FOR SALE - COFFEE WITH DUANE MUGS!

XDM50 MERCH IS HERE!

If you would like a Coffee with Duane mug you can order it here. 

I'm happy to sell these to my friends and subscribers at my cost. 

Special thanks to Ganja Clause for this idea! You rock!

EMAIL ME IF INTERESTED--> DUANEMYERS50@GMAIL.COM

Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.

Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

DUANE IS A WALMART AFFILIATE

Just a bit of shameless promotion. LOL

If you care to support me and this blog, you can shop millions of items at Walmart.com by clicking through this link. When you do, you will get Walmart's everyday low prices and I will get a small commission (1-4%) on anything you buy. Thank you! Happy shopping! :)

Now go take on the day.
 
Peace, out.



Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, POST #10

Today I'm thankful for my life. I've had good days and bad days, and I'm thankful for every one of them. This is probably my last post in this series. May peace, happiness, health, and gratitude be with you today and every day. Thank you.


Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.

Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, POST #9

Today I'm thankful for my health. When asked to describe myself, I always say, "I'm happy and healthy." It's the truth, but it's also a daily affirmation, and it's also true. Did you see what I did there? :) 


Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.

Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, POST #8

(image borrowed from Google images)

Today I'm thankful for freedom. The freedom to live where I choose. The freedom to work at a job I choose. The freedom to think and speak and worship as I choose. Some people are not happy with the current state of the United States, and I will admit it does have its problems, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Thank you.


Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.

Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, POST #7

Today I'm thankful for kind people. Each time I witness or hear about an act of kindness it renews my belief that people are basically good, and kind, and honest. Let's all be kind and watch it spread around the world. Wouldn't that be amazing? Thank you.


Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.

Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, POST #6

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!

Today I'm thankful for having enough food. If you have enough to eat, you are rich. Be thankful.



Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.

Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, POST #5

Today I am thankful for my bike. It's an ideal vehicle for transportation and exercise. It brings me a sense of freedom and it takes me back to my childhood, when things were much simpler. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, it's so much fun! :)  Thank you!



Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.

Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, POST #4

Today I'm thankful for my job. It's not high pay or high status, but it suits me. I've had the same job for almost 3 years and I still love it. I am truly blessed. Thank you.


Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.

Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, POST #3

Today I'm thankful for my pets. I've always loved animals. I have two of the sweetest cats who add so much joy to my life. I'm thankful that I am physically and financially able to care for them and provide for them. My life would not be the same without Lacy and Mia. Thank you.


Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.

Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, POST #2

Today I'm thankful for my home. It's not big or fancy or expensive but it's warm, dry, and safe. I know I am blessed. Thank you.


Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.


Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, POST #1

This is a new series called THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR. It's a series of thankfulness inspired by the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. But honestly, we should be thankful all year long. As I've said before in this blog, gratitude is a funny thing. If you are thankful for what you have, more good things will come into your life. So here we go. Post Number One in the series, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR.

Today I'm thankful for this blog, and you, my dear readers, and the technology that brings us together. Thank you.

Now go take on the day.

Peace, out.


Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

THE ANT AND THE POPCORN

 
I'm a janitor by profession. Last night I was at work, vacuuming, when I saw a piece of popcorn moving on the carpet. I shut off the vacuum and got down on my hands and knees to investigate. I found a little, tiny ant carrying this piece of popcorn across the carpet. He was taking it to his nest to share with his family. I was touched. I didn't vacuum him up. I let him be and I let him keep his popcorn. I felt good about it all night long and still today. Small things matter. Small lives matter. When you are kind, you get to feel good about it for a long time. Be kind.

Enjoy your day.

Peace, out.

TWO DECISION MAKING TOOLS

(borrowed from Google images)

I would like to share with you, two of the tools I use for making quick decisions. I call them THAT LITTLE VOICE and RISK VS REWARD.

In a nutshell, THAT LITTLE VOICE is the voice in the back of your head that says, "Whoa, wait a minute! This is a bad idea!" or something similar. That's the voice of reason, intuition, common sense, and a lifetime of experience. It's best to listen to THAT LITTLE VOICE at least 90% of the time.

RISK VS REWARD goes something like this: You need to make a decision quickly so you weigh the risks (what could go wrong) against the reward (what do you have to gain).

Here are two real life examples that happened to me:

EXAMPLE #1
A few days before Christmas, two little girls came to my door carrying an ice chest. They asked if I would like to buy some tamales. I had a decision to make. THAT LITTLE VOICE said, "Whoa, wait a minute! You know nothing about these girls or the conditions under which the tamales were made. You could get food poisoning very easily if the food was not prepared and stored properly."

So I did a quick RISK VS REWARD analysis. 
RISK-
I could get very sick.
REWARD-
I love tamales.

The REWARD was not worth the potential RISK. So I had to go along with THAT LITTLE VOICE. I politely said, "No thank you." It was the smart move. I will never know if the tamales were good or bad, but I tend to trust my intuition.

EXAMPLE #2
I bought a new digital camera before going on vacation in Florida a few years ago. While I was there, I spent a lot of time with a woman I met online. We went to the beach and took turns taking pictures of each other with my new camera. A young man approached us and offered to take a picture of both of us together. I had a decision to make. THAT LITTLE VOICE said, "Whoa, wait a minute! You don't know this guy! You just bought that camera! I've heard stories of this exact con, where the "nice young man" runs away with the tourist's camera."

So I did a quick RISK VS REWARD analysis. 
RISK-
I could lose my camera.
REWARD-
It would be nice to have some pictures of both of us together.

Again, the REWARD was not worth the RISK. I listened to THAT LITTLE VOICE and politely turned him down. I will never know if he was a thief, but I think I made the right decision.

Your comments are always welcome.

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.



Check out Duane's Youtube Channel

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(borrowed from Google images)

May 2016 be your best year ever!

Peace, out.

Check out Duane's Youtube channel.

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

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.

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.

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

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.