Commonsense

Your Life Plan: One DAy at a Time

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:28:00 GMT

We all like to think we have our life under control and we know the direction it will go. This can give a false sense of security to us as life’s circumstances are not always what you may wish them to be. The pattern of life does not always go in the direction you may want it to head.

I often say I had my whole life planned when I was twenty-one, and I haven't done any of it yet. This has been a good thing, my life has turned out better than I could have ever imagined in my wildest dreams. I would have never visualized some of the things I have been fortunate enough to experience. It hasn’t always been easy, and at the time, if I thought I had a choice, I would have never chosen some of the events I experienced. But looking back at the big picture I realize the good times and the final outcome has far surpassed any trials I may have had to endure.

Buddhist Proverb
There is an old proverb stating that a thing valued is worth enduring and working for and this is true. The harder we strive to meet a goal and the more effort we put towards achieving that goal , the more we value it. I was told early in life that to work for something would make it more important to me, and I soon found this was true. the people that were handed everything on a sliver platter early in life never appreciated them and in most cases either destroyed what was given them or were extremely ungrateful. Most often they even resented the very ones who were trying to pander to them.

You still see this today, many times, the individuals who are the most privileged are the ones protesting against the society that has given them so much.

Our life circumstances are never exactly as we would want them, but they are as we need them. The pattern of life very seldom goes as we plan, if it did , life would be very boring and predictable. Many times we may think we are being lead off our life plan entirely.

In spite of all this, it is essential to have a plan, to not have a plan is to wander aimlessly in life and accomplish very little. Instead of wondering or questioning the direction you life has taken , just accept the fact there is a plan and you may not know all the details, it is a play as you go life, often times we need to complete one step before the next step is revealed to us.

If we keep traveling in the correct direction , we eventually reach our destination , often times the destination is far better than we could humanly predict, and in the end we find that it isn’t the destination, but the journey that is important.

Walk your path one step at a time - with courage, faith and determination. Keep your head up, and cast your dreams to the stars. Soon your steps will become firm and your footing will be solid again.A path that you never imagined will become the most comfortable direction you could ever hoped to follow.
Keep your belief in yourself and walk into your new journey. You will find it magnificent, spectacular, and beyond your wildest imaginings.

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Liberals Want To Control You

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:44:00 GMT

In spite of the common perception in today’s world, liberalism isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The modern day liberal would have us believe they are ultra compassionate and have everyone's best interest at heart, even more than their own health and welfare. They would like for us to believe they know how to run our lives better than we do ourselves. Nothing can be farther from the truth.

Today’s liberal, as well as those in the past are projectionists, which means that whatever they accuse others of doing, those are the very things they do themselves. You can always count on them to be guilty of the very actions that they try to accuse others of doing. If you don’t believe me , just pay attention, for one week, to what the liberal politicians say, what they accuse others of doing, and what they actually do. It will quickly become evident that is exactly what is transpiring.

Liberals beat everybody down, in spite of what they say, their objective is to keep you down and control you. They want to keep you a slave, they act as though they are doing you a favor and looking after your best interest, however,remember, the person that feeds and supports you,also controls you.

To me, the way to look at something is, if I don’t believe something or don’t want to do it,then I don’t do it.It is up to the individual as to what he believes or does, it’s not any of my business as to what someone else believes.The hard core liberal believes that if he or she doesn’t believe or want to do something , then no one should believe in it or do it. To me this is taking a very narrow minded and controlling view of life.

We are not all the same and weren’t intended to be, everyone has a different point of view and as such has a right to express it and live life as they want.. As long as their rights don’’t infringe upon someone else’s, more power to them.

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Global Warming

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:42:00 GMT

Many people today believe that global warming is man made and some day it could destroy the earth and all living things. Many people with this belief are members of the “crisis of the week” club, they fall victim again and again to every new crisis that comes down the pike, often times on a weekly basis.

Anyone who has studied the pattern of weather changes the world has encountered over the millions of years of it’s existence realizes there are always climate changes occurring and humans have had nothing to do with it.

Climate change is a natural event that is continuously taking place. There are always changing weather patterns that can be brought on by many factors completely out of control of human activity.

Large meteors have crashed into the earth and affected weather patterns for many years to come, volcanoes have erupted and spilled more pollutants into the air than humans could contribute in thousands of years. The wobble of the earth which takes thousands of years to reach a full cycle also affects the weather of the whole planet, but it takes place so slowly that civilizations come and go in the meantime and no one notices.

In many places on our planet , the frozen remains of long forgotten animals have been discovered that still have green vegetation in their stomachs, how did those get there? Likewise, in some locations beach sand and seashells are found at 4,500 feet above sea level, such as inSedona Arizona.
One can see different levels of ocean water on the rock cliffs in such places as the American Southwest, and in contrast there are many places throughout the world where lost cities are hidden beneath the ocean waters, having sunk after flourishing for centuries.

There is much evidence that at one time Europe was much warmer than it is today,and in an obvious desert environment there is a large river valley located in the Egyptian desert next to the Giant pyramid of Giza, a river so large it had to have a very large river flowing through it at one time.

All of these instances, and many more point to the fact that the earth has gone through many climatic changes over the years, back to a time before humans roamed the planet and no power plants, SUV’s, or other modern facilities were not yet conceived.

Climate change will always be occurring and despite the thinking of some enlarged egos, humans have very little or nothing to do with it. To think otherwise is preposterous. We are only tiny creatures in the big picture of life and nature.

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Plan for Life

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:29:00 GMT

Do you want to create a better future than your past? How do you do that?

