Keeping myself in shape

I've made comments in the past that its not us that have control over our destiny.  God himself is in control of us and when he feels the time is right, thats when abundance will come.

This past Tuesday I had the meet and greet with our director but there was not anything they can do at this time because I'm a contractor.  Also because they still are trying to get organized for the future.

So even though I wasn't offered an opportunity at this time to be a full-time employee for Southwest it had me thinking.

I could of been very upset, mad and even furious.  The old me would have been cursing and telling the world to go F*** themselves. But there is one thing I will always remember since becoming a christian, do not let pride and ego rule you.  It's important to God that you stay broken and humble so you can receive his abundance and blessings.

I am still humble and broken and always will be the rest of my life.  I mean really lets dissect this even further.  I was a contractor before the meet and greet and I'm still a contractor after the meet and greet. I'm still on my 2nd contract, I'll still be good till at least November and there IS still the possibillity of being offered a 3rd contract so that will be my focus is to keep on doing good like I am.  I will still keep the great relations that I have with both my co-workers.  Life is still good so I can't see a reason to be mad.

Shout out to my coworkers.  They were worried about me because they knew I didn't get what I was hoping for.  They both took the time to make sure that I was still good. They both spoke to me, gave praise, told me how good I really am which is something I haven't heard in a long time and really made me feel great.  They didn't have to do this but they did.  They gave of themselves for me and I feel very grateful and blessed for it.

SO thank you so much Carlisa and Joel.  Thank you for taking the time to care about my feelings.  Thank you for allowing me to stay a part of the team and most importantly???  Thank you both for being the great people that you are.

The moral of my story is that its important to keep yourself in shape mentally.  As long as you do that, then you can do and accomplish anything your mind can conceive. I make it the most important thing I do everyday.  Its easy to find the bad, its harder to find the good but when you do it will make you feel so much better.

Right Now!

Terrific Tuesday is here which means the Southwest reps are coming and we get to hang out with them.  They will get to see how tremendous we are so they understand that they want us ALL right now!

The journey so far has been great, at times it was rough but in order to gain knowledge you have to go thru growing pains and that means not waiting till later but going thru them right now!

We all know that we are great.  We will show the Southwest Reps what we are about right now!

I don't know what the end of today will bring but I know I want to have the opportunity to continue on with my team, right now!

I hope that right now the Southwest Reps feel I'm worthy of there time and they include me in there plans for the future because I know right now we have the best IT team out there.  I'm a Carlisa's Angel for heaven sakes and thats right now!

Right now I'm thinking it would be awesome that if Southwest is going to relocate the team that I'm a part of that relocation with them.

Right now I feel like I want to to pray so here it goes:

Oh Father, thank you for making me strong because I know I can't do it if I had to do it on my own.  Even though I've shown in the past that when left to my own devices I do the wrong things, its not whats happening right now. Reason is because right now I feel your arms wrapped around me saying "I've got this one".  "You've worked hard and have grown so much as a person that I realize this right now!  Right now I declare that I will accept whatever my fate will be because I know deep down you have my best interests at heart.  I also declare that abundance will happen on your time and not mine.  You will know when I'm most deserving of your blessings.  In Jesus name AMEN!

Speaking of hoping that everything good happens RIGHT NOW!  Enjoy this 90's song from VAN HALEN called Right Now.  Has alot of meaning to me because anything and everyting can happen Right Now.  My theme for today!  Enjoy and God Bless!

The calm before the calmer

Usually today is called Muhnday (thanks and all credit goes to Carlisa).  I mean think about it, you just got done with a fun weekend with the family, did whatever laundry you needed to do and got enough sleep to start out the work week refilled and replenished.

Me I was able to but shirts and some new jeans.  Didn't take me long at all since I know my sizes.  30 minutes at the most and thats being to generous.  Found my old friend Clearance and went to town finding stuff. :)

I've prepared myself mentally and physically for a great week.  Tommorow though the fun will start.  Thats when I get to meet the Southwest Reps and I will get a better idea of my future.  I'm looking forward to that.  Just for the fact they want to speak to me makes be feel blessed and humbled.

Most interesting tidbit of last week, I made mention to my bestie co-workers ever Carlisa, Joel and James that just think if somehow we ALL got offers and they wanted us to ALL be in Dallas, Texas (thats where there headquarters are located).  I haven't been thru a buyout much less how they handle different departments.  It would be very cool since we all get along and get the job done effieciently to be all together in a different state.  

It would make things so easy, at that point its a matter of getting used to a different environment, takes all the other pressures off of us.

Spent a fun weekend with my grandaughter and helped Rissa and James with there computer. Got rid of the malware and put Mcafee Total Protection on it and there router now has a wpa-personal password on it.  Has a combination of special characters, numbers letters and capital letters.  Also helped there friend Jesse.  Did take 10 minutes for his computer to boot up until I was done then took only about a 1 minute if that.

