It's the most wonderful time of the year, or is it?

I recently heard the familiar tune on the radio, the one that purports that this is the most wonderful time of the year. But I wonder...is it really all that wonderful? Don't get me wrong, I am not some "anti-Christmas" scrooge or anything and I truly enjoy the holiday season and the opportunities to be with friends and family and to share some good cheer, but to read the newspaper or watch the news, one would question how wonderful the months of November and December really are here in the U.S.


As I commute or travel to visit friends and relatives this season, I inevitably witness incidents of road rage, and angry or aggressive driving. I have even felt a little stress over what to prepare for holiday meals (and the dreaded clean up after the meals have been consumed). But the least wonderful time of all is this social experiment known as "Black Friday." Right here in southern California, a woman made national news by dousing her fellow shoppers with pepper spray to clear a path to the XBox players at Walmart. Who does that? Though I do not yet know the whole story, it strikes me as disconcerting that the woman felt the need to bring pepper spray with her while on a Christmas shopping trip in the first place. Then there are the smash-and-grab incidents around the country, muggers waiting in dark parking lots for unsuspecting shoppers who have just spent their hard-earned dollars on gifts, only to have them snatched away from them as they walk to their cars. What's next? When I heard that many of the retail stores were going to open at midnight, my immediate reaction was one of concern for the safety of those shoppers who were going to brave the dark parking lots and huge crowds.


I really don't know what to make of all of this, but I could think of a lot more wonderful times than these. It's no wonder that Cyber Monday has gained so much momentum. But what can we do to reverse this trend? Do we retreat to our warm, cozy homes and do all of our shopping online? Do we write pointed letters to the Presidents and Boards of the large chains, such as Walmart and Target pleading with them to learn from this social experiment and put an end to it?

Just Take Action

Today's theme is "Just take action." There are entire books written on the importance of taking action relative to whatever you want to accomplish. Whether you are writing the next great global best-selling novel, writing a song, starting a business, or even just getting started on a project around the house upon which you have been procrastinating.

Tony Robbins, famous American self-help author, motivational speaker, and advisor to leaders from around the world says, "the path to success is to take massive, determined action."

Much of what I do on a daily basis these days is relatively new to me; running, blogging, business consulting, and it can be very easy to by paralyzed by inaction, so I simply try to tell myself each day that I need to take action today. The more the better.

Eckhart Tolle, New York Times Bestselling Author, says, “Any action is often better than no action, especially if you have been stuck in an unhappy situation for a long time. If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it's no longer a mistake. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing.” 

While this seems to make sense, I would like to invite other thoughts or experiences that can either support or dispute the notion that any action is better than no action. 

You don't realize how close you are to success

I have recently taken up running and working out on a quite regular basis. This endeavor began in earnest approximately one and a half months ago, at the beginning of October, 2011. One of my goals was to lose a few pounds (ok...slightly more than a few) as I improved my overall health and endurance. I have also tried to eat a more healthy diet. 

After a month had passed of running several days a week, and no significant weight loss to show for it, I began to question whether or not this was the path that I should continue to achieve my desired results. 

Despite my aching joints and daily soreness, I pressed on. I remembered that Thomas Edison said, "many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." Instead of making excuses to not get out and run, I began to make plans for my next run. I usually run 4-5 days per week, and I have increased the distance from 2 miles up to 4+ miles. 

I am pleased to report that, in the last few weeks, I have really began to notice that I am actually beginning to lose weight and my clothes are beginning to fit better. Running, along with a closer watch on my eating habits, has really become integrated into my lifestyle. Thank you Mr. Edison!

What's new in litter?

I have recently noticed a rise in the amount of a particular type of litter in my neighborhood. This new litter is not only disturbing, but totally unnecessary. The latest fad in litter is: full bags of doggie droppings left in landscaped areas next to sidewalks where people walk their dogs (and where other people walk, jog, and take their children for a stroll). 


This is puzzling to me because these dog owners take the time to carry the bag with them, pick up the droppings, tie off the bag, and then proceed to drop the bag wherever they decide. This is strange in three ways: 1) if you are not going to carry off your litter, why bother to carry a bag with you to pick up after your pet? 2) aren't the actual droppings less harmful to the landscape than the plastic bags? 3) someone still has to pick up that bag after you.


I am having a difficult time understanding the motivation for this behavior. While I applaud pet owners for being responsible and carrying bags with them when they take their dogs for walks, it completely escapes me why a small percentage of dog walkers will simply toss the full bags of droppings in the landscape, creating visually displeasing litter in their own neighborhoods.