Self-Catraz 1 - The first in a series of posts about Self-Catraz
 The Poem: “Self-Catraz” – Your Personal Prison
I am reduced to a number
My home is made of stone and steel
I stand alone in my misery
Alone
My heart aches
Alone
No choices to make
Afraid
Of what might be
Afraid
What will happen to me?
Dreams vanquished
Plans undone
My hearts song
Left unsung
Prison
What it’s done to me
Diane Broos
The Article: Self-catraz - Escaping Your Personal Prison
By Diane Broos
Do you feel as though you are dying on the vine of life? Let me encourage you; it’s never too late! Don’t spend another day in Self-catraz being constrained from living the life of your dreams. Act today; think different, do different and be different.
Has the key to my cell been thrown away? Is it too late for me?
Not many of us have been incarcerated in a formal prison. Yet many are self-imprisoned in Self-catraz, living non-authentic lives. This past summer... read more
Life Lessons Learned From Liam
 Yes, it’s true! It’s possible to learn what’s really important in life as seen and shared by a 2-½ year old boy named Liam. Of course I’m rather partial, he is after all my grandson and “Grandma’s Little Man”.
Come along with me on one of our little adventures…
Liam and I like to go for a walks. It seems I always have a purpose in mind and Liam just simply enjoys the journey. While I’m focused on getting there, he has other ideas in mind. It becomes very clear Liam has yet to hear... read more
Just Keep Shaking It Off!
 Sometimes in life you find yourself in a pit so deep that it seems as if there is no way out. Remember, “It’s your life and you call the shots, it’s not over until you say it’s over, no matter what!
This is the story of the mule that fell into a deep dark pit one day. He was in there wondering what to do. Some time later the farmer heard a sound that he was unfamiliar with. As any good farmer would do he walked his land in the direction of this unbearable noise. When the farmer looked down into the pit, (which by the way, he almost fell into himself) he saw that it was his prize mule. Not only was the farmer shocked and concerned for his animal but also for his own ability to get the mule out.
The cry of the mule became unbearable and... read more
Some Rules Kids Won't Learn in School by Charles B. Sykes
Rule No. 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teen-ager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they started hearing it from their own kids, they realized Rule No. 1.
Rule No. 2: The real world won't care as much about your self-esteem as much as your school does. It'll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain that it's not fair. (See Rule No. 1)
Rule No. 3: Sorry, you won't make $40,000 a year right out of high school. And you won't be a vice president or have a car phone either. You may even have to wear a uniform that doesn't have a Gap label.
Rule No. 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait 'til you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he's not going to ask you how you feel about
it.
Rule No. 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity. They weren't embarrassed making minimum wage either. They would have been embarrassed to sit around talking about Kurt Cobain all weekend.
Rule No. 6: It's not your parents' fault. If you screw up, you are responsible. This is the flip side of "It's my life," and "You're not the boss of me," and other eloquent proclamations of your generation. When you turn 18, it's on your dime. Don't whine about it, or you'll sound like a baby boomer.
Rule No. 7: Before you were born your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning up your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. And by the way, before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.
Rule No. 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers. Life hasn't. In some schools, they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. Failing grades have been abolished and class valedictorians scrapped, lest anyone's feelings be hurt. Effort is as important as results. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life. (See Rule No. 1, Rule No. 2 and Rule No. 4.)
Rule No. 9: Life is not divided into semesters, and you don't get summers off. Not even Easter break. They expect you to show up every day. For eight hours. And you don't get a new life every 10 weeks. It just goes on and on. While we're at it, very few jobs are interested in fostering your self-expression or helping you find yourself. Fewer still lead to self-realization. (See Rule No. 1 and Rule No. 2.)
Rule No. 10: Television is not real life. Your life is not a sitcom. Your problems will not all be solved in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to jobs. Your friends will not be as perky or pliable as Jennifer Aniston.
Rule No. 11: Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them. We all could.
