Without change, something sleeps inside us

"Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken."

Have you ever done something that just didn’t work out, no matter how hard you try? Sometimes it is really hard to give up on an idea, one that has torn your heart out, it happens in all things.

Did you give 110%, only you know if you have given all you have, or not. We all have a little voice inside of us; call it conscious or what ever name you have given it. This little voice always tells the truth, the key is to listen to it, even if you don’t like what it is telling you.

the present comes as no surprise

"For a person who lives 100 years in the future, the present comes as no surprise."

Have you ever notice, when the new gadget comes on the market, your first thought is good idea. Your not surprised, if anything, jealousy might be the emotion that you feel, not a bad kind of jealousy but the, aw shit I wish I would have thought of that, kind of envy.

When those great new items surface, the one that awes the public, we as inventors are not surprised, maybe because, we think in tomorrow.

When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, I will bet that there were a few people around that just were not surprised. Those of us that realize, that by nature, mankind is an inventive soul; we find solutions, no matter what the problem.

If your one of those that is surprised by all that happens around you then start using your imagination, you will find that you can have new ideas that are your very own. This will set you one a path to fulfillment.

"He who angers you conquers you."

"He who angers you conquers you."

There will be times in your life that someone will anger you, it might be when you present your wonderful idea to a person you are trying to get to invest in you, and they can’t see what you see. If you get angry and let it overwhelm you, then you will lose.

We all have times in our lives when we lose our tempers, and there are some that can’t control their temper no matter what. People that fail to control their temper will find they have no friends, others will avoid them.

I have always found that I can do so much more but maintaining my self control, and as I have gotten older it becomes much easier.

So if your one of those that can’t/won’t control your temper, be prepared for the trouble that are destined to follow you, till you do change.

I look to the future

I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life.

So where will you be in 5 years, 10 years, will you be the success you see in your mind right now, or will you be stuck in the same place you are right now. Only you can determine where you will be and how you will get there.

It is so easy to procrastinate, or worse yet just give up. Why, because it is too hard and you are quitting, that is the easy path. I would hope you have the guts to stick it out, and if you should fail it will not be because you quit.

Failing makes you feel terrible, but if you can learn a lesson from it, one that is so deeply engraved into your soul that you never repeat the mistakes that contributed to it.

Just remember, you are in control of your destiny, no one else.

"True friends stab you in the front."

"True friends stab you in the front."

Friends what would we do without them, and some times we wonder what we will do with them. I have stated before, the worse person to discuss your idea with will be friends and family. They don’t understand what you are doing and will never have your passion for your project, and the passion is your driving force,

But the one thing I can say about them is, they will be there when times get hard and I promise times will get hard, and sometimes it is good to have someone to lean on and know that they will be there for you, no matter what.

They will want you to succeed, but they can’t understand that it takes time; no great idea has been accomplished over night. But the true friend will stand by you till it is done, they may complain and complain some more, but if you have chosen well, they will still give as much as they can. Just remember what they have given you is no less than you owe them, when that final goal is reached.

February 17, 2008

Those who dance are thought mad by those who do not hear the music.

Take a step back and look at yourself, if you have the courage to examine yourself, perhaps you can find the faults that have ruled your life, and if we should find those faults then perhaps we can fix ourselves.

The most dangerous word we use is a simple one, “IF” how many times have you used it, IF I ONLY. It is an excuse, nothing more. Reaching deep inside ourselves is one of the hardest things to do, but when we overcome it, success is right around the corner. But it requires you be totally honest, with you. It is so easy to lie to ourselves; it becomes second nature we don’t even realize we are doing it. If you should question yourself, find a true friend, one that you trust, and ask them point blank to tell you what your weakness are. If they are a true friend, and they know you will not get upset with them, they will tell you the truth. And don’t be surprised if the truth hurts, and if you doubt it ask several more friends, and compare the results, if you get enough truth you can find out what you need to know.

The truth is out there, so it is up to you to find it.

February 16, 2008

"We don't know who we are until we see what we can do."

