Courage

Signal Delay

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Signal Delay

By

Glennel Hardy

November 02, 2019

 

Ever experience a moment where it seemed that everything was going very well, and then out of nowhere you are stopped in your tracks.  In our perspective it doesn’t appear to make sense, and automatically we begin to readjust.   We readjust because we feel that our new predicament only means we need to now self-correct.  As we do our best to readjust and move forward, we then may become delayed once again.

In life there are signals that come along the way.  Some signals require us to take immediate action, while some only require us to stand still and wait to proceed.  I am a true believer that there are things ahead of us, and those things rely on their timing and not ours.  We may try to run on our own timetable, only to find out we are way too early for what is ahead of us. 

Signal delays serve a purpose. It alerts us that their is something ahead that is not quite yet within our vision.  We will know when our signal is advising us to pause, or when it is advising us to move forward.  Heed to the signal.  

Alternative Routes

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, May 12, 2019

Alternative Routes

“At times the only true obstacle is ourselves.”

By Glennel Hardy

I was driving back yesterday from a location where I had never been.  I used my GPS to get there, and also entered my home address in order to get back home. Relying on the GPS it allowed me to arrive at the origin without a hitch, but halfway on my way back I decided to ignore it.  At this point I knew the area and no longer at that point needed guidance. An important thing I failed to realize is that the GPS could see things that were not in my path of vision.

I decided to continue along my path and the first thing I noticed was traffic backed up for miles. The GPS had already planned an alternate route, and I totally disregarded what it recommended. Not only did I arrive later than I expected, but it taught me a very important lesson.

We can become set on certain ways to achieve goals, missions and milestones.  We have these ideas planned in our mind, but our vision is limited to what lies before us.  Some that we have grown to trust may offer “alternative routes,” perhaps knowing something that we have not yet considered.  Seek wisdom first to avoid the detours later.

The Bright Side of Defeat

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, May 05, 2019

The Bright Side of Defeat

“Our strength does not come from our sunny days, our strength comes from the storms.”

By Glennel Hardy

 

In this life the first time I ever received a trophy for anything of a competitive nature was in my early twenties.  Growing up and participating in either the neighborhood YMCA or Police Explorer Programs, the most I would receive was either a “Certificate of Achievement” or a “Certificate of Participation.”   Back during that time those documents did not propel me to higher goals, they only served as honorable mentions.  When I became an adult,  that is when I took notice that any type of achievement played a purpose. Whether small or large any achievement we make in life is better than how we started.

When it comes to defeat it hurts when we lose by a little, and it also devastates us when we lose by quite a bit.  A different way of looking at defeat is like comparing it to a set of weights. Your muscles are pushing against the weights, and its being met with resistance. We can use the weights once and never succeed in our goal, or we can continue to use them and build up resistance.  We are constantly met with resistance, but we must choose either to be intimidated by it, or make it our ally.

Failure is the Price of Progress

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Failure is The Price of Progress

By Glennel Hardy

December 1, 2018

 

If someone were to ask me what is one of my biggest fears above all, my response will be, I have a fear of failing.  I have struggled with this for quite a while, and even someone that says he does his best to remain optimistic, can still have fears.  This does not mean that I have never made an attempt to take a risk, but it simply mean that circumstances forced me to take the next step forward. 

When someone fails and takes note on how they reached that point, it allows you to exercise your ability to find out what works for you. It is true that failure comes with a hefty price tag, which is the reason why some such as myself evaluate the costs.  Everything has a price, and if you’re willing to pay the price, would you have an excellent return on your investment?  This is the question that I now ask myself.  I imagine the end result, and based on the end result am I willing to pay a little more for a positive return. 

 

 

“It’s Not Meant For You”

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I have not written in a very good while. Since that time some challenging things have occurred that have tested my optimism.  Everything that is worth something at some point should be tested. This will include relationships, our perspectives, and our tolerance levels.   If we are never tested we will never grow and we remain stagnant.  Some may can recall as a child of something you may have wanted at one point in time, but you were told either by another adult or parent that ‘it’s not meant for you.”  Back then as it is today it’s one of the hardest phrases to come to terms with in life.   You truly believe that which is in front of you is meant to be, but to only learn later “it was not meant for you.”

You might become discouraged and you may ask yourself why, and you may ask what could you have done differently.  As painful as it may be at the moment that event allows us the opportunity to move forward to what lies ahead.  We cannot see what is ahead of us, but we must realize the reason why we have come so far today was because of the foundation of “It’s not meant for me” events that we have experienced.  We must remember it’s not the end, it’s only a delay in the signal for what lies ahead for us.  Keep your eye on the end result, and not necessarily on the curves in the road in getting there.

