AndrewBrunelle.com

Open forum here. Nothing specific to talk about tonight, and yet I felt like making a blog post, possibly to create the illusion I’m being productive. It’s okay, though. I’ve got all night to pound out another blog entry and I guess my fingers are just along for the ride. I’ll never forget the day I was born. What a mess. I like to freestyle every once in awhile because it may lead to a mental breakthrough that could send me over the edge and into another dimension, and I would love to do that, just for the experience of blogging about it. It would give me some new topics to talk about. I have some dreams that seem so real that when I wake up, I’m kind of disappointed because it is amazing to me that the places in my dreams are all fabrications of my imagination. Every little detail is the inner workings of my brain, of my mind. There is so much data in there, and it’s so hard to quantify it, so most of the things in my head are a mystery “waiting to be unraveled.” Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep last night and this is making me sound strange, but I feel a bit loopy tonight, and I’m just going to run with it.

I grew up knowing that the only way a man can skin a cat is with his grandmother’s razor blades. I came to find out in my later years that this was a misguided assumption. There is definitely more than one way to skin a cat, although I wouldn’t recommend doing so under any circumstances. I can say one thing, though. One of my fondest childhood memories was playimg Monopoly and becoming so bored, I started laughing and laughing and laughing and eventually we just stopped playing, because of all the laughter. The game was no longer important. But I’ll never forget that day as long as I live. And I’ll never forget Stratego, the game I never won at, ever. Boy, what a miserable game that was, for me, but I made the best of it. I did the best I could with what I had. I’m just glad it wasn’t my dream to become general of the U.S. Army because I’m quite sure it would not turn out the way I wanted it to.

But I am not a man of war anyway. I am a man of peace. It is easier to have peace than war, yet people seem to lean the way of the sword. You can be a pacifist and pass-a-fist, or you can be a warmonger and kill a bunch of people. You always have a choice. Your destiny is your own, not someone else’s. If you’ve made it this far, I encourage you to keep reading. One of my favorite things to do is stop mid-paragraph and just go off on another tangent. There are no rules when it comes to writing, unless you’re writing in one of those countries that doesn’t have freedom of expression. There is an upside and a downside to this freedom of expression. Sure, all the great ones can spread their message, but so can the cult leaders and the hate-mongers. And you can’t tell one group of people not to express themselves without censoring everyone. As South Park says, “It’s either all okay, or none of it’s okay.” I’m just glad to be in a world where I can write whatever I want and publish it and allow other people to read it as well. There are no boundaries and that makes me happy inside.

I love the world we live in with endless possibilities and how any of them can be true for you or me or whoever else exists. It’s good to be here now, in this time period, where the world is becoming a better place every day, with our help and the help of others, we are becoming more peaceful and less quarrelsome, although we are not as peaceful as we could be. There just needs to be a shift in the collective consciousness of us all to surrender from the emotions of greed, hatred and disgust, in all aspects of our lives, and start to love and cherish every moment we have on this Earth, because we all know it could very well be our last. Life is unpredictable. I forget who said, “Live as if you’d die tomorrow, but dream as if you’ll live forever.” But it’s an interesting quote I have come to love.

I wish we all knew what a wonderful world this is, but with all the negative news and constant reaffirmation of negativity in the media and the social conditioning, we all feel like the world is getting worse, or at least most people do. Optimistic people are looked at as ignorant, with comments said to them like, “How can you be so happy with all the suffering in the world?” It is because I choose to be happy. Happiness is a choice. Peace is a choice. Every emotion and feeling you have is a choice on one level or another. We’re conditioned on how to feel in certain situations, but you don’t need to follow that path. You don’t have to be miserable if you don’t want to. There is always a choice for your emotions, I guess, would be the bullet point of this paragraph. God, I love Family Guy. (To those of you who don’t get that reference, don’t worry about it.)

