Kids don’t write very well anymore.  They just don’t.

Scores have plummeted around the country and some new figures out of a standardized test in Florida is distressing to say the least.

Preliminary numbers released this week show that only 27% of 4th graders earned a passing score on a standardized writing test. A year ago more than 80% passed!

What is going on here?

The first guess of many is that the standards have gotten too high.

Re-read that line a few more time.

Standards have gotten too high.

Too high?? Compared to WHAT??

The embarrassingly LOW standards our kids have had put on them for years now?

As high as the standards allegedly are today, they are still a joke compared to where they were years ago.

Kids DON’T write very well.

And that should scare all of us.

Writing is a HUGE part of how we communicate everyday with each other.

If we don’t become good writers, we compromise our ability to get along with each other.

And that isn’t good anyway you look at it.

I’m old fashioned and blame the TEXTING OBSESSION for a lot of this decline in writing skills.

It’s become a true addiction for many, especially the young who crank out hundreds if not thousands of texts every week.

If they were texting Shakespeare or new vocabulary words I guess I wouldn’t be as critical.

Ok, I’d settle for a coherent and complete thought.

LOL and BRB and L8ER aren’t enriching our ability to communicate through writing.

Kids are definitely fast at texting. But speed isn’t everything.

It’s the CONTENT we should be worried about.

What good is a communication method that cheapens the richness of vocabulary and our ability to speak and write well?

That’s why I think “YO” and a knuckle greeting are inferior or “HELLO” and a firm handshake.

I think picking up the phone and SPEAKING with another human being is preferable to a “What up?” via text message.

What fascinates me the most is that in the age of global communication, an age where we can Tweet and text and Facebook and whatever else we are doing at lightning speeds, we are really not advancing in the QUALITY of our communications.

Kids can’t even look their own friends in the eye and string together thoughts when speaking to each other. Because everything is a text message these days.

Big problem is they are not learning CRITICAL communication skills.

How will texting skills help them when they are having to work a room full of strangers and network? How will it help them interview for a job? How will it help their professional, personal, and even romantic relationships?

I know times have changed. I just don’t always agree it’s for the better. Or something we need to accept as just the way things are.

Something was lost when we stopped writing letters. Could it be argued that a string of gibberish texts are the equivalent of a well thought out letter to a friend or loved one or business partner?

We don’t even WRITE letters anymore. Sure, we have e-mail. And it’s cool to be able to transmit a message INSTANTLY. But still, much is lost I think.

So we’ve replaced writing with exercising our thumbs and texting 20,000 times a day like obsessed and addicted users. We’ve dumbed down literally every way we have to communicate with each other.

And kids are reading JUNK instead of the classics. I am SHOCKED that kids never seem to be opening up the core classics that have been time tested material.

This doesn’t help their writing skills either.

Why? Because what we READ directly can affect how we WRITE.

There’s a reason why most authors will tell you that in order to improve your writing skills, you would do yourself (and your readers) a service by READING more.

So in an age where everything has been dumbed down, maybe it isn’t so shocking that kids can’t write very well.

But it IS sad.

Writing is a skill that you CANNOT afford to put by the wayside.

We tell our kids everyday that the more you read and the better you write, the more successful you can potentially become.

Simple truths that used to be instilled in us at a young age.

Hopefully they will be again one day.

I want to first off thank colleague Todd Starnes for yet another grand slam investigative story.

The good news is that Todd finds stories that you generally won’t find in too many places if at all.

The bad news is that these stories almost always get my blood pressure through the roof!!

This one is no different.

Todd informs us that the British Government wants health care providers to temper use of the term “obese” because it could OFFEND people!!

Can you BELIEVE this??

In fact, they believe the term could be considered DEROGATORY!!

Ummmm. If you are obese…you are…obese.

Period.

I am short for a man. I’m ok with that. It’s not derogatory to acknowledge that I am not tall.

Now if you were to call me SHORT STOP, TATTOO, or ask me when I expect to be fully grown, that would cross the line.

But no one is suggesting that health care providers call patients FATTY, BUFFET BOOTY, or anything of the sort.

