The Search for the Foundations and Secrets to Life
Introduction
Glory, well, actually, it was fame and glory that drove me to it. Was this to be my moment of truth or would I crash and burn again? “Don’t focus on the negative, focus on the positive,” I told myself this over and over in the few fleeting seconds before my fate was decided. “Who knows, I might be good enough to do it or maybe I can get lucky!”
This is a scene that played out in my head so many times that it embarrasses me to even think about it. Looking back, I cannot imagine how I thought luck could ever be on my side, It never even knew I existed. This particular event found me standing on a stormy beach one 4th of July night. I had just challenged Eric to a footrace. Eric was a perfect physical specimen that had just been signed to play football for the Michigan Wolverines, He also happened to have won the “Mr. Football” award for the state of Tennessee and was the highest recruited Linebacker in the entire Country. I, on the other hand, was too slow, too fat and too short to be considered for any of those accolades. Yet there I stood, fireworks blasting off over the ocean, digging my toe hold into the sand. A short 40 yards away a line was drawn into the sand. Lee, the intelligent friend that tried to talk me out of this foolishness, was to give the commands and several attractive girls stood by amazed at the foolishness. But I would change all of that, I would win and impress those nay- sayers with my amazingness. I just knew I could!
Lee gave the call. On your mark. Get set. GO!
Do you really need me to humiliate myself and tell you what happened or were you smart enough to see the outcome already? Let me put it this way, 4.5 seconds later the winner crossed the line. I am proud to tell you that Eric and I have been friends for years and I am still behind him all the way.
In this project, I spend too much time talking about myself. I wish that we could sit down and talk about you and your story as it is certain to be a better topic. You see, the vast majority of what this is about is how many dumb things I have put myself through and how you can avoid doing as much stupid as I have. As you read this, please understand that although there are several literary tactics employed to keep you engaged, my goal is to empower you to open your eyes and see reality and realize that it is not really as boring, drab and depressing as modern life has depicted.
It is very possible that you are developing a strong resentment to the world around you or at least to some aspects of it. This is to be expected as there have been hundreds of millions of dollars spent over the years trying to convince you that you need more than reality or to at least make you feel uncomfortable. In the business world this would be called marketing and advertising, the news can say it is journalism or investigative reporting. But as the consumer, you it is fun, relaxation, escape, social media current events and the like. Companies want your attention, your loyalty and your revenue and they will tell you whatever they need to to get it. Not calling them bad or evil, they are simply doing their job and doing it well. You however, have started noticing that there are inconsistencies, things that do not make sense; all of the time and energy you have been investing is not giving you very much in return. Furthermore, as your internal clock ticks, you are seeing parts of your life fall away and the realization is starting to set in that one day you will have to face reality and that scares the devil out of you; so much so, that you are willing to spend a large portion of your resources, time and energy trying to stop it.
Are you still with me?
Good!
No need to worry. Worry does you no good. What you need is an education. You obviously have an education already or you would not be able to read this. Unfortunately, almost all of the education that is readily available today is built to educate only your head. This leaves your heart woefully under educated. If you are like most people in modern society no one has ever taken the time to educate your heart; to teach you how to deal with life and reality.
This work is designed to do just that. Educate your heart and teach it how to navigate in the real world.
When I was in High School my dream was to be a Teacher and a Coach which is why I chose to earn a Degree in Education and Administration. I did teach as a profession and I teach as a ministry. I started a business and now teach and train constantly. Teaching is what I do and what I am. So, use this information as an education tool to enlighten your heart and your head. As was mentioned earlier, in this project, I talk way too much about myself. In all fairness though, it is mostly showcasing how much stupid I did, would not want to embarrass someone else by showcasing their shortcomings. So sit back, relax and enjoy my stories aimed at educating your heart by telling you so many things that I did incorrectly.
Years ago it became evident that my decision making skills were less than impressive. Too many times I had allowed myself to play the fool and because of that I had to pay the price. Even worse, because I was married, I was accountable and responsible for what was happening and my young family and Sweetheart were paying for my ignorance and stupidity. Oddly enough, life was going great and then everything seemed to fall apart at once. The School where I was teaching went under financially and I taught for most of a school year without pay. The Real Estate bubble burst and the local factory shut down killing the Real Estate industry in the area so my side career as a Realtor dried up. I had a $68,000 Real Estate commission disappear on the day of closing and my option to purchase an apartment complex fell apart. We lost everything; well, everything that was external. I took a job making $8.30 an hour and we moved into 1 bedroom of my Mamaw’s house and started rebuilding. This time we were going to do things differently. I was going to build a life based on principles. I began reading and studying. I wanted to find out what went wrong and find a way to avoid doing it again. I went on a treasure hunt searching for the secrets to life.
What I found is that the only way to change my life was to change the way I think. I was self destructing and blaming it on circumstances instead of seeing the truth. The books that I was reading seemed to be pointing me in the right direction but there was no answer telling me what to do. The frustration built and the tension grew stronger. The situation was not improving and To add to the frustration my health was deteriorating and mortality became a reality.
Actually, my condition was improving. I had changed the company I kept. I was reading information that was opening my eyes and I was ingesting media that made me think; without realizing it the transformation had begun.
Fifteen years later the search continues. What has become evident is the fact that everyone is different so no one will be able to tell you what to do to have a great life. That is the point, you have to decide what your life will look like and that happens on a daily basis. This work is designed to give you some basic principles that you will employ to build solid foundations to build your life on and some secrets to help you on the journey.
Proverbs and Wisdom is a separate stand alone work. It is included here as a bonus. To clarify this work is not completed. It may never be completed as the work is extensive. It is intended to help you unlock the mysteries of the wise.