Happy "New" Year?

Hello Friends,

It is September. New Year for those of the Jewish faith, a new school year for those still obtaining knowledge (I hope that is all of us), and a good time to get back into the swing of blogging.

After a fun summer with the family, even through the continually struggling time in our economy, I feel motivated to continue to stay focused on the important things in life.

I was speaking to an old friend regarding peace and happiness, and thought it would be a good way to look at the "new" year.

It is funny how I have conversations like this, when I myself have no financial success to show.

It might be how my wife and I deal with our "poverty" that draws people to look for our secret to peace and happiness.

My views on this and life are simple.

Speculation, Jealousy and Regret are three wasted mental actions.

You can't control what was, what could have been, and what might never be.

You can only control what IS.

If we continue to spend our days (or interactions/experiences) with the sense of what is and with a view on what has brought us here, then we can better orchestrate our desired results from that day/interaction/experience.

Granted, that end result we are attempting to achieve may not be realistic or (unbeknownst to us) be in the best interest of us and our family (you discover this later in reflection).

There will be results of some sort (or a plan of action), and we need will respond in kind to IT! - not to what we hoped or thought the outcome would be.

Keeping that focus on the REALITY of the situation allows us to maintain control - whereas speculation, jealousy, and regret have us theorizing on uncontrollable situations. Viewing the world in this manner will allow us to stand strong and grow from life's ever passing vignettes.

Waste no time on the "what if I". . ."I should have". . . "They didn't. . . " types of dialogue/monologues.

Instead, say. . ."OK, I am here. My next move is in "THIS" direction (or "these" directions), which may have outcomes of x,y, or z. . . but I won't worry about them until I get there."

The world is not static. It is always in a state of evolution, as are we. It is this reason we do not waste time on Speculation.

Your day will go as it was meant to go. Your performance within it will dictate how you come out of it.

There are no negatives, just backwards positives waiting for a mirror to turn them around.

Breathe, Observe, React authentically, and observe some more.

Someone told me "You have two ears and one mouth. . . listen more. . .talk less. . ."

Good advice, that is difficult to remember at times.

Hope this is helpful, and not too preachy. It is not meant to be.

I won't worry myself over whether or not is was received that way. That would be far to Speculative, and lead me to be regretful. . . =)

Peace,

Randy

How You See Yourself

Happy July 1 everyone. The beginning of a new month and a perfect opportunity to act on the question I asked in my previous entry - "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

I know, a silly question to be asking an adult, but in reality, we are always growing and we are always learning. As I often say, "Every day is a school day." I used to say that to my students when I was a teacher and to my teachers when I was a principal, and I truly believe that you can learn from everyone you come in contact with, regardless of the perceived position he/she or you hold in relation to each other. Each day I learn from my children, and I hope they learn from me =). I still learn from my parents (sometimes how NOT to act, but that is still learning nonetheless).

It is all about having the confidence and strong self-esteem to recognize that you do not have all the answers and that the only person who matters with regards to judging you, is YOU. How you perceive the world and see yourself as a part of it, dictates the way you handle situations, interact with others, and answer questions seemingly as simple as "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Since we continue to grow and evolve, I should rephrase the question to, "Now that you have accomplished _____, what challenge do you want to conquer next?" or "Since the latest outcome in your life has resulted in ________ (losing a job, breaking up with a loved one, earning a new position or coming into a lot of money), what will be the next move you make to make your life richer and therefore richer for those you care about?"

It is all in how you look at things, especially yourself. Edison never failed, he just discovered ways that didn't work to the standard he was hoping. If you are at a crossroad in your life, or a time where you are questioning "What it all means?" then this is the perfect time to answer my question.

When answering it, view yourself how YOU want to be viewed, not how you think others view you. Remember, you are looking back at yourself in the mirror, and your life and actions are a reflection on you and you alone.

Some readers of my blog, as well as advisors of mine, feel that sometimes I am way too serious. Those who know me in life realize that although I am a bit intense and goal driven, I am one of the sillier people around. However, when it comes to living the life you were meant to lead, I find it to be a serious manner, and if viewed that way, you will be able to live the carefree life of a person who is more than pleased with the path his life is taking.

