Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The Four Capsules

Greetings Happy People,

Today is December 30, 2009. We are only two days away from a brand new decade!! To celebrate the welcoming of this new decade, I have some things to share with you. Excuse me while I bring them in….my goodness they are pretty heavy!!

As you all look at these huge pill-shaped items, you are probably wondering what the heck they are. Well my friends, they are my four different time capsules. Each capsule is from different years in different decades of my life: 1979, 1989, 1999, and 2009. Some of them are dusty while others are a little newer. What I am going to do for you right now is open up these capsules and just take a look at some of the events and situations that happened in my life so far. Before I open them, we may drift into different years between openings. Are you ready?? Well then, let’s begin with 1979.

WAIT A MINUTE!! Am I hearing “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” by Michael Jackson inside this capsule? Oh this one will be interesting to open. Where is my crowbar??

(Opening 1979 capsule)

Wow!! I see a four-year old kid inside this capsule!! He is living in a house somewhere in Norfolk, Virginia. I also see his mother and his two older sisters. His dad must still be in the Navy. It looks like he is in the midst of pre-school. Within the next year, he is about to embark on an adventure known as Kindergarten. The friends he would play with, the lunches he would eat, the many times he would hurt himself when he falls off of those monkey bars. This kid has an interesting looking afro. He looks so happy and carefree. Heck!! He looks very smart too!! Okay its time to close this capsule.

(Closing 1979 capsule)

That was an interesting look into the 1979 capsule. Now it's time open up the next one, the 1989 capsule. Before we open it, let us see what we can hear from this capsule. Okay I am hearing something from Milli Vanilli. It sounds like “Girl You Know Its True.” Okay…let’s just hope we don’t see a 14 year old kid with dreadlocks and bad lip-syncing skills.

(Opening 1989 capsule)

Oh-kay!! I do see a 14 year old kid inside this capsule. He is now living in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has been in this town for 5 years. Instead of dreadlocks, I see him sporting a flattop-afro combination with his hair!! It looks like he is just starting high school. He is wearing a buttoned-up shirt and some dress pants. He is in a private school located on Maryland Parkway and Oakey. He still has a mom and a dad but now he has three sisters. His younger sister was born just a year ago. After being in so many different schools in Norfolk, Seattle, Virginia Beach, and Las Vegas, he is going to stay in this one for more than just two years. Look at the classmates around you 14 year old Jesse, these will be the people you will remember for a long time. Okay its time to close this capsule.

(Closing 1989 capsule)

That capsule was not bad to see. He did have a few growing pains, but he managed to live through them. Now it is time to open up the 1999 capsule. As we open this capsule, you can hear Prince play his song “1999” over and over again. Okay we are at this year, now let’s see what inside this capsule.

(Opening 1999 capsule)

I see a 24 year old young man. He just graduated from college with a Civil Engineering degree. After leaving school and his student internship, he is starting his career with some government agency. Thank God he got rid of that flattop!! He took some tests for his Engineering certificate and passed it. He is taking some more tests to hopefully get promoted in the future. I also see he got rid of his first car a 1985 Ford Tempo. This time, he is driving a 1999 Geo Tracker. Be careful on windy days driving that thing!! He is not only a brother, and a son, but also and uncle too. He also did some writing, hope that goes well for him. Okay its time to close this capsule.


(Closing 1999 capsule)


That was only 10 years ago. I find that very hard to believe!! Time really does fly if you let it!! The next capsule I have here is the newest one. It is my 2009 time capsule. What music do I hear inside this capsule? Ah yes, I hear Taylor Swift. This is great music. Wha-WHAT?? Now I hear Kanye West rapping!! That was pretty rude to interrupt Taylor in the middle of her song!! Oh well, let’s open up the 2009 capsule.

(Opening 2009 capsule)

I see me!! I have gained new friends!! I got promoted at work. Oh what’s this I see? I see me with a beautiful girl at my side!! She has a great smile and she manages to be his right brain through certain times. I am sure she will be there in future times too. He also served in leadership roles through Toastmasters!! He is also reuniting with some of his classmates through a technology known as Facebook!! He seems a lot happier than before too!! Apparently it could be from those personal growth seminars he has been attending. He also undertook some positive thinking methods too via DVD and CDs!! This guy is on his way!!

