Consequence

Archived Posts from this Category

December 15, 2010

Why are we so stubborn ?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Consequence, Courage, Criticism, Decision, Illusion, Important question, Life expectancy, Life leadership, Procrastination, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , |
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It seems to me that we are stubborn students of life.

Life seems to tell us; here is a situation you need to face for your own developpement, and yet, most of the time, we will try to avoid the lesson. Why? Because it’s too damned hard! The curious thing about this is: the lesson we try to avoid seems to come back to us in many unexpected ways. Somehow, we can’t escape it. We have to meet the challenge.

An example?

I know some people (actually quite a lot of them) who move from relationship to relationship only to discover after a while the same problems they were experiencing in the previous relationship. It seems to me that what they are trying to avoid comes back to them in another form and with a new label.

Personally, I start too many new projects and I don’t finish all of them. I know it, I’m aware of this but somehow, it doesn’t seem  to change. I have to admit I can’t do  it alone. When I face this kind of situation, I try to find a coach, a mentor or a personal trainer to make sure I am accountable to someone.

When we focus on the moment and accept to face what we have to, it can be difficult, but it is one of the best ways to grow, to outgrow the challenge.

What does this post have to do with time?

If we do what WE MUST do when WE HAVE TO do it, the day will come when we will do what WE WANT to do WHEN WE WANT TO do it.

The sooner we understand this concept and we put it in practice, the more time we will save to do other activities that we really enjoy.

Will you try it?

 

December 14, 2010

Do you appreciate your life ?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Choices, Complaining, Consequence, Courage, Criticism, Decision, Important question, Life leadership, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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“What a wonderful life I had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner”

Colette

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Life is not always easy! Sometimes, life throws a curve at us and we have a hard time dealing with it.

This is why it’s important to remember our blessings, especially when things don’t go our way. Because, most of the time, even when things are not as good as we’d like, there is still a lot going well. It’s important to take the time to be thankful EVERYDAY for the good things in our lives.

In 1985, I had a car accident and I was immobilized without being able to walk for about 6 weeks, then after I had to go to physiotherapy for a couple of months. That was the bad side of the accident. The good side of it is that for the first time in  my young life, I took the time to read good books and spent time all alone away from the distractions of the world.Time to ponder upon what I was going to do with my life.

This was the beginning of a process of introspection that lead me to question constantly what I was going to do at almost every moment of my life. As Socrates once said, “A life not examined is not worth living”,  from now on, I would question myself and question others continuously. I would start to doubt common beliefs and confront them. it was not because everyone said something that it was necessarily true.

As we question ourselves and others, it is tempting to become sarcastic, but this is when it’s important to take a long-term perspective and realize that something bad in the short term might turn out to be a good thing in the long run. Many curses are opportunities in disguise. It’s up to us to learn how to recognize them.

Everyday we must look at the good things in our lives even when everything seems to be hopeless.

Everyday we must count our blessings and try to minimize our sorrows.

This is one of the ways to appreciate how wonderful life really is.

Will you count your blessings today?

 

December 3, 2010

Wisdom from Peanuts!

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Consequence, Courage, Death, Decision, Fear, Illusion, Important question, Life, Life expectancy, Life leadership, Now, Procrastination, Serenity, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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“I have a new philosophy. I’m only going to dread one day at the time.”

Charles Schulz, Peanuts, cartoon

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A while ago, a lady went to a restaurant in downtown Montreal to celebrate her birthday with her husband , as they entered the restaurant, apparently they asked the hostess for a seat near the window to get access to a better view…

This is an excerpt of the Montreal Gazette July 17, 2009

“MONTREAL – One minute Thursday night, a couple was quietly celebrating a birthday inside the Mikasa Sushi Bar on Peel St.; the next minute, a concrete slab crashed through the glass skylight above them, killing the 33-year-old woman instantly.

Her husband of two years, also 33, lay next to her lifeless body screaming, “Ma femme! Ma femme! Stay with me!”

He pleaded for help, but other diners and staff were paralyzed with shock. Minutes later, sobbing and screaming, the man was loaded into an ambulance, his right hand wrapped in a blood-soaked napkin, two single tracks of blood running down his cheek.

“Her birthday was Monday, that’s what they were celebrating,” said the nurse, who spoke on condition that her name not be published. The concrete panel from the 18th floor of the Marriott Residence Inn crashed through the sloping glass ceiling of the restaurant, which lies directly below at street level, and hit the woman “directly” – while she was seated at her table, said Montreal police Constable Olivier Lapointe.”

The last thing this couple was expecting on that evening was a piece of concrete to fall on the woman’s head…  33 years old.   (12 045 days)

The reason why I bring up this story today is to show that when we have regrets about the past or worries about the future, we waste precious time and energy. We must focus on the present.

This is where our attention should be because this is where we have a little more control over what happens to us. This lady didn’t have much control over what happened to her that night.

Today, try to focus your attention on what you can influence and the rest will take care of itself.

I agree with the creator of Peanuts; we should only “dread one day at a time”

How many days to you “dread” in advance?

 

September 2, 2010

The future and the present.

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Clarity, Consequence, Courage, Failure, Fear, Here, Important question, Life, Life leadership, Now, Procrastination, Results, Serenity, Success, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , |
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“The future will depend on what we do in the present”

Mahatma Gandhi

(1869-1948)

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We all know this, it is so simple to understand when we read it. However, the challenge is not only to read it and understand it, the real challenge is to practice what we understand so well.

Yes, practice it day in day out, especially when you have distractions, a bad day or a good day.

Whatever is your dream, your project, your goal, pursue it relentlessly without wasting time.

You need a burning desire to keep you absorbed and focused, even when you have so many responsibilities and distractions.

Will you?

 

June 23, 2010

What Do We All Receive Equally Every Day?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Awareness, Complaining, Consequence, Control, Courage, Kvetching, Life, Life expectancy, Life leadership, Now, Procrastination, Results, Serenity, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , |
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“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.”
 
— Jackson Brown Jr., writer
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June 19, 2010

Equal opportunity employer

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Clarity, Consequence, Control, Important question, Life leadership, Procrastination, Results, Success, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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“Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can’t buy more hours. Scientists can’t invent new minutes. And you can’t save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you’ve wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow.”

Denis Waitley

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June 14, 2010

Perseverance takes time.

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Consequence, Failure, Life leadership, Results, Success, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , |
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“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.”

— Julie Andrews, actress

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Why do we give up on some of our projects? Because it’s too hard. It takes too much time. We don’t have the patience.

The irony is that when we keep persevering, we usually save time in the long run.

 

May 2, 2010

Change! Change! Change !

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Complaining, Consequence, Courage, Decision, Important question, Life, Life leadership, Procrastination, Results, Time, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , |
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“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”

— Maya Angelou, poet

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Good luck with this one. Have a nice day.

 

April 28, 2010

Consequences

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Clarity, Consequence, Decision, Illusion, Results, Wasting time | Tags: , , , , |
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We have control over our choices, but we don’ t have any control over the consequences of our choices.

What this means is that we don’t always know how things will turn out.

What it means is that we can’t always predict how people will respond to our decisions.

That is why we should be aware of our choices as much as possible if we want to improve our quality of life.

Sometimes our decisions can result in big mistakes that will be costly in time.

From the moment that we know clearly what we want, it becomes easier to make the best possible choices for ourselves. These decisions are unique for each one of us.

Do you ever think of the big difference between your choices and the consequences of your choices?

 

April 26, 2010

The road to Hell

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Consequence, Courage, Decision, Procrastination, Results, Success, Time, Wisdom
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“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”

Proverb

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This is one of my favorite proverbs because it summarizes so well all the excuses
that we create to justify our inadequacies in so many areas of our lives.

The time and the energy that we often spend to make up these excuses could be invested in doing what must be done.

Life seems to tell us ” Whatever responsability that you try to avoid, I’ll figure out a way for you not to escape it”

Yes, but it’s not my fault…

I meant to do it, but then…

I was very ill, so I couldn’t …

If I had more money…

If I were younger…

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Do I really have to keep on writing?

Are you on the road to hell with YOUR “good intentions”?

 

April 13, 2010

What teachers make?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Clarity, Consequence, Courage, Criticism, Important question, Socrates | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Apparently, Socrates never wrote anything , the knowledge of the man, his life, and his philosophy are based on writings by his students, one of which was Plato who was amongst the most popular. Plato himself was the teacher of Aristotle, and  Aristotle later on became the teacher of Alexander the Great.

We can see how an original thinker (Socrates) had influence on the poet & dreamer (Plato) who in turn had influence on the man of Logic (Aristotle) who finally influenced the man of action (Alexander the Great). The teachings of Socrates still resonate with us directly and indirectly 24 centuries later.

We can see with the previous succession of great people the importance of teaching.

Some of the greatest teachers often work in relative obscurity, it is their own personal passion that helps to shape some of the greatest individuals of the future.

Could you be one of them?

Could Taylor Mali be one of them?

 

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I  really like this guy ( Taylor Mali). Check it out.

 

April 10, 2010

Unimportant Things

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Consequence, Control, Courage, Decision, Important question, Life, Life leadership, Results, Serenity, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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“No matter how small and unimportant what we are doing may seem, if we do it well, it may become the step that will lead us to better things.”

Channing Pollock

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This is encouraging and inspiring ! Why ? Because there is always room for improvement

Don’t you think so?

