the time we have to ourselves? I think that one of the biggest reasons why I feel this is important is due to the fact that it helps in teaching us to be comfortable within our own skin. It is a known fact that some of us aren't always our true selves when we get around certain people. We sometimes do and say things that we normally wouldn't do or say because of who we're around. I believe that when a person learns how to be comfortable with being alone, they develop a certain kind of strength that helps keep them grounded. Because a person that exhibits this kind of behavior knows who they truly are, they are not likely to get too far away from themselves even when they're around others. The same mindset applies when it comes to our society that pushes the idea that we shouldn't never be alone. A person that is comfortable within their own skin likely doesn't care too much about what other people say or think of them. Another benefit that I feel comes along with valuing your alone time deals with not having to deal with a lot of drama and gossip. If we're being real here, most of us have gossiped and talked about others. However, there are some of us that also don't like participating in these acts as we mature. Keeping away from people that do these kinds of things is good for your mind. Not speaking for anyone else, but I find that my mind and spirit feels much more clear and at ease when I'm not around people that do these things. Before moving on the next and what I consider the be the most important thing about valuing your time alone, I want to reiterate that I'm not suggesting that we should just avoid people. Again, I'm trying to show that there can be benefits to being alone sometimes.

Finally, I feel that valuing your alone time helps you to learn about yourself. Now I'm not saying that I'm right about what I'm about to say. This is just a personal theory that I have. I think that one of the reasons why so many of us only feel complete when we're with or around others deals with not truly knowing ourselves. Too much of who we feel that we are is tied to other people, which in turn makes us constantly gravitate to others. Ever seen someone that goes from relationship to relationship, and they are rarely if ever by themselves? In my opinion, that is a behavior of someone that has tied too much of who they believe they are to others. From my perspective, someone that often spends time alone learns about the kind of person they are and who they want to be. Furthermore, you discover things about yourself that you may not have even known before. For example, you may find that you discover new hobbies and ventures that you probably never even considered before. You can engulf yourself in these new passions, and you'll find that you don't always need people around you to feel happy. I believe that self-discovery is how we make ourselves better for this world and others. If you know who you truly are and what strengths and weaknesses that you have, it enables you to be the best person that you can be for others. I personally see this as something that many of us are missing out on, which is why I want to encourage everyone through this topic to see that being alone isn't always a bad thing. I would suggest that everyone that is able to do so, try and spend at least 10 to 20 minutes a day of reflection on yourself if you aren't accustomed to doing so. You don't have to cut people off or isolate yourself, but I guarantee that you'll discover things about yourself that you may not have known.

Alright everyone, I think that'll bout do it for this topic. I hope that those of you that read this was able to get some understanding from it. I also hope that it served as some inspiration. This is Brad H., and this has once again been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! As always, thank you all once again for stopping by. I can't say enough how grateful I am to know that there are people out there that are interested in what I have to say. If anyone has any feedback or comments, please feel free to drop those below. You can also hit me up on Twitter @BradrickH if you'd like. There has been a lot of rain here in Texas the last few days, and now the temps are heating up. Despite that, it is still a nice day outside to enjoy. I hope you all have a great weekend, and an even better week ahead. I'll see you all in the next one. Till then, take care of yourselves and keep on keeping on. Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Viewing Your Life In Stages As If It Were Fruit (Watering The Seeds Of Your Life).

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Everyone is familiar with the idea that a tree doesn't sprout in one day. When a tree has been planted, it often takes many years for that tree to grow into what its full potential is. The same way of thinking also applies to fruits and vegetables. When the seed of whatever fruit or vegetable that a person is wanting to see grow has been planted, it takes consistent watering and care for it to sprout and grow. As with nearly every aspect of life, we as people along with animals and plants and many other organisms all go through stages that are meant to inspire growth. We as human-beings sound probably identify with this even more so due to the fact that our journey towards being here in this world required a seed to be planted. Furthermore, most of us can attest to the fact that in order for us to get to whatever stages that we are in life today required nurturing and care from our parents and loved ones. Beyond the more obvious aspects of this topic that deals with the nurturing and care that was required for us to be who we are now, many of us forget that the same way that our bodies develop in stages, our livelihoods also unfold in stages as well. There could be a multitude of reasons for why so many of us forget this, however, I think the most common reasoning for this deals with the fact that so many of us compare our lives to those of our peers. Does this sound familiar to anyone out there? Just like almost every aspect of life happens in stages, we have to remember to see our own person growth in this manner. We have to begin to look at the mental growth our lives as if it were similar to fruit when it comes to growing properly, and the best way for that fruit of our lives to grow in the manner that it should means that we have to constantly nurture and water it.

