Sigourney Weaver & Muhammed Ali -DOTM049

Sigourney Weaver, Actor

 

“I don't have ambitions, I believe in taking what comes. I have that philosophy about life in general. I go in and try to transform it into the best it can be.”

 

You were just handed some lemons. What do you do? Most people are so familiar with that quote that they immediately say, “make lemonade”.

 

Ms Weaver is going a step beyond that. She doesn’t get creative only at the time when things are not going so great, she is talking about discovering what is available to you, be it good, bad, or ugly, and starting from there, and making the best you can of it in EVERY circumstance. If you are experienced at such things, you may even be able to make something more valuable than the sum of the parts available. 

 

Being intrepid in this manner is what saves the day, and even lives when they are on the line. Those who are able to think quickly but clearly can save themselves and other a lot of trouble, and can anticipate the moves required for some serious success in every area of life. This is a skill you really want to cultivate.

 

A quote from Nido Qubein  

 

“Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.”

 

Sometimes it takes us a while to learn the lesson that limitations on what we can do are mostly piled on by our own insecurities, basically what we think we can do. The average human will not attempt something they know can’t be done. They simply will not waste the effort to try. 

 

We hear motivational speakers say, “If you think you can, you can.”

This is not some pie in the sky magic bullet to automatically solve all the problems in the world and make us richer than the dreams of avarice. There is a really good kernel of truth to this, and I am sure you have learned by now, I am going to tell you what I think it is.

 

Belief is the fuel for you efforts. The amount of energy expended to accomplish something is directly tied to the belief that it can be achieved. You simply won’t give it your all if you don’t believe. It’s just that simple.

 

Take what you are given, and build something that would make your mother-in-law proud of you!

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigourney_Weaver

 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000244/

 

 

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 Mohammed Ali, The Greatest

 

“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” 

 

Wasting thirty years would be a complete travesty. I think of those in prison who go in at an early age and then are old when they get out. What an amazing waste of human potential. I am not going to debate the pros and cons of crime and punishment or rehabilitation. This is just to illustrate the point that if you learned nothing between 20 and 50, you my friend, are in a sad state.

 

The human ability to learn, create and grow is extraordinary. When all that potential is stifled in an environment where there are so many chances to stimulate our brains and imaginations, it is clearly a crime.

 

When does this happen? It could be laziness in the person affected, it could be the fault of a parent who tried to keep them under their thumb for selfish reasons, or sometimes even physical abuse that causes someone to close up emotionally for safety from the savage world they live in.

 

When you see someone in a situation like that, try your best to give them something. You don’t know everything, so you can’t teach them everything. There is one simple thing you can do that will help for a lifetime. Try to instill in that person the actual desire to learn. If you can start that little fire, it could eventually create a burn that will be unstoppable later. 

 

A person who loves learning will get information from so many different sources, and will just start to absorb what is around them like a sponge. They will pick up some from your store of knowledge, but you don’t have to be the smartest person ever. That one little nugget you taught them of wanting to learn will serve them for a lifetime, even when you are not around.

 

Don’t just hand someone a fish, that will only feed them for a day. Actually teach them to fish, and you will feed their hunger for a life time.

 

There is an interesting article in the Huffington Post entitled “Things You Learn By 50. Check it out! The link will be in the show notes for Episode 49 of Daggers Of The Mind.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/09/things-you-learn-by-50_n_7536838.html

 

http://muhammadali.com/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali

 

https://www.facebook.com/MuhammadAliVerified

 

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I would like to thank the band Portal for allowing me to use their music in Daggers Of The Mind. Their website is portalpraise.homestead.com

 

Don’t forget about the other show I do with my wife Dee. It is called the WV Podcast and is about the great state of West Virginia and the stories of the amazing people that make it such a great place to live. You can find everything we do at wvpodcast.com, or in the “All of us West Virginians” group on Facebook.

 

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David Bowie & Bill Withers -DOTM048

David Bowie, Rock Star

 

“As you get older, the questions come down to about two or three. How long? And what do I do with the time I've got left?”

 

Death is considered by many to be the ultimate end of all of us. While a lot of people live what is affectionately known as a “full lifetime”, many never get that chance. 