 

March 31, 2010

Marcus Aurelius

Posted by stephenlafond under Consequence, Decision, Illusion, Important question, Life leadership, Thing | Tags: , , , , , |
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“The first rule is, to keep an untroubled spirit.”

“The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.”

Marcus Aurelius (121–180)
Roman emperor and philosopher

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When I try to live each day like if it was be my last, it gives me “an untroubled spirit” because of the satisfaction of having done the best that I could with the resources and the opportunities that were given to me.

When I try to look things in the face, it forces realism on me, it is not what happens to me, it is how I react to what happens to me.

Do you find it difficult to look at things for what they really are?  

                                                 OR                                             

 Do you INSIST on seeing things AS YOU WANT to see them? 

 

March 30, 2010

Excerpt from “The Law of Clarity” from Brian Tracy

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Clarity, Consequence, Life leadership, Results, Time magagement | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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I’m sharing with you some passages from the text “The Law of clarity” from Brian Tracy.

Here it is,

The Law of Clarity
By: Brian Tracy
Clarity accounts for probably 80% of success and happiness. Lack of clarity is probably more responsible for frustration and underachievement than any other single factor. People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.  Your success in life will be largely determined by how clear you are about what it is you really, really want.

The more you write and rewrite your goals and the more you think about them, the clearer you will become about them. The clearer you are about what you want, the more likely you are to do more and more of the things that are consistent with achieving them. Meanwhile, you will do fewer and fewer of the things that don’t help to get the things you really want.

I have nothing more to add.

 

March 28, 2010

Happy or unhappy?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Consequence, Decision, Important question, Results | Tags: , , , , , |
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Why do a lot of people keep doing the same things over and over even when it makes them unhappy? They complain but change nothing.

They focus on the externals and neglect what is going on inside their minds.

They invest money on their houses, on their cars, on their swimming pools, on their boats and don’t invest money in their minds, on their skills and on their personal development.

They sit on their couch in the living room watching other people on television live their lives  and make money doing it when they could be living their own lives fully.

They talk about diets and health  endlessly without realizing they are sitting on the couch with a bag of chips and soda. All talk and no action.

This is just a personal observation.

And then again, without being aware of time going by…

What is YOUR relation between happiness and how you invest your free time?

 

March 22, 2010

Do I Always Make The Right Choice?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Consequence, Life leadership | Tags: , , , , , |
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Do I always choose correctly, obviously NO.

Do I always practice what I preach, unfortunately NO.

Ask my wife, she’ll be happy to confirm ….

And by becoming aware of this, I keep improving every day.

I control what I eat, drink or don’t drink. I decide to exercise or not to exercise. I can waste time surfing the web aimlessly OR I can read good books with a clear objective in mind. I can stay by myself or meet with interesting people. I can take some classes or stay ignorant. I can be generous or greedy. I can be patient or impatient. I can be angry or peaceful. I can be dissatisfied or thankful.  I can be optimistic or negative. I control with who I want to spend time with and who I don’t want to spend time with. I decide who can influence me and who can’t . These choices are mine and mine alone most of the time.

How often do you consider the consequences of your own choices?

 

January 27, 2010

How Long Do You Expect To Live?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Consequence, Important question, Life expectancy, Life leadership, Results, Time magagement, Wasting time | Tags: , , , , , |
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How many days do you or I have left to live on this planet?

Life goes quickly and the clock is ticking.

Time is life’s most precious asset.

A human life has a potential of approximately 36525 days to live. (100 years)

Did you ever stop your daily activities to think about that?

Every night when I go to bed, when I fall asleep , I have one less  day to live.

Yes I know, It sounds obvious, but when was the last time  you really considered that? Were you ever aware of this?

This is what it looks like.

36525,36524,36523,36522 if I am a newborn.

27395,27394,27393,27393 if I am 25 years old

18263,18262,18261,18260 if I am 50 years old

9131,9130,9129,9128 if I am 75 years old

1826,1825,1824,1823 if I am 95 years old

365,364,363,362 if I am 99 years old

This scenario is based on a perfect life potential, in a perfect world.

Now, in reality, my life expectancy will be influenced by which part of the world I am born in. It also depends on whether I am born a male or a female.

Life expectancy may vary between 35 and 85 years old depending on which country I am born in.

For example if the life expectancy in my country of origin is 35 years old , I should expect to live 12780 days as a potential.

If the life expectancy in my country is 85 years old , I should expect to live approximatively 31046 days.

Next comes the hereditary factors on which I have very little control over, like an unexpected and unforgiving cancer and other uncontrollable circumstances such as car accidents, sport accidents, plane crashes …….I’ll let you meditate on this matter until next time.

How long do you expect to live?