Saturday Evening Thoughts on the Intersection of Your Wants, Your Needs, and Your Willingness 9/7/13

The week of Labor Day always ends up being one of the longest shortest weeks of the year as we begin the transition from summer to fall. It's yet another great time to put things in perspective as we prepare to end the 3rd quarter of the year and prepare for the last push of 2014. I don't know about you, but I have to ask the question about where has the year gone. Regardless, of where it has gone I can tell you that I am still more than ready to enjoy the balance of 2013. Doesn't really take much these days to get my mind racing in a few directions and maybe I'm about to drop something that really makes you think. Have you ever thought about where you are this very minute? Do you even realize that maybe 20 years ago you made some decisions that ultimately contributed to arriving at this very place? Digest that for a minute and just think about what has transpired over the course of your life. ‎What is it that you want? In your personal life? In your career? Within your family? “What most people need to learn in life is how to love people and use things instead of using people and loving things.” “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” Albert Einstein “Courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway.” Dr. Robert Anthony What is it that you need? Personally? Professionally? Spiritually? Within your family? Financially? “When we think of failure; Failure will be ours. If we remain undecided; Nothing will ever change. All we need to do is want to achieve something great and then simply to do it. Never think of failure For what we think, will come about.” Maharishi Mahesh “I don't want to earn my living; I want to live.” Oscar Wilde “Love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves without any insistence that they satisfy you.” Wayne Dyer What are you unwilling to do? What are you willing to do?‎ What do you wish that you were willing to do, but for one reason or another aren't able to? What's stopping you? “Any so-called material thing that you want is merely a symbol: you want it not for itself, but because it will content your spirit for the moment.” Mark Twain “You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need” Rolling Stones “The gift of friendship... a willingness to listen... a pair of helping hands... a whisper from the heart. That someone cares and understands.” Is there somewhere that you would like to be? Then why not get there?? Life is all about taking advantage of moments and the opportunities that are there for you. It's up to you to make the decision that you will embrace what's in front of you. Live a life ‎that is free of regret and no wondering 20 years from now what if or what could have been. It has always been your choice and only yours to live a phenomenal life, so what’s really stopping you. Enjoy the things that you love, love the people you enjoy, and do it all with a smile on your face. Positive thoughts breed positive actions and #positivemovementsforward will take you where you need to be. When you arrive at the intersection of your wants, your needs, and your willingness, you should be prepared to get to the next level. “What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life.” Leo Buscaglia

Thursday Night Thoughts on Living in this Moment 08/22/13

nickjr39206@yahoo.com Woke up this past Saturday morning and did what I needed to do in order to be strong for the people that needed me. This was definitely a Saturday filled with an abundance of love and hope as we attended the Homegoing Celebration for my Aunt Gail. I was moved to tears several times, and they weren't tears of sadness, but tears of joy that I was able to spend a part of my life with someone who was so loved. I can honestly say that I was blessed to call her my aunt. Hearing from her church members, former classmates, friends, and co-workers was just a reminder of the impact that her life had on others. I was touched by the words and also the act of kindness from the Lanier High School Class of 1970 who honored my aunt with a resolution as at least 20 of her classmates were present. After hearing reflections about my aunt and words from the pulpit, there were some things that stuck with me and got my thoughts going. 1). So what do you do when the thing that you fear most happens? Often times we have fear about certain things for one reason or another, but are we prepared after the thing we fear happens? Was the fear because we are unsure of how we should or will proceed? Our faith should provide us the necessary strength to embrace things and move forward. We can't forget that He wouldn't put more on us than we could bear. “Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.” Fulton Oursler “Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.” 2) In times of loss and sadness, where is your faith? This should be the time when we have the strongest faith, but often times we don't. 3) What a man says is not what he/she is measured by, but the fruits that they bear. This statement and ensuing words really had me in deep thought reflecting upon my own life. What type of fruit am I bearing? Good fruit? Bad fruit? How will I be remembered when the breath of life is gone from my body? “Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold -- but so does a hard-boiled egg.” “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” James D Miles “I admire men of character, and I judge character not by how men deal with their superiors, but mostly how they deal with their subordinates, and that, to me, is where you find out what the character of a man is” Gen. H. Norman Schwartzkopf 4) What does friendship mean to you? I ask this question as one of my aunt's closest friends got up to speak about her and their friendship over the years. Thinking in this day and age that some often lose sight of how important friendships are to carrying us through the ups and downs of life. I know that for me I truly care a lot about those that I have chosen to call friend. Over the several weeks, I have been reminded about who my friends are and that they truly are there for me and my family. Constantly encouraged and supported through it all I know that my friends are a reflection of me. “A true friend is one who knows all about you and likes you anyway.” Christi Mary Warner “A friend is someone who helps you up when you're down, and if they can't, they lay down beside you and listen.” “Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” Albert Camus With every second that we live, we are reminded about how we should enjoy every moment as we are not guaranteed the next. Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed with those that you care about and love. I challenge you to live the phenomenal life that was destined for you. Are you up for it? Remember positive thoughts breed positive actions and keeping #positivemovementsforward at the forefront of every thing that you do will take you to the next level in many areas of your life.

