Frank's Blog

There’s no such thing as ‘quality’ time: Time is time. In fact, as Jerry Seinfeld said, garbage time – eating cereal together at night, laying around on the couch – is actually the best time. Forget chasing HUGE experience. It’s all wonderful, if you so choose.

As Ryan Holiday tweeted a few days ago.

This resonated!

Good news take time and bad news happen at once.

We don’t see all the work that’s being put in, to build a hospital because it took a year to build one in poor countries, but we see hundreds of kids dying each day under the age of 5 in those countries.

We don’t notice it when a loved one wakes up and goes to work, every single day, and comes back home safe. But when they get into an accident, it’s something you can’t miss.

Good news happens every day and it takes time, it’s the boring, usual things. Often.

Bad news happens at once, it’s sudden and unusual. Often.

In this world, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.

Elwood P. Dowd

Often, courage doesn’t roar. Sometimes it’s that little voice inside you that says I will try again tomorrow.

Thanksgiving is a time we reflect on what we are thankful for. Looking back on my life, there are a lot of things to be thankful for but the main 5 things I’m thankful for are:

1. I’m thankful for my faith in God and for his grace.
2. I’m thankful for my wife and kids.
3. I’m thankful for my friends and family.
4. I’m thankful for my job and the people I work with.
5. I’m thankful for you, for giving me some of your attention to read what I’m thinking and pondering each day.

There is a lot I’m thankful for, but these will be my top 5. What are you thankful for?

May your thanksgiving be full of peace, love, and joy.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

A special day when we gather with loved ones, share special moments with them and make memories. May you and yours have a blast, make deep connections, and grow closer.

My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones. Be blessed, stay strong, and share your memories of them with those around you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I recently read James Clear’s Newsletter about how saying Thank You could make my life better. I loved it so much that I thought I would share it with you, especially this Thanksgiving week.

1. Say “Thank You” when you’re receiving a compliment.
   
   Example: “You killed your presentation today!”
   Instead of: “Did I? I felt so nervous up there. I’m glad it looked alright.”
   Try saying: “Thank you. I’m happy it went well.”
   
   
2. Say “Thank You” when you’re running late.
   
   Example: You walk in the door 14 minutes late.
   Instead of: “So sorry I’m late. Traffic was insane out there.”
   Try saying: “Thank you for your patience.”
   
   
3. Say “Thank You” when you’re comforting someone.
   
   Example: Your co-worker’s mother passed away recently.
   Instead of: “At least you have a lot of fond memories to hold onto.”
   Try saying: “Thank you for sharing that with me. I know this is a hard time for you.”
   
   
4. Say “Thank You” when you’re receiving helpful feedback.
   
   Example: “This work isn’t good enough. I thought you would do better.”
   Instead of: “You don’t understand. Here’s what really happened.”
   Try saying: “Thank you for expecting more of me.”
   
   
5. Say “Thank You” when you’re receiving unfair criticism.
   
   Example: “Your statement is the dumbest thing I’ve read all week.”
   Instead of: “You’re an idiot. Let me tell you why…”
   Try saying: “Thank you for the feedback. I still have a lot to learn.”
   
   
6. Say “Thank You” when someone gives you unsolicited advice.
   
   Example: “You know, you should really keep your hips back when you do that exercise.”
   Instead of: “Oh really? Do you have a video of yourself doing it so I can see it done correctly?”
   Try saying: “Thank you for the help.”
   
   
7. Say “Thank You” when you’re not sure if you should thank someone.
   
   When in doubt, just say thank you. There is no downside. Are you honestly worried about showing too much gratitude to the people in your life?
   “Should I send a Thank You card in this situation?” Yes, you should.
   “Should I tip him?” If you don’t, at least say thank you.

PS: If you want to read James Clear’s newsletter, here it is: (https://jamesclear.com/say-thank-you)

According to Robert Green, there are two types of time: Dead and Alive. Dead time is when you’re inactive, go with the flow, and wait for things to happen. Alive time is when you’re working towards your dreams and goals. when you’re making things happen. When you wake up and you are ready to go after it. (whatever ‘it’ is for you)

From Ryan Holiday

1. Don’t be overheard complaining…not even to yourself. (Marcus Aurelius)
2. Don’t talk more than you listen. Two ears, one mouth. (Zeno)
3. Don’t tie your identity to things you own because those things are fragile, they can be taken from you at any moment.
4. Don’t compare yourself to others. Comparison is the thief of joy.
5. Don’t suffer imagined troubles. It will either happen or it won’t. Don’t suffer before you need to.
6. Don’t judge others. Remember you mess up too so don’t judge other people.
7. Don’t overindulge in food or drink. This is the idea of temperance, it’s about balance, it’s about the right amount.

A couple of days ago, I poured milk into a cup for my son who is 4 years old. He then grabbed the cup and stood on his chair so he could reach the microwave, he was going to hit up the milk because he wanted warm milk.
I told him: ‘Hey, be careful, don’t spill the milk’ I was afraid he wasn’t going to reach the microwave or he was going to fall down and spill the milk. After I said that, I asked myself ‘why is it that I’m worried about him spilling the milk and not proud of him for heating up his own milk?’ It’s a weird realization how the ones we love, we often want to protect them from the downfalls but we forget to praise and encourage them of their rise.