Frey Freyday – Reconciliation

(Frey Freyday is simply a bunch of inspirational, motivational and other quotes meant to make you think, reflect, smile, even laugh a bit. Hopefully helpful, useful stuff….)

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rec·on·cil·i·a·tion-[ˌrekənˌsilēˈāSH(ə)n]-NOUN-the restoration of friendly relations:

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We are all one – or at least we should be – and it is our job, our duty, and our great challenge to fight the voices of division and seek the salve of reconciliation. Roy Barnes
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The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions. Nhat Hanh
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Reconciliation requires changes of heart and spirit, as well as social and economic change. It requires symbolic as well as practical action. Malcolm Fraser
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WORD TO LIVE BY: Reconciliation – to allow, facilitate, encourage better discussions for the betterment of all.

We all have disagreements. We always will. We may get upset and angry with these differences in opinion, religion, and politics. But we need to remain civil enough and open-minded enough to discuss it without getting defensive, offensive or violent.

The question is how to look past anger, fear, and even violence to reconcile our differences.

In a world that seems more divided than ever, how do we begin to find middle ground?

First, we have to be able to talk and more importantly, listen.

I learned about a story about some smaller, simpler villages, perhaps even primitive villages, in Africa and how they handle conflict. Whenever tempers rise in those communities, someone goes and hides the poison arrows out in the bush, and then everyone sits around in a circle like this, and they sit and they talk and they talk. It may take two days, three days, four days, but they don’t rest until they find a resolution or better yet — a reconciliation. And if tempers are still too high, then they send someone off to visit some relatives, as a cooling-off period.

What if we “hid our poison arrows” – in our case our poison arrows can be the name calling, the rhetoric, labeling, judgements and even violence. What if we put these in a ‘place’ so that we couldn’t shoot the proverbial arrows, and that we just sat and listened and worked toward a solution rather than arguing?

A negotiator (and Ted speaker), William Wry, suggests this – a system that he calls “the third side.” Because if you think about it, normally when we think of conflict, when we describe it, there’s always two sides — it’s Arabs versus Israelis, labor versus management, husband versus wife, Republicans versus Democrats. But what we don’t often see is that there’s always a third side, and the third side of the conflict is us, it’s the surrounding community, it’s the friends, the allies, the family members, the neighbors. And we can play an incredibly constructive role.

Those of us not directly in the conflict or argument need to step up, lead and help bring perspective.

As Mr. Wry puts it, the third side can help is to remind the parties of what’s really at stake. For the sake of the kids, for the sake of the family, for the sake of the community, for the sake of the future, let’s stop fighting for a moment and start talking. Because, the thing is, when we’re involved in conflict, it’s very easy to lose perspective. It’s very easy to react. Human beings — we’re reaction machines. And as the saying goes, when angry, you will make the best speech you will ever regret.

The third side reminds us of that. “The third side helps us go to the balcony, which is a metaphor for a place of perspective, where we can keep our eyes on the prize,” as Mr. Wry stated in his TED Talk.

It is natural to fear things. It is natural to get those instinctual urges left over from evolution to become aggressive and defend our position just as we might have defended our families or our own lives generations ago. We all get angry, defensive. I do it. We react but then we need to be aware and interrupt the pattern. We need to raise our standards, we need to recognize the visceral urge and rise above it, act evolved. Lead, guide, help, assist, think, be kind.

War is easy. Peace is hard.

Elizabeth Lesser, an author, proposed an initiative in her book. We point the finger at others who disagree with us and group them as ‘the others.’ Ms. Lesser’s idea is here to help all of us, myself included, to counteract the tendency to “otherize”, as she puts it. She calls the initiative, “Take the Other to Lunch.” If you are a Republican, you can take a Democrat to lunch, or if you’re a Democrat, think of it as taking a Republican to lunch. Now if the idea of taking any of these people to lunch makes you lose your appetite, I suggest you start more local,because there is no shortage of the Other right in your own neighborhood. Maybe that person who worships at the mosque, or the church or the synagogue, down the street. Or someone from the other side of the abortion conflict. Or maybe your brother-in-law who feels differently about global warming. If there is someone whose lifestyle may frighten you, or whose point of view makes smoke come out of your ears…..take them to lunch or show them some genuine effort.