Sunday Night Thoughts on Recognizing Why its Perfect for You 08/11/13

On the tail end of another weekend and preparing to embrace another week. The weather wasn't as bad as it normally was here in the Valley and I almost enjoyed it, but my mind was elsewhere. When life happens it does and there's nothing you can do but roll with it. At any given moment you can choose to be an optimist or a pessimist as those are really your two only choices when dealing with anything. Even prior to Friday, there were quite a few thoughts floating around my head about a lot of things but I reeled them in a little as the word/concept of perfect stuck in my head. Tell me what you know about perfection. What does it mean to be perfect? What does perfect mean to you? Let me tell you what I was thinking initially based on conversations I have had with people about the perfect man/woman. Honestly, there is no such thing as a perfect person as we all have imperfections. As we learn about the imperfections in ourselves and in others it is possible to find a man/woman that is the perfect complement to the person that we are. If we are mature enough in the mind to see that we have already built a solid foundation to a successful relationship. “We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly” Sam Keen “We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.” Tom Robbins I often hear people talk about doing something when things are right or the situation is perfect. That time is not in the future, but is in the very moment that the opportunity presents itself to think about making a move. Time waits for no man, and tomorrow is not promised so why is it that we don't believe that things aren't perfect in this moment? How much better can things get? Right now, you are alive, you are breathing, with sound mind and body, so why not take action to put you closer to where you want to be. There's no more perfect a moment than right now, because believe or not things couldn't be more perfect. “When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky” Buddha “Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.” Anthony Robbins Just as we are all unique in our own ways, our perspectives afford us an opportunity to see what is perfect in different ways. What are some things that you can think of that we all see as perfect no matter what? “A hug is the perfect gift; one size fits all, and nobody minds if you exchange it.” What about you seems to be perfect? If there is one thing that should be perfect, it should be your faith. Doesn't matter what you have faith in, but that should be one area that you have a belief that your faith in whatever is perfect. “The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply that they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings” James Matthew Barrie My thoughts were probably all across the board, but surely there was something here that may have made you take a deeper look at something you have experienced, are experiencing, or plan to experience in the future. My life isn't perfect and surely a large majority of my decisions haven't been perfect, but they have been perfect for the life that I am destined to live. As you move forward in this new week and prepare to get closer to living the life that is perfect for you and your family, I ask that you reach out to your family, friends, and loved ones as often as you can. No man or woman knows the day nor the hour when you won't be able to pick up the phone, send a text, or reach out to let someone know you care. I ask a small favor that you send up prayers for my family and extended family as we deal with the terminal illness of a loved one. Next couple of days are going to be rough and we are going to need the strength. Only thing that I know for certain right now that every thing that you want or need can be perfect for you if you: Live life, Be phenomenal, and remember #Positivemovementsforward always. “Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.” Benny Hill “''Now'' is the operative word. Everything you put in your way is just a method of putting off the hour when you could actually be doing your dream. You don't need endless time and perfect conditions. Do it now. Do it today. Do it for twenty minutes and watch your heart start beating.” Barbara Sher

Thursday Night Thoughts on Getting There, Being There, and Staying There 8/1/13

Seems like just a short time ago it was July 1st and I can only ask where did the month of July go. Here we are staring right in the face of a new month and that much closer to closing out 2013. A mere 5 months remain and hopefully you are on track to hit all your goals for the year. Today was a great day for me as I started it in one of the best ways imaginable talking to my mother sometime around 4 am considering we are still nine hours apart. I don't know about you, but when I talk to my mother it seems like I don't have a care in the world. Must be something about being the 1st born child and knowing that she is always there for her baby boy.(Yup, I will always be my mother's baby boy) Over the last several months, I have been having a lot of good conversation with my family, friends, and extended family about what it means to be there for one another. Without question, life happens and in the midst of our living there are opportunities for us to be there or not there. There are a ton of different directions that I could take as I think about getting there, being there, and staying there that deal with so many aspects of our lives. Relationships? Career? Are you there yet? Where is there? Why do you want to be there? Where is it that you are striving to be? Who is there for you? Who are you there for? Why have you decided to be there? What does it look like to be there? Kind of interesting how I ended up asking myself these questions after making what appeared to be a simple phone call to wish Deacon Alvin Battle a happy birthday this morning. Here I was calling to celebrate his day, and he is asking me questions about what I am doing and why I was still holding back on sharing my talents with the world. Deacon Battle also left me with this nugget to think on; "Sometimes the blessed tend to be more selfish than selfless." Funny how even when you aren't around people, thoughts of you keep a presence in their lives. The same is probably true of you when people aren't around you. I am blessed in the fact that I know even when I don't believe I need someone that they are always there for me. It's a great feeling when you know that not if you need someone, but when you need someone they are there for you. Look around and ask yourself do you really know what's there? Are you appreciating the place where you are? Are you appreciating the people that are there with you? As you prepare for the weekend ahead, I can only challenge you to live life and be phenomenal. In everything that you do, don't forget the #PositiveMovementsForward lifestyle. “I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it” Albert Einstein “Somewhere there is someone that dreams of your smile, and finds in your presence that life is worthwhile, so when you are lonely remember it’s true, someone somewhere is thinking of you.” “For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it.” Ivan Panin “There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart...pursue those.” Michael Nolan “Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.” John Kotter “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” Beverly Sills “There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” Denis Waitley “To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.” Jim Valvano

