I am taking a break from this blog, I've been a tad too busy with one too many projects but I will start writing again soon.
In the meantime you should all head to my journal/blog and see the Luehmann adventures.
Much Love!
The tragedy of failure
Posted in Life, Success, Thoughts on by
Have you ever made a bad decision? I am sure you are answering yes to that question. If not... well go ahead and talk to a psychiatrist. I have made poor decisions, some of them are big poor decisions, and some are less important. But they all have one thing in common, consequences.
I have had conversations with people that find themselves dealing with failure, and more often than not they seem to think this problem just snuck up on them, but if you back track you can see a long record of small bad decisions that lead to a big consequence.
I started looking at my failures and I realized that just like in everybody else’s case most of them were a small bad decision after the next. And I had to wonder why I kept messing up in the same area over and over again. I realized one small decision doesn’t seem like a big deal, so I kept on doing them.
You know what I am talking about? spending a little too much on clothes you don’t need doesn’t seem like a big deal if you look at the one receipt from last Wednesday, but little by little all those small, “harmless” expenses add up at the end of the year and you find yourself with no savings and struggling to make your payments. Flirting with your co-worker during lunch breaks doesn’t seem like a big deal if you look at one isolated incident, until you find yourself waking up next to her on a “business trip”. Not working out today is not biggie, but then 365 days pass and in 2009 there were barely any workouts and instead you did gain a few pounds and health problems.
Not because a decision does not result in an instant, measurable impact; you can assume it will never have one. The whole tragedy of failure is that we don’t even realize we are bringing it upon us with the small decisions we make. Far worse than smoking that cigarette is thinking it doesn’t matter.
Since the world didn’t end yesterday with our choices why not repeat them all today, right? Well I say no! In 2010 I want to be more aware of failures, how they come about, I want to think about the long term consequences of my decisions done over and over again. I want to make sure every decision matters and I want to own up to those decisions that are simply poor. The idea is to learn from the bad decisions, not to keep doing them.
What things are you doing that seem harmless but could lead up to big consequences you’d rather not deal with? Change those habits, stop thinking it doesn’t matter, and start 2010 avoiding small “harmless” decisions.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I have had conversations with people that find themselves dealing with failure, and more often than not they seem to think this problem just snuck up on them, but if you back track you can see a long record of small bad decisions that lead to a big consequence.
I started looking at my failures and I realized that just like in everybody else’s case most of them were a small bad decision after the next. And I had to wonder why I kept messing up in the same area over and over again. I realized one small decision doesn’t seem like a big deal, so I kept on doing them.
You know what I am talking about? spending a little too much on clothes you don’t need doesn’t seem like a big deal if you look at the one receipt from last Wednesday, but little by little all those small, “harmless” expenses add up at the end of the year and you find yourself with no savings and struggling to make your payments. Flirting with your co-worker during lunch breaks doesn’t seem like a big deal if you look at one isolated incident, until you find yourself waking up next to her on a “business trip”. Not working out today is not biggie, but then 365 days pass and in 2009 there were barely any workouts and instead you did gain a few pounds and health problems.
Not because a decision does not result in an instant, measurable impact; you can assume it will never have one. The whole tragedy of failure is that we don’t even realize we are bringing it upon us with the small decisions we make. Far worse than smoking that cigarette is thinking it doesn’t matter.
Since the world didn’t end yesterday with our choices why not repeat them all today, right? Well I say no! In 2010 I want to be more aware of failures, how they come about, I want to think about the long term consequences of my decisions done over and over again. I want to make sure every decision matters and I want to own up to those decisions that are simply poor. The idea is to learn from the bad decisions, not to keep doing them.
What things are you doing that seem harmless but could lead up to big consequences you’d rather not deal with? Change those habits, stop thinking it doesn’t matter, and start 2010 avoiding small “harmless” decisions.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Home away from home
Posted in Family, Life, Personal on by
Ever since I moved to the states I have referred to Colombia as home. Wherever your family is that's where home is, right? Even as a married woman in my little and cute one bedroom apartment I've said home is Colombia. It's like it is engrained in my brain that home is my country, where I was born, the place that made me who I am today, the one place where I know which way to turn, what is appropriate, what is beautiful, and where my jokes are fully understood. Home is where most of my memories where created.
My family is pretty close, they all see each other at least once a week, so you can imagine how hard it has been for me to be away, and how hard it has been for them that I moved away. For the last two weeks I was in Colombia and even though I have visited once or twice a year since I moved to America; this time was different.