How many people do you know that are still reliving their high school days? They are constantly remembering how things were during their senior year in high school, and how wonderful it was. Bet you anything, if they are really truthful about it, when they were going through it , it wasn’t so wonderful.

Events have a habit of becoming more pleasant after a few years have gone by and more recent so called unpleasant experiences in our life have obscured the unpleasantness of the past. Granted, there is absolutely nothing wrong with re-living the past, especially something as memorable as most of our senior years in school were.

But, when a person constantly dwells on an event from his or her past and that event becomes their dominant thought, it means your life is not moving at all , you are stuck in the past and there will be no advancement towards what one would deem a better life.

If that is where you want to be, there certainly is nothing wrong with that, if that is truly where you want to be. Many people go through their whole lives reliving the past, and if you past is pleasant enough for you to be content, so be it, more power to you, you may be one of the fortunate ones.

But if you desire to move forward you need to remember your life moves towards what you focus on. Gravity wasn’t discovered by someone thinking about sinking, wealth isn’t created by continuously thinking about how poor one is. We don’t achieve in life by constantly thinking about what we don’t want, if you think about what you don’t want, that is what you will receive.

What we Think

If you want to lose weight , you won’t lose one pound by constantly thinking about how hungry you are, and you won’t get healthy by thinking about how sick you are.

I know that when an unpleasant event happens in our lives, a certain amount of time must be set aside for mourning and reliving the event until the pain subsides and we can move along, however you need to put it behind you as soon as possible and move ahead. This doesn’t mean you will never think about it again, you will. It isn’t about denial, it is about renewal.

Beginning today, take notice when you find yourself thinking and talking about so-called negative events from your past, and unless you want to reinforce those feelings and continue to experience the same in the future, begin to think about how you want your future to unfold,now is the time to let go of the past and create a new, happier, and more pleasant future.

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I'm Offended

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:36:00 GMT

I'm Offended

When someone tells you they are offended by what you say, what does that mean? Does it mean you said something you shouldn’t have? Or does it mean they are just too sensitive?

Most of us normally try not to offend anyone by our speech or actions. We try to consider others feelings in our normal day to day life and want to get along with everyone we meet and work with. However in today’s world, that is becoming more and more difficult. With all the political correctness floating around , it seems people get offended at the smallest of things.

It has become a way of attracting attention, even though it is negative attention, many people still thrive on that sort of notoriety and will create things to be offended about. Most often it has something to do with a racial or sexual nature and many times if the situation were reversed, it would have no effect on the other person whatsoever.

Most times when someone utters those words it just means they are not in control of their emotions and they want you to do it for them. It has become another way for people in today’s world to shift blame to someone else and thereby take no responsibility for their own actions.

When someone says something to us, it is our decision to be offended or not, the other individual has no control over that, it is our responsibility alone. Have you ever noticed that some individuals are not offended regardless of what is said to them, doesn’t that offend you?

Change Some One's Life

They have mastered the situation and realize that what someone says or does doesn’t reflect on them, only on the individual who said or did it. It is all a matter of perception. Their actions only mirror their experiences and thoughts in life and have no bearing on anyone but themselves.

I think most of us can remember the days not too long in the past where we could joke with others about their minor differences and imperfections, it was done in jest and in most cases all enjoyed it and got a good laugh from it, soon it would be turnabout fair play and the ribbing would be reversed, remember how much fun that was?

Let’s go back to those days and not take ourselves so seriously. Life is too short.

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It's Time to Wake up.

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:47:00 GMT

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

You never again have to believe that circumstances outside of you control your life. You never again have to believe that it is wrong to want. You never again have to believe that some great power outside yourself is pulling the strings, or that anyone or anything other than you is in control. You never again have to be afraid of "them" or "it," no matter who or what they may be, unless you so choose.

So how did we get in this mess? You got it! More than six billion people (plus however many more there have been over countless centuries) being born into vulnerable, lackful, fearful vibrations, all focusing on what they don't want and getting more of it.
It was never intended to be that way, but in our anxious state of needing to find a reason why things never seemed to go the way we wanted them to, we figured it had to be the fault of some factor separate from us: the government, the economy, our boss, our marriage, our background, our education, our rotten luck, even God.
The real reality is we have come here to thrive, and prosper, and live this grand human experience in lighthearted joy, not in struggle and pain. We have come here to have fun while we learn, to grow without suffering, and to harvest our desires in the absolute knowledge that we can have it all once we learn how to handle our energies . . . meaning . . . our emotions.
We came here with a guaranteed freedom of choice mandated by the very nature of our existence. The time has come for us to exercise that birthright. We are caught in no one's web. We are bound by no circumstance. We are victims to no conditions. Rather, we are beings who possess the sacred ability to implement any outlandish desire our limitless minds can concoct, for we possess unregulated, unrestricted, uncontested freedom of choice, no matter what those choices may be.
It's wake up time. It's time we remembered how to make those choices happen. It's time to take our heads out of the sand and accept that it's no accident we get what we get in life. It's time for us to stop creating from the improper default setting and remember the secrets of the ancient wisdom we once knew so well before recorded history, wisdom that allowed us to create our passions with simple intent. It is time.
You deserve it all. You deserve to have all of your aspirations realized, no matter what they may be. You have only to want it and feeeeel it, and a whole new life of extraordinary happiness will be yours. Not can be; will be! That is a cosmic guarantee.
Lynn Grabhom

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We Won in Vietnam

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:33:00 GMT

Over the years there has been much discussion concerning the war in Vietnam and whether it was worth it. Many feel it was a disgraceful time in our nations history.

