Opinion

The Importance of Conversation and the Telling of Stories!

/ Chase Blosser / Leave a comment

Every week on Thursdays, I have a lunch meeting at my local Denny’s dinner with my local chapter of Optimist International that I am a member of and at last week’s meeting, I was suddenly reminded of what I really enjoy about those meetings and seeing and talking to my fellow members; the companionship and the telling of stories. At every meeting there is almost always at least one to three interesting stories told of past experiences or so forth from among the group. After listening to one such story being told this last Thursday, I was suddenly reminded of not only how much I enjoy listening to such, but how important and special such moments are.

We as humans are social animals and as such we need conversation and the connectedness that such brings. But besides the connectedness that conversation brings, there is also the opportunity to share and learn stories; stories of past experiences, shared believes and just plain stories of entertainment. Stories help us to connect to others and to share with one another our lives and all that is in them and has been in them.

Without stories, our lives would be much less fulfilling because we do not have that extra element of shared experiences, empathy, or relatedness that stories bring to the table. When it comes to forming and maintaining friendships and connections stories is paramount. Besides being the life of a conversation and helping to form and build relationships, telling stories is also very important for the mind. Telling stories is a good way to help further develop the brain and to keep it healthy and productive. Telling stories as well as listening to them being told is a very simulating process as it relates to mental activity.

We as humans are indeed social animals and as such we will seek out to meet with family, friends, and associates as much as possible to “chit-chat” and so forth. But I find from my own experiences and from those that I know that while conversation is important and does a very good job developing and maintaining relationships, conversation without storytelling is not the same as it is with storytelling. When you include the two you get more bonding, more interacting, and more involvement of all persons involved when there are more then two people in a conversational group. But even if the conversation is just between two people including a story or two only helps to liven it up.

Unfortunately, while conversations still happen in today’s world with people keeping in touch there is not a lot of story telling happening in those conversations, which is unfortunate. Story telling can be and should be a very important part of any conversation for its bonding potential as well as learning experience.

Working With Those Who Have High Functioning Autism

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If you find yourself working with someone with high functioning autism on some project or something, it is essential to be as clear and precise as possible when giving instructions and handing out responsibilities. Those with autism are remarkably able to focus in minute detail on things that grab their attention, and thus under the right conditions are great at getting things done. At the same time, we can have problems with generalities or instructions that require an “interpretation” of some kind.

It is imperative to remember clarity when working with those who have autism; we need clear and precise instructions that tell us what needs to be done and how. This is something that cannot be understated if a person with autism is confused about what needs to be done because the instructions were not given in a clear and precise enough way before everyone involved in a project/job goes about getting it done. The autistic person will only do what he/she understands he/she is told needs to be done. Or he/she won’t start until he gets a clear understanding and will keep trying to get it until he/she does.

The beautiful thing about those with high functioning autism when it comes to working with others is that we tend to pursue getting clear and precise instructions very thoroughly. If we do not understand something, we will seek to understand it in the best way and as quickly as possible. If something is not clear to us we seek clarity, so you usually do not need to worry about or going out of your way too much in making sure everything is clear and understood to those with autism, we will let you know if we do not and just what needs to be clarified.

Even though those with high functioning autism should be more than able to let you know if there is anything to be clarified before you and they get started on whatever it is you will be doing, that does not mean you can ultimately let the matter be. You do need to be aware of those who are autistic that you are working with. You need to know just what their individual needs are because though we are autistic and do fit a general pattern of behavior, the same can be said for you and every other human on the planet. We autistics are human too and individuals especially and thus have our own needs. While those with autism can pay attention to detail and will seek clarity and understanding when needed, we all have our different levels of detailed attention care and just what makes us focus on the aspects.

Thus, the reason for you to be acutely aware of just who you are working with if they are in any way autistic and how instructions and responsibilities are given out. As long as you do that, you will have no problem working with those who have high functioning autism, and perhaps you will even be grateful for it, for they (we) may spot issues that you and others have not.

