Truffie: The Amazing Dog

Today was the day that our dear family member and German Shepherd, Truffie passed away in his sleep.  

He was 12 years young.

I can't describe the depth of pain I feel at this very moment.  I don't think it has really sunken in yet.  Perhaps I'm still in shock.  

We will bury him tomorrow morning in his favorite spot in the backyard.  It's where he used to bark at neighboring dogs and imitate the sound of a fire engines as they went by.  

He was a very active and intelligent dog.  I sometimes thought he was a human trapped in a dog's body.

From the time he was a pup with those lovely, little button hook ears until his remaining days on Earth, he has always captured our hearts.  

We named him Truffie, because his muzzle, when we got him at 11 weeks old, resembled a chocolate truffle.  

We thought the name Truffie would be more endearing that just truffle or truffles.

I can't thank him enough for all he has done for me.  I have become a stronger and more compassionate person because of him.

He has certainly brought our family together.

He lived a very lucky and extremely happy life.  We are proud to have provided that for him.

He was a confidant, a loyal training partner and, most of all, my best friend.  

I will miss him dearly, as will the rest of our family.

Rest in peace, old friend.  See you soon.

A Moment of Silence

September 11th, 2001 will be a day no one in the world will ever forget.  The invincible became vincible.  As the economy took a dip, people also questioned their own security.  I remember my dad yelling at me to move to China, where he still currently resides.  Sounds pretty ridiculous, right?  At the time, it did.

Now?  Doesn't sound like a bad idea anymore.  As we bow our heads in reverence on this day, we also need to ask ourselves some real heavy questions.  If you've noticed, our country has been on an economic decline ever since, for the most part.

So what questions should we ask?  If the economy doesn't look like it's really getting better, shouldn't we take a look around for opportunities to thrive?  I attended a trading class the other day and some of the faculty were talking about moving to Singapore in a few years.  Is it unpatriotic?  I don't think so.  After all, if everyone was so patriotic hundreds of years ago, there really wouldn't be a United States of America, would there?

What about those that don't want to leave, is there still hope?  Many claim that the US will be a 3rd world country in the next 15 years or sooner.  We also must ask ourselves, if we were to stay, can we still thrive?

Without complicating the issue, one must look at history.  During every recession, there have been people that have prospered.  This is not at any person's expense.  It was simply that these individuals knew what to do during these times.  So if we can learn from those that have had success during our country's darkest periods, wouldn't that be helpful?

Of course!  So what was one thing that stood out among these wealthy folks?  It was that they understood true supply and demand.  Not just on a national scale, but on a global one.  I won't go over any case studies here, because I feel we are all intelligent enough to inquire that on our own.  Not only that, I didn't want to stray from the big picture.

Now comes the biggest question, what is the current demand?  Not just for the US, but for the rest of the world?  What if there was a way to supply this ever growing demand?  Wouldn't we logically succeed and help others to also do so?  While it does make sense, we as humans unfortunately overcomplicate things.  Our thoughts and beliefs has led us to this very point in time.  If we aren't happy with our results, shouldn't we be open and listen to a possible solution?

Last Quarter

Last quarter of 2011 will have no quarter for those that don't invest into themselves.  I spoke to many people today regarding a project and resources that will lead to financial freedom.  It boggled my mind, at first, to hear the excuses, as just the other day these same people were complaining about their finances, relationships and health.

Then...it hit me.  I was one of those people.  I must have compassion and see all the positive and wonderful things that can come out of the resources they have.  They can live an extraordinary life!  After all, if my mentors didn't do that for me, I wouldn't have a paradigm shift and a new found energy for working towards my dream.  Who was I to write off anybody?  I should help them.  However, we can not help people who truly don't want help.

These are the same people that not willing to truly stretch beyond their comfort zone, so they can expand their eventual realm of comfort with abundance.  Tomorrow after a night of "facebooking" (yes, that is now a verb), they will go to work or work on something that deep inside they know is dead-end.

Now, if it's a passion they have, like working at a youth center, that's awesome.  I'm talking about things people do just to make money (only to get taxed more should they decide to get a second job).  The people I'm referring to had no passion in their voice.  I know they are above that and deserve better.  I truly see greatness in them.

We are all worthy to get the things we want.  Why play it so miserably safe when we only got one life?  Let's not beat ourselves up over all the wrong choices, regrets and mistakes that we made.  What we have is not years of failure, but years of experience.  A really good friend and mentor recently said that.  I'm really glad he did.

All the World's a Stage

Life is what we make of it...we're the directors.