In many ways it was a disgraceful time, many in the United States did not support our troops and many celebrities like Jane Fonda came out openly against the effort. Many like her still to this day don’t realize the negative effect their actions had on our troops and country, many prisoners suffered needlessly because of her actions.

It is a prime example of how wars turn out when then politicians try to run the campaigns from their desk in the White House. The war would have had a much better outcome if the politicians had stuck to doing what they do best, succumbing to special interests groups and ignoring their constituents. I hope in the future we left the military run the war, that is what they do best, they are professionals.

Having said all of that, I still content the war was worth it and we did in fact win, not on the battle field , but in the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese. As a result of our presence in that faraway country, many of the local population became aware of a better way of life. Many Vietnamese followed our soldiers when they returned home. As a result they created a better life for themselves and their families.

For those that stayed, in spite of the country becoming a communist regime , life is better for them than it was before. Most now want to become Americanized, as a result golf courses and other western amenities are now seen. Most want to be like America, not China or Japan.Over time this will have a profound affect on the region.

The refugees who came to the United States have assimilated and become productive and contributing citizens, many stating businesses , their work ethic has created a better life for themselves and families.

I personally know of one mother , who after September 11th, grabbed her two young sons, escorted them to a recruiter and insisted they join the military so they could defend and give back to the country that has given them so much.

The attitudes of this mother and others have contributed much to our country, they should be commended for what they have done and continue to do. They have made not only the United States a better place, but their homeland as well.

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We Have Lost Our Way

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:05:00 GMT

It doesn’t matter how much effort we put into following our life path, we all occasionally lose our way. Events and circumstances occur that can change our perspective immediately. When this happens it can create an environment where we begin to question everything we think we know,and as a result, we can lose our way and wander aimlessly until a new path and way of life determined.

This is all well and good, it is the natural order of things. These are the times when our faith will carry us through. Regardless of what we may experience , the in-grown values each of us have will eventually shine through and lead us back to our path.

As cultures and values change, we change also. The Australian Aborigines are a prime example. Once, as nomadic tribes , they roamed the out back of Australia and became very much in tune with nature and the environment around them. They became very astute at being able to foretell coming events and adapting to a way of life consistent to their surroundings. With the coming of the Europeans, they now must adapt to a new way of life, which after living for 40,000 years under a gum tree it is very difficult to do.

In many ways the life they had was more fulfilling than the way of life they now have. As a result of the cultural shift, many are now resorting to drugs and alcohol as a respite from their daily life. Many have forgotten the teachings of their fathers, and not being able for a variety of reasons to assimilate into modern day culture, they are floundering aimlessly through life.

Hopefully one day they will regain their sense of well being and begin to assimilate into modern society while sharing their their spirituality with us.

Us in the modern day world, with all the advances in technology, have spiritually lost our way also. It has become apparent there is a great spiritual void in today’s world, evidenced by the discontent and disconnect from society. With all the modern technology and conveniences in today’s world we should be the happiest people to ever inhabit our planet.

Regretfully this isn’t true, modern man has placed too much emphasis on things and not enough on the more important aspects of our lives. Many haveforgotten the value of friendships and most of all their connection to their creator, the Grand Architect of the Universe. The one who is responsible for all we have.

This connection needs to be re-established before it is too late, we have advanced technology to be able to have more time to enjoy our relationship with each other, not to take away from it. Technical advances are well and good, I don’t think anyone really wants to live in a Tee Pee any more, or suffer the many diseases of the past. However, there needs to be a balance.

Modern day society needs the inherent knowledge the aborigines and other native tribes have. If we don’t somehow find that balance we will all suffer the consequences, and I don’t think anyone wants that. They hold the keys to our spiritual knowledge.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could combine their knowledge of the spiritual world with our technology?
What a world we would have.

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Is Your Child at Risk?

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:26:00 GMT

Is Your Child a Sufferer . . . Are You?

This is not my article, but I agree wholeheartedly.

By Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein The world of medicine is scared and honestly so am I.

A whole raft of treatments that used to work, for example, anti-biotics, are proving themselves less and less able to deal with bugs that have become resistant and new conditions that appear from time to time.

And it's not just in the world of physical ailments that treatments have started to fail. In the world of psychology too, treatments and therapies that were once believed to offer solutions have not lived up to expectations.

Now parents face a new and potentially graver problem as they attempt to bring up their kids. Like so many such conditions like ADD and ADHD, it is known by its acronym, B.O.Y.

Many clinicians, although highly qualified in the fields of Psychology and Counseling were utterly unaware of this condition till recently. Often they misdiagnosed it as the traditional ADD or ADHD. Of course this led to inappropriate treatments and considerable expense for medications that simply did not tackle the problem. Now they are looking and sounding pessimistic that they will be able to deal with what seems to be a Pandemic.

Jewish parents are no less affected by this condition than anyone else. Mrs Gloria Epstein of New Rochelle, NY was quoted in a recent study, "Michael junior had just turned four. My husband Michael senior and I hadn't noticed anything unusual. Little Micky was such a loveable baby, you know what I mean? Then he started doing crazy stuff, running about, yelling, breaking things, fighting with his sister and giving us Chutzpa. He took to writing on his walls with felt pen and every toy we gave him lasted only days before it ended up in the garbage. We took him to our therapist hoping it would be something normal like ADD and Micky could take medication and we could get back to being normal family. The doctor told us that little Micky might be suffering from a recently diagnosed condition called, B.O.Y.