Moving from the idea to the prototype is an interesting time, when that great idea turns into something that just doesn’t work the way it should. You will find yourself making modifications to modifications, it is a pain in the butt, but if you believe in your idea, you will find a way to make it work.

You have reached the time in the process that will test your ability to fix the problems that arise. I would hope you have the skill to think around the box and not get stuck in it.

There is an old term called the Master Mind, when you have several minds thinking about the same thing, you will come up with answers, Thomas Edison used it, and we see what kind of results he got, well you might not be Thomas Edison but, you can do great things, just keep plugging away, and in time you will fix the problems.

February 15, 2008

"The best way to escape from a problem is to solve it."

There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a problem and not having the tools to fix it. Any problem can be fixed; we just have to know where to find the tools to fix it. There are several methods, the first one is find a mentor, a person that has been there done that will be invaluable. They are out there, no matter where you live, find the retired business owner. Never under estimate the knowledge that a retired person has. The one advantage a retired person has is that they have the time to answer your questions; they have the experience you lack.

A second method is to go to your computer and start researching, sometimes you won’t know the key word to use, one trick is to place a Thesaurus on your desktop, it will be invaluable. Be prepared to spend lots of time on your computer, it can be frustrating sometimes, but in the end it is well worth it. Learning is a wonderful thing; all your friends will be asking you questions, because they know you will have their answers.

February 14, 2008

If your life is free of failures, you're not taking enough risks.

Fear something we all have, even if we won’t/can’t admit it. Everyone has fear, it will manifest itself in some manner. If it was your first big love or your first time speaking before a group of people, and it didn’t matter if you were 9 or 99 some things in life are scary, especially the first time you do it.

Now let’s suppose your fear is heights, can you imagine how scared you would be, jumping out of an airplane for the first time, now think how it would feel if you had 100 jumps under your belt. Fear is a relative thing, the first time is rough but the more you do a thing the easier it gets.

Business is the same thing going after your idea will be hard and scary, but if you keep at it and overcome your fear, you will be able to do great things. You may fail and have lots of bumps along the way, but if you can persevere, in the end you will be the success you want to be.

February 13, 2008

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.

Ok this is just a tirade; I have been following the news coming out of Berkley, now I have always known they are just a bastion of super liberals, but they have offended me to the core. I know this nation was founded on basic freedoms that we know, and love, but these folks went too far. When a city council give special privileges to a group whose sole agenda is to discredit our military, I’m speaking of the special parking permit in front of the recruiting office, and a special noise permit so they can make all the noise they want. I can’t see this city council giving the same privileges to, oh let’s say Nabors Industries Ltd., in case you didn’t know this is one of the companies’s that wants to drill in Alaska.

There is very little I can do to make the situation better, but the one thing I did was I called all the congressional people for my state, and ask them to support the bill to pull several million dollars from the federal funds that go to Berkley California, highway funds and such. As with most self righteous people, this might be the only way to make them realize that the military is the only thing that protects those freedoms they value so much. But I doubt it, stupid is as stupid does.

February 13, 2008

Age is only a number, a cipher for the records. A man can't retire his experience. He must use it. Experience achieves more with less energy and time.

Older than dirt, that is how I like to describe myself. Being old is a wonderful thing, you slow down and have the ability to think things through, that is if you could think in the first place. I no longer have the desire to rush things to completion, I take my time and plan, it is amazing how many mistakes I don’t make anymore.

When I look back at my youth, I see that person that never got anything more than a 9 to 5 job, no matter how realistic the plan was I couldn’t get it to work. Hindsight is a wonderful thing I see all the mistakes I made, and how I made them, so this time I will not make them, or at least minimize them.

i fully expect to have my failures, but they won’t devastate me, or even spoil my mood. I can see problems coming, and I am prepared for them, and if I fall on my face, well that is ok too. Because I will bounce back, nothing can stop me. My age is what keeps me focused and balanced; no set back is to great.

So if you are of an age that is older than dirt, welcome to the club, and for those of you that are still young, I hope you never let life become too much. Because in the long run we are what we need to be, I hope you get everything you need in life.

