Author: drrock00

A bartender and Postal worker by trade I was witness to the overwhelming negativity that is so common in todays society. A firm believer in the motto "Better to light a candle than curse the darkness" I created this site to bring some of the positivity back into the world and share with otheres.

3 STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL MONDAY ✨️

Life isn’t as complicated as we sometimes make it. Take Monday for example. Here we are. The start of the work week. Most of what makes Monday so dreadful is a the psychology. We begin to dread the day the night before. The end of our weekend. Back to the grind.

What if we took a few steps to make Monday a lot more successful? The photo above is a great start. Stay focused on your goals. In other words, think of the big picture. Maybe you have a vacation coming up in a few months? Maybe you are saving up for a gift for someone you love. Think of everything your job allows you to do.

Next is keeping a positive attitude. That can be made a lot easier by thinking of what your job allows you to do. Would we rather be able to make money sitting on the beach? Sure, but the next best thing is to earn money to take that beach vacation. Not to mention keeping the lights and power on until then.

Lastly is work hard. I’ve said it before. Hard work cures a lot of ills. When you work hard you have little time to waste on petty drama so many worry about. When you work hard you earn your sleep. Hard work builds character and self-confidence.

This Monday, focus on your goals, stay positive and work hard. Friday will be here before you know it!

A PARTY 50 YEARS IN THE MAKING!

This weekend, my beautiful lady threw me a birthday party for my 50th birthday. There were plenty of people, lots of great food and sadly a thunderstorm as well. Here is the crazy thing. Everyone was having such a great time the only picture I got was with my friend Jenny as seen above.

It was oddly refreshing that everyone was focused not only on staying dry, but on enjoying the moment. I was so grateful for all of the wonderful memories that were created. It is a day that I will keep in my heart as long as I live. I can’t wait to see what my 100th birthday party will be like. It is my sincere wish all the people who were at this one will be there too.

The amount of gratitude I feel for everyone who braved the storm to show me they care means more than I can convey. The conversations and connections are the greatest gifts! It is my sincere wish you are all so blessed as I was this weekend!

Special thanks to my beautiful lady and her daughter for making it all happen and giving me a day I’ll never forget!

YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR IT!

It would seem that far too many people are complaining about where they are in life without working to change it. Maybe it is having a year of isolation that has people forgetting they are not entitled to anything. You get what you earn in life. If you want more, or something better, the solution is simple – work harder.

Another important aspect to remember about this is entitlement leads to a lack of control. When you are waiting for the world to change for you, essentially you are putting control of your life in the world’s hands. The world, in this case, is everyone and everything else. Is that who you want controlling your life? Everyone and everything else? Not me! I want to control my own fate. Working hard and having ownership over your decisions and mistakes is what makes life yours.

I am not taking to you, I’m talking with you. I have been there. Complaining the world wasn’t fair. It often isn’t. Waiting for others or my situation to change. It never did. Do you know where that got me? Nowhere! It actually had me falling behind those who accepted life as it was and then worked to change themselves and improve for the better.

WHAT DID YOU FEEL?

What did you feel when you read the quote on this picture? Did it make you smile? It was just a simple greeting, but it warms the heart. Can you imagine how others would feel if you sent them a message like this?

In a world filled with divisive messages and fear and hate, why not send more messages like this? Each one is a little do of positivity. It might be just what someone needs to brighten their day. I encourage you to send out several cheerful greetings daily. See how people respond.

USE YOUR SCARS

It can be hard to go through the challenges in life. Right now where I live, there are people who have lost everything in the floods we have had recently. It can seem like there is no rain why we must go through what challenges us. Even in the worst of situations, there is a point.

I have never quite heard it this way, but I like the analogy. Our scars, be there physical or emotional, can be a guiding light to others. As we use them in this way, it also helps us heal. In my book, Living the Dream, I chronicle the stories of people who were the victims of different forms of abuse. They use their experience to help others with their healing journey.

No matter what challenge you are going through, or what scars life has left you with, you can use that to help others either avoid the same pain, or share how to make it through.

ONE OF OUR OWN 🏆

This is Tanya, a dear friend of Margie and me. She is currently in the city of Las Vegas at a singing championship. She was the winner of the state and now will be taking on the country. In our small group of friends, which can be more like a family, we cheer each other on.

Actually, it is more than that. When one of us wins, we all win. With Tanya‘s state championship, we were so proud it felt like we all won. To us, because she won it felt like a part of us did too. I know not only Margie and I, but her charming and talented husband Montel and all of our group will be cheering her on. When she finally returns it will be as a winner. This will be true no matter how the competition goes. For all of us, she will be our champion. We could not think of a better example of not only talent, but a great human being, to represent us!

When someone you care about achieves a great accomplishment, you should celebrate as if it was your own. When someone means a lot to you their wins should feel like a little bit of you won too. As far as Tanya is concerned, a little bit of all of us went to Las Vegas with her. We are proud of how far she has come and excited to see how far she will go!

WHEN FUN GETS RAINED OUT. ⛈️

Around here we had major floods. In some places over a foot of rain fell in just a few hours. Rivers flooded and cars were submerged. My mother and I were at the Wisconsin State Fair when it was all happening. I shared more about that a few posts ago. As night turned into day, stories began to emerge. People’s basements were flooded. There was an apartment complex that had cars floating in 10 feet of water in their underground parking.

Above you can see pictures of the Wisconsin State Fair Park where my mother and I returned Monday. Still plenty of water 2 days later. All of this was not doom and gloom. On a bright note, nobody here died in the floods. Local businesses opened their doors offering people free coffee, wi-fi and a place to gather. One business even offered free box lunch to rescue workers and clean-up crews. Proving that the worst often brings out our best.

The Wisconsin State Fair did have to cancel its last day, which was set aside for a romantic ride on the Ferris wheel to celebrate my lady and I getting engaged as well as some yummy mini doughnuts. All of that will have to wait until next year. There are plenty of fun memories to create and lots of stories to recall from this crazy year.

I certainly send thoughts and prayers to all of those affected by the floods. Both businesses and individuals lost a lot and will need to lean on friends and family. As Mr. Rogers used to say, “In bad times, look for the helpers.” I would add, if you can’t find them, be one.

HATE HAS NEVER…

How useless is hate? It really has not solved any problem. Remember not to fall victim to this destructive emotion. Think of ways you can use hatred’s worst enemy, love, to solve a problem hate created.

ARE YOU REALLY GRATEFUL?

This post is not at all what I thought it will be. Honestly, an example of what we will discuss here happened to me this evening! I’m getting ahead of myself. Have you ever stopped and thought about everything you have to be grateful for? Take one event that you enjoy and really break it down. I did this with the Wisconsin State Fair. My favorite event to attend all year.

When I started to think about it, there are thousands of people that contribute to putting on this event. There are of course the people who run the fair, including its new CEO, Shari Black. There are the owners of the stands that sell everything from food to inflatable hammocks. There are the employees that work those stands. There are the people who maintain the grounds. They recently repaved a good portion of the park. I will not get into all of the people in the paving industry, but you see where this is going. Let us not forget the VERY important people who keep the restrooms clean.

This was the general scope of this blog post until about 730 this evening. Then this happened – the heavens opened up and the rain fell. The crowds scrambled. The main act was canceled. This, you would assume would ruin one’s time at the fair. Not so. There was a million things to be thankful for.

Earlier in the day, one of our favorite grocery stores gave away free ponchos. My mother and I availed ourselves to them. This was at noon. 7 hours before the rain. As we walked through the fair and on the way home, we talked about how lucky we were. First the ponchos. Then the fact we enjoyed the whole day at the fair before this happened. We were able to purchase food to take home on the way out. Everyone seemed in a silly mood even though they were soaked.

You see, in any event they are a million things to be grateful for. Think of going to work. People paved roads for you. There are traffic lights to make sure the trip is safe. You either have a car or public transportation. Think of all the people involved in these industries. You have a restroom at work… with running water.

These things may not seem like a big deal. Take any one of them away and you will see that they are. Remember, whether a morning commute or a rainy night at the fair, there is always so much to be grateful for!