We were devastated. When we decided to become parents we never dreamt in a million years that we would have to contend with something as horrific as this!" Dr. David Stein, a Psychologist based in Manhattan with thirty years experience, was equally downbeat. "Myself and my colleagues have dedicated our lives to solving childhood disorders but frankly, this has got us beat. I fear for the future of the profession and our ability to sustain our credibility unless we can get on top of this and soon. This thing just crept upon us. We simply didn't see it coming."

Indeed many professionals have seen their incomes plummet as more and more parents have realized that traditional Therapists have no more idea about how to treat B.O.Y syndrome than they have.

Help though may well be at hand. Researchers have found convincing evidence that B.O.Y. may in fact not be a new condition after all but an old condition, which has been ignored or forgotten.

This has caused researchers to go back through the records to discover what treatments were used in the past and whether they can be applied to today's epidemic. The good news is that first results look extremely promising. Even more exciting is the fact that effective treatments are being developed from historic Jewish sources!

We took the new findings to Mrs. Epstein of New Rochelle and asked her if she and her husband would be willing to try them with Michael junior. We asked her to fill out a daily report of how the program went. After a month we visited to see if there had been any improvement.

Mrs. Epstein recorded her first day on the program.

"Michael and I took Micky to the Mall and when we passed by a pet store he started to shout that he wanted a pet snake. We said he couldn't have one (he lost the last two and the neighbors complained when one turned up in their bath) and he started to tantrum and scream.

We tried our usual approach of appealing to his better nature and pleading with him to stop. Of course when a child is suffering from something as dreadful as B.O.Y. you simply cannot expect his underlying positive personality to assert itself.

Our immediate reaction was to rush him to a Psychologist and demand a course of Ritalin. But we knew modern therapies were useless against B.O.Y and we had committed to this new program. Michael dialed the course designer, Dr. Solomon King.

It was hard for Michael to make himself heard above Michael Junior's yells and threats but eventually, he managed to explain the situation.

Dr. King told us to do something that was so shocking to us, that at first we could not believe what he said. He said we should tell Micky if he didn't stop screaming (he had now kicked Michael six times and called him a Pig) we would spank him!

We told Dr. King that we could not do that, but he assured us that this technique, applied sparingly and only to the soft round area at the top of the legs, would do the trick.

Michael and I looked at one another in desperation and in the end it was me who offered Micky the ultimatum. He told me I was a Pig too and that's when I turned him round and delivered three spanks to the prescribed location.

Michael junior looked to be in a state of shock and his father and I held our breaths as silence engulfed our little family. Could this ancient treatment, we had been told had worked in years gone by, work now?

Little Michael stopped screaming and we were soon able to walk past the pet store.

Dr. King had explained that children affected by B.O.Y. sometimes suffered side effects from the therapy like confusion and surprise but that this soon passed as the sufferer became used the treatment.

That's exactly what happened. Micky looked stunned as though he could not believe what had happened. Then the silence changed to quiet sobs but amazingly, in just a few moments these too disappeared. We were astonished.

Other treatments prove just as effective. Dr. King suggested that we should try stage two and three almost immediately. Michael and I weren't at all sure about these two, the names, Consequences and Discipline sounded so alien and strange, but we have to admit that Dr. Solomon King was right."

Mrs. Epstein's experience has been repeated in families across the US and there is now hope that children suffering from B.O.Y. have a real chance of a lasting cure. Schools are looking into the new therapy and although there is strong opposition from many leading educational experts, pilot schemes have shown encouraging results here too. Opponents may have to concede in the face of the evidence. Mrs. Epstein summed up her experience in first controlling then defeating the worse effects of her sons condition. "Frankly the change has been remarkable. Sometimes Michael and I feel ourselves slipping back to the old certainties of medication and other expensive treatments. But we support each other and are busy telling our friends about the Cure for B.O.Y. Frankly we cannot thank Solomon King enough for doing the research and discovering the therapies that brought a suffering family a real cure."

I asked Mrs. Epstein after her positive experience of, "B.O.Y Therapy" if she would be happy to have her families experience shared in the Jewish Press and she replied she would encourage anyone to try it. "The irony is" she continued, "My husband and I are not even sure what the letters stand for."

I was able to enlighten her, B.O.Y stands for Boisterous, Ordinary, Young. It is closely related to another condition called G.I.R.L. Gregarious, Insistent, Robust and Loud.

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The 2012 Presidential Election

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:47:00 GMT

The 2012 Presidential election is going to be interesting. While the world watches, many interesting and fascinating events will occur. I know it is said every election, at least in the last 15 years, but this is the most critical election in modern time. The fate of not only the United States, but the entire free world as well ,hangs in the balance.

Do we continue on the path to destruction by embracing socialism and even worse Marxism, or do we find our way back to what our founding fathers intended for this country and the world, freedom and a place where mankind could reach it’s highest potential without the interference of government.

As has already been evidenced, many individuals will play a part in this election, and each will play a major role in the final outcome. The moment I saw Sarah Palin in 2008 I knew she would be a major player and possibly president someday. Everyone seems to forget , John McCain and Sarah were leading the 2008 presidential polls, until the financial crisis which conveniently occurred 5 weeks before the election.(October surprise?)

She was without a doubt the first to speak out, her boldness set the way for others to follow, as a result she took much heat for this. Such is the plight for trend setters. Many see her as radical, this just goes to show how far our country has drifted from the path originally set by our founding fathers. In today’s world John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan would be labeled extreme and would have little chance of getting elected to anything.

Following Governor Palin came Michelle Bachmann, Ron Paul, Rick Perry and others, each contributing much to the campaign. Although most have fallen out of the hunt as of today, they still continue to contribute and slowly educate the American citizen as to the virtues of their beliefs.

