Craig Ruvere

03Aug 2019 by CJ

Mowing the grass – 3 really good reasons to keep on doing it

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth

I’ve been mowing the grass since I was about twelve-years-old, when my father finally deemed me tall enough to push our gas-powered lawn mower on my own. Soon, every Saturday and throughout my summer vacation, keeping our lawn perfectly manicured was now my job. While this might sound a bit like child labor to you, in truth it provided me with a sense of responsibility and even helped me build the strong worth ethic I still have today. Fast forward a few years and not only was I mowing my parents’ grass, but my grandparents on occasion as well. Though admittedly I never really minded mowing their lawn for my grandmother would always dote on me and feed me something wonderful afterwards. But I digress. I’m now 44 years old…

21Jul 2019 by CJ

Abundance is something many have but fail to realize

Generosity & Kindness

“As long as we remain vigilant at building our internal abundance—an abundance of integrity, an abundance of forgiveness, an abundance of service, an abundance of love—then external lack is bound to be temporary.” ― Marianne Williamson, Everyday Grace: Having Hope, Finding Forgiveness And Making Miracles This weekend, I set aside a few hours for the unenviable task of organizing my garage. One would think it’s an occasional task – perhaps yearly or even every other. But in my house, it seems to happen with a great deal of regularity as one project leads into another and time seems to constrict one’s ability to leave things as orderly as they were before. I experience the same pattern of behavior in my basement as well – oftentimes leading to a full-on cleaning spree one…

07Jul 2019 by CJ

A modest childhood doesn’t mean you’re missing out

Youth

I grew up with a very modest childhood. Believe me, that’s not meant to be an insult. Quite simply my parents and grandparents understood the importance of sharing their time with my sister and me. Of creating memorable experiences rather than buying us an abundance of toys which ultimately lost their value almost as soon as they were taken out of the box. For some reading this post, you might assume I grew up deprived that my modest childhood wasn’t filled with every toy imaginable. I suppose it does contradict the parenting of today where toys and “things” seem to define one’s childhood. But a study out of Germany, echoed by a recent study by the University of Toledo, makes for some interesting contrasts. In a German kindergarten class,…

12Jun 2019 by CJ

Identity is not about your roles but who you are

Life & Living

“Your identity, since birth, has remained unchanged. Your roles never have and never will define your identity. You may think they do, but they don’t. It’s difficult to separate your identity from your role, but it’s important to see that there’s a difference.” ― David Sandler, You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar, 2nd Edition: Sandler Training's 7-Step System for Successful Selling Today, during an all-day sales training on The Sandler Sales Method, we learned about something called “The I/R Theory” – I/R standing for Identity and Role. I had never heard of this theory. But after the seasoned moderator began reviewing the material, I soon realized that this theory was actually a very important lesson in a person’s overall self-esteem. Think about this exercise. Close…

29May 2019 by CJ

Gardening really is good for your health

Life & Living

Gardening has always been known to be good for our mental health. It gives us a sense of responsibility, allows us to be nurturers, connects us with other living things, and to no surprise, helps us to relax. But a recent study conducted around the globe by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that gardening has some significant physical health benefits as well. Conducted over an eleven-year period with nearly 90,000 participants, it was revealed that gardening anywhere between 10 and 59 minutes per week led to an 18 percent lower risk of dying during the survey period. Moreover, those spending even more time outdoors enjoying the sun, soil and plants decreased the risk of dying to 31 percent based on 150 to 299 minutes of gardening…