Anticipation

My wife and I have been anticipating the arrival of our blessed bundle of joy for more than 2 weeks now.  It is fascinating to know the same anticipation we had with our first two boys was just as strong with our third son, which led me to write this blog discussion. During my anticipation, I started to think about the p r o c e s s of building your dreams from an abstract thought to a concrete reality.  (It won’t happen overnight, it will take time)  Before any dream becomes reality or before a child is born, first it all starts with just a thought.

You have to anticipate your dream’s completion before it can become reality.

There are a host of emotions surrounding anticipation.  However, I would like to share two tips to help you achieve your dream.

So we are going to say you have already started the process of your dream with the seed of thought.  But what follows will build your dream from just a thought to a dynamic reality.

Two Tips to Achieving Your Dreams

#1 Have a Nervous Excitement

It is natural to be nervous about the unpredictable.  If you are nervous, then maybe the dream is worth your time trying to accomplish.  However, along with the nervousness, there must be an excitement about the unpredictable bringing something NEW!

A dream is worth chasing if it conjures up a nervous excitement.

#2 Strategically Prepare and Plan

A nervous excitement will cause you to do one of two things: 1. Continue to pursue your dream with strategic preparation and planning or 2. Cease with moving forward until you are serious about making your dream a reality.

The Preparation and Planning will cause you to see the effort and responsibility that it will take to nourish and grow your dream into a reality.

These two tips will help you enjoy the process of starting and completing any of your dreams.

You will know what to do and how to do it when it comes to your dream because of your ANTICIPATION.

There are many other ways to achieve your dream.

Share your thoughts, inspire, and motivate others to make their dreams a reality.

Be the WeIrD this world needs!

Bryant

MTN Universal  

 

Excite Your Life

Life is exciting!  (Especially if you live in America.) No other country has opportunity like the United States of America.

Yes, I know we have some problems in our country.  But have you thought about moving to another country?  (If you have been out of the States, I think most responses to living in another country will be an emphatic NO!)

Life should be exciting for most, just because of where you live.

There are many other things that excite my life such as:

• My Conviction in God,
• Love of Family,
• Enjoyment of Work

The list could go on and on…

Spend a little time and figure out what excites your life.  I would like to hear about it.  Share your life’s excitements’.

Be the weird this world needs!

Bryant

MTN Universal

 

Weird Gets A Bad Rap

Weird gets a bad rap, but we all want to be it. Who goes into an interview with the thought of wanting to be like the other candidates interviewing?

Better yet, who seeks out service from a business that claims to be like every other business?  (You get my point.)

Weird can simply be defined as “different.”

Everyone claims to be different.  But are you comfortable with your weirdness?

How do you do this?… JUST BE YOURSELF!

Some may love it.  Others may hate it.  But at the end of the day, our state to claim to all will be obvious…

I AM ONE OF A KIND!

I AM WEIRD!!!

 

Be the weird this world needs!

Bryant

MTN Universal

 

Two Secrets to Success

Many people have come up with various ways of being successful, but there are basically 2 Secrets to Success.   #1 FEAR NOT

Fear tends to steal the show when it comes to success.  Be confident. Know that you were fearfully and wonderfully created by God.

So, what do you have to fear?

Don’t hide behind fear.  Don’t hide in fear.  Step out of the shadows of fear.  BElieve in YOUrself!

#2 BE WEIRD

In our fast paced, ever changing world; normal is overlooked.  Think about it.  Everyone is looking for the latest and greatest.  It may not be right, but it is reality.

In our world today, you either STAND-OUT or blend-in.

The way you stand-out will determine your degree of success.

No one wants to be defined as weird, but you are weird. (I did just call you weird, but please keep reading)   We may have many similarities, but no one person is the same.  Matter of fact, we all view and do things very differently and that’s what makes each of us weird.

If we were all the same, it would be a boring world.  If everyone on your job had the same skill and ability, you would have a quite normal and boring organization.  What if every person in your family had the same personality, likes, and dislikes?  Can you say, boring.

Dispel any thoughts you may have about the word weird.  I have heard so many actions, objects, and people described as weird, whether negative and positive.  Regardless of the case, we usually use the word weird to describe something or someone different that we are not familiar with.

Weird is good.

Weird doesn’t mean you are an outcast, but it describes your individuality.  It’s about you capitalizing on your UNIQUENESS because there isn’t anyone else that can do what you can do.  From the way you love, the way you dress, the way you style your hair, the way you want to be the best, the way you wear your shoes, the way you smile, the way you cry, the way you say hi, the way you see, to the way you believe; no matter the situation, there is no room to fear.  Just look in the mirror and tell yourself, “FEAR NOT BE WEIRD.”