 

Beauty Amongst The Chaos

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Optimism Thought of the Week.

“Beauty Amongst The Chaos”

Take this image that you are now looking at, and you’re climbing upwards and you’re bouncing all over the place, and it seems as though its no structure that exist. As you look upwards, you see a tangled weblike structure that appears to be never ending.

If you look outside of the weblike structure you see something beautiful. You keep climbing because you have faith that you will eventually reach that which is beautiful. The weblike structure appears to be chaos, but what appears at the very top is beautiful.

We will constantly be tossed, tested and weary. The reward for our diligence and resolve is beauty.

Look beyond the chaos.

When the Dust Settles

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, August 27, 2017

When the Dust Settles

“Our strength does not come from our sunny days, our strength comes from the storms.”

By Glennel Hardy

Here in Phoenix, Arizona we are known to experience during the summer what are known as “haboobs.”  Haboobs are gigantic dust storms that can rise several hundred feet in the air and cover the entire city.  Once the dust rises up it’s impossible to see anything in front of you.  The storm creates havoc, and generally you have to wait out the dust storm before you proceed.

Similar to these type of storms, we have our own personal “haboobs” that we have to deal with.  These type of storms in our life seem to linger, and it has a tendency of keeping us from moving forward.  The size of the storm in front of us causes us to remain motionless, and can be intimidating.

Eventually the huge storm in front of us passes, the sun reappears as if no storm ever occurred. We begin to analyze that which was once before us, and we take from the storm what matters, and we discard the rest.  Storms are not meant to intimidate, they find a way to make us stronger, and they increase our resilience and resolve.

Our strength does not come from our sunny days, our strength comes from the storms.

The Disadvantage of Looking Up

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, July 09, 2017

“The Disadvantage of Looking Up”

When I go hiking and I see the mountain that is in front of me, I try my best not to look up at the top. When you’re down below at the base of the mountain, and you take that first glance its sometime hard to imagine how you will make it up to the top.

The size of the mountain in front of us intimidates us, and when you mention the climb, and the heavy breaths, and your heart pounding, you may just want to give in. Instead of looking up at the obstacle in front of me, I look at the direct path in front of me, and my surroundings.

We certainly miss out on a lot when we have pay too much attention to the obstacle, and not enjoying the journey getting there. Obstacles are made to intimidate us, they are made to put us to the challenge, in order to get us where we need to go. After all what good is success if you can’t follow up with an extraordinary story on how you got there.

Our First Love

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Optimism Thought of the Week

 

For Sunday, June 18, 2017

 

Our First Love

 

By Glennel Hardy

 

It has been a while since I have wrote on my blog, and with the completion of school and dedicating my time to work, I have found myself neglecting my passion.  When we successfully complete one milestone, sometimes it can drain your energy so much, that you forget your first love.  My first love of course is photography, along with my next true love which is writing my blog.

One thing about our first love of anything that bring us joy, is that it faithfully waits for our return.  It’s where we can be our most creative self, and it brings the very best out of us. The gifts or talents that we possess is not for us to hold on to, but it’s for us to share with the world around us.  Some may believe that one person can’t make a difference, but we shall never know unless we put our passion to use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle of Life

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Optimism Thought of the Week

 

For Sunday, March 19, 2017

 

Circle of Life

 

By Glennel Hardy

 

 

“We never know the true purpose when we meet someone for the first time,

on the impact they will have when life circles around again.” – G. Hardy

 

In my early twenties while living in Chicago, I had the most unusual encounter with a local artist. Carlos lived pretty close to the neighborhood where I had grown up for most of my twenty-one years.  One night I had the opportunity to observe a mural that he was creating, and it mesmerized me, how confident he was with every effort he placed into the piece.  I could not stay long, but observed him long enough to be positively impacted by his work.  Carlos had just started Columbia College in Chicago studying art and he was off to a great start.

Our ships sailed apart after that night, and I would never run into Carlos again after that point. Fast forward twenty-five years later, while doing some research on the internet about famous photographers, I put in a search for Carlos on the internet.  Not to my surprise I discovered that Carlos had become a well-renowned artist, and that his work could be found in countless galleries both domestic and international.

We both shared the passion of creativity and our time apart only helped us soar to what we were about ready to become.  It’s a fact that those that are in our lives today, will play an essential role in who we will become tomorrow. It’s important to keep those that matter to us close, and never underestimate the impact that someone can have in your life.    

