Blah, whatever, bah, meh!   Here’s how to get over the work/life/everything slump.

Where I’m from, there’s a saying that I keep in my heart through the good and bad times, “keep trucking.”  It sounds stupidly simple, but it’s a reminder that no matter what I go through, I can and have made it through.  I will it if I have to. And lord knows, there are times I’ve had to will it. We all have.

Maybe you have your own version of this power saying (I’d love to hear it via the comments btw).  People say it in many different ways:

• Be relentless
• Never give up
• Keep going
• Don’t stop
• Weather the storm
• Hold your head up
• Have faith
• Keep hope alive
• Dream big
• Give 110%

The point is all the same. No matter where you are in your life, how hard it gets, don’t give up and don’t stop trying. We all have those times when we have to dig down to the deepest part of ourselves to keep going.

Get it Out

Sometimes it takes crying like a little baby to get through it.  That doesn’t make you weak, it makes you strong in your love and beliefs.  Just don’t forget that when the tears stop, it’s time to learn and move on.

Who do you want to be remembered as?

Your true colors show at your worst times; on your shittiest of days.  It’s not the epic you when you’re at your prime, it’s what you say to yourself and others in the worst of times.  Do you press on or do you collapse?  Do your future self a favor and take a stand against the negativity and push on.  Most importantly, never relent for what you believe in.  Maybe it’s love, God, your job, or a yearning for purpose.

If you can’t will it, force it

This is one of the reasons I have a positive quote widget on the right-hand panel of www.chicktech.com.  To remind you (and me!) that sometimes it takes forcing yourself to keep going to make it.

You can go ahead and listen to sad music and revel over it, but it won’t get better that way.  That’s your choice. I recommend you instead listen to music that will pick you up and drive home core messaging that you can do it.

Btw, I rock out with free positive tunes via www.klove.com

Reality sets in

Less we forget, there’s always someone going through something much worse: living on the streets; fighting for their life through illness; working all hours just to put food on the table; living without hope, grace and purpose.  Get realistic. What can you be doing about it? What is your heart telling you to do? Do that!

If you’re feeling awesome today, I ask you to share the love.  Inspire someone else who may need it. It could be sharing a positive quote, beautiful picture, writing a nice comment, song and even a post like this one.

Love is the only thing that can truly conquer the world. War has, and continues to prove it.

When’s the last time you actually had to do math without a calculator?  I’d put money on the fact you haven’t had to use exponents with decimal places since grade 6 math.

My point, math sucks.  Not because it’s a boring subject, but because it was made boring by education.

Math isn’t complicated either, at least it shouldn’t be.  It’s based on logic. Unfortunately some people think memorization is a better technique than logic and use that system in the school system instead. *fist shaking*

I never liked the subject math personally. I found it hard to understand, remember and put to use.  This is why I love Wolfram Alpha, onlyone mathematics teacher I had in college and the following video.

If you hate math, find it difficult by any means, you’ll love it after this.

How to become a math geek in 6 minutes and 8 seconds

“Cell phones…proving math teachers wrong since 2000.” @SaraOflaherty

Which style of mathematics education would you prefer? Comment below

Often times we get caught up in friendships or relationships that are emotionally draining because we feel bonded to them.  Maybe you’ve known them for years, stayed in touch a long time or they could even be family.

The problem is, the people we hang out with have a direct impact on our present existence and future success. So, you seriously need to stop hanging out with losers.

Now I sound like a huge jerk, but hear me out.

It’s possible to love someone, but not love how they deal with life, rant, gossip and don’t think positively.  As much as it would be great to think we can change them on our own with our listening skills and positive thinking, we can’t.  Alone, you can’t change anyone. You can help, but they have to want to change first.  And this isn’t pretend change, as in rant about it and say they want to change.  This is a Tony Robbins, “eff this I won’t take this any more, I’m done and ready to move on” kind of change.

If they’re not ready to do that, they’re putting your future in jeopardy.

