Life is too short

To Find Oneself

/ markmkane / Leave a comment
D1
We learn to value life
and all its gifts
Being truly alive…
every day,
every hour, 
every minute,
every second
is a wondrous blessing
Our appreciation for
God,
loved ones,
family,
and
friends
knows no bounds
That is why…
we live each day
the best we can,
striving for
positivity,
laughter,
happiness,
love,
serenity,
and 
balance
Our light is restored, 
our heart becomes whole,
and 
we regain a sense of ultimate
completion.

Straight To The Point

/ markmkane / 6 Comments

A1

If there’s something in your life that you don’t like, then do something about it.  You truly have the power to make a difference.  Nothing is set in stone, so be brave and initiate change.  Get a clear picture of what you want and go for it with gusto.  You may encounter failures along the way but stay true to yourself and know that you eventually get there if you don’t give up.  You have one life, so live it the way you want to.  There’s nothing that is so bad that you can’t fix or make better.  Believe in yourself and have faith that life can be to your liking.  Just dare to try.

A2

Mid-Life Reflections #7

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A1

We live in a hustle and bustle world where every minute of our lives is bombarded by things left and right.  There are times when chaos ensues and others that leave us completely dumbfounded.  Usually at the end of the day, we are completely exhausted both physically and mentally and end up sleeping it off only to continue with the hubbub the next day.

I’ve learned that too much exposure to all this commotion can sometimes cause us to  freak out and wonder “What the hell?!”

“Is this how it’ll be for the rest of my life?”

“Will it ever end?”

“What is my purpose in the scheme of it all?”

“Things have to get better right?”

All these questions must’ve popped into our minds at one point in time.  We’re either just starting to experience this, in the process of it or finally getting over it.  Whichever one we’re in, just know that in spite of everything, we need to stop and catch our breath.

Look around and take delight in your children, your pets, your siblings, your parents, your grandparents, your friends; just watch them and know that you are what you are because of them.

Watch the sunrise or the sunset; by doing this know that you are lucky enough to live another day.

If your life is not to your liking, change it.  It’s as simple as that.  Have a job that sucks, quit.  In a relationship that’s horrendous, end it.  Want to try something new, be fealess and go for it.  That cliche “Life is too short” is really true.

You got to where you are because you endured a lot and overcame obstacles that seemed insurmountable.  You can go much further and better yourself and situation if you just have faith in yourself.  Life is precious…so dare to be bold and custom life to your liking!

 

Almost, But Not Quite There Yet

/ markmkane / 6 Comments

1A

When life throws you a curve, what do you do?  We are faced with making many decisions on a daily basis, some minor, others life-changing ones.  How do you decide which course of action to take?  Do you rush into it with emotions running high?  Do you take a step back and think things through?

1C

Lately, I’ve been pondering the decisions that I’ve made within the past several months.  Were they good ones…well it’s hard to say.  From my perspective, it might’ve been the wrong ones.  I think the past several decisions were based purely on emotions and in hindsight I should’ve taken a breather before jumping headlong into a predicament that exacerbated what was already a stressful situation.

1F

As always, I live and learn.  My comfort is in the fact that I have the power to do something about it and that it’s not something that’ll last forever.  No matter how bad the situation I’m in, I’ll find a way to resolve it.  I just need to look for the little signs that God has placed for me to find.  Once I can identify them and learn from it then it’ll be when I can move on.  Life is way too short to just give up and be content with where you are.

Granted I’ve made mistakes that led me to where I am today, but I have faith that this is the path that God designed for me.  I am eternally hopeful that this will ultimately lead me to where I was truly meant to be.  As long as I keep the faith, stay positive and persevere, I’ll be just fine.   

1G

Navigating the Unknown

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When It Feels Scary To Jump…

/ markmkane / 6 Comments

While channel surfing couple years ago, I happened upon a channel that featured a 2014 movie called “A Most Violent Year”.  Although I consider myself a movie buff, I’ve never really heard of this movie until that one fateful day.  I won’t tell you what the plot was because I stumbled upon it and really didn’t watch it till the end.  But I did happen upon a scene where a man by the name of Abel Morales said “When it feels scary to jump, that is exactly when you jump, otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life.”

This one line totally resonated with me and I just had to write it down.  I turned off the TV and soaked in those words.  I took it to heart and it quickly became etched within my subconscious.  You could almost say that I had an epiphany of some sorts.

This one quote, this one line from a movie I have never seen told me that in life, you need to take chances regardless of the outcome.  There are times when you’ll succeed and there are times when you’ll fail, but you must learn from it in order to grow into the person that you were meant to be.  Life is too short to play is safe, it needs to be explored with eyes wide open.  Life if full of endless possibilities with the potential to be great.