Love being the town geek.  I love hearing people talk about computers like they know it all then they can't do ****.  Ben to the rescue. :)

Love you all and tommorow is our day because we are a team.  As a team I hope the Southwest Reps allow me to stay a part of the team.  I will do everything in my power to show that I am worth there time to  be worth the time for our team to become immortal. :)

Pajama Jeans!

I was watching password on the game show network and there was an infomercial on pajama jeans.  They are for women that want to wear something comfortable.  Its pajamas that look like jeans and fit nicely.  For the ladies out there, not only will it make you feel cozy but your man will feel cozy knowing that you are.  Think of it as a win/win, a touchdown, a home run, a slam dunk, a night that neither will forget. :)  Let the imagination run wild.  I can go on and on but you get my drift. :)

Quitting is for losers.

When I was younger I thought I knew it all and I did.  At least in my own mind that is.  I feel very fortunate because even though I didn't get along great with my mom and my dad was always working.  They instilled in me to not be a quitter.  I went thru alot of situations when I was younger that when the going got tough I went walking away.

It took me going thru 4 years of the Air Force and 4 years of college to get into my head to never quit.  I always see things thru now.  I look at situations that come upon me now as opportunities to learn and grow as a person.

The best way to combat age?  Keep your mind alert, focused and always look to learn something new everyday.  Its working wonders for me.  I've seen people in my past lose there willpower because they let age get to them and they quit.  That folks is a 4-letter word that will never be in my vocabulary again.  Peace!!

A New Day has arrived

Well it took long enough but that was all my doing.  With all my problems I had back in June 2010 I made alot of nasty comments to my dad in particular.  Telling your folks you want nothing to do with them and that you would spit on there grave i serious stuff.  I was still laid off from Rent-A-Center and my contract at Rasmussen was about to end.  I owed money on a car from my parents that I knew I couldn't afford and was prolonging the process.  I was still mad at the world with the way I got laid off from Rent-A-Center after busting my butt for them for 9 years.  They made me feel like I didnt matter the whole time I worked for them but still I gave out my best effort daily. I argued with all the bosses there because I knew they were looking to get rid of me to save money and for one of the bosses to hire his nephew back.  It  was a lose-lose.

Needless to say I couldn't hold my emotions in any longer, I vented at anybody that was around me, family, co-workers, bums on the street.  Anybody that didn't want to hear my story got an earful from me.  I was a very unhappy person.  I had a family to support without the support system to be able to provide.

I worked for Sungard for about 5 weeks (was supposed to be a 3 month contract).  They treated people like robots and I felt like I was reliving the nightmare of Rent-A-Center all over again.  They laid off ALOT of people because they claim worked had slowed down quicker then normal.  I gave in my badge and I WALKED out on my own.  I wasn't letting them walk ME OUT.  I challenged everybody and gave back mono to emono.  My ego became huge to stop people from running all over me.  My ego became the size of Texas again like it was when I was a teenager.  That was not a good thing.

After this ordeal I told myself I'm reading the bible and getting as deep with God as I can so I can live in his way.  I read all the devotionals I could get my hands on.  Read Proverbs to become wise but most importantly I needed to know how things are supposed to work.  I never really learned that because my parents weren't very religious due to my dad working lot of hours driving a taxi.

Well November comes around and I got a 6 month contract with Airtran.  I promised myself before my first day of work that I was going to become the best I could be.  No ego, no attitude, learn to listen, do my job as well as I can do it.

I'm proud to say my contract has been extended and Airtran is now a subsidiary of Southwest.  Looks like things might change soon at some point.  While I'm happy things are going to change. I will hope and pray that I'm a part of that change so the journey can continue.  I am working with the best people that I have ever worked with and this is over a 2 decade period.

I've grown up so much that I was able to drive over to my parents and I made up with both of them!  I admitted my wrong doing and was also allowed to tell my dad what I want.  He didn't have to do that but he did because I'm his oldest son and he still believes in what I say.  There was alot of things they needed to get off there chest.  I was able to handle it because God led me the whole way.  I couldn't handle that they had no emotions for Deanna and I told them respectfully that I really would like to have that changed.

I explained to my Dad in private the issues that she battles on a daily basis and what would help her.  It was a very hard thing for me to do. I want Deanna to be known as my wife instead of just the woman I married, think about it because it makes a huge different in how she would of been treated. My dad will speak to my mom about it so she understands.  I hope and pray in the name of Jesus that my mom will have an open mind, not hold grudges and take the time to learn about my unique wife Deanna because she is so loving and has a warm heart.

So here goes, I declare in the name of Jesus that I'm worthy to become a strong part of my family that can help when then time comes, that they have total trust in me to do the right thing for them.  To know that its not because of my will but because of God's will to bring me thru any conflict that may arise.