 

Those who die early from fast living, you know, that self destructive type of life that can kill you in an instant, and maybe take someone else down at the same time, aren’t giving this any thought at all.

 

Those who have early life illness, especially those who have known nothing else, don’t usually have the span of time or experience to think this deeply.

 

It is only when life is slowing down from the main rat race we have been running in for those early years that we pause and evalutate what we have accomplished, and what we would like to accomplish before we go. It is summed up in one word. Legacy. What will people think and say when we are mentioned? Did we just make a splash, or did we do something meaningful. 

 

I remember hearing once of the Darwin Award which was supposed to go to the least evolved human of that year. It was awarded to a guy who was attempting a robbery of a soft drink machine. He rocked the machine back and forth until it fell on him and became the instrument of his untimely demise.

 

In spite of the seriousness of a human death, the fact of his stupidity in making it happen is pretty hilarious. Do you want to remembered as “that stupid guy”, or would you want others to respect the fact that your life counted for something and was well lived?

 

Being famous has absolutely nothing to do with having a meaningful life. Many times fame is the thing that makes a life even less meaningful. 

 

On the most basic level, our relationship with our family is the most important contribution you can make in this world. My wife and I have one child, a daughter, and I will be content if I can leave her with success and life relationships as least as good as my own.

 

Sure I have ambitions beyond this, but if I fail at home, I will not accomplish anything else worth a legacy. This being said, also remember I have said before that family is not about blood, it is about relationship. Your family is formed around you. It could be stepchildren, your closest friends or even a close knit Facebook group you are a member of. 

 

Sure, go and conquer the world. But make sure before you go that you have done the most important things first. Make sure you have actually LIVED!

 

 

Mark Twain

 

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”

 

http://davidbowie.com/fiveyears/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie

 

https://www.facebook.com/davidbowie

 

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Bill Withers, Singer/Songwriter

 

“I feel that it is healthier to look out at the world through a window than through a mirror. Otherwise, all you see is yourself and whatever is behind you.”

 

Many people have a limited view of the world.

It is pretty easy to tell when a person is focused on themselves rather than others and are living in their old accomplishments instead looking for new experiences.

 

As we age, we realize there is more time behind us than in front of us. It makes us evaluate everything we have done, analyzing our legacy that will presented to the future.

 

After we are gone, we can’t do much to correct any mistakes, so healthy introspection is OK. This being said, do you plan to live in the past all the time, or is there something else you want to accomplish? 

 

What would you really like to do? Is there something like learning to play a musical instrument, another language, or hey, how about starting a Podcast talking about something you are passionate about?

 

I have always thought that you never truly grow old until you have nothing to look forward to in your life, and are only looking back. Some people truly have nothing else to accomplish, but I suspect that most voluntarily grow old by choosing not to dream anymore, and just spend all their time looking back, reliving the glory days.

 

I had glory days, when I was in high school, playing basketball, state and national competitions in various events, and just a great time. At that part of my life and into my 20s, measuring that against the total time of my life, my glory days were huge! Looking back now, it is a very small portion the time I have lived. It diminishes in importance the older I get. Compared to things I did later, being married to the the love of my life, being father to a really cool daughter, etc, it just seems like so much kid stuff. BTW, I will be 52 next month.

 

As long as you keep looking ahead and planning to do things, you will not grow old. When you stop growing, that is the sign that you are preparing to die, whether you recognize the condition or not. Build anticipation in yourself for that next great thing you want to do. You won’t regret it, and you may just feel a little younger!

 

 A final quote:

 

“An intense anticipation itself transforms possibility into reality; our desires being often but precursors of the things which we are capable of performing.”

 

Samuel Smiles

 

 

http://www.billwithers.com/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Withers

 

https://www.facebook.com/BillWithers

 

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Don't forget to check out the other podcast I do with my wife, Dee, called The WV Podcast. You can find this and everything we do at wvpodcast.com. Subscribe on the site for email notifications of new blog posts and podcast episodes. 