I’ve had a tremendous time writing on this blog. I don’t even know if that last sentence makes sense, but I’m leaving it in there anyway. I have enjoyed this experience and my previious experiences blogging thoroughly. I am going to continue this blog with further posts, obviously, and I encourage you to keep reading, if you are so inclined. The choice is up to you. Take or leave my ideas, or ideas in general, as I usually do not like to claim ownership of my ideas, except for that one patent I bought beck in 1997 (caffeinated water). Anyway, I think this has gone on far enough. Have a fulfilling day. Good night, and good luck.

It’s your life. It’s your responsibility to decide what to do with it. It’s not someone else’s choice. It is only your own. If you do not make a conscious choice, someone will make one for you. It is as simple as that. And living a life someone else chose for you is not something most people want to do. But I see this every day, wherever I go. People staying at a job they hate for the pension plan. People who are afraid to pursue their passions. People who kind of got stuck into something and cannot find their way out. These people have fear of the unknown. They fear what will happen if they make a choice and it does not work out the way they wanted. These are the people who have settled for less than their best.

If there’s one thing you ever learn in life, it should be to always do your best in everything, while at the same time not being so attached to outcomes. Don’t compare yourself to others, either. You are not them. The only person you should compare yourself to is yourself, your ideal self that is. Most people know what they are capable of doing. Some people have not discovered where their strong points are, but the only way to do that is to try something new and see how it goes. Give it your best shot, no expectations, no regrets, no disappointments. It’s not complicated, although many people make it that way.

I wonder what would happen if everyone awakened to their real purpose for being here. What would happen to the world in a state like that? Everyone pursuing their dreams, doing what they love to do, enjoying pervasive inner peace. What a world that would be! And is it possible? If I can imagine it, then yes, it is possible. We just have to work harder to make it happen.

The first step to making this transition has to do with doing what you love to do in your spare time, as I do with this blog. Then, gradually incorporate more of these things that bring you joy into your daily life until it becomes your entire life. Eventually, if we all did what we loved to do, do you think there would be all these depression medications and commercials that make you look deprived of some amazing service if you don’t buy the Jack Lalame Juicer? We all have choices in our lives and the most important ones are the choices that will make us not happy, but completely fulfilled. No one wants to spend their entire life living out someone else’s dream, or do you? The choice is up to you.

“Do what you love and the money will come.” –One of my Business teachers in high school.

How much do you give and how much should you get? How do you balance the two? You can’t give everything you have, and you can’t expect to get everything you need without effort. So, how do you balance the two sides of the spectrum and get yourself where you give and receive in a mutual way, in a way where you have optimum balance? People say giving is better than receiving, and others say receiving is better than giving. Which side to you lean on?

It’s one thing to be selfless and a whole other thing to be selfish. Sure, you could try and compromise. Give here, take there, etc. You could do that, but at certain times you’d be selfless and other times you’d be selfish. Is there a way to align yourself where you are both serving yourself and others harmoniously. Sure, there is, it’s just not an obvious answer. The key is to do something where it serves you well as well as serves others at the same time. You help yourself while you help others.

If that’s something to strive for, then I would encourage everyone to go for it. It’s a great balance. I can’t say I have achieved this balance yet, but I have heard from those who have and they feel at an amazing equilibrium. If you’re living in the real world, it may seem impossible to do this, but it’s possible…believe me.

I don’t know how high personal fulfillment is on your to-do list, but it is a number one priority in my life. I want to feel at peace, and I am getting better. Peace is the key here. To feel at peace is something I really enjoy. It may not happen as often as I want it to, but feeling at peace is something I love to embark on whenever I have time. I just wish I could do it in all situations, which is more along the vein of equanimity. But feeling fulfilled in all areas of life by aligning yourself so giving service to yourself is the same as giving service to others, then you will eventually reach this peace, this calm mountaintop among the tranquil valleys.

