Out of Fuel?

I just read the following quote,
and I thought others might find
it interesting:

A relationship with no trust
is like a car with no gasoline.
You can stay in it all you want
but it won't go anywhere.

(couldn't find an attribution.
If you know of one, please let
me know).

Might that hold true for a
relationship without love,
without respect, without...
as well?

Are the things that make a
relationship good and nourish
us the fuel that keeps a
relationship moving forward?

Is a relationship without
those things sitting metaphorically
disabled on the side of the road
complaining about being stuck, but
doing nothing about it?

So many stay in relationships
that don't go anywhere.
Are those relationships
out of fuel?

If this resonates for you you
might want to consider what can
be done to fuel up or find
an alternate way to go.

I bet where you are headed is
great...but what good is it
if you don't find a way to
get there?

What do you think?
 

Zero & Value: Perspective | Video

Some would say zero is nothing, worthless.

Nissan put together a fabulous commercial
for their LEAF electric car.

Whether or not the car interests you, the
idea behind it can go for almost anything:
whatever you believe something to be can
be relative.

Recently someone was asking for help.
Many people were saying they were in no
position to help. I made the point that
if helping was their desire, even $1
would work.

We often forget that things can add up.
There are some who would be happy to
get $1 here, a $1 there because they
know that those dollars can add up
to money in their pocket.

They have a perspective that might
put a few more dollars in their account
than someone who doesn't value those
smaller amounts that come their way.

It is difficult to remember that there
is more than just the one perspective
we experience. It isn't always
convenient to recognize another
perspective, either. However there
are times that remembering it might
just give us the advantage we need.

If you haven't seen the LEAF commercial,
here it is:


 

Not Perfect = Not Good?

Recently I told someone "Life
is good." Interestingly, it gave
them the impression that my life
was perfect.

I had said good because I was focused
on something that made me feel good.
I didn't say good because life is
perfect. As a matter of fact, it is
a far cry from perfection.

There are things I am frustrated about,
depressed by, saddened by, confused by...
the list goes on. However I keep going,
and I keep reminding myself of the
things that I tell other people, and
it helps - a lot. Sometimes.

I tell you this because it is easy to
look at another person and their
circumstance and think they "got it
made." You never know what is going
on in their world and in their mind.

We all have our moments. Hopefully
just not all at once because that
would really suck!

In the meantime, if your life is
feeling sucky at the moment, you
are not alone. If you want to feel
better find something you can feel
good about - and focus on that.

Want to go back to feeling sucky?
Odds are you might. Just keep
bringing yourself back to that
good thing. Will it be easy?
I think you already know the
answer to that question.

You may even give up. Be kind
to yourself if you do. It
happens. What also happens is
sooner or later you will come
out of what you are in.

Just realize that just because
this moment is less than perfect
doesn't mean that your life is
less than good.
 

You'd never be wrong, but if you were.... | Video

In this video Kathryn distinguishes what it
is to be wrong, and how we usually relate
to those who don't agree with us when we
think we are right.

There are things she says that, in my
experience, seem to hold truer than most
of us would like. At the same time there
is a great deal of love and optimism for
who we are as "human."

See what you think.

 

The Time to Take Action

I just read about the Air Traffic Controller
who was watching a movie while working, and
the article discussed other traffic control
concerns.

When I read it, there were several things that
came to mind, not the least of which is a
metaphor for things that are happening in the
world in which we live in right now, here in
the US.

The controllers have only had 8 hours in between
shifts up until now. Many people need that many
hours to function properly, so the fact that they
need some of those hours to commute and take care
of things doesn't seem to me to be a good thing.

How often do we do with less of something that
should be good for us? How often do we hurt
ourselves in the pursuit of something?

Have the controllers spoken up? I don't know,
but I have to wonder. How often do we speak up
when something is not working? How often are
we at the effect of someone else's decisions
and choices which in turn can affect another's
decisions and choices?

These controllers are sleeping through "important"
moments in their lives and the lives of others.
At a minimum, a nuisance or inconvenience, at
a maximum, it could be catastrophic.

How often do we sleep walk through our own lives,
or sleep through (metaphorically, or otherwise)
the important moments in our lives?

While the issue may very well be an issue of
sleep - or, rather a lack of sleep - if we focus
on it alone there may be other things that run
deeper and are missed. The fact that someone
was watching a movie - someone who had to be
aware of the trouble the others had been in -
someone who knew the rules and broke them -
someone who knew their actions could adversely
affect others - tells me that there is more
going on, and given the way things are going,
we would do ourselves a favor by taking a look
at the bigger picture and asking ourselves
questions instead of focusing on just this one
industry/series of events.

In order to change, we have to first be willing
to look at what is, and we don't all have a
governing body looking over our shoulder calling
attention to perceived problems and difficulties.
It also means that that are likely to be times
that we alone are also responsible for the pickles
we get ourselves into, as there is no one telling
us what to do, or how to do it.

The harder it is to look, the more likely cleaning
up the potential mess afterward is going to be a
lot harder than if you had faced what needed to be
faced in the first place.

It is much better to create dynamics that help
us rather than create a patchwork that appears
to work - but we know it's just a quick fix.
Not many things can be patched over and over
and maintain their strength and integrity. In
addition a fix made with love and forethought
is likely to have a better and longer lasting
impact than one that is just slapped together
and expected to last a lifetime.

Air Controllers aren't the only ones who are
having issues, and the sooner that we in our
own personal lives and in our lives as co-
citizens on this planet are willing to look
at how things are, the sooner we can make
changes and potentially avert disasters in
other words start ACTING and stop REACTING.

The time to take action is before you need to;
you'll have a much better chance of preserving
whatever that thing is that you value than if
you wait. That applies to Liberty and Health
and Relationships and Money, and...

 

Change

I heard someone today say,
"change requires changing."

It is kinda like a "duh,"
don't you think? And yet
when things aren't working
out the way we want them to,
and we know that what we're
doing isn't helping or working,
we still often remain the same.

Why is that?

It's because we are comfortable
in the familiar surroundings.
How we are is like home to us,
and because of that we keep
wanting to get home by our actions.

The only way we're going to change
is to move, or to in some way
create a new place to come home to.
We could change the furnishings,
and our environment isn't the same.

Some things are drastic, others more
subtle. If you want to make a change
(see a need for one) then it is
important to find the way that works
for you...and odds are, it is the
way that is unlike the one you've
been doing.

One last thought...we have an easier
time making changes when WE personally
see the need to make them. If you're
having difficulties making a change
ask yourself if YOU really want to or
if it is someone else's desire for you.

Some battles can end right there.

Have a great week!