As opposed to any other time I had been there, I came as a family, not an individual. My husband came with me, and even though I knew how all reactions where going to go, how days where going to develop, what people where expecting. There was something new, I was now a family, and at a point during our trip I missed home, and I was confused as I was home.
After two weeks of waking up in rooms full of childhood memories, I woke up in my own room this morning, and I smiled. I knew I was home, where I am supposed to be. This place is mine, I feel like I am in the place where the first memories of a long marriage are being built. This apartment is the first stop in a love story that will be the beginning of my kids' life story.
It is still new to me, this feeling of being home away from home, knowing I am now a family, knowing I belong somewhere that is not Colombia. And to be honest with you I love it. I have realized that home is where my heart is. It is really not about the apartment, or the city of San Diego, it is about my heart belonging to my husband, to my church, to my God, to where I am in life right now.
I think that out of stubbornness I missed on a couple of years where the States could have been home. I missed Colombia so much I refused to call America home, even though my heart was here. It took a husband to allow for me to enjoy a home away from home. Don't miss out, whether single or married call home where your heart is.
For this holiday season I am happy I will be home, for nothing is warmer than the idea of going home after a long day, nothing is sweeter than knowing you have a place where you will always belong no matter what. Wherever you are make sure you enjoy home, you enjoy where your heart is, and you are grateful you can have a home away from home.
Merry Christmas!
My family is pretty close, they all see each other at least once a week, so you can imagine how hard it has been for me to be away, and how hard it has been for them that I moved away. For the last two weeks I was in Colombia and even though I have visited once or twice a year since I moved to America; this time was different.
As opposed to any other time I had been there, I came as a family, not an individual. My husband came with me, and even though I knew how all reactions where going to go, how days where going to develop, what people where expecting. There was something new, I was now a family, and at a point during our trip I missed home, and I was confused as I was home.
After two weeks of waking up in rooms full of childhood memories, I woke up in my own room this morning, and I smiled. I knew I was home, where I am supposed to be. This place is mine, I feel like I am in the place where the first memories of a long marriage are being built. This apartment is the first stop in a love story that will be the beginning of my kids' life story.
It is still new to me, this feeling of being home away from home, knowing I am now a family, knowing I belong somewhere that is not Colombia. And to be honest with you I love it. I have realized that home is where my heart is. It is really not about the apartment, or the city of San Diego, it is about my heart belonging to my husband, to my church, to my God, to where I am in life right now.
I think that out of stubbornness I missed on a couple of years where the States could have been home. I missed Colombia so much I refused to call America home, even though my heart was here. It took a husband to allow for me to enjoy a home away from home. Don't miss out, whether single or married call home where your heart is.
For this holiday season I am happy I will be home, for nothing is warmer than the idea of going home after a long day, nothing is sweeter than knowing you have a place where you will always belong no matter what. Wherever you are make sure you enjoy home, you enjoy where your heart is, and you are grateful you can have a home away from home.
Merry Christmas!
The highway or the scenic road?
Posted in Family, Life on by
I love traveling, I think my love for traveling is inherited as both my Mom and my Dad have always loved going different places and planning vacations. I remember traveling with my Dad he would always plan every day to make sure we were seeing all we had to see and we were having the most fun possible, to him traveling was all about memories.
The most interesting thing about traveling with my Dad is that he would always leave the best for last, whatever me and my sister were anticipating the most was the one thing we would have to wait for the longest. I kind of thought that deep down inside my Dad was into emotional torture, but one year while in Orlando, FL. I discovered he wasn’t.
My sister and I were anticipating Disney’s MGM, out of all of the parks in Orlando, MGM was our favorite; we loved everything about it. The Tower of Terror was there and going on that ride over and over again was almost a family tradition. Every day we would ask my Dad if today was the day we would enter The Twilight Zone at MGM and everyday he would say no, not yet. Well we got a bit upset after a few days and he told us we had to learn to be patient for everything good was worth waiting for.
We finally made it to MGM and it was great to wait for it, if we would have gone first we wouldn’t have enjoyed the other parks as much as we did because MGM is simply amazing for us. MGM was that much amazing because we had to wait for it, it was like the cherry on top of the ice cream. My dad knew it was best to bring MGM later so we would appreciate the whole trip and not go home saying the first park was great but the others were just ok; remember it is all about memories for him.
My Dad’s insistence on us learning patience has been a constant throughout our lives, he has always done things to make sure we understand patience and we appreciate waiting. And a few days ago I was reminded of patience and the invaluable lesson my Dad has been trying to teach us.
