A Toast Rejuvination

Having been ages since putting keyboard to blogpost its amazing how much life has progressed, regressed, broke down built up and gotten so much better.

As a human I am just relishing the experiences which make us unique and alike. Pain, passion, progress, that elusive persistence, and more pleasure and than any man should experience in a 24 hour period.

Its nice to have what feels like an army all going in the right direction and supporting a cause that consumes you so positively in life and right now I am in a place fortunate to be experiencing that and am grateful for it.

Much much more to come.

"It takes as much effort to think small as it does to think big. So why think small?"

Credo- A Statement of Belief

Each day is my opportunity

I refuse to let my dream wait until tomorrow

I finish what I start, integrity is my every action

With each challange, I am more mentally formidable

I do not fear the immense ability I possess

I achieve my goals and materialize my dreams

Success is my destiny!

Song of the Day: Kid Cudi -Simple As...

Love of Fate

This is my 37th post since I began the initiate to write more and use this as my forum to do so. At the beginning of 2009 I laid out a few intentions that laid out what i aimed to accomplish this year. In evaluating these I know that in some areas I have exceeded my own expectations and others remain a working objective I have yet to fully satisfy. With particular respect to writing I believe that I have and continue to remain diligent in my pursuit to express my thoughts, my evolving beliefs and views as well as my perspective of our world. It is without question that I would like to continue to do so. With the help of others I have submitted work and hope to be published in the new year. Irrespective of that I want to continue to improve my skills in articulating and translating emotion and feeling through words.

In looking back at what has been and incredibly eventful year I think that the next promises even more. I approach my objectives this year with a realistic optimism. I say realistic because I know understand more fully the power of my initiative and have furthered my knowledge of what passion is and how to implement that into making success. The optimism is just part of my biological make up. The only thing I have to continue to do is take deep breaths and realize frustrations are merely momentary. With this in mind I lay out 3 main objectives that embody what I want to look back on at this point next year and say I have much more to conquer but that my realistic optimism was well placed.

Firstly, I aim to become more complete as a man and person. This is a very broad concept for me. From taking care of all aspects dealing with my presentation both personally, physically, and mentally, to being more hungry to consume information and learn more at a greater pace. To know more of what I want and what I choose I do not. Again this deals with personal, material, and mental. Clearly ask of myself and receive from within with as little waste as possible. To be specific things like dressing better, getting into the best shape of my life in terms of health and more mentally stronger and complete are markers of success. Doing things in an educated manner and with class and diligence is my approach.

Secondly, is to develop and complete independence. This is less about financial and more about deciding and taking action with a ferocious determination that all else will arrange as the universe conspires to help me achieve. Independence means different things to people but to me it means being in a position to decide, create, and prosper. It means to distinguish from the rest without the obvious emphasis of non-conformity. It means my own place it means my piece of mind. This is a key aspect that I wish do achieve quickly and with style.

Thirdly and most importantly, I want to execute on my vision of DoubleSicks. I am making this dream a reality and creating converts along the way. When done correctly our niche can serve as a vehicle to tap into a creative side previously unknown that can unleash an array of options that will only be limited by my capacity to do even more. I will take this to the next level. A lifestyle brand that evolves with people and addresses the way we wish to interact with our world. A platform of expression and interaction with our world and those in it that can best be summed up with a smile and a sip.

So as I sit here and watch a southern California sunset and reminisce on the year that was I can can be grateful for the energy, faith and belief that 2009 has instilled in me and those it has brought me closer to and further from. To a full glass in the air and a tune in the background here is to the next decade.

Amor Fati -Nietzsche......may you all love your fate.

Safety In Number(s)

Things you are you take from others
Things that you are not, also owed to others
Things that you become are owned by no one
Things that you desire, are carefully manufactured
Things that you want and need, take caution against artificiality

Those we follow we emulate
Those who lead, create
Those who search, find
Those who can't, don't

It's when you reach the hardest part you concede
Its when you reach the hardest part you defeat
It's when good enough, just is not the same
It's knowing when to take that next step

IT'S knowing when THOSE THINGS matter and THOSE THINGS don't

Song of the Day: Deadmau5 - Strobe

Heart Beats

Its that thing that makes your heart beat faster, makes it skip, and occasionally prolongs that beat for far longer than is comfortable. It's the thing that makes you moan, makes you groan, and makes a mountain of a mole hill. That thing is your significant other. And that other could have been a past a present and almost always interferes with a future.

It is said that if you love something or someone, and it wants to wander, you should let it go. And should that something or someone return. It is truly yours. If life wasn't already complicated enough and your emotional maturity at a level such that the capacity to care for another was a possibility you more than likely have a similar understanding or comprehension of a circumstance(s) where distance makes the heart grow fonder and simultaneously makes the heart wander. Temptation exudes itself in all facets of life and lust is no exception. The feeling of want and being wanted is extremely powerful and pushes limits, boundaries, morals, and any other adjective you can think of. The problem with this is given the preconditions of emotional maturity and having the facebook equivalent of "It's complicated" makes moving on at times difficult.