(Closing 2009 capsule)

Well, we finished looking at my four capsules from 1979, 1989, 1999, and 2009. It was quite the interesting experience looking at all of them.

WAIT A MINUTE. WHAT’S THIS?

It is another capsule!! It looks empty. On the side it says 2019. I wonder what will be inside this capsule. The only way I can find out is to live another 10 years!! Hopefully, this capsule will be filled with plenty of interesting items that will prove nothing but more success and more positive outcomes. Oh well. I guess I will start filling up this fifth capsule when the New Year comes.

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention. HAPPY NEW DECADE!!

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Maria and Mallie

Greetings Happy People,

For this blog, I will introduce two ladies: Maria and Mallie. Both women are the same age, have the same ethnicities, and come from the same neighborhood. Even though they are not related, one would think that they are twin sisters.

A few years ago, they were exactly alike. They were afflicted with tremendous amount of pain in their bodies that affected their mobility. They also fell into the mindset of perpetual victims. While Maria relied on a wheelchair and a walking stick, Mallie relied on alcohol, pain medication, and a breathing machine. Both looked like they were aging beyond their years as they let their afflictions get the best of them.

A year ago, Maria decided to move beyond the pain and get back into life. She started taking some alkali water and noticed that her mobility was improving. Little did she know, this was the beginning of her amazing turnaround. As for Mallie, she chose to stay in her painful state.

Step by step, Maria noticed herself moving better than before. This gave her more good feelings which allowed her to think more positively. She was at the point where she did not need her cane or her wheelchair!! As for Mallie, she continued to stay at where she was. Little did SHE know, the despair, stress, and bad feelings were eating away at her bit by bit.

With her newfound confidence, Maria decided to break the negative bondages that held her back and create things she never thought she could. She met new and amazing friends, networked with a myriad of business associates, and started a ministry for people rebuilding their own lives. Life is looking pretty good for Maria. As for Mallie, negative things were still eating away at her as she dipped further in despair. She still took the pain medication, she still was on the breathing machine, and she still continued to consume more alcohol. Not a good combination!!

Maria is still a major force within her community while Mallie became just a mere farce. How did one move up and the other moved down? The answer is easy. Maria chose to get out of the doldrums to make a better life for herself. This was something Mallie chose not to do.

Empowering speaker and best-selling author, Aimmee Kodachian Riley said the following quote that fits this story well:

“Hope leads to perseverance. Perseverance leads to power. Power leads to success.”

With the right amount of hope, good thoughts, and right thinking, anything is possible!! All you have to do is believe in it and you will come out on top!! Just like Maria!!

That is all I have to say for now. Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Looking Through the Closed Door

Greetings Happy People,

Yes, I am now officially an engaged man!! When I first work up this morning, I thought of Dana and actually called her my fiance. That is such a cool thing to say!!
Anytime I look at her smile, it makes me smile too!! Deep inside, I knew that proposing to her yesterday was the best move I can make.

While the majority of people are also happy about the engagement of Dana and I, there are some people out there that are not happy with it at all. Yes, like many things there are two ways to view a situation: the positive side and the negative side.

I had negative people tell me that Dana is not the right person for me. They said she is too old for me,they also said that she is overweight too. If you were to see my earlier blog entitled "Ignorance is Not Bliss," you can also tell that people have hurled insults at her that made me very angry. Mind you that this was done off of a snap judgement. Not a good thing huh?

Like Dana, I received judgements based off my own looks. I also recieved judgements on the way I speak, think, and carry myself as a person. I am sure that many of you readers recieved the same judgements at some point in your lives. For people that like to make judgements before meeting anyone, all I got to say to them is nothing. I really have no time for people that do this thing. When you judge someone off a first look, you close the door on everything there is to know about the person. Who knows? That same person you judge may be that same person that helps you in your time of need.

It is always good to take the time out to know a person before you make any decisions. You may be surprised to know who they are and what they can do. The best way to get to know someone is just simply saying "Hello." A simple greeting can create a strong friendship. When I met Dana at the radio station almost four years ago, I started with a simple "Hello." And where it took me, you can probably figure out.

