Never Settle For Less

Yesterday the history channel earned my everlasting support.  It takes a lot for me to pledge my support to a channel but after witnessing the single most hilarious program of my life I’m 100% sold.

Around 11 pm on February 13, 2008 my life was changed forever. I witnessed a program about cattle mutilation from Aliens.  The UFO images, dramatic music, and my longing for something to replace the void left in my life by Unsolved Mysteries were enough to keep my attention locked in.  It turns out that my attention (and that of 2 other people) was wisely invested.

From the onset the program felt magical.  The show started out with an explanation of a 50 year old phenomenon.  Cows were being ruthlessly mutilated on farms!  This wasn’t your normal cow mutilation by any stretch of the imagination.  It wasn’t just an ear there or an eye here.  These cows had their tongues and genitals removed with surgical precision (no blood at any of the scenes).

About 5 minutes into the investigation my roomate attempted to change the channel to more "reasonable" TV.  His date and I refused to let him rob us of our joy.  He gave up and let us enjoy a classic piece of American TV.
The show was very educational for me. There are 3 things that I learned that I absolutely have to share.

1 - Aliens are Evil

If there is another type of life form in this galaxy if definitely hates human beings.  They hate human beings so much that they abduct cows (which according to the History channel have a similar makeup to humans) to study so that they can take over the world.  I’m starting to hate aliens

We got some nice pictures of what aliens look like too.  This is the closest picture I could find.

I’m sure that aliens eat humans with the innermost mouth .

2 - Cows have their own CSI Team

Did you know there was a such thing as a professional cow mutilation crime scene expert (CSI watch out).  I’m not really sure where you go to get that degree.  I’m not really sure what drives you to devote your life to the mutilation of cows.  I’m not really sure what makes you poke a cow that has been dead for several months with a pen and then stick that pen behind your ear.

The entire arena of cow mutilation and investigation confuses me.  I am clear on one thing though.  Somebody has to put a stop to this!

3 - Cows have very strong bones

My favorite portion of the show was part unbelievable and hilarious. Halfway through the show we were treated to a visual reenactment  of a real live cow mutilation.  The poor cow was minding his own business just eating some grass in a field.  Out of nowhere a flying white disk of doom flies overhead, scoops up the cow in a beam of light, and takes off into the night. The aliens take all the cow’s hopes and dreams (along with all its inner organs) and then the unthinkable (and hilarious) happens.

The aliens unceremoniously drop our filet mignon friend 10,000 feet from the sky to the same spot they picked him up from.  A fall like that would send any mere mortal in 1000 different directions.  At a minimum the head and a limb or two would come off.

Cows don’t suffer the same fate!

Every cow that has been dropped from the heavens above has suffered about 3 broken bones.  Milk does do a body good .

Conclusion

I went to work today fully expecting to be the only person who could have possibly wasted their time watching a show about cow mutilations.  I was wrong. To my surprise one of my teammates was also equally intrigued and appalled by the whole thing.

Based on the events of last night I do have one tiny suggestion for TV stations.  If you don’t have something useful to show us then just give us the blue screen of death.  The value is the same.

If you like this blog please bookmark this page or RSS subscribe .  Forward this information to anyone who can draw benefit from it.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

All of us have turnkey moments in our lives.  Those moments when everything changes.  Those moments when lightning strikes and things become crystal clear.  The "aha" moments that we experience are immediate and unforgettable.  Up until today I’ve had 2 or 3 of these "aha" moments.  One of them in particular sticks out like a sore thumb.

One day in September of 2005 I happened to gaze into the mirror.  This wasn’t just any normal gaze.  This was a long, slow, and excruciating physical examination.  I stared in the mirror and examined every inch of my body from head to toe.

• Hair looking good? Check
• Arms still there? Check
• Neck still attached to my head? Check
• Legs doing fine? Check
• Toes in place? Check

As I turned away from the mirror I noticed something strange.  My stomach was sticking out further than I’d ever noticed.  For weeks it had been there but this was the first time that it ever repulsed me.