Deep down, most people know that what they are saying is true, however, people have been so mis-educated by not only the media, but our educational system and misinformed parents as well, they have lost sight of the basic values we as human souls are all instilled with .

Fort Myers Florida Sunrise

People have been so indoctrinated by a society that teaches many to be dependent on government and their entitlements and the misconception it creates. Many believe that life is easier if someone does everything and pays for everything for them. This may be true for a while, but sooner or later, there is a price to pay, the one with the money is the one in control of your life. Do you want the government in control of your life.

This election will determine the fate of not only the United States and it’s citizens but the fate of the world for many years to come. Do we want to continue down the path of socialism and destruction, or do we want to gradually return to the values and work ethic our country was founded on?

Do we want to take the easy way out, or do we want to return to the time tested values that have sustained generations of people throughout the ages? Do we want to put forth a little extra effort to guarantee of life similar to ours for generations of our descendants, or do we want to sentence them to a life of subjugation and poverty, a life with little freedom and opportunity?

Someday you may return to this planet, what do you want to find if and when you do?

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Postive Thoughts Can Change Your Life

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:36:00 GMT

Most of us spend our lives wishing for something we don't have. While we realize we can have anything we want , but not everything, very few people go beyond the realizing stage to the having stage. Many want to change their life, but few actually take the steps necessary to accomplish their goals.

Most settle into everyday life and take life as it comes and become comfortable and never accomplish what they are capable of achieving. In a sense it is probably close to impossible to reach our highest potential, there is always something else we could do.

However, having said that,we can change our outer world to something more to our liking. But, we have to keep in mind, to change your outer world, you must change your inner world. If you attempt to change your world externally without doing the necessary inner changes, you will just keep repeating the same happiness destroying patterns over and over again, until you finally decide to change your thinking habits. The moment your thoughts change, so will your life.

Whatever you focus on, you will attract. If you continuously fear something will happen, guess what? It will happen. Your thoughts create actions . Your subconscious mind is unbiased in turning your thoughts into actions. It has no concept of what you want or what you don't want, it only listens to your thoughts.

When you aren't aware of how powerful your thoughts are, you will spend much time thinking about what you don't want. Thus you will keep receiving more of the same. You will keep being the victim, you will continuously find people and situations that turn those thoughts into reality.

This in turn will further convince you that life is unfair and increase your feelings of being a victim. Look at the news headlines of today, certain groups are always identified as victims and as a result they keep playing the same game even though many members of these very same groups succeed in the same environment. This proves my point, you are only a victim if you want to be, your environment has nothing to do with it. If your environment is stopping you from succeeding, change your environment.

You weren't born to live a small uneventful life. This doesn't mean we all need to be world leaders in our chosen field. It just means we need to shift our attitude to realizing we can live the life we desire and were destined to lead when we entered the earth plane of existence.

When this is realized, the universe has no choice but to give you what you want instead of what you don't want. All you need to do is focus on and realize what you do want. You have many choices, your job is find find the one life you desire, (this is probably the most difficult, because of all the options), and go for it. If it is in your best interest and it is what you really desire, it will happen.

You have now put yourself on your path, follow it and never fear where it may lead.

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It's Never too Late to Change

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:06:00 GMT

Want to Change Your Life

When do you change your life?

When in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out "ENOUGH!

Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on." And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum,your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin to look at the world from a new perspective. You begin to realize no one is going to take care of you and your interests like you will. Self pity will get you no where.

You realize that it is time to stop hoping and waiting for something or someone to change,or for safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. Forget about retiring or taking the easy way out, there is no easy way out. You come to terms with the fact that there aren't always fairytale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you.Then a sense of serenity is born of acceptance. Get busy, there is plenty of time for resting after we pass from this reality.

So you begin making your way through the"reality of today" rather than holding out for the "promise of tomorrow."You realize that much of who you are and the way you navigate through life is, in a great part, a result of all the social conditioning you've received over the course of a lifetime,and you begin to sift through all the nonsense you were taught. Often times our dreams seem impossible, but after beginning the journey they only seem improbably and then suddenly they are inevitable.

Only then can you change your future and or your destiny. You finally decide it is up to you, no one, the government, your family and friends, no one can make your life change , but you. You are the only one who really knows what you want in life, you are the only one who knows what your dreams really are.

You can't expect others to be in control of your happiness and success. You can't expect obstacles to fall by the wayside, that is a part of success, overcoming obstacles. Of course as you progress along your path the obstacles will eventually fall away and the path will become clear.

That is the main crux of reaching enlightenment is learning that the obstacles to our success are only created by our self, no one else. By knowing what you want in life , and realizing it may not be the easiest path or the one we think we most desire, when your true path is found , the gate will open and you will enter inside your future. Be prepared, it may be challenging, but rewarding and well worth the effort spent in reaching your final destination.

If you are undecided about which path to take , look back over your life so far ,and see the general trend and theme you have been pursuing, not only in a career sense, but a spiritual sense as well. What are your passions? Many times this can be a clue as to what to do next. Look for deeper meaning other than earning a living.

The trials and tribulations in our life are sent to us for a reason, to make us strong and learn valuable lessons about life. Learn them wisely, feeling sorry for yourself does no one any good. One needs to be thankful for the learning experience and realize how much stronger they are for having survived that event.

Only then can we achieve our goals and reach happiness in life.