If we look at those who we disagree with and ask, “Why do they think that – where are they coming from” and if we try to understand them, it helps. We must also look at ourselves and honestly ask why we have our own opinions and realize where we’re coming from. This is essential as well.

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Frey Freyday was actually born out of something I created called “Words To Live By” (WTLB). Going forward, I will now not only share the quotes, as you may be used to receiving, but also a related (WTLB). In 1999, when we had our first daughter, I was contemplating how I would raise my new beautiful child, and I was thinking about how I can best educate her and my other children about values, morals, and other key thoughts about life. School offers education. Religion offers some values and morals. Parents offer most of it, sometimes intentionally, sometimes accidentally.

So I created a (WTLB) book, like a dictionary, which lists things like honesty, love, persistence, etc. with a definition that I created, with my wife’s input. I then turned it into a workbook with one word per page and space below for notes. For years we would discuss with my two daughters and they would draw pictures and make notes in the blank space. I may share some of those images with you. As they got older, they were less inclined to draw and more open to quotes and references from adults, hence where Frey Freyday came from….

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BONUS: TED TALK about RECONCILIATION

http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/503016892/reconciliation?showDate=2016-12-16

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When You Drink Water On An Empty Stomach After Waking Up, These 8 Amazing Things Will Happen

When You Drink Water On An Empty Stomach After Waking Up, These 8 Amazing Things Will Happen by  Joseph Summers

 Japanese women are well known for their slim, healthy, and toned figures. While genetics almost certainly plays a role, many claim that their morning ritual may also be helping them stay healthier. Put simply, most Japanese women drink water immediately upon waking.

This ritual, now deeply rooted within Japanese culture, is actually a form of water treatment that’s scientifically proven to help remedy a number of body disorders. Unlike the U.S. and other western countries, Japan’s population does not suffer heavily from disorders such as obesity and diabetes. It stands to reason that we could learn a thing or two from their healthier lifestyles!

<img src=”http://cdn-media-2.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2016/08/14013752/girls-422253_1280.jpg” width=”1280″ height=”853″ alt=”girls-422253_1280″>

Why is Drinking Water So Important?

For a start, 70% of your body is made up of water, so it’s essential to keep it fresh and topped up to keep the body working properly. When the body’s water requirement is not met, it has a variety of negative short-term and long-term health consequences.

Long-term dehydration can lead to rheumatoid arthritis, migraines, angina, colitis, dyspepsia, hypertension, obesity, haemorrhoids, breast cancer, pulmonary tuberculosis, kidney stones, sinusitis, and uterine cancers!

Help your body to better avoid these conditions by drinking water after waking up and keeping your body hydrated throughout the day.

<img src=”http://cdn-media-1.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2016/08/14013729/water-1545518_1280.jpg” width=”1280″ height=”950″ alt=”water-1545518_1280″>

How Can I Perform Water Treatment?

This is a proven method for treating body disorders, menstrual disorders, and eye-related ailments. Also, you will feel invigorated the whole day after following this water treatment.

• Drink approximately 160 ml of water four times immediately after waking up, before brushing and on an empty stomach.
• Don’t eat anything for the next 45 minutes.
• Drink water at least 30 minutes before eating, but not during the following two hours after breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• If you cannot drink four glasses of water on an empty stomach, then you can begin with one glass or as much as your body supports. You can gradually increase the intake of water till you reach the desired level of 640 ml.

When Can I Expect Results?

• Diabetes or high blood pressure patients: allow 30 days
• Suffers of constipation and Gastritis: allow 10 days
• TB patients: allow 90 days.

Key Benefits of Drinking Water on an Empty Stomach

<img src=”http://cdn-media-1.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2016/08/14013734/water-1487304_1280.jpg” width=”1280″ height=”815″ alt=”water-1487304_1280″>

1. Helps Rid the Body of Toxins

As you drink water, it naturally urges movement in your bowels. At night, your body repairs itself and casts out all the toxins in the body. When you drink water on an empty stomach in the morning, you will flush out these harmful toxins, leaving your body fresh and healthy. Drinking plenty of water can help in increasing the production of muscle cells and new blood cells.

2. Improves Metabolism

Drinking water on an empty stomach can increase your metabolic rate by at least 24%. It is very important for those people who are on a strict diet. An increased metabolic rate means an improved digestive system. You will be able to follow your diet routine more easily if you digest faster. Drinking water immediately after waking up purifies the colon, making it easier to absorb nutrients.