 

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Paul McCartney & John Lennon -DOTM047

The celebrities quoted today were suggested by Craig of the DisAfterDark podcast. The DisAfterDark podcast takes place in the Mouses Head pub in the United Kingdom. They describe the show like this:  "Yet another Disney Podcast, probably containing childish grown up language for immature adults." I really enjoy the show. Check it out at disafterdark.com

 Links to Craig and show he cohosts with be in the show notes for episode 47 of Daggers Of The Mind.

 

@bcl1973 @disafterdark 

 

https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/disafterdark-disney-podcast/id499831329?mt=2

 

http://www.disafterdark.com/

 

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Paul McCartney

 

“We were a savage little lot, Liverpool kids, not pacifist or vegetarian or anything. But I feel I've gone beyond that, and that it was immature to be so prejudiced and believe in all the stereotypes.”

 

Hey, grow up! Of course in many ways NOT growing up, keeping that sense of wonder, your creativity, etc is perfectly fine and actually best, but what about those immature and petty things we used to cling to before we learned what the world was all about?

There was a girl I dated for a couple of years in late junior high, into high school. Thinking back, I am totally embarassed about the childish way I treated her.  I was after all, a child. This haunted me for years, we all grew up and her and my wife became acquainted and became fast friends. Once my daughter and I encountered her at a basketball game when my daughter’s school played theirs. I introduced her as a girl I dated in Junior High, and I loved the look on my daughter’s face that I had ever dated anyone but her mother.

I then mentioned that even though she was a year younger than me, she had been much more mature than I was during the relationship. She looked totally shocked and disagreed with me completely. We had a laugh and then she asked where Dee was, and you could see them over there having an animated conversation, just thrilled to see each other.

For years I had gone on just sure she thought I was a “snake in the grass” so to speak, but found out that she was actually worried about what I thought of her.

As adults, we should be able to see clearly enough to get past the pettiness of our youth. 

We did a lot of things that would be considered offensive in adults, and had various prejudices that were basically untested things we had no experience with. We just took someone else’s word and hopped on the band wagon to belong. A grown adult should have learned long ago what is childish, and what is mature.

 

From the Bible, 1st Corinthians 13:11

 

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

 

Apologize if you must, but just grow up.

 

http://www.paulmccartney.com/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney

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John Lennon

 

“When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream.”

 

Desperation. Everything is hitting the fan and you don’t know what to do. It could even be a life threatening thing such as the drowning Mr. Lennon described. Now, what is your recourse in a time such as this? 

Are you ready, just in case? Or have you burned so many bridges to relationships that there is no one around to rescue you in that critical moment? Take a moment and analyze your behavior and see if you have the matches in your hand and are trying to destroy, in advance, any chance of rescue.

Are you tearing through life like a bull in a china shop breaking everything in sight, including relationships? If you take a more gentle path, maybe even help people when you can, there will be someone there ready to put their hand out in your most desperate hour.

Just because you are theoretically invincible now, doesn’t mean you always will be. As you age, you will get weaker in many ways, and it is a real jolt when you have been a mover and shaker in this world, and you find out that your moving and shaking is making less of a difference than it used to.

If you went through life only thinking of yourself, if you ran over others with impunity, never realizing your time was coming, you most likely will get what you deserve.

Others with your attitude will come along and grind you under their wheels in exactly the same manner, and there won’t be a single thing you can do about it.

If, on the other hand, you helped others as you made your journey, protecting them from the road warrior types, there will be grateful people around you who will help you when you are no longer able to defend yourself.

This brings to mind a bumper sticker I have seen a few times:  Be nice to your children because they will be picking your nursing home.

While there are more reasons to be nice to others than this, if you are totally selfish, at least be nice because of what it may mean to your own future.

 

The expected final quote:

 

"The great danger for family life, in the midst of any society whose idols are pleasure, comfort and independence, lies in the fact that people close their hearts and become selfish."

Pope John Paul II

 

http://www.johnlennon.com/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon

 

Don't forget the show I do with my wife Dee, The WV Podcast!

 

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Ringo Starr & George Harrison -DOTM046

The celebrities quoted today were suggested by Craig of the DisAfterDark podcast. The DisAfterDark podcast takes place in the Mouses Head pub in the United Kingdom. They describe the show like this:  "Yet another Disney Podcast, probably containing childish grown up language for immature adults." I really enjoy the show. Check it out at disafterdark.com

 Links to Craig and show he cohosts with be in the show notes for episode 46 of Daggers Of The Mind.