It is always good to say hello and open that door than to not say it and ignore what is on the other side. If we only take the first step and open that door, how much of the world will open for us? One can only know.

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Friday, December 25, 2009

The Third Time is the Charm

Greetings Happy People!!

Okay let's cut to the chase. Tonight, I did something that was totally awesome. It was Christmas night at the Wall household. We were unwrapping our gifts until we got to the final one. It was in a pink bag and it was for Dana. I picked up the bag and gave it to her. Inside I was shaking like Jell-O. She went through the white paper and inside the bag was a small black box. What was inside the box? It was a ring.

The look on Dana's face was beyond priceless. After seeing the look, I stumbled on my on words. With enough courage, I asked her if she would marry me. Thankfully she said yes!! It was a very happy moment for the both of us. Now many of you are asking when is the date. Well, the target date we planned is July 1, 2012. Yes, it seems like a long time and you are asking why that date? When things go well, that will be the day I become a District Governor for Toastmasters International.

This is my third time that I came face to face with the M-word. The first time happened 10 years ago. I was dating someone named Melissa and we were going out pretty well. We thought and talked about marriage, but due to both our hard luck situations, it never came to be.

The second time I came face to face with the M-word, happened with a person that I only dated for six months. I knew things were too good to be true because she was telling me that she wanted to get married to stay in the country. OUCH!! That was back in 2001. Thankfully a former high school classmate steered me away from that direction.

Now this is the third time. What makes this different? First and foremost, we have been dating for the past year and a half. Second, I felt comfortable enough to the point where I can talk about the M-word. Third, I felt that this relationship is the best one I have ever been involved in. Fourth and finally, this relationship is under my own terms and not under any outside influence. I had relationships where other people told me what to do and whom to date. For me that felt uncomfortable.

HECK!! Dana is a fantastic woman and I am very grateful and fortunate to ever have this chance to ask her to marry me.

Now we have some preparations to do for the next 2 years. The feelings I have right now are just amazing. It goes to show you that the third time is definitely the charm!! I have a feeling that as I make this big step forward, it is going to be a good thing in the long run!!

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely

Jesse I-I-I

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Light Through Darkness

Greetings Happy People,

Lately there has been plenty of talk. Most of it is full of gloom, despair, uncertainty, and fear. With all the things happening around us, it is easy to believe that we are going into a downward spiral. Whether it has something to do with the economy or something else, we are facing tough times today. The dark clouds are getting darker; the rough waters are getting rougher; and the uncertain future is becoming more uncertain. We can say that we are at our roughest hours.

This reminds me of what happened ten years ago. I graduated from college with a degree in Civil Engineering. After a six year battle, I was finally done with all of my studies. What made the final semester more challenging were the extra obstacles thrown in my direction. I had an internship with a boss who was a complete pain in the neck, I had a couple of term projects I had to do by myself, and I also lost someone who was near and dear to my heart - my grandmother.

It was quite ironic that the last day I had in college was the same day that the 100-year flood took place in the Las Vegas valley. Little did I know that when this storm ended, I still had another one to encounter. When I left school, I looked for different job opportunities in my field. Unfortunately, I went through lots of rejections. As time passed, my depression grew and I wondered if anyone would hire me. If you were to see me back then, I looked like a horrible mess – physically and mentally. I was literally at the end of my rope when I realized something. I realized I had two choices: let hopelessness drown me or just get out of it. Luckily, I chose the latter.

As my faith started to increase, I took more tests, I filed more resumes, and I went into different interviews. Thanks to those efforts, I manage to get hired by the place I currently work for. I never felt so happy and grateful when I got the phone call that day. My eyes were filled with tears when I hung up the phone. All it took was simple faith.

As many of us stand in this gloomy mist today, we have two choices on how to deal with it: stay in thoughts of despair or believe in thoughts of hope. If we learn anything throughout history, we learn that no matter what depths we are all in, we CAN get out of it. What we are in now is only temporary. We have the capability to not only stand up in the dark, but also turn the light on. We can all shine together in these times. All it takes are two simple things: believing and doing.

Without belief, we keep ourselves in this endless quandary. With belief, we have a chance to get out of it. If you have any belief of hope inside you, HOLD ON TO IT!! For it is that same hope that will take you out of the darkness and into something better.

