The Push – part dos

Your starting point is your choice.  Ground up, or Top Down, it’s totally up to you.

Personally, I like to start from the top.  My approach is Top Down, outside in.  That means starting with your physical appearance and what others can see, and then addressing internal issues.

Twenty five years ago maybe you had your hair cut every two or three weeks, but right now, today, you have someone cutting it once every four months.  There’s a good two months when your neck is all hairy and the hair is just sticking out in all types of weird ways from your collar.

Having you hair cut made you feel good because…you looked good.  There’s no secret there.  If you like the way you look, you’ll feel better about yourself.  There’s a saying, “look good, feel good,” and it’s all about confidence.

As I’m writing this, I just started laughing to myself because I was in a hole, and I know that some people could’ve been in a hole so deep, they let themselves go for years and years and years.😆.  I can laugh at this because I was there.  Two years ago I saw a shirt hanging in my closet that I wore in 1999.  ..I couldn’t believe I still owned that shirt.

Anyways….Hair cuts, grooming, new modern clothes, and footwear are ways to help improve our look.  Keeping up to date with our  appearance not only makes us feel good, but it increases our confidence, and it changes the way others see us as well.

Trust this.  Our outer appearance is what people see first obviously, so if you’re slipping in this area, people notice.  Well, people that care about you will notice.  If your neglect continues they’ll begin to wonder.

“Oh did you see Betty today.  She still has that jacket from like 10 years ago.  Is she poor, is she working, what’s she doing with her money, maybe she’s depressed.  I think Betty is smoking dope.”

Dieting and exercising, in my opinion, are on the border – meaning they’re the transition from outer to inner.  Dieting and exercising improves so many things, but specifically, they change our look and improve overall health.  Doing both moderately will help put us in a better state mentally, improve our health, and enable us to look better.  Exercising improves cardiovascular health, blood circulation, and thus, overall digestion.

Imagine your inner body is a pond.  Without circulation and movement the water gets stagnant and containimated.  When the water flows it stays clean for the most part and containmenants don’t have time to gather.  Even if you get out for a walk or sit on a stationary bike and peddle, that’s moving.

All of this this brings us back to The Push.  The refusal to let ourselves go and neglect our bodies puts us back in a position where we’re feeling good about ourselves.  We look good, and we know it.  We feel it, and we’re confident.  We might not standout, but we’re good with what we’re working with.  You’re not running home anymore, in fact you’re having a good time and enjoying yourself.

I’ll tell you this because I know it’s true.  Sometimes we get frustrated and upset with other people and choices we make, but it’s because something is off within us.  The root of our frustration is simply, not doing what we want.  You wanted to go shopping, but you didn’t, you wanted to run, but you decided not to, you wanted to reach out to contact a friend, but you didn’t, you wanted send a funny email, but you decided not to, and then, when the weekend came, you went out with some friends who were talking and laughing about how they did all the things you decided not to do.  The frustration within projected envy and a sense of jealousy.  The people around you picked up on your impatience.

You had nothing to say because you didn’t want to do anything, so you just stood there with a fake smile on your face and listened.  The people around you knew you weren’t yourself, and they couldn’t figure out why suddenly you were the quiet one in the group.

My advice is for you to do what you want.  Whatever it is, do it.  Don’t be a victim of self-abuse, meaning don’t beat yourself up later for not doing what you wanted to do now.  Don’t limit yourself.

Eventually, people’s views about Betty will change.  “Did you see Betty?  She just got her hair done, and it looks really good.  Did you see Mr. Smith with his new Pants?  He got a complete wardrobe update.  He’s looking super-stylish.  Boy, that Betty is in really good shape, she’s almost 40.

Eventually, Betty does all the things she wants to do, and she’s happy.  She has something to talk about.  She’s actively living, and wants to share her experiences.  She’s laughing and talking and the life of the party again.  She’s Pushing it.

Now Betty wonders why Joan isn’t herself.  “Did you see Joan at the party all quiet and standing there with that stupid fake smile.”  Joan’s running home now complaining about the place, the people, and everything else.

 

Push or Get Pushed!

 

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo, or the Fifth of May is a Spanish celebration in remembrance of the Mexican’s Army victory over the French Empire.

The Battle of Puebla occurred on May 5th, 1862.  Mexico’s victory was surprising, and naturally provided a major boost in moral for the Mexican Army.  The French were better armed, more prepared, and outnumbered Mexican forces, but Mexico was inspired under President Benito Juarez. 