I also declare in the name of Jesus that my journey will continue with Southwest and that I'll have an even stronger change to prove that I'm worthy enough to keep on board.  Honestly Jesus I haven't had a real full-time job since 09 and with the way I was as a person I didn't deserve it anymore and had it taken from me.  But because I'm living in your will and staying humble, broken and living in your word.  I hope you see it in your heart that my time is now and that I can make the most of it and to become an inspiration to others that they to can accomplish there goals and to live an abundant life.

I want to be able to accompany my co-workers to whererever life leads us.  If it happens it will be a blessing. If for some reason it can't happen then just know that either way I love the both of you and that I will still do anything I can to help you two proper and be the best that you two can be.

Finally a true post 9-11-01 - Osama Bin Laden killed.

Finally Osama Bin Laden has been killed.  The most interesting part about this?  It wasn't a capture mission.  They went in for the purpopes of killing him.  Alot of gunfire was being exchanged so they wouldn't of had a choice anyway but to kill him.  Still so much has happened to everybody here in the U.S. that maybe just maybe we can all breathe a sigh of relief and realize this is the start of a new day. Post Osama.

We all need to reflect to truly understand how important this is.  We also all need to think about all that has happened to us since that tragic day.  3,000 people died  in those 9-11 attacks.  Included was my Uncle Howie.   He was in that building when everything went down, they never found his body and also never made it back home.  God Bless you Uncle Howie.  Just know that my thoughts are with you and your death wasn't in vain.

I had just started my job Rent-A-Center about One and half years earlier so I was doing well making decent money.  I was at the dentist office that day and as I was checking out I heard the ladies in the office talking about the twin towers being attacked.  I hurried home, turned to CNN and BOOM the first tower was hit and on fire, then BOOM I saw the 2nd plane hit.  I was thinking to myself, this is an attack on the U.S.  This was also the first day I realized how evil the middle east is.  There ideology is from 1000's of years ago and has not changed. No real freedom = unhappy and unfilled people.

I think about all the troops that have died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. There deaths at least will not be in vain.  The latter not really being neccesary because the U.S. never found the weapons of mass destruction and Bush was after the oil. The death of Suddam Hussein was nice but he wasnt behind 9-11 and not a threat to us. This was the point that I felt the U.S. was making the wrong moves.  Ever since Iraq, the gas prices have been high.  2003 the gas prices were $1.49, today its $3.80 and rumored to go to $5.00 a gallon when summer comes around.  Even though we are fighting the middle east and Al-Qaeda we depend on them for our oil.

I was affected much besides my Uncle Howie dying which was still big but I wasn't feeling the effects from it until 2007.  Rent prices got so high that I couldn't afford to live where I was living anymore.  My brother wasn't working because he came down with testicular cancer and with the surgery he had, they nicked a nerve and he has been living with nerve pain ever since 2004. I was the only one bringing in income.  My parents suggested we all live together to save on costs.  I reluctantly decided yes and it was the worst decision of my life.

My parents were unbearable and I decided to start dating again. After about a handful of women I found Deanna and we spoke online for quite a while before we started actually dating.  She is a great person thank god.  I ended up moving in with her.  I was so relieved to get out from under that roof and living with Deanna.  Deanna had her own title business.  Because of the housing market taking a dump she ended up losing her business because the market had changed. She now knows how this market is so hopefully one day she can have another business.

Main point of all of this?  For those of us that wasn't affected by it thru a loved one dying, we are affected by it in other ways.  Airports have much tighter security and it takes longer to do things there now, gas prices have stayed sky high since the wars, rent prices are sky high, houses harder to buy, wall street unsteady, loss of jobs because they go overseas, high unemployment, food costs going up due to higher gas costs, the phasing out of the middle class because we are paying for everything while the rich get richer and have all of the tax cuts.

One of the better things to have come of 9-11, alot of people are finding religion and believing in the powers of God.  This is great because its much easier to go off the deep end and commit crimes then it is to get a hold of yourself and figure things out.  Thank goodness that even though religion was taken out of the schools (wrong decision since kids need to have religion to have something to work with), the churches are still around.  I'm very happy for this.  I grew up in a Jewish home.  Even went thru becoming a man in the Jewish religion by going thru a Bar-Mitzvah for my dying grandma at the time way back in 1983.

Due to all the hours my dad was working as a taxi driver, religion never became strong in our house again.  Never went to a service or anything.  I tried on my own years later to get back in the Jewish religion but the people were nasty and didn't care about me as a person.  They only cared about my money and getting me to sign up for memberships.

After I got married to Deanna in 2009 (best decision in my life) I found Christianity thanks to Joel Osteen.  I always love watching his teachings and I found a good local church in Orlando with Church in the Son.  Since then I moved to Deland and have been going to The Journey in Orange City. Oh and it also helps that Deanna was religious so I got great support from her to go to church.

I also got my Bachelors in Computer Information Science since 9-11 so not all has been bad.  Know what though?  I would love to hear from people on what has happened with them since 9-11.  Feel free to comment on this article and let me know.  I love getting to know people and see whats up? :)