The Danger of Repetitiveness: The Need To Be Renewed

/ Chase Blosser / 1 Comment

Have you been a point in your life where everything you do just seems to be going by the motions with no real purpose or energy to them? Perhaps you just recently have gone through such a process, or are doing so now.

Chase Blosser | Chasing Thoughts And View Points

Bored

I know the feeling well, and you know what I think it is actually quite natural to have periodical moments in one’s life where we end up being in a “funk” so to speak where we are not sure why we are doing what we are doing in order to “renew” ourselves so to speak.

When we go about our everyday lives and do the things we do, we do them for certain reasons. Those reasons are what drive us through each day and keep us going. However, a lot of what we do can lead us to be living repetitive lives in that we do not put much thought into some of the things we do each day anymore because we already know that they need to be done.

This developing of repetitiveness can be and is a very good thing in a lot of ways because it does make our everyday lives a  little easy in going about our tasks. The danger lies in becoming too reliant upon the repetitiveness of our duties/responsibilities and things to do that we only remember that we need to see them through and complete but not the reason/s why we need to.

When we lose our sense of purpose or forget the reasons why we are doing the things we do on a regular basis, we tend to overtime lose interest in continuing them  when doing so clashes with being able to do something else that catches our attention/interest or we get frustrated and perhaps even angry with ourselves and our lives when the repetitiveness of what we are currently doing gets in the way and prevents us from doing anything else and takes away any enjoyment out of life.

It is around this point in our lives or perhaps a little bit just before that I think we tend to get into that “funk” of not really having the energy or motivation in doing and carrying our everyday tasks and things to do. This causes us to really start to question once again what and why we are doing with our lives. The “funk” in our lives is very much I have come to believe from my own experiences with it to be a “defensive mechanism” in a way because it forces us to come to terms before any real harm is done or we miss out on too many opportunities that come our way in life.

The “funk” itself does not lead us to question what we are doing in our everyday lives and why but does leads to start that questioning which in turn leads us to once again know just why we have been doing everything that we do in our everyday lives. We are then able to either recommit to it all or “change directions” in. our lives and start over so to speak. We are able to renew our lives!

Chase Blosser | Chasing Thoughts And View Points

Human hands holding big tree over blurred city sunset background

What are your thoughts and viewpoints on the matter? All opinions are welcomed and wanted. 

 

The Difference Between Always Seeking To Improve Yourself And Not Being Satisfied With What You Have

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Are you satisfied with your lot in life, with your career, income level and all that you have? Or are you currently still in the process of working to improve yourself and your place in life? The question you need to ask yourself is this. “Do I need improvement in my life situation, or am I just not satisfied with what I have?”

Chase Blosser | Chasing Thoughts And View Points

What Motivates You? steps

In today’s world and society, we have the common problem of people increasingly not being satisfied with what they have and always seeking to improve upon their lot in life. In the process of doing so, I believe that we all confuse our efforts to increase what we have with real efforts of improvement. That is our efforts to always seek to improve ourselves have become mixed in with efforts to increase wealth and the ownership of stuff.

This mixing of always seeking improvement with seeking greater wealth and not ever being satisfied with what one has in life is a huge mistake and at the very root of being part of the problems facing us in today’s world. To always seek to improve one’s place in life and to believe that one’s self always has room for improvement should never be confused and mix. They are two totally different concepts!

The first is seeking at its most basic level only to secure one’s living and living standards while they live in this world. The second is the belief that no matter one’s skill set, knowledge, or “where one is in life” that there is always “room for improvement.” It is also the belief that not only is the always room for improvement in one’s self and life but that we all should seek to improve ourselves and reach our full potential.

Chase Blosser | Chasing Thoughts And View Points

Dream Job word cloud on blackboard

Chase Blosser | Chasing Thoughts And View Points

The problem is that the two concepts are repeatedly confused and taken as one. People tend to conflate the need to always improve one’s self with how well they are doing in life as far as their careers/jobs and how much money they make or how much “stuff” they own. This tends to lead to unsatisfied lives because when we combine our seeking to improve our place in life with improving ourselves, we create in ourselves a constant need for “more and more.” We also stop seeking improvement in our selves/lives and instead seek the unattainable perfection.