They not only slowed the French army, but they forced it to retreat, regroup, and Napoleon III had no other choice but to send additional manpower to site.  On May 9th, 1862, President Juarez declared Cinco de Mayo a national holiday.

Unfortunately, by the 17th of May, the French Army made a full recovery and were  victorious in their second attempt at the Second Battle of Puebla.  Eventually, the Capital fell and the French pushed on to Mexico City forcing Juarez’s Government into exile.

Either way, we’ll celebrate the day.  Happy Cinco de Mayo! 

Thank You

Photo by Ricardo Esquivel from Pexels

The Push – part-uno

The push, is it real?  Easily identified, physical contact can and does happen, generally speaking of course, but what about the non-physical push?

The push that’s subtle, so subtle in fact, it’s a matter of personal feel.  Have you ever walked into a room or a store with a smile on your face and happiness in your heart only to have it washed away?  Did you ever arrive at a party or social gathering and think to yourself, man, something is just off here?

It’s a matter of personal opinion I guess, and the truth is that we really can’t control the vibe.  We can however, stay or go.  If we stay, we can do our best to enjoy ourselves, and provide comfort for those around us.

In my opinion, I do think we have an instinctual reaction to the atmosphere around us, and I don’t think we’re necessarily right or wrong for how we feel at certain events, around certain people, or in certain places.

If you show up somewhere and think it feels right, it probably is.  Conversely, if it doesn’t feel right, then more than likely you’re feeling not so safe, maybe uncomfortable, or rushed.  To get the most out of these experiences, and remember we need experiences, especially new ones and those where we’re stepping out of our comfort zones, we’re going to have to stick it out and ignore our feelings.

The whole situation is really strange, I know.  We’ve always been told to pay attention to our feelings, and if something doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t, but now we’re going against the grain.  We’re learning to ignore our feelings of doubt and push through them….

because…

We want to grow right?  We do.  We want spiritual growth don’t we?  We claim to be on a spiritual path, don’t we?

Some of us might be shy.  Some of us might not like being the new guy or girl in the group, and it’s way easier to run off, go home, and say ahh I didn’t like that place, or those people, but if we really want to grow and learn we must stay.

What about aging?  You know what’s interesting?  The aging process is interesting.

As time passes by, we change.  We change internally, externally physically, and mentally.  Our minds change, our feelings change, our thoughts change.  We may become more or less tolerant of certain things.  As all these changes take place, people come and go from our lives, and that’s not a coincidence.  The older you might have more in common with a person the younger you would’ve never given the time of day to.

We move and change our surroundings to accommodate what we enjoy and what we want to see more of.  This is obviously not a coincidence.  We’re actively building our lives.

So you see, change within us happens before we know it because..time flies.  Twenty years could pass, but it doesn’t seem like twenty years to us.  It is though.  You’re a different person, and you haven’t figured it out yet.  You woke up the other day lashing out at everyone around you because you were upset, but you were upset on the surface.  Below the surface is frustration because you’re not yet in alignment with the new you.

In comes the Spiritual Path.  In comes the need for personal time.  In comes the idea or the need for you figure things out.  Why?  It’s only natural.  You’re not who you were twenty years ago.  We know that’s true because we knew who we were, the problem is we haven’t figured out who we are now.  Let the past go.  Yup.  Just let it go, and focus on right now.

Once upon a time you were outgoing, friendly, and you had so many friends or small group of close friends.  Once upon a time everything felt right.  You knew what you wanted, where you wanted to go, and who you wanted to spend your time with.  Parties and social gatherings were awesome.  You had fun.  Leaving was never an option.  LoL, are you kidding.  You were the life of the party.

That was twenty-five, maybe thirty years ago.

Right now, nothing feels right.  You spend most of your time alone.  You feel alone, out of touch, and you’re ready to run back home.

And….you do, but for the last time.

 

 

 

Sidereal/Tropical? Who Are We?

 

If you have a love for Astrology,  then I’m sure you’ve had your moments of obsession.  I’m also sure you’ve had your moments of fatigue after spending hours and hours studying and researching.  There’s a vast sea of information available and easily accessible right on the internet.

Interestingly enough, it’s seems like the more you research and understand, the more questions you have.  It may take time for some, while others might quickly find certain points that take them deep down the wormhole.