Rule No. 12: Smoking does not make you look cool. It makes you look moronic. Next time you're out cruising, watch an 11-year-old with a butt in his mouth. That's what you look like to anyone over 20. Ditto for "expressing yourself" with purple hair and/or pierced body parts.
Rule No. 13: You are not immortal. (See Rule No. 12.) If you are under the impression that living fast, dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse is romantic, you obviously haven't seen one of your peers at room temperature lately.
Rule No. 14: Enjoy this while you can. Sure parents are a pain, school's a bother, and life is depressing. But someday you'll realize how wonderful it was to be a kid. Maybe you should start now. You're welcome.
To read the story behind this particular urban myth and the reality about about Bill Gates and the origins of this list, click here to go to Snopes.com and enjoy the story about this and many other urban myths.
Click here to find out more information about the author, Charles J. Sykes
Life Lesson #3 - You're In The People Business
Do you live on planet earth?
Then, like it or not, prepared or not, you’re in the people business!
“A gossip is one who talks to you about other people. A bore is one who talks to you about himself. And a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself.”
William King
We all have special abilities. Like it or not whatever you do or wherever you go people will be involved somehow. Ever notice wherever you go, there they are? Ask a mother who tries to hide out of plain sight just so she can catch her breath and within seconds there’s a tug on her leg.
Be involved in the lives of other people:
Years ago I knew someone who would seek me out in order to have a conversation (or so I thought), until they would ask a question of me all the while looking around the rest of the room. I don’t know about you but it’s strange trying to have a conversation with someone who is not totally present. You would think having lived through the teenage years of my girls I would have been immune to that ?
It’s not all about you:
Take the time to catch up on the lives of others. No matter what you are doing with your own life always make time for the ups and downs of those around you. If they need a shoulder to cry on give them one of yours. If they need someone to share some good news with, be a good listener. When we think of communication we seem to focus on the what and how we say things, however the best communicators are the best listeners. Listening is an art, and more and more a lost one.
People have an innate desire:
More than anything people want to have a sense of belonging and a reason for being. We want to know that we not only matter but that we make a difference in the lives of others. We want to be needed and encouraged. What is life all about if it’s not about people? In the end people will be left with either good or bad memories of you. Along with leaving a good impression there will be some people that no matter what you do it won’t be enough. Find a place where who and what you are makes a difference. What is the legacy that you want to leave behind? What changes do you need to make? After you determine what it is, make a plan and follow through.
How do you want to be treated?
When I was growing up one of the best lessons my Mother taught me was to treat other people the way you want to be treated. She also taught me to be generous with whatever you have, for even the little you may have could revolutionize someone else’s life. This has stood me in great stead not only my life but also the lives of my children. We have always fought for the underdog, and we always will! When you fight for the less fortunate there is no greater gift than to see them stand on their own two feet, or to see them come out from under something.
“The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it found out by accident.”
Charles Lamb
Some people may not think that people skills are important, however, great companies and organizations understand that there is power in people if given the chance. In fact they are more likely to hire for people skills with the ability to teach the basics.
“As we look into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
Bill Gates
So much negativity but you can make a difference, start today:
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."
John Wesley
Life Takes All The Courage You Can Give It.
What’s required of you in your quest?
C onstantly
O vercoming
U nfavourable circumstances
R ising up
A gainst all odds
G racefully
E xceeding Expectations
1. Constantly:Find Out What’s In Your Heart...
Be True To Yourself And Pursue It!
The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don’t let them put you in that position.
Leo Buscaglia
After you’ve decided on your direction, you must be prepared to be faithful to the process, following steadfastly in the direction of your dream.
In this phase passion plays a major role in your success. When we are passionate about something, we live and breathe its complexities. It affects how we think, what we say and how we see. It will seem as though everything reminds you of your passion. In this stage it is imperative that you remain resolute and unshakable no matter what comes your way.
Know this, most anything worth achieving will require something from you. You might even have to white knuckle it until you can see where you’re going. However, in the end the price will be well worth the sacrifice.
