Knowing the Speed Limits

Greetings Happy People,

I live in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada.

This city is not only known for the amazing casinos and the glimmering lights, but also for the interesting traffic.

In some areas of the valley, you see plenty of bustling freeways with all types of vehicles moving from one end of town to the other. Some go blinding fast while others go at a snail’s pace. Add some side landmarks and you got an even more interesting ride. There are many important landmarks on the Las Vegas highways. Some are as beautiful as the desert artwork on the walls. Others are not as beautiful as those orange cones and drums. But for me, the most important landmark is the speed limit sign.

Why the speed limit sign? It tells the driver how fast they can go on certain roads. Unfortunately, some Las Vegas drivers have misinterpret the definition of “limit.”  On any given day in this city, you have drivers going 30-40 miles an hour over the speed limit. In the same breath, you have other drivers going 20 miles under the speed limit on the far left lane of traffic.

If these folks don’t know how fast they’re supposed to go, they can get in lots of trouble. The consequences can range from a traffic ticket to a thirteen car pile up. Either way, it is not fun to receive this type of punishment.

Instead of freeways, what if we put this logic to what we do in our daily lives? Instead of driving from the Las Vegas strip to Hoover Dam, why don’t we see this as going from start to finish on an assignment?

One of my problems involves completing a goal. Many times, I go too fast. Few times, I go too slow. Either way, I have to learn how to manage and control my speed.

If I were to go too fast on things, it can create haste. I may get there first, but there are some things that can be overlooked. At this point, I need to STOP, REVIEW, and THINK about any moves I need to make before I reach my goal.

If I were to go too slow on things, it can create waste. I may take my time, but there are some things that causes me to impede things. Whether it is by fear, procrastination, complacency, or any other obstruction, it can create a waste of time for me and anyone else that is involved. At this point, I need to just KEEP GOING and STAY FOCUSED on the task at hand.

When it comes to those goals and deadlines in my life, it doesn’t hurt to have a few speed limit signs along the way. These signs are helpful for me to maintain that good running speed so I do not go over board or under arrest.

It is okay to have some speed limits in your journey. If we don’t have them, how fast could we get from one point to the other?  

Knowing how fast to go prevents us from getting into any unnecessary accidents. 

Knowing how fast to go establishes our credibility as very good drivers. 

Knowing how fast to go makes us better prepared for any road that lies ahead of us.

Once we are able to know our speed limits, we will be able to have a better drive on the directions we choose to take.  All it takes is us to understand where we want to go and how fast we want to get there.

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

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Sheep's Clothing

Greetings Happy People,

Never lose faith in yourself. Never lose faith in your God. Those two things will be saving graces when you face your challenging times.

People may talk about certain things, but it is the true colors that will always come shining through. It may be as colorful as a rainbow or as gray as the darkest storms. No matter what happens, never let them deter your own vision of certain things in life.

When my dad passed last February, my family and I were going through some challenging times. One of which was to find a church that would hold a funeral service. Through this experience, you can say that a lot of churches have shown their true colors.

One church my family went to wanted a ridiculously high amount of money just to perform the service. Another church we use to go to would not give us the time of day because we had no immediate family members that belong there. A third one wanted more money than the first one. When we finally found a church that was willing to perform the service, let's just say that they were marginal at best.

The service was okay, but there were two things that had my eyebrows raised. The first one was the fact that the church offered their condolence to my eldest sister and her husband for the loss of my dad. No mention of my mother, no mention of myself, and no mention of the rest of the immediate family.

WHAT??!!!

I did not care if my eldest sister is a member of that church, the oversight made by them was not right at all.

The second thing was the preacher talking about how Obama was the greatest President ever. I know he was trying to connect the message with how he and my father were great men in what they have done, but he could have done without the political tones. I knew people at the service that were not big fans of Barack Obama and they were from different races. He skated on thin ice with that beginning as my mother and I looked at each other with real concern on our faces.

Whatever the church service lacked was strongly made up for with the burial service. The military style burial in Boulder City was done with class, integrity, and succinct professionalism.