Those, too, would cross a line.

Should we not call diabetics DIABETICS?

Should we not call insomniacs INSOMNIACS?

Should we not call the blind BLIND?

This is RIDICULOUS!!

But this is the inevitable place that politically correct, nonsensical thinking has brought us.

It could take us to no other destination.

But this asinine recommendation is in good idiotic company, alongside suggesting tests and homework not be corrected in RED INK because it might damage kids.

Or saying you can’t get an “F” in a course no matter how badly you actually FAILED.

Or replacing handicapped with “handicapable”!!

Or not keeping score because God forbid we might end up with winners and losers!!

It’s all NUTS!!

Oh sorry. You aren’t allowed to say that word, either.

Never mind.

The truth is we DO have an obesity epidemic.

Obesity is a medical term, not a schoolyard taunt.

People are getting fatter than they ever have. And at a time when we have are experiencing a nutritional RENAISSANCE!!

If anything, we should be seeing more HEALTHY and FIT people than ever before!!

The first step in addressing a problem is to label it and acknowledge it.

By caring more about sparing feelings than trying to help people who are slowly but surely eating themselves to death does no one any good.

Here’s a link to Todd’s on the mark commentary…http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/british-dont-say-obese.html.

We come into this world not knowing or understanding limitations.

Ever seen a tot crawl for the first time or take their first steps? It’s the epitome of determination.

No one has told them the task would be monumental and hard. They just know it’s something that they have to do.

And they do it.

As we get older, we put largely self imposed limitations on ourselves.

I’m too stupid. I’m too smart. I’m too tall. I’m too short. I’m too young. I’m too old.

On and on and on.

Once we grasped the concept of the created EGO…these are the shortfalls we encounter, among many others.

But that’s a discussion that’s too deep for the time we have right now.

Let’s focus instead on an amazing woman with an amazing story.

Ivonne Mosquera-Schmidt has been blind since age 2.

That hasn’t stopped her from doing some truly incredible things.

Things that are hard enough for people with full vision.

This past weekend Ivonne participated a triathlon in which she swam 450 meters, biked 10 miles, and ran 5 kilometers.

If that wasn’t pretty impressive on its own, she has a long list of other phenomenal achievements.

She’s danced at Lincoln Center.

She’s finished 13 marathons.

She even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

WOW!

So…what’s YOUR excuse?

Our excuses seem silly in comparison, don’t they?

I mean, can we really argue we don’t have “time” to go to the gym when a blind woman has climbed Kilimanjaro?

Can we really argue that we can’t get somewhere on “time” because traffic “happened” to us?

Come on now.

The reality is we have all the time we need. The greatest inventors, leaders, artists, and philosophers have all gotten their great achievements accomplished in the same 24 hours allotted to all of us.

And another reality is that 99% of the limitations we face are self imposed.

So remember the story of Ivonne Mosquera-Schmidt and cast your excuses to the wind.

And go out there and DO it already. Face in the direction of what you want to achieve and start MOVING.

The finish line is closer than you think.

But it can only be crossed if you take the first steps.

It’s such wasted energy to go through the day being envious or suspicious of those around us who seemingly have the things we want, are doing the things we want to do, and are being the people we want to be.

Instead of being envious, we should be content with the understanding that all of these things are available to US as well!

The person in top health on the treadmill at the gym could be…YOU!

The person driving the nice car on the highway could be…YOU!

The person holding hands with a loved one and smiling away waiting for the light to change could be…YOU!

The person making the huge deposit or withdrawal at the bank could be…yes…YOU!

Why would you want to go through life thinking even for a moment that these things could be available to everyone BUT you?

Does that even make SENSE?

Of course not.

But sometimes bellyaching about the things we don’t have is easier than working at ATTRACTING these things into our lives!

The biggest obstacle, really, is our own thinking.

We oftentimes, without even realizing it, REPEL the very things that might otherwise be on their way to us!

Remember the things you want probably want YOU just as much!!

Stop pushing them away!!