Now careful not to confuse this with instances where malice and unfaithfulness was the lead up to conclusion, but instead a level of understanding and companionship that still were not enough to keep the physical presence of each person present. It is these instances that are the most difficult to dissect and break free from. So sweet you can still taste it. So fresh you can still feel it. It is this departure from a relationship that leaves the question of what could be and the lingering of the past. How does one proceed forward? The answer, with caution and reckless abandon for an improvement on that previous feeling.

The only bigger injustice that can be done to the one who you cared for is to dismiss your own happiness and sacrifice it for something that is not guaranteed. That person spent an inordinate amount of time and energy learning with you what is possible and what can be realized from a combined experiences in life. The point of the whole thing was to continue to improve and to seek out better. And in some cases there will be none better. No experience that can compare. No feeling that adequately captures emotion. No one that looks quite the right way at you. Or does that quirky clean your ears thing that you know is so weird but miss so dearly. But it is at that point when you know he/she was the one that they come back. Never close doors that can lead you to greener pastures merely to postpone the past. Life is really only worth doing if your living. And lust, want, and relationships make that next heart beat real.

The XX - Shelter (Death To The Throne Remix)

How to Escape Materialism and Find Happiness

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. - George Burns

Money can’t buy you love. It can’t buy you happiness either. Today’s materialistic world often urges us to buy the coolest gadgets, the trendiest clothes, bigger and better things, but research shows that possessions and purchases don’t buy us happiness. According to an article on CNN, "by and large, money buys happiness only for those who lack the basic needs. Once you pass an income of $50,000, more money doesn’t buy much more happiness [according to happiness studies]." So while we are being pushed towards materialism, it’s for monetary gain by corporations, not for our own happiness.
All around us, there are messages telling us to buy stuff. On the internet, we see continuous advertising trying to get us to purchase a product or service. It’s the main reason for television, and movies are continually made with products placed throughout, so that we aren’t always sure what is advertising and what was put in there by the director. Flip on the radio or open up a newspaper or magazine, and you’re bombarded by more advertising. Go to a shopping center/mall, and the urge to buy comes from every direction. This message to continually buy, buy, buy and that it will somehow make us happier is drilled into our heads from the days of Happy Meals and cartoons until the day we die. It’s inescapable. Well, almost. You could go and live in a cabin in the woods (and that actually sounds nice), or you could still live in our modern society, but find ways to escape materialism.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to escape the trap of materialism, and find happiness in ways other than buying stuff online or finding joy in the mall. But it’s possible. Here’s a guide to finding a materialism-free life and discovering true happiness.

Steps

1. Limit television. Do you really enjoy watching TV for hours? Think about which shows you really, really love, and only watch during that time. When the commercials come on, go do something else. Or use Tivo to watch TV. You can even give up cable TV entirely, if you’re brave — you may just discover it’s one of the best things you’ve ever done.
   
2. Eschew the news. Journalists will never tell you this, but if they’re completely honest, they’ll confess that the most important part of any news company, from TV or radio news to internet or print news, is the advertising division. It’s the division that provides the paychecks for the rest of the company. The news is important in driving traffic to the advertising. So when you’re watching or reading news, you’re really being sucked in to advertising. Try this instead: boycott the news for a week. It won't hurt you; it will help you a lot in finding reliable and worthy news sources minus advertisements; it'll also decrease your exposure to negative stories 99% of the time.
   
3. Limit Internet reading. This isn't asking you to cancel your cable internet subscription or anything. Just check out the sites that you truly love reading, that give you the most value, and limit your reading to those. And just do it once a day, for 30 minutes or so. If you can do that, you’ve gone a long way towards tearing yourself away from advertising. And support sites that do not advertise with your devoted readership.
   
4. Give up magazines for books. Magazines are also designed with advertising in mind. And they rarely give you much value. Try reading an ad-free book instead. It’s a much better use of your time.
   
5. Don’t go to the mall or Walmart. The only purpose of these places is for you to spend money. If you just want a place to spend your Saturday afternoon, find a place where you don’t need to spend money to have fun — a park, the library or a beach, for example. If you need to buy something, go to a single store (not the mall) and go in and get what you need. Don’t browse and walk around looking at stuff. You’ll get sucked in.
   
6. Monitor your urges. When you’re online, or watching TV, or at a store, keep track of the number of times you want to buy something. Keep a little notebook or index card, and just put tally marks. Once you become more aware of your urges to buy things, you can start to control them. If you could control them, limiting your consumption of media (see above tips) isn’t really necessary — although arguably doing so still gives you a better quality of life.
   
7. Use a 30-day list. If you still really want to buy something, put it on a list, and write down the date you added the item to the list. Now tell yourself you cannot buy that item for 30 days. It might be difficult, but you can do it. When the 30 days have passed, if you still want it, then buy it. But you can’t buy anything (besides essentials like groceries) without putting it on the list for 30 days first. Many times, our urges to buy something will pass during this waiting period.
   