In order to get and maintain results in any area we must constantly and consistently take care of even the smallest details. Athletes know this better than all of us. They will consistently train to reach their goal, rain or shine, happy or sad, energetic, worn out or in pain. Their goal of course, is to win.
2. Overcoming:Your Mind Is The Battlefield.
Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.
Joshua J. Marine
An overcoming attitude begins first in your mind and then translates into action. Whether you win or lose it’s up to you and how you choose. Winners must employ self-discipline in what they chose to think about.
I know for myself there are some roads I won’t allow my mind to venture down because they are simply too painful. You will have to purpose in your heart to focus on something else. The good news, after you do this several times it will become a habit, and you will rarely even think of those areas.
When engulfed in a trial refuse to even consider failure. Don’t listen to the voices that say it can’t be done, or that your dreams are too big. Don’t allow the absence of encouragement or lack of support to pull you out of your race.
If anything use these negatives to catapult you forward. Sometimes, the best lessons in life with the most favourable outcomes are born out of the most suffering. If you have ever given birth you know what I mean. Men, you’ll just have to use your imagination.
3. Unfavourable Circumstances: There Is No Perfect Life.
The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.
Thomas Carlyle
As a mother I like to think that I have instilled in my children values and strengths that will enable them in their journey. One of the jokes in my family is that when Mom calls or emails there is always a second just because there is always “one more thing” for me to say.
So, a couple of years ago I said to my girls, ”oh, by the way, there’s one more thing I need to say, “ Just in case I forgot, to tell you, life isn’t easy, and the proverbial Cinderella life doesn’t exist.” They said I had already taught them that! I guess it was just another opportunity to exercise my “ One more thing rule.”
No matter what it may look like from the outside looking in there is no perfect life, because most people wear masks in order to hide.
Just a reminder to you as you read this article, don’t be alarmed when you face the storms of life. They come to all of us. What sets the winners apart from the losers in this game of life is how you view the storm.
Which brings me to the next point…
4. Rising Up:Life Is Like A Boxing Match.
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.
Helen Keller
When I think of rising up it takes me back to my childhood. For the first 6 years of my life I grew up in Toronto. My grandfather was an avid fan of boxing. It didn’t hurt to have George Chuvalo, who was the reigning Canadian Heavyweight Boxing Champion for 21 years, from 1958 to 1979 live across the street from our house. I remember seeing him step out the front door of his parents’ home in order to train outdoors; which I am reminded of when I watch the Rocky movies with Sylvester Stallone. Needless to say, I grew up with the same passion for boxing as my grandfather.
Through the years I have discovered that life itself is like a boxing match. Sometimes you are in training for the fight and sometimes you enter the ring of life. Just like boxing life sometimes throws us a few punches, some of which take longer than others to recover from, and sometimes only to find that when you do stand back up again you are taken by surprise by yet another blow. Through out your life you will find yourself in that ring numerous times
One things for sure, never be found punching someone when they are down or aid in keeping them there for your own personal benefit. Ask yourself; do you want to be remembered for helping people up from their fall or for knocking people down for your own gain?
The life lesson here is that falling doesn’t take you out of the fight, it’s the failing to rise one more time from the fall that will be the end of you. Keep rising up, you were created for a higher purpose!
5. Against all Odds:You Can Beat The Odds.
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt
We’ve all watched and listen to stories about people who have beaten the odds. I have always been fascinated by these stories and by the people that live to tell about them. So many stories of near death experiences, betrayal, loss of family members, war, violent crime, and loss of life and limb.
We watch intensely to see what these people look like and what they are made of. We look for every detail to find out what makes them rise from the ashes. What we discover is that they are human, just like us. What sets them apart is that they focus not on the past but on the future and what it will take to rebuild their lives. They rise above the odds and break the barriers that would hold them back.