I have this space in my head, this location, this peaceful area, a beach, a wonderful beach, with a beach chair and a glass of water and a small table where I sometimes recede to when I need a break and this helps me get closer to peace. Closer to balance. Closer to eqanimity. I think we all want this sort of peace, but very few of us ever get it at all. The problem is most people can’t imagine what this peace would be like. The only way to imagine it is to get as peaceful as you possibly can, then imagine a place ten times more peaceful than that, then a place ten times more peaceful than that, and so on until you get to the edge of the universe and they take you away to the mental institution, just kidding.

Sidenote: I don’t know if this has ever happened to you, but I thought I would throw this in. I have these experiences sometimes, where I am deep in thought and I lose all awareness of the world around me. I totally blank out everything except exactly the thoughts I am focusing on at that moment. I don’t know who I am, where I am, what is going on around me. I just am. Then, I realize that I am away, I am not where I am supposed to be, that I am not in my body, but off somewhere else, and as soon as I realize that, I am back into awareness. It is a great state to be in, but it can be very disorienting when you come back. But the journey back is worth it in the long run. I have never done astral travel, so I do not know what it is like, but I am sure this is somewhat similar. It’s kind of like, “The lights are on, but no one’s home.” It’s like an old school friend of mine who said when the teacher asked if he was here, “Not mentally. I’m in the Bahamas today.” I’d like to visit my private beach again soon. Find your own private beach. It will be worth it.

I have always had a sense of humor that people could appreciate. Witty, sharp, logical, smart. And it was only after I had suffered brain cancer that I had the courage to display this great sense of humor publicly with more than just close friends and family. I would often look at my situation, whatever it may be, no matter how bad it made me feel, and think something funny about it. This is a string of personal stories that will show you how humor can be used at anytime, and make yourself happier.

I was getting an MRI, for the twelfth time after going inside this machine so many times I could tell you every possible noise that took place in the machine. I started wondering if they offer any benefits to repeat customers. So I went into the MRI room and told the technician, “I only have to go in one more time before I get a free examination.” I pulled out a card with twelve hole punches in it, reminiscent of somesort of Subway Club card, where if you buy a certain amount of subs, you would get a free sub.

I was going through my radiation treatment for thirty days, as was persecribed and the first fifteen days was a general radiation, but the second fifteen days was this very precise radition table, where the table moved and the laser beam moved in all directions. My body went up, down, around in circles. I got off for the first time and said, “Boy, I thought this was a treatment, not a ride. It’s kind of like the Scrambler, isn’t it?”

At one point, and this was relatively soon into the radiation, I got an eyepatch from my aunt. My eyes were not following each other, probably because of the swelling, and she bought me an eyepatch to help me see things clearer without double vision. I was in a lot of pain, but I still managed to say, “Arrr!” I had a good laugh about it, and it got me through the day.

I am not sure if someone thought of this quote or if it is my own creation of pure magic but here it goes, “Life is rought, so you had better develop a sense of humor. If not, you might now get out alive.” Although none of us get out alive anyway. We all end up dead at the end. I have heard comedians joke about suicide pretty well, and it was hilarious. Joking about cancer is something I do on a regular basis, but more on a personal me basis…”I don’t know if I’ve told you before, but I suffer from short term memory loss after my operation. I don’t know if I’ve told you before, but I suffer from…” “I can’t look up at all. I guess I can never date a woman taller than me.”

So I guess all I have left to say is that no matter how bad things get, no matter how awful your life seems, you can always take the time to joke about it, add some humor to the situation, and you will most likely feel better about it. Even when I get really frustrated, like if I am filling out the dreaded FAFSA, and the questions are so confusing they drive me insane, I can still take a time to laugh about how absurd it is we have to fill this nonsense out in the first place. Let’s not forget doing my taxes, got to fill out my 10-40, W-2, and my WD-40. Have a nice day.

I hate it when people bitch about how terrible their life is and you feel like you’re stuck there, unable to get out of such a conversation. You know, the people who complain and complain and complain until they can’t complain any more, but they still keep complaining. Hell, if I complained even one fifth as much as these people do, then I would be complaining once every sixteen seconds. What do you say to these people? “Stop complaining, you’re dragging me down with you!”?? I call these people energy vampires. You could be in a great mood, a wonderful state of mind, until these people come across and try to suck the good feeling right from underneath you.