What's good everyone? This is your main man Brad H. back at it once again, and I'd like to welcome everyone to another topic of discussion with 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! We are back for another week to hopefully dish out some wisdom and inspiration. I hope that all has been going well for everyone since the last topic. Well for my soapbox this week, I'm going to go ahead and give my thoughts on the conclusion of the NBA Finals. Boy did we have a quick NBA Finals this year. The Golden State Warriors pulled off the sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers last night. I think that most people that follow basketball pretty much didn't expect the Cavaliers to win the series. However, I think that the sweep happening could have been a surprise for some. I know I expected the Cavaliers to win at least one game at home. I think this year's finals were pretty uneventful in my opinion. Not to take anything away from the Warriors being the champs once again, but the Cavaliers were just outmatched. I know that LeBron James done all that he could, and he deserves credit for how well he played throughout the playoffs. It is just hard to beat a team like the Warriors that have so many guys that can pick up the slack when one of their players is off. I mean Stephen Curry had a terrible game 3, but you got a guy like Kevin Durant that can put up 43 points. I think it says a lot when Curry has an off night and the Warriors are still able to win. Now that the NBA has concluded, we can look forward to the free agency months this summer. I think this is going to be one of the more interesting summers for free agency that we've had in recent years. Everyone wants to know where LeBron is going to play next. What are the Celtics going to do with so many of their younger players performing beyond their years this season? What is going to happen with my San Antonio Spurs and Kawhi Leonard? Where does Paul George end up playing? These are just a few of many questions that we will hopefully have answers to in the next few months. Alright, I think it is time to go ahead and transition into this week's topic of viewing our lives in stages.

Now that I've gotten on my soapbox and talked about something besides the topic at hand for a bit, it's time for me to go ahead and give the usual disclaimer that I give before addressing any topic I discuss. We all have different ways of viewing and thinking about things. The point of what I'm aiming to do here isn't to focus on what is considered to be right or wrong, but rather to hopefully provide some insight and inspiration. I often encourage myself and others to be open to the idea of thinking of things in ways they may not have before. If reading any of the topics that I talk about has helped someone to be able to do that, then I would consider that to be a good thing. Again, I want to stress that I'm not here to force my beliefs on anyone else. I also don't expect everyone to share in some of my ideas. Whatever you believe or think is okay with me, and even if you happen to disagree with me on this topic or any of the others, I still appreciate the people that are interested in what I have to say. As for how this topic came to be for this week, I would attribute some of it to a video I watched on Youtube a few nights ago. I was listening to a guy talking about the topic of bad habits that we as people often exhibit. At some point during the lecture he was giving, he talked about the human body, and how our bodies are like fruit that grows in stages. This really stood out to me, and I thought to myself if there was a way that I could use that comparison to show that the same logic applies when it comes to our livelihoods. I pondered on it for awhile, and I felt like it was something I could pull off. The reason why I want to use this comparison is due to the fact that so many of us lack patience when it comes to wanting to achieve things in this life. This is something that I have frequently talked about on here, and I'm hoping this this will just be another way for us to use something that most of us can already relate to. I can't promise that everything that I'm going to address will make a lot of sense for everyone, but I will do my best to hopefully get my point across.