You’ve been a good friend by standing by them, but now it’s time to be a better friend.  By being a sounding board you’re not helping (like you intention), you’re allowing the situation to go on.  That isn’t healthy for you or them. You both need change. Why?

Because Life Shouldn’t Suck

Sometimes we forget that life doesn’t have to suck. It’s really not meant to suck. We’re meant to live fruitful lives that have meaning.  How do I know this? Look at the lives of mentors and everyday heroes. They take great risks, love greatly and give greatly.  They don’t take life for granted, they grab it and run. Simply because…

You were Born Dying

Who you hang with and communicate with is a direct reflection of who you are and what you’ll become.  Ask yourself who you want to become in your short lifetime and if being held back/drained/burdened is something you’re okay with.  If you hang out with people with high standards, chances are you too will abide by those standards.  Just like if you hang out with people that eat or drink too much, chances are you too will follow that same path.

I’m not a gambler but I’d put money on this statement being true for everyone: Cut down the time you talk to and spend time with negative influences and you’ll notice your life start to change for the better.

Sure, I’m no expert by any means. But these people also have some pretty awesome reasoning for not hanging with losers:

Tiny Buddha
http://tinybuddha.com/blog/how-to-deal-with-negative-people-or-difficult-people/

Life Hack
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/9-helpful-tips-to-deal-with-negative-people.html

My Venture Pad
http://myventurepad.com/budbilanich/79278/negative-people-are-career-success-killers

Every person on this planet has a special ability, whether they realize it or not.

There is no one like us, nor will there ever be (well, we haven’t figured that out … yet!). So in essence, we all have our inner Avenger.  For some, it’s in the making.  Just like them, we need to use our abilities or they’ll start to diminish (or break!).

And you don’t have to be a physicist, celebrity or super geek to be a member. Maybe you’re a mom who sets a good example for her family and the community.  Or a sales person who cares about every single customer and genuinely loves helping out.  Or that gas attendant who makes the day of every single patron with their smile and cheery attitude.

If you don’t what your power is yet, or are in a period of trying to figure things out, you need to keep doing until you find out. Try different jobs, talk to different people and fly to news lands. Otherwise, what’s the point?  To struggle? The be unhappy? Naw, I don’t think that’s what life is for.

It’s never going to be easy, and you’ll probably face a lot of flack for being yourself while you find your way.  But you can’t get to the fairy tale without doing all the work first.   For those of you current Avenger members, be sure to continue to master your skills. Learning is what’s inbetween you and that even more power; aka better position, more money or even more freedom.

You can’t sail around the world without hitting rough seas.  A true sailor is prepared.

You can’t expect the world to unravel for you like a rose blooming.  More times than not you have to turn into the Hulk and Rambo it out.  A goal(s) will make the trudging worth it.  It’s through the trudging we find out who we really are and what we’re capable of.

So quite simply,  do what you’re good at, passionate about and love doing.  It should be the driving force of your life!  Unfortunately it’s not a switch you turn can turn on and it just stays on.  Our bodies and minds are meant for doing, not doing nothing.  To run, to think, to feel, to understand, to grow.  And when it comes down to it, no matter how rich you are, what color you are, how smart you are, how much money you make, you’re still just a meat suit.

We’re all a bunch of meat suits trekking around the world experiencing things based on the risks we take and the goals we set for ourselves.  You’re only as good as your best excuse! And so what you never grew up with your version of  Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. Thanks to the Internet there’s no excuse to not have mentors, ideas and goals.

I’m by no means an expert on how to find your calling.  But lucky for you, I like finding out who does know.  Using the talks of two very inspiring humans, Ayn Rand and Tony Robbins, I’d like to present you with a case for being selfish and kind – a gateway to your very own inner Avenger. Super hero suit not included. Sorry!

AYN RAND - novelist, philosopher, playwright & screenwriter

 TONY ROBBINS-  self-help author & motivational speaker

“Give.  Because it will fill you up. And appreciate what’s driving other people. ”

– Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins explains what it takes to have a better life. Seriously.

If that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will.   I can always try, or check out some more interesting reads below.