I don’t like to talk to these sorts of people, the people who are perpetually negative, all their emotions swirling in what they don’t have or what they need to get, and how depressed they will be if they don’t have whatever they think they need. If you have ever had a conversation with these sorts of people, then you know exactly what I am talking about. The people who don’t even listen to anything you have to say, and would rather have something to complain about than have a meaningful conversation. The people who probably secretly like their suffering, as it at least gives them something to talk about, something to take up your time from meaningful work. That’s just my theory on that, because we only attract what we want, so if your life isn’t what you want it to be, it actuallly is.

I have seen people complain about things I don’t even give a second thought. I find it very trivial when it comes to complaining. I guess I have a slightly different perspective being a cancer survivor and all, having been through a horrific experience like that. But I am grateful for the experience and I did not complain much. When I would hear people complain about things that were so unimportant, like they didn’t make the soccer team or they scraped their leg or whatever, I would think that if they knew what some people go through in everyday life around the world and don’t complain at all, then they might see that they have nothing, absolutely nothing, to complain about.

One reason why I hate complainers is because complaining about your problems gets you nowhere except deeper into depression or frustration. Why don’t you try and change the situation if it is so bad? I’ll tell you why. Because then you’d have nothing to complain about. And if that happens, you’ll most likely have nothing to talk about. Good. At least then I won’t have to listen to your negative comments about how horrible your life is. If you are one of these people who complains constantly, I encourage you to go to a hospital to see the dying patients and complain to them about your backache or sore neck. It is all about perspective. That is what helps me not complain whatsoever. Whatever is happening, it shall pass.

If you look at your current situation and think to yourself, “What am I going to care about this situation I am in right now ten years from now?” Like if you’re in debt, and it is making you anxious, think about how trivial it will seem ten years from now, in your ideal life, your ideal way of living, where all your problems are solved, except for what to do with all the money you have or whatever else you desire. If your life sucks now, you have the power to change that, by making positive changes in your life, not by dwelling on the negatives, like how you can’t do this, or didn’t get that or whatever. I mean, some days I wake up and don’t want to get out of bed, but I do because I know there is a potential to do better, to live a better life, rather than lie down and just think about how tired I am or whatever else is going on with me. Life is a journey, and to live life to the fullest, you have to be grateful for the good, the bad, and the other.

Know that you have power in every present moment and that you have the power to make each of these moments better than the previous. I have used this numerous times to better any situation. If you are having a rough day, take some time to laugh about it like you would laugh about it five years from now looking back. I remember working in the supermarket and it was Fourth of July weekend and all the tourists were in Myrtle Beach at my store shopping like maniacs. It was very intense, and at one point, I just burst out laughing. And I laughed and laughed and laughed just like I would laugh about it now at how ridiculous the situation was. I know I must have looked like a crazy person, but what did I care? I was happy at that moment and took that happiness throughout the rest of the day, unruffled by all the stress looming around me. I just wish everyone had such a cynical sense of humor.

The main message here is to start being grateful for every experience, every moment you exist, because we all know how fast your existence can come to a close. So no matter how bad things are, at least you’re still here, and at least you have the power to make the next moment better. Instead of dwelling on misery, start creating positive fulfillment.

I don’t care what anyone says, but the worst thing in the world for me is when my alarm used to go off in the morning and I knew I had to get my exhausted body out of bed and rush to go wherever the hell I was going. My body jerked out of bed at the sound ofthe pulsating box that was trying to let me know I had to get up, and I would do anything to fight it. My snooze button got so worn out that it became inoperable. I knew I had to do something drastic or this damn alarm clock was going to run my whole life. So what did I do? I left it at my college after I left there. I was through with the constant stress it put on my every morning, sometimes jolting me out of bed so fast, it caused neck strain.