H2O

Better than Gatorade!  Viva Las Vegas!

O2

Lately, I feel that I'm in for the fight of my life.  As challenges and tests from the universe arise, I focus on my reasons and my mission.  The pain of adverse experiences don't go away; however, with my purpose in mind, it keeps me grounded while I go through them.

One of my major obstacles recently is feeling misunderstood.  While everyday, I am working hard towards my goal, it's as though I'm the only one who sees it.  This may not necessarily be true at all.  It's like the jedi master Obi-Wan telling Anakin, "Be mindful of your thoughts.  They do betray you".  I feel the universe is testing my emotional intelligence for later abundance and prosperity.

While it is true we attract what we think about, we mustn't always see bad events and circumstances as a negative thing we attracted.  This is especially true if we are aligned with positive thoughts and actions toward our desires.  What we have attracted in this case is a series of events and circumstances, some good and some bad, that lead to what we really want.  I call the bad ones "tests", as I mentioned earlier.

Knowing this, I still find myself slipping occasionally into my old ways of negative thinking.  This happens especially when I've tried and tried and tried again and again to get a project off the ground, and there are no results at all.  My good friend Hector once said, "If this is happening, then ask, 'What am I doing wrong?'".  As simple of a concept it is, I had never thought of that!

Life can be very distracting.  With family, circumstances and drama, we can be very well consumed by it, like I was.  Thanks to another friend, Joe, he reminded me to "tune out the static".  It's going to be there regardless but don't ignore the negative.  We must handle it, but don't dwell or focus on it.

Sometimes, our true friends tell us things that we don't feel comfortable with.  In the end, if the intention is good and it's parallel towards real progression, we should accept it and even embrace it.  This is another test of our humility for later abundance and prosperity.  I got pushed in the pool.  It's now time to sink or swim!

Always Open

The reason for the title of this blog is based on the date 7/11, eluding to the 24-hour convenient store 7-Eleven and a certain mindset we should all develop.  This is a reminder that those that are fixed in their ways are no longer growing, and will continue to reap the limited crop that they sow, if they are so lucky to reap any at all.

This is crucially different from standing firm on good values and high ethical standards.  Those are constant for those that achieve greatness or on their way to achieve greatness.

As we are a little over halfway towards the year, let's ask ourselves if we have truly progressed.  Is it the "same ol', same ol'", or have we reached past the constant busy-body socializing in an attempt to drown out real issues in our lives?

As the economy in this country is still looking to pick itself up, we need to better educate ourselves in money matters to secure our financial sanity.  I am reading and researching to be in the constant "know" of what is really going on, so I don't leave my life to chance, as the majority do.

Let's be always open and do our due diligence, to ensure a prosperous future and an accumulation of abundance we can pass on to our children with pride.  Don't be a among the sad casualties that lead a mediocre life and pass on debt to their children, like so many that cross their fingers, hoping to win the weekly lottery as an actual financial strategy.

Freedom

Happy Fourth of July, Everyone!

As I hear the fireworks from my room, I reflect for the first time on what this day truly means.  Yes, of course, I've been aware that the 4th marks independence of this country.  I'm thankful for those that stood up for what they believed.  While this nation is not perfect, as I have experienced, it still represents the indomitable spirit against all odds.  In many ways, I see that time period as a sort of David and Goliath story, as the underdog prevailed to free his people from oppression.

What I'm talking about is personal freedom beyond that of living in "the land of the free and the home of the brave".  There are many that will go to work tomorrow and return to an existence they are not happy with.  The saddest thing is that nothing will be done about it and they will fade from this Earth, not knowing true freedom.  What life is it to live day after day, year after year and not progress?  I cringe sometimes when I ask, "How's everything?" and the person replies, "Oh, same old" or something like that.

I'm so happy and grateful that I am at least aware of what needs to change in order to progress.  This is the beginning of true freedom and true happiness.  In the Declaration of Independence there is a phrase "the pursuit of happiness".  Anyone who has achieved a certain level of concrete success understands this: the actual pursuit IS happiness.  To progress in life's journey is to move forward and help as many people as possible along the way.  This is what it means to enjoy our lives and experience life's lessons, so that we can leave the world better than we found it.

Now some people are NOT interested in this quest for freedom, thus true happiness.  That's fine by me.  However, there is a grave statistic that records over 90% of those lying on their deathbed regret not taking the risks necessary to make life truly meaningful for them.  This is not to say that they don't cherish their loved ones and the good they may have done.  It's just too obvious from this survey that what is "normal" doesn't pay true dividends to the soul in the end.