 

@bcl1973 @disafterdark 

 

https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/disafterdark-disney-podcast/id499831329?mt=2

 

http://www.disafterdark.com/

 

 

Ringo Starr

 

“I remember the day Zak was born. It was the first time I'd felt totally useless. There was Maureen having our baby. She kept on crying "Help!" and I kept asking "How?".”

 

The most lost any man can ever feel is in this very situation. The love of your life is in pain, and she is going through this pain, for you and also because of you, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to lessen her pain.

When this happens, or any other situation you can’t get your loved one out of occurs, there is one very important thing you can do. Just be there and give moral support. 

Just not walking away and leaving them alone makes all the difference. They know you would take this from them if you could, but since you can’t, you are going to be with them as they cope.

When Dee was having our daughter, we had just gone through several years of infertility work. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind or hers that this was exactly what we wanted. We were both totally educated on the different stages of birth and the birthing classes had us sharpened to a fine point. Hehehe!

Honestly. I didn’t faint, and we didn’t panic. I only had one official act as birthing coach, and my main use was that she felt the need to squeeze my head in her arms when she had a contraction. I fulfilled that office admirably. We had the usual excitement, but everything was under control  and we rolled with it, had the baby and it was over. Things have been great ever since.

In episode 30 of Daggers Of The Mind, I told the story of a man we found laying beside his bicycle on the edge of the road. He was alone and with a broken femur, he was in a lot of pain. We stopped to help and was able to stabilize the injury and call an ambulance.

When he was on the phone to family members, he said that “an angel and her husband” were helping him.

We did very little but offer support at a time he was helpless, but the effect was way out of proportion to the effort it took to help. You can be someone’s angel today. If you see the opportunity, take it. It costs you so little, but it helps so much.

 

http://holbrooknewmedia.com/2015/04/20/bart-starr-j-k-rowling-dotm030/

 

 

http://www.ringostarr.com/

 

 

http://www.ringostarr.com/

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George Harrison

 

“Gossip is the Devil’s radio.”

 

This quote was created back in the day when it was generally accepted that the Devil was the symbol of evil. So we can assume that Mr. Harrison thought that gossip was a bad thing.

Gossip is indeed like a cancer. People who are susceptible to it catch the disease and spread it. It can go viral just like things do on the Internet and destroy lives. Some people have even committed suicide over a rumor that everyone believed about them. The damage can be devastating.

A few years ago there was somebody, as yet unknown, who decided to test the marriages of the employees who seemed to have the best relationships by calling their spouses anonymously and claiming that they knew for a fact that the employee was having an affair with someone else. It caused plenty of trouble around the workplace. I heard that there were breakups, but I can’t confirm it. 

The interesting thing is that when I heard about it happening to someone, I told my wife at home and she said, “Oh, that’s no big deal, they called me last month”.

She told them she had no idea who they were, but she did know me, and there was no way I was having an affair, and hung up on them. She didn’t even worry enough about it to ask me until I brought it up myself since it was being done to other people.

Bottom line. She knew me, she trusted me, and we just breezed right by that test. It kind of makes me think the person who was making the calls must have failed at marriage themselves, and either felt that no one else deserved a good one, or wanted to be convinced it was actually possible to love for a lifetime.

Whatever their reason, it was a purely evil thing to do. Gossip destroys. Period. That is it’s only purpose. There is no good that can ever come out of it. People who engage in it sometimes are unaware of the carnage it is capable of creating, and just go blissfully along hurting, and maybe even killing others’ dreams, their faith, and sometimes their will to live. Don’t spread the radio programs the Devil wants people to hear. There are plenty of good things you can spread instead. Help. Don’t hurt. You and everyone you know will be better for it.

 

A final quote by Blake Lively

 

“People gossip. People are insecure, so they talk about other people so that they won't be talked about. They point out flaws in other people to make them feel good about themselves. I think at any age or any social class, that's present.”

 

 

http://www.georgeharrison.com/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison

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Don't forget the other show I do with my wife, The WV Podcast!