I cannot see, in any way, how using an alarm clock is healthy. Sure, it may be “effective” for someone who needs to be awake at a certain time, like a farmer or whatever, but besides that, if you have to be awake at a certain time in the morning, isn’t there a less stressful way to do it? I don’t know. I really do’t know. But what I do know is that I am not going to let a piece of technolgoy rule my life unless it is a computer. I am not going to let something that tells me what time it is and what time to wake up rule my life. So I thought of different ways I could get rid of this dependence on alarm clocks.

The rirst thing I came up with was working with my subconscious mind and intuition. They have an internal clock within them and if I need to be up a certain time, and am conscious of it, and ask my body to wake myself up, then usually it will. It is not fool-proof, but I often use a back-up alarm just in case, fifteen minutes after I am originally supposed to wake up, so if I am already awake, I can turn it off before it shocks the hell out of me. I hate being startled when in a deep state of dreaming. Setting my mental alarm is soemthing that works when I have to wake up ata certain time, which is rarely at best. I doubt that anyone has such a laid-back lifestyle where getting up early does not factor into their life. But right now, I do. I can wake up anytime before 12 and still have a productive day. It is not the quantity of the time you spend awake, but the quality.

So I do not have a set time of going to bed or waking up whatsoever. I am not really limited by going to bed too late or waking up too early, as long as I really don’t have anything to really be at at a certain time, except for my job, which is mostly second shift, 2-10 PM, or 3-11 PM, but sometimes it is earlier, but that does not happen but once a week. I feel it is the best way to live your life, sleeping as much as you feel you need by sleeping until you wake up. Your alarm clock doesn’t know how much sleep you need to feel rested, but your body does.

I feel that whenever I am awaken by my alarm clock, I do not feel rested throughout the day. I feel exhausted most of the time, whereas if I wake up when I need to wake up, based on my biological and internal clocks, I feel more rested and don’t constantly feel the need to close my eyes at every turn. In high school, having my eyes closed in class and on the bus there and back was a constant theme for me. Closing my eyes was something I loved to do. Every day I would come home exhausted, but go to work the next hour and work for three hours. I don’t think the problem was the school itself. It was that I went to bed too late and was jolted awake by my alarm clock. Another thing was I was inactive at at school for the most part, as all you really do all day is sit in a chair at a desk and listen to some guy drone on about missiion statements and whatever else he is talking about. Gym class was the only class I could keep my eyes open.

I have chosen a life, so far, atthis moment, that is not dependent on alarm clocks for functionality. I am not sure if anyone else is interested in doing so, but I feel it is the best way to live for optimum fulfillment. IF you go to bed early enough, you can still be an early riser and catch the worm or whatever activities you do while up at the crack of dawn. I have heard, and this is scientific, that the optimum time to go to sleep is between 9 PM and 11 PM, as hormones are released in your body from 11 PM until 1 AM to enrich your sleep, but if you aren’t asleep, then they won’t do you much good. This is something I am going to have to work on. Getting to bed earlier. Because it’s not like I do anything useful from 11 PM on. Maybe I should read at around 10 and fall gradually asleep.

I pulled the plug on my alarm clock and no longer own own, except on my cell phone, which I use mostly for reminders of certain things I have to do. It is more of a calendar alarm clock and is not used to wake me up, but rather to catch me while I am awake and remind me of things I need to do, like pay off my student loans on time or eat an orange. With that said, I am going to go eat a tangelo and enjoy my alarm-free day. Have a nice one.

I have been feeling kind of apathetic lately in general, so I figured I would put some of the quotes I had thought of when deciding to become an apathetic speaker about a year ago. In the least, it should be pretty funny:

“Motivation is enthusiasm’s ugly cousin.”
“I know I was supposed to write a speech, but I really didn’t care enough to do it.”
“The people at CVS gave me an Extra Care Card. I still don’t care.”
“I woke up this morning and said to myself, ‘I’m going back to bed.’”
“I am indifferent as to whether or not I will make a difference in the world.”