There it was staring back at me in all it’s glory.  When I had a shirt over it I could easily call it fluff, loose muscle, the pooch, or any nickname that would help me hide what it really was.  With the shirt off I couldn’t lie to myself.  I was a fat boy plain and simple.

In 30 seconds I ran the gauntlet of emotions ranging from upset, to indifferent, and finally ending up angry beyond belief.  Being upset did something very special for me.  It was the match that set my desire on fire.  I seriously doubt that I would have ever lost a pound had I not been real with myself.

Sometimes the things we need to see are right in front of us hiding behind a veil we create.  It doesn’t help to hide or dish out pet names.  Be real, up front, and honest with yourself.  Get mad, get upset, get pissed off.  After you get yourself all worked up use that energy to make a change for the better.  Do it now and don’t look back.  You’ll thank me later.

If you like this blog please bookmark this page or RSS subscribe.  To RSS subscribe scroll to the bottom of the page, click on “entries RSS”, and select the page you’d prefer.  Forward this information to anyone who can draw benefit from it.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

I’ve been asked several times over the last few months what makes me such a happy and optimistic person.  The first few times I heard it I was thrown for a loop.  I never really considered myself to be an excessively happy person until it was continually brought to my attention.  Whenever I think of excessive happiness Ned Flanders always comes to mind and I’m not trying to be Ned Flanders.

I brainstormed a list of things that could possibly contribute to my happiness.  At one point the list was 20 items long.  As I analyzed the list I realized that my constant euphoria is centered around 2 things.

My Body Transformation
A lot of things happened to me when I was losing weight.  The physical changes are obvious.  I went from 250 lbs to around 205.  That’s easy to see.

What’s not so easy to see is the mental transformation that goes along with it.  Along that road I had to develop the mental strength to plan and implement each day with precision.  I had to develop amazing will power to succeed.  I had to learn to focus on the long term benefits of what I was doing because the scale didn’t always display what I wanted.  I had to be alright with being labeled a weird, health freak, who was obsessed with losing weight.

At the end of it all I came to the realization that I could do whatever I set my mind to.  I don’t mean that in a rah-rah YOU CAN DO IT cheerleading sense.  I mean it in a realistic learn and take action sense.

Indifference to Opinions

I’ve always had a rebellious streak.  Not anything nasty.  I’ve never robbed an old lady, extorted money, or put anyone through chinese water torture.  I have managed to do things my own way.

I see it like this.  The life I live is MINE.  I own it.  I have to be satisfied with myself each and every day.  That mind set allows me to challenge some things that others happily except.  Sometimes it makes people angry and ruffles a few feathers.  Sometimes it sparks a good conversation.  I’m fine either way.  It’s my life so I’ll live it how I see fit.

Conclusion

I really don’t think happiness is that difficult of a thing to come by.  Do what makes sense for you and the rest falls into place.  It’s that simple.

Howdly doodly neighbor

If you like this blog bookmark this page or RSS subscribe.  To RSS subscribe scroll to the bottom of the page, click on “entries RSS”, and select the page you’d prefer.  Forward this information to anyone who can draw benefit from it.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

My outlook on life is an overwhelmingly positive one.  Finding gold in a stack of pennies is a specialty of mine.  Sometimes it gets me in a little bit of trouble but I can handle that.  I can forgive even my worst enemy at the drop of a hat.  Most negative things really don’t even register with me.  Overall I look for the best in situations and people…sue me.

With all that said I can still be brought back to earth.  I’m not so naive as to ignore any and everything negative in this world.  Sometimes I’ll see trends develop in people and it makes me worry about the world we live in.  I’m worried about the current state we’re living in and the future we’re destined to live.  As I sit and look at my personal picture of the world the image begins to change.  Normally that picture is bright and glistening.  Sometimes a dark spot or 2 will creep in and add a bleak tint to things.  I’ll be writing about those dark spots today.  They should concern you, me, and everybody you know.  It’s that serious.

Living a healthy lifestyle is Considered “odd”

This fact of life burns a big steaming whole in my back.  Maybe its one of those things I’m not meant to understand (like paying a doctor to tell you to go see another doctor).  Living a healthy lifestyle with a moderate exercise regimen, decent nutrition, and just minimal amounts of dedication has a million and one benefits and virtually no drawbacks.

