"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life."
*-- Richard Bach

"Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is progress.  Working together is success."
*-- Henry Ford

"There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle." *-- Albert Einstein

---

That’s it! I’ve had it! Here I am bustin’ my hump and all I get is busted in the chops! Enough awready! I’m sick and tired of trying to get anything to go my way. From now on, I’m just going to get up, do my thing and whatever happens – happens! To hell with it!

Yep, it does happen, doesn’t it? To just about everybody I would imagine. We reach a point where nothing seems to be going the way we’d like it to no matter how hard we try. It’s like banging our head against a brick wall. It’s not accomplishing a danged thing and it’s starting to really hurt.

So what’s the most logical thing to do next? Let’s see. If banging our heads against a wall is giving us a headache… well dang, why don’t we just stop doing that? ‘Cause it sure as heck ain’t workin’!

Yeah, I know. We keep hearing the same story over and over. Set your goals and make your plans so you know what you need to do to reach those goals. Then get your butt in gear and do stuff. Keep doing stuff! Never give up! Persistence counts! Go – go – go! Rah – rah – rah! Well rah-rah my rump! There must be a better way…

Ya know, there just might be – a better way, that is. Sure, setting goals, planning and doing stuff is a good way to move our lives toward a better future. However, sometimes we get so over-focused on having everything happen “our way” that we lose sight of the possibility that there may be an even “better way” out there waiting for us. And it might honestly be a way that will take us to a far better future than we could ever have possible imagined for ourselves.

So here’s a suggestion. If you’re getting tired of banging your head against the wall, just stop doing it and back off for awhile. No, I don’t mean stop everything and sit down and cry or over-imbibe in a potent liquid. I mean just back off. Sure, keep doing stuff but do it with more of a “whatever” attitude. Be willing to take a closer look at whatever comes your way. Loosen your grasp on those precious goals a bit. And if what you’re doing doesn’t feel quite right, do something a little – or completely – different. See what happens. Then do more stuff. See what happens.

At this point in my life, I’m fairly well convinced that none of us has anywhere near the level of control over our future that we think we may have. That there’s more to this existence than always “having it our way”. This might work with hamburgers but life is a completely different story. I think we’re better off sometimes to stop holding the reins so tightly and just let our horses go where they want to go. I remember from my youth that a good team of horses will always find its way back to their barn. So why not try it? Loosen up on the reins for just a little while. Let your “horses” take you where they want to go. It might be interesting to find out what their barn looks like, don’tcha think?

Your Own Destiny - Control Them

Human nature is created so that you can choose your destiny, and then control it. The key is to be one of the few who know where you are going and exactly how to get there..........
 

Do You Have a Vision

If, instead, you create a compelling vision in which you see yourself standing in front of your yellow house with a two-car garage on a sunny street lined with trees, with a rose garden.........
 

Growing Up is Optional - Do Not Stop Playing

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around..........