I just feel kind of out of it lately. I need to find a topic that motivates me. A topic that inspires me. A topic that makes me want to get up in the morning. Maybe I am depressed. How would I know? I’m not a therapist. When I read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I thought that it was a complete waste of time. Nobody wants to be that effective. So effective that they can build a pyramid in one day, who would actually want to accomplish things like that so fast? I enjoy to watch processes unfold, one of the things that mystifies me more than anything is the accumulation of dust on top of a surface over weeks. Sometimes I’ll just watch it happen, and then realize I have to go to work. I like to watch the weeds grow in my front yard, amazed that something can come from basically nothing without any nourishment from me. Maybe this is a form of laziness, not apathy,but I really don’t know. Observing things like that make me think about how impermanent life is. In one fell swoop, all the dust that has accumulated for the past six months can be wiped away with a duster. The weeds can be pulled in one swift motion, of what took weeks to grow. And I sometimes wonder what would happen if we allowed these processes to continue further and further, until there was no turning back, and the lawn was riddled with weeds, and dust was all over the place, and then I realize that observing these sorts of things is something I shouldn’t do so much, as I now know it isolates me from the rest of the world.

One thing I like to do when I am at work, when there is nothing else to do, is watch the people come into the store, one by one, and when I check them out, one by one, instead of viewing them as another customer, I view them as people, who have been developing all these years up until this point, where they decide they need more things to eat, and I imagine what they do when they go home and put the groceries away, then sit down to watch their favorite nighttime show, followed by a scoop of ice cream and then an early bedtime, with vivid dreams and some sleeping pills. I don’t know why I do these things, but I do.

I have been keeping a dream log for the past year, on and off, but pretty consistent, I guess, and it is amazing how many dreams I have had since I started it. This is a very unorganized blog post, I realize, but I feel it is the most real one I have written in awhile. I am speaking from my being, from my real self, not from the perfectly edited and censored version everyone is so used to hearing and seeing. I am letting loose from the handlebars of life, putting myself out there, just allowing myself to be me. I can’t exactly understand why I am doing this, but I have a feeling it will all come full-circle soon. Everything feels like one gigantic blur and time and space are becoming more and more meaningless as I drift into the unknown further and further, opportunities expanding and contracting, like the roads in the summer and winter, and I sit here, recognizing the differences, understanding the consequences, and yet I still sit here, typing away, not knowing what to do, where to go, how to finish this post.

I love this quote from a song I heard before and I hope you’ll appreciate it as well, “Life is nothing but a dream, so peaceful and serene, unless you’re being evil then you’re on the devil’s team, why perceive what you want to believe?” It just somehow makes sense to me. It is all about waking up from this dream, this delusion, this conscious disallusionment of experience. The main question I am trying to answer is: Who or what am I? Once I answer that, I feel I will be able to move forward. And I shall get some sleep now. I have an early day ahead of me, filled with possibilities, most of which I will remain oblivious to, but others I will decide not to pursue for reasons I cannot even fathom at this point. Good night.

Crippling financial beliefs can hamper your financial abundance level. If you believe you cannot make the big bucks, then you will not. I guess that’s all I have to say about that. I am kind of disappointed in myself that I could not elaborate on that point more. Oh, boy, here I go again, another meaningless rant into time and space, just wandering around in the ether, not really getting anything of value done. Let me add this point in here, that if you believe something, then it is so. That is a quote that has changed my life and the lives of the people around me. I know for a fact it is true, so please spare me the skepticism. I have seen it work firsthand in my life, so if you don’t believe me, stop reading now.

Hard work is invariably a part of life. You can either embrace hard work or avoid hard work. The choice is up to you. The majority of people, from what I have seen, will avoid hard work like the plague, and perhaps they have a good reason for it. Perhaps the main reason people do not embrace hard work is because it does not serve a purpose for them, or maybe those people don’t really have an overall purpose in their life. And that makes any task, be it easy or hard, completely meaningless.