Before all of this happened, I had questions about the different churches in the Las Vegas valley. Thanks to this experience, my questions were answered. I was surprised with some of these churches that talk about offering a helping hand. When it came down to the wire, that hand they offered came with a price. For me, that was a complete turnoff. While I may know some cool people that attend these churches, it would not change the fact on how I feel about the houses they choose to worship. It is a shame that some of them are led by the dollar instead of the Word.

No matter how many of these churches are out there, I still believe that there are some good ones around. I am feel grateful and blessed to know that my faith in these good churches have not wavered. It would have been easy for me to close my mind and say that all churches are corrupt, but I know that is not the case. All it takes is keeping faith, and a good one can be found.

Today, so many people have lost faith in many things. Whether it be in churches, work, news, or anything else, they can deplete our beliefs in more ways than one. No matter how negative these things can be, it is important that we never lose our own faith. Believe it or not, our own faith can help guide us through some tough times. All it takes is for us to believe.

It may not be as soon as we like for it to be, but it will happen. Never lose faith in your God, never lose faith in others, and never lose faith in yourself.

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

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

I Am Awake

Greetings Happy People (or Good Morning Happy People),

No matter where I am, no matter what I do, I am glad to be awake right now.

Even at 4'o clock in the morning, as I type this message to you, it IS good to be awake. Heck, it is better than the alternative.

It amazes me how some people take the simple fact of waking up each morning for granted. Many people wake up worrying what the day will bring. Others wish they don't wake up at all. Nevertheless, these people overlook the importance of getting up each morning. How can anyone do anything if they can't wake up?

Within my 36 years of living, I have met people that have been through what life has dealt them. Whether it is a financial hit, a terminal illness, or some bad break in life, they are able to wake up and continue the day that awaits them. Call it what you want, but they chose to get up when life knocks them down.

For me, I am glad to wake up in the morning. Each day allows me an opportunity to determine not only how to take on the day, but also find the different opportunities and possibilities that are out there.

Do I have challenges in my day? Yes, I do.

Am I going to make mistakes? Probably.

No matter how big or small these challenges may be, I know that they cannot keep me down forever. I know that I can overcome any obstacle if I choose to do so. All I have to do first is just wake up. If I don't do that, what else could I do??

As you wake up and read this post, you have a choice to look at what I am writing. You can choose to go on your way and miss this message entirely, or you can choose to be thankful that you are up this morning.

Either way, the decision is up to you.

Just remember that when you make this decision, be sure that you are awake. It helps.

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

Sincerely,

I-I-I

The Best Men

Greetings Happy People,

Today, I went to a tuxedo shop to get fitted for my upcoming wedding. Three of my best men were also there too. When I looked at the tuxedo, I was amazed by the black and purple color combination. When I tried on the tuxedo and looked in the mirror, it really hit me.

What hit me?? Everything!!!

As I looked at myself in this tuxedo, one of many thoughts came into my mind. This thought involved the three men that are going to be the groomsmen. I prefer to call them my best men. Each of them have a real significance in how this blessed union came for Dana and myself.

Let's get started with the first best man Tim. If it had not been for him convincing me to go to a certain motivational seminar named PSI, I would not have had the courage to ask Dana out on a date four years ago. Attending that seminar broke a lot of walls for me. It broke walls of doubt, walls of negativity, and other walls that had been dominating my life for the years. Attending this seminar allowed me to breakthrough as a whole different gentleman. For that, I am very grateful.

The second best man is Vince. Vince represents a pivotal point in my life where things began rolling for me. He is a fellow classmate from Bishop Gorman High School (in Las Vegas, Nevada). This school has made a major impact for me. Without Gorman, I would not have gone to UNLV. Without Gorman, I would not have heard of a thing call Toastmasters International (as a UNLV student) . And without Gorman, I would not have had the chance to meet Dana. I treasured my four years at this high school. I also learn many lessons that were in and out of the classroom. I also created solid friendships that are still standing to this day. One can say that Bishop Gorman was a starting point for all of the good things that were about to come my way. For that, I am very grateful.

