I Don’t Believe In Luck

I don’t believe in being lucky. You attract everything positive into your life. “Luck” follows those who work for it. When you get it, it feels like you’re lucky, but you’re actually not.

Most people  just don’t know how to pat themselves on their back for the effort they put in, so they call it luck.

If you want other people to think your amazing, you first have to think your amazing.

 

Stay Positive & Pat Yourself On The Back (I hear doing that brings good luck … )

Garth E. Beyer

“It’s Too Hard To Learn”

In school you learn through memorization. In life you learn through experience.

In both though, life and school, everyone finds themselves muttering from time to time that “it’s just too hard to learn,” and so you don’t pursue it.

Everyone – even myself, who is advocating something important here – forgets that learning is about making mistakes, being wrong, asking stupid questions, and getting a “D”.

There is only one exception to this rule: when you say “it’s too hard to learn,” you are wrong and you learn nothing from it.

 

Let’s grow, learn, and progress in life together and someday we can laugh at the irony of being such a success from so many failures.

 

Stay Positive & Cheers To Those Who Will Go Straight For Attempting The Impossible

Garth E. Beyer

Announcement: Getting It Out There

November 6th is going to be a big day. Not only because it will be my birthday, but because I will be releasing something special. Free of course.

I will also be giving the chance for you all to get rewards such as me being your child’s penpal, adopting one of your artistic creations into my my surprise, a chance to hire a journalist for less than the normal professional rate (that journalist being me), and my personal favorite: a certificate to my soul.

Lastly, I am still looking for housing accommodations for my trip to NYC over the holidays. I can be out of your hair each day off making a ruckus, or I can be just as happy celebrating a day with you in whatever way that may be. If you are willing or know anyone that is willing to house a fun person trying to make something remarkable in the world, email me at thegarthbox@gmail.com

Why We Read: A Pyramid of Life (Information)

One reads to argue; grammatically, mechanically, ideologically. If we can’t argue in one or more of these ways, we pick one piece of a whole that we deem incomplete.

The description and detail does not fulfill our expectations. Not that we had them to begin with, but since we can’t argue one of the three ways posed above, we must find some flaw. Thus, we raise our expectations for information until we can deliver that flaw ourselves.

In other words, in order to argue one thing, we must collect one or more others writings that connect with our own thoughts of why the original piece of work is inadequate.

Simplified: We dig in our minds, as well as research, until we can one-up the concept we are arguing.

I read an article on Brain Pickings today that shared parts of Vannevar Bush’s essay’s. Maria Popova, whom I adore but must argue with, stated the following in response to one of the essay’s excerpts. In addition, she had provided this visual.

“To that end, I often think about the architecture of knowledge as a pyramid of sorts — at the base of it, there is all the information available to us; from it, we can generate some form of insight, which we then consolidate into knowledge; at our most optimal, at the top of the pyramid, we’re then able to glean from that knowledge some sort of wisdom about the world, and our place in it, and what matters in it and why.”

I love pyramids, more specifically though, I love BIG pyramids. Pyramids that contain everything available, everything manageable, everything attainable to make it as large and strong as Goliath. Of course, without the idea that a small pebble or a tap of the foot on it would knock it down.

If you haven’t gathered what I’m pointing out here, it is that this pyramid is incomplete. It’s missing a vital piece of human development and understanding. It’s missing, action. See for yourself.

By action, I clearly mean experience.  You can gather all the information possible, develop as much insight as you can, acquire any related knowledge on that subject from others, but you still won’t have wisdom. Simply because wisdom can only be shared through remarkable stories, and remarkable stories only come from experience.

I have added to this pyramid, I have argued against Bush and Popova, and I have strengthened an understanding of such a broad concept. Why we read, then, comes down to the need for progression, the creation of informational dynamics, and the simple fact that there is always room for improvement.

 

Stay Positive & What Do You Have Too Add

Garth E. Beyer

Been Too Long Since Your Last Adventure?

It’s been awhile since I have updated you on my progress with A Manual For Daily Adventure.

7. Dance.

I had completely forgot that this was on the list. I happened to start dancing in my apartment the other night … yes, I was alone, that didn’t make it any less fun!

20. Try a new restaurant

Always.

72. Write on a napkin.

Two girls, one napkin with my number on it. Still waiting for the second girl to txt me, she was prettttttty.

