On Taking Control of Our Future

For far too long I have been a victim of myself and my choices. Being powerless to change past circumstances and mistakes, I mistakenly let feelings of hopelessness take over me. Thankfully, recent painful events have jolted me out of my cycle. As my therapist said, it is only when the pain of the now outweighs the pain and fear of change that most people ever change at all. No matter how much pain I had and have to go through, I'm truly thankful for it because I know that it has helped me move forward in life.

One of the best advice about the past I've read is from Mort Fertel. Here's a snippet of what he said about how to get over your past (and past your hurt). If you're also hurting right now, I hope this somehow helps you see past your hurt too.

"...you don’t have to change the past in order to get over it. What you have to change is the MEANING of the past.

Think for a moment. Was there ever a time in your life when something horrible happened and you thought, “Why is this happening to me?” But then a few years later you looked back and you could answer that question. In retrospect, you understood why it happened. At first, it seemed like the world was caving in. Later, it all made sense.

In fact, very often, we eventually realize that bad times are part of a process that leads to something good!

It’s the events that FOLLOW bad times that determine the ultimate meaning of those times. In other words, it’s your future that determines your past; not the other way around. And since YOU are in charge of your future, then YOU determine the meaning of your past."

Here's to the future, second chances, and the power to rewrite the meaning of our past!

Unlearning

Learning is about more than simply acquiring new knowledge and insights; it is also crucial to unlearn old knowledge that has outlived its relevance. Thus, forgetting is probably at least as important as learning. - Gary Ryan Blair

While looking for quotes on relevance (to add to my SEO post...still haven't found any relevant relevance quote :p) I stumbled on this really wise quote. Whoever this Gary Ryan Blair is pretty wise. Anyway it started me thinking about stuff I need to unlearn.

1. Typing habits.
2. Whacked out body clock.
3. Automatic response to any criticism help from my mom and Mark.

Am sure there's a whole lot more but the point is he's right I do need to unlearn stuff to learn new things. What's the stuff you need to unlearn?

Marriage Makes for Great Sayings

I recently read an email in my uncle's inbox. I wasn't snooping around...he asked me to open his email for him since he hasn't been going to work due to his heart condition. Anyway this funny email caught my eye. Picked out the ones I found to be most amusing but not too offending (haha...kaka offend pag natatamaan!). I wonder what Mark has to say to this....No darling you don't need to reply to that because you might get in trouble...just let me wondering :p

Funny (unfortunately many times true) marriage sayings:

After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together. - Hemant Joshi

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. - Socrates

Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them. - Dumas (Hoy ha! Bad to...blaming other people for your own failings.)

The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want? - Sigmund Freud (neither have I been able to answer this! Tell me people what do I want?)

I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me. - Anonymous (Not so true with us anymore. I tend to shut up and mope when I'm hurt or mad.)

"I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years." - Sam Kinison (LOL!!!)

"There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage." - James Holt McGavran

"I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn't." - Patrick Murray

Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming
1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it,
2. Whenever you're right, shut up.
- Nash (Hear! Hear!)

The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once... - Anonymous (Ummm....am the one guilty of this.)

You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to. - Henny Youngman

A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong. - Milton Berle (Oh I AM a good wife after all. ^_^)

Birthday Quotes for Me

If you want to be happy, be.
Henry David Thorreau

There are days of oldness, and then one gets young again.
Katherine Butler Hathaway

It takes a long time to grow young.
Pablo Picasso

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be...
Robert Browning


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I am finding out that celebrating your own birthday in the plainest possible way can be far more rewarding than a whole slew of parties with people, cakes, noise and no time to reflect.