29Oct 2014 by CJ

Personal accomplishment often comes quietly

Life & Living, Youth
500 dollars is a lot of money to have in your pocket. 500 miles is a long way to travel by car. 500 blog posts means you’ve got a hell of a lot to say. This post represents number 501 for me. What happened to 500 you say? Honestly, it came and went with little fanfare. I rarely keep track of how many posts I’ve logged since this blog went live in 2011. I write when I feel inspired, not just to build an arsenal of posts. But I have to say that I was somewhat surprised by this number. 500 posts seems like a lot to me, though other bloggers might think it’s just a small bleep on the radar. Still, I’m pretty satisfied with what I’ve been able…
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28Oct 2014 by CJ

People need to learn there’s a time and place for everything

Life & Living
Even though I’m only 39, I was born old. That’s probably why I still don’t fully understand the popularity of social media beyond giving society an open stage to perform on, with an audience always in attendance. Companies spend so much time focused on getting “likes,” yet find themselves unable to connect the effort to profitability. Though I’ll admit it’s a great way to build brand identity. But I think most of the trouble lies in what every day, ordinary people are posting. That “open stage” I spoke about often publicizes conversations and opinions that should otherwise not be shared with an online community of millions. It can be embarrassing and hurtful to those unsuspecting victims, and even damaging to the poster as employers and even colleges now search your…
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26Oct 2014 by CJ

Don’t underestimate the magic of ordinary days

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
There are some titles, quotations and song lyrics I find so simple and inspiring that I often find myself carrying them around in the back of my mind to be retrieved at a later date. One such example comes in the form of a title, from author Ann Howard Creel’s novel, “The Magic of Ordinary Days.” The word “ordinary” gets a bad rap in society. Far too often anything that’s ordinary is deemed boring and mundane in a world so pathetically obsessed with popularity and excitement. But I can tell you with great certainty that when your normalcy all but vanishes, you’ll soon find yourself craving the undeniable magic of ordinary days. Moments of exhilarating excitement are just that – moments. They can never be recaptured or relived and for…
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17Oct 2014 by CJ

The trouble with the truth is we all think we know what that is

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
The trouble with the truth - an odd statement when you think about it. I mean how could there possibly be anything problematic with regards to a word that has come to mean “a statement or belief which corresponds to reality”. I mean after all, reality is in fact what we deal with from the time we wake up until the time we close our eyes at night. One would assume that the alternative might be more deserving of an entire editorial piece. But I can’t lie, the truth isn’t always the easier of the two to swallow. From employers to government officials. From family members to friends. From our children to our spouses. The trouble with the truth is no one has the courage to face it. We live…
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07Oct 2014 by CJ

Don’t wait for the right moment, create it

Life & Living, Youth
Paulo Coelho once said that, “The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.” Patience – I’ve never been a big fan. While I’m far from being a registered member of today’s Instant Gratification Society, I hate waiting around for things to fall into place. Perhaps what I hate most about these times is the fact that they’re often beyond my control. Curses! – can’t things just fall into place a little faster? But then I remind myself that change is always possible, and before long you’ll find yourself staring “the right moment” in the face. You’ll probably laugh at how ridiculous you were behaving during your “disappointed” phase. How you’d…
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