Sunday Morning Thoughts on What Are You Leaving 7/14/13

Another good week and I know for certain that I'm beyond blessed for many different reasons. The people that I have surrounded myself with continue to validate more and more what my purpose in life seems to be. I am truly humbled by what I appear to be called in the direction of. Life gives us all confirmation and reminders every minute of every day, but it takes the right mindset to see it at times. Not sending out the PQOD for two days was something I didn't think anyone would really notice, but boy was I wrong. I must say that yesterday afternoon I received an email from a young man named SJ and these were his words: "Nick, Lemme get some quotes man.. They still keep me on my feet man..." That message reminded me that I can't slack because I've fostered something over the last several years that has become a part of a lot of people's lives. I guess I forget that even this small thing does make a difference more than I realize. I guess timing is everything considering that there have been a few thoughts on my brain the last couple of days, and my interaction yesterday cemented that I was on the right path with my thinking. Not sure how I arrived here this week, but I started to wonder about what I might be leaving with people after every interaction. Or even what people were leaving me? I know a lot of us think about the impressions that we make on people and the impressions they make on us, but what about what we leave with people or what they leave with us. May take a little bit of thought to transition to this as we have been conditioned for so long to deal with impressions. As we mature we begin to think in terms of value for everything that we do, so it only makes sense to think of the value of every interaction. Are you following where I am headed it. In every aspect of our lives beyond an impression, we are leaving something behind with every action. Are you leaving something good/bad? Are you leaving something of value? Maybe even when we leave something behind still puts us in growth mode because we have learned to get by without something. Who knows, not leaving something behind is something that could be hindering us from getting to the next level. Is there something that you aren't quite ready to leave? Think about your career? Relationships? Your life period? I know that as I thought about these things how much clarity I received about what I have been prepared to leave in this life. I do know that most of the time I leave people with the thought of there is a reason why our paths crossed. A lot of times the reasons are confirmed at a later date, but nonetheless there is value seen in the interactions. Life is too short and I am thankful that I have learned to take full advantage of everything here. I strive to live so that there is mutual benefit for all of my relationships. While we all have different things to give/receive in this life, I trust that over time we are leaving the necessary things with the right people. So again, I ask what are you leaving with the world? What have you left As you prepare to start a new week and embrace new opportunities, I can only ask as always that you live life and be phenomenal. “Spread love everywhere you go: First of all in your own house... let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness.” Mother Teresa “The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both.” James Michener “You never really leave a place or person you love, part of them you take with you ,leaving a part of yourself behind.” “Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.” Marian Wright Edelman “Traveling is not just seeing the new; it is also leaving behind. Not just opening doors; also closing them behind you, never to return. But the place you have left forever is always there for you to see whenever you shut your eyes.” Jan Myrdal “False friends are like our shadow, keeping close to us while we walk in the sunshine but leaving us when we cross into the shade.” Christian Nevell Bovee “The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving things inside us.” G.K. Chesterton “Every person has the power to make others happy. Some do it simply by entering a room -- others by leaving the room. Some individuals leave trails of gloom; others, trails of joy. Some leave trails of hate and bitterness; others, trails of love and harmony. Some leave trails of cynicism and pessimism; others trails of faith and optimism. Some leave trails of criticism and resignation; others trails of gratitude and hope. What kind of trails do you leave?” William Arthur Ward