 

Pause and Reflect

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, February 26, 2017

Pause and Reflect

By Glennel Hardy

 When was the last time you seized the opportunity to take a few minutes to pause and reflect?  In a world where we are constantly on the move, and everything has a deadline do we ever enjoy the silence around us. As I am sitting in the spare bedroom, and typing this short blog, it’s nothing but silence that surrounds me.  Looking outside there is silence in the streets, the world for just one moment, there is a pause and silence.

 If we keep running towards the next thing, when do we ever sit back and reflect where we have already been. Reflection is just as vital as moving ahead, but in order to stay on track for what lies in front of us, we have to consider how we got to where we are today.  If ever you feel that you are too caught up in the moment, find the silent spot to pause and reflect.

 

Scarred Knees

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Optimism Thought of the Week 

For Sunday, February 12, 2017

Scarred Knees

By Glennel Hardy

 When I was 7 years old my mom purchased a brand new bike for me. I remember being so excited to hop on and take it for a spin.  Having the confidence that I was a skilled rider, I took my first voyage, and fell off within a few feet from the house.  I cried and my leg was well scarred, and blood everywhere. The pain of falling down and then realizing that everyone was watching was embarrassing enough.  My next door neighbor at that time told me to pick myself back up and continue riding.  At that point I didn’t really want to ride, but I feared my neighbor more than I feared falling down again.

 It took a few more falls, but each time I fell my reflexes were stronger than before, and I would fall on the grass, instead of on the sidewalk.  The only way I became successful in riding the bike, was by learning how to master the falls, which would eventually come my way.  I was not foolish to believe that I would never fall again, but I knew ways of softening the impact.

 Over the course of my lifetime I have fell multiple times, but each time I consider of what I learned from the previous fall.  Our “scarred knees” is not to remind us how many times we fell, but it is to remind us how many times we stood back up, after each fall.

 

 

A Forced Hand

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, January 15, 2017

A Forced Hand 

“We don’t get stronger by always having a good hand, we learn how to master the bad hand we’re dealt.” 

By Glennel Hardy

For a while as an adult it appeared that things were moving pretty slow in my life, and it showed no signs of activity at all.  I found comfort in what I knew how to do well, and after a while that began to get old, and out of season.  I struggle yet today to get out of my comfort zone, and at times I am forced to attempt something new.  We never like to be forced to do anything, but at some moments in our life, an act of force turned out to be the blessing that we needed.

How many times was your hand forced, in order to become the person that you are today?  Would you had been successful as you are today, if your hand was not forced to make a vital decision?  I have had my shares of a bad hand, but it placed me at the most progressive moments in my life, once I learned how to master the hand I was dealt.

A forced hand can either cause us to be stronger and rise to greatness, or it can find an opportunity to weaken us.  Out of every forced hand, you have to make the best choice, out of the bad hand that you’re dealt.

Never give up on the hand you’re dealt, but find a way to make the best of it.  “We don’t get stronger by always having a good hand, we learn how to master the bad hand we’re dealt.”

 

 

Break In The Clouds

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, January 01, 2017

Break In the Clouds

By Glennel Hardy

“The Sun will surely appear.”

– Glennel Hardy

Have you ever experienced a moment in time that things were hitting you from every direction, and that it seemed for a while that things were just not going to let up?  Your only hope was staring at your own personal sky, and have hope and anticipation that the clouds will open up, and the sun will appear once again.  Over this past year there were times in which I was patiently waiting for the sun to appear through the storm clouds.  I knew that once the sun did appear, the storm did not stand a chance, and if it did rain we would get a rainbow.

For most if not all of us this past year we have waited for the sun to appear through the clouds.  In the New Year we set goals, and make resolutions but at times beyond our control we are forced to make changes that were unexpected, that takes us to new heights.  It’s important to not lose hope that the sun will appear once again, and the storms will be forced to move on.  When the sun does appear, we will look at it and smile knowing we have the strength and energy to power forward.

Never Chase

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, November 20, 2016

Never Chase

By Glennel Hardy

 

 

“If you chase your opponent, you will never get the upper hand.”

– Glennel Hardy

I love to play darts, and one of my favorite games in darts is Cricket.  When playing Cricket, the first person to close out their numbers, can continue to point off of you, until you close the number out, from under your opponent.  At first glance when we realize we are behind, we go after our opponent using every dart that we can. The issue with that strategy is that if you focus on the one number, and continue to miss closing it, your opponent is ready to move on to the next number to close. 

