Kick it to the Curb

IF you think you're ALL THAT....kick it to the curb. You're not all that to your kids, your spouse, your job, your friends. Heck, at times you're not all that to yourself. And you're breaking yourself apart if you're trying to do it all, be it all, finish it all, clean it all, hide it all, make it all happen so everybody in your life will be happy and problem free. KICK IT TO THE CURB. You, my friend, do not walk on water so don't try. You don't live a perfect life so please don't break your heart, mind and soul pretending to others that you do. In the end of the day this will rob you of your own happiness; you'll lose yourself to others. Is that how you want to spend your days? I wonder if the 9/11 victims would tell you to work yourself to death for everybody in your life? I wonder if the names on the monuments of all the wars would say....get out there and make someone else's life perfect at your own expense. I wonder if you just need to KICK IT TO THE CURB. Do I sound harsh.....hopefully I do. I see it everyday. I see people little by little dissolve into puddles of 'o how I tried', or ' I wish there were 30 hours in everyday', and guess what? They drown in those puddles. Take a flashlight and shine it backwards and see if there's not things that you need to kick to the curb. If you don't see any, then you've blinded yourself to yourself. Let's make today a day of hauling trash, filling dumpsters and kickin' things to the curb!

Stumbling Blocks.........

We all have them. Not problems, not everyday annoyances, but blocks. Things that are in your pathway to success. Okay, so maybe you're as successful as you want to be. Go You!!! But if you're not, then figure out what that boulder is in front of you that is keeping you from getting to the end of that tunnel. No confidence? No time? No encouragement? No this, no that? Is your stumbling block cement and unmovable or is it just something that scares the heck out of you and you don't want to address it, acknowledge it or deal with it. Is it laziness or complacency? Is your give a 'whatever' broken? I don't know what yours is and frankly I don't care. What I do care about it that if it is keeping you from reaching your potential, then it's a problem. Why you ask? Because you are not being your authentic self. You are not getting to the goal line. You are keeping someone else from their 3 pointer because you haven't achieved yours. Do you get this? Do you understand that we are all linked and the weakest link in the chain could be you. Maybe you have a song to sing, an invention to invent, a book to write, a speech to make that will trickle down and disintegrate someone else's stumbling block. And then they will in turn help someone else. So here's your choice. Sit and stare at that thing in your path or knock the thing out of the way. Gripe and mumble and grumble about life, or take it and shake it and turn it upside down and succeed. I have a stumbling block, you have one too. And if you think you don't, then you are fooling yourself. Because not one person on this planet has reached their peak. There are always steps to take, lessons to learn, gifts to give and goals to achieve. Help yourself help somebody else. Stumbling Blocks.......sit and stare, or move mountains. Your choice. Your life. Your contribution.

Seek and Ye Shall Find.................

What are you seeking? It's my theory that if you're alive you should be seeking something. There is a universe to explore and knowledge to seek on every level. We all have different interests and pursuits. I think a sad thing in a person's life is to stop climbing the trail of learning. Maybe you think you know it all....(cough cough). Maybe you just don't know where to look. Maybe you find yourself content to sit and be that person who isn't about growth. I encourage you to find somebody that has greater wisdom than you do.....yes, as hard as it is to fathom, there is someone who does. Search, seek, learn. Life isn't about stagnation. Life is about expansion. Life is about absorption. Life is about filling up and then giving back to someone who may need your wisdom. Is anybody on this earth all knowing....of course not! But I assure you the greatest minds have never stopped seeking. Powerful stuff guys!

And When You See a Need......................

What do you do when you see a need? Do you shake your head and say, "Those poor people."? Do you reach out a helping hand? Do you thank God in his Mighty Heavens that it isn't you? Do you merely walk away with not another thought, so wrapped up in yourself that you are incapable of seeing outside the box of your problems. What do you do? I think your reaction says much about your character. We all are prone to help friends and family members more than those whom we don't know. But the Bible says......What you do for the least of these....SO my question remains. What do you do? The least of these may be those people who have never physically nor emotionally entered your small universal space. The least of these may be reeling from mighty forces with absolutely no where to turn but to the generosity of people who do NOT just walk away shaking their heads. Consider your character. It is on the line for the people of Moore Oklahoma. It is up front and center for the grieving, the stunned, the helpless. What will you do?

Saving..................

There's probably nothing you can do to save the entire world....but you can save your part of this beautiful thing called life. We are all given a place.....maybe yours is in the city, country, apartment, house....it really doesn't matter, you have a space. Not only physically, but emotionally you have a space. It is your job to plant and seed. And it is your job to weed and to water. Just like lawns and gardens we all need people to help our emotional, mental and spiritual gardens grow. No one is an island unto himself. Okay, fine, I didn't write that wonderful set of words...but I love it. You can not do life without help. Don't be that child who is standing in the corner with his arms crossed over his chest saying, 'Leave me alone.' Don't miss out on the blessings of family and friends. You can NOT save even your tiny space of the universe without help. Today's blog isn't about giving; it's about receiving and receiving with grace and gratitude and joy. You have someone who wants to help you...maybe through a great conversation, maybe through a slight touch, maybe through a prayer. Saving yourself is saving your future generations. It's building a bridge, setting stepping stones, paving a way. How wonderful, yet awe inspiring to know, that what you do with your life, will affect those around you and in front of you for years to come. Loved ones have done that for you......and yearn to continue. Let them. Receive what is given. Let your garden grow.

Inspiration...............

I'm certian that we, as humans, need inspiration each and every day. We need that push to put one foot in front of the other and just keep life going. Some days are easier than others. Some days are sailboats on calm seas...masts fully opened and skies blue. Other days are row boats in seas so rough that hanging on is all we can do. On those days, we need inspirations, we need to pull them from our gut and use them with every bit of our strength. One of my truest, most trusted , my go to inspirations is Maya Angelou. If you've never heard her speak nor read her books, then you are missing out on a deep wisdom. She is a true teacher. Her story is long, and at times hard to absorb. Raped at 7, mute for many years, labeled an idiot, she has risen from her own personal ashes to become one of the most decorated women of our time. She has thoughts and words so provoking as to be mind boggling. Her words are musical instruments. She is a phenomena of our age. She has written thirty books, has spoken at the UN, can speak seven languages. She is one of my inspirations. So from time to time I think I'll take her words and pass them along. Today one of my favorite MA quotes is....."When we know better, we do better." Take those words and really let them dwell and simmer in your mind. You should know better ever day of this life you've been given. You know better today,than you did yesterday, or last week, or last month or year. So do better. Be inspired and be an inspiration to someone else. I hope you have an inspiration in your life that helps you through those row boats day. But if you don't, then borrow mine. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. No, never disappointed. You will be blessed.

Brand....................

And I don't mean the brand of detergent you buy, or green beans, or coffee, or cereal. I mean YOUR brand. The Brannan Farm has a brand that has been registered with the great State of Texas for generations. It is how things are marked around our place. As an animal lover I don't like to think about the use of brands in the sense of the Brannan Farm brand, so let's talk about how we each and every one brand our own lives. Our Brands are the choices we make, the words we speak, the attitudes we display, the expectations we put on ourselves. How have you branded yourself? Are you a generic brand? Are you a specialty brand, an organic brand? Do you even KNOW what your brand is? Do you care? Hear this, how you brand yourself reflects on your children, your family and your influence on your very tiny part of this world. How you brand yourself affects not only your present but your future. How you brand yourself is your life. In fact, your brand is burned into every waking moment. Be very careful about your Brand. It is your legacy.