I wouldn’t think doing something that helps to control weight, reduces stress and feelings of tension, enhances self-esteem, extends life expectancy, lowers your heart rate, improves posture, increases energy, improves sexual performance (;)), and considerably reduces your chances of coming down with the following diseases:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Colon cancer
• Breast cancer
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Arthritis

Each and every person on the planet lives to protect themselves and their best interests.  When a gun shot goes off we hide.  When the weather gets cold we bundle up with jackets and scarves.  Yet we flat out refuse to take care of our bodies.

I don’t know about you but I can sacrifice 45 minutes 3-5 times a week to avoid breast cancer, stroke, high cholesterol, decreased libido, and shortened life expectancy. 

Racism Still Exists

A few weeks ago a friend and I went into an Audi car dealership in Smyrna, GA.  We went to the dealership around 4:00 p.m.  I was dressed nicely in business casual clothing.  I’m African-American and he’s Italian.  We were IGNORED upon entering the building.  I was slightly offended but not to the point of frustration.  Not yet at least.

For 5 minutes I walked around looking at cars.  For 5 minutes no one said a word.  Receptionists looked at us and didn’t utter a word.  I gave them the benefit of the doubt and wrote it off as them being busy (even though no one else was on site).

10 minutes go by and still not a word is said. He and I continue to circle the showroom floor taking special care to look at every car.  Now I notice salesmen are getting in on the act of looking at us.   At this point I’m starting to get a little bit “excited”.

By 15 minutes I’d had enough and was ready to leave.  I stormed out of the dealership and into the parking lot.  Just as we were preparing to leave an African-American salesmen emerged from the blue and offered to serve us.  I walked through the procedures with him but I was only half there.  After the test drive I hopped into my friend’s car and we left.

It’s strange to me that racism still exists in 2007.  It saddens my heart to think that ADULTS still hold prejudice after all the killings, marches, and senseless arguments on the subject.  Maybe some things never change.

Women seek out Subordinate Roles in Society

For some reason far beyond my own understanding society trains women to seek subordinate roles.  Women who show some aggression, passion, or backbone are looked at with a crooked eye.  It really bothers me that women have been assigned to (and accept) the role of support staff when they really have so much more to offer.

As a result of this “training” we have far too many women aiming to grow up and be supported by a man.  I may very well dip my face in a bucket of alcohol if I hear another woman say she aims to be a kept woman.  Who aims to grow up and do nothing with their life?  What’s going on when full fledged adults make it a goal to contribute NOTHING to society?

Does anybody else see a problem?

I know women are strong people.  I wish more of them would act out these strengths in the world.

We all know the feeling.  You wake up on a Monday morning, roll over, and smack the alarm clock.  Oh my god not again!  It’s time to go to WORK!  It’s just plain sad that 70-80% of the workforce would rather be somewhere else.

I’ve had a small taste of spending 80% of my Monday through Friday time in a place I despise.  That’s no way to live life. If it has happened (or is happening) to you then I’m sure you sympathize.

70% is a really depressing number.  Whenever I see it I imagine all the people I work with groveling as they wake up and prepare for work.  In my daydream they all let out a collective sigh of disdain as they prep for the never ending day.  Sad, sad picture.

Conclusion

By no means is this a soapbox of mine.  I just feel that these things should cause a bit of concern on our green planet.  Now back to your regularly scheduled program.  Have a good one.

If you like this blog please bookmark this page or RSS subscribe.  To RSS subscribe scroll to the bottom of the page, click on “entries RSS”, and select the page you’d prefer.  Forward this information to anyone who can draw benefit from it.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

When I was six years old I got a new neighbor.  That in and of itself isn’t a remarkable or drastic feat.  People move in and out of neighborhoods all the time.  She was different in her own special way.  She was one of the first people to give me insight into what this life is really all about.