Living in big cities my whole life patience is not precisely what I have seen displayed everywhere I go, instead I have witnessed the promotion of instant gratification and NOW! I have a friend who needed a job, he needed a job really bad, and he had been looking for a bit but suddenly a job that he knew wasn’t a good idea came along. When you really really need something your perspective and ability to make wise decisions is usually blurred. My friend took that job, only to find that having it on his resume will cost him far more than whatever waiting for the right door to open would have.
Have you ever been in a similar situation? been offered a business venture that would make you rich in 2 months? met a boy/girl that wanted to skip a few steps in the process of getting to know each other? found a dream that took only blinking to fulfill it? I am sure you have. The problem with such situations is that in most cases you end up more broke than you were when you started, brokenhearted, and empty.
As a Christian I believe we have a purpose, our life is not meaningless and we are here on earth to fulfill said purpose. You know that thing you really really really wish you were doing, yeah that! I also believe patience plays an important role in fulfilling our purpose. If we were to have it right now, without persevering and without being patient, we would either get a fake, quick version of it that would damage us; or we would not now how to appreciate it properly.
I am trying to learn to enjoy the process, learn what my Dad has been trying to teach me for years. After all the end result is just an addition of all the small things that happen before we get there. I am praying for more patience, I am striving to be more patient and whenever I find myself in a situation where patience seems to be the least attractive road and I want to take the highway, I am reluctantly swerving to take the scenic route that will show me things I would have missed by making it 20 minutes earlier to the wrong location.
What about you? Are you taking the highway or the scenic road
The most interesting thing about traveling with my Dad is that he would always leave the best for last, whatever me and my sister were anticipating the most was the one thing we would have to wait for the longest. I kind of thought that deep down inside my Dad was into emotional torture, but one year while in Orlando, FL. I discovered he wasn’t.
My sister and I were anticipating Disney’s MGM, out of all of the parks in Orlando, MGM was our favorite; we loved everything about it. The Tower of Terror was there and going on that ride over and over again was almost a family tradition. Every day we would ask my Dad if today was the day we would enter The Twilight Zone at MGM and everyday he would say no, not yet. Well we got a bit upset after a few days and he told us we had to learn to be patient for everything good was worth waiting for.
We finally made it to MGM and it was great to wait for it, if we would have gone first we wouldn’t have enjoyed the other parks as much as we did because MGM is simply amazing for us. MGM was that much amazing because we had to wait for it, it was like the cherry on top of the ice cream. My dad knew it was best to bring MGM later so we would appreciate the whole trip and not go home saying the first park was great but the others were just ok; remember it is all about memories for him.
My Dad’s insistence on us learning patience has been a constant throughout our lives, he has always done things to make sure we understand patience and we appreciate waiting. And a few days ago I was reminded of patience and the invaluable lesson my Dad has been trying to teach us.
Living in big cities my whole life patience is not precisely what I have seen displayed everywhere I go, instead I have witnessed the promotion of instant gratification and NOW! I have a friend who needed a job, he needed a job really bad, and he had been looking for a bit but suddenly a job that he knew wasn’t a good idea came along. When you really really need something your perspective and ability to make wise decisions is usually blurred. My friend took that job, only to find that having it on his resume will cost him far more than whatever waiting for the right door to open would have.
Have you ever been in a similar situation? been offered a business venture that would make you rich in 2 months? met a boy/girl that wanted to skip a few steps in the process of getting to know each other? found a dream that took only blinking to fulfill it? I am sure you have. The problem with such situations is that in most cases you end up more broke than you were when you started, brokenhearted, and empty.
As a Christian I believe we have a purpose, our life is not meaningless and we are here on earth to fulfill said purpose. You know that thing you really really really wish you were doing, yeah that! I also believe patience plays an important role in fulfilling our purpose. If we were to have it right now, without persevering and without being patient, we would either get a fake, quick version of it that would damage us; or we would not now how to appreciate it properly.
I am trying to learn to enjoy the process, learn what my Dad has been trying to teach me for years. After all the end result is just an addition of all the small things that happen before we get there. I am praying for more patience, I am striving to be more patient and whenever I find myself in a situation where patience seems to be the least attractive road and I want to take the highway, I am reluctantly swerving to take the scenic route that will show me things I would have missed by making it 20 minutes earlier to the wrong location.
What about you? Are you taking the highway or the scenic road
Send flowers, give a backrub, leave a tip!