22. Walk home from work a different way.

I did this and had to walk by a guy who walked behind trees in front of a church and began urinating …

25. Set aside fifteen minutes to write. About anything.

“15 minutes start now, Fear travels through your entire body. Pretty girls need that light, very subtle laugh, it is so adorable. Style has changed so much, and I mean gangnam style is almost becoming the norm. Personally I love mid-high fashion. Writing articles for my employer got really old pretty quickly. I didn’t see how it benefited me anymore. Note to self, don’t get a cappuccino, it doesn’t taste very good. There are about five men that come in the [coffee] shop every single day. I often wonder what they talk about and how they know each other. It isn’t like the five men who all play chess or anything like that. It’s an interesting group, almost as if they don’t want to go home. I’m writing so fast I’m making the water shake in the cup, it reminds me of Jurassic Park It so bad that writing doesn’t warm you up. The real reason for my shakes and fast writing is because I am freezing. How do you hit on girls in a coffee shop? Muffins are delicious … none are better than the ones from middle school but they were so unhealthy. The girl isn’t putting her jacket on for quite possibly the same reason as me. We look good 😀 makes me laugh. I think back to that damn spider. I’m sort of happy its cold again because it prevents the bugs and spiders from creeping on my window. Writing nonstop makes me think back to the writing test, and how you had to write fast. I always wondered why I never did as good with my essays as I thought. Boots are gorgeous on women. I wonder what other companies are like Johnny Cupcakes. John had written about how he knew its a good idea if he writes it down. Does a good idea ever arise from writing like I am now? Overcharging is crazy, it makes me want to bake my own food and pastries to bring with. Hey you might as well do the same with coffee. One girl out of 20+ at a coffee shop. [Unreadable writing] is exciting to make fun of other people. Where will I study abroad? I wonder about making an article in the Madison newspaper called the girl in a Cafe and it will be a creative piece talking about one girl in a cafe obviously. I can write about these girls all the time, when will I ever see them again though. Time runs out so what do you do? Well this exceeds my 15 min writing session. The only question left is will I talk to her before I leave? B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!”

Yes, I wrote all of that in pen. Writing is still my passion but I was too limited within the writing job I had. A second reason to not get a cappuccino is that it packs more of a kick than any other caffeinated drink I’ve had. I free wrote early that morning about a spider that I let survive on the edge of my ceiling above my bed, and then it disappeared when I woke up. I did in fact talk to her, she was one of the girls I gave the napkin with my number on it to.

27. Ask a friend for a book recommendation.

Girl with dragon tattoo.

40. Support a local business owner.

Farmers market and I no longer go to Starbucks, I go to local coffee shop!

41. Take your workout outside.

Run + pullups at the park.

42. Don’t send an email. Walk over to your colleague’s desk.

Easy enough. Exercise is hard to come by in a cubicle.

45. Look up. See the sky.

It was better than art. It was real abstract.

50. Consider the book you’d write.

A book on writing. I am going to use Seth Godin’s Ship It journal to do it!

53. Initiate conversation at the coffee shop.

Would you be surprised that I talk with the Baristas and pretty girls?

56. Sing loudly in the shower/your car/your backyard.

Happened to combine singing loudly with dancing.

57. Doodle.

It was terribly bad doodling, but doodles nevertheless.

59. Allow yourself 5 minutes of nothing.

60. Set out to scare yourself.

-sigh- I’m going to haunted houses …

71. For one day, don’t make any plans.

I’ve done this too many times, unintentionally. Why is it so hard to be booked up?

75. Clean. Throw out junk. Organize

On the phone the other night, a friend of mine said how cool it would be to go through absolutely everything you have and get rid of everything that you don’t vitally need. I laughed and said that is what I have already done.

Jumping at opportunities to check adventures off the list has created one great ongoing experience. It’s a hot conversation starter and motivator for others to do the same. 43 more adventures to have until I complete the list!

 

Stay Positive & Cheers To Adventures

Garth E. Beyer

The Only Math I Will Ever Love

Is the multiplication of our failure rates.

Simply because it’s the quickest way to success. And as my Uncle Chuck has said, it also means you will have tried two, three, four times as hard. That’s an honorable trait to say you have.

 

Stay Positive & Never Give Up, Never Never Give Up

Garth E. Beyer

I Want To Help, But Me First

A group of people were asked what they would do if they no longer had any financial restrictions.

Some said they would travel, some said they would purchase the newest Corvette prototype, some said they would read everything on their book list. These ideas of material or selfish items are the minority.

Most said they would give. Give their time to volunteer, give their personalities to build their communities, give their money through anonymous donations; basically, give their lives to benefit others.

The moment they no longer need to worry – more so financially speaking – about themselves, the more willing they are to help others. This brings about a few questions. Is civilization wrong to not promote initial selflessness (not needing to support yourself first)? Are we naturally selfish? Naturally selfless? Quite frankly, why don’t we do what we want, give? After all, nothing is stopping you from giving.

Unfortunately there is a part missing to this survey: the follow-through. What would these people actually do if they were relieved of their financial restrictions and burdens, finally able to help others the way they dream about?

I’m not entirely sure. What would you do though if economics suddenly turned in your favor?

 

Stay Positive & Give A Little? Give A Lot? It’s Still Giving

Garth E. Beyer