Questions of Work, Life, Success, and Self

"I'll make sure you're having a good time, and that you're okay with everything. I just won't be well mannered about it.”

-- Samantha Young

 

How will you have better days until you are hopeful?

I am never without hope. I have much faith in hope, so I never lose it. I thought I lost it, once. I thought my life was over. This was the time I learned that misery was just another lesson we are to learn to get over in this existence.

Everything is a choice or decision, and we are here to learn how to make good ones. Bad ones are simply an opportunity to learn why we went wrong; why we zigged when we should have zagged.

Every day we wake up on this side of the dirt is a good day. Each morning we should thank God for the gift of another glorious day in paradise and another chance to excel in this life. The alternative simply sucks.

What is the most unprofessional thing a police officer ever said to you while giving you a traffic ticket?

In the mid-1970s a California Highway Patrolman gave me a ticket for excessive speed. I was tired so my friend suggested he drive for a while. As we were switching seats the patrolman got on his PA system and said, “Ah! Fresh meat.” I grabbed my friend's arm before he could give the ass the finger. I always thought the CHP could learn some lessons in civility from the Washington State Patrol.

How has inflation been a negative force in your life in a personal way?

Do you mean, everything costs significantly more so you have no money at the end of the month? Because you have no money you hope your children don’t get sick because you can’t afford it? Because gas costs so much you can’t go anywhere but work and home? You eat scrambled eggs because there aren’t enough for everyone to have one egg over easy? You add water to the juice in a 50/50 mix so it goes farther? Oh, wait… we’re going through this NOW! Silly me. Don’t forget to vote!

“Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair.”

-- Sam Ewing

What is a stand you took for taking extended time off work that you will never apologize for?

I was one of those lucky individuals who never had to take a stand in my 46 years of employment history. I always liked what I did, and I always worked for reasonable employers. I never refused work and they never refused time off for cause.

What if laziness never existed?

A lot more people would have been looking for gainful employment, instead of sucking from the public teat. With more people working, infrastructure wouldn’t be a political talking point, and the current administration would still have no reason to saddle the future great-grandchildren of my kids with the yoke of debt they’ll never get out from under. Heck, the current administration would actually be working at their job instead of playing the blame game. What a concept. 

What bridges are you glad that you burned?

Marriage. I was burned so badly by it, I returned the favor. I find it so much more satisfying to live in sin.

“Burning bridges behind you is understandable. It's the bridges before us that we burn, not realizing we may need to cross, that brings regret.”

-- Anthony Liccione

Do you agree with therapists who claim that "failure is part of the success equation"?

Yes. Failure is nothing more than an opportunity to learn, to critique why you failed, try again, and keep moving forward.

How exactly does someone find their Michael Jordan-level talent?

Practice, practice, practice, and then go practice again. Always strive for excellence in your talent.

Why do emotionally intelligent leaders understand that their success or failure rests on the quality of their relationships with others?

They don’t necessarily have to be intelligent, as much as smart. Anyone with good sense would know this. Even a lowly supervisor, or a team leader, will find out, in short order, that firm but fair relationships with great communication and honest kudos to those who deserve it, will garner respect as well as the timely production of a well-produced product.

“Pick a leader who is strong and confident, yet humble. Intelligent, but not sly. A leader who encourages diversity, not racism. One who understands the needs of the farmer, the teacher, the welder, the doctor, and the environmentalist -- not only the banker, the oil tycoon, the weapons developer, or the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbyist.”

-- Suzy Kassem

Should you change your "habits or personality" just because someone else doesn't like them?

Only if she has a dominating personality, a whip, and is great in bed.

Who decides what you can and cannot do?

A woman with a dominating personality, a whip, and is great in bed. Oh, and the legal system of whichever country I happen to be in, of course.

Is the idea of pacing oneself antiquated?

Not if she has a dominating personality, a whip, and is great in bed. Hey! Three questions and the dominatrix with the whip got some mileage! 

"Are you visiting women? Do not forget your whip."

-- Friedrich Nietzsche

What is common in ethics and values?