Cordele, GA is my hometown. For those of you who don’t know its the Watermelon Capital of the World.  I wish I could say there is a lot going on there.  I wish I could say it’s a great place to launch your career as an astrophysicist.  I wish I could say it has more than 2 exits on the interstate.  I wish I could say the median salary wasn’t $25,000.  Unfortunately, I can’t say any of those things. I know you’re jealous. That’s ok .
However, I can say this.  The new neighbor that moved in next door around the time I was six was a blessing.  Thanks Cordele.
I lived on the "wrong side of the tracks" in a literal sense. A train track runs down through my town (have-nots on one side and have-it-alls on the other).  My neighborhood was made of 10 houses with notoriously poor lawns.  At least 8 of the front lawns looked like plots from the Sahara desert.  At some point everyone on the block had tried to plant flowers.  One by one they all failed.  Even my beloved grandmother with her midas touch of gold couldn’t get her flowers and trees to grow (sorry grandma).

My new neighbor didn’t have that problem.  2 or 3 days after she moved in I saw her out in the yard with a stick.  She bent over and put her 60 year old knees into the dirt and began to crawl around.  Curiosity got the best of me so I waltzed over into her yard to figure out what was going on.  To my disappointment she was only drawing small "X" shapes in the sand.  I said hello to her and went on with my day.

About a week later I noticed her out in the yard again.  This time she carried a bag in her right hand and a small shovel in her left.  At a pace all her own she methodically planted seeds at every "X" mark in the yard.  One by one she’d move over to a spot and follow this exact process:

1. Shovel dirt
2. Deposit Seeds
3. Cover the hole
4. Pack it down

I must have watched her shovel dirt for at least an hour.  The process was intricate yet simple.  I’d never seen anyone else go through such great lengths to START their garden.  It was obvious to me that she was up to something.  I just didn’t know what.
Over the next couple of months my new neighbor diligently watered her plants.  Every single day she’d be out in that yard.  Her movements were precise and calculated.  I’d never seen anyone so interested in pouring water into the grand.  It was interesting, boring, and crazy at the same time.  Watching her water plants was one of the few things that could make me sit still.

Every single day for the next six months the process continued without fail.  People in the neighborhood grew suspicious and began to gossip about the woman who was “obsessed with her garden”.

• Who does she think she is?
• Doesn’t she know plants don’t grow here?
• Why does she waste her time out there?
• Is she crazy??

About a  year later all her critics grew silent.  What was once a lonely plot of dirt was blossoming into a gorgeous front lawn.  Around the perimeter of her yard were trees that stood taller than anything else in the neighborhood.  Inside that small forest of trees grew rows of petunias, roses, and other assorted flowers.    In a little over a year she had the most dazzling yard on the block!

I was green with envy.  My grandmother had been trying for years to get grass to grow in her yard.  Meanwhile, our neighbor was building a tropical rain forest.
My neighbor’s flowers and my jealousy grew out of control at the same rate.  It became my mission to discover her secrets.  One day I decided to get up close and personal.   Since I was a James Bond fan at the time I decided to use some 007 tactics.  I pressed my body against the wall of her house and slid along the bricks until I made it to the edge of her garden.  As I peaked around the corner  I noticed that my neighbor was nowhere to be seen.  I knew she couldn’t have disappeared that quick so I advanced into her yard.  Out of nowhere a bucket of water soaked my face.

“Young man would you mind telling me what you’re doing snooping around in my yard!!!??’ she screamed.

“I…I…I…was trying to steal your secrets” I stammered out.

“What secrets are you talking about?” she asked in an irritated tone.

I gathered myself and explained that I was jealous of her yard and wanted to share her success with my grandmother.  She burst out into a taunting laugh that I’ll never forget.  After she got done laughing she asked that I pay very special attention to what she was about to say closely.  She paused for about 15 seconds and said something that I (along with everyone else on earth) really needed to hear:

“If you want anything on this earth to grow you must work towards that growth.  Some things may happen quick.  But that’s the exception, not the rule.  I haven’t done anything special except pay attention and water my plants with care.  I know what I have to do and I do it.  Tell your grandmother that’s the only “secret” she needs”

My little heart plummeted to the floor.  I was expecting her to surprise me with secret planting or watering techniques.  Instead she told me to poor water into the ground every day.