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You are Where You Need to Be

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:18:00 GMT

At this point in time, many people feel they are not completing their “mission” on earth. Many feel they are stuck in time and not progressing as they should. At this time, it is the perfect time to remember , you are right where you should be at this moment .

When these feelings surface, it means you life is about to change, you have done everything necessary to effect your moving into the next stage of your life, you are only waiting for the universe to respond to your prayers.

Often times one may feel remorse over deeds done or left undone in the past. At this point , the past doesn’t affect your future, you have done everything necessary to create a more desirable future, the past doesn't matter, just let it go.

There can be many reasons why you are where you are at this time in history, none of the reasons matter, the only thing that makes is a difference is your reason for advancing.

Just as the actions you feel may hinder your future, the triumphs also make little difference, you are in the here and now, it is time to move on. Once this is realized, one naturally feels completely free, free of any obligations or karma, the future is now yours to mold into what you most desire.

You now realize the only thing holding you back is your belief that something is holding you back. Now is the time to go beyond the limits you have placed upon yourself. it is time to reach inside yourself and touch your soul, realize you can have whatever your heart desires.

Now is the time to be true to the light that burns deep inside you, hold on to your dream, and be mindful of the good thoughts and feeling in your heart. Now is the time to follow your talents and passions, don’t take the road others say you must follow, or a path because it would seem easier or more popular.

There is no light or desire that burns brighter than the light burning inside of you, hide not your light under a bushel,be true to yourself, follow your dream, it will guide you to your own personal greatness and you will be admired and loved just for who you are.

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Do as I Say, Not as I Do

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:10:00 GMT

In my youth, my parents and others always had a favorite saying when they told me to do something and I responded with, “you don’t do it, why should I.”

They would respond with,”Do as I say, not as I do.” And of course they would always be reprimanded by someone chastising them for not setting a good example. As I grew older , it seemed to me the one uttering this absurd statement was being hypercritical, thus I would often discount what they were saying and the lesson there-in contained.

I rationalized a person should practice what they preach before trying to impart their values on someone else.

It wasn’t until later in life I began to learn the real lesson behind this. As often happens in life lessons such as this, the answer comes in the wee hours of the morning when normal people are sleeping.

I realized suddenly that no one on the planet is perfect, we are all trying to form that rough ashlar we call life into a more perfect building block to thus fashion our life upon. No one can always live up to the high standards we all should place upon ourselves. We are a work of progress and continuously under construction. In our progression in life, as we continue on towards perfection, perfection as each of us sees it, we will continue to struggle, often times we take two steps forward and one backward, and many times it is one step forward and two backward.

This is as it should be, we need to remember ,even though it seems we are falling backward more than forward, our continuous direction is forward toward our goal of perfection. It is impossible to fall backwards. every action and reaction we take is a learning experience

There was nothing hypercritical intended when my parents and others made this statement.They knew exactly what they were saying. They realized no one can live life without doing things that would be better left undone, themselves included. Just because they did something stupid was no reason for their children or friends to do the same thing. We are supposed to learn from others mistakes, or I like to say, “Learning experiences.”

My mom always had another favorite expression, when I wanted to do something she didn’t think I should do, I would say,”But everyone else is doing it.”

She would respond,”If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you want to jump also.?” It’s really hard to respond to logic like that.

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Neighbor Helping Neighbor

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:00:00 GMT

The time was 1951,shortly after a fire destroyed our old farm house three days after Christmas in 1950.
Living in a small farming community in southeastern Indiana, the community we lived in was like an extended family.

The local fire department was an all volunteer force which responded even before dad and I were able to arrive home from an early morning errand.

After the fire was distinguished, the task of building a new home was tackled. In those days there was no such thing as insurance and being farmers, money was hard to come by.

Soon neighbors began to help,and battling freezing cold , the old house was dismantled and a new home was soon constructed from materials salvaged from the remaining structure. Work was continued through the long cold winter, probably one of the coldest and snow laden winters in recent memory , until it was finally completed in the spring, ready for us to move into and after the unexpected interruption continue our lives .

The house was pretty basic, as in those days there were no modern conviences such as we all enjoy today. No TV, micro wave ovens, computers , etc. We did have a bathroom, but for a time it was just an empty room, the normal appliances of a bathroom were only added later as money allowed. Outdoor plumbing was still the only option, so in really cold weather, I would wait until I arrived at school so I could use warmer facilities. At school the restroom was located in the basement, so it wasn't much warmer than at home, but every degree helps.

We left the farm in 1963, and at that time a bath tub still had not been installed. We were poor, but we had fun and it was a great way to grow up, we have much today, but in many ways those times were better as people were closer and always willing to help in a time of crisis. No one even thought of asking government for help, it would have been a disgrace to ask for public money to assist someone in need.

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Take Charge by Taking Responsibility

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:05:00 GMT

Often times we find ourselves in difficult situations in which we feel we have no control over or didn't do anything to create them.

This is never the case, everything , every encounter, every experience is one we personally created on some level of consciousness. We are all born with free will and just as we have the free will to choose to eat a hot fudge sundae or a cup of yogurt, so we have the free will to choose each and every event in our life. Free will is constant, it doesn't come and go , it is always there, you can't pick and choose when to exercise it.

We may not realize it, but that is a reality. The events in our life happen for a reason, they are all learning experiences, sadly we learn more from the so called negative experiences than the positive ones. That is why we seemingly create more of them.

There are no accidents in life, only learning experiences, how we choose to learn life's lessons is entirely up to us, no one else has any influence on those decisions. We can't blame a spouse, our parents, the government, or our boss. We as individuals have created everything in our environment. It is a matter of good or so called bad choices.

