Dark Words of Wisdom

“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” –George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four

I have been watching a lot of historical movies and documentaries lately. One observation I have of history films is that they are a reflection of the time period that it was made. For example, in a movie about the 1800s, women weren’t wearing gloves at a time in history when it was common for women to wear gloves. In this sense, we are controlling how we portray the past. Similarly, schools decide what students learn about our past when they decide what goes in our curricula and what books we are allowed to read.

Thus, where we are today is controlling where we will be in our future when we show the current generation our interpretation of the past. Something to think about when we create movies, stories, and lessons to educate the next generation.

How to Have It All and Attain Your Dream

Is it possible to have it all? We all have goals and dreams; nothing is more fulfilling than seeing our goals achieved. On the other hand, nothing is more disappointing than working hard and watching success slip away as you fail.

Over time, I’ve put together tips on how to have it all. The last tip is my favorite.

Daily writing prompt
What does “having it all” mean to you? Is it attainable?
View all responses

1 Set Realistic Goals

Having it all has different meanings for different people: being rich, working at their dream job, marrying their significant other, or living in their ideal house while married with a spouse and kids. No matter what the perfect life means to you, you want a match between what’s realistically attainable and what you aim to have.

If you want to be a billionaire but you don’t have the means to reach that income level, you won’t have everything you desire. Similarly, if you want a happy marriage, you will achieve it by working on your relationship and communicating with your spouse.

2 Evaluate Your Progress

Life has its surprises. Your goal may be to earn a medal for a sport, but an unexpected tragedy makes that goal unattainable. In that case, you may need to modify your goal or set a new one. It’s also possible that you thought you could achieve a goal, but as time passes and you gain more life experience, you realize that goal was not reasonable. For example, you may want to start a profitable business but not reach your sales goal. In that case, it’s time to make new milestones and readjust your plans.

3 Put Yourself First

It’s important to put yourself first. If you’re influenced by more successful people, what other people have, or the opinions of those who criticize you, it will be difficult to have it all. If you want to be the most fashionable by comparing yourself to fashion icons, you will always be trying to catch up to someone else. If you have a critical friend or parent, you’ll always be below standard and imperfect until you put yourself first.

4 Create Happiness

The greatest key to having it all is happiness with what you have. This is not the same as setting low standards. What it means is if you want certain things in life, but you haven’t gotten them yet, take a look around you and see what you currently have while you continue to work on your goals. Being happy with what you have is important for mental health and confidence. It’s a stepping stone as you continue to work on what you want in the future.

Fun Images to Make You Smile

One item I enjoy collecting is pictures that make people smile or laugh. I hope these images bring some light into your day.

Daily writing prompt
Do you have any collections?
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For those who like math and language humor:

Remember to work with an editor:

Crispy children sandwich $5.89.

If you’ve ever walked into a room and can’t remember why you’re there:

Did you know? When you walk through a door and forget why you're there. It could be because you ran into an alien, and he had to erase your memory so he could escape.

One way to remind yourself that time has passed:

I showed my 12 year old an old floppy disc... they said, "Wow! that's so awesome! You 3D printed the save icon!"

How Much Would You Pay for Freedom

I had one important goal in life: to make as much money as I could, so I could be the perfect son and perfect husband to the girl I wanted to marry. To me, freedom meant giving my girlfriend anything she wanted to make her happy. Of course, it was a dream come true when I was given a job offer I couldn’t refuse, a job that would give me everything I needed.

This is what happened.

Daily writing prompt
What does freedom mean to you?
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I was asked to do a day’s worth of consulting work at an office downtown. The interview was peculiar. All I had to do was finish a report within twenty-four hours. After that, I would get ten thousand dollars. Easy money for a day’s worth of work! 

Just as I was going to head home, I received an email:  work for a week at that office and receive one hundred thousand dollars! The catch was I couldn’t leave the office or talk to anyone for five days. It was worth the sacrifice for what I would get.

A week passed. I wrote reports and then got the cash deposited in my bank account. When my time was done, I called my girlfriend to tell her I was going to see her soon and I had a wonderful surprise. She was overjoyed. Then, I received another email.

This time, the pay was one million dollars. How could I refuse? I could buy my future wife the house we wanted and I could buy a new car!

Time passed. I finished the work, and finally, I was free. I wanted to surprise my love, so I didn’t want to waste any time and rushed over to her house. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts about what I would say to her. I didn’t realize how preoccupied I was until I got to the house and was surprised to see it had changed from blue to white.

I rang the doorbell. Maybe they had painted the house that week. The woman who answered was her mother. She gasped when she saw me, while I asked her if her daughter was home. I needed to speak to her immediately. I had the most wonderful news.

“Oh my gosh,” she said, opening the door a little so I could come in. “Where have you been? And why are you calling me by my mother’s name?”

I followed her eyes to the large wedding photo decorating the wall of the living room. It was a photo of my love as a bride, and the groom was another man. Then my eyes dropped to the baby stroller in the hallway next to me.

This wasn’t her mother. It was my love, many years older.  Where had all the years gone? I’d worked so hard to have the life I wanted, to be able to have the freedom to buy her everything she wanted, to give her the life she wanted. And now, she was married to someone else.

I thought of all the money in my bank account. I had everything and I had nothing.

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What To Do If Your Career Isn’t Where You Want It To Be

The moment you’re old enough to get a job, you’re asked, “What is your career plan?” Sometimes, you don’t know what job you want to do for the rest of your life. Other times, you try a career and discover it’s not what you want. 

How do you find the perfect career-related job, or start a new career without spending thousands of dollars on training?

Daily writing prompt
What is your career plan?
View all responses

If you’re thinking about changing careers in order to earn a higher income and keep up with rising costs, consider these tips:

Assess your financial situation. 

How much do you have in savings? How much debt? Should you borrow money to pay expenses while you work to get your career back on track? It may be wiser to take the first job you find so your expenses are paid while you continue to search for better opportunities.

Look for options to develop your skills while working. 

Can you use your current skillset to get a job that gives you opportunities to develop new skills that are a stepping stone to a different career?

Build a professional support network. 

If you look around, you’ll find some positive online communities that share career resources and job opportunities. It’s also a great idea to attend in-person networking events and get to know people who can introduce you to companies or tell you about job openings.

Work with a mentor. 

A career coach or someone with more experience than you in an industry or field can guide you. They can point out what you need to work on, steer you away from making potential mistakes, and share important wisdom with you.

Build your skillset. 

Take free or paid courses that build your skills and qualifications. Read books. Join mastermind groups. Share your knowledge with your portfolio. 

Build a portfolio. 

Share your expertise online. Blog or post articles or advice on your website or LinkedIn profile. This approach is especially useful if you don’t have actual job experience in the field you’re interested in. For example, if you’re interested in a career in graphic design, you can start building a portfolio of your work on your own website.

Starting your career and changing careers are tough. By investing in yourself and creating networks, it’s possible to start a new career or change careers with effort and time. 

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