The World Is Too Much With US

This is a poem written by William Wordsworth in 1807. It’s not too often that I go around reading poetry, So I figured I would share a poem with you that is always stuck in my head. I read it about 15 years ago, memorized a different Wordsworth poem, But this one always stuck with me as well.

Even though it was written just about 200 years ago I can still relate to it which, in my opinion, makes it a great poem

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William Wordsworth: The World Is Too Much with US (1807)

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,

The winds that will be howling at all hours,

And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,

For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

It moves us not.–Great God! I’d rather be

A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; (1)

So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, (2)

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

Have sight of Proteus (3)rising from the sea;

Or hear old Triton (4) blow his wreathed horn.

(1) Brought up in an outdated religion.
(2) Meadow.
(3) Greek sea god capable of taking many shapes.
(4) Another sea god, often depicted as trumpeting on a shell.

I am forced to think about life nowadays, Working 9-5 every day of the week, waiting for the weekend then vegging out for 2 days, then hitting the restart button. So many of us are so “busy” We have ‘no time’ to do the things we would love to do. Instead we spend our time working a job we dislike, so we can pay bills we don’t want. I have spent years, approximately 2 (lol) doing this 9-5 craziness. Still I get caught up in the craziness of life and I forget to “smell the roses” Then I remember that the “roses” smell GOOD! pretty cool!

For encouragement purposes if you have the time, think about the things that you can do to appreciate nature (the little there may be left) around you. I think one thing is also important, along with nature, is that there are people everywhere to meet, encourage and appreciate.

Lucky for me the mountains are not too far off! For me the things i associate when thinking about nature is to relax.. slow down. Take some time to breathe and think…

I’ll Try it if you do! 😉

Pain, work, Muscle!

It’s been a while since I have wrote on blog. Not sure what to write so I’ll tell what the most recent thing that has been going on.

So My roomate and I started this workout program called P90X. Maybe you have heard of it… Basically if you follow their diet plan, protein shakes, and (not just watch), do the scheduled dvd of the day (out of 12 dvds) after 90 days we’ll be ripped… lol. So we will see. so far we have finished 3 days and… It is NOT easy. So i took the famous before pictures. Maybe Ill post them if i get good results after 30 days.

The first day I worked so hard, and didnt really know what was going on, and didnt know how long it was going to be, I puked 😦 no fun at all… So far the other 2 days were not as hard as the 1st, I’m trying to go a little easier. Being sore seems like its something I am going to have to get used too. Oh well, In 90 days we will see the outcome.

If  Anyone has some advice or anything about eating healthy or working out and stuff Im free to listen!

Thanks,

-Matt

What do people care…?

People care that we care. People all across the world are looking for people that care about them. Think about it. Why do we befriend somebody? I’m sure they are nice, we have common interests, we also like them. But what if they didn’t care about us? Would we still consider them a friend? I’ve heard most people define friendship using words like care, love, and being there for each other.

People want others to care about them. Lets make sure that we are showing that we care about our friends and family. When we  meet somebody new, even if we’re a business owner and get a new client, or meet a prospect, let’s make sure they know we care about them. we could send them a nice to meet you card, or spend some time being interested in the things they are interested in, buy them a neat little gift, or just spend some time with them.

During this holiday season, let’s show people that we do care.

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

-Maya Angelou

Einstein… Smart?

“It’s not that I’m so smart , it’s just that I stay with problems longer .” -Albert Einstein

Currently I am responsible for my own income, based on how long I work, how many people I know, and how often I contact the people I know. But I am learning that I am not as disciplined as I’d like to be.

Albert Einstein had an interesting point. He stuck with it, He tried hard to figure things out. I read once that the last 25 years of his life he was working on a “unified field theory”. 25 years is a long time to work on something. When I was taking physics in college, If I didn’t figure out a problem in 10 minutes I’d move on. I cannot imagine working on the same problem for 25 years.

I think what there is to learn from Einstein is persistence and discipline. I must ask myself how bad I really want to get things done, and if am I willing to spend more time doing it.

I suppose I should ‘stay with problems longer’. And if it starts with the mind, then I’ll start by saying:

I am disciplined.

I stick with problems till they are solved.

Oh… And dont forget—–> Eat That Frog!

Bittersweet

This is just me being expressive, Its a very short  poem I wrote about 1.5 years ago. It was when my girlfriend and I were apart for a long period of time.

bittersweet

bittersweet, this is.
the likeness inside our hearts.
combined joy. still apart.

Please post your favorite poems, or any poems you have written, in comments below.