 3. Reinforces Healthy Weight Loss

<img src=”http://cdn-media-1.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2016/08/14020140/water.jpg” width=”600″ height=”324″ alt=”water”>When you drink water in the morning on an empty stomach, you will release all your toxins and it will improve your digestive system. You will feel less hungry and your cravings will be reduced. This will prevent weight gain caused by overeating.

4. Alleviates Heartburn and Indigestion

Indigestion is caused by increased acidity in the stomach. You suffer from heartburn when the acid refluxes into your oesophagus. When you drink water on an empty stomach, these acid are pushed down and get diluted, solving the problem. Also, this provides a head start for your stomach for the upcoming breakfast.

5. Improves Complexion and Skin Radiance

Dehydration causes premature wrinkles and deep pores in the skin. It was found out in a study that drinking 500 ml of water on an empty stomach increases blood flow in the skin and makes skin glow. Also, drinking more water throughout the day means that your body is releasing toxins, which will make your skin more radiant.

6. Promotes Shiny, Smooth, and Healthy Hair

Dehydration can have a serious impact on your hair growth. Drinking plenty of water nourishes your hair from the inside out. Water makes up almost ¼ of the weight of a hair strand. An insufficient intake of water can cause brittle hair and thin hair strands. You should drink more water every day, but drinking water on an empty stomach can improve the quality of your hair to a greater extent.

7. Prevents Kidney Stones and Bladder Infections

Drinking water immediately after waking up is important for preventing kidney stones and bladder infections. It is a fact that drinking water on an empty stomach dilutes the acids which lead to stones in the kidney. The more water you drink (to a healthy limit), the more you will be protected from various kinds of bladder infections caused by toxins.

8. Strengthens Immune System

Drinking water on an empty stomach helps in flushing and balancing the lymphatic system, which leads to increased levels of immunity. A strong immune system will keep you safe from various diseases and prevent you from falling sick as often.

As you can see, there are a whole host of benefits of drinking water immediately after waking up. It’s without a doubt the easiest way to make a positive change to your lifestyle without spending any money.

Frey Freyday – Joy and Giving

(Frey Freyday is simply a bunch of inspirational, motivational and other quotes meant to make you think, reflect, smile, even laugh a bit. Hopefully helpful, useful stuff….)

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Joy-[joi]-NOUN –a feeling of great pleasure and happiness:

Give-[ɡiv]-VERB-freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone);

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We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.-Buddha
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The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.-Richard Bach
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Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.-Albert Einstein
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Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.-Mother Teresa
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Joy is not in things; it is in us.-Richard Wagner
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Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.-Mother Teresa
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Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. –Kindness in giving creates love.-Lao Tzu
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I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.-Maya Angelou
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Have you filled a bucket today? – Carol McCloud

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For it is in giving that we receive.-Francis of Assisi
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Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away.-Elbert Hubbard

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A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.-Jesus Christ

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WORDS TO LIVE BY: Joy and Giving

We’ve all faced difficult days, weeks, and we’ve been in situations or jobs that perhaps weren’t to our liking. It would be easy, and even reasonable, if we were sad/mad/miserable during those times. It would be easy to argue that, because of circumstances (health, job, people, money, anything) that we can be angry or bitter. There is nothing wrong with feeling that way. These feelings are valid and human. It can be healthy to express these emotions, at least to some extent.

Yet, after a certain point, that doesn’t help and it is not useful in any way, so I suggest that you let it go. I suggest that you consider Joy and Giving.

I have been angry/sad/depressed in many cases, and it still happens, but there was a time period when things seemed bad, and I was depressed and angry, and it seemed reasonable to remain in that state of mind. But I quickly realized that being angry and upset just seems to attract more of that. I felt bad and I didn’t like it. Furthermore, I was trying to get out of that situation, and the only way to do that was to be happy, joyful, and giving.

So almost overnight, I decided to be happy no matter what. I started volunteering more, I became a part of some good non-profit organizations, and generally tried to change my thinking to more joy and giving.

It wasn’t overnight but I began to see changes. The people around me treated me differently. I thought differently. I physically felt better. And yes, I got a new job and got out of that ‘bad’ situation. I believe that this was only because I made an effort to be joyful and giving, rather than anger/sad and focused only on me and my problems.