Now I think that we can all agree that it is rare that we find that we're in a situation where we're able to do something that may be new to us without having to learn how to do it first. When we first start learning how to ride a bike when we're kids, we don't just hop on the bike and start riding without falling. It is a process of continuing to get up after we fall, which in turn is how we learn how to ride the bike. In relation to the fruit analogy that is the theme that this week's topic is centered around, you can think of getting back on the bike after falling time and time again is similar to watering the fruit that we're trying to grow. Again, this is all a process of steps from the early stages of first getting on the bike, to being good at riding the bike. Now how does this example relate to our lives some of you may wonder? Well from my perspective, and as I mentioned earlier, nearly every aspect of life has stages. However, we must be mindful that while this applies to our lives, the stages at which the fruit grows in a person's life varies. In other words, if life were a race, everyone moves at a pace that fits their personal situation. But with that being said, I believe that though we all move through this life differently, the seeds of our lives still need to be watered in order for us to reach a higher level. I believe that one of the biggest mistakes that so many of us make in life is that we're so eager to get to certain stages of life that we end up skipping steps along the way. Now going back to the fruit analogy, do you really think that a particular fruit will be healthy enough to eat if it isn't grown and watered properly? No, it won't be, and it will likely just wither away. As much as I hate saying what I'm about to say, this is how so many of our lives end up being. A lack of proper growth and nurturing often leads to decline and decay.

When we're talking about a lack of proper growth and nurturing when it comes to our lives, I'm referring to not being able to live the best quality of life that we're able to. From my perspective, the only way to truly live the best version of life is being able to water our life seeds in stages. This perspective not only applies to the physical, it is also the mental and spiritual aspect as well. When dealing with a topic of this nature, I also want you to consider the livelihood aspect of it. As I mentioned earlier, we often compare our lives to our peers. If our peers are doing something or accomplishing things, many of us assume that we need to be doing those things as well. I don't think that most people go in with the intention of thinking this way, but I think it is just in our nature to compare ourselves to others. Now if we're all individuals and have different ways of thinking, wouldn't it also make sense that we have should have different ways of living as well. The stages of your life happen specifically for you and no one else. Everyone has to go through stages in life, but it is the individuality that makes everyone's journeys different. Instead of giving a lot of time and attention to what is happening in whatever stages someone else is in within their life's journey, it is more important to focus on watering your own life seeds to get to where you want to be. I know this isn't an easy concept to endorse, because the truth is that while most people like seeing others get ahead, they may not necessarily want to see people get that far ahead of them. The reality of life that is some people's flowers bloom faster than others when it comes to life, just like some people's life fruit grows more healthier than others. Again, the important thing is to focus on better yourself so you can water your seeds better.

Now that we've talked about the importance of viewing our lives in stages and watering the seeds of our lives, we have to ask ourselves; "How do I water my seeds?" I believe the best way to properly water the seeds of your life to become a better individual ties in directly with self-improvement. I believe that in order to grow our life seeds means taking steps and actions to improve ourselves. This means reading books that deals with growing as a person. It also means getting rid of bad habits and people that are holding us back. I believe it means immersing ourselves in positive habits that will encourage us to do and be better. At the end of the day, no one else can tell you what you should or shouldn't do to water your life seeds. Only you truly know what is and isn't good for you. Everything that I've mentioned so far is only suggestions, but it is up to you in the end. So I'll get ready to bring this to a close by reminding everyone to try and be mindful of these things. As hard as it may be at times, try not to compare your situation to that of others. That only adds stress and can create depression in our lives, and I don't think we can grow as people if we're depressed constantly. Secondly, start looking at your life in stages. Treat everything in your life as a stepping stone to get to something that is hopefully better. Finally, continue to focus on self-improvement, and think of that as watering seeds to grow. A gardener doesn't plant seeds and just leave them to rot off and die. They constantly water those seeds and give them time and attention to help them grow. Lets try to do the same for our lives, and hopefully we'll see ourselves grow exponentially.

Well that is all for this week folks. I hope that I was able to make some sense with all of this, and I also hope that some if not all of you found some kind of value in it. I am Brad H., and this has once again been another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I always appreciate those of you that came by. If anyone has any comments or feedback, please feel free to leave any and all of that below. You can also find me on Twitter @BradrickH if you want to add anything else. I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far, and I hope you all have an even better week ahead. A lot of of hot temperatures happening around the globe, so don't forget to stay cool and hydrated if you're going to be outdoors. Stay safe out there everyone, and I hope to see you all in the next one. Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Not Subjecting Reaching Your Full Potential To Others (Don't Allow Society To Define Your Success).