8. Declutter. You will find it pretty amazing to see all the rubbish you buy over a period of years, when you go through closets and other possessions and start getting rid of stuff you don’t use or want any more. It’s a gratifying process, and at the same time, it makes you realize how useless all our consumer shopping is. You don’t need any of the stuff! When you do this, you may be less likely to buy more stuff. Especially if you enjoy the decluttered look of your house - most people do!
   
9. Find other forms of entertainment. There are other things to do besides watching TV or movies or reading magazines, newspapers or the internet. Try playing sports or exercising, or playing board games, creating art, writing or reading a book. Try doing fun things with your kids or visiting relatives and other loved ones. Try volunteering with a charity. Come up with 100 free or cheap things to do and do them!
   
10. Buy used. When you get the urge to buy something, and you’re convinced that it’s needed, try finding it used instead of new. Look in thrift shops, recycling depots, second-hand dealers or garage sales, flea markets or similar places. Provided it works, it'll do the same job as a new one and cost you much less and you spare the Earth a little longer from additional junk being thrown away or produced.
    
11. Find the true Path to Happiness. So, if you’re able to escape materialism, how can you find true happiness? There are many ways, and each of us is different, but here are some things to try:
    
    • Grateful list. Make a list of things about which you’re grateful in your life. Give thanks for them daily.
      
    • Think positive. Try eliminating negative thinking from your life, and think positive instead.
      
    • Small pleasures. Make a list of small things that give you great pleasure. Sprinkle them throughout your day. Notice other small pleasures as you go through your day.
      
    • Kindness. Practice random acts of kindness and compassion. Do it anonymously. Help those in need. Volunteer. Make someone smile.
      
    • Love. Make an intimate connection with your loved ones. Develop your friendships. Spend time with them, converse, understand them, make them happy.
      
    • Health. Exercise and eat healthy — it sounds trite, but it can bring great happiness to your life.
      
    • Meaning. It’s often useful to find meaning, either through a church or spiritual way, or through those we love in life or through the things we’re passionate about. Give yourself a purpose.
      
    • Flow. Eliminate distractions, and really pour yourself into whatever you’re doing, until you forget the outside world.
      
    • Know yourself. Become attuned to what brings you happiness. Study yourself. Learn about what you love, and about your ability to love. Increase your capacity for compassion.
      
    • Experience the natural world.
      
    
    

Related wikiHows

• How to Be Happy
  
• How to Buy Nothing
  
• How to Find True Happiness and Peace
  
• How to Start Living Frugally
  
• How to Create a Minimalist Home
  
• How to Stop Being a Packrat
  
• How to Stop Being a Digital Packrat
  
• How to Remove Clutter From Your Home
  

Sources and Citations

• Original source of article from the very generous Zen Habits. Please feel free to visit and support copyright free information providers.
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Escape Materialism and Find Happiness. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

The Takeover

There is something very significant occurring in the world right now and it pertains to demographics. The youth of today are taking over. Generation Y as we are termed are taking control. Like a light switch each bulb is being turned on. I can see it in my peers. You hit this point where things aren't just short term and that ambition to actually fulfill potential turns into an energy which creates a force of mentality that screams 'Fuck it no one can stop me'.

The baby boomers are done. They have made their money or have got nothing to show for going through economic cycles. The twenty fifth year of my life I know, is going to be the biggest. For some I know it took a few years more on this earth to figure it out but it happens. And its a change that is very apparent. A gradual shift, the common symptoms are generally a constant discussion of change or self improvement and a call to action. Then slowly a decrease in partying, and less focus on menial and superficial barriers. Then BANG! it happens you can see the difference in the person their attitude and their drive.

Demographically, geographically, and politically we have a very different landscape. An unlimited amount of options but to the point of being overwhelmed. The thing is you cannot fail enough. Failure is a clear indication of effort. Effort is the necessary ingredient for accomplishment. Accomplishment is the crucial building block for success. Not to mention we can lean heavily on the wise old sage's from the baby boom and profiteer from it. They simply do not have the energy we have and in 10 years we will dominate this market place. The most prevalent example of this is India. A simple study of their population and growth is a macro example of each person in their mid to late twenties anywhere in the world given adequate ingredients to succeed. These of course being the basic necessitates and computer access.

At the point when your light comes on. And you realize that the blind ambition that manifest as frustration can be channeled into work that is your passion. You will not sleep, getting laid is secondary, and your only drive will be to achieve that potential and ensure its just slightly out of your reach so that you can keep going higher. It is the belief that this potential can be realized and become reality that will wake you up in the morning and urge those around you to stop fucking around cause your energy, ideas, and goals are infections dammit! That's how I know I have turned a corner.

Like a snowball effect I am gaining momentum. There is no stopping my success and those who choose to hop on for the ride are in for a ride. I can only hope that the landing is a sandy beach chair in a pair of comfy breathable DoubleSicks'.

Song of the Day: Jay Z-Cause Ya Can't Knock the Hustle