There is no way to joy or happiness, joy or happiness is the way to live your life. Good things follow.

Giving seems like it is for the receiver. Actually the giver receives a lot out of it. Literally – studies show that when someone gives, the giver gets a punch of positive endorphins and emotions, just like the receiver. Also, any observers watching the ‘act of giving’ get a punch of positive endorphins and emotions. So giving to others will help you.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 

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Frey Freyday was actually born out of something I created called “Words To Live By” (WTLB). Going forward, I will now not only share the quotes, as you may be used to receiving, but also a related (WTLB). In 1999, when we had our first daughter, I was contemplating how I would raise my new beautiful child, and I was thinking about how I can best educate her and my other children about values, morals, and other key thoughts about life. School offers education. Religion offers some values and morals. Parents offer most of it, sometimes intentionally, sometimes accidentally.

So I created a (WTLB) book, like a dictionary, which lists things like honesty, love, persistence, etc. with a definition that I created, with my wife’s input. I then turned it into a workbook with one word per page and space below for notes. For years we would discuss with my two daughters and they would draw pictures and make notes in the blank space. I may share some of those images with you. As they got older, they were less inclined to draw and more open to quotes and references from adults, hence where Frey Freyday came from….

Frey Freyday – Decision

(Frey Freyday is simply a bunch of inspirational, motivational and other quotes meant to make you think, reflect, smile, even laugh a bit. Hopefully helpful, useful stuff….)

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de·ci·sion-[dəˈsiZHən]-NOUN–a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration

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Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come. Robert H. Schuller
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In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. Theodore Roosevelt
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The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward. Amelia Earhart
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Never make a decision when you are upset, sad, jealous or in love. Mario Teguh
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Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you make the decision right. Phil McGraw
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Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. Ralph Waldo Emerson
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WORD TO LIVE BY: Decision

Sometimes we can feel helpless, even hopeless. Maybe it’s just stagnant or even complacent. Maybe we think that we’re stuck in some way.

We have the ability and the power to change our lives with just one decision. The power of decision is the power to change.

If you study anyone ‘great’ whether it is a loved one you look up to or someone in the ‘public eye’ that has some sort of success…..they made a decision (or a series of decisions) to get where they are. Often when interviewed, successful people look back in their lives and can often referenced one or a few decisions where they simply said, “I’m going to change…”

If you look at people’s conditions, that is not a determining factor whether they become successful. In other words, there are people from all walks of life, races, housing conditions, income levels, economic levels…people with different intelligence and social skills…where the conditions of life are all different; some poor, physical challenges, dysfunctional families, etc. – yet they succeed. (and here success can be anything in life, not just wealth, fame, celebrity)

They succeed because they made a decision – and ultimately it is the decision- not the conditions of their lives- that determines success.

Decision means, in this case, ‘a real and conscious choice’ typically with specifics and emotions attached!

Important point: make decisions in the right frame of mind; not from scarcity, jealousy, fear, hate, etc. Make decisions from love, giving, abundance, boldness, courage.

Decide what you want. Be specific. Decide WHY you want it.

Attach emotions to drive you. Take action. Notice where your action works and where it does not, and adjust, be flexible. Be bold, be persistent.

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Frey Freyday was actually born out of something I created called “Words To Live By” (WTLB). Going forward, I will now not only share the quotes, as you may be used to receiving, but also a related (WTLB). In 1999, when we had our first daughter, I was contemplating how I would raise my new beautiful child, and I was thinking about how I can best educate her and my other children about values, morals, and other key thoughts about life. School offers education. Religion offers some values and morals. Parents offer most of it, sometimes intentionally, sometimes accidentally.

So I created a (WTLB) book, like a dictionary, which lists things like honesty, love, persistence, etc. with a definition that I created, with my wife’s input. I then turned it into a workbook with one word per page and space below for notes. For years we would discuss with my two daughters and they would draw pictures and make notes in the blank space. I may share some of those images with you. As they got older, they were less inclined to draw and more open to quotes and references from adults, hence where Frey Freyday came from….

 

 

Frey Freyday – Compassion

(Frey Freyday is simply a bunch of inspirational, motivational and other quotes meant to make you think, reflect, smile, even laugh a bit. Hopefully helpful, useful stuff….)