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Sunday, December 13, 2009

The Choice is Yours

Greetings Happy People,

Have you ever had someone in marketing trying to sell you the next latest thing? How about someone offering you a limitless life insurance policy? What about some smooth talker pushing their latest weight loss system in your face to the point where they call you ten times – four of which are late at night - WHILE YOU ARE SLEEPING?

I have had that happen to me on different occasions. A few years ago I would have accepted multitudes of these opportunities, because I did not have the heart to turn people away. Now, I am able to possess the power to the point where I do not have to deal with these pushy people. Would you like to know how I am able to do this? Come on!! Would you really like to know the secret? Okay I am going to give the answer to you right now!! You don’t have to buy multitudes of video tape nor buy a DVD. All you have to do is the following. ARE YOU READY??

Just say NO!!

That’s right!! I said it!! In order to stop pushy peddlers dead in their tracks, all you have to do is just say no!! I know the answer seems to sound negative, but sometimes a NO is necessary in life. Imagine if you were to say YES to this, YES to that, and YES to everything. Chances are that you would become overwhelmed with things you never really wanted in the first place.

Am I telling you to say NO to everything that comes your way? Not really. If you were to say NO to everything, you would be closing the door to something that is potentially good!! So you may want to use the power of the NO at your best convenience. Weigh things out first before you actually give an answer. See if it benefits you in the long run. You can make a clearer decision that way.

I have been one of those people that say YES to almost everything and it has reached the point where I got swamped with too much!! It not only cost me financially, but also timely. Now, I am a bit more careful in saying YES or NO to an opportunity. I now weigh decisions and find out if the opportunities are even worthy. If it is, I will go for it. If not, I will take a pass. It is just that simple!!

The power to say either YES or NO does not lie in the person selling you the mega-isa-superty duper products – it only lies in you!! You have the ability, power, and motivation to decide where you want to go. Whether it is a YES or NO, the decision is all up to you and no one else!! YOU HAVE THE POWER!!

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Saturday, December 12, 2009

The Three Year Vision

Greetings Happy People,

Have you ever had a vision that became real?

I had visions that became real on different occasions. Some are big while others are small. Some happen within days while others happen in years. There was one vision I had that took three years to materialize. What was it? Well, let me take you back to 2005.

At the time, I served as the Area D-5 Governor for District 33 Toastmasters. I managed four different clubs in the Las Vegas Valley: New Life Trailblazers (an upstart church club), Starmasters (my home Toastmasters club), To Your Health (a club that meets at the Southern Nevada Health District), and Vocal Vegans (a club that meets at the Clark County Government Center).

During the middle of my term, I noticed something interesting about Toastmasters clubs in different government entities. They have clubs in city, county, and federal levels of government. However, there was none at the State level. It was from that time I realized that someone needs to create a Toastmasters club for State employees.

The first time I told my ideas to different people at work, they brushed it off. Many thought that it would not last. They also thought that I was wasting people’s time with this idea. I first put up fliers to see if I could garner any interest in creating this club. No one showed up. I could have given up at that point, but somehow I did not. Instead, I found another route to take for this state
Toastmasters club to work.

In 2006, I served a second year as the Area D-5 Governor and I also became a Club Coach for one of the clubs I managed, the Vocal Vegans Toastmasters – the club that met at the Clark County Government Center. I worked with a great person and dynamic leader named Elonda. Together, we talked about different strategies on how to build up membership at Vocal Vegans. We did a public relations blitz, contacted different people, and took part in workshops. Slowly but surely, Vocal Vegans started to grow.

During the growth process of Vocal Vegans, I came across a good idea. Since Vocal Vegans was enjoying good growth inside of the County government, why not bring a few State employees to that club? At lunchtime, I put Vocal Vegans fliers at the Grant Sawyer building to see how many state employees would show up in Vocal Vegans. This time, I got people from the state not only to check out Vocal Vegans, but actually join the club!! This was the crack in the door needed to startup the club at the state level!! Thanks to that extra growth - Vocal Vegans became a Select Distinguished Club, I was given a Club Coach certificate AND Distinguished Toastmaster status - the highest honor any individual Toastmaster can get worldwide!!

About a year and a half later, I asked the state employees about the idea of starting up a club at the State level. They thought it was a great idea. So we got to work and started creating a club at the Grant Sawyer State building. I put in my own seed money for the chartering fee while other people were securing a meeting room and passing the word all around. All that work paid off when we got together to host a demonstration meeting. On May 19, 2008 – The Silver State Toastmasters officially had their first meeting!! YAY!! Six months later, they officially became a Toastmasters club!! Ironically, they chartered as a Toastmasters club the same time I was serving as Division D Governor for District 33 Toastmasters!! After all this time, my own vision for this club, FINALLY became real!! It was a great feeling to see this actually happen.

Now Silver State Toastmasters is a small, but mighty club. We have been meeting at the Grant Sawyer building for a year and a half and there are State employees taking advantage of improving their public speaking skills. Every time I go to that club I am reminded of what it took to actually create it. To actually check out the club, just go to the following link (http://silverstate.freetoasthost.biz).

If you ever have a vision, never give up on it!! You will never know the huge impact you will make from a single thought. Anything can take place, all you need to go is have that idea and just follow it through no matter what. You can make things happen when you think, believe and achieve!!

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Sink or Swim

Greetings Happy People,

For this latest blog, I want you to imagine the following scenario…
You are swimming across a pond. You want to get from point A to point B. Everything is going well and you are making great progress getting to your destination.

Now, I want you to imagine swimming with weights on you legs. Not easy huh?

Next, I want you to imagine swimming with weights on your legs and arms. It gets harder huh?

Finally, I want you to imagine swimming with weights on your legs, arms, and neck. Chances are that you will not be swimming at this point. Instead, you are starting to drown!!

As you have these weights on you while you are swimming, you notice that it gets harder and harder to get to your destination. You cannot kick, you cannot move your arms, and you even cannot move your head!! Just when things could not get worse, you notice that the weights are pulling you deeper into the water - causing you to drown.

You now have two choices on what to do. Would you keep the weights on your body and let them drown you? Or would you get rid of the weights and swim towards your destination? I don’t know about you all, but I rather go for the latter.

It does not matter if it happens at work, relationships, or anything else in life, we have weights that prevent us from getting to where we want to go. The more weights piled on us, the more difficult it is to go forward. While it may be easy to blame other people or things that give us this difficulty, we must remember that the first person we must blame is the one looking in the mirror. After all, we did make the choice to have these weights on us.

After we realize that we are responsible for the weights we put on ourselves, we must act like “Lions” and find ways to remove it. It does not matter if it is one by one or a simple swipe, in order to go forward, we must let go of whatever is bringing us down. This may sound hard to do, but we have to ask ourselves if we really want to get to that destination. The choice is up to us and no one else.

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Monday, December 7, 2009

Dana Lynn

Greetings Happy People,

For my next blog, I want to share the following poem with you. It is entitled, "Dana Lynn."

There were nights I stood alone
Hoping for someone to come to me soon
Every night I made a wish that was known
Pondering at the bright, white moon

Underneath the star-filled skies
Reality from a wish that came to me
Pleasing the sight of these lonely eyes
Lies a lady that I longed to see

Ever so nice and so sweet
Pleasing to the heart and mind
Especially the first time we would meet
Never I met a woman so kind

Grateful for her since the first day
Understanding this has made me grin
I am thankful for meeting this wonderful lady
Naturally, she is named Dana Lynn

This poem was given to Dana at her 40th Birthday Party last Saturday. When she read these words, it made her feel good yet a little emotional too!!

It was a tricky poem to write. Why? Not only because of the rhyming scheme, but also the placing of different letters. What could I mean by this? Well, I want you to look at the first letter of each line and it reveals the nickname Dana is most commonly known as. Interesting huh?

As mentioned before in the blogs, I dabbled in a little poetry. Some of my stuff range from good to GOOD LORD!! In this case, it made a difference in the life of a "Purple Penguin." HECK!! That made me feel pretty good too!!

Have you had a story that is similar to this? How did it make you feel? How did it make the other person feel? Well, if it makes the both of you feel good, that's GREAT!! Doing something nice for someone makes a difference. It does not have to cost millions of dollars to make a person happy. All it takes is some time and a little bit of caring. When you have those two things, it can go a long way!!

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

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