ARE YOU ON THE RIGHT ROAD? How many times over the course of your life time have you been told things to the effect of “do whatever makes you happy,” or “go out and chase your dreams”? Probably quite a few, right? So to those who have actively pursued those dreams or you embarked on a course that you felt made you happy, how many of those people who were once encouraging you to do whatever you wanted to in the pursuit of happiness and fulfillment were actually supporting you? I ask this because for a lot of us, we find that as we embark on our goals or the paths to happiness—like legitimate happiness—those people who were once our biggest cheerleaders have in some ways or another become our greatest obstacles. It could be because their behavior or the way they communicate with you has changed. Or, even worse, you may have encountered those types of people that will smile to your face and tell you everything you want to hear, but the second you turn around, they’re sticking the proverbial knife into your back. Many times, on the podcast, I have gone on the air and declared that we have this one life to live, and what we do with it has a lot to do with how we approach the time we have here. No, not everything is going to be smooth sailing. It’s not supposed to be. If everything was as smooth as silk, then we wouldn’t have the type of appreciation we actually need to embrace whatever accomplishments we achieved. I know this all too well from personal experience. My road to my happiness is different from yours. My path does not necessarily share the same area yours might. And that’s ok. There is no owner’s manual that gives us the clear path to the life we want. Now, all depending on what you feel is your ultimate goal in terms of happiness and fulfillment, this is where the lines become a little sketchy. It will also determine who truly has your back and was sincere in the words of encouragement they spoke not all that long before you took your first step onto the path that you’re embarking on. This is also the time that we, as individuals, take a good long look at ourselves and figure out how important are these goals and are they worth withstanding the challenges the certainly await you on your travels. It doesn’t have to be overly complicated. It comes down to this: if you want it, go get it. Even when things seem too hard or the ramifications appear to be too much, go get it. Because no one is going to hand you a silver platter with your happiness on it. Sometimes, all depending on what you’ve got to do in order to live the life you want, you’re going to ruffle feathers. You’re going to piss people off. You will probably lose a friendship or several. It happens. But you know what I’ve found during the course of a rather bumpy road to get to my personal promise land, that your true supports—friends and family—will have your back and continue to lift you up, even when you feel like you have no strength left to stand on your own two feet. It’s almost therapeutic in a way. Because during this process—albeit an emotionally challenging one—you’re more or less dropping the “dead weight” from your shoulders. And even though there’s a degree of pain that can be associated with that, you’re really doing yourself a favor by eliminating that level of toxicity from your life, even if you didn’t realize at the time how toxic that person or relationship/friendship was at the time. We have one life to live. We have this one chance to be who we want to be. To be with who we want to be with. To be where we want to be. Sure, life may have taken you down different paths to lead you to where you are now. But there’s nothing that says that you have stay at that destination if that’s not where you feel like the best version of yourself. That’s the key—honestly figuring out what you want in this world and what you want to get out of it. If where you’re at is not where you want to be, it’s time to change course and embark on a new journey…one that leads to your promise land.