In your life it may be, negative circumstances, hostility because you’re different, rejection, hatred or perhaps a lack of the encouragement when we need it the most, perhaps from those that should be in the business of encouragement (which by the way we all should be). Give away to others that which wasn’t available for you and in the end it will all come back to you!
Whatever it is in your life, you will have to dig down deep and refuse to let what others say or do stop you. In fact use their ignorance to your advantage as motivation to keep reaching for what God has set before you!
6. Gracefully: Two Ways To Face A Challenge.
Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can
At all the times you can
To all the people you can
As long as ever you can!
John Wesley
The word grace is such a wonderful word, filled with characteristics that set someone who carries it apart from others. Think of a person who is full of grace as a person who is filled with compassion, generous of spirit and their ability to put the needs of others before themselves. They are filled with kindness, saturated in forgiveness and a never-ending supply of mercy for others.
What does this have to do with courage? It has everything to do with our attitude and how we face challenges.
There are two ways people face challenges. Which category do you fall in?
UNGRACEFULLY:
Everyone around you can’t help but see that you are in a battle. Your actions and words are abrasive to others and you build up a wall around you. God help the person that asks if anything is wrong. Not only will you not apologize for your actions but you will refuse to share your plight. No wonder people back away, there is no winning with you!
GRACEFULLY:
There is an old song whose lyrics go like this, “Grey skies are going to clear up, put on a happy face.” This is how you begin to see the sun again. While it is good for us to share with a friend what we are facing we shouldn’t make everyone else pay for our challenges, after all, they have their own to deal with. The best way out is to help someone else. Focus on blessing others and you will feel better instantly!
7. Exceeding Expectations: Don’t Always Look For A Way Out!
What you are is God’s gift to you;
What you do with yourself is your gift to God.
Danish Proverb
How do you know how strong you are and what you are capable of unless you take the courage to overcome the storms of life? Don’t be the kind of person who always looks for a way out. If the truth be told, perhaps you should be looking for a way in.
Some of you are so focused on looking good to others that you are afraid to take chances, and follow your heart. Some people are so obsessed with what they think is success, which to them is an accumulation of stuff without the character to go along with it. What good are you to others if that is all you are concerned about?
True success is helping people walk out what’s in their heart. Those are the memories that you will take with you and be rewarded for when you leave this earth. You certainly won’t be able to take your stuff. Don’t get me wrong I’m not against having stuff, but if that’s your only focus you will miss the mark.
If you fail trying, just dust yourself off and keep going. I wouldn’t want someone who shrinks from battles to cover my back. The fact is, I am most impressed with those who have gone through battles and come out the other side, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. These are the people I tend to surround myself with. Remember you become most like those you hang around with.
The most exciting life is where a person takes chances, risks being used and thrown away and marches to the beat of a different drummer in spite of the risks. Which drumbeat are you marching to? Here’s a clue, listen for your own!
It is far better to have a few great friends that watch your back, than an army of acquaintances.
Diane L. Broos
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This book is awesome! It shows us through the stories of others that extraordinary events in our lives happen for a reason. It is packed with the true stories of both everyday and famous people such as , Billy Graham, Tim Conway, Rudolph Giuliani to name just a few.
I was out one day for lunch with my cousin Elaine and one of the topics we like to discuss are great books. Elaine asked, “Have you read the book, for one more day?” I hadn’t heard of it but recognized the author, Mitch Albom, who had also written, Tuesday’s with Morrie; a wonderful book.
I happen to be one of those people who hears about a new book and immediately goes out to buy it and read it. A few months ago when my husband and I joined some friends for dinner, my friend Janice mentioned “
This months’ review is about the book “
As part of this web site we will be featuring book reviews that we believe are life changing and eye opening when applied to your life. These reviews will cover all topics. You may not agree with what you read but if a book evokes an emotion then it has done part of what the author has set out to accomplish.
I don’t profess to know anything about surfing however I believe I have heard surfers say, “You have to ride the wave” and, so it is with life. The pulse of life ebbs and flows, however, compared with eternity it is but a blink of an eye
