12.23.2015

MY CHRISTMAS WISH FOR YOU


Merry Christmas to all my wonderful readers. 

I enjoy writing, sharing, teaching, and motivating. I hope you have found some useful nuggets on these pages this year. I will be back after Christmas. I have many more great posts in mind for you.

My Christmas wish for you-
May you and your loved ones stay happy and healthy. 
May you live joyfully and purposely. 
May you find brilliant solutions to all life's challenges.
May you enjoy and appreciate the abundance around you.
May you boldly move forward with the wisdom of a lifetime.
May you know you are loved and appreciated.
P E A C E  TO  Y O U  A L W A Y S

Duane

10.21.2015

KEEP MAKING MISTAKES


Oh, you made a mistake? Good! What did you learn?


When I started this blog in 2010, I wanted to help people. I believed I had significant life experience that others could learn from. 

Have you ever read something and it seemed so simple but so profound? Maybe it was exactly what you needed to hear at that particular point in your life. Well, that's what I wanted to give to you, my dear readers. 

Have I accomplished my goal? Absolutely! I have shared many concepts with you in the past five years. And in sharing, I reminded myself what a fabulous journey my life has been. Not perfect, but fun, interesting, exciting, happy, sad, angry, and on and on. What a rush!

Bottom line: Most of my life lessons came from mistakes I made. A few came from mistakes other people made, but I was able to learn from them. 
Keep making mistakes and ALWAYS look for the lesson.

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.



Check out Duane's Youtube Channel.

10.13.2015

SQUARE PEGS

(borrowed from Google images)


For years, I was a square peg and didn’t even know it. I worked at jobs that made me unhappy but I had no idea why. I’ve also been in relationships that left me feeling confused and out of place.

Maybe you feel the same way about some area of your life. Here are some examples that you may be able to relate to: 

SQUARE PEG EXAMPLE #1> I worked in an accounting office for 15 years. It was a good job, it paid well, and I got respect when I told people I was an accountant. I was good at my job because I like numbers and I’m very detail oriented. But I hated being stuck behind a desk. It just wasn’t me. When I finally got the courage to leave that job, I felt like I broke out of prison. I wished I had done it a lot sooner.

SQUARE PEG EXAMPLE #2> I worked at a government lab for 7 years. It paid well, the benefits were beyond generous, and again, I got immediate respect when I told people where I worked. There were a lot of good points to this job and I was very good at it. But I hated it. It just wasn’t me, but it paid so well I would have stayed there forever. They eventually closed the lab and everybody had to go find work elsewhere. A lot of my co-workers were (and still are) upset at losing such a great job, but for me it was a huge blessing.

ROUND PEG EXAMPLE> I currently work as a janitor. I love this job. I look forward to going to work. This job fits my personality. I have freedom and I have zero stress. I'm a neat and clean person so cleaning is just something I do, I don't even have to think about it. I don't see that "look of respect or admiration" when I tell people what I do for a living, but who cares? LOL That's not important to me any more.

I used work related examples but this could apply to any area of your life- Work, relationships, the city you live in, etc. If something in your life just doesn’t feel right, maybe you are trying to force something that just doesn't fit you. It may be time to make a change. 

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.



Check out Duane’s Youtube channel.


10.05.2015

DUANE'S DRIVING RULES

(image borrowed from google images)

I like structure and I like to keep it simple. I believe that even very complicated tasks, such as driving can be broken down into a few very simple rules. Here are the rules I apply every time I get behind the wheel of a car.

RULE #1
Never hit a pedestrian.

RULE #2
Never hit anything else.

RULE #3
Always obey the law.

RULE #4
Be aware that anybody could do any (stupid) thing at any time--be ready!

RULE #5
Get from point A to point B as efficiently as possible.


These rules have served me well for decades. I'd be happy to hear your feedback.

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.


Check out Duane's Youtube Channel

9.19.2015

21 LIFE LESSONS

(borrowed image from Sobernation.com)

I make these lists from time to time, both to share with others and also to remind myself of some valuable lessons I've learned on my journey. Feel free to save, copy, paste, share, whatever. Take what you like and toss what doesn't suit you. Enjoy.

