Kindness is never wasted...except on assholes

Life is a messy conundrum. 

There are all sorts of people in the world.

We should embrace differences..respect others..it makes for a more interesting life.

But sometimes we need to pick up our figurative ball, and go home.

Some people love the sound of their own opinions.  

The only conversation they need, is a good echo chamber..and the only person they respect is themselves...

These people are called narcissists.

True narcissists c annot be healed.

They are clinically ill.

I believe our society fosters low level narcissists.

It can be difficult to distinguish between your clinical narcissist and your narcissist by training and choice.  

The narcissist by choice can only be distinguished by a series of trial and error.

Or one good way is to ask them this question.  

How do you think you can improve? 

A true narcissist is so deep in their own delusion, they won't be able to come up with an answer.  

Your everyday asshole will have one, they just won't be sharing it with you. 

Why all this attention on pucker factor?

Because, I am forty.

I am too old to be dealing with assholes on a personal level.

I am glad I am healed enough to set boundaries and decide who is or is not in my life..because I REFUSE to spend one more minute in the presence of soul suckers. This includes people who believe they are better than everyone....who constantly bitch and moan, and blame others for their self imposed misery. People who go out of their way to belittle and humiliate others who either believe differently or live differently.  

I am filling every last square inch of my life with believers and doers and up lifters. 

I will help those who need it.. And I won't waste time on judging other people's choices or lives. What a waste of time.  

How void and empty it is, and how silly..to believe you are better because you have a higher iq...when you can't even make a friend or keep a relationship. There are all kinds of intelligences and gifts.

How narrow and myopic to whittle it down to recitation of facts and figures.

I have experienced joy without fear twice in the last week.  Pure joy.

For no other reason than that I was alive. That I had spent time with people who accept me and respect me...and my favorite song was playing.

My nickname as a child..that was given to me by my stepfather Duane, was dummy.

I lived in fear that I would never be smart enough...so I picked people who I thought would teach and correct me.  I no longer need that. 

I am not a dummy..I am me...special and talented and flawed...and I see no need to correct that.

Our flaws are what make us interesting and unique. Our acknowledged weakness gives us compassion for the brokenness of others.

I spent so much time trying to fix what wasn't truly broken.  

The broken part was only the shame that came from thinking I had to be perfect to be loved.

When you feel that way...that you need to be fixed...you draw people who think they can fix you...and what kind of person believes they can fix somebody? 

You guessed it.

A narcissist.

Guess what I found out...when you love yourself, warts and all...narcissists either flee..or you will kick them to the curb in quick fashion. 

Because being fixed becomes insulting.

That's my thoughts for the week. 

See you in a few days.

Chris out.

Simple does not mean easy

I don't know if you have ever noticed my web address...

Chris lives simple dot blog spot dot com

Why not live deliberately?

Because, a discovery I made fairly early in life was this...the more complex something was made...the less likely it was to hold true or have integrity.

Ie if you can't explain it in brief...something is wrong...
Liars embellish.
Uncertain people over explain.

People in denial will talk in circles.

There is some half truth, excuse, avoidance...you name it...you strip all the bark off and you'll find the wood...
For instance...what color is the sky?

Blue.  Grey?  It has an answer...
Why doesn't grandma come over anymore?  Or whoever...
I came to discover that the quickest and best way through any situation involved total honesty, and a simple recitation of the facts as they lay before me.
Life was simpler that way..
if you can't be brutally honest with at least yourself...you are going to run into all kinds of problems. 

Or you will deny them so long, they'll run into you.

Simple, however, doesn't mean easy. 

It just means simple.

Married, don't cheat.

Fat? Eat less, move more.

Uneducated, go to school.

Left unsaid are the hurdles or excuses that have been constructed by yourself, circumstances, or other people.

Usually mental.

Sometimes physical.

Sometimes spiritual.

I know a young lady who has made a hash of her life...pregnant young, many poor choices which have lead to run ins with the law...bad home life because of two parents who were immature and self centered...

She came into my office crying one day..she had been sleeping with a married man.  He was using her because she was available.  

She had all sorts of reasons why she was in this relationship...the usual one about a distant wife...gag...loneliness and the idea that this man truly cared for her.  

I then asked her if she really thought he cared for her?   

And she hesitated.

And I said...there you go. 

After listening to the litany of bad choices by both herself and others, it all coalesced into this one thought...I said.. "Hon, at any moment you can stand up and turn around, and turn your whole life around.  You can say to that man..I deserve more than to be treated as a convenience. To your parents who are alcoholic and verbally abusive, that you deserve respect and attention..and to yourself, that you can raise the bar for how you treat yourself and allow others to treat you...from down here, to up here...and never owe anyone a damn explanation. "

She didn't look convinced.

The following week...after once again making the choice to allow this man to use her...he began to blame her for all his problems...she said that's when the light came on...she said she patted him on the shoulder...said," you are right...we are over." He chased after her..attempted an apology.....she didn't explain...because she didn't owe him one...started going to church and is in the process of turning her life around...and it wasn't me saying it...it was her DOING IT.

it really doesn't matter what IT is...the most important thing you can do is pierce the veil of shame(I am sleeping with a married man) get support from a loving and truly caring person (who will tell you the truth but not condemn) and then face the truth with brutal honesty...and begin the process of change.  Was it easy for this young lady to turn from what was her only real (but ultimately fictional)source of comfort? No.

Once she did, she began to regain self respect...she started going to church and building a larger network of friends...making better choices..being a more present mother...she is five weeks in, and still has a very long row to hoe...but she will get there...the steps were clear and simple...but not easy. If you are trying to lose weight...the steps are clear and simple.

Not easy.

You will run into setbacks....

Hurdles.

You didn't get where you are without setting up a whole support structure to sustain it. 

It won't be easy to slow, stop and turn around.

The older and more ingrained the habits, attitudes, friends and situations...the more difficult...

Putting it off won't make it easier...starting today avoids additional pain.

Very few things in life worth doing are easy...

But when we are truly honest with ourselves and strip away the bullshit...they are simple concepts.

Hang in there...I know I am...

I am up to five days a week of exercise...plus the five miles I traverse the store each night.

No more drive through, sugar or white flour...simple steps...done daily to reap a long, hard won reward.

Have a great day guys.

Chris out.

How to completely change your life....live in the now.

Today represents a milestone in my life and in the life of my marriage. Today I out earned my husband. Today, I earned 200 dollars more this pay check then he did.. I got a huge bonus based on sales..and for the first time in our marriage, I out earned him.

New readers will find this petty...so, before you comment...scroll through older posts...older readers know why this matters.

Dear friends,  it only took me 14 months.

14 months ago, I had no job experience, no education, nothing.
 Now I earn as much..when I'm not earning more.

I say this for only one reason.
If you are stuck, get unstuck...
Just decide.
Then do it...
You are already scared, hurt, confused and discouraged...
Make it mean something.
I watched castaway last night....and there is a scene where he weaves a rope to hang himself....but he doesn't use it.
Then he gets his courage back.
And he realises he needs to weave rope to put a boat together.. He gets down to the end and realizes he doesn't have enough rope...then he remembers the rope hanging from the tree branch....he retrieves it and uses it to save himself.
It's up to you what you do with the life you have created....with your innate abilities...
There are skills in you, honed from years of dealing with tragedy and pAin that God is waiting to use for your renewal and ultimate success...you just have to see a different purpose for your rope...
You have to believe something different can happen... And that takes a lot of faith... Something I didnt always have. So instead of faith in tomorrow, I placed my faith in the now. I can control now... I can decide to try and keep trying..now. And worry about the rest later...except my little trick is.. There is no later. Later never comes. It's always now. So concern yourself with now...and let later take care of itself.
A noose...
Or freedom...

You decide.

Chris out.

I can tell you how to completely change your life

So here goes:
(to anonymous)

1.)  Put down the victim card.

seriously...put it down.

What is the victim card?

It's your 'get out of life free' card.

It's the card you pull out every.single.time. real change is about to happen....
and you are scared...
It's the card you pull out when the challenge seems too big.
It's the card you use to excuse your lack of action (or inaction, as it were).

The victim card is unique to each person.
My victim card was multi layered and fathoms deep....I had many in fact.
My first victim card was my childhood.
In reality, yes, I was 'victimized'.
But the sad reality is that I furthered that victimization by damaging myself as I aged.
Of course there were psychological issues involved...issues that needed to be addressed.

The  victim card comes into play only when you KNOW there are issues..and then use your victimization as rationalization to skip addressing the issues.
The quickest shortcut to circumventing any real change is to continue to blame your problems now. on your past.
 
i.e. You know you have an irrational fear of men..but never go to a counselor to address the issue..instead you go through life avoiding situations you find uncomfortable, then use your fear of men instigated by your childhood (now your victim card) to avoid any challenging or growth inducing experience.
Then state that the reason you are stuck is because you were a victim.
But you see, you are no longer a victim held hostage to a more powerful person.
You are now a victim held hostage to your own inertia and excuses.
Because where you are NOW is a more comfortable place, a more comfortable existence, than the unknown.
 If you want to change, you have to be willing to put everything on the table.

EVERYTHING


Your perception of reality..
everything.
Because your perception of reality may be 100 percent fucked.
Especially if you had an abnormal or psychologically damaging childhood.
How you view relationships, yourself, your abilities..

EVERYTHING.

May very well be wrong.

And the idea that you may have based every decision in your life from a space of fear and skewed perception, instead of a space of possibility and opportunity....makes you want to grab your victim card and run  for the hills.
The only thing more tragic than the time you have wasted...

would be to WASTE.MORE.TIME.

The only way to get the life you want..the only way to START.
Is to put down that victim card.
And pick up the winner card.
What do winners do?
They do what is necessary.
They base decisions, not on wishful thinking, but on objective reality.
period.
Are you willing to lay down your victim card, examine your excuses and move forward to change the way you approach your life?
If you aren't....then don't bother.
Any change you make will be temporary.
Because if your perspective were a true map of the terrain..if what you are doing is making you happy...why are you so damn miserable...why does the same thing keep happening..
OVER AND OVER AND OVER.
If you find yourself stuck in the same place year after year..
either reality needs to change
or you do.
figure it out.
That's part 1 in how to completely change your life.

What scares the hell out of insecure people?

confidence

I have been, in my life, screamed at out car windows...
many times..what has been screamed has been derogatory.
Tonight I went to walmart..
I am not dressed in any attention getting way..
a henley and capri work out pants and tennis shoes.

I am walking from my car to the store.
A guy drives by and yells...I want to fuck you but you're too ugly.
Now let me ask you a question..
What was it about me that drew his attention...
was it my exceptional ugliness?
no.
Was it that I was exceptionally fuckable?
no.
was I exceptionally attractive?
no.
I walk with confidence.
 
For a certain subset of men...that is intimidating.
they don't like confident women.
They want to 'put them in their place'.
What do I do with men like that...or indeed, people like that...
I ignore them.
Because that's the amount of attention they deserve.
They have a deep seated insecurity that comes forth when a strong woman is around..
These are the men that think women bosses are bitches.
I had a cashier think he was going to take my job.
He is no longer employed because he couldn't even bother to show up for work.
These are the men that think women 'have their place'.
That think women should stay in the kitchen..
because deep down, they know they are weak willed and weak minded.
If I could teach women anything...it's to be exceptional...
and that will cause the dross of their lives to float to the top so you can skim it off....
There are men that speak pretty words...but when push comes to shove...
when their women excel...the ugliness comes out.
No one kicks a dead horse...there are plenty of unattractive people..
But confident and capable and motivated people...
there are not a whole lot of those...
and women in particular...are not encouraged to be strong and in leadership positions.
You have to be prepared to listen to the criticism and improve..
and to know when you are listening to the whining of an insecure loser.
When someone is kicking you..
it's because you scare them.
Don't stop being exceptional...
Keep improving and kick them to the curb.
Their ugliness is a reflection of their self image and worth.
Not yours.
Chris out.

I just flew in from philly...

and boy are my arms tired..

not really..
but my knee is still stiff from my workout the day before yesterday.
To be honest..I don't know whether to push through and so more weights tomorrow...or walk and stretch it...I just don't know.
Did thirty minutes on the elliptical today and walked for about 8 hours around the store.
I don't want to re inflame it.
I want to strengthen it.
I know people feel stiff and in pain when in recovery...
just so long as it isn't painful right?
ugh.

So wanted to post..
kept my calories under 1800....no garbage...
best thing I have found out..
I can order panda express online so I can order mixed veggies instead of rice..
sometimes I am late getting out the door at home...
and mixed veggies as your side is something they make to order..
and I don't have the 7 minutes.
So now I order at 10 to 1...pick it up at 1:15 and I have a healthy protien and veggie packed lunch and dinner.

I had to get rid of two panhandlers and one political activist today.
I would rather have panhandlers...

and now for a moment of zen.

Something to make you laugh.

exercise and anger

and...once I limit my calorie intake...my feelings bounce around.
ugh.
These days I no longer get sad...
I get angry.
I know more God time would go a long way to curing some of that..
that and being quiet...
and judging less.
I went to the gym this morning and walked one mile, then did whole body weights.
I did three rotations of arm exercises..
and three rotations of leg exercises...
Arms;   Dumb bell bicep curls 10 reps @ 10 lb weight
            Dumb bell flys 10 reps @ 10 lbs
            Dumb bell Bench press  12 reps @ 20 lbs
Legs  Squats 15 reps x 3 rotations
           calf raises 20 reps x 3 rotations
           side leg raises 12 reps x 3 rotations
results..
my left knee is still weak where I blew it out last year in defense class.
After today's workout..I could feel my knee straining...so I put on my knee brace...
it's cloth...it really didn't feel like it was that supportive.
I just got a sweaty knee.
Then I went to work and walked and walked....
I ate 1780 calories today....
I have been working on my mindset...
Leaving out the sugar..
making conscious choices to eat protein and veggies and leave out empty starches.
I had a spinach and mushroom omelette.
for lunch I ate panda express two entree of mixed veggies and kung pao chicken.
For dinner I had two cups of roast beef and potatoes and carrots.

I drank coffee with splenda and water today.
I was very irritable by the end of my shift...
a lady went through my cashiers  line...ran her ebt...for one dollar...then went to pay for the rest on a credit card...which was declined...twice.
The only way to get that off my cashiers till was to run a post void.
you can't item void an ebt purchase.
she is trying to convince us to give her the items.
I am instantly pissed..
this is her little con...wait till closing and make a scene hoping to get away with something...without paying.  Because we want to go home
She says "Wait....will I get my dollar back."
I say "ma'am I have no idea."
she has a ten dollar bill in her hand..
she could have paid for the rest of those items..
but she was sitting there playing the victim....(her ebt had purchased a two liter of soda)
the rest of it...body glitter and makeup.
I said "ma'am..I am not going to allow this twelve dollars to sit on my cashiers register."
And then the lady behind her decided to pay for her crap.
two years ago...I would have assumed this woman didn't know her credit card would be declined...
now I know better.
that being said..
I have become a bit cynical...but I can't allow that kind of crap to make me angry.
There will always be people willing to take advantage of nice people.
I got to let it roll...
but on my way home..
dave chappelle popped into my head...
we've got crack heads, panhandlers and shop lifters and all the rest....lol...
I have gotten to the point that I am in the limo....baby...BABY!  lololololol...
my sanity saver is going to be my sense of humor.