As an adult I can fully respect that message.  I’ve seen it work in my life and the lives of others.    In order to grow and progress you must be willing to go that extra mile, be consistent, and drive towards your goals whether you have 0, 1, 10, or 10 thousand people supporting you.  In the end it’s all the same.

So here’s the final question.

Are you leaving the water in the hose or using it to water your own personal soil of growth?

If you like this blog please bookmark this page or RSS subscribe.  To RSS subscribe scroll to the bottom of the page, click on “entries RSS”, and select the page you’d prefer.  Forward this information to anyone who can draw benefit from it.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Inside the Mind of a Sprinter

Put yourself inside the mind of an Olympic sprinter right before a race takes place.  Since childhood you’ve dreamed of this moment and its finally here.  All your blood, sweat, tears, weight training, and mental preparation are about to pay off.  As you shed your warm up gear you and your coach connect eyes for a split second.  He smiles, gives you a nod, and waves you off to the starting line.

The other sprinters are already in place as you take your lane.  You take your final glance around the stadium and then get into your stance.  Instinctively your ears perk up as you await the starter’s gun.  Every muscle in your body tightens with anticipation.  Right before you can relax it happens.

On your marks…get set…GO!

Your feet tap the pavement quickly and you begin to separate yourself from the pack.  Halfway through the race the crowd roars.  Out of the corner of your eye you see another sprinter coming even with you.

What do you do?

Do you fold and let him win, remain nonchalant and hope for the best, or dig deep and pull out the victory?

By the end of this article I plan on giving you the information needed to dig deep and compete to win.

Barriers to Competition

For millions of years humans have been competing. By competing I don’t necessarily mean a sporting event or a battle.  It can simply be a disagreement of principles or ideas.

Even though the urge to compete is an essential part of our being many of us take the easy road and avoid it.  Competition is avoided for 2 reasons:

1. Aversion to Conflict
2. Fear of Failure

Aversion to Conflict

It’s amazing when you realize what is considered a conflict these days.  If you form and stick to an opinion that isn’t shared by others then you just may be labeled “disagreeable”, “antagonistic”, or “unpleasant”.  Even if you know the building is going to explode in 5 minutes you shouldn’t tell anyone.  That’s not being very PC .

Have we become so obsessed with “goodness” that we turn a blind eye when something actually needs to be addressed?
It makes me smile when I hear “We can’t talk about that”,”You might not want to say that”, or “What did you just say !?!?”.  These are signs that we’ve stopped tap dancing and starting getting to the root of the issue.  Heads may be rolling but at least things are getting figured out.  What’s so “unpleasant” about that?

Fear of Failure

That little voice in our head can get to the best of us.  It’s remarkably easy to let fear of the unknown totally dominate your life.  Look at the bad things that could happen to us out in the world:

• You could lose money
• You could be rejected
• You could fall flat on your face
• You could lose credibility
• Your may end up with nothing to show for it
• You could end up on YouTube with less money, rejected, flat on your face, less credible, nothing to show for it, with some apple pie on your face

OH NO! The apocalypse is coming.
Seriously, any failure in competition is temporary and should be treated as such. When I was 11 years old I cost my football team a regular season game.  Near the end of the game I threw 2 interceptions that sealed the deal.  I thought the world was going to collapse upon my tiny shoulders.  3 hours after the game I stopped crying due to lack of water in my body.

The sting of that loss stayed with me for a few days.  I moved around the house with little interest in anything beyond moping.  After my father tired of it he basically told me in his straight forward fashion  “suck it up, it’s not the end of the world, move on”.  It wasn’t the nicest thing he’s ever said but it was definitely effective.
People tend to make mountains out of mole hills when it comes to those things they fear.  I just don’t think fears should dominate us.  When you run across something that scares you ask yourself one simple question:

“What good comes from being afraid?”

The answer: “none”.

Avoid letting aversion of “conflict” and fear of failing bury your competitive spirit.  Keeping that competitive spirit alive will always do more for society than letting it die (no matter how large or small the impact).

