Monday, November 13, 2023

Chat - Patterns, accountability, leadership and excuses

 


I had planned a video today to go through news and information. However, these areas have been weighing pretty heavy on my mind. Let's talk about these and maybe I'll get to a video later. 


Ok, so patterns... Myself, I think of the patterns I have seen in my own life. From teaching my kids, to behaviors, to personalities. Many times, you can pin point behaviors rather quickly, if you pay attention. Certain personalities are the same way. You know people that get or end up overwhelmed when they are faced with changes or challenges, news they don't want to hear, and even simple disagreements that tend to be on repeat after so much time. In my eyes, these behaviors and patterns are proof positive of a refusal to grow, learn and expand knowledge. Instead of facing a challenging issue, they tend to bury their heads rather than face it head-on. I honestly see this a lot in today's world. When information is truly at our fingertips 24/7, it's difficult to remain blissfully unaware...unless it is out of choice. In which, I see this as living in fear. There are plenty of areas I have researched that have left me very fearful, but I had to face it in order to not allow it to continue. What I mean is this: my research and diving deep into what is going on in our world today, began over an article I read talking about child trafficking. This to me is terrifying. The deep I dove into this subject, then more sadistic it became, and the more notable the players involved became. This was a difficult pill to swallow. In my eyes, children are off limits, PERIOD! When adults who should know better, begin behaving in the manners I have researched, they do not deserve to be breathing let alone running anything from corporations to governments. The deeper I went into that rabbit hole, the more it spider webbed out, and the more information I found to support all of it. However, as I began to try to share the information and help others become more informed, the more push back I got. The more I heard phrases like, "projecting fear, there's no way that's possible, you're just a conspiracy theorists, and I don't want to hear this - it's just too scary." You think you're scared? How do you think the millions of children that are swiped from their parents feel?! 


I personally, need to combat fear with knowledge. It honestly doesn't matter what subject matter I am speaking of in the moment. If something scares me, I need to dig into research and knowledge to understand it, and that is my accountability. I hold myself to extremely high standards. I typically will not speak much of things I don't know much about. Holding ourselves to high standards and holding ourselves accountable for our behaviors is the very basis of the way our Constitution was written. Self governing, self responsibility; is the way most of our ancestors lived their lives. They didn't live off the government, they didn't depend on anyone else to support them, and they worked hard to make the best of what they had. Similar to our current "throw away" models of life, that would not have worked 50 years ago. Do you remember hearing, "waste not, want not?" Five plus decades ago, people took care of the things that took care of them. Everything from relationships, to vehicles, to equipment and even jobs were tended to; to preserve them or fix them, instead of throwing them away. You didn't just run out to get a new car because the old one had high miles, you fixed what needed fixing and drove it until it completely gave out. Equipment - whether farm, yard or tools - was no different. You fixed them until they could no longer be fixed, you knew or learned how to work on them to keep them operating. The same went for jobs. Just think about it, how many people went into jobs right out of school, and stayed there until they could retire?! The employee was loyal to the company, just as the company was loyal to its employees. Typically, when a "good job" opened up, it was because someone retired or passed away. Some industries, there were generations of family members that worked there. Now, we have little to no skilled labor, most job availability is in the service industry - flipping burgers or making coffee, and those "good jobs" have been sent out of the country. Accountability has been starved at every level of society. It's no wonder there are so many dependents on the government. 


Leadership is another area that has lost a lot of traction. Good leaders don't need recognition. They push those that work with them to do their best and rise. They don't take credit for what they have done, instead they give credit to others. Good leaders stand up for those they lead. They go to bat for those working with them. Good leaders are not "yes men." A good leader is especially difficult to find today. Too many, in a leadership role, are focused on their own image and "pats on the back." When this becomes the focus, the leadership role is diminished. They look out for number 1, are happy to credit or place blame on anyone but themselves, and refuse to hear anything that goes against them. Being a good leader is a difficult position. The thing is, most times, it take many to complete a task. Claiming that it is a single person that has, or berating a team below you to make you look better, is not leading. The way I see it, being a leader, is just like a relationship. You may think your partner is a complete fool, but in public...you are a united front. You may get home and tell them in no uncertain terms how much of an idiot they are...but in public you are a team. A good leader will also inspire their charges to want to do and be better. Being a leader, is not an easy job. It's multifaceted, requires constant effort, and at times, requires finding others that have what it takes to do the best job possible. Again, this is not much different than a relationship. Not everyone is capable of being part of a team. 


Over the last several decades, society has taken a very peculiar turn. We have evolved from a society of self-sufficiency, reliability; into one of excuses. It's really quite a freak show anymore. When men are told they are toxic, they end up running around in their sisters jeans with a bun on their head. Men no longer are capable of defending their partners or family. Women went from fighting for equal rights, to now believing they can be men, allowing men to physically beat women in women's sports. Children no longer have any respect for anyone or anything. They believe they can mouth off to whomever they wish and not have any repercussions. People walking into the capital building is an insurrection, yet people burning down cities/businesses/federal buildings and defacing federal and personal property is considered acceptable...it's a messed up world! It's become acceptable to use every excuse, not to mention every label possible, on everything! Allowing excuses instead of thriving for excellence has become normal. It's completely upside down! When you have people choosing to sit at home on computers/videos games all day, refusing to get a job or two, pissing and moaning about anything; they become null and void. They are not productive members of society. Stop all the excuses. You have a health issue, do something about it! Stop using it as an excuse. You don't know how to do something, LEARN!!! The internet is full of how to videos, there are tons of skills you can learn through apprenticeships too! I scroll through social media and just shake my head. I just do not get how so many seem to be content to just exist. There is so much possible, even today, if you are willing to put in the effort. There are people, older than me, still putting in 12+ hours a day, before getting home to work around their houses. Yet there are twenty somethings that struggle to get through an 8 hour day. There are people that have just begun to take their own health issues into their own hands today...eating healthy, exercising, even if it means starting out with a 5 minute low impact exercise. There are people that refuse to give up on their dreams, even if it means finding multiple ways it won't work...before finding one the does. 


Sadly, I have seen so many fall into each of these areas. While there are plenty of others that refuse to understand or acknowledge the need for changes. Overall, it's become easier for people to live disposable lives. Rather than working on something, "waste not want not," they get rid of it and get something new. People have chosen to use excuses to not accomplish great things, instead they focus on something or someone that dropped the ball in their life. Use those set backs, instead of as an excuse to not succeed...use it as a catalyst to achieve everything you want and more! We all have 2 choices in life - success or failure...AND NEITHER ARE PERMANENT!!! Anything worth having or doing, requires constant effort. You may find a million ways something doesn't work, before finding a single way that it does. The only one responsible is YOU!!! You have to decide where you want to go, who you want to be and if you want to succeed. Just you! It's no one else's responsibility but your own. 


So, here's another opinion to upset some....my opinions usually do. I don't voice an opinion without enough knowledge to know what I'm talking about. So, I hope this inspires some to do and be better...even starting with small steps today. Knowing you are responsible for your own life should be empowering. It should be a constant work in progress. No one knows it all, about it all...although many like to believe otherwise. My own experience, the more I learn...the more I realize how much I didn't know!


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