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Most people that would consider themselves to be motivated and ambitious will likely have goals that they want to achieve for themselves. Goals and aspirations among people will always have a degree of variance when it comes to what those goals may be. One person may strive to be the best mechanic, while someone else may be trying to be the best engineer. Because we're all different and have the ability to have different interests, the achieving of goals will always have some variance. What doesn't have variance is the fact that nearly everyone that is working towards a goal wants to achieve the highest level of that goal as possible. Think of it this way; if you are working towards something that you're interested in, do you think you just want to do enough to be able to just say that you done it? I highly doubt that is the case for most people. Most of us are seeking to do the best that we can at the things that drive us the most. With that said, the society that we live in often has a set bar for what is considered to be success. Furthermore, the aforementioned success is often based on what other people that may have achieved the same goals that others are currently striving for have accomplished. Because of this bar that society has set, many people are led to believe that they're failures because they haven't reached the level of someone else. It is a known fact that much of our society often pays attention to what the next person is doing, and this isn't any different when it comes to reaching our full potential. While I do believe that it is okay to model and seek out those that are already where many are trying to get to, it is also important to not subject your personal successes to that of others.

Yo, what's going on everybody? How is everybody doing out there? I go by the nickname of Brad H., and I'd like to once again welcome you all to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back for another week to present some wisdom that leads to inspiration and positive energy in our lives. Hope all has been well for everyone since the last topic. So the NBA Finals are right around the corner. We have had two great Conference Final series going on the last couple of weeks. As it stands now, the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers are knotted at 3-3 with a game 7 coming up. I'm not a fan of either of these teams, but boy you can't help but to root for the Celtics after coming this far with all the injuries they've had. I hope they're able to pull it out, but I have a feeling that LeBron is going to be too much in that elimination game. I hope I'm wrong though. In the west, we have an elimination game tonight as the Golden State Warriors trail the Houston Rockets 3-2. This has truly been a great series, and I was totally wrong in my prediction. Though I'm pulling for Houston, I honestly thought they might have gotten swept. The tides have surely turned though, as Houston was able to get gritty victories in games 4 and 5. This has been a wild series in the sense that the Warriors haven't looked like themselves the last few games. They have been unusually sloppy, and the Rockets have managed to capitalize on it. It would be a shocker to me if Houston manages to win tonight at Oracle Arena. I have a feeling that it is going to go seven games like the series in the east. I'm pretty excited for tonight, and I'm sure the rest of you NBA fans out there are as well. We will soon know who will be facing off in the NBA Finals. I think it would be awesome if Houston and Boston could get there. I can't speak for anyone else, but I think it would be nice seeing some new blood in the NBa Finals. Both the Warriors and Cavaliers have dominated that thing for the past few years, so something new would be refreshing. Lets wait and see how it all unfolds. Well that is it for my soapbox, so I'm going to go ahead and get into this week's topic of the importance of not subjecting you reaching your full potential to society.

Now that I've gotten all of that out of the way, it is time to go ahead and give the usual disclaimer that I give before getting into the topic of the week. Every single one of us has different ways of thinking and seeing things in this life. The mission here isn't to focus on what is considered right or wrong, but rather to provide some insight that will hopefully encourage us to get the juices of thought flowing in our brains. I personally believe that it is an amazing thing when you talk to someone, or you read something that makes you go; "I've never thought about that in that way before." Besides the inspiration that I try to provide on here, the promotion of being free-thinking and open minded are the primary goal of these topics. Of course I don't expect everyone to agree with what I have to say. Again, we all have our own opinions, and that isn't any different on here. Whatever your beliefs or thought processes may be regardless if they align with mines or not, I still appreciate every single person that is interested in what I have to say. Now that I've gotten that disclaimer out there, I'm going to briefly talk about why I felt this was a topic that I wanted to address. As I pointed out earlier, I've been thinking a lot lately about what success is when it comes to the world that we live in. It could just be me thinking like this, but I sorta feel like the society that we're living in paints this picture that success is only one thing. Of course there are going to be people that catch on and cling to this way of thinking, and then they find themselves feeling like failures if they don't reach the success that society has set as the bar. Because I vehemently disagree with this, I thought it would be good for me to get on here and hopefully encourage others to think of this in a different way.

