“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Steve Jobs

Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

…

So long Steve.

2. It is a hundred times more difficult to burn calories than to refrain from consuming them in the first place.

3. If you’re talking to someone you don’t know well, you may be talking to someone who knows way more about whatever you’re talking about than you do.

4. The cheapest and most expensive models are usually both bad deals.

5. Everyone likes somebody who gets to the point quickly.

6. Bad moods will come and go your whole life, and trying to force them away makes them run deeper and last longer.

7. Children are remarkably honest creatures until we teach them not to be.

8. If everyone in the TV show you’re watching is good-looking, it’s not worth watching.

9. Yelling always makes things worse.

10. Whenever you’re worried about what others will think of you, you’re really just worried about what you’ll think of you.

11. Every problem you have is your responsibility, regardless of who caused it.

12. You never have to deal with more than one moment at a time.

13. If you never doubt your beliefs, then you’re wrong a lot.

14. Managing one’s wants is the most powerful skill a person can learn.

15. Nobody has it all figured out.

16. Cynicism is far too easy to be useful.

17. Every passing face on the street represents a story every bit as compelling and complicated as yours.

18. Whenever you hate something, it hates you back: people, situations and inanimate objects alike.

19. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s works alone can teach you everything you need to know about living with grace and happiness.

20. People embellish everything, as a rule.

21. Anger reveals weakness of character, violence even moreso.

22. Humans cannot destroy the planet, but we can destroy its capacity to keep us alive.  And we are.

23. When people are uncomfortable with the present moment, they fidget with their hands or their minds.  Watch and see.

24. Those who complain the most, accomplish the least.

25. Putting something off makes it instantly harder and scarier.

26. Credit card debt devours souls.

27. Nobody knows more than a minuscule fraction of what’s going on in the world. It’s just way too big for any one person to know it well.

28. Most of what we see is only what we think about what we see.

29. A person who is unafraid to present a candid version of herself to the world is as rare as diamonds.

30. The most common addiction in the world is the draw of comfort. It wrecks dreams and breaks people.

31. If what you’re doing feels perfectly safe, there is probably a better course of action.

32. The greatest innovation in the history of humankind is language.

33. Blame is the favorite pastime of those who dislike responsibility.

34. Everyone you meet is better than you at something.

35. Proof is nothing but a collection of opinions that match your own.

36. Knowledge is belief, nothing more.

37. Indulging your desires is not self-love.

38. What makes human beings different from animals is that animals can be themselves with ease.

39. Self-examination is the only path out of misery.

40. Whoever you are, you will die. To know and understand that means you are alive.

41. Revenge is for the petty and irresponsible.

42. Getting truly organized can vastly improve anyone’s life.

43. Almost every cliché contains a truth so profound that people have been compelled to repeat it until it makes you roll your eyes. But the wisdom is still in there.

44. People cause suffering when they are suffering themselves. Alleviating their suffering will help them not hurt others.

45. High quality is worth any quantity, in possessions, friends and experiences.

46. The world would be a better place if everyone read National Geographic.

47. If you aren’t happy single, you won’t be happy in a relationship.

48. Even if it costs no money, nothing is free if it takes time.

49. Emotions exist to make us strongly biased towards or against something. This hinders as often as it helps.

50. Addiction is a much greater problem in society than it’s made out to be. It’s present in every person in various forms, but usually we call it something else.

51. “Gut feeling” is not just a euphemism. Tension in the abdomen speaks volumes about how you truly feel about something, beyond all arguments and rationales.

52. Posture and dress change profoundly how you feel about yourself and how others feel about you, like it or not.

53. Everyone thinks they’re an above average driver.

54. The urge to punish others has much more to do with venting frustration than correcting behavior.

55. By default, people think far too much.

56. If anything is worth splurging on, it’s a high-quality mattress. You’ll spend a third of your life using it.

57. There is nothing worse than having no friends.

58. To write a person off as worthless is an act of great violence.

59. Try as we might to be otherwise, we are all hypocrites.

60. Justice is a human invention which is in reality rarely achievable, but many will not hesitate to destroy lives demanding it.