Chase Blosser | Chasing Thoughts And View Points

Progress, not perfection – white chalk text blackboard – fitness and healthy lifestyle concept

We then in our constant pursuit to try and satisfy ourselves and our need for more become ever busy and on the move with no time to enjoy life and the simple things. However, when the two concepts are separated and in their proper places. When our seeking to improve and secure our place in life is just that and separate from our need always to try to improve upon ourselves which is just that, our lives and society in general moves along a whole lot smoother. It can be argued I believe that the concept and problem of “greed” is largely the result of the combination of the two concepts. When they are separate, we are more able to be satisfied with what we have in life and our place in it. Oh, we will still seek improvement both in ourselves and in our careers and such, but there is no longer “that urgency” to it all.

What are your thoughts and viewpoints on the matter? All opinions are welcomed and wanted. 

 

 

The Existence of Fraud In the Admittance Into Elite Universities Eludes Another Problem In Our Society: The Problem With The Perceived Need For Higher Education In Order To Get Ahead

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The News media and blogosphere filled with talk of the fallout of a college admission cheating scandal breaking last week in which wealthy parents are accused of paying bribes to make sure their kids get into an elite college such as Georgetown, Yale, Stanford, University of Texas, University of Southern California, and UCLA. This alludes to a bigger problem other than the fact that it is becoming an increasing belief that the only way to ensure the success of one’s kids it to not just get them into a college but one of the so-called elite colleges.

Chase Blosser | Chasing Thoughts And View Points

Architecture of the student city of Cambridge, beautiful view of England, September 3, 2017

The belief that nothing less will do and if one’s kids do not get in then they are doomed to failure. While there are several things wrong with this view other than the fact that it is false, the scandal as I said alludes to something else.

That something else is the too much importance we as a society place on the going to and attaining a college degree in the first place to achieve financial and career success in life. For decades now our society from top to bottom has put a considerable emphasis on the importance of attaining a college degree to get a good paying job and have a successful career and life.

There is just one little problem with placing so much importance on achieving a college degree to meet any real success in life. The truth is that college is not for everyone nor does everyone need to get a college degree to find success in their life. Yes, a college education is important it is not the be all end all that we as a society have put it up as for so long.

Skills are also important, besides the option of “higher education” to get ahead in life there is also the option of trade schools or even on the job training for some professions. A lot of businesses will indeed higher promising candidates that don’t then have the required skills or knowledge necessary for the job required and will train them for the job.

If we as a society did not put so much importance on the “need” to have “higher education” in the first place to get ahead in life, then the chances of there being a cheating scandal where parents feel the need to cheat and bribe to make sure their kids end up in a good college in the first place. There is only a perceived need to have one’s kids attend an elite college because of the perceived certainty that college is the only way to success and a good, well-paying career in life.  Going to college is a great experience to have along with the education that doing so represents but it is not always what is best for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

Dealing With Tiredness From Busy Life: How To Better Manage Your Time

/ Chase Blosser / Leave a comment

First of all, I want to apologize to my readers/followers for my absence lately, the last few months. I have just been a little overworked and have not had time to sit down to come up with and write topics for this blog here. But things are better now and hopefully back on track.

Time is something that seems to always eludes us when we need more of it and drowns us when we want less. There are countless methods “out there” to allow us to manage our time better, some better than others and some not so much. Time still eludes us no matter what.

The Best thing to do is to make and keep up a regular and constant schedule.

Once you set a schedule, you need to keep to it with discipline and not deviate from it too much if at all and if you do return to it ASAP! We have problems with the time available to us only when we do not stick to and support our set schedules to the “ninth degree.”