Imagine this…you are standing in front of a door to a room. Little do you know that this room holds all the things and people and circumstance and wealth and abundance you’ve been wanting your whole life!

But you are pushing the door and keeping it shut instead of letting it fly open for you.

Know what you want. This is vital because you wouldn’t expect a ship to leave a port without a destination or course and expect to get anywhere but marooned.

Plot your course with your destination in mind (health, wealth, happiness, friends, love, etc.) and then FACE in the direction of what you want.

And then start MOVING!!

All the good, happy thoughts in the world will be useless if you don’t take ACTION as well.

Take a step. And then another. Always in the direction of what you want.

Eventually you will get there. But just like a drive from San Francisco to Manhattan, the duration of the trip depends on how many miles you choose to travel in a given day.

If you drive 10 miles a day it will take a very long time, right? If you drive hundreds of miles in a day, it will be a much quicker trip.

And always enjoy the process, the travels, the adventure.

You CAN have the good life.

Believe it because it’s TRUE!

You aren’t living this life to suffer and to struggle and to pray for the end of each day.

Life is SUPPOSED to be a daily miracle.

I believe we are all Divine. We are all made from God Source, the Universe, Source Energy, or whatever you choose to call it based on your personal belief system.

But whatever you believe, you should believe you are wonderful. And that all things are truly possible.

As my mentor Dr. Wayne Dyer says referencing the Bible, we weren’t told SOME things are possible. Or MOST things are possible. We were taught that ALL things are possible for those who believe.

That doesn’t leave ANYTHING out, now does it? Not a single thing. There is no fine print outlining restrictions or exceptions.

Have a beautiful day and an extraordinary week!

Ok. I finally cracked.

I wasn’t going to even open my mouth about this “pink slime” scare, but enough is enough.

Pink Slime as it is called is filler meat that has been treated with ammonium hydroxide. Many of us have grown up eating this stuff.

It’s in many meat products, including hamburger meat bought at the local markets.

It keeps a cheeseburger from costing $20 and allows them to be LEANER in the process.

But it has a scary name. Then you throw in “pink slime” and millions of people follow the line like sheep.

But ammonia and ammonium hydroxide are common in nature.

They are in the air, the water, and the soil.

They are in every living creature, including humans.

Our own BODIES produce ammonia, which is essential for protein synthesis.

Did you know that??

Probably not. But five minutes of research will explain it to you.

Did you know that ammonium hydroxide has been deemed “generally regarded as safe” since the 1970s? It went through EXTENSIVE TESTING and there is nothing dangerous about it in the quantities we consume.

Did you know that most every country deems it safe, too? Or that the United Nations and the World Health Organization recognize it as safe, as well?

The amount used is TRACE, if that.

Hell, WATER can harm and even kill you in large enough quantities. A woman in my area died after a radio stunt in which she drank tons of water to win a video game system.

But surely no one is calling to ban WATER, right?

Do we scare kids at lunch time about water consumption?

The sun is essential. But too much of it will kill a houseplant and give a human cancer.

And yet most of us expose ourselves to the sun every day of our existence.

See where I am going with this?

The TRUTH is that MANY foods are treated with ammonium hydroxide. It kills bacteria. It makes foods SAFER, not more dangerous.

Would you prefer to eat contaminated foods? Isn’t that far riskier a prospect?

Yes, like anything else just about, ammonia can be lethal in LARGE ENOUGH QUANTITIES.

But ammonia has a very strong taste and smell and it would be obvious the second you consumed it.

NO ONE is eating burgers and complaining that their meat tastes like disinfectant. NO ONE.

No one is even getting SICK from this.

So why the “pink slime” scare?

Frankly, I think it’s because we love to scare ourselves.

We aren’t happy unless we are frantic about something or other.

Anyone talking about SWINE FLU lately??

Remember how the government made it out as if it would wipe out mankind?

I warned you about THAT scare, too, didn’t I. I TOLD you and EDUCATED you about the FACT that the regular, run of the mill flu has killed COUNTLESS MORE PEOPLE.

All without a PEEP let alone hysteria from the media, the schools, the government, etc.