61. Kids will usually understand exactly what you mean if you keep it to one or two short sentences.

62. Stuff that’s on sale usually has an annoying downside.

63. Casual swearing makes people sound dumb.

64. Words are immensely powerful. One cruel remark can wound someone for life.

65. It’s easy to make someone’s day just by being uncommonly pleasant to them.

66. Most of what children learn from their parents isn’t taught on purpose.

67. The secret ingredient is usually butter, in obscene amounts.

68. It is worth re-trying foods that you didn’t like at first.

69. Problems, when they arise, are rarely as painful as the experience of fearing them.

70. Nothing — ever — happens exactly like you pictured it.

71. North Americans are generally terrible at accepting compliments and offers of help.

72. There are not enough women in positions of power. The world has suffered from this deficit for a long time.

73. When you break promises to yourself, you feel terrible. When you make a habit of it, you begin to hate yourself.

74. A good nine out of ten bad things I’ve worried about never happened. A good nine out of ten bad things that did happen never occurred to me to worry about.

75. You can’t hide a bad mood from people who know you well, but you can always be polite.

76. Sometimes you have to remove certain people from your life, even if they’re family.

77. Anyone can be calmed in an instant by looking at the ocean or the stars.

78. There is no point finishing a book you aren’t enjoying. Life is too short for that. Swallow your pride and put it down for good, unfinished.

79. There is no correlation between the price of a brand of batteries and how long they last.

80. Breaking new ground only takes a small amount more effort than you’re used to giving.

81. Life is a solo trip, but you’ll have lots of visitors. Some of them are long-term, most aren’t.

82. One of the best things you can do for your kids is take them on road trips. I’m not a parent, but I was a kid once.

83. The fewer possessions you have, the more they do for you.

84. Einstein was wiser than he was intelligent, and he was a genius.

85. When you’re sick of your own life, that’s a good time to pick up a book.

86. Wishing things were different is a great way to torture yourself.

87. The ability to be happy is nothing other than the ability to come to terms with how things change.

88. Killing time is an atrocity. It’s priceless, and it never grows back.

Taken from: Raptitude.com: 88 Important Truths I’ve Learned About Life

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.
This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.
Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.
Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.
Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.
Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.
Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.
Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.
Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

[via Jerry Brito, via carlkingcreative.com]

(Original source unknown, via 22 Words)

[click image]

The shooter in Tucson was a white American registered as an ‘independent’.

The man being recognized as a hero, who played a critical role in the survival of congresswoman Gifford, is a hispanic homosexual.

Talk about coincidences;

…or…

If there is a God, he is definitely trying to get our attention.

Then there is the other side who rushes into speculations and baseless conclusions. Yes, it is very irresponsible to say this act was consequence of Sarah Palin’s rethoric.

It is even irresponsible to say that this was politically motivated, or is it? I disagree with those that say that it is to early to say this was a politically motivated act. The way I see it when someone plans to and shoots a political figure it is a politically motivated crime. This was no random shooting where it just so happened that the congresswoman was at the scene. The shooter intentionally planned to shoot congresswoman Gifford. So it is a political crime.

Now, like I said, it is irresponsible to tie this crime to any political figure (say Sarah Palin) but I do have a few honest questions:

- Why did Sarah Palin remove the controversial map from her site and deleted her ‘don’t retreat, reload’ tweet soon after the shooting? Previously her defense for using such map and for any of her comments, that clearly incite violence, is that she never intended it/them that way. So does that mean that I can say anything that could potentially motivate someone to do something atrocious as long as I don’t intend it that way?

- Did she remove it because all of the sudden felt guilt or regret or some sort of conviction? And if she did, did something like this had to happen for her to realize the wrongness of her rhetoric?

- And, if at the end of the investigation they conclude that this act was not politically motivated, does that mean politicians can continue engaging in hate speech?

When you are an influential public figure, in any arena, we the commoners do appreciate your honesty and unpolished words. After all, we want to hear the real you. But I also think when you are an influential public figure you need exercise even greater caution when expressing yourself. Why would you say anything that can be grossly misinterpreted? Yes, when people are after you anything you say will be misinterpreted, but you can certainly make it harder for anyone to do so. Also, if you have a lot of people telling you that your rhetoric could be misinterpreted why would not you consider correcting, retracting, adjusting, etc?

Again, did something like this had to happened?

