Posts Tagged 'bowaworld'

Don’t Spit Up

by Bert Oliva

This weekend, I took my family boating in the Florida Keys. The sun was shining and it was a gorgeous day. The water was a little choppy but not too bad. I got behind the helm and headed to the turquoise blue waters of the shallow sand bar a ways off the shore. When we got there, one of my passengers had turned green. She was terribly seasick.

As I helped her get a life vest on to get herself into the water and find her equilibrium, I jokingly said, “So you don’t have your sea legs huh?” I even filmed her and joked about it. It was all in good fun and she was a good sport though she was so ill.

Soon after, I got in the water to swim for a bit myself. When I got out and back on the boat, my world start spinning and my stomach started doing flip flops. I could not stop it if I tried. It took all my concentration not to lose my lunch. I felt helpless and dizzy. After all the years of me driving boats, I had my first experience with seasickness myself.

This story is a prime example of a phrase I use often: “Don’t Spit Up.” It means not to say something that may come back at you later. I definitely “spit up” when I toyed with my loved one over her pain. I didn’t do anything really hurtful or mean. Our relationship has always been one of jokes, but I personally had never experience seasickness before. I did not realize just how intense it can be and how quickly it can overtake you.

I truly try my best not to rush to judgment of others (though I do slip up from time to time), because you really can’t make a call on someone else’s situation. You really can not know what another person is feeling or experiencing, until you walk a mile in their shoes yourself. So, it’s best not to make a quick judgment call unless you have all the facts. I’m not saying you need to always have first hand experience in order to empathize with another person, but whenever possible, you should at least take the time to imagine yourself in their place. Imagine what they are feeling and thinking. And, whenever possible, simply ask them.

When you rush to judgment, you run a greater risk of “spitting up.” And remember, what goes up, has to come down, and it may just come back down on you.

Live Life,
Bert Oliva

BLACKHAWKS VS. OILERS

Catch the highlights of the EDMONTON OILERS as they host the CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS on September 28, 2014 at the Arena Name. Who will come out on top? Find out in today’s featured game of the National Hockey League on PLAY NHL, a presentation of The Sportscrafters and an EA Sports NHL 15 simulation. Play calling by Sportscrafter Eric Munter.

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VITAMIN YOU (The Pickup Artist 7)

Are you a pickup artist? Bert Oliva shares examples of good and bad pickup lines.

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Inspire Me!

by Bert Oliva

Inspiration … what comes to mind when you think of the word? For many, it seems like “inspiration” is a faraway achievement. That it comes rarely. That it’s something we can’t easily grasp.

I know so many people who say, “I want to do X but I don’t have any inspiration …” “I’ll do it as soon as inspiration hits …” “I need to be inspired …”

Want to know the secret of inspiration? For the most part, it doesn’t just “come.” You have to train yourself to be inspired. You have to create a habit.

For instance, if you’re a writer and you only write when inspiration strikes you, you will soon find that you do not write all that often. However, if you create a habit—say you sit at your computer every day from 10am to 11am and write whatever comes to mind for an hour—you’ll soon find that inspiration comes to you sooner and sooner during that time. This is because you are conditioning yourself for inspiration. You are making inspiration a habit.

This is true with just about any task. In fact, I use this personally with my Motivational Moments. There are days where I record them when inspiration strikes, but regardless, I have an alarm set on my phone that goes off at 9pm that reminds me to record. So every day just about 9pm, I will record if I haven’t already. I must admit, there are days when inspiration takes awhile to come, but because I’ve created a habit, I usually find a topic fairly quickly.

So, stop putting off your tasks till inspiration strikes. It’s not going to. Especially because you are procrastinating it. Just set aside some time for yourself today and do it. And do the same tomorrow and the next day. At first it will feel like you’re pulling teeth, but before you know it, you will find the inspiration you need as soon as you set your mind to it.

When you are first creating a habit like this, try to keep it same time and in the same place. Though this sounds a little “un-inspirational” it will help with the habit creation subconsciously. And because it takes 21 days to change or create a habit, make sure to do it EVERY day for 21 days—that includes weekends and holidays.

You have greatness inside of you. Condition yourself to find it!

Live Life,
Bert Oliva

STARS VS. BLUES

Catch the highlights of the ST. LOUIS BLUES as they host the DALLAS STARS on September 27, 2014 at the Scottrade Center. Who will come out on top? Find out in today’s featured game of the National Hockey League on PLAY NHL, a presentation of The Sportscrafters and an EA Sports NHL 15 simulation. Play calling by Sportscrafter Eric Munter.

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PRETTY FACE (The Pickup Artist 6)

Are you a pickup artist? Bert Oliva shares examples of good and bad pickup lines.

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Recipe For Disaster

by Bert Oliva

We humans are such funny creatures. We spend so much time learning how to do things the right way and then often once we learn the right way, we decide to start skipping steps to improve the process, until everything is an utter mess again.

Why do we do this? If we were to apply this line of thinking to other things besides ourselves, we’d have a whole lot of failure.

For instance, when my daughter first learned to bake a cake, she forgot the sugar. The next time, she added the sugar, but accidentally added more salt. It took her three tries until she finally got the recipe just right. What if she had decided to start taking things away once she had perfected it? Like an egg? And then maybe some oil? Before she’d know it, she’d end up with a mix of I don’t know what, but it certainly wouldn’t be a cake.

The same applies to us. Once you find a “recipe” that works for you, don’t alter it. If you are able to work out in the mornings three times a week, why would you start working out at night? If getting your nails done makes you feel better about yourself, why would you stop making time for it? If having lunch with your closest friend every other week made you happy, why would you start scheduling other things during that time?

Life isn’t static by any means. It changes constantly. In fact, the only thing constant about life is change. However, for the most part, our little life “recipes” can be altered gradually to fit in with life’s changes. For instance, if your new job requires you to be at work earlier, get up even earlier so you can still make the gym. If your budget got a little tighter because you had to get your son braces, then learn how to do your nails at home. If your schedule has shifted and you can’t meet with your friend for lunch, try doing dinner.

Gradual changes are the only way to keep being successful. Drastically changing your recipes will set you up for failure and you will give up altogether. Set yourself up for even greater success by being as consistent as possible with your personal recipes. And when life’s changes pop up, face them with an open mind. Oftentimes the slight changes we make to our recipes reenergize ourselves and make us even more committed to our goals.

Live Life,
Bert Oliva

Posts Tagged 'bowaworld'

Don’t Spit Up

by Bert Oliva

BLACKHAWKS VS. OILERS

VITAMIN YOU (The Pickup Artist 7)

Inspire Me!

by Bert Oliva

STARS VS. BLUES

PRETTY FACE (The Pickup Artist 6)

Recipe For Disaster

by Bert Oliva

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