Thursday Book Review: FDT

Coffee and goals

So what is future-directed therapy?

You want something special in your life? ๐Ÿ˜

Something good to look forward to?

Then find the light at the end of your tunnel!