If I have to work hard at something, I would rather put my effort into something that is going towards my purpose, rather than going out into my backyard and digging trenches everywhere. That sort of work would be excruciatingly hard and serve no real purpose. But if I were to take two hours and crank out a wonderfully masterful article, then I would have to say that, in this case, the hard work paid off. I believe this is one of the conundrums that people fall into. Without having a purpose for your tasks, there really is no reason to do them. It makes no sense to do something for no reason, really, except to pass the time. This is especially true if these activities are considered “hard work.”

Perhaps the hardest thing I have ever done was take the time to figure out what my purpose is. But once I found out what it was, I no longer thought of my hard work as painful, but rather as something I enjoyed doing, as it both challenged me and gave me strength and joy. When hard work becomes joy and strength, that is when you know you have found your purpose. It wouldn’t make much sense for me to spend six months knitting a quilt if I hated doing so, unless the quilt served a purpose, like keeping me warm in the winter. Just like writing jokes won’t do me any good if I never tell them to anyone or use them to further my development in the comedy world. So, now that I know my purpose, it is definitely important to allocate all “hard work” in this area, so that when I am doing this “hard work,” I identify it with joy and embrace it, rather than have some sort of disdain for it, like I would doing my taxes or filling out the dreaded FAFSA.

But I find that there are still things you have to do that are hard, but if you look at it as “I want to,” rather than “I have to,” it becomes less of a chore and more of a task that can easily be completed. For example, you could give yourself a reward after you have accomplished a certain amount of whatever unpleasant task you are doing. One example of this was when I had to read for a class in college and I did not feel like reading, I would put M&Ms lined up in front of me and after every page, I would eat one. Eventually, I either ran out of M&Ms or fell asleep, but it was a semi-powerful motivator. Maybe you could starve yourself until you finish, as hunger is usually a powerful motivator. I don’t mean starve yourself like anorexics do, more like you don’t eat that next meal until you finish your tax return. At least when you finish the tax return, you can look forward to some sort of meal. It’s a goal to shoot for, and a very practical one at that.

Ideally, you want to make the majority of your hard work pleasurable and the rest you can give extrinsic rewards for the completion of the task. So maybe hard work isn’t so bad after all. Especially if it challenges you. I read part of a book that had to do with an Education class I took in college, that dealt with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and how to motivate students to learn or do an unpleasurable task, like writing a report or whatever comes to mind. Let’s say I wanted to write an article, but I didn’t really want to write it, but I knew that if I didn’t write it, Kevin Spacey would die. I would have to plow through it, and my extrinsic motivation would be to write this article so Kevin Spacey can live out the rest of his years as a multi-millionaire, acting in many films and all that good stuff.

Intrinsic motivation is motivation from within. It requires no external motivation, meaning it is something you enjoy, like your purpose, and there will always be hard work involved if you want to live your purpose, but if you intrinsically enjoy it, you will see the hard work as a challenge that will prove your worth and you will rise to that challenge because it is something that is fun, rather than hard, but it is also difficult. I hope I am making sense here. I know I tend to get abstract from time to time, but it is a part of who I am.

Boy, it sure took a lot of hard work to write this article, but I enjoyed every minute of it because it was fun to me. It made sense to write about something like this because I sometimes think something will be too hard for me, but then I think of how enjoyable it could be, or what kind of reward I could attach to it, and then I realize that its difficulty is only in my own mind and that a paradigm shift can change any task from difficult to fun and purposeful. I appreciate your reading this and come back soon for some more of my “hard work.”

I say I want to get rid of the proverbial weeds in my life, the things I have allowed to manifest in a way that I did not want. It is a kind of de-cluttering that allows me to become where I want to be. If you don’t tend to your garden, weeds will form. It is through clearing these weeds that you allow for growth of positive things to happen. I’ll give a concrete example: