In A Split Second By now I think we can all attest to the fact that our lives can change in a split second! It might be a decision we make, a death, an award or lack of one or any of a thousand other things. I wanted to spend some time talking about another split second in our lives though, one that we seldom think to recognize or contemplate.  For a moment, think about that person(s) or that thing(s) in your life you hate. (Feel free to substitute “dislike a lot”, “feel like punching” or any other term that means essentially the same thing.) The reasons or circumstances aren’t important. Now think about how many weeks, months, maybe even years you’ve felt that way. All of those negative feelings that you’ve had percolating inside of you for all of that time, not only affect how you feel but how you act too.  Now, would you believe me if I said that in one instant, you can get rid of all that hate and all the negative feelings? Spend a minute thinking about how that will that affect your life?  Just as in one split second the decision was made to hate, in one split second, the decision not to hate can be made. Now, as it always has been, the decision to let those life toxins go is yours. As you move forward in your life, do your best to realize the split seconds you are lucky enough to have. Plus, realize that both negative and positive exist in every split second in your life. But, you have the power and the obligation to make the right choice.  I believe in you. Now it’s time for you to believe in you too! Peace      ……Gregg [If you haven’t signed up to have all of my One Minute Blogs and my A Common Man’s Wisdom podcasts on substack, I hope you’ll give it some consideration. IT’S FREE! You can subscribe at [email protected] …..Gregg]

(Yes, there’s a catch! There’s always a catch!) No matter how long ago you got out of school or even if you never went to school, grab a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil, your phone or iPad or a computer because it’s Homework Time! It’s not as bad as it sounds, I thought I’d share a homework assignment to give myself every once in a while in this One Minute Blog. Ready? OK, here we go… Take 5 minutes or so and write out a list of people who you believe to be truly outstanding in some way. These people can either be people you actually know or those you’ve seen from a distance or a mix of both. They might be as ordinary as they come or they might be famous. They might be noted for their brains or a great actor or singer, exceptionally caring, etc. Just write down their names and then underneath them, write out what trait it was that you found exceptional about that person. Once you’re finished with that, focus in on just the traits that you’ve written down.  It’s those traits that provide a great look into what you value the most in and around your life! Ask yourself what traits you might have the most of and what traits you’re looking for in those around you whether that’s at home or work and even those people you might vote for or against. Next, and this is the really hard part, ask yourself what traits your lacking the most. Ask yourself how you can develop those coveted traits and ask yourself who you can trust to help you. As I said earlier, this is something I sit down a do every few months or so. I save my old data so I can also look back and see what traits I chose then and now and how they might differ. It’s fairly brief and like all great exercises, it yields some great results. So, enjoy… Peace       ……Gregg