Craig Ruvere

15May 2017 by CJ

Finding your destination – don’t forget what got you there

“Accidents and inspiration lead you to your destination.” – Mary Chapin Carpenter Are you still trying to find your destination in life? Are you traveling around wondering when the pieces of your existence will one day all fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle you’ve been working on for years? Finding your destination is not a perfect algorithm. It often requires years of challenges, discoveries and even hardships before you find yourself home. Life is not a series of perfect events which lead to an enchanted destination. Life is hard and unpredictable, and oftentimes we’re blinded to its realities. We’re so busy trying to find our destination that we lose track of what’s going on all around us. We lose faith in a higher power who ultimately provides what we…

08May 2017 by CJ

Change your mindset and your whole world changes

Life & Living

"Everything begins from the mind, including change. So, if you want to alter your life, you have to start with your mindset." - Alexi Weaver This was my daily quote for May 8th – in short, change your mindset and change yourself. The topic was somewhat amusing to me – especially given a conversation I experienced this weekend. My wife told me that over the last few days, I had been incredibly negative. Regardless of what I thought was coming out of my mouth, it apparently was highly negative. The sad thing was, while I recognized I wasn’t feeling my normal self, I had no idea just how negative I was being. And so, it took someone incredibly close to me to truly bring it to my attention. Truth be…

03May 2017 by CJ

Confidence comes from simply being proud of yourself

Life & Living

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball Has there ever been a time in your life when you found yourself stepping out of your comfort zone and wondering, do I have the confidence to do this? That feeling of inadequacy causes us to feel physically ill, concocting a million excuses to avoid something new, while our self-esteem spirals further and further towards nonexistence. For those of us with a bit more humility, it can be daunting trying to drum up the necessary levels of confidence required to succeed in this world, let along sell yourself to others. We’re the kind of people who do what we do for personal fulfillment, not professional…

02May 2017 by CJ

Laugh when you can – it truly is the best medicine in life

Life & Living

“I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person.” ― Audrey Hepburn My grandfather was a quiet, intellectual and reserved man. At family gatherings, he often sat silently in the background – listening to the endless stream of chatter and laughter coming from every direction. Note: when a bunch of Italians get together, we typically use our outdoor voices. But in smaller social settings he was often more engaged, and at times, you’d even hear him laugh. Once while visiting him and my grandmother, I was recounting a funny story, which sadly age has made me forget. But what I DO remember was his reaction. He started…

01May 2017 by CJ

Being honest with yourself leads you down a path of normalcy

Life & Living, Love & Relationships

“I’d rather be honest and authentic and disappoint some people than to exhaust myself trying to keep up the façade of perfection.” – Crystal Paine Have you ever pondered the question what is a normal life? It's a question that requires you being completely honest with yourself. I sure have. I feel like I’ve been searching for it most of my life, and yet it always seems to escape me. I look at other people around me and their lives seem so, well, normal. Yes, they have struggles. But overwhelmingly their lives seem void of the pitfalls and disappointments I always seem to find myself plagued with. I’ve been doing this a long time. Living that is, or struggling to make the best out of what I’ve been given. It’s been four decades now, and…