Competition is Natural

Look around you at all the competition going on:

1. Coke vs Pepsi
2. Yahoo! vs Google
3. Home Depot vs Lowe’s
4. Wal-Mart vs Target
5. Microsoft vs Apple
6. McDonald’s vs Burger King
7. Yankees vs Red Sox
8. MySpace vs Facebook
9. HBO vs Showtime
10. Disney World vs Six Flag

This list could easily go on for days.  I’m sure you get the picture.  Without competition our society would not enjoy the benefits we have in the past,enjoy today, or will enjoy in the future.  Shouldn’t you embrace your competitive side and add your value?

Conclusion

Embrace competition in your life.  Whether it be a simple dispute or an all out sporting event.  The positives will outweigh the negatives . Feelings may be hurt temporarily but the lessons that come along with those feelings last a lifetime.  Competition, conflicts, or whatever you choose to call them bring the best out of people.

Don’t be afraid to step out there and expose yourself.  Only then will you know where you truly stack up and how to improve upon your current situation.

If you like this blog please bookmark this page or RSS subscribe.  To RSS subscribe scroll to the bottom of the page, click on “entries RSS”, and select the page you’d prefer.  Forward the page link to 4 or 5 people who you think may benefit from the information presented here.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Several weeks ago I challenged myself think outside of the box for a post.  I created a post called "20 Motivational Thoughts".  I got great feedback from it so I’ve decided to do it again.  I’m going to shorten the list to 10 this time.

1. The day you stop believing in yourself is the day you perish.
2. Sacrifice what you want now for what you’re destined to have later.
3. People are 10 times better at what they want to do versus what they have to do.
4. It’s unfortunate that people don’t believe in themselves.  Imagine what a great place our world would be if they did.
5. Surround yourself with an equal amount of cheerleaders, critics, and advisers.  You’ll need them all.
6. Dedication is a necessary habit.  It’s challenging to build but necessary to succeed.
7. Dream with the heart of a child and turn life into your playground.
8. If you’re worried about losing you already lost.
9. If YOU don’t care about yourself then no one else will either.
10. Do you want to go down as #1 or #999,999,001?

If you like this blog please bookmark this page or RSS subscribe.  To RSS subscribe scroll to the bottom of the page, click on entries RSS, and select the page you’d prefer.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

I have something to admit.  My entire life I’ve been a coward.  I’ve always run kicking and screaming from horror films.  When I was 8 or 9 years old I watched the movie Candyman at a friend’s house in a dark room with about 10 mirrors in it (seriously) and it scared the life out of me.

For the people who don’t know anything about the movie here’s a basic summary.  In Chicago there is a legend going around about the son of a slave that has been brutally murdered called Candyman.  You can summon him by staring into a mirror and saying Candyman 5 times in a row.  Once you pull off this genius task he will appear and kill you for your troubles.  Sounds fun!

That 2 mile walk from my friends house was painful.  Every sound I heard made my heart skip a beat.  I walked in the middle of the road so no one could sneak up on me.

I avoided mirrors like the plague for months.  Needless to say I was steering clear of horror films.

A month ago a friend convinced me to watch Saw 2.  I wanted to get over my silly fear of horror films and he did a great job of convincing me that it wasn’t really that terrifying.

The plot grabbed my attention from the beginning.  It was original, outrageous, and exciting simultaneously.  The villain (Jigsaw) trapped a group of people in an abandoned home.  Cleverly disguised puzzles/death traps were planted all throughout the home.  The victims were people who either did not respect their own lives or who were ruining the lives of others.  In his mind he was giving them a chance to redeem themselves and value their lives again.    In order to survive they would have to work as a team.  Their reward was life and their punishment was the opposite.

The action packed script and character interaction kept my eyes glued to the screen.  To my surprise, the movie was packed with applicable life lessons.

1 - Be Alive!

Lesson #1 hit home the hardest.  I’m a firm believer that each of our lives has a meaning and we should live fulfilling lives.  At one point in the movie a detective whose son is in the house asks Jigsaw why he contacted this elaborate scheme. His answer was perfect.  I can’t remember it word for word but this is what I interpreted.

“You ever notice how little attention we pay to our own lives?  How we take the

small things like breathing for granted?  Do you appreciate your breath? Appreciate your life?

Most of us go through life never knowing what it’s like to feel ALIVE.  I’m sure they all feel alive now.

Being so close to death will do that to you.  Think so detective?”

I found myself nodding in rhythm with Jigsaw’s reply.  While I don’t agree with the methods I do agree with the message.

Most of us are not truly alive.  Day in and day out we go through the motions.  Like gears in an engine we keep on churning.  Never stopping to figure out what we REALLY want or what we REALLY need to do.  By not thinking about these things we actively avoid the situations that allow us to experience the agony of defeat, the passion of victory, and the thrill of being alive.

Over the past few years I’ve developed a thrill seeking streak.  It pushed me to become involved in public speaking, weightlifting, organizational leadership, and opening conversations with strangers.  I’ve learned that being nervous is a good thing because it means you’re about to GROW and LEARN from an experience.  In other words, you’re about to LIVE.
If you’re cheating yourself of the opportunity to grow and learn then rethink those patterns.  If you don’t you’ll exist…but you won’t be ALIVE.

2 - Never Underestimate Your Impact

One of the more powerful moments in Saw 2 occurred in a room filled with drug needles.  Jigsaw’s most rowdy victims was a heroine dealer.  To punish him Jigsaw placed the key to a vital door under a stack of several thousand infested needles.  Jigsaw explained that the needles represented each and every life that was effectively ruined by dealing heroine.

That dealer did not have 4,000 clients. However, those clients did have friends, fiances, uncles, cousins, and children who were all effected by his behavior.  The message was crystal clear. Don’t underestimate your impact to your society.

That image made me step back and analyze my own actions.  Something I say or do could dramatically impact someone else’s well being.  One false move can change ruin thousands of lives in an instant.  A good action or statement on your part can improve thousands of lives in an instant.  Which do you prefer?

3 - Leverage the Wisdom of Others

The very first death in Saw 2 illustrates this point to perfection.

In the beginning the victims are all trapped in a room.  Each person is visibly upset.  They are all buzzing with fear.  One person lay prone on the floor.  All at once they start to panic and bombard each other with questions.

“Why are we here?”

“What the hell is going on?’

“How do we get out of there”

“Who are you?”

Suddenly an ear splitting shriek breaks out.  The person that was lying on the floor wakes up!  I look of disgust creeps across her face.  She recognizes the scenario as one she’s already been in.  She curses herself for ending up in Jigsaw’s death grip again.

She searches for a tape player and plays Jigsaw’s first message to the group.  On the tape Jigsaw calmly explains why they are there and what he intends to happen.  It’s a game and Jigsaw has forced them to “play”.

After several minutes one of the participants grows anxious and approaches the most obvious exit, a door that doesn’t appear to be rigged.  The woman who has been there before urges him to stay clear. He ignores her and grabs the handle.  Just as he is about to twist the handle he pauses.  Suspense builds in the room and the viewer is drawn in close.  He looks through the peephole in the door.

Slowly he turns the knob…

A loud blast goes off.  A bullet penetrates his skull and exists just as quickly as it came.  His face shatters and his lifeless body falls to the floor.  The knob that he turned was attached to a revolver outside the door.  The remaining victims stare at the woman in amazement.  Apparently she knows something!  All of a sudden she has EVERYONE’S attention.

There are many wise people in this world.  Latch on to as many as you can.  They can smooth the bumps in the road and and help you navigate the waters.  Leveraging the wisdom of others can only make you better.

Conclusion

I never really expected to learn much from watching a movie (much less a horror movie).  Often they are filled with mindless bloodbaths and death.  However, this one sticks out to me.  There was a message to be conveyed and it went over very well.  I was glad that I took the time to watch it.  Wisdom can come from the strangest places.
If you like this blog please bookmark this page or RSS subscribe.  To RSS subscribe scroll to the bottom of the page, click on entries RSS, and select the page you’d prefer.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!