Another vital element of better managing your time is to have some flexibility in your schedule so that if and when you do deviate from one thing or another on it for whatever reason, that deviation will not mess you up too much with the rest. At the same time do not take the flexibility of your schedule as an excuse to deviate a lot from it. Even with said flexibility, any deviation should be avoided as much as possible. The flexibility is there only help you to support your schedule even when you from time to time deviate from it not to urge you to do so.

The worse thing that you can do for your time management is to set a schedule, maintain it for a time but suddenly you deviate two or three times and then another two or four, and suddenly your program is all messed up, and you are struggling to keep up with everything.

One last thing and one of the most important things that you can do to manage your time better is to take time from your busy schedule for yourself. Besides needing enough time to get all your responsibilities taken care of, you also need time to relax, recharge, and enjoy yourself.

 

What is a life full of work but no “play?” We all need to be able to enjoy our sleeves just as much we need to get things done. Otherwise, if all of our time is full of just work but little to no fun time for us to enjoy we tend to “burn out” at some point and can no longer keep up our busy schedules very well if at all. Personal relaxation time is a crucial part for managing one’s busy schedule and the time available for everything in it.

To not have to fight with “father time” and your schedule, you need to stick to it and deviate from it. You also need to make sure to have time set aside for your own personal “me time.” The best organize schedule in the world would be great and all but will do “Jack” if you do not take time actually to relax as well and to enjoy yourself. Time is indeed an elusive thing, but it only causes you any real trouble when you are not consistent in your maintaining of your schedule and you do not take time to have fun as well as to work. You do those two things, and you should have “all the time in the world!”

Please Share your thoughts & viewpoints on this subject, all such opinions and views are wanted and welcomed! 

 

 

 

Reach For The Stars; Do The Possible Not The Impossible!: In Life Don’t Belive In Impossible: Believe In The Possible!

/ Chase Blosser / Leave a comment

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Nothing #in #life is out of reach if you push and work hard enough for it. If something seems #impossible, that is only #the case until it is not. If you go about your life with the mindset; instead of encountering a “seemingly impossible” obstacle and getting discouraged in your current goal, but instead charge on seeking to turn that “impossible into a #possible, there is potentially no limit to how far you can/may go and succeed in life. Only the limits you give yourself!

The only limit to my potential is that which I put on my self. If I don’t have the right skill set for something, I can learn it or choose not to. If I don’t know enough about something, I can decide to research it, or not. In the end, my success in life for better or worse rests with me and what I do and how I behave and act in life. So, is your life, a life of the possible or impossible; what limits have you set for yourself?

Please share your thoughts; all thoughts & viewpoints are welcomed and wanted!

Your Envirmant Does Not Govern Your Life; Your Reponse To It Does

/ Chase Blosser / Leave a comment

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As the quote above states, I can #not change the environment around me, but I can change how #it affects me by how I respond #to it. I can despair for what the situation is like, or I can try and do something about it. I can try and fight against the environment around me, or I can adjust myself and my #life to it. Either way, the atmosphere its self is not what governs my life and holds me down or helps with my success, but I how I react/respond to it #does affect my success or failure in life.

Please share #your thoughts; all thoughts & viewpoints are welcomed and wanted!

 

 

Good Habits And Bad Habits; How To Tell The Difference and Why They Matter​?

/ Chase Blosser / Leave a comment

Habit – a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior, an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary

What are your #good #habits; what are your #bad habits? Do you know which are which? We all have patterns, some like brushing our teeth, taking a shower once or twice a day in mornings #and evening, or even what times of day we have our meals. All of these are examples of habits that we may perform day in and day out without much though if any put into doing them. We also tend #to develop both useful and bad habits; yet #how do we #tell which is which?

Good habits are those small repetitive things that we regularly do over time and don’t pay attention to our doing of them. #They lead to good results and longterm behaviors over time, such as brushing one’s teeth every day in #the morning and at night before going to bed, which helps protect us from getting cavities and losing our teeth. Or working out at the gym or going for a jog every day in the morning not only helps us stay in shape but allows us to start our day off on a high note with momentum for the rest of the day.