Ephesians 4:26 “And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,”

[Dear NLT Translators, thanks for your lousy translation job and make the Bible contradict itself]

Are you worried that your baby might get a little bump on his melon? Then you should get this…but what about their face, arms, hands, torso, legs, feet…would someone please think of that?! This is not safe enough, what we need is a full body cushion suit! (knee pads sold separately)

====================================

“Use by European parents for years!” – Wait, I thought we in America hated Europeans and their way of living.

“Looks weird, Works wonderfully” – Thanks for the honesty but no thanks.

“It’s physically impossible to draw good up the tube” – Why so insistent that I get this? What aren’t you telling me?

====================================

Nothing says paranoia like baby video monitors. But with this device you can be cool and paranoid at the same time…

=====================================

I don’t know you, but I don’t sleep in the same position the whole night…let alone kids! Have you ever tried sleeping with a kid? Is more like a kick-and-turn-fest…

=====================================

Two things…shouldn’t this kid be using the same pillow advertised above? What happened with product advertisement consistency? and second…this is just too creepy…

=====================================

Someone forgot to tell these parents about tear-free shampoo…don’t worry, for $7 + S/H you can buy this piece of foam that will solve that problem, we know how much you value your kids’ precious tears

===========================================

This mother is so irresponsible…hey mom! really? putting your kid on the ‘safety tower’ without his helmet? don’t you see that big ol’ hole behind him? …heck, all the kids in the magazine should be wearing their helmets.

=======================================

Don’t get me wrong, OneStepAhead.com has some good products (in other categories, that is), we have even bought a couple of things before. However, the ‘child safety’ section is just full of non-sensical products like the ones displayed above.

Life is full of ‘ifs’, people worry way too much about the ‘ifs’. Businesses know how to make money off it, there are businesses (same like politicians) that spend a great deal of money appealing to your insecurities and fears. They know that if they are able to tap on those fears they are in for big money.  Let’s start using some common sense, you are not helping your kids when you are so over-protective.

Perfect show-biz formula to make millions. The entertainment industry knows that if you can slap the ‘Christian’ label on a product they will tap into a demographic group that is desperately looking to spend their money on anything as long as its labeled ‘Christian’. But that’s not what bothers me the most, what bothers me the most is next.

I’m 29 years old…I “grew up” Christian…and I’ve seen it backfire countless of times, yet we parents still insist in doing it. Parents want to raise the perfect Christian kids, kids that will grow up and be the perfect Christian adults we wish we could be and we are not because we were not properly ‘christianly-raised’. So what do we do, we decide to brainwash our kids with Christianity in every possible way we can. If you read the definition of what it means to be brainwashed it’s hard not to conclude that’s what our organized religion is doing with our kids. Why don’t we instead teach them how to analyze an argument with reason, have a logical conversation or how to think critically before we coerce them into a weak beliefs system?

I’ve seen it over and over again, kids that are raised by the ways of brainwashing into Christianity not only go WILD & CRAZY as soon as they are independent from their parents, but they grow up to be adults with serious issues when their belief system crumbles when faced with the world around them. Many of them even end up even worse! So why do we keep doing this?

My favorite part is when parents tell the beautiful story of “their 6 years old accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior on their own” (my own personal experience, as well as of many)… hmm…really? what did you expect was going to happen after 6 years of systematic brainwashing?

So what do we do? In a sense my two-year-old is on her way to having the same experience. Do I just allow it because, after all, I turned out ok? (or did I?) or do I try to strike a balance between blindly believing everything/anything and some critical thinking along with it? There are way too many things to consider and I personally don’t pretend to solve the problem with this blog post. So my question is: Is it OK to raise (brainwash) kids into a religious belief system?

If you want progress you must challenge the status quo.

Check out

http://christiannightmares.tumblr.com/

http://jesusneedsnewpr.net

http://www.thechurchofnopeople.com/

I believe just like the religious extremists have taken over Islam, the same thing is happening to Christianity…the crazies are the ones making the most noise.

I took this picture about a month ago. These two are made for each other, if you could see them together you would know they are growing up to be each other’s best friend.

When I captured this moment I didn’t think I was going to be so drawn to the final product. I can’t stop looking at it…there is something about it and I can’t figure out what is it. Feel free to let me know in the comments what do you find interesting about this picture? or maybe you don’t see anything interesting at all…let me know that too.

Via Humble Walk

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde