A Confidence Scheme.

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” William Shakespeare
Some may think that confidence is the opposite of humility. People sometimes even equate confidence with arrogance. That is a mistake. Rather than being the opposite of confidence, we need to understand that humility is an entirely separate issue.

The truly confident person is one that can fully embrace and celebrate their strengths and talents, and yet never forgets their humanity. They can admit mistakes and failings and yet never feel like a failure. It’s true, your failures do make you stronger. Nothing you endeavor in is ever worthless. You always walk away with more knowledge, being more prepared to attempt and succeed in the next endeavourer.

A person must live in gratitude for the abilities they have been given and never fail to see the giftedness in others. Never be jealous of others talents but willing to learn from what other’s talents can teach us. Understanding that within ourselves we too have a inner genius that must be in continuous development. We must always be learning, always trying and never, never give up. These elements make up true and lasting confidence.

Living with confidence because you’re a genius!

You’ve heard it said “Necessity is the mother of invention” Well I say “Creativity is the mother of invention”. I define genius as finding your very own inner creative menes. That’s right, menes, our bodies are built with genes, that is what makes each of us as physical individuals. Our menes are the parts that make up our personality. Just as each of us have physical genius: or physical abilities such as balance, flexibility, reflexes, strength, movement, all equaling our physical capabilities. Our menes are the parts that make up our personal genius that we are mentaly capable of.

It’s not just about your tested mental IQ. To find the sum of your menes or genius takes the wiliness to commit to the search of your genius, testing and looking for its limits and abilities just as we do with our bodies. It doesn’t just come to you like a bolt of lighting, sure some find their physical genius early like the ability to play pro baseball while others get to publicly display their mental genius like the famous genius of Einstein or Leonardo. Just because you’ve not been on television or someone hasn’t written a book about you does not mean you’re not a genius! Most genius is un-published! It can be found in the everyday of living. It’s found in the little bits of brilliance of our daily living and it can be developed into adding value to everyone else’s daily living! There is no test created for your personal genius. You have to write it yourself!

Everyone has their own inner genius for which they are superior at doing. We all have a genius within our own nitch. Think about this! If you where stranded on a desert island and living in a cave and one night you heard something rustling around in the bushes outside. Who would you really want to be there in the cave with you? Einstein!? What would he do? Confuse the creature with his theory of gravity. No! you want someone with the genius of bravery or the genius of survival or the genius of mimicking the scary sounds of a shell being racked into a sawed off shotgun.

You should be committed! It all starts in the doing. One step at a time, one foot before the other. Committed to the long walk.

Here are the first steps! Takes approximately 20 minutes.

1) If you liked what you have read here or want to learn more, commit to a day and time for continuing to stopping by this site and reading what’s going on.

2) Think about 10 things you like to do. Count them out on your fingers.

3) Write a personal resume. Not a work resume but a resume of your life. Write down the things that you like to do: fishing, reading books, watching movies, painting, organizing your sock drawer, talking to people. List everything you like to do.

4) List the education you have: classes that you liked taking, books you have read, life experiences, places that you have traveled to, things that people have taught you.

5) List jobs that you have done, not just paying jobs: Pick out the parts of the job you liked best or feel you did best at.

6) When you’re finished just set it aside for the night. The next day look for the pattern of things that you really like doing or felt good doing. Be proud in seeing the things you like to do and look how those are the things you always seem to see though to completion.

7) On a big piece of paper draw a large inverted triangle: with the point at the bottom, the widest area at the top. Write out words or short sentences representing the thing you like to do or are good at within the triangle.

8) Now start thinking about the list and watch as you melt the overall list into just a couple of short sentences that can be written underneath the point at the bottom of the triangle. Those sentences are what you should be doing. Don’t be inhibited with coming to a conclusion that it doesn’t look to be rational. Don’t look at “what you should be doing” as needing to be practical. Don’t see the outcome as not having any monetary reward. Just look at it for what it is.

9) Next time we get together we will discuss how to make what you like to do into a money making reality.

10) I acknowledge I do not have the genius of grammar, spelling or in the written word but I am better at it than I used to be and will be better at it as I continue to work this menes’ muscle. Thanks for your genius of understanding my inadequacies.

Yours, Stephen James

What an arrogant prick I am!

Today while I was hurting my arm twisting it up to pat myself on the back, for once again I graciously allowed a man to take my basket full of empty bottle returns, as I have for the last month that it accrued to me…. I am an arrogant prick!

See, over the last month I have been giving my returns to a fellow that picks up the scattered bottles in the parking lot behind our building. I’ve affectionately nicknamed him “Bottles”. So once a week or so I yell out the window “Hey Bottles, got some for you! He smiles and waves back and will yell up “Thanks”.

Today as we were doing the bottle exchange and we got to talking, the normal stuff, the weather and how hot it’s been. He tells me he hasn’t been out much lately cause the heat wears him out. He’s an older man, well he appears older. You can see that time has not been kind to him but you can also always see him smiling.

We said our goodbyes and as he walked away I said “See you next week Bottles” he turned and smiled, not waving because I had loaded him down with heavy bottles, I then turned to return to my nice air condition apartment. That’s when it hit me. Here’s a man willing to humble himself walking the back alleys and picking up the trash others discard with thoughtless intent. A man that isn’t panhandling, isn’t stealing, isn’t causing trouble but just trying to get along. Who am I to give this man the label “Bottles”?

Sometimes I listen to my couscous and doing so I turned and quick stepped to catch up with him. “Sir” I called out. He turned to me, I reached out and grasped the bag of bottles from his right hand, “My name is Stephen, what’s yours?” We shook hands. “Bradley.” he said. I said; “Well Bradley, I just want to thank you for picking up around here. What you do is a real service to our community.” He looked into my eyes a little stunned but then put on his big friendly smile and said; “Stephen, thank you and nice to meet you, you have a good day and I’ll see you next week”. We parted till our next meeting in a week or so. When I see him then, I’ll be looking at him with greater humbleness in my eyes.

Crap, I got to go, now I got something in my eye and I need to find a quit place to go wipe it away and to think about what just happened.

Reasons why to vote yes on Public Library Millage....

Because it’s one of my personal picks of the greatest social accomplishments ever created by humanity; 1) Volunteer Fire Dept. 2.) Alcoholics Anonymous 3.) Public Library 4) Disco Clubs 5) Facebook (okay, maybe not Facebook).

Other reasons:

1) Not everything is on the Internet plus, the Internet is a mile wide and an inch deep. (*See donsupporter on Flint Talk Political Forum)

2) You can check out movies and music for free

3) Lots of programs and entertainment for children.

4) You get to shush people

5) Librarians: Real live people who can help you.

6) Multiple of different programs and classes available

7) Lots of programs and entertainment for old people

And my personal favorite reasons to fund the library: LARGE PRINT BOOKS!
See more at http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/about/millage/index.shtml