Vision

Do you have a vision? If not, you need to have one. Or should I say, have some?

It is with a vision that we are able to not only know our direction but have direction at all. With it, we know: what we want, where to (go) get it, who has it, how to obtain it, and what we will do with it once it is obtained. AKA--The 411. The, "Who, what, what, when, why, where, and how". A vision is not for seeing into the future, but it is to be put to use NOW. Get the ball rolling, and mark items off of your checklist. Now, this not merely a plan. A plan is what you have in mind, what you write down. A vision is your sight; sight that becomes ACTION. Make it happen. Make it happen now.

Potential. Potential. Potential. Ugh. Let's throw potential out the window of the 20th floor. Do you forever want to be known as the one who "always had good potential"? To have potential is all fine and good but what are you doing with it? Potential means "possible". For example, choosing a date, beau, girlfriend, mate. Those who are "possible" or "could be" are tagged as "potentials", right? Don't allow your dreams and goals to have just potential. With a vision, that mere potential becomes action. And with vision you are then able to head in the right direction to obtain whatever it is you seek.

Here are some key points to remember:
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1) Vision will be blurry when there is no start point.

2) Your vision will not be, if you are not moving.
**Things do not get done by staring at them and willing yourself in your mind to do them. That novel for class doesn't get read by staring at it. That 50 page thesis will not, I promise you, it will NOT write itself. Don't just open your eyes to see, open your mind. Any dream or goal is possible if you envision it.

3) You are not a failure and you do not fail until you give up.

4) A mistake does not become an error until you refuse to fix it.

So, so what! If you need to go back to the drawing board a couple times. So what! If you have to re-order a couple things. So what! If you lose some support. So what! If others don't see your vision. IT'S YOUR VISION!! This vision should be what YOU want to obtain for YOU; not for any and everyone else. You have to be #1 on your list. If you aren't, the more you put above yourself, the lower you get, and the further away your vision gets.

So if you don't have a vision, get one. If you don't have vision period, get some.

Don't just make it happen. Make it happen NOW.

Motivation

Lately, there has been a lot going on. I know, I know....that's a broad statement. But really, there has been a lot. Not just in my life, but in every one's. Maybe it's in the water. Anyway, sometimes people cross our paths or are placed in our life and we just cannot figure out their purpose. Sometimes they seem good, other times, bad. Half of the week they're nice, and the other half, just flat out horrible. I'm sure we all have someone that we cannot peg but they just seem to stick around anyway. I'm sure the term "hater" has come to mind.

Well, in all that has been going on with me, I needed some motivation and inspiration. So last night I was scrolling through an old notebook of mine, looking for some inspiration and this is what I found.....

You motivate me
Maybe
Not in the way
I expected
But in a way
That makes me reflect
You motivate my
Wheels to turn
Sometimes cause my
Stomach to churn
And very rarely
Now
My heart to burn
For what once
Was a beautiful
And blessed wonderful thing
You now have
Helped me to see
That you motivate me
To be better
Move higher
And
To find the person
I'd lost
In our journey
You motivated me
To find....ME

So I'm her
Reflecting
No longer expecting
And looking
At the blessings
Yeah you help me
In a way
You don't even know
But one day
Maybe you'll see
Just how you
Motivate me

.....so for those people that you just can't peg and for all those "haters" in your life---use them as motivation. Not as someone to talk about or someone to make fun of.....but as in inspiration. These "people" (if you will) come in all forms. Boyfriends, girlfriends, family, friends, groupies, etc. (I'm sure you catch my drift). So in conclusion....just keep pushing. Don't allow negativity to stop you....help it to find what you've lost, what you're looking for.......let it help you discover you.

*Now, I wrote this back in November 2007 and hadn't re-read it until last night and it was motivation for me. I said that to say no matter how long they've been around they can still motivate you. Obviously they are there for a reason. If you can't get rid of them yourself, then their purpose has yet to be fulfilled.....so let them be a bit or inspiration and motivation to you*

Man says he found condom in his soup

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (KABC) -- In a court filing, a man alleges that he found a condom in his soup at an Orange County restaurant.
The plaintiff in the case states the incident occurred during a brunch with his family on Easter while dining at a Claim Jumper restaurant in Mission Viejo. In a statement, the restaurant says the claim is without merit and that they will fight the allegation.