Notice I didn't say "content," for contentment breeds complacency, which will lead you back to the place of "What is it all worth?" Live each day as a challenge to be more fun, more full, and more enriching than the one before and contentment/complacency will never be an issue, because you will be living a truly happy life.

On the subject of how you view things, I came across this FUNNY. . . .yes FUNNY video that effectively demonstrates the idea of perception. Your perception is fact to you, as other's is fact to them. Enjoy this video and begin looking at yourself the way you want other to see you.

I am still waiting for your answer?

Peace,

Randy

P.S. Also, as an artist, I LOVED this person's clever work.

Reinventing Yourself For Survival

Never in our lifetime have we experienced such a scary and "depressing" time in our country's economy. I guess it doesn't take a genius to realize why it was called the "Great Depression" - great in size not in magnitude of coolness.

It is times like these that test the true metal of a person. The ability to stay positive - to maintain a focused course through the turbulence present in the journey of making ends meet. More of are friends, neighbors and family members are unemployed, or fear that they will be the victim of the next set of budget cuts. Our credit card debt is on the rise, and we are trying to maintain a lifestyle that maybe was too rich for our blood to begin with.

So what do we do to combat these feelings of desperation? What do we do to allay the fears that sometimes consume us? How do we position ourselves to survive these storms and hope to rise like the Phoenix from the ashes of economic despair? The answer is more simple than you think, but as scary and exhilarating as anything you have done in your life. The answer is REINVENTION.

Reinventing yourself in a way that not only allows you to ride the current wave of downturned economy to the shore of calm and peace, but in a way that will afford you the ability to live a more authentic life, with true happiness as your ultimate reward.

Now is the time for us to think back at a more innocent time in our lives when adults would ask us "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Think back on what your answers were. Usually those answers were directly linked into your passion and your happiness. Whether it was a baseball player or zookeeper, the innocence of your answers gave insights into your true happiness. You didn't know what kind of salary a zookeeper made, nor did you care. You just cared about how cool it would be to work with exotic animals and maybe help teach others about them.

Now we make decisions based on responsibilities - mortgages, kids, health insurance, etc. and we live our lives working to live instead of living to work. When I look at my life, I say, "You know, I've probably got another 30 years left where I will be productive in the workforce. How do I really want to spend them? Do I want to spend them fighting the battles of others' wars to the betterment of their pockets and dreams, or do I want to fight my own battles?"

If you work for an employer who shares the same ideals and goals as you do, and you couldn't picture yourself doing anything other than what you do, because you LOVE what you are doing, and have always dreamed of doing this when you were a kid, then CONGRATULATIONS. You are living an enriched and authentic life. If not, then it is time for you to look in the mirror and say, "What do I really want to do with the rest of my life?" What legacy will I leave my children, when they think of me as a parent and as a person? What actions can I take to change my quality of life so when I wake up on Monday morning, I spring into action because your life is fueled by positive uplifting experiences?

I am not telling you to go out and change your life tomorrow - quitting your job and start backpacking across America. I am asking you to be honest with yourself, your spouse, your family, and your friends, and share with them what would truly make you happy. After you have established that, then as a community of loved ones, each of you support each other to attain the lives of true contentment, enrichment, and happiness.

I am very lucky that I have a wife who is following her passion as a Kettlebell instructor. She gets a charge out of being healthy and helping others become more healthy. It is a true labor of love. I am even more lucky because I have a wife who supports me in my pursuit to become the "Next Walt Disney . . . .or as I like to say it. . . the First Randy Rossilli, Jr."

The economy has not been our friend; however, we wake up each day invigorated by the experiences we will be having and the quality of life our career choices have provided our children. When we go to sleep at night, we are aware of the the struggles we have fought through and those that lie ahead, but they are struggles that we are wrestling with on our own terms for our own rewards.

So I ask you today to make a pledge not to work to live, but live to work. When put that way, it is more like what one of my idols, Thomas Edison said - "I never worked a day in my life, it was all fun." You will never work another day in your life, you will experience your life to its fullest, and in turn, positively impact the quality of life of everyone around you.

I have more to say on the topic, but will reserve that for another time. A time at which I hope you have taken some time to figure out:

"What you want to be, when YOU grow up?"

Getting Social In Schools?