Several of our children came down with the swine flu. They were sick for several days, but no worse than with any other illness they’ve ever had.

But these scares are what lead to idiotic bans such as the ban on DDT. The environmental fascists, with no evidence really to speak of, had that pesticide banned.

As a result, countless people in the Third World who WOULD be alive right now are NOT. Research that as well. It’s all provable FACT.

And now the scare of the month is “pink slime”.

It has a scary name, too. Just like Swine Flu.

Already schools and stores are pulling it and pledging not to use products with pink slime.

All without A SHRED OF EVIDENCE that there is anything remotely wrong or dangerous with the stuff.

Please end your ignorance now!!

THINK FOR YOURSELF!!

You can educate yourself more than 90% of Americans by reading links such as the following:

http://www.foodinsight.org/Resources/Detail.aspx?topic=Questions_and_Answers_about_Ammonium_Hydroxide_Use_in_Food_Production

I just finished reading a fascinating article from the UK about how the belief is that in years to come, the mind will play an ever increasing role in the area of healing and well being.

What’s sad is how few people apparently realize that the mind is such a powerful force RIGHT NOW in this regard.

Ever notice that your Aunt Hilda, the one who was ALWAYS sick all the years you knew her, always TALKED about being sick?

Do you think it was a coincidence that she was as sick as often as she would talk about illness?

And we all know that person in our lives who seemingly never gets sick. Or if they do, they decide they will conquer it quickly. And then they DO!

The mind is so, so powerful and mysterious.

We have known for a very long time that placebos demonstrate the fact that there is a clear connection between our thoughts and our feeling of well being, or lack thereof.

How else can you explain someone taking a sugar pill with ZERO MEDICINAL potency all of a sudden feeling better? Even CURED? Whether it’s a headache or anxiety or other ailments, placebos have proven the power of mind over matter.

It’s not the PILL that is alleviating any ailments. It’s the MIND and its BELIEF that the medicine is doing what it was promised to do.

Mind over matter.

The article also points to a time when we will take a greater sense of ownership over our personal well being.

What a profound concept. Why do we have to wait for a time in the future for THAT??

Do we not all have the ability right here and NOW to take a greater sense of ownership over our personal well being?

Can’t we do that NOW??

With every choice we make? Whether we eat the turkey sandwich over the fatty high carb lunch? The vitamin water over the soda? The walk to the store versus the drive? Taking the stairs instead of the elevator?

We HAVE virtually complete control over our own well being, physical and mental.

The control comes from our THOUGHTS.

Thoughts truly become things.

It sounds like a cliche, but it isn’t.

You become what you think about most of the time.

Think of yourself as sick, weak, diseased, etc. if you absolutely insist.

Just don’t be shocked when those are the very things you continue to manifest into your life.

I saw best selling author and motivational speaker Dr. Wayne Dyer a couple of weekends ago at a live seminar and it was a life changing event to say the least. He’s been a mentor of mine for two decades.

He said the most powerful words we can say are “I am…”

And that we have to be so, so cautious how we fill in the blanks.

Most of us spend too much time saying things like “I am broke. I am sick. I am lonely. I am fat. I am stupid. I am unloveable.” Etc.

We have to be super vigilante how we fill in those blanks because thoughts do become things and we will ultimately manifest all of these negativities into our lives.

We, instead, need to fill in the blanks with “I am well. I am strong. I am lovable. I am smart. I am abundant. I am liked and loved. I am more powerful than I even can know.” Etc.

The former thoughts bring us anxiety and sadness and depression. The latter bring us happiness and empowerment and contentment and abundance.

It’s really a no brainer, isn’t it?

For middle class families in the 1950, having an Encyclopaedia Brittanica set in your living room or den was a huge thing. A real big deal.

It wasn’t cheap and many families had to pay them off over the course of many months.

I remember visiting friends or relatives who had a set and staring in wonder at all the amazing facts to be found within the leather bound volumes.

I’m not even sure kids today know what an encyclopedia is, or that one of their favorite online reference tools borrows part of its name from the now almost obsolete physical counterparts.

