Skip to main content

Create your future - Milton Berle(?) - DON'T WAIT, START TODAY

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.

from: Milton Berle (Maybe, don't care)

Normally I research ( not real "research," just internet research ) the crap out of my quotes.  But not today.  Milton Berle's "quote" came up on a number of quotation websites so I am using it "as is" because I have to GSD!  I have to grow my future.

The pollen of this drive to GSD came (again) this morning while out walking.  I was listening to the wonderful Terry Gross on NPR interview Annette Bening.  In her movie "20th Century Women," an essay is mentioned. The title of the essay is "It Hurts to be Alive and Obsolete" and just the title struck me.  I researched that essay and found out it is about middle-aged women.  But the title applies to any marginalized group/person. This reminds me something that was said in a self-improvement class I went to long ago.  The speaker pronounced "What people want is to be useful."  This moves through me many times.  When I am at my worst, darkest moments I feel that I don't have a use.  

The ovary of this drive is that my "retirement" is less than 10 years away.  
But before, I had decades to get set up.  I could be useful to others and put off securing a future - a fine happy retirement.  But now I am in my last decade (probably) before retirement so I have to get the ovary fertilized and grow my future.

So I have to change because how things are going is not leading to a clear future.  Keep in action.  Move quickly through non-productive emotions and get busy.


Gratitudes:  Ibuprofen, Bluetooth earphones, quality socks.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

We shape our buildings - Winston Churchill - Be in action

We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us. from:  Winston Churchill, Painter , Political Survivor, Orator , and Nobel Prize for Literature Winner So much negativity in the world and in my thoughts.  Originally, I was looking for a quote about the benefits of having positive thoughts.  Sigh.  There are many quotes like that out there, but the ones I found where either by celebrities or self-help gurus.  Not that what they are saying is not useful, it is just I wanted elegant, powerful bon mots from a profound source. So, Churchill. I'd written down in my notes about this quote.  It was made in a speech to rebuild the House of Commons after a bombing raid.  I noted the quote because it agrees with my belief that architecture influences those who encounter it, whether for good or bad.  But in this case, I am presenting it to my gentle readers as a metaphor.  Like:  "You reap what you sow," or "You've made your ...

Never Lose Enthusiasm - Aldous Huxley - Secret of Genius

The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm. attributed to:  Aldous Huxley First, I am a little uncomfortable with using this quote.  Normally, I research the origin of a quote for assurances of correctness.  However, after ten minutes of weeding through google results of pinterest, twitter, and the huge quotation cites, I could not find the context of this quote nor conformation that it was Huxley.  Sigh.   If any of my gentle readers have the citation and context of this quote, it would be greatly appreciated.   Second, I decided just to get on with the blog.  What is important?  Spending time verifying a quote (which is not the main purpose of the blog) or crystallizing my idea in writing.  And then to get on living life.   Enthusiasm.  This is what attracted me to this quote.  When things were dark for me, I didn't even have the en...

Only lazy ones - Helena Rubinstein - Break the bad habits

There are no ugly women, only lazy ones. from:  Helena Rubinstein ,  Immigrant, Entrepreneur I can hear it.  "OH MY GAWD!" "SEXIST" "UNBELIEVABLE" Well, it is all about the context.  And if someone knows the context of this quote, please put it in the comments. I picked this one today because I wanted something that was about BEING IN ACTION and breaking the lazy habit.  And this quote, in the context of our times, is provocative. But, it gets one thinking (that is if a person's cognitive biases prevents them from pursuing critical thinking). I read this and thought:  This is about how you can always improve yourself.  But why don't people improve themselves?   Originally, my idea for today's quote was about how lying is intellectually lazy.  I have said this and thought that it must be a quote.  But searching the Google machine yielded nada.  I was very surprised.  Maybe, if some day I get published I will ...