Social networking. . .are you hip to it? Are you someone who got in early on the MySpace craze, did you just start Facebooking, Tweeting. . . are you LinkedIn? It seems like everyone is doing it. . . Moms, Dads, grandparents, kids. . . everyone is staying "connected" using some form of social networking.

It has worked great for me for both personal and professional reasons. It has reconnected me with friends from years ago, it keeps me connected with my current friends and family members, it connects me with people who have similar interests, it allows me to make announcements regarding new projects, properties and advances we have made at Nightstand Creations, and it has even reconnected me with a legion of "new" friends, who were a major part of my life some 15 years ago - who make me feel both proud and a little bit old. That legion is made up of former students of mine, who have now grown and become adults. . . parents. . . active contributors to society. =) I love this reconnection and enjoy their energy. It is great knowing where they came from and seeing how they have evolved.

One former student is really embracing this social media . . "craze?" kind of old to be a craze still, it is kind of now its own thing.

He asked the question in his blog about the idea of social media becoming a curriculum.

As someone who knows a little bit about how educational models evolve, I think we are still about 5+ years away from the adoption of social networking as a classroom tool. It could and should be implemented today as a way of extending the intruction beyond the classroom, and inviting parents and caretakers into the instuctional process. That notion has always been a littel scarey to the teacher, whose pride keeps their classrooms as closed as possible.

The Internet in schools is approximately 15 years old, and schools are just adopting policies that require teachers to maintain regularly updated websites. Social networking is 5 years old. Technology is more readily used by teachers, so I will give the benefit of the doubt to my former colleagues and say that it won't take 15 years to adopt the new technology, this time it will take them only 10. =)

Then again, it won't be "new" any longer, which still falls into the mold of the beauracracy-driven education industry will be last to the game, instead of first or second. . . . which our children and nation deserves.

I Wish I thought of This

I am a big fan of those in the industry that create similar products to mine, as well as those who create innovative ways of educating and inspiring. My appreciation for this never includes jealousy, because I feel jealousy is wasted energy (topic for a future blog). That being said, it is rare that I come across a unique idea that I say to myself "I wish I thought of that!" Usually my reaction is, "Oh that's cool. . . .How clever. . .etc." However, something came to my attention twice in the past week that I want to share with you, and I wish I had thought of. It is called StoryCorps.

StoryCorps is a project that allows people to come into a specially designed location to tell their story and have it captured in their own voice. It captures the story of America, from the common person's point of view. I used to love sitting with my grandparents and hear the stories of their childhood - their first exposures to innovations and times in our history that they lived through. Just like we all have stories regarding 9-11, and generations before me have those of JFK's assassination, or my grandparents had of Pearl Harbor, America's history is most uniquely told from the perspective of Americans who lived it. History books tell the facts and introduce major contributors of events through time, but the real story comes from those who lived through them.

I am often disappointed that I never had an opportunity to sit with my grandparents or my aunt Noreen to get the full story of my family down on video. Today, the Internet, and services like this, allow us to keep a journal of our life, experiences, and opinions. Maybe future generations will be able to learn from those of us who were arrogant enough to think our words meant something (or had business managers who kept poking us to put words out to the world). Maybe someday, my great grandchild will read this post and add a comment on the bottom.

In the meantime, I encourage you to go to the StoryCorps website and check out what they are all about. I also encourage you to spend time with the older generations in your families and find out what they truly thought about events in their lives. I do it all the time, and am so happy I have the memories of my grandparents and their peers, as well as my parents and their generation. It helps me remain grounded in where I have come from and conscious of where I am going, for I will be the history to generations of Rossillis that follow. My wife always teases me about the fact that I always seem to be interviewing people. I do that to get a appreciation for the life others (plus it makes it easier when I am developing charcters for projects. You never know when you might pop up in one of our stories . . .LOL)

The StoryCorp has put together a special book for Mothers. I have read and heard several of the entries online. I was so inspired by them and impressed by the whole project that I will be purchasing copies for the mothers in my life. I recommend you check it out and consider doing the same. I have absolutely no connection to the project, I just thought my readers would appreciate hearing about it.

Although we may live in different parts of the country, and have experienced different trials, challenges, and successes, there are core human values that connect us all. StoryCorps really illustrates that in a way I wish I had thought of! =)

StoryCorps Website: http://www.storycorps.com