-Matt

Leaders are readers

I heard recently this little quote, that ‘leaders are readers’. I think that reading, mostly non fiction, is important for many reasons.

One would be that it stimulates thought. I think it keeps your mind going and may pose new ideas that one is not accustom to.  Another reason may be that it challenges minds. We may read something that challenges our way of thought, and may open our minds a but. The other is the obvious quest for knowledge. I love learning new things and reading is almost necessary in order to learn.

I’m interested in hearing what books my friends and people who are reading this blog are currently reading. Please list in the comments below your favorite book(s) and why, also any books you are currently reading and what they are about.

I’ll go first:

My favirite book is probably mere christianity by C.S. Lewis because the author is very logical and it challenged my mind.

I am currently reading: Little black book of connections by jeffery gitomer, It’s a book about networking and making rich relationships.

Thanks all!

Gratitude is constructive

“One of the most important discoveries in surviving and thriving in any situation is to live in a constant state of gratitude” Jon Bender author of In God We Trust (All quotes used here are from this reference.)

Lately I have read about how it is important to decide and choose carefully what to focus on. What you think about most and the effect that has on us. I believe that whatever you focus on you will accomplish (or become) whether it be positive or negative. I think the idea to be in a constant state of gratitude is a wonderful thing to think about.

Even in the most strenuous, hurtful situations, It’s best to stay positive. Sometimes it seems impossible to do so, but its still best to.

A simplified example is a bully at school. Let’s say we are getting picked on at school. We can become hateful of that person, be angry and focus on the negative aspect, and strive to get back, or worse yet find ways to hurt this bully. Or we can try to find some positive in the situation, stay grateful and hopeful. Possibly this bully is hurting, maybe he gets abused by his family, or he is lonely and just lashing out. We can grateful that it won’t last forever, and that what he does doesn’t define us. If we decide to focus on the negative then there is a possibility that we end up just like the bully. We can opt out and focus on the positive, then we have something he can never take, that is our ability to control what we think and feel. “Anger is destructive and takes away from our lives. Gratitude is constructive and can cause us to tap into what is possible”.

May we spend this next day and hopefully the next week (at the very least) in a state of gratitude. When we hit hard times, let’s choose to be grateful and find something to be grateful for. Lets trust that everything we are going through is shaping and molding us into better people. into people who can “have access to all that we are capable of” and have control over our lives. “There is always an opportunity to learn from whatever happens to us.”

Appreciation

People deserve to be appreciated- It’s importance to show appreciation to the people we care about, especially the people we love. I get the feeling that people do not get appreciated enough nowadays. Let’s start to genuinely share our feelings and appreciation to others. Our appreciation can have an effect on others’ lives. It seems that most people make decisions based on how they feel. If we can help them feel better, we can help people make better decisions and choices.

I don’t think it’s enough to just think about someone either. Have you ever had someone come to you and say “Hey, I thought of you the other day.”? It’s kind of a strange compliment. I know that when I hear that, I think ‘I would have loved a random phone call from you’, or at to least have had that thought be expressed in some other way then a belated convenient announcement.

I think it’s also important to express appreciation in a way that is tangible or physical. I know that when someone leaves me a facebook comment thanking me for coffee, dinner, or a gift I got them, It doesn’t seem heartfelt. It’s not that the appreciation they’re expressing isn’t real or meaningful, it’s just not as personal. People will be reminded that they are appreciated and special, whenever they see what you gave them. That could affect the decisions they make in the future…

So I urge you as a friend, or a stranger. Start to find ways that you can express your appreciation to the people you love, and care about. But don’t limit it to just those people. If you connected with someone you just met, or had a nice server at a restaurant, find some out of the ordinary way to appreciate them.I guarantee that if we start showing our appreciation in ways that are out of the ordinary that our own personal, professional, and spiritual lives will also be positively affected!

Here are a few ways that we can show our appreciation:

• Write the person a letter, and send it in the mail. Not Email.
• Send them a greeting card that expresses your feelings about them, or just thanking them for something that you appreciated
• Call them. Tell them what you appreciate about them, or thank them, very good, but the tangible methods last much longer.

Things I’d avoid due to impersonality:

• Facebook/Myspace comments- Just not personal.
• Email- Still better than comments, but lacks the personal touch that a tangible letter or card creates.

In the comments below please list other creative, out of the ordinary ways, to express appreciation.

Thanks friends,

-Matt Corcoran

Hi there!

Hi, Im Matt Corcoran,

I am starting this blog to inform the people that I know about what I am doing and what I have learned.

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Take much care!

-Matt C