The Digital Age is a big reason for the end of the 244 year tradition.

Information is so much more accessible to us through a few simple moments and clicks on a keyboard.

Whether it’s our laptops, desktops, smartphones or tablets, we can now access this information a zillion miles away from a library or den.

I will still miss the tradition and nostalgic quality of having TANGIBLE encyclopedias to flip through and learn from.

Encyclopedias were a staple of my childhood and I don’t think I ever got through a school essay or term paper without annotated encyclopedia entries in the bibliographies of my assignments.

And I have memories of encyclopedia salesmen ringing the doorbell. Remember THOSE days??

Sure the Internet is more accessible and “alive” with multimedia tools and the ability to instantly update information.

But what makes me really sad is that kids today don’t seem any smarter than we were. If anything, so many areas in our society and world seem DUMBED DOWN.

How can this be??

How is it that kids AND adults today can access just about ANY ANSWER TO ANY QUESTION mankind has ever had and yet not be flowing sources of knowledge and wisdom??

I am constantly reminding our own kids that the same Internet that gives them silly, time wasting videos and mindless online games can also provide answers to most if not all of their questions.

Yes, I sound really old but when I was a kid, we rode our bikes to the library to find the answers in big rooms lined with huge and heavy books we weren’t allowed to take home.

Some of us were lucky enough to have a set of Encyclopaedia Brittanica or World Books or other encyclopedias and could spend many hours on a rainy day learning about so many wonderful and amazing things.

The final print edition is the 2010 set and sells on the company’s website for $1,395.

Farewell print edition. We Old School fans will miss you.

And just a parting thought. How many things enjoyed today will be around 244 years from now?

I detest the Entitlement Mentality.

It is everywhere. Demonstrated by people of all ages.

And it is destroying the fabric of our Nation.

Everyone feels ENTITLED to something.

Jobs. Housing. Health care. Transportation. Subsidies. Bailouts.

GIMME, GIMME, GIMME isn’t just an ABBA song anymore.

It’s a way of life for millions.

Now a disgruntled moviegoer in Michigan is SUING over the high cost of–hold on to your Whoppers–MOVIE SNACKS.

That’s right, a class action LAWSUIT has been filed against a major movie chain for “gouging” movie lovers at the concession stands.

Ummmm. It’s called FREE ENTERPRISE. It’s called CAPITALISM. It’s called SUPPLY AND DEMAND.

Ever heard of these things? They make the world go around.

Most people don’t understand that theaters make their bread and–no pun intended–butter on concession stand sales. Most of the price of a movie ticket never ends up in the theater’s pockets. It goes mainly to Hollywood and the studios.

Theaters are in the business of MAKING money.

Economics 101: You don’t charge 5 cents for 5 cents worth of soda. You charge AS MUCH as the market will bear. Period.

If you can sell a stick of gum for 50 cents you will do it if you want to stay in business, because if you don’t, your competitor will.

It’s called PROFIT MAKING and it’s what keeps you in business instead of the Poor House.

First of all, movie going and movie snacking are somewhat of a treat.

The same way most people don’t dine on $50 steaks every day of the week, most people don’t go to the movies on a daily basis.

Of course that popcorn is more expensive than if you popped it at home. But most people would rather see the latest blockbuster on a huge movie screen in the latest digital mind bending sound, not at home from the couch.

If the experience was identical to popping a bag in the microwave and cranking the volume to 50 on your TV, no one would be lined up at the movie box office.

And is anyone holding a gun to your head to BUY the snacks at these huge marked up prices?

NOPE.

You could just as easily snack before or after the 90 minute or so flick.

So stop bellyaching.

There are many things I can’t afford, either. But you don’t see me huffing and puffing and threatening private companies with LAWSUITS because their prices are beyond my reach.

The answer is make more money so that the $7 popcorn doesn’t seem so expensive anymore, realize you don’t do it everyday and it’s a treat, or just stay home and find something else to complain about.

Now sit down and be quiet.

The movie is about to start and I’m going to enjoy my snacks with no regrets or anger.