The trick is to retrain ourselves to learn life's lessons in a way that is more positive and fulfilling and thus not suffer the consequences of bad decisions.

One of the major keys to this is realizing we are in control of our life and the decisions we make ultimately determine the direction it takes. After we realize we have no one to blame but ourselves, the process can begin.

The first step, I believe is to get in touch with our Higher Self or God Source. Our Higher Self , or Christ Consciousness is that little voice we often hear that is trying to direct us to the right path, it is the one that tries to warn us when we are making unwise decisions, the times when we know we shouldn't be doing something, but we do it any way.

The way to achieving a more intimate relationship with your Higher Self or Christ Consciousness is to begin meditating and or praying, soon you will begin to feel a closer association with the God Source and will learn to listen to the gentle proddings.

This is not the same as feeling fear, often times we feel fear when trying something new and we don't realize how it can turn out. One has to learn to distingush between the two, at times this just boils down to trial and error, and again listening to that tiny voice.

It probably won't happen over night and often one needs to take two steps forward and one backward until we become more adept at running our own affairs.

Often times it is really difficult facing up to the fact we have created the most disasterous times in our lives and there is no one else to blame, but it is the only way to work your way out of this mess, and once on the journey, the path gets easier and less filled with obstacles.

Soon you will be breeezing along, creating a better, more enjoyable life, one in which life's little disasters no longer have as profound effect on your well being as they once did.

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The Seperation of Church and State

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:10:00 GMT

Sometimes I have a difficult time comprehending peoples rationale. This was never much of an issue to me until shortly after moving to Florida and the beginning of our current century. Not sure if that had anything to do with it, but judging by how much things have changed since then, it may have.

The first situation I had a hard time comprehending was the fact that “I hate George Bush” bumper stickers began to appear the day after the 2000 election, the man hadn’t even been declared the winner yet and already people were hating him. I had never seen that before, not that soon after an election. I’ve known for a long time that politicians aren’t very civil, but some had just reached a new low, and as I was beginning to realize, we hadn't seen anything yet.

We had just moved to Sarasota Florida and as a result were looking for a social life as well as various other activities to participate in. Having an interest in politics I became interested in attending a local meeting for the separation of church and state. It seemed like a fairly neutral topic, one that would attract people from both sides of the political spectrum. I could see nothing liberal or conservative about it.

To me, the separation of church and state simply means the state cannot force us to practice a certain religion. It means we keep the state out of religion, but we don’t keep God out of government. Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values and most, if not all of the founding fathers professed a belief in God or a Supreme Being.

In fact the Declaration of Independence clearly states that “We are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights”, how plain does it have to be? I was soon to learn that not everyone thinks like I do.

The meeting began peaceful enough, the moderator even made reference that there may be some conservatives in the crowd and an effort should be made to be courteous to their opinions. What? You can’t be a conservative and believe in the separation of church and state? I thought the issue in itself was a pretty conservative idea.

The meeting went down hill soon after that and basically turned into a hate George Bush rally.I was informed that I couldn’t possibly believe in the separation of church and state and be a conservative. Whatever happened to the so-called open minded liberals? I soon discovered they are only open minded if you agree with them.

I had never observed so much hatred to anyone or a philosophy as I did at that meeting, I even tried to reason with people individually after the meeting adjourned, when they found out I was a conservative , they would have nothing to do with me. After that, the term “open minded liberal” took on an entirely different meaning.

If anything this meeting reinforced my conservative beliefs and I began to realize there was a huge political divide in this country and it was only getting larger, this new found liberalism was going to have a profound effect on our country and it wasn’t going to be good.

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Live in the present

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:12:00 GMT

Human nature dictates that we continually want what we don't have. No sooner do we achieve our goals and attain that which we sought than we start a new quest for a new challenge.

This is perfectly normal and as a result of this , humankind has achieved much. In spite of this, one needs to keep it all in perspective.We must remember that happiness cannot be found by only yearning for new desires.

If this is true, then how do we maintain a balance between wanting something new in our life and being content with what we have? Luckily there is a way to maintain a balance. It involves changing our focus from thinking continiously about what we want and don't have to what we already have and being thankful for our blessings.

Think of others constantly and count your blessing everyday, if not every moment. Take a deep breath and remember what is important in life. One needs to remember, you are experiencing what you are in this life for a reason, although it may not be obvious and you don't have a clue as to why you are enduring whatever challenge is coming your way, it all is for the betterment of your soul. Sooner or later the answer will come and the issue will be absolved.

By maintaining a positive attitude and traveling constantly in the direction you would like your life to progress, sooner or later the challenge will subside and you will begin to experience more of your life's desires.

By keeping one foot in the reality of life, living in the present, and remembering what you are thankful for, and appreciate what you have, you will be able to still satisfy your need for change and improvement in your life, not only in the material but spiritual elements as well.

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George Washington, Obama and Divine Intervention

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Over the course of my life I have come to understand more and more how much George Washington, the principle force behind the founding of the United States of America believed in divine intervention. I have heard and read about the instances where he was shot at point blank range and remained unharmed. In one particular battle, during the French and Indian War, he sustained three bullet holes in his jacket and one in his hat and suffered no wounds.

His explanation could only be there was an intervention of a higher power that saved him from harm,thus enabling him to continue to press on for freedom and our way of life.Most if not all of our founding fathers professed a belief in a Divine Source or God. The Declaration of Independence and our constitution also point to a belief in God, a believe our laws come from God, not government. This was a new thought at the time and a thought that many today still have a hard time comprehending.

