FollowCraig: “Re-action” vs “Pre-action”

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We all have heard it, be pro-active or pre-active. Here I am 60 years old and I finally heard so I understand. Think of it this way, when you plan ahead for an event like a party, wedding, etc., if your plan is good and you’re pro-active enough in the choices you make for food, caterers, music and such the event will likely go well. If on the other hand you wait till the last-minute to order the cake, food, entertainment or whatever it may very well cost you more money and a lot of stress? This applies to our weight, our health, the way we drive and in just about everything we do. Do you like to stress about this kind of stuff? I sure don’t! Crazy as it sounds I do this all to often, especially when it come to financial obligations. Waiting till the last-minute to pay a bill always causes stress and very often costs more money in the form of fees or interest penalties. When I am pre-active in these matters I have no stress. Just like when I walk each day and think to plan my meals I am healthier and experience less stress about my weight. So I suggest we all remember this;

“Re-action always costs more than Pre-action, always!”

Just another Craig’ism..

I’m still writing, you’re still reading, so please keep following…….

Craig

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FollowCraig: Brotherhood of Men

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It happened this week, eight men age 50-60 plus gathered together. Each with very different backgrounds, each who at one time were defined by their career and station in life. One an engineer, another a wall street broker, another a diesel mechanic, a car salesman, and so on. Just what do they all have in common? What brought them together at this time in their lives? Everyone in this group have had to pick themselves up from what had defined them just a few years ago to now change the direction of their lives and begin a new career. On Monday these eight men did not know each other and now have been learning and training together to become professional chauffeurs. Yes it’s true each one of us have joined together to learn and become something different from our past. Each of us have picked ourselves up after many changes and challenges in our lives to continue to move forward. As we help each other learn this new career and a bit about each other, it reminds me what a wonderful experience it is to be among the “Brotherhood of Men”

I’m still writing, you’re still reading, so please keep following…….

Craig

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FollowCraig: “Follow the Leader?”

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Follow the leader, remember that game when we were kids? It was so much fun; each person one by one follows the leader often times in single file copying what ever the person in front of them is doing and the one in front of them and so on all the way to the leader. So imagine several children following along, if the leader jumps the first kid jumps and then the next and so on. Now they are walking, hoping, stopping then turning and pushing the one behind, then of course the next and so on. Wait a moment did the leader just push the first kid who then pushed the next, then the next? Didn’t they know that pushing someone is wrong, not nice? Or are they are just kids following the leader in front. Of course they know the difference between right & wrong don’t they? So if they know then why would they push rather than just stop and say wait, pushing is wrong. It’s funny isn’t it? We all know what is right and wrong but how often do we just follow along with everyone else anyway? Perhaps it’s just human nature to think it’s ok to do something we know is wrong when everyone else seems to be doing the same thing? Just follow the leader and it’s all ok because the person in front of them did it and the one in front of them. So just what do you think would happen if just one of these kids stopped and did not push the one behind him because he knew what was right? Just think about our own lives today, if we just stop following and not questioning and instead stood up for the right thing to do and stood on our principles of right and wrong. Is it possible that your world and the world of others around you would change? So maybe it’s worth trying. The next time when you’re ready to do something just because everyone else is doing it, weigh what you’re about to do with the weight of your principles. If your principles are too heavy to move, then don’t!

I’m still writing, you’re still reading, so please keep following…….

Craig

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FollowCraig: Miracles II

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A couple of months ago when writing Miracles I spoke of my God car and how in the face of adversity, desperation and fear I was given this gift. So, I thought I would follow-up with a little on this story. Almost five years later I was attending an A.A. meeting in Las Vegas while on my way to California. At the end of the meeting a fellow came to me with the greatest smile and the warmest hug. He said, Craig you might not remember but you drove me to WestCare one day when I was in a drunken and drugged blackout. I know you didn’t want to take me in your beautiful car but you did. I wanted to tell you that I haven’t had a drink or drug since that day, I have a job as a taxi driver, my own apartment and a car of my own. And Craig he said: it’s because of you and what you did for me that day, you stayed with me until I was safe and told be it would get better. No one else had ever said that and been so nice to me. Tears come to me when I remember him and his story. You see it was not me or my car or the care facility, it was God that made that day happen for him, the rest of us were only God’s servants that day.

I’m still writing, you’re still reading, so please keep following……

Craig

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FollowCraig: Surefire Way to Truly Get Out of Debt

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This is a very well written post about debt. Just thought I would share…Craig

The Surefire Way to Truly Get Yourself Out of Debt.

FollowCraig: Be Yourself

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I’ve spent a lifetime trying to figure out how to just be myself. As a young man I was always told what I was to be when I grew up. You should be an architect, an accountant a lawyer and so many other things. I was taught to believe a certain faith and be of one political party. When my children were growing I didn’t ever tell them what to be, what religion or faith and nothing about politics. Let’s see who turned out best? I think the kids did. You see they found there careers, perhaps have found their own faith. So when I read the following written by; Ralph Ellison, “Battle Royal” I felt like me!

“All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself.”

I’m still writing, you’re still reading, so please keep following…….

Craig

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FollowCraig: Birthday’s

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I just love Birthday’s and today is my grand-daughter’s special day. Children really have it all, that innocence and peace that only childhood gives. They are so cute and so full of joy. Why do we forget how special those days are in our own lives? As we get older and begin to work and build families we so often forget about our own special days. In my life I’m blessed with three birthday’s; The first when my mother gave me life, the second when God gave me recovery and the third when I was reborn as a Christian. These are all days I celebrate with the greatest of joy and gratitude. But for today, I celebrate my grand-daughter’s birthday. May all the gifts that life and God give be hers today.

Happy Birthday Jewel!

I’m still writing, you’re still reading, so please keep following……

Craig

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FollowCraig: “Cabbage Patch Doll”

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Cabbage Patch Dolls were a viral craze when my daughter was a little girl. The hand painted faces, cute smiles and birth certificates made them seem like real children. My daughter just had to have one for Christmas. I remember her mother driving to every toy store, department store and following every lead to find one. Even me “Dad” was looking. Searching for a funny looking little doll seemed crazy at the time but we looked and looked. Then our luck was blessed and her mother found it, I drove to get it and the doll was home in time. On Christmas morning when we saw the excitement and joy on our daughters face as she opened the gift wrap and there she was. It was love and joy at first sight! Today as I reflect back on that time with my son, daughter, wife and the Cabbage Patch girl all I really remember is “Family”. To my daughter Valerie, I Love You…..Dad

I’m still writing, you’re still reading, so please keep following……

Craig

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FollowCraig: Be Yourself (re-post)

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I’ve spent a lifetime trying to figure out how to just be myself. As a young man I was always told what I was to be when I grew up. You should be an architect, an accountant a lawyer and so many other things. I was taught to believe a certain faith and be of one political party. When my children were growing I didn’t ever tell them what to be, what religion or faith and nothing about politics. Let’s see who turned out best? I think the kids did. You see they found there careers, perhaps have found their own faith. So when I read the following written by; Ralph Ellison, “Battle Royal” I felt like me!

“All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself.”

I’m still writing, you’re still reading, so please keep following…….

Craig

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FollowCraig: Courtrooms

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Just this week while watching the “John Edwards trial” we witnessed how judges, juries and courtrooms each come together and determine an outcome. Now this may sound as a bit of a leap, but isn’t that how partnerships both business and personal should work? You see in a courtroom all parties bring the facts, truths, lies and perspectives to an open forum in order to determine what really happened. The judge and jury then decide how to resolve the issue. It finally came to me that is how partnerships should be? When a decision needs to be made, all facts, details and perspectives should be brought out in the open and then ask the “Partnership” to determine the best course take. It all seems so simple and actually it is. The only hard work involved is doing it!

I’m still writing, you’re still reading, so please keep following……

Craig

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