How are you embracing your weirdness?

Be the weird this world needs!

Bryant

MTN Universal

 

Only the Weird Survives!

(Guest Post)

"Praise The Lord! And praise him with all of your might!"

I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was stretched out on my back headed to the Operating Room (OR) for a surgery that I didn’t really want to have.  It was the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life.  In the midst of my stress and worry, I forced myself to give it all up to God and let his powerful hand carry out his will. There are rare moments in one’s life where you remember each and every detail from the smell of the air to the taste of horror in your mouth.  Knowing the worst possible thing was going to happen to me and being fully aware that there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.  To say the least, I was devastated.

However, It was at that moment I knew that there was one thing I could do.  I opened up my mouth and sang to my father as loud as I could as the nurses rolled me back into the OR to take my precious baby.  I longed to see and keep my baby.  My eyes where closed in route to the OR.  So, to this day I have no idea of who heard my cries of praise. The physical pain was unbearable, but God helped me bare it. The thought of not being pregnant anymore and losing my child was unthinkable, but God helped me to be at peace with it. I did not shed tears that day. I refused to cry because I knew that if I cried everyone around me would cry. I put myself totally aside and instead of crying, I Praised!  God taught me a powerful lesson on December 25, 2012.  My Praise became my Peace. It was the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me.  But it increased my weirdness giving me peace in the depths of my soul.

Thank You God For making me a peculiar person and letting me know that only the weird survives.

Margarette Clark

Cancer = My Way to My Weirdness (Salvation)

(Guest Post) I used to wonder why things happen the way they do, and I soon realized, that God has a plan and purpose for all of us.  The scripture says, “all things work together for the good of them that love God.”  This is why I say that cancer was my way to salvation.

At the age of two, I lost my mother to this dreadful disease as she was delivering my little sister, Carol.  My mother had two children by a previous marriage and three girls with my father.  At the demise of my mother, our family separated.  My brother and sister were taken by their father to live in California.  My sister, Consuela, and I were brought to Nashville, Tennessee to live with our dad and grandparents.  Thus, putting me on the road to my WEIRDNESS (salvation).

Baby Carol was unable to leave the hospital for six months due to her medical condition at birth, but her birth was nothing short of a miracle.

As time passed, things were explained to us about our mother’s disease.  It was explained that her disease was hereditary.  My mother was gone and we were left with a constant FEAR of our genetics.

My father suffered greatly from my mother’s passing.  So much so, he began binge drinking from time to time.  Eventually, he did return to reality about his responsibilities to his children.  He took a job with Mayflower Trucking Co., which left us in the care of our grandfather while he was on the road.  We became one of the most loving, dysfunctional family units cared for by God.

When my father would return from the road, he would always bring presents.  He would be happy to see us, but would often cry when looking at my sister.  Our granny informed us that it was because my sister closely resembled my mother.  My sister and I grew close in everyway as time passed from the loss of my mother, father, and grandparents.  We felt as if we only had each other.

We grew closer and closer, but a kink was thrown in our plans.  My sister became ill in 1997.  The thing we feared the most became a reality.  She was diagnosed with the very thing that killed our mother.  Our FEAR quickly became a reality.  As time passed, her bodily weakness was very noticeable, but her spirit was stronger than ever.  It was unbearable watching her body pass away, but I was grateful that she passed away accepting her WEIRDNESS (salvation).

With a constant lingering FEAR looming over my life, I myself had to face my greatest FEAR.  I was diagnosed with the same disease that had taken my mother and sister from me, just a year and a half after my sister’s death.  I experienced various ups and downs with my faith being challenged in everyway.  God spoke to me through my minister.  My minister reminded me of the story of King David and how distraught FEAR had taken over his life.  He proceeded to mention how King David found his quiet place and talked to his Heavenly Father.

I began to pray to God.  I don’t know what happened after that, but I found my WEIRDNESS (salvation).  I was laughing and having a regular conversation with my Father in heaven.  I went from being a wimp to being a CHAMPION!  I have never looked back and I constantly thank Him for the power He has bestowed on my life.

My husband, daughter, son-in-law, and my entire family including the church helped me through my difficult times.  Cancer drew me closer to God!  Therefore, causing me to find my way to my WEIRDNESS (salvation).  Now, I want to help others to BE WEIRD and strong through their difficult times.  No matter if it is cancer or any other trial, nothing can separate me or anybody else from the love of our Father in Heaven.

Pauline

Fear Not, Be Weird

(Guest Post)

I am a Christian, a Husband, an Athlete, a Student, a Professional, a People's Person, and most of all, Easy to Get Along With.  This is who I am.  I love my wife, I love challenges, I love the outdoors, and most of all I love to Triumph.  So..FEAR NOT!

We have nothing to be afraid of.  We have a Savior who faced death, conquered sin, and rose three days later to SAVE THE WORLD!  We live in the greatest nation in all of history and have unquantifiable opportunities.

About 6 years ago, I set out to be an Ironman Triathlete.  Let me preface this scenario: 1) I am not a runner, 2) I am not the greatest cyclist, and 3) I had to teach myself how to swim.  All this considered, I had no fear because the race in its profound little way was simple and conquerable.  140.6 - that's the number of miles in an Ironman triathlon.   It's broken down into a 2.4 mile swim, a 112mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile (yes, a marathon) run.  Seemingly daunting, when broken down it is simple - there is a starting line and a finish line.  All you have to do is cover the distance in between.

Just for this race, I trained relentlessly for an entire year.  Then, I ran my race with a calm and quiet determination.  As I rounded the last turn and headed to the finish, I realized overwhelmingly that achieving anything requires bold determination and plenty of hard work.

As I crossed the finish line, I stood atop of my athletic Mt. Everest.  I was self-actualized for the first time in my life an I celebrated with a triumphant spirit.

I choose to live boldly, live for challenges, live to go beyond them, live to be who I am...in other words, I live to BE WEIRD.  That's what this means to me.

FEAR NOT, BE WEIRD.  Be who you are, be what you are, and use your tools to be the best you can be.  Let go of what holds you back and be that weirdo who does GREAT things!

Drew Snipes

A Trend We Must Heal

Bullying has become a silent norm in our society.  So much so, that the bullied nor the witnesses are speaking out.  Someone must stand up and fight this growing epidemic.  No one should have to put up with any form of bullying.  God created all individuals with a sense of uniqueness and we adopt this uniqueness in order to adapt and grow in this diverse world. In 1972, I found myself, a junior in high school, looked down upon and bullied by other students that held a dislike for me because of the area that I lived in, the clothes I wore, and the status that I held at the school that I attended.  Being a key player on the high school baseball team, as well as highly respected student by some of my peers and teachers; this only added to the sense of dislike the others had for me that were not fortunate as I was because I had chosen to adopt a fair and honest lifestyle.  These bullies did not involve themselves in the athletic programs; they were not focused on their academics or their future plans; and they did not live in the same part of town that I lived in.

I vividly recall the day that these external, judgmental factors came to a head.  One school day during the changing of classes, there were a group of guys that approached me out of nowhere and jumped me.  I have never been this afraid in my life.  However, from that day forward, I took a stand for my safety.  I altered my class schedule so that I would only have to attend for a half-day schedule, with classes until 11 AM, followed by a co-op work program.

The bullies (not “my” bullies) altered my life to a point that I had to rearrange my normal routine for my safety in school.  I did not want to go to lunchroom.  I did not want to go to PE.  I started to change my surroundings and my behavior out of FEAR.

That is not fair!

Bullying is the act of intimidating another person and making him/her feel weaker or inferior so that the bully can manipulate them.  It is amazing that even in institutions of learning, bullying takes place in various forms and it can and will endorse an enduring negative impact on children and even lasting impacts into adulthood. Psychological turmoil can haunt you for years and leads to depression, anxiety, and fear. However,  “FEAR NOT, BE WEIRD.”

It is not that you are a strange person; instead, you are adopting your God-given talent of being unique.  Don't let anyone convince you that you're not a unique person.  Realize, there are some things that you cannot change, such as your outer appearance, but your beauty resides in your inner man.  So, accept and enjoy your inner being and be the peculiar person that God has made with grace.

Edward MTN Universal

Weird Type

For many years I was coined a name: "Weird-Type."  To this very day, I have no idea what the name originator meant by it.  However, today, here and now, I say Thank You!  You may ask why!  I have embraced it as a compliment!  I now realize it was a seed planted to develop others and myself.   My rareness contributes to the makeup of the vast differences that fashions our universe as one of a kind! It is also a valuable trait, a desired presence for a true sense of peace and self-worth. I am a "weird-type." WHY? Well I am so glad that you asked.  I refuse to let someone else define me or dictate who I am or who I can become.  I do not focus on keeping up with the trends or the next person.  I am at peace. I am comfortable in my own skin.  I choose my daily responses and attitudes.  My choice is to FEAR NOT and to BE WEIRD because my life and my lifestyle are outside of the typical box.  My thinking is out of the box.  My actions are examined daily. My drive and my determination are like no other.  Therefore, I, me, you, we are an unwrapped gift to the "normal" society, so on that note I will FEAR NOT BE WEIRD!!!!

Chaitra “Weird-Type!” MTN Universal