The plaintiff in the case, his wife, and their 18-year-old daughter arrived at the restaurant shortly before noon when the incident occurred. The court filing reads, "As he ate the soup, the family was engaged in conversation. Suddenly, he felt what he believed was tough cheese on one side of his mouth. When he could not chew it into pieces, Phillip commented to his family that if felt like rubber. He then spit it out, spooned it onto a napkin, at which time his wife said, 'Oh my God, it's a condom.'"
Testing of the condom by companies hired by both the plaintiff and Claim Jumper revealed female DNA.

In a statement dated July 22, 2009, representatives for Claim Jumper said, "We have found no evidence to support any of the allegations." The statement goes on to say that because the condom was taken with the plaintiff on April 12, and was not submitted to an independent lab until June 1, Claim Jumper "could not establish that this was the same object the lab received."
The statement goes on to say all female employees at the Claim Jumper restaurant were tested to determine if there was a DNA match. Claim Jumper says the plaintiff in the case was also asked to take a DNA test but failed to appear for his appointment on July 20.
The court filing does not specify what monetary damages the plaintiff is seeking, but says that as a result of the incident, the man has had emotional distress and been required to obtain medical services, medication, drugs and blood tests.
The filing also states the plaintiff "hoped to resolve the issue amicably and prior to taking legal action," but was frustrated by the progress of the investigation after three months.

Its Still Alive...

Many Latinos say they know how Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates felt during a recent arrest because they believe police often racially profile Hispanics, too.
Gates, a noted African-American scholar, has said he was arrested at his home in large part because of his race. Police say he became disorderly when asked for identification after a report of a possible break-in.
"Professor Gates' case resonates with us because he is a prominent academic at a very prominent institution, but it is a reality that occurs on these streets every day," said Vicente Alba-Panama of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights.Latinos are affected the same way that African-Americans are, Alba-Panama said.
"In this country, when you talk about racial or ethnic problems it is always discussed in terms of black and white and other communities are excluded, such as the Latino community," he said.
A 2004 Gallup Poll found that 67 percent of African-Americans and 63 percent of Latinos believe they are the victims of police discrimination. Among whites that figure fell to 50 percent, according to the survey.
Police say they often have to make split-second decisions while staying safe.
"First, when officers arrive, they have to think of their own safety," said Anthony Miranda, executive chairman of the National Latino Officers Association of America. "Secondly, they think about public safety and from there they should make a decision. The problem is that in the discussions we are having is that officials abuse their authority."
Gates was arrested July 16 and accused of disorderly conduct after police responded to a report of a possible burglary at his Cambridge, Massachusetts, home. Gates had just returned from an overseas trip and had to force his front door open because it was jammed. A passer-by notified police of a possible break-in.
Police said Gates became belligerent when asked for identification.
The charge was later dropped, but the incident sparked a national debate about racial profiling and police procedures.
President Obama added to the controversy last week when he said at a news conference that the Cambridge police had acted "stupidly."
The arrest led Cambridge officials to create a commission made up of national experts that will evaluate police practices and make recommendations to reduce improper procedures.
Obama had a beer at the White House on Thursday evening with Gates and the officer who arrested him, Sgt. James Crowley, so they could discuss the issue. The two men said afterward they planned to meet again privately.

New Mozzart Music Found

The music isn't new, but the discovery that a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart "almost certainly" composed it is a stunning revelation.The two compositions -- a concerto in G and a prelude in G -- have long been in the files at the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, Austria, as anonymous works and were even published in the book "New Mozart Edition" in 1982.
Now Ulrich Leisinger, director of the foundation's research department, believes the works actually were composed by Mozart before he was old enough to write music, and that Mozart's father, Leopold, transcribed them.
The foundation said in a statement that Leisinger analyzed the handwriting and other "stylistic criteria" to determine the music was "almost certainly unknown compositions by" the young Mozart.

The compositions were found in a book, compiled by Mozart's father, that was used for practice and the musical education of both Mozart and his sister, according to the statement.
Leisinger's analyses "support the claim that they were actually composed by the young Mozart, who was not yet versed in musical notation, and transcribed by his father as the boy played the works at the keyboard," the statement said.