Posted in Life, Relationships, Social on by
I went to lunch a few weeks ago with a friend from Colombia that was visiting us in San Diego. When the check arrived he offered to pay, I agreed and offered to the tip. When he saw that I left a good 22% he said wow somebody works in the service industry.
Well he’s right, about 30% of my income comes from tips, so I know what it feels like when people don’t tip you enough or at all. But the reason our server got a good tip was because he did a phenomenal job, and on top of that I wanted to bless him since I was being blessed with lunch.
I’ve been to that restaurant a few times, and my husband who is a very friendly guy has talked to all the servers and has made them all laugh, so by now all of the servers know me and are incredibly cordial to me. Last week when we were there one of the servers that wasn’t assigned to my table saw we had an expired coupon for 50% off, and brought us a new one to make sure we got the discount. They often offer us a complimentary glass of wine and they always give us the most amazing service.
As I was thinking about the whole thing, and talking to some of my coworkers about it, we realized the reason we leave good tips is because of how we feel when people leave good tips to us. It makes us feel appreciated, and it makes us want to work as hard as possible to serve people the best way we can.
Sometimes is not even about money, I remember one particular customer that left a 20% tip for me but was incredibly rude. I was walking away from him to bring him change at one point and he said “that’s ok darling”. Since it wasn’t the first time I had been called darling by a stranger I turned around and said thank you sir. To what he replied “I am not talking to you, why would I talk you?” And right there and then his tip meant nothing to me and a frown took over my face. I got over it pretty quickly because I don’t usually dwell on those kinds of things, but if he ever comes back to the restaurant I will probably get the frown back within seconds.
I am not saying it is our responsibility to make people’s days great, we all know it lies on each individual to enjoy their days. But what if we can add to someone’s joy? What if with our actions we can let people know we understand they don’t have to serve us, and we really appreciate they are doing it anyways? I am telling you, being appreciative with your words, actions and with your wallet opens doors in ways you would have never expected them.
There are so many opportunities to say thank you and act accordingly to that gratitude. The cashier at the grocery store would appreciate a smile and a little conversation. Your property manager would appreciate a nice thank you card with a piece of candy or a couple flowers. Your spouse could use an unusual act of appreciation, a nice meal, flowers. Your parents could use a call to tell them you appreciate and love them, your pastors would appreciate an act of gratefulness towards them. Opportunities are everywhere, so I say let’s take as many as we can, and let’s make sure people know we are grateful for them.
Well he’s right, about 30% of my income comes from tips, so I know what it feels like when people don’t tip you enough or at all. But the reason our server got a good tip was because he did a phenomenal job, and on top of that I wanted to bless him since I was being blessed with lunch.
I’ve been to that restaurant a few times, and my husband who is a very friendly guy has talked to all the servers and has made them all laugh, so by now all of the servers know me and are incredibly cordial to me. Last week when we were there one of the servers that wasn’t assigned to my table saw we had an expired coupon for 50% off, and brought us a new one to make sure we got the discount. They often offer us a complimentary glass of wine and they always give us the most amazing service.
As I was thinking about the whole thing, and talking to some of my coworkers about it, we realized the reason we leave good tips is because of how we feel when people leave good tips to us. It makes us feel appreciated, and it makes us want to work as hard as possible to serve people the best way we can.
Sometimes is not even about money, I remember one particular customer that left a 20% tip for me but was incredibly rude. I was walking away from him to bring him change at one point and he said “that’s ok darling”. Since it wasn’t the first time I had been called darling by a stranger I turned around and said thank you sir. To what he replied “I am not talking to you, why would I talk you?” And right there and then his tip meant nothing to me and a frown took over my face. I got over it pretty quickly because I don’t usually dwell on those kinds of things, but if he ever comes back to the restaurant I will probably get the frown back within seconds.
I am not saying it is our responsibility to make people’s days great, we all know it lies on each individual to enjoy their days. But what if we can add to someone’s joy? What if with our actions we can let people know we understand they don’t have to serve us, and we really appreciate they are doing it anyways? I am telling you, being appreciative with your words, actions and with your wallet opens doors in ways you would have never expected them.
There are so many opportunities to say thank you and act accordingly to that gratitude. The cashier at the grocery store would appreciate a smile and a little conversation. Your property manager would appreciate a nice thank you card with a piece of candy or a couple flowers. Your spouse could use an unusual act of appreciation, a nice meal, flowers. Your parents could use a call to tell them you appreciate and love them, your pastors would appreciate an act of gratefulness towards them. Opportunities are everywhere, so I say let’s take as many as we can, and let’s make sure people know we are grateful for them.
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