Hump Day Thoughts on What Have You Prepared For 7/10/13

Another weekend has come and gone and we are now on the top side of the 2nd half of the year. Now is the time to get things in gear if you aren't already geared to make your 2013 count. I love the fact that I have surrounded myself with people whose conversations always make me think and leave me with a feeling that it was time well spent. Over the weekend, I spoke with several individuals that reminded me of every moment preparing us for our next moment. It's funny how we can look back in time and now see the things that we were being prepared to do. I never would have thought when I was introduced to the Positive Quote of the Day in 2006, that my big brother VAT was preparing me to create a platform to inspire and touch peoples lives. It's funny that as I talked to Brother Thompson, he thanked me for sending out the daily inspiration as he has been sharing with others along the way. Needless to say, he wasn't surprised that one of my brothers, mentors, and closest friends had inspired me in away that I have taken to a whole new level over the years. There's levels to this thing we call life and opportunities for growth in every moment for us. To grow we have to be prepared for change, but that is something not every one has matured enough to do. I have to ask myself a few questions; What have I been prepared for? What have my past relationships prepared me for? What are my current friendships/relationships preparing me for? Most importantly what have I prepared myself for? Great questions to pose to myself as I begin to see things across the board a little more clearer. I often think about how many people wish to be positioned in a certain place in life, but aren't willing to take the necessary the steps to get there. Ever heard the phrase "luck is when preparation meets opportunity" or "everyone wants to sit at the table, but no one wants to do what it takes to get there." Just for example, we often hear that we are living in the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND age, but how are we preparing the children to not be left behind? Are you yourself doing anything to prepare them? I guess I used that example considering my thoughts on life preparing me to make a difference in the lives of young people through mentoring. Life prepares you for a lot if you are willing to learn, but do you even see what life is preparing you for? Maybe you have been called to do something? Are you ready to answer the call? Or do you even see it? Do you have an idea of what you are preparing yourself for? Maybe the questions posed here made you think or even change your approach to a few things in the future? I know this for certain that you are prepared to live life and be phenomenal. The choice is yours and always has been. “If you want a place in the sun, you had better be prepared to put up with a few blisters” Abigail Van Buren “People only see what they are prepared to see.” Ralph Waldo Emerson “Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “The door of opportunity is wide open if you are prepared.” “To be prepared is half the victory.” Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra “If you are prepared, you will be confident, and will do the job.” Tom Landry “A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind.” Albert Szent-Gyorgyi “I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward.” David Livingstone “It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” Whitney M. Young, Jr

Saturday Evening Thoughts on Feeling Special 6/29/13

The first half of the year is just about complete and I can honestly say that 2013 has been one for the books. The last couple of days, I figured I was going to melt with temperatures peaking in excess of 116 degrees. I can't lie and say this wasn't another great week because it was. When I tell you what made it so great, you are probably going to be like wow I can see how that makes you feel that way. Believe it or not there are just a few things that really inspire me to live the life I live and my relationships with the special people in my life is probably the most important. The highlight of my week was talking to one of my nieces Thursday on her 9th birthday. Its actually funny that with all the stuff I have going on that when I woke up, my most important task on June 27 was making sure I set aside some time to visit with this amazing 9 year old. As I thought about it, with the exception of one year that I was out of the country, I have always shared some special time with her even if just over the phone on her birthday. While I am highlighting how excited I was to visit with her, I began to realize how often I take time out for those that I care about to recognize these special occasions. Define what special means to you. What does it mean to feel special? Do you ever feel special? Do you ever make others feel special? As I thought about those questions I began to think about people that I have encountered over the years and how they have been placed in my life. For me it basically broke down like this. 1) People who know me 2) People I know 3) People I associate with 4) Acquaintances 5) People I just be emailing, texting, Facebooking, or tweeting 6) Friends 7) Family Amazingly enough, over the years I have learned that a lot of the people I consider family don't even share the same blood with me, but they have proved to hold a special place in my heart. There's just something about the way people make you feel when you are around them that makes everything about the relationship seem special. Maybe there's a word or phrase here that inspires you to live tomorrow differently than you did today. I challenge you to create special moments with every opportunity that you have cause you just never know if the opportunity may come around again. Don't ever forget that you are special yourself. Live life and be phenomenal in all that you do. Hopefully you realize if you are reading this right now, that you are special to me for one reason or another. PositiveMovementsForward always! “To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.” Jim Valvano “Distance never separates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad cuz I miss you I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss.” “Life becomes precious and more special to us when we look for the little everyday miracles and get excited about the privileges of simply being human” Tim Hansel “No matter what age you are, or what your circumstances might be, you are special, and you still have something unique to offer. Your life, because of who you are, has meaning.” Barbara De Angelis “The friends who grew up with you deserve a special respect- the ones who stuck by you shoulder to shoulder, in a time when nothing was certain, all life lay ahead, and every road led home.” “Will you ever? I don’t think you will ever fully understand how you've touched my life and made me who I am.I don't think you could ever know just how truly special you are that even on the darkest nights you are my brightest star.” Erica Jong “Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do. It does not matter what others think, it is of prime importance, however, what you think about you. You can never do your best, which should always be your trademark, if you are cutting corners and shirking responsibilities. You are special. Act it. Never neglect the little things.” Og Mandino