YOU CAN'T SAVE THEM ALL, HASSLEHOFF One of the key reasons why Clouse to the Heart was established was to attempt to focus on the silver lining in life, a reminder that not every single aspect of life sucks. In fact, despite all the division currently trying to rip our communities and nation as a whole apart, there are still “good things” in life. Sometimes, we just have to be reminded that there are still good things happening. But, more often than not, the good in life is overshadowed by a constant barrage of negativity. I am one that refuses to get sucked into a vortex of hate and negativity. I will strive to find the silver lining, and in turn, try to help those around me focus on more of the optimistic side of this game called life. More often than not, they are very receptive of the attempts to focus on the good things and put the opposite side of the spectrum on the back burner. But there are exceptions, as I have found out rather unceremoniously. Recently, I decided I was going to try to “rally the troops,” a group of people I’m around and exposed to on a very regular basis. A group of people where morale is low and seemingly sinking with each passing day. As I looked at the situation—knowing full well that I wouldn’t be able to reach every single person—I actually felt like I could make a significant difference in boosting morale by focusing on the good things at our disposal and not so much of the things that tend to bring us down. It was a long shot, especially considering that this certain contingent of people come from all walks of life, at different stages of their lives, each with different views of the world around us. Some of my friends lobbied for me to not do it. “You’re wasting your time,” they said to me. “These people will never respond the way you want or hope,” another said. Still, I was going to try. Because, after all, you never know unless you try. I filmed a video that was geared specifically to this group of men and women, focusing on the positives that were presented to us. I knew during the process of the filming that there were people who were going to rip the video apart. I knew I was opening myself up to a degree of criticism. I knew it wouldn’t resonate with everyone. I knew it. But I was also hopeful that the ones who were responsive would use this message to help boost those around them, the men and women who were instrumental in the poor and deteriorating morale, that maybe if people reshifted their focus, that there could be a way to get on a more productive path. I was optimistic that I could do some good. I was hopeful that I could make the needle move at least a little bit. There was a large lump in my throat as I uploaded the video to a private Facebook group page, exclusive to the target audience. But I was optimistic that I could do some good. I was mistaken. In the few days after the video was uploaded, the feedback—which had started as positive—quickly turned sour. The negative comments were far outweighing the positive ones. And I remember thinking of something one of my good friends had told me. “You can’t save them all, Hasslehoff,” a common phrase I had used from time to time. And now they were using it on me. And they were right. I couldn’t “save” them. I couldn’t make them see that not all aspects are doom and gloom. Fact is, as I’ve learned, there are people who would much rather be miserable and present themselves in a negative light just because. There’s no rhyme or reason, that’s just their approach. People like that are just unfortunately stuck in that mindset. For whatever reason, they are just content being unhappy all the time, and in turn, get some sort of sick satisfaction of making other people feel as bad as they do. It’s sad, really. But the failed experiment of “rallying the troops” is not going to derail my attempts to boost people’s morale, to give them words of encouragement, or to let me know that there is, in this day and age, the silver lining in life. There will always be a faction of people who just do not want to put in the effort of being good people, because for whatever reason, it’s “easier” to be miserable. And the sole source of entertainment for those kind of people is to make other feel as bad as they do. I don’t know, maybe its their way of feeling like they’re not alone. But they will be. Because the worse people are treated, the further they will distance themselves from that kind of person. Eventually, that miserable person will find themselves alone. Because at the end of the day, people don’t like to be treated like crap. As for me, I will continue my mission to focus on the silver lining of life. Because, if only one person benefits from my attempts, it’s worth it
THE CLOUSE TO THE HEART Welcome to the new Clouse to the Heart website, a new endeavor under our brand of motivational and inspiring content. We wanted to create a one-stop place to get all of the information under the CTTH umbrella. With our shows spread out over multiple online platforms, this is our attempt to have one place for everything CTTH. What can you expect from the CTTH website? Here, we will post links to the latest podcasts and YouTube episodes as well as exclusive blogs, news, upcoming events—either online or in person (once we get past the restrictions associated with the pandemic), and a brand new merchandise store powered by our friends at CafePress.com, that will feature exclusive apparel, mugs, masks, and other great CTTH gear. You can check out all the latest exclusive designs at cafepress.com/ctthstore. We have also included a message board that is geared to our amazing supporters of CTTH to give your feedback, questions, show topic ideas, and other such things. CTTH will discuss a variety of topics, ranging from pop culture, professional wrestling, and above all else, ways to look at the silver lining in life. The blog will also include original poetry and other forms of communication. Basically, it’s anything that’s close to our hearts. The website is still a work in progress, but we couldn’t wait to launch this new project. Since we launched the CTTH project in 2019, the amount of support has been nothing short of humbling. And without you, there wouldn’t be a reason to do all of this. So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
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