I took this to heart and felt that I needed to try anything even if it took me out of my comfort zone.  I lived by the code of being open to different things; doing so would broaden my horizons both mentally and physically.  Living by this way of thinking helped me to try different things; just facing the impossible or the uncomfortable with complete abandonment.  Living this way made me realize that to do these things require both strength and faith; the will to pursue what your heart desires with the self-confidence to know that you’ll achieve something positive from it regardless of the results.

Ever since then, I’ve been bestowed with nothing but great outcomes.  I dared to take a chance and came out a winner so to speak; I count my blessings everyday for doing so.  So if you are faced with doing something that takes you out of your comfort zone, go all in and bet on yourself.  The first step will be scary, terrifying even…but the end results will be much more rewarding.  Take that leap and dare to be great!

Midlife Reflections #4

/ markmkane / 11 Comments

A9

How do you deal with change?  Especially the life changing ones.  This has been weighing on my mind the past couple of days.  In the past, when I was much younger, this was never a concern; in fact I enjoyed experiencing change.

As I got older, I got married, had children, found a secure job. I found a daily routine that made my life simple.  I was content with the way things were in my life and for a person that likes control…I was in heaven.

Now all of a sudden, I’m changing jobs. Going from a good paying job to something that is much less but with great benefits.  On top of that, opportunities are presenting themselves to where my passion, my dream, can become a reality.

My younger self would’ve been thrilled with what’s going on.  Welcoming the change, the unpredictability.  But my present self and my current state of mind is a bit hesitant.  Don’t get me wrong, a part of me is really excited but three quarters of me is not.  Fearing the unknown is truly terrifying.

A7

You would’ve thought that through all my years, all of my accumulated experiences would prepare me for this.  But it never does.  The only thing that I’ve learned was that sometimes you got to take a leap of faith into the unknown.

It might work out, it might not.  It’s a chance that I have to take.  I’ve always learn to bet on myself to endure whatever life threw at me.  It’s so cliché to say this, but as long as my family and friends are there for support, advice and guidance, change can be bearable.

A6

It’s a given that change will always happen.  We will always be both excited and scared from it but we should have the confidence in ourselves to know that we’ll get through it.  Possibilities for great things are there if we just take a chance.

A4

Midlife Reflections #3

/ markmkane / 16 Comments

A1

The past couple of days, I’ve pondered on my life’s journey and what it took to get me here today.  It was a smooth ride that had numerous speed bumps and detours along the way.

I’ve had days when I hit the jackpot and everything went my way; even my mistakes and miscues resulted in a favorable outcome.

AND THEN there were those days where anything and everything went horribly wrong; where life put me in a loop and a series of jokes slapped me in the face one after another.

Regardless of what kind of day, week, month or year I had, I somehow survived; I lived to tell the tale and more often than not, I remembered in detail all of the good that I encountered.

Throughout all of my life’s experiences, I’ve come to the realization that sometimes my greatest memory can be my worst enemy.  Relishing and reminiscing about all those happy times brought about a false sense of thinking; that everything would result in something wonderful.

It was good to have a positive outlook but I needed to embrace all the bad that happened in my life wholeheartedly.  With every failed attempt I grew closer to success.

With much introspection, I’ve learned to value everything that crossed my path.  It helped me to be strong, wise, compassionate, focused, determined and grateful.  Life is way too short, so “Find the beauty in every moment” and bring out the best in yourself.

Midlife Reflections #2

/ markmkane / 5 Comments

A1

I look back on my life and take stock in what I’ve done and who I’ve become.  The one thing that I take most pride in is my ability to be a good listener.

A2

I’ve always felt that if a person takes the time to tell you something of importance, then you should respect that and give your undivided attention to what he/she has to say.  I try to listen without judgement and really hear the other person’s words.

A4

 

Too many times we’ve had and “A & B” conversation with someone but somehow ended up with “B” starting another conversation with “C & D” who just happened to pass by.  At that point, you kind of feel irrelevant and try to uncomfortably slink away without being noticed.

In my case, I stay there like a complete doofus because of some sort of self-responsibility to finish what was started.  AND when “B” returns back to the original conversation, the whole vibe is gone.

In my mind’s eye, I felt as if I was not important enough to hold your attention when I was unloading my feelings, advice and thoughts.

It is for that reason, in any conversation, that I look the other person in the eye and soak in what they’re telling me even if an outside party acknowledges me.  My focus on the person is steadfast.  This art of listening is something that I’m trying to instill in my children.

A3

As the days and months go by, life seems to tick away as if it were mere seconds on a clock.  Time is precious.  So when someone needs to talk to you, be there for them…and listen as if they’re the only person left on this planet.

A5