I was reading a quote this morning from one of my biggest mentors and the man considered THE greatest motivational speaker ever, the late Jim Rohn.

The quote was “Ideas can be life changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.”

This is SO true.

We have ideas all the time, don’t we? But like our nighttime dreams, most of us disregard them and toss them into the mental clutter pile to be forgotten and discarded.

Think of how many thousands of thoughts you have every week.

In there somewhere are many ideas that could provide the spark that could change your whole life.

Or at the very least, change your day or month or job or relationship.

The problem for most of us is that we don’t remember these little nuggets when they first cross our minds.

I carry around a voice recorder to dictate ideas as they come.

To be sure, many don’t add to much. But some do.

Some actually have helped shape the very course of my life and career.

And they can do the same for you, too.

Never underestimate the power of your ideas.

Remember, everything you see and love and hate was first an idea in someone’s mind and imagination.

The idea was put into motion and something that was never there before bloomed into existence.

Pretty motivating, yes?

Make your ideas bloom into something extraordinary.

The world may thank you for it someday!

As someone who struggled and persevered to lose 40 pound by my 40th Birthday, I know how hard it can be to lose that first ten pounds, let alone the last ten pounds.

But I’ve ALWAYS believed that weight loss, like so many other efforts in life, is simply mind over matter. The ultimate example of will power.

You CAN lose weight. Of course you can!! But…WILL you is the real question! WILL YOU lose weight?

Here’s a story for all of you who have made excuses that it can’t be done. That it’s too hard. That it takes too much time and effort. That others can lose weight, but you can’t.

Two years ago, Massachusetts resident Brian Meifert was just shy of 500 pounds.

At 490 pounds, he couldn’t keep up with his own kids.

That was the moment that the late, great Jim Rohn called “The day that turns your life around”.

It’s the AHA! moment that most of us have at various times of our lives. It’s the moment you say “I’ve HAD IT!” and decide that you can’t live that way any longer.

Brian decided he wanted to be around for his kids. That they deserved a father who could run around and play with them.

He made the decision to lose weight which is the first step, of course.

But then he took a course of action.

He started using the fitness center at work. He walked around the neighborhood every morning. He stopped snacking between meals. He chose veggies over junk and empty calories.

He eventually MADE the time to work out every morning. Two and a half hours in the gym. He cut his caloric intake IN HALF.

What a wonderful story!!

Brian lost TWO HUNDRED POUNDS in two years!!

There is another saying that if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you will keep getting what you’ve always gotten.

So true.

A behavior or action HAS to change in order for an OUTCOME to change.

It reminds me of the old joke where the patient tells the doctor “My arm hurts every time I do this!!” The doctor then simply says, “Well, stop DOING THAT then!!”

Brian Meifert has lost a total of 240 pounds. He now runs 5k races. He’s gone from a 62 inch waist to a 32 inch waist!!

WOW, WOW, WOW.

Good for you, Brian.

And thanks for inspiring all of us as you’ve met and SURPASSED your goals.

Now THAT’S one heck of a Motivational Monday for us all.

Just when I think PETA can’t get any more insane than they already are in my opinion, they prove me wrong and one up themselves.

A judge is currently weighing a case brought forward by PETA last year that is asking that theme park whales be considered SLAVES and must be granted protection under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment.

No, this isn’t satire. And I wish it were just a sick joke.

These wing nuts are for real.

Whales are protected under the U.S. Constitution.

The scariest part of the whole thing is that the case rests in the hands of a JUDGE. Could ONE man have the power to grant animals HUMAN rights and freedoms??

Why shouldn’t chimps be given the right to vote? Heck, they are probably more intelligent than many of the people out there voting already. Why not?

Or the right to keep and bear ams? PLANET OF THE APES was just a movie, after all. We have nothing to fear from arming our simian cousins.

Don’t laugh.

If a whale is granted protections under the U.S. Constitution, every other animal under it will come next.

Why would pet ownership remain LEGAL after such a ruling? Zoos and even sanctuaries would have to go. I bet you couldn’t even own a dog or a cat.

Don’t think it can’t happen.

