Cherie's Random Thoughts

8 Ways You’re Driving Yourself Crazy : Practical Tips for Productive Living After reading this article on Marc and Angel Hack Life, I thought this is definitely a list that will lead to a person's self-destruction.  Most discomfort, pain, and unhappiness are self-PRODUCED.  Several of these I think really accelerate the process.  Think about the past and wishing that it were different   is A WASTE OF TIME.  The past is the past, we should reflect on it, learn from it, and NEVER make the mistakes again.  When past events resurface in your life, it simply means you did not learn the lesson the first time.  Complaining with no action is just annoying .  We a right to complain, but we do not have the right to complain when we are unwilling to change our perspective about something and/or do something about it.  Perceptual procrastination   really GETS YOU INTO TROUBLE.  What is even worse is when you e...

Our inner beauty is all that matters in life.  If we do not cherish and nurture our true selves, we sentence ourselves to an unhappy life.  This video embodies how we have a distorted image of outer selves, which affect our inner beauty.  Over the past four decade, I have learned that when we progressively let our inner beauty shine outwards everything falls into place.  I learned that it is pointless to compare yourself with another because we were all born with special gifts and beauty to share with the world if we first accept that we are BEAUTIFUL. 

Fahad Hassan: A Message to Americans: Let's Increase Teacher Value Another NO-BRAINER!  Teachers, educators, mentors, professors, or whatever you want to call us MATTER.  It is because of a teacher at every level of my educational life, in conjunction with have great parents, that I do what I do.  I own my success in life to them and would not be where I am today without their guidance.  We spend so much time BASHING teachers when we need to realize when they said, "it takes a village to raise a child.”  -They MEANT IT.  Education is a cycle and when one or more team players are not on the same page, the student suffers; and as a result, society suffers as well. 

8 Things You Can’t Learn in a Classroom In the above article, the author provides readers with eight great life lessons that are often learned outside of the classroom. After reading the list two lessons stood out for me personally and have been running themes throughout my life. They include:  Actually staying positive when times get tough. Although this is touch for many it is a must if you want to survive tough times. When we stay positive during life's most difficult challenges we actually give our body a boost that protects us from the effects of stress. Otherwise, when we succumb to negativity, we actually accelerate the likelihood that we will get sick and depressed as a result of the tough time.  The reality of death and the beauty of life. Death will come and we must accept this fact. As we get older, death knocks on our door more than we like and with each death of a love one we are reminded of our own mortality. 

7 Traits of a Highly Effective Mindset As I read the above article, I see the POWER of choosing to have an effective mindset versus a defective one.  When your mindset is effective, you feel powerful and inspired.  Although stress is a reality of life, a person who possesses an effective mindset will bounce back quickly from life's adversities.  A defective mindset will lead to a person becoming stuck a vicious cycle of negativity and failure to move forward.  Most importantly, as the article mentions a person with an effective mindset remains positive, yet realistic and always sees life's challenges as an opportunity for personal growth. 

8 Wake-Up Calls You Need to Receive The above article reminds me of the importance of wake-up calls. As I continue to reflect on my transition into my 40's I am finding that I am thinking about those that were lost during the past four decades of my life.  Over my life I have had learn lesson 1 repeatedly. During the past for decades I have had seen many die YOUNG. When I was a child, I lost two friends, Robert and Milton. Both deaths affected me greatly. They taught me that death will come and no one is immune. Fast-forward a decade; I learned what it meant to lose a pet, our family dog. His death too was tragic for he was very sick and there was nothing we could do to comfort him.  Fast forward a decade and a half, I lost my mother at age 57, my director died a month and half earlier, and my friend, Dawn's mother died as well that year (2007). At this point, I thought I was becoming an expert in death.  Five years later, my friend Colin at age 38 lost hi...

Tears on this one!  Cancer is robbing and has robbed many people of their quality of life and/or life itself.  It sucks to watch a love one succumb to this dreadful disease, yet it is bittersweet to see a friend overcome its wrath and somehow su rvive.  As I approach 40 I know either myself or one of many beloved friends will have to face this dreadful disease personally and/or through a love one.  It is difficult to see unwanted illness as a gift but Stacey is right they are.  For they forever change your make-up permanently.  I learned that through my mother's battles over my entire life with her and my father's PD as it progresses full steam head.  Cancer is trying take away the joy people have in their hearts, but CANCER we have you beat.  Although we may lose our love ones and may succumb to your wrath ourselves, we will always win.  Whether it is when we beat you here on earth or leave this world for a better place CANCER FREE! ...