There is a way however to get your opponent to begin to chase after you.  Strategically your opponent may want you to chase after them, while they focus on something else. To get your opponent to chase after you, is to place your focus on a different number on the board.  By focusing on different numbers your chances of closing out your own numbers increases dramatically.

We do not necessarily have to chase after what others have done, but we can start our own path in succeeding.

 

 

 

 

I’m Just Getting Started

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, October 09, 2016 

I’m Just Getting Started 

By Glennel Hardy

 

A question I must ask myself at times when I am most challenged is “Am I done or am I just getting started?” I am now at another intersection of life, where I am at the beginning stages of wrapping up my second degree.  If you were to ask me just three years ago, I would have told you, that I was done.  I was at my most challenging point, I was frustrated and my optimism about life was being put to the test.

I had to ask myself was this it, or was I just beginning to lay the foundation of what was to become my next quest to rise to the occasion.  That point of my life was not the end, it was a decision point on if I was going to continue to build, or begin the process of self-destruct. At the most challenging time in my life, I was just getting started, when I thought I was done.

The challenging point in my life was a gift that frustrated me so much, that it empowered me to build on something that I never knew existed.  Now looking back at the things that I thought would destroy me, they propelled me to things I never knew were just steps ahead of me.

Small Steps Big Gains

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, September 25, 2016

Small Steps Big Gains

By Glennel Hardy

 

I’m a dreamer and at times I dream so much whether I am sleeping or if I am awake my mind constantly wonders of things that I can explore.  In my heart I do believe that any dream that takes place in my mind, is worth an effort on my part to entertain it. In order to make a dream become a reality it’s taking the first step in making it happen.

Taking that first step in making a dream become a reality is definitely not an easy step, or else it is true everyone would be acting upon it.  What makes that first small step intriguing to us, is the desired outcome in which we would like to have, once that dream becomes a reality.  It is vital for each small step that we take, to make note where we once were, which will give us encouragement to continue the journey on where we want to be.

If we look at our dream as wonderful but too overwhelming to pursue, small steps of celebration is needed.  Get excited over the milestones, and do not get discouraged of the distance you must travel to get there.  What gives the marathon runner the power to give it all they got, is when they notice the finish line ahead of them.

You may be closer than you think.

Embrace the Unknown

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, September 18, 2016

Embrace the Unknown

By Glennel Hardy

This past week I had to do some soul searching and find ways to adapt to what was in front of me.  Being able to change does take practice for me and this week proved to be no different. While in the moment of frustration I could not get a grasp on what steps I wanted to take next. Once I went home and being in my own element my brain begin to download. I begin to think about the journey that brought me to where I am at today, and if I ever would consider going back to where things once were.

We are all placed at certain times in the most uncomfortable position, where we can feel betrayed, unrecognized and under-appreciated.  I have definitely been to that place, and it’s a tough road to walk, but at the end of the journey, like you will, I persevered. The unknown is a mystery but it does not have to be something we fear, it can be something that we can embrace.

Today we’re bracing the unknown, not knowing what is in front of us, but believing that the chapter is not closing, but a new book begins.

 

The Lesson Plan

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Wednesday, September 14, 2016

The Lesson Plan

By Glennel Hardy

 

It’s coming up on four years in just a few days that a great friend of mine passed away.  The last conversation that took place was one month before his passing. He realized that I enjoyed being too much in my comfort zone and not willing to leave my sandbox.  He dared me to not only strengthen what I had already been working on, but dared me to so something that I feared I would fail in tremendously.

After a few years had passed I never cried, the only thing I could do was think of him and smile. He taught me a powerful lesson before leaving, they weren’t just words that one friend says to another friend, but they were his final words to me, the final lesson plan.  No matter where we are in life there is a lesson plan.  It will be up to us to adhere to it and hold it dearly.

 

 

 

The Joy of Being an Underdog

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Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, September 04, 2016

The Joy of Being an Underdog

By Glennel Hardy

 

There is a joy of being an underdog.  Being an underdog allows you the opportunity to continue to thrive, making your dreams become a reality, and constantly allows you to look forward to the next milestone.  It’s sometime hard to accept not being able to win an important victory, or make the move that we envisioned.

Over time I came to the realization that winning and being on top of everything that I do, was not a reality. I did come to realize that because I did not always win, and I was not successful at everything I did, allowed me to become the person that I am today.  The person that I have become today embraces life of what I can’t see tomorrow.  I never fear tomorrow, because I have learned over time to embrace today.

The joy of being the underdog never gets boring, it never appears as what we expected, and it brings us eagerness on what tomorrow may bring.