Over the years, one of the most difficult things to do in life is to appreciate what you have and keep a positive mindset toward life. As we get older, we have much more responsibility. Unlike the simple life we were once used to, we now have bills, housing, transportation, careers, retirement, health, family, and many other obstacles that can beat us down on our path to the prize.
The one thing that can help us achieve our goals is the power of positive thinking. Everyone has a friend, acquaintance, or family member that just has the worst luck and no matter what happens in life, they can always beat it with something bad. Negative thoughts breed negative results. I realize not everything can be controlled, but with all the stresses of everyday life, it helps to keep a positive outlook on life. I have struggled with this myself and have made the conscious decision to not let people persuade my mood or actions. Negativity can dig a hole that can be near impossible to get out of without an attitude adjustment. You would be surprised what a smile, better food, a little exercise, and some appreciation with life can do for you.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Life behind my eyes
Some people think I am inpersonal or arrogant. Some people aren't sure what to make of me. Some people know me very well, and some don't take the time to know me at all. I've always been somewhat shy and it takes a while to become comfortable with people. Sometimes, I am able to force myself from it, but I am a quiet thinker by nature. My true passions are scarcely known and seldom understood. I would have to say that my best friends know me pretty well, yet most acquaintances only know their first impression, which peals back no layers of the onion of my personality.
Ever since I was a young kid, I've always been a hard worker with an entrepreneurial spirit. I started my first real business at the age of 15 and ever since have always had something in the works. I have learned many different fields and quietly studied business, politics, film making, music, art, and many other topics. Stupidity amuses me and often makes me wonder how some people can lack such common sense. I hold very high goals for myself and rarely feel challenged, and quickly become bored with with any dull or repetitive tasks. Sometimes, we all have to do what it takes this day in age.
Some of these posts will be funny, some random, some may not even make sense. This is mostly random babble, which I have been encouraged to make public by a few close friends. There will be some good stuff to come, but oddly this is what my mind is feasting on today is the shallow minds and lack of true friendships that exist today.
Ever since I was a young kid, I've always been a hard worker with an entrepreneurial spirit. I started my first real business at the age of 15 and ever since have always had something in the works. I have learned many different fields and quietly studied business, politics, film making, music, art, and many other topics. Stupidity amuses me and often makes me wonder how some people can lack such common sense. I hold very high goals for myself and rarely feel challenged, and quickly become bored with with any dull or repetitive tasks. Sometimes, we all have to do what it takes this day in age.
Some of these posts will be funny, some random, some may not even make sense. This is mostly random babble, which I have been encouraged to make public by a few close friends. There will be some good stuff to come, but oddly this is what my mind is feasting on today is the shallow minds and lack of true friendships that exist today.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Illinois State of the Union
The state of Illinois achieved statehood in 1818 and began in much of the same form it is currently in, broke. In 1818, Shadrach Bond was elected the first governor of Illinois. With the difficult task ahead of him to lead a newly formed state with no funds, no transportation, and largely undeveloped areas, Bond was able to provide a strong leadership to his state with would continue for roughly 140 years until Chicago politics would begin to turn hard working public servants into selfish millionaires with no sense of their constituents.
As the 19th century rolled around, Illinois produced some honest leaders including Abraham Lincoln, Richard Yates, and Shelby Collum. These were the days, right? As time progressed, so did the state as well as the rise of Chicago politics. Corruption is no recent development here. When Otto Kerner was elected governor in 1960, he would hold the crystal ball to show the downfall of those who would take office in future decades. Kerner gained notoriety by prosecuting automotive icon, Preston Tucker by claiming his company was a scam in return for Tucker lobbying for government intervention on lack of safety features offered by the Ford Motor Company. Kerner was also known for accepting bribes from executives of horse racing tracks in exchange for two exits to be build on the highway to lead to the tracks. He was convicted of 17 counts of bribery, conspiracy, and perjury. This is how it all begins...
Over the next couple decades, we witnessed convictions of Daniel Walker, George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich, and hopefully sooner than later, Pat Quinn. Blagojevich gained national attention for making bids to sell Barack Obama's seat in the Senate. After denying the entire event, tapes and conversations were made public not only incriminating the soon to be convicted governor, but turned him into a national joke.
Now we have Pat Quinn, who has signed a bill into legislation that directly affected my own way of life by requiring affiliates doing business with out of state retailers to remit sales tax on items not shipped from or to Illinois. While in his eyes, this may have been a good idea, it simply pushed numerous companies out of the state with a growing hatred toward Illinois politics with their lack of common sense approach. While our state has one of the highest unemployment levels in the country, more jobs are leaving the state than coming back in and from a local standpoint, many of the businesses looking to move in are simply sent packing to greener pastures. With all this history, one would think something could be learned from all this. In reality, it's just one more ignorant politician with his hands in the wrong pocket.
As the 19th century rolled around, Illinois produced some honest leaders including Abraham Lincoln, Richard Yates, and Shelby Collum. These were the days, right? As time progressed, so did the state as well as the rise of Chicago politics. Corruption is no recent development here. When Otto Kerner was elected governor in 1960, he would hold the crystal ball to show the downfall of those who would take office in future decades. Kerner gained notoriety by prosecuting automotive icon, Preston Tucker by claiming his company was a scam in return for Tucker lobbying for government intervention on lack of safety features offered by the Ford Motor Company. Kerner was also known for accepting bribes from executives of horse racing tracks in exchange for two exits to be build on the highway to lead to the tracks. He was convicted of 17 counts of bribery, conspiracy, and perjury. This is how it all begins...
Over the next couple decades, we witnessed convictions of Daniel Walker, George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich, and hopefully sooner than later, Pat Quinn. Blagojevich gained national attention for making bids to sell Barack Obama's seat in the Senate. After denying the entire event, tapes and conversations were made public not only incriminating the soon to be convicted governor, but turned him into a national joke.
Now we have Pat Quinn, who has signed a bill into legislation that directly affected my own way of life by requiring affiliates doing business with out of state retailers to remit sales tax on items not shipped from or to Illinois. While in his eyes, this may have been a good idea, it simply pushed numerous companies out of the state with a growing hatred toward Illinois politics with their lack of common sense approach. While our state has one of the highest unemployment levels in the country, more jobs are leaving the state than coming back in and from a local standpoint, many of the businesses looking to move in are simply sent packing to greener pastures. With all this history, one would think something could be learned from all this. In reality, it's just one more ignorant politician with his hands in the wrong pocket.
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