For me personally, it was after I took a long break from the practice that I started questioning our planets role, or lack of role in the system.  We live on Earth, and Earth is a Planet, third from the Sun to be exact, but it’s not used.  Why?  The Earth does rotate around the Sun.  Shouldn’t it have a placement in a house.

In astrology we know Planets rule signs, and there were some signs that shared rulers.  Saturn for example rules Capricorn, and traditionally it also ruled Aquarius until the discovery of Uranus.  How awesome would it be if the Earth ruled a sign?  Maybe one day our planet will have an active role in the heavenly used and popular Tropical System that so many of us use.

Speaking of systems, there is another system called Sidereal System.  I never studied the Sidereal System, but recently I learned something about it that has me considering a change.  In the Sidereal System I noticed the dates of the zodiac signs were different from the Tropical System by a WHOLE MONTH!  I don’t know why exactly, but what I do know is the Sidereal System is based on the suns movement through the actual constellations during the year.

If your birth is March 30 then you’ve more than likely always thought you were an Aries.  That’s the Tropical System.  According to the Sidereal System, you would be a Pisces.  This is a major discovery.  If Astrology never made sense to you, or you never thought your sign described your actual personality, well, now you know why.

My advice, for those of you who have a sincere interest in astrology is to start reading the other sign.  Study it.  See if makes sense to you.  See if it resonates.  Does it better suit your personality and describe who you really are?

This could be the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for.

Before ending this article, I wanted to point something out.

I guess maybe I would like to think out loud.

In astrology, there are 360 degrees in the zodiac wheel, and that covers 12 signs throughout the year.  (30 degrees in each each house, 12 signs, and 12 houses.)

The year, however, is 365 days.

Is the zodiac wheel missing 5 degrees or 5 days? There are 30 days in April, September, June, and November.  February has 28 days, and January, March, May, July, August, October, and December all have 31.  That’s 365 days.

The Calendar year could be a perfect 360 degrees if we took one day from January and one day from March and added it to February.  Then January through April would have 30 days.

That leaves five extra days, one in May, July, August, October, and December.  In order for our year to be perfect we would have to remove the 31st day of those months, and then all the months would be 30 days.  12 months x 30 days= 360 days/degrees.

I guess that’s what they did, but then what if you were born on one of those days that were removed?

Just thinking out loud….

 

 

Thank You

Photo by bruce mars from Pexels

 

Key Win For 76ers

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Today was game four for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets, and it’s starting to look like the 76ers are going to survive and advance from the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

With today’s 112-108 win, the 76ers are up now 3 games to 1 on the Nets.  Philly was outscored by 9 points during the first period and Brooklyn was in the lead 33-24.  The Nets continued to play well and at half time, they were winning the game 63-57.

The 76ers were down, but definitely not out of it.  They hung around and kept the game close.  The Nets were winning 91-85 heading into the fourth, but the Spirit of 76 came alive in Philadelphia.  The 76ers scored 27 points in the final period and eventually won the game 112-108.

Nets Center, Joel Embiid, lead his team in points (31) and rebounds (16).  Forward, Tobias Harris, scored 24 points and had 8 rebounds.  Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, at 8:00 p.m.

Thinking and Relaxing

04/18/2019

     What’s up eveyone?  I hope you’re all doing well.

     It’s amazing how life works out.  It is a journey, it is mysterious, and if you want, things can come full circle for you.  It’s 2019, and I’m waking up in a position I was in when I was 23.  This time around things are different though.  Its like I’ve been given a second chance to make things right, and set this path straight that I’ve been on now for 16 years.

     I was young then, alone, and making one wrong decision after another.  I was living for the moment, wreckless, and without a care.  I lost.  I lost a lot of good friends, a lot of good jobs, and a lot of money.

     Eventually, I let it all go with the belief that if I took the time to go within and learn, and keep learning, maybe one day ill come out of it all with clarity and direction.  I did.

     I’m looking forward to a special future, and I hope someday I can recover what I lost, and those things I let go of, I hope they’ll come back to me.

    I don’t hate, I harbor no resentment, and I don’t have any regrets.  I’m really excited.

     I feel grateful to be in a position where I’m involved actively, while still learning and making sense of the past.  Its like living in the past, present, and future all at once.  Sometimes it can be very overwhelming, I can’t deny that, but it’s amazing.

