Making Good Times Out of Bad: The Ken Nwadike Story

Once upon a time, there was a man who wanted desperately to run in the 2014 Boston Marathon - as many runners did - for the simple reason that it was the first Boston Marathon after the dreadful 2013 bombing. But the Boston Marathon is different from most marathons, in that you have to qualify in order to enter it. Namely, you have to have completed your previous marathon in a certain amount of time, depending on your age category.

Well, the man in question was 23 seconds short of the qualifying time he needed in order to enter the marathon. But here he was, in Boston, now what? He had a number of options.

1. He could get angry. I mean, after all, what's 23 seconds? And who makes up these qualifying times anyway?

2. He could blame, well, pretty much, anything and anyone. The weather the day of his previous marathon, the shoes he was wearing, the argument he had with his S.O. the night before, not to mention the arrogant marathon elite who made up these (stupid) qualifying times in the first place.

3. He could get depressed. There was only one 2014 Boston Marathon, there would never be another. This was going to be an historic run, and he was going to miss it. Serious bummer.

4. He could beat up on himself. Why, oh why, wasn't he swifter? What was wrong with him that he couldn't even qualify for the Boston Marathon? How dare he think he could run the thing?

Any of which could easily have led to his turning tail and going home, angry or depressed, take your pick.

Instead, Ken Nwadike attended the Boston Marathon in his own way. He made a "Free Hugs" sign, and with that and a camera on a tripod, he gave out hugs and smiles to the runners that passed him by, his way of encouraging and supporting them. No self-pity, no blame, no anger.

From that humble beginning, Ken began his widely acclaimed Free Hugs Campaign, which states its purpose as follows: "Continuing the nonviolent movement of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the mission of the Free Hugs Project is to spread love, inspire change and raise awareness of social issues."

When things go wrong in our lives, as they do from time to time - sometimes seemingly all the time - we have a choice. We can dwell on the "ain't it awful" part, or we can pause, take a deep breath, assess the situation, and find a positive direction in which to go.

Sure, there are times when it's important to mourn, grieve, get pissed, and otherwise allow the bad feelings to have their way with us. But it's never in our best interest to stay with those feelings, to let them run rampant through our hearts and minds as we rehash the awful/unfortunate situation over and over again.

Whether it's something relatively small in the scheme of things, like missing a marathon, or large, like losing a loved one, let Ken's story inspire you to take that breath, re-orient yourself, and move on to doing something worthwhile with the experience. Life rocks! So can you.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Making-Good-Times-Out-of-Bad:-The-Ken-Nwadike-Story&id=9762138

Life Is So Simple - Why Insist on Making It So Complicated?

SIMPLE is the name of the game so you confuse me when you say it's COMPLICATED. Stop it and tell your mind to shut up and get it right. Always remember there's someone else in a worse situation than you are so be grateful for what you have and stop complaining about what you don't have. Instead of complaining, work towards things you desire. If you're not waking up everyday with a goal in mind than you're still sleeping. It is so easy to blame external factors for the things you don't have but let's really dig deep within and find out what's holding you back from getting what you want. Stop wishing and start doing. There's nothing wrong with being a dreamer but that in itself is only the first step.

You have your first step nailed down, VISUALIZING what you desire.

The second step is to do something about it. Get up and get into ACTION. If one plan doesn't work then try another and keep trying until you get to your destination.

Lastly be able to make a COMMITMENT to your dreams, goals, desires; whatever it is that you call it.

Write your goals down every morning and every night. Put them somewhere you are able to see it throughout the day. And before you know it you'll be on your way to getting the things you want in life.

The problem arises when we human beings like to complicate things by over thinking something as simple as having breakfast. Good Lord, no wonder why people are living in so many unsatisfied relationships, unsatisfied jobs, unsatisfied careers and the list could keep on going. See, your mind is there to protect you from anything that could hurt or harm you hence the fight or flight response. But darn sometimes you need to quiet your mind to stay and fight for what you want because if you allow it to keep running you, you are allowing it to keep flying away from what could be such as your goals. It's really not always about just getting to your goals; it is about whom you become while you reach for your goals.

Make a decision to stay and fight, don't sit there and wish and complain and moan and cry about the things you don't have. Get up and get into action and take the first step that will lead you in the direction of your goals.

Don't over think it and take calculated risks. Make a choice. Make a decision. Make it wisely. Make it powerfully. Make it consciously.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Life-Is-So-Simple---Why-Insist-on-Making-It-So-Complicated?&id=9645585

Ride the Wave: Hawaii 5-0's Surprising Lesson in Thankfulness (By Dr. Noelle Nelson)

Just the other night, I was watching one of my favorite TV shows, "Hawaii 5-0," where one of the main characters featured in that night's episode was a young woman, a veteran, who'd served in Afghanistan, during which time she'd lost both legs. The show was forthright in its brief portrayal of some of the tough challenges such vets can face: depression, falling into substance abuse to alleviate the physical and mental anguish, homelessness.

But the clincher, for me, was to see this young woman, who (in the story) had been a surfing champion before her service, find the courage (with help from one of the show's regulars) to ride the waves again--in her bikini on a board equipped with special hand-holds so she could "stand" proud and true, on the little bit that was left of her upper legs. She was a surfer once again.

I still cry when I think of it. Not only because I think the show is to be commended for its refusal to hide the character's disability, but because it brought home to me vividly, that every one of our lives matter and have meaning. Disabled lives, black lives, vet lives, transgender lives, homeless lives, children's lives, white lives, Native American lives, immigrant lives, and all the other lives too numerous to mention. No matter what label or category you prefer to use to describe yourself ("Other" is my personal favorite), the truth is that all our lives are important.

You matter. You count. You are important. And so is everyone else in your world. In this season, where thankfulness is the order of the day, I want to be thankful for all those in my world. I want to remember, when someone annoys me, or does something differently than I would, or makes me downright mad, that, as my friend Mike Dooley so wisely says: "People are always doing the best they can, with what they've got, from where they are." Regardless of what anyone else thinks of how they're going about things. Those are powerful words to remember.

That includes you, and me. And everyone else. To look at oneself and others as doing the best they can in that moment is humbling. It kicks in my compassion, my patience, and reminds me to try to understand others, rather than knee-jerk into criticism or blame.

And for that, I am deeply, truly thankful.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Ride-the-Wave:-Hawaii-5-0s-Surprising-Lesson-in-Thankfulness&id=9563908