The nuts in San Francisco are already trying to make it illegal to even sell GOLD FISH within city limits.

Let’s hope this one solitary judge has more common sense than all the card carrying members of the fanatical PETA combined.

Animals are NOT humans. They just AREN’T.

Will plants be next? Does a head of lettuce deserve to not be decapitated and removed from the soil? Does a tomato have a right to not be picked and sliced into a sandwich?

Here’s something to REALLY ponder.

If these fanatically crazy people get there way, you will never eat another animal product again. You will never wear leather, fur, or wool again.

This USED to be called mental illness in the days when we still had the guts to call it what it is.

Thoughts become things.

They always have and they always will.

We become what we think about most.

It’s why baseball players envision hitting the home run, not striking out. It’s why we envision a safe trip as we pull out of the driveway, not a wreck around the corner.

We tell people to have a NICE day, not a mediocre or an awful one.

Why do you think the expression “Be careful what you wish for!” come about?

Because it’s true!!

What an amazing power to have and it’s exclusive to us humans! How LUCKY we are!! How BLESSED!!

The powers of belief, positive thinking, and wishing are some of the most powerful in the Universe!!

But they won’t get you far until you start keeping closer inventory on what your thoughts are and how you are looking at things.

It’s not an accident that some days you sing in the shower and other days you slip and curse.

It’s also not an accident when everyone seems to be smiling and every door in front of you opens, seemingly just for YOU.

Our attitude and vision determines all of this! And since we are always in CONTROL of our attitude and vision, that’s the greatest gift we could ever ask for!

Our feelings are based on our daily thoughts.

If you are feeling down, you probably aren’t envisioning sunny days and picnics and your boss giving you a raise.

And if you are happy and cheerful, it’s a safe bet you aren’t contemplating famine and Armageddon.

Become aware of how you look at things! It may seem a huge task, and at first it pretty much IS.

But after a short period of time, you will learn to go back to auto-pilot.

Only NOW you will never have a negative, self defeating thought again without at least being AWARE OF IT.

And if you are aware of it, you can stop it in mid-thought and change course!

It’s like being in the wrong lane and realizing it and making the adjustment. It’s as simple as that.

But like anything worth learning, it takes study and practice.

Stay motivated, stay positive, and ask yourself how you are feeling today and every day and realize that to change your feelings, change your thoughts!

And you will change your world!

Our four-year-old daughter sits watching the film version of the wonderful children’s novel THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX.

It is there I find my inspiration for today’s blog.

As I type this she watches the screen, engrossed and intrigued by the brave little mouse who dared to break away from other mice and follow his own path and destiny.

A Johnathan Livingston Seagull for the younger set. Those of you familiar with that Richard Bach classic about the seagull who forged his own way in a world of conformity know that this is a positive message indeed for our kids.

The story is of a little mouse named Despereaux who misses the one big lesson about being a mouse–you are supposed to be scared of anything and everything. Except maybe a hunk of cheese.

Instead of cowering in fear like every other mouse, Despereaux discovers the magical adventures within the covers of great books. He reads and reads and reads. He figures out that life can be so much more than the mediocre existence his peers and family have accepted as their only lot in life.

There’s a great and poignant scene in which one of the elder mice tells Despereaux, and I paraphrase, “There’s a whole world of wonderful things to be afraid of once you discover you should be scared of them!”

Think on that for a second!! We are conditioned too often to be AFRAID!! To COWER!! To be FEARFUL of everything. We are told we cannot overcome the obstacles before us. We are told we can’t accomplish our dreams because they are too lofty or don’t meet the standards or sensibilities of SOMEBODY ELSE.

Why am I blogging so passionately about a children’s book about a sword wielding, princess rescuing little mouse?

Because this story is a brilliant allegory of our very own existence!!

What a FANTASTIC moral to this story!! Stories still have morals sometimes!! How WONDERFUL!!

You don’t HAVE to live a life of mediocrity and timidity! Even if EVERYONE ELSE around you is!

Life is what you make of it. Always.

Your thoughts become things. Your life today is the sum total of every thought you’ve ever indulged to this very point in time.