-Be kind to children, animals, and everybody else.
-Drink lots of water.
-Eat fruits and veggies every day.
-Don’t take financial advice from people with no money.
-Stop buying things you don’t need.
-Save 10% of your take-home pay and never spend it.
-Find a job you love and do it as well as you can.
-Relationship advice: Find someone who is good to you and spend every day making each other happy.
-Cash makes an excellent gift.
-Read at least 3 books per year.
-Don’t judge people because you don’t know what they are going through.
-Help others when you can, the world needs more of that.
-Money is important but it’s not the most important thing.
-You don’t need a $50,000 truck or a huge house.
-Don’t take life so seriously.
-Laugh, play, and be thankful every day.
-Don’t take things that don’t belong to you.
-Don’t stay at a job you hate.
-Never leave home without a knife and a small flashlight.
-Be generous with your time, or your money, or both.
-If you think you have problems, volunteer at a homeless shelter. It will be an eye-opener.


I'm thankful to all my readers for your time and attention. You are my inspiration.

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.



Check out Duane's Youtube Channel.

9.16.2015

A BIT OF A RANT



PROBLEM:
Has anybody else noticed this? We are driving cars we can’t afford to jobs we don’t like to pay for houses that sit empty all day. We have become slaves and most people don’t even realize it. It’s not right! We work hard for our money, only to give it away freely to banks and corporations and the government. 

If you’re not happy with the way your life is going, this may be the key. The solution is simple! Get out of debt, live below your means, and stop working so hard just to make the payments every month. 

SOLUTION:
There is another way. Look up Minimalism, Simple Life, Tiny Houses. You might be amazed. You might be inspired.

Looking for a road map to lead you out of the debt trap? Look up Dave Ramsey. Yes, he sells products but you don’t need to buy any of that. What he shares for FREE on his website and on Youtube will lead you out of debt forever. No need to thank me. Just get yourself free. You can do it!

End of rant.

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.

9.15.2015

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HUMAN RACE?

(borrowed from Bing Images)

I recently watched a movie that took place in the 1980’s. It was fascinating to watch because there were no cell phones, no tablets, no computers! People weren't distracted, staring at a screen.

I found myself thinking, these are people without any electronic distractions in their lives. This is how life used to be. I barely remember when nobody had a cell phone. When people were around other people, they actually talked to each other!  And when somebody was all alone, sitting at a bus stop, or whatever, they were thinking! What a novel idea! 

I know some of you are thinking, big deal! But to me, it was an Ah-Ha moment! Its not my place to say if life is better or worse now, but it's definitely something to think about.

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.

4.28.2015

GRATITUDE


Gratitude is another key to happiness. Maybe you have heard or read that the truly happy people are those who appreciate what they already have. I believe this is true. How could it not be? 

I must admit, there were many times in my past when I didn't really appreciate what I had. That is changing. I am learning to appreciate and be grateful for everything around me. And guess what? It doesn't cost anything to appreciate what you already have. 

But there is more to it than that. I also believe that one of the most profound secrets of the universe is that we attract to ourselves what we think about. So keep your thoughts positive. Being grateful for what you already have will bring about more good fortune and more gratitude into your life. Woah! How cool is that? :)

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.

3.25.2015

YOU ARE ENOUGH

(borrowed from Google Images)

OK, so I've been listening to Zen Buddhist monks on Youtube. I love their simple, practical philosophy. They seem to have wisdom not normally found in other religions. I find myself being pulled in an unexpected direction. For many years I have made delayed gratification part of my life. I have felt the need to stretch and learn and grow in order to "realize my full potential". And in fact, I have shown tremendous growth over the past 20+ years. 

But lately I've started to suspect I've been on the wrong path. Perhaps, but maybe not. Maybe it was necessary for me to study and learn and grow as I did so that I am now ready for the next phase. 

Zen Buddhism teaches us that "all is exactly as it should be". There are no mistakes and there are no wrong paths. We are each on our own path and each step, each decision is necessary to bring us to exactly the point where we are now. 

OK, so now what? Setting and achieving goals was so much a part of my life for so long. Now I understand that I am enough already. I do enough already. I have enough already. In fact, I have more than enough. I could give away half of everything I own and I will still have way more than I need. What a freeing thought! This fits so perfectly with my love of minimalism. It's funny how things seem to fall into place when we don't try so hard.

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.