–com·pas·sion \kəm-ˈpa-shən\ – a feeling of wanting to help some other person or being

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The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.-Albert Schweitzer

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Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.-Dalai Lama

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Enlightened leadership is spiritual if we understand spirituality not as some kind of religious dogma or ideology but as the domain of awareness where we experience values like truth, goodness, beauty, love and compassion, and also intuition, creativity, insight and focused attention.-Deepak Chopra

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Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.-Albert Einstein

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God wants us to know that life is a series of beginnings, not endings. Just as graduations are not terminations, but commencements. Creation is an ongoing process, and when we create a perfect world where love and compassion are shared by all, suffering will cease.-Bernie Siegel

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God’s dream is that you and I and all of us will realize that we are family, that we are made for togetherness, for goodness, and for compassion.-Desmond Tutu

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I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.-Lao Tzu

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WORD TO LIVE BY:

com·pas·sion –

First, all great religions talk about compassion. The more we mature individually and/or as a species, the more compassionate we become.

There is another definition out there that states “Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to help physical, spiritual, or emotional hurts or pains of another. Compassion is often regarded as having an emotional aspect to it, though when based on cerebral notions such as fairness, justice and interdependence, it may be considered rational in nature and its application understood as an activity based on sound judgment.” This is true. Even though compassion and the act of it often makes us feel better and involved emotion, the benefits can truly be rational and pragmatic.

Compassion is part of altruism – loving and giving unconditionally. As we strive to become better people we must take steps to become more altruistic, which of course means we can act more compassionate.

There are scientific, medical, and psychological studies that show how compassion actually benefits the given and the receiver. Studies have shown that when I am compassionate to another, I benefit; the receiver benefits, and even those people that observe the act benefit. Compassion may have the ability to induce feelings of kindness and forgiveness, which could give people the ability to stop situations that occasionally lead to violence.

Identifying with another person is an essential process for human beings. It is commonly seen throughout the world as people adapt and change with new styles of clothing, language, behavior, etc., which is illustrated by infants who begin to mirror the facial expressions and body movements of their mother as early as the first days of their lives. This process is highly related to compassion because sympathizing with others is possible with people from other countries, cultures, locations, etc

Compassion is a number of things – helping others in need, relieving stress/strife/pain/hurt. Compassion is a process of connecting by identifying with another person.

–

Frey Freyday was actually born out of something I created called “Words To Live By” (WTLB). Going forward, I will now not only share the quotes, as you may be used to receiving, but also a related (WTLB). In 1999, when we had our first daughter, I was contemplating how I would raise my new beautiful child, and I was thinking about how I can best educate her and my other children about values, morals, and other key thoughts about life. School offers education. Religion offers some values and morals. Parents offer most of it, sometimes intentionally, sometimes accidentally.

So I created a (WTLB) book, like a dictionary, which lists things like honesty, love, persistence, etc. with a definition that I created, with my wife’s input. I then turned it into a workbook with one word per page and space below for notes. For years we would discuss with my two daughters and they would draw pictures and make notes in the blank space. I may share some of those images with you. As they got older, they were less inclined to draw and more open to quotes and references from adults, hence where Frey Freyday came from….

–

BONUS: TED Talk – Compassion – http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_wright_the_evolution_of_compassion

Robert Wright uses evolutionary biology and game theory to explain why we appreciate the Golden Rule (“Do unto others…”), why we sometimes ignore it and why there’s hope that, in the near future, we might all have the compassion to follow it.

Frey Freyday – Career

(Frey Freyday is simply a bunch of inspirational, motivational and other quotes meant to make you think, reflect, smile, even laugh a bit. Hopefully helpful, useful stuff….)

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ca·reer-[kəˈrir] -an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life and with opportunities for progress.

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I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan
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Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success. Paul J. Meyer
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You have to think of your career the way you look at the ocean, deciding which wave you’re gonna take and which waves you’re not gonna take. Some of the waves are going to be big, some are gonna be small, sometimes the sea is going to be calm. Your career is not going to be one steady march upward to glory. Alan Arkin
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It’s like Forrest Gump said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates.’ Your career is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get. But everything you get is going to teach you something along the way and make you the person you are today. That’s the exciting part – it’s an adventure in itself. Nick Carter
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I have frequently been questioned, especially by women, of how I could reconcile family life with a scientific career. Well, it has not been easy. Marie Curie
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The secret to modern life is finding the measure in time management. I have two kids, career and I travel, and I don’t think my life is any different than most couples. The most valuable commodity now for many people is time and how to parcel that out. Hugh Jackman
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WORD TO LIVE BY:

Career  – something that you try to plan out as a goal, perhaps, but often ends up as a wonderful, winding journey. A career is something over years and decades, a big-picture item. A job is a shorter-term role that you have, whereas you have multiple jobs in your overall career.