It’s true!!

The good thing about all of this…No, the MIRACULOUS thing about all of this is that YOU are in control of your thoughts, even if you can’t control so many other things in life.

You can’t control whether your neighbor is a nice guy or whether it’s going to be bright or dark today in the forecast. You can’t control your genetics or whether that package you’ve been waiting for will come today or tomorrow.

But who cares when you can control your THOUGHTS!!

Throw all that other garbage away as far as I am concerned. You shouldn’t trade control of your thoughts for all the gold in the world!

Think about it, if you had all the gold in the world but your thoughts were under someone else’s control, what good would it do you??

I love the tale that is the life of a fictitious mouse who has more to teach all of us than most might think at first blush.

Go forth today, my friends, and slay your own dragons.

Whatever shape they may take. However challenging they might be.

SLAY THEM.

Because you can.

In fact, you can do so much more than you ever thought possible.

Before you criticize me for being heartless to little furry critters, I am an ANIMAL LOVER.

Aside from loving some animals medium well to well done, I have been a pet owner all my life.

Currently, we have thee dogs, a cat, a canary, and a rat.

Yep. A whole food chain under our roof.

And yes, I said rat.

We had two but we lost Gus Gus last year.

Rats actually make AWESOME pets. They are clean, smart, and easily trained. They are like little miniature dogs in a lot of ways.

But as much as I am a fan of domesticated, pet rats, I absolutely LOATH with a passion WILD RATS.

Those we call VERMIN.

And I say KILL VERMIN.

They are dirty pests and potentially deadly when they carry diseases.

So as a pet rat lover I am completely shocked by a new D.C. law that forbids pest control people from actually KILLING RATS and other rodents and critters who can be carriers of rabies and other diseases.

The rice rat and deer mouse are not exempt from this law.

The INSANE law would require that the creatures be RELOCATED!! And relocated in FAMILIES.

What the FRIG?!?!

FAMILIES??

What is this, a policy about VERMIN or new immigration policy?!?!

These are the kinds of laws that are choking this country and the common sense it used to produce and demonstrate.

The bright side of this moronic piece of legislation?

The law doesn’t apply to HOMEOWNERS, just pest control people.

So worry not. All is not lost.

You can still lower the boom on any nasty critters that get too close to your home.

Wonder how long we will enjoy THAT freedom though.

One of the hardest parts about being human is the constant tug of war between who we are and who others want us to be.

I would have to argue that this battle is one of the biggest sources of stress and unhappiness we experience.

One issue that has gotten me in a lot of hot water is my views on gays and lesbians and how they should be accepted and no longer treated like second class citizens. Makes me sad that this is even a controversial position in the first place!

I saw an article this morning about how actress Kristy McNichol has finally come out into the open about her homosexuality.

It was enlightening, heartening, and sad all at once.

She has had a committed partner for TWO DECADES, dare I say a lot longer than many of our heterosexual relationships and marriages last.

She came out just before her 50th Birthday because she wanted to be true about who she is.

And she also wants to be able to help kids who are being bullied in school and in society because of their sexual orientation.

GOOD FOR HER.

Can you imagine being in the closet yourself?

Not just concerning sexuality, but what if you had to be in the closet as a conservative?

I know PLENTY of people who hide their views on politics and philosophy from both sides of aisle because of intolerance or fear of condemnation from the other side.

I had a co-worker for years who SHOCKED me when he admitted to me he was a conservative. He played the part of the local liberal because of his clientele, friends, and professional partnerships.

I couldn’t BELIEVE it.

Imagine being in the closet because of a burning interest you have. A hobby or a career that others might not accept.

Or because of your religion.

Or ANYTHING.

Would you want to be closeted because of your beliefs and loves in life?

Then why make someone else feel their life is unacceptable or dirty just because we don’t agree with it?

We wouldn’t want that on ourselves, and we certainly shouldn’t want it on others.

Be who you are and be the best you can be.

Without fear and without regret.

Stay out of someone’s way and maybe they will stay out of yours, too!

BE YOURSELF!