February 12, 2008

Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing weeds, I can appreciate persistence.

Every day something will happen, be it a big something or a small something, what ever it is, it can and if you let it, stop you from doing the steps that you need to be doing. It is just too easy to say in a minute, give me till this show is over, or I just don’t want to right now. And before you know it, next week is here and you didn’t do anything.

If anyone in this world understands putting off what you can do today, till tomorrow, it is me, the sad truth of the matter is I found tomorrow never gets here. If I have any regrets in this life it is I put off what I should have been doing years ago. But take heart it is never to late to be that person you need to be, sometimes it just takes getting older, and realizing that you are running out of tomorrows.

I hope you are one of the lucky ones that never put off anything. Just never forget, don’t take time away from those that you love and those that love you, because that is the greatest gain you can find in this life.

Never give up, Never surrender

February 11 2008

I give you my hand! I give you my love more precious than money,I give you myself;Will you give me yourself, will you come travel with me?

This journey you have embarked on is going to be long and fraught with disasters waiting to happen. If you have someone in your life, I hope it is someone that supports you in your endeavors, and the support is a multi-faceted thing.

As we go through life we make choices, and one of the most major choices we make, is who is going to be our life partner. If you’re lucky, you picked well, but if you aren’t you have a person in your life that will never be the one that helps you bring that great idea to realization. The most ideal person is one that is as creative as you are, but barring that having someone that tries to understand, what you are doing and is totally for you, will make for a good partner.

If you haven’t found that person that makes your heart beat faster yet, I urge caution, pick well. You must be able to judge without emotion, find the one that is there for you and only you, is willing to go through hell, and still be there, because I promise you, that hell or a reasonable facsimile is awaiting you. Murphy Law will always be around the corner, no matter how well planned or executed, Murphy will raise it ugly head. So make sure the one in your life is the one that you need.

February 10, 2008

I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true -- hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't do it.

We all are seeking something in our lives, be it money, love, self-worth, respect. What ever it may be, if we don’t work to get it, then it won’t be worth much in the long run.

I spend my time learning how to do things, it is a time consuming, sometime it’s really boring, but I know deep down inside myself, that it will pay off. I must keep on keeping on as we said in the old days. It may bore me to tears, or make me go half blind, reading all the things that I know I must, to succeed.

Very few self help books are exciting, but I can create the excitement in myself, by realizing I have a vision of success. I want all the things money can buy, but it may surprise you I want to find that special someone to share it with, money is a wonderful thing, it makes you comfortable, but comfort is just an ok thing, it will never replace the warmth of sharing your self with another person. But you have to be careful; sometimes that other person in your life will drag you down like an anchor. But if you’re lucky you have or will have that special person in your life that will be there, with you and for you, in all things.

February 9, 2008

"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom."

I would like to think that most people out there are honest, when the clerk gives you a dollar to much in change, most of us would give it back, but honesty is a very slippery word, we can be honest in all our endeavors and yet fail to be honest with the most important person in your life, you.

Have you ever started a project, only to find yourself never finishing it. It all boils down to being honest, with oneself. We all have grandiose thoughts, if we didn’t there would be no lottery, we buy tickets, because we see ourselves getting gobs and gobs of cash, we spend it in our heads.

Having good visualization skills is the most important thing an inventor can have, but if you lack the honesty with yourself then it is just an flight of imagination, if you fail to look at the reality of a thing, then you fall short of your imagined outcome. So be honest with yourself, look at all the work that you will have to put into something, to make it real.

It is just to easy to see the outcome without seeing the work, and the work is the journey not the results.

February 8, 2008

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.

Bored, the most common thing I see from all the people I know is they get bored, no matter what they do, no matter how big the reward is they give up just because it is boring.

Have we become an action driven society, if we are not physically doing something, we are bored, and unfortunately we are also a nation of couch potatoes.