 

While there are some people that seem to be laser-focused on being one thing all their life, and actually achieving it, it seems more people, myself included, have some initial ideas and goals about their career but then life happens and their path changes, varies, and things don’t often end up as planned – and that is often for the better.

 

I’ve heard so many people say that they didn’t start out in their current field but life, choices, circumstances and opportunities took them on a road with different paths, curves and surprises – and that despite never imaging that they’d end up where they are, they’re happy where they are today, and they enjoyed the journey. I feel the same way, too.

 

Having faith in ourselves, in others, in our world, and in our future helps. Having a vision of what we want from life and what’s important helps and guides us. Being assertive, asking for what we want and being polite yet persistent helps us. Ask and you shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened.

 

Careers have ups and downs and serious challenges. Those challenges offer such great life lessons and help us appreciate things more, and these events give us a better perspective on life. In the moment, these hurdles can overwhelm or frustrate us but given the right state of mind and perspective, often over time, good things can come of tough times.

 

I’ve seen it in my own career and with other’s, we’ll focus on job opportunity that we really, really want and go after it. Ultimately we don’t get that opportunity and we’re very disappointed. After time passes we look back and see that it probably wasn’t such a great opportunity for us in the first place – not in a ‘sour grapes’ manner – but in so far as things we didn’t see before….

One time I applied for and really wanted a business consulting job. After 5 or 6 interviews, I really desired it and thought I had a good chance of getting it. I learned that they ‘went in another direction’. It hurt for a while. Not long after, that consulting firm, in another city, was linked to some “improprieties” and the firm essentially closed-up shop all over the world and no longer exists today. I look back and I’m grateful that I didn’t have to go through those events.

 

Also, careers can a difficult balancing act for any parent. Personally I know that I’ve made choices where I could spend more time as a parent or spend more time working in many of my roles in my life. I’ve had many situations where I essentially had to choose to be a parent or to be career-focused. I know that I could probably be farther ahead in my field, in my company and better off with my compensation if I chose to work ‘harder’ but that’s OK. There is nothing wrong with choosing career over kids or vice versa, it is just a choice. I often choose to be a parent because I’ve seen others in my life that chose the career first and they’ve told me that they missed their children growing up and they regret it and they can’t get that back – you can always keep working after the kids leave home or work harder later in life. On one’s death bed, people typically don’t say that they wished that they worked more but I’m guessing that they may regret not spending more time with their children or living life.

 

I think that we all have to consider the types of roles, freedom, interactions that we want from our career. Do you want to work for a big corporation or have independence? Challenges or stability? How will your career affect you and your family in the long run? What are your priorities for your career, life, family, financials, health and quality of life? Priorities changes as we get older. Often we’re more focused on money early in our careers, then more focused on flexibility, freedom and quality of life as we age, for instance.

 

Note that the ‘rocking chair test’ is great for choosing career changes ( the rocking chair test is when you imagine yourself old and wise, sitting in your rocking chair years/decades from now looking back on your life – how will you evaluate your decision today when you’re older?)

–

Frey Freyday was actually born out of something I created called “Words To Live By” (WTLB).

Going forward, I will now not only share the quotes, as you may be used to receiving, but also a related (WTLB). In 1999, when we had our first daughter, I was contemplating how I would raise my new beautiful child, and I was thinking about how I can best educate her and my other children about values, morals, and other key thoughts about life. School offers education. Religion offers some values and morals. Parents offer most of it, sometimes ntentionally,

sometimes accidentally….

…………….So I created a (WTLB) book, like a dictionary, which lists things like honesty, love, persistence, etc. with a definition that I created, with my wife’s input. I then turned it into a workbook with one word per page and space below for notes. For years we would discuss with my two daughters and they would draw pictures and make notes in the blank space. I may share some of those images with you. As they got older, they were less inclined to draw and more open to quotes and references from adults, hence where Frey Freyday came from….

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