     Amazing.  Yes, that’s what it becomes, and it keeps getting better.

Have a Good Night

Who’s Really The Problem

Example:  Your name is Mr. Smith, and Jane is your friend.

Jane:  “Mr. Smith is really embarrassing.”

Betty:  “Is he?  Then why do you hang out with him?”

 

Is Mr. Smith really embarrassing, or is that just Jane’s perception of Mr. Smith?

If Jane feels embarrassed when she’s out in public with Mr. Smith, then who’s really the problem?  Mr. Smith doesn’t feel embarrassed.  As a matter of fact, he feels good about himself when he goes out.

Perhaps, instead of passing judgement on Mr. Smith, Jane should just hang out with Betty more, and let Betty hang out with Mr. Smith.  Maybe Betty will have a different opinion about Mr. Smith.

Where Foxes Roam

I was absolutely shocked the first time I saw a fox, and I don’t know if it was because I’ve never seen one before, or because I didn’t expect to see one in Pennsylvania.

Is Pennsylvania a state populated with foxes?  Is it normal for them to be roaming about here?  I don’t know.  There’s a park near my house, and that’s the first place I encountered one.  It’s a good thing it was a baby because we were close, approximately 15 yards between us, but we were staring into each other’s eyes.

I asked myself, “Is that a fucking fox?”  Sure as shit it was.  Now they’re running through people’s yards and messing with local pets.  The cat and dog population must be terrified.  LOL

Today, I was walking, and I saw one lying dead on the side of the road.  It’s crazy, but I guess they’re more common than I thought.  I hope they don’t mess with my dog Jack.  Jack barks loud, but he’s just a little guy.

 

Variations In Training Routine

     What’s up?  I can’t believe how popular total body workouts are becoming.  I’m not a stranger to the fact that these workouts have been around almost as long as lifting weights has, but the popularity of these workouts change with the needs of those lifting the weights.

     Everyone is out for different results, and that’s because we all have different goals.  As you know I’ve been training my whole body in a single session, and my workout has been as follows:

Chest- Dumbbell Bench Press: 4 sets @ 16, 14, 12, 8 reps.

Back-Seated Close Grip Rows: 4 sets @ 16, 14, 12, 8 reps.

Shoulders- Seated Strait Bar Press: 4 sets @ 16, 14, 12, 8 reps.

Legs- Squats: 4 sets @ 12, 12, 10, 8 reps.

Tricepts- Close Grip Push Downs: 4 sets @ 25 reps.

Bicepts- Alternating Dumbbell Curls: 4 sets @ 25 reps.

     It’s a very basic work, but it’s good, and if it’s preformed at a high intensity, you might puke.  I almost did!

     I did however, want to introduce a couple of variations that I’m now experimenting with to shock my body a little.  Professionals say our bodies can adjust to workouts, which results in minimal gains, so it’s important to keep things fresh.  Shit gets stale.

     The first thing you can do is change the frequency or time between lifting sessions.  If you start things off lifting every Monday, that’s good.  Stick with that for a month just to get the ball rolling again.  When month two begins, start training once every six days.  So that would be Monday, Sunday, Saturday, etc.

     When month three begins, change it again to once every five days.  If you can get yourself up to once every three days, that’s fantastic.  As you close the gaps between training sessions, you can also change the routine.

     If you use my workout above as a base to start with, then let’s use chest as our example.

Chest- Dumbbell Bench Press 2 sets @ 16, 14 reps.

Strait Bar Bench Press- 2 set @ 12, 8 reps.

     So, as you can see, we’re still doing 4 total sets, but we’re doing two different exercises for the body part.  You can do the same thing with Legs, Back, Shoulders, and Arms.

     If you want to make it high intensity then check this out.

     Start with Dumbbell Bench Press, and do your first set of 16 reps, then immediately, without a resting period, jump to your flat bench (which is already set-up and waiting) for your set of Straight Bar Press @ 12 reps.  Rest for 45 seconds to 1 minute, and then repeat.  Bam!  Chest is done already.

Remember, with total body routines, the focus is muscle strength and endurance.  It’s not really a mass-building workout.  Think hard and fast.  Stay moving.

Alright everyone, as always, if you have any questions or comments please write in.  We love hearing from you, and don’t forget to tap the follow button.

Have A Wonderful Evening