Bad habits on the other hand, as the name suggests, are just the opposite and are those small repetitive things that we do on a regular basis without much thought. They lead us down a spiraling path of self-destruction that negatively impacts our lives and sometimes even those around us. A perfect example of a nasty and destructive habit is smoking. Now I am not talking about the casual smoker of Sugars or even cigarettes that only smokes every so often and rarely at that, no what I am talking about is the one or two pack of cigarettes a day habit (i.e., addiction).

The one or two pack a day habit is the perfect example of a bad habit that starts as a small thing done regularly over time but then adds up and spirals out of control into self-destruction. We already know about the long-term health consequences to lifetime smokers, but it is a lot more than just that. Smoking a pack or two a day is a costly ($) habit. The average cost of a pack of cigarettes is $5.51 with the most expensive being $12.85. Let’s see; there are 365 days in a year, 365 x 5.51 = $2011.15 for one year worth of smoking on a pack a day at the cheapest cost on average.

According to the CDC about 25.3% of adults who live below the poverty line smoke. Think about that right there, the destructive habit of smoking could (and most likely does) very well be attributing to poverty in the United States. You take out that habit and bingo that is (if your addiction was the one pack a day) automatically $2011.15 in yearly savings. That can go a long way of improving ones financel lot in life.

Learning to save your money and spend wisely is the actual key to getting more wealth. If you look at almost any financially well-off/rich person/people throughout history and in today’s world, I guarantee that has played and continues to play a significant role in their wealth management. Wisely saving and managing one’s money is an excellent example of a good habit that leads to positive results.

So, good habits are those little things done regularly over time that leads to positive results in one’s life. Bad habits are just the opposite leading to negative consequences for the individual and in the case of smoking society as well.  Makes you think does it not; on just what small habits you and I may have that are either leading us to succeed in life or down a destructive path does it not? Darren Hardy in his book “The Compound Effect does an outstanding job of further exploring this very topic and showing how we can better manage our habits.

So what are your thoughts and viewpoints on this #matter? What are your good and bad habits? Please do share them, all are welcomed and wanted!

 

 

 

 

Taking A Vacation Reminds Us To Enjoy Life

/ Chase Blosser / Leave a comment

Vacation – #a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation, a scheduled period during which activity (as of a court or school) is suspended, a period of exemption from work granted #to an employee

The Summer season has long been known as the time where most take time off from their work/jobs to take a “#vacation” with family and/or friends for a few days or a week or two. But why do we do so?

“What do you mean why, we take a vacation to spend time with family, reconnect with friends, and recharge our minds and bodies form all the constant work and stress we get in jobs and daily grind of #life.”

Yes, we take a vacation for all of those reasons, but again why? What lies underneath the reasoning of all those reasons and definition of vacation above?

The answer, the fundamental reason why we take time out of our lives every or nearly every year is so we can actually #enjoy life and not just grind through it. We need vacations in our lives to remind #us that life is to be appreciated and not just plowed through. The reason we spend most of our daily lives “working our backs off” to earn a living is so we can actually take enjoyment in our lives.

As stated in the above reasons we also take vacations to rewind, reenergize, and restore ourselves from the daily grind of life, yet doing so helps us to better take enjoyment out of our daily lives year around not just on vacations. As some studies have shown vacations do help improve both our mental and physical health.

Our reconnecting with friends, spending more time bonding with family and other reasons given for vacations above are all by and through our reenergizing and restoring our minds and bodies and remembering to take enjoyment out of life. So this Summer if have not done so take a vacation with either family or friends or both, even if it is just for a couple of nights at the beach. No matter how big or small the vacation you take, you and your life will be better off. Take some time to enjoy life and have fun!

So what are your thoughts and viewpoints on this subject? Have you been on vacation yet or are you getting ready to? Where and what was/is it? All thoughts and viewpoints are welcomed and wanted here!