I believe that it is in our nature as humans to be competitive. Most people have an innate tendency to want to outdo the next person in nearly every aspect of life. This is probably one of the biggest reasons why so many athletes get so aggressive in the events they participate in. Now although most of us aren't athletes, the competitive aspect of sports also stems into our everyday lives. People compete for job opportunities, the attention of a potential romantic suitor, and many other aspects of life. Again the desire to compete is all natural, but is it always really in our best interest to compete with others? As I mentioned earlier, the world we live in has a standard for what is considered success, but is what the world define as success really for everyone? When most people think of success in this world, most people equate it to having a lot of money, nice car(s), nice clothes, etc. Now in saying this, I am no way implying that these things aren't perks of being successful. I think it is a good thing to want to strive to have the best things you can in life. However, if we're being totally honest here, most people likely won't obtain much of these things. Not everyone will make a six figure plus salary. Most people won't live in a mansion or two story house. A good majority of us won't be able to comfortably afford clothes that cost thousands of dollars. A lifestyle that entails these kinds of things are only reserved for a small percentage of people, and because of the standard our society has set to define success, most people feel that obtaining these kinds of things are the primary way of defining success. Again, much of this deals with us comparing ourselves to other people.

Now because most of us won't obtain these grand things that come along with society's definition of success, comparing what our success is to others is irrelevant. Instead of engaging in the act of comparison, I think it is more important on focusing on reaching our own PERSONAL full potential. See from my perspective, every single one of us has a max limit on what we're able to obtain. Now I'm not saying that we should put limits on ourselves and our capabilities. From my perspective, maxing out means being able to have a realistic outlook on what is possible for our lives. See I believe that a good portion of people think that because we see certain people doing the things that we're interested in and finding the kind of success that I talked about earlier, that it should be them as well. If someone else is making a six figure salary in a certain career, then I should also be making a six figure salary as well. This is the mindset of many people, but maybe the person making the six figure salary is more experienced or more talented. That doesn't necessarily mean that they are better than you, or that you aren't good at what you do as well. It just means that someone else believes they are, which is why they probably do better financially. As I said earlier, it is always good to strive for better for yourself, but it is also wise to be able to discern when you have reached your peak. Instead of comparing yourself to what society deems as success, you have to define what you believe your person success to be. What is good for you personally won't always coincide with what this world is doing. Again, there is nothing wrong with wanting more for yourself, but being able to be comfortable with who you are and what you have in today's society is a strength in my opinion.

So with all of that being said, how exactly do we know when we've reached our peak? Like I talked about variance earlier in this topic, it all varies from person to person. This is one of those things when an individual has to search within themselves to know when they've reached their full potential. I believe that one of the best ways to get to this point deals with not comparing yourself to others and what they're doing. Always remember that what is right for other people doesn't always mean it is right for you. It's about learning how to be comfortable in your own skin. Secondly, it is wise to not let society or other people define what your own success should be. People often talk about how it is more important what you think of yourself rather than what other people think of you. I definitely think this applies to a topic such as this one. I believe that it takes having a strong mind to have the ability to not compare yourself to this world. While I think that some competition is good because it can help keep us motivated, being able to know when to be competitive is even more important in my opinion. We often hear about how the greatest battles that we face will often come from within. Being aware of what our full potential is and not being able to allow society sway us from that is a battle that most of us will face on a daily basis. One of this society's goals is to get us to believe that we need more in this life than what we really need. Yes, it is great having a lot of nice things, but having nice things doesn't define a person on the inside. So again, lets try to focus on reaching our own full potential. Try not to allow this world that we live in to dictate what is your personal success. Your life is your own, and you should live it according to what you know and feel is right for you on the inside.

That pretty much sums up what I think on this topic, so I'm going to go ahead and bring this one to close. I hope that some of you were able to find this topic understandable and relevant to your life. This has once again been another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective', and I would like to thank everyone again that stopped through. As I always like to end these with, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that was able to be gained from this. Anyone that has any feedback or comments, please feel free to leave them. You can also hit me up on my Twitter handle @BradrickH if you have any questions or feedback. Looks like the Gulf Coast region is going to have some rain in the next few days with this tropical storm that is about to get into the Gulf of Mexico. Kinda wild that hurricane season is already upon us. Boy was last year a rough one. Hopefully this season doesn't be as bad. Stay safe out there everyone, and I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day holiday. Stay encouraged and I'll see you all in the next one. Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.