It use to be normal if you were bored you read a book, most people I know either can’t or won’t read a book. Reading is what I have always done to learn, if I couldn't read I would be lost, I was having coffee with a friend the other day, as we sat drinking, I told him of a new medical procedure, that might apply to him, he was amazed I would know about it, since he had no idea it existed, as we sat there he ask how I know so much stuff, I said, “I read”, he just couldn’t understand reading just for the enjoyment of it.

Reading is a passion; I used it for escape as a child, the ability to go to some far off place or time. I can’t even bring myself to throw out a book. One of my fondest memories of my dad was when I moved to Wyoming from Colorado, my dad came down to help us move, we lived on the 3rd floor of an apartment building. I had 48 boxes of nothing but books, he wasn’t really happy carrying them down 3 flights of stairs.

The first gift my child received was a book, it was cute it had pictures and when you squeezed it there was a noise. What we pass on to our children is what they become.

February 7. 2008

"Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility... in the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have... is the ability to take on responsibility.

Personal responsibility those two words seem to be fading from regular use these days. It seems that when ever something bad happens, most of the people I know always find someone else to blame for all their woes, and it doesn’t matter what it is about be it love or business or any one of countless events in their lives

If you want to succeed in what ever your passion is, you have to take responsibility for all your actions, you will make mistakes and more mistakes, if you don’t accept personal responsibility you will be certain to fail, all the people that have made it, realize they will make mistakes and they learn from them. If you continue to blame others for your failures, then I feel sorry for you, you have given up any hope for success.

Do you teach your children to take full responsibly for their actions, or are you one of those parents that always blame someone else when your child gets in trouble, be it with the school, friends or the law.

The problems with our children, the gangs and getting pregnant at 15 or even younger, the total disregard for human life, drugs, you name it. I see the parents blame the television, the video game, their friends, even their teachers, what happened to teaching them to be good citizens of this great country. I grew up in the 60’s so I understand rebellion, but I wouldn’t have done the things I see kids doing every day, the total disrespect for others, “The you can’t tell me what to do.” And the parent backs down. I realize that there is a fear out there of what others will say, or the law will become involved, I am not saying beat them, but developing a line of commutation with them will fix most things. Don’t give them everything they want make them earn it. An old saying keeps running through my head and that is “You get what you raise.”

The one thing I do know is this, if you can’t take responsibility for yourself, and your actions, then you and all your offspring will be destine to failure

February 6, 2008

"History will never accept difficulties as an excuse."

It was a good day, I made a commitment, and it was a monetary expenditure, that at the present time I will be a challenged to meet. But I have found if you give someone something for free they really never appreciate it.

I have learned that a gift that is expected is never valued as one that you spent your hard earned money on. It like Christmas morning the kids have opened all their gifts, and then go “Is that all.” If you have to dig deep to get something, it will increase in value in proportion to the amount of sweat you had to put into it.

No matter what path you take in life, you will feel like a winner if you had to work to get all you have. If you don’t believe me just check out all the Hollywood kids, that had money handed to them when they have done nothing to earn one dime of it.

Most of us had chores when we were growing up, I think it made me a better person, I had responsibilities, if I wanted money I got a paper route, or worked in farming. It made me a better person, I hated it at the time but I had made a commitment and we must do what we committed ourselves to. I think it all boils down to being true to oneself.

February 6, 2008

In truth, the world is neither with us or against us; it is but raw material in our hands, and can be heaven or hell according to what we are.

Well I can see this is going to be a, sure you got problems, but……kind of week. When one door closes another opens, the key is to be aware of the other door.

I was just watching the “Big Idea” with Donnie Deutsch it is fun and informative, watch the people that have made it or on the road to making it, and you learn something if you pay attention.

Paying attention is something I am learning to do; it is hard sometimes, to catch the little things that are more important than you give them credit for at the time.

When a person says no, do they really mean no, perhaps they didn’t like how you presented it or just one little part of your idea, ask them, and don’t be afraid of anything they can’t say anymore than no. If you ask, maybe they will give you the answers to meet their needs.

Never give up, there is nothing that can not be overcome.

February 5,2008

"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."

I have given up wishing. I have discovered the proper word to use, it is NEED, I will no longer wish for something, or even I want something, I have discovered in myself an over powering desire, that is what I need.