Too many people today are still looking for a savior, or someone to do everything for them, thus relieving them of any responsibility for their lives. It would be nice if it worked this way, but it doesn’t. Because of the advances in our society over the last several years, and the “free stuff” provided to us by either our employment or government, many people have developed an entitlement mentality. They believe they are entitled to everything and it is free.

Nothing could be further from the truth, nothing is free, someone has to pay for whatever it is we have, either we or someone else has paid for it, there are no free lunches. In today’s world , politicians get elected based on how much free stuff they can give their constituents, while soaking the taxpayer for the costs.

People only look at what they are getting, never realizing how much it costs, or how much they themselves are paying for “pork” in another area of the country , which they receive no benefit whatsoever. No time in history has this been more obvious than in the 2008 election, class warfare became the battle cry, a Robin Hood mentality arose with many thinking the rich would and could pay for everything.

Nothing could be further from the truth, in most cases, the wealthy have worked hard and sacrificed much to obtain what they have, why should they be taxed to death to give to someone who is unwilling to work and sacrifice like they have? Would you want to do that?

The original idea of an income tax was sold through the concept that only the rich would pay, how did that work out? We all pay, regardless of how it is presented to us. Hopefully the election of 2008 has shown the American people how bad things can get when everyone only votes for the candidate that promises to give the most free stuff. 2008 isn’t the only example of how the entitlement programs don’t work, but I believe it is the most blatant example of how things can run amok.

Many tried to warn us of what was happening ,but few listened.People were so enamored with electing a minority and his promise of equality, that his many questionable policies and personal relationships were grossly overlooked. No one asked about his past associations for fear of reprisal or being called a racist.

Hopefully enough people have learned a lesson, leaders should be elected on their ability to lead, and not based on , race, religion, creed, or national origin, they must and need to be natural born citizens, and a requirement should also be that they grew up in the United States, so they know what America is all about.

Both political parties are guilty, one more so than the other , but we need to clean both houses to form a more perfect union. It almost seemed like divine intervention the way the election process turned out.

. Perhaps there was a little divine intervention, so that we may learn from our actions of the last 50 years. Sometimes things have to get really bad before they can get better. Hopefully we have reached a low point, and citizens will start paying attention and electing leaders who have some values and have the countries best interest at heart, not their own personal agenda.

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Take Back Your Power, Take Charge of Your Thoughts

thetravelbugg@travelnsnap.com (The Florida Hoosier) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:03:00 GMT

People have different views concerning the concept of heaven and hell , depending on their religious concepts. Many think of them as a physical reality where we travel after passing from this life. Thus , they believe how they live this live has a bearing on which existence they enter upon death.

Some believe there are different levels of the post existence and subsequent to their behavior they enter a various kingdom depending on the quality of their life on earth, while some never give it much thought at all.

Choices

After living several years on earth during this lifetime, I have come to the conclusion each and everyone one of us experiences heaven or hell on this very plane of existence. I don't really believe in a physical heaven or hell, they are only what we create in our own mind.

Life can be a gift or a nightmare, depending on where you choose to operate from consciously. I believe that a previous existence can and does play a role in how our life plays out in the present. We carry many memories with us as we enter a new phase of enlightenment. As we evolve many times, many issues need to be resolved for us to enjoy a more prosperous and happy lifetime.

One cannot go through life without creating events that could stand in the way of our advancement towards that which we desire. These so called negative events should be looked upon as an opportunity to provide a positive outcome to what could be an unpleasant experience.

There are no good or bad experiences in life, it is only in how we perceive them that is negative or positive. It is up to the individual soul to make lemonade from lemons. No one can do it for us.

The opportunity always presents itself and if we don't respond in a positive way, guess what? We get to do it all over again until we finally get it right and the karma is resolved. There are many ways one can find his or her way through this maze and safely reach the other side.

Regardless of your method and approach , maintaining a positive attitude and a feeling of gratitude for what blessings you have is of the utmost importance. Without this, nothing else will work. Concentrate on anything positive in your life, no matter how small. As time goes by this ability to focus on the positive, will manifest and soon you will see much more to be thankful for.

By all means don't even think about the negative, by doing so only magnifies what you don't want, we always create in our life what we focus on. When you find yourself thinking about what you don't want, stop immediately and change your thoughts to something that you do want.

View every experience, no matter how trying or difficult it may be as a chance to learn and grow, it is a gift. Sooner or later , when you look back on your life you will begin to realize the difficult times were when you were taught the most valuable lessons in your life. The people who gave you the most difficult times were the ones you learned the most from. They were your teachers and sometimes the people who give us the hardest lessons are the ones who care the most for us.

Don't be too quick to judge, let the scenario play itself out before passing final judgement as to if it was a negative or positive experience. Everything happens for a reason and something good comes from each life experience , we were presented with the event for a reason.

In time, forgive yourself and others. This doesn't mean you should condone bad behavior, the souls you are interacting with are also on a path with valuable lessons to learn . By condoning bad behavior, you are giving them a pass and thus they miss an opportunity to learn a much needed lesson. I think the key is to forgive, but not forget. If someone wrongs you, the first time it is their fault, if it happens again, it is your fault.

Be aware of your thoughts and feelings and be ready to intercept your thoughts if they suddenly turn on you. By meditating and/ or praying regularly one stays in tune with the source and you will be guided to perform the proper actions and thoughts, thus enabling you to improve your lot in life.

Evolving and improving your life can be a long process, in fact, that is what life is all about, and thus the learning never ends. Life is all about taking back our power and using it in a way that will be of most benefit to not only ourselves, but humanity as well.

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