 

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Walt Disney & Roy Disney -DOTM045

The celebrities quoted today were suggested by Craig of the DisAfterDark podcast. The DisAfterDark podcast takes place in the Mouses Head pub in the United Kingdom. They describe the show like this:  "Yet another Disney Podcast, probably containing childish grown up language for immature adults." I really enjoy the show. Check it out at disafterdark.com

 Links to Craig and show he cohosts with be in the show notes for episode 45 of Daggers Of The Mind.

 

@bcl1973

@disafterdark 

 

https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/disafterdark-disney-podcast/id499831329?mt=2

 

http://www.disafterdark.com/

 

 

Walt Disney, Creator Of The Famous Mouse

 

“All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

 

No pain no gain. Quite the cliché in our world, but there is still a lot of truth in it. Walt Disney and his older brother Roy had quite a bit of adversity before becoming the overnight success we know of today. Several starts and stops were required to learn the lessons they needed to succeed.

Once Walt found out another company had the rights to a character they were cartooning and they not only lost the chance to the character property, but also all but one of the employees that were doing the actual animation.

I do believe that would qualify as a kick in the teeth for anybody.

Since Walt was the creative one, and not so good at business, his older brother Roy came in to run the business end, and that was when the famous mouse was born. Each had their strengths and weaknesses, and freeing up Walt to be creative and letting the introverted Roy handle the paperwork was a magical combination.

Yes, Mickey Mouse came in and saved the day. He was originally going to be called Mortimer, but fortunately that was changed. Good move.

When you get your official kick in the teeth in your endeavors, don’t quit, evaluate what went wrong and then team up with others who have talents you don’t possess. Recognition of other people’s talents and pulling together are major ingredients for getting things done. 

Check your ego at the door, make sure your teeth are tightening back up and get to work. It’s time to become that overnight success!

A quote from President Bill Clinton:

"If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney

 

Walt Disney in the International Movie Database

 

http://disney.com/

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Roy Disney, Uncle Of The Famous Mouse

 

“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.”

 

Why does a person spend all their time trying to please others? I think it is probably because they really don’t have a clearly defined idea of their own values. If that is the case, there is a desperate attempt to find the values of other people that can be substituted for their own.

Your core values are what determines what direction you take on any issue. Even when you do research and learn things that fine tune your paths, there should be a basic and stable center that you rely on for your final decision on anything.

When you are unsure of where you really stand, trying to please others becomes paramount because it relieves you of the responsibility of stepping out and being committed to a specific path. Then, any failure will be their fault, not yours.

This is a very bad move because you end up being wishy washy. When person number 1 is near, you try to do what they would, and when person 2 is around, you may do the exact opposite. This can create conflict, and in extreme cases, serious harm to your reputation and your friendships.

This also leaves you open to the type of people that enjoy the power of manipulating others. You are just standing there waiting to be told what to do. Unscrupulous people are ready to oblige.

When a conversation starts with “I dare you to”, that is a clear case of being manipulated to do something you shouldn’t. Why would anyone ever bother to dare you to do what is right?

Know your own core values. What is right and what is wrong should be static, not flexible. Situational ethics can get you in just as much trouble as being led by whoever happens to be standing around.

As an example, I actually heard someone say the other day that it is OK to steal from Walmart, but not from a small store. It seems to me a little tilted. If it is wrong on a mom and pop store, it is also wrong to steal from Walmart. 

Lock them in, and be ready to take a stand when the rubber meets the road. When faced with the choice, the choice is simple. Definate, fixed core values make it easy to point in a decisive direction and go for it.

A final thought from Senator Cory Booker:

"If you look at great human civilizations, from the Roman Empire to the Soviet Union, you will see that most do not fail simply due to external threats but because of internal weakness, corruption, or a failure to manifest the values and ideals they espouse."

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_O._Disney

 

http://www.mouseplanet.com/9562/The_Forgotten_Brother_Who_Built_a_Magic_Kingdom

 

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Would like to say a special thanks to Martin Lindeskog of Gothenburg, Sweden for tweeting and promoting the show on Twitter.com. He describes himself at a Nuismatist, Renaissance Man & American in Spirit. He's a great guy, and I really appeciate the shout outs!!!

@Lyceum

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