I can make needs come true, unlike wishes or wants. Perhaps the problem is to many of us wish for something to happen, and it never does. How many people do you know that wish or want something, and how many are triumphant?

I have been talking to my friends and acquaintances and paid attention to what they were saying, and I noticed most of them want this or wish that, and they are just like the rest of the average people, they live pay check to pay check. So check your self talk and check it often, and over come this dreadful habit, and place yourself on the path to success.

Today I accomplished something really important to me, the feelings I had after I was successful, was the most wonderful feeling in the world, a feeling of empowerment, of winning the lottery. Nothing in the world is as great as accomplishment.

February 4, 2008

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually fear you will make one

Be prepared for days like I had today. I keep having the line “It was the best of days and the worst of day”, going off in my head like a bass drum. Good things happened and terrible things happened, all intermingled, all day long.

I had to keep telling myself, it has to end sometime. My self talk was interesting even to me, going from fear to jubilation, when fear would rear it’s ugly head and I would have to beat it down again and again. It takes some will power to overcome it, but it can be done and no one said it was easy. But tomorrow is another day, and it might be worse or it might be better but only time will tell. I surely hope it will be better, but if it is not then I will still deal with it.
Persistence, persistence, persistence, and belief in oneself.

February 3, 2008

Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.


I have become a firm believer in that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. If one is to be successful in your life, then you need to persist and never let trouble win.

When one nears the point where you can feel the goal, it seems like everything that can go wrong will go wrong. That is just life, something to be conquered, if you let the woes that befall you, they will overwhelm you.

We have a saying in the west, “Cowboy Up” and that is something we all must do, reach down inside ourselves, find that tough inner core. If you let the hardships and the tribulations go to your heart, then you will fail.

Worry is the most destructive, emotion there is, it will eat at you, till you have lost the ability to succeed, it can and will empty your soul. And I don’t want to wake up 20 years from now and tell myself if I had only persisted, I could have made something that was great.

Trouble is something we will always have, something that follows a person like your shadow, no escaping it, but as the old saying goes “This to shall pass”

So hang in there and never give up your dreams

February 2, 2008

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear

This road we have chosen is fraught with hardship and trials that if you don’t overcome them it will lead to failure. Things never work out as you plan; people never operate on your time schedule. These little tests will try your patience.

Persist, never give up, when someone doesn’t call you back or get that piece you need when they said they would, don’t get discouraged, call them, call them every day, they will quit talking to you or they will realize you are not giving up and you are serious about your project. With some luck they will become your best supporter.

If they blow you off repeatedly, then just move on if they supply what you need then there are others that will supply the same thing. All you need to do is more research, find the new suppliers. I promise there are people out there that will come to your cause and be more than happy to help you achieve the greatness that is in you.

One thing to keep in the back of your mind is, the people you are talking to are busy, they do have lots of other customers, you are but a small cog in their big wheels, so if they seem genuine, then give them more time. They may want to help you but, your order is small, and they can’t blow off a bigger deal to help you on the hope that you will be a big customer, some day.

February 1 2008

One thing I have learned is no matter how good your idea is, someone be it a friend or a family member, is going to tell you how bad it is. One of your biggest threats, are the people you know. Perhaps it is because they feel they know you better than you know yourself, maybe they have seen your track record, it might even be jealousy.

We are taught to always love our family and friends, but realize sometimes they will not be the person you need to talk to about your idea. If you must tell them something, tell them as little as possible, and then you don’t have to be worried about being shot down.

Now the other side of the issue, one of your easiest ways to raise money is your friends and family that said, you might want to get all your ducks in a row before you ever approach them. Now I am assuming you have at least started a business plan, a simple and concise plan that lays out your idea and where it is going. Before you ever worry about incorporation or building a prototype or anything else, set your goals down on paper. You will always be taken more seriously if you have a plan, and it will help you set your mind in the direction you are heading.

Believe me it is embarrassing to be ask a question you don’t have the answer to. As the old saying goes “been there done that and got the t-shirt to show for it”