Morality, if we’re discussing good ethics and values.

What is a short personal vision about yourself?

Well, I’m nearsighted, so my personal vision is already corrupt. I try hard to stand by my personal code of moral ethics, without pushing them on others or judging those who come up short. My ethics are for me, not necessarily for others. I am not the best-looking guy, but not bad for approaching 70, nor am I an intelligent brainiac, but I’ve been told I have a great personality and I think I’m pretty smart. At least I can chew gum and walk at the same time.

Which mantra should I chant to remove obstacles?

"Get out of my way. Get out of my way. Get out of my way. Get out of my way."

If this doesn’t work, try removing, ignoring, or finding a way to go around them. I'm not sure a chant is really going to help unless it’s to build your self-confidence for the work ahead.

“I will act now. I will act now. I will act now. Henceforth, I will repeat these words each hour, each day, every day, until the words become as much a habit as my breathing, and the action which follows becomes as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids. With these words, I can condition my mind to perform every action necessary for my success. I will act now. I will repeat these words again and again and again. I will walk where failures fear to walk. I will work when failures seek rest. I will act now for now is all I have. Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy. I am not lazy. Tomorrow is the day when the failure will succeed. I am not a failure. I will act now. Success will not wait. If I delay, success will become wed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the person.”

-- Og Mandino

If we are not the product of our circumstances, then what product are we?

We are, not only, the product of specifically our circumstances, but our circumstances that we inherited from our parents or from the environment around us. Circumstances are things that create who we are, and if they create who we are, they are considered our circumstances, whether we like them or not. If someone feels they are not the product of circumstances, that would be, in fact, a circumstance.

What happened to the days when kids could build a go-cart or a minibike on their own?

Social media and a lack of good parenting? Luckily, some parents still put a lot of stock in raising children to be smart as well as intelligent. I’m not so sure “shop” classes are a requirement in school, since everything else seems to be elective, like math, science, history, reading….

Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one. Can someone explain this to me?

It would be a lot easier not to go to school. The right path in today's society is to get an education so you have options available to you. Getting an education isn’t as easy as sucking from the public teat for things you haven’t earned, but it does present many advantages that social welfare doesn’t. Those that have no schooling available, also have the option to learn from the school of “hard knocks” which also isn’t very easy, and can be much harder and dangerous.

“Only on the hard path can you actualize your potential, grow, mature, have peak human experiences, and enjoy epiphanies. The hard path alone allows you to fulfill yourself. The easy path destroys your soul.”

-- Thomas Stark

If you’re a successful person, what would you advise to people that don’t know where to start but wanted to become like you?

Start by getting over yourself. Admit that you’re not all that and then learn to be truly happy always and in all things. Now that you’re truly successful, truly happy, you can begin to achieve whatever goal you desire.

True happiness is success and not many people can achieve it. They’re happy, but they’re not truly happy, probably because they keep expecting money and achievement to bring happiness. It will, of course, but this happiness is fleeting because it relies on something other than you to create it. If you can’t be truly happy always and in all things, how do you expect achieving your goal or buying crap to bring you true and lasting happiness?

I am so thankful to God for all humans but would like to acknowledge those who share inspiring advice that promotes meaningful reflections about life. What encourages you lovely people to do this?

Life! I wake up each morning and thank God for the gift of another day in paradise and another chance to excel in life. Any day you find yourself on this side of the dirt is a great day, indeed. I have learned to be happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstance, because the alternative simply sucks.

What makes you feel great about your job?

Enjoyment. I enjoyed doing every job I ever was hired for. It wasn’t that they weren’t hard or didn’t have moments that would make one wonder why you’re there, they did. It was that I embraced the job as if it were of my own making. What really makes me feel great about all the jobs I’ve held, however, is that they allowed me to retire early, happy, and fulfilled. If you’re in a job you don’t enjoy, you really need to find one that’s right for you, that makes you happy always.

“If you love your work, if you enjoy it, you're already a success.”

-- Jack Canfield

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as a chaplain at the regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony:  tolerantpastor@gmail.com