The third best man is Gene. Gene represents a very important part of my life. Without him, I probably would not have met my soon to be bride. Six years ago, Gene offered an opportunity for me to be on a radio show to talk about Toastmasters. Without any delay, I took that opportunity. When I got to the radio station, I met another guest panelist who was new to Toastmasters. From that point, we knew that we would click pretty well. From that first meeting, a new relationship began. Who would have known that these two people would actually get married six year later? I sure didn't. For that, I am extremely grateful.

As I looked at myself in this tuxedo, I felt pretty darn good!! Call it the alignment of the stars in the universe. Call it a coincidence. Call it whatever you want, but there are some things that seem to just fall into place.

Things happen for a reason, Happy People. Today, people complain and worry about things that may or may not come their way. All of this worry can only bring more worry to the person and no lessons could be learned. But if one were to take the time and see how things can fit into life, all that worry would go away and the lessons will begin. Even if things don't go the way they do, one can still learn. This happens in the past. present, and future as long as one is able to read between the lines.

Thankfully, I am able to read between the lines of my best men and become grateful for what they represent. Are you taking the time to read between the lines in your life? If you are able to learn from the lines you read, you can become the best man or woman. If it can happen for me, it will happen for you.

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

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

The Dancing One-Legged Man

Greetings Happy People,

I have challenging days.

I have those days where things don't always seem to go right.

I have those days where the ball does not bounce in my direction.

I have those days where I can be either be in an incredible funk or a very foul mood.

No matter how bad a day I can have, when I think about a dancing one-legged man, things don't seem that bad after all.

10 months before he passed away, my dad had his leg amputated. A near 30-year battle with diabetes took that part of his body, but it did not take all of his joy. Somehow, he managed to keep living with a positive outlook on life.

"I have nothing to complain about. If I did, who would listen?" was his customary response on how he's doing.

On a given day, he would stand up in his walker and give the best shimmy that any one-legged man can give. Folks, if that is not the definition of a positive attitude, I don't know what is!!

Seeing a one-legged man like that made me feel that anything is possible if you have a positive way of thinking. Even in the last year of his life, he continued to dance to his own beat.

As I see people complain on their two legs about the problems in their lives, I can only shake my head. Whether it is about money, their job, or what they don't have in life, it gets them in their own personal funk. Some of them would continue to be in that downward spiral thinking that there is no hope to get out.

As a human being, I do get caught up in that negativity. Fortunately, it is not for long. Instead of basking in the gray clouds, I choose to focus on the silver linings. After seeing the streaks of light, I am reminded that some things in life are not that bad. One of those streaks happen to be that dancing one-legged man.

People, I am not here to tell you how to run your life. I am here to say that you do have a choice on how to deal with things. You can either let them beat you up or make you a little stronger. It is your choice.

Whatever you choose, please remember that if you see a dancing one-legged man, then you know that you can still have a good day. It is possible!!

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

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Carbon Copy

Greetings Happy People,

Who says that you can't be yourself?

I am myself and I like the person I see in the mirror. I like doing things that make me feel happy. I am also learning that I don't have to do things that don't make me feel comfortable. When I am myself, I know that I can live guilt-free by being Mr. I-I-I.

There were many people that want me to catch up with some of the trendy things such as fashion, language, music, and which "in crowd" to hang with. At first, I thought it was a requirement to do these things just to fit in. But what am I actually fitting into? If I were to fit into someone's expectation, I am being that person that they want me to be. And that my friends is a very uncomfortable feeling.

Anytime I meet up with relatives that is trying to catch up with the latest thing, I ask them what are they doing. Their response is trying to be "themselves."

Now let me get this straight. You are dressing, acting, and talking like the people you see on TV, yet you want to become an original? To me that doesn't make any sense at all. As these same folks look at me as if I was out of touch, I can say that I am grateful that I don't have to follow what is in. After all, what is in today can be out by tomorrow.

With that said, it is always good to be yourself. Like it or not, you don't have to answer to the rules that someone else makes on what is the in thing to do. If you like to do some things, that is great!! If not, that is okay too!! No one says that you have to do some things in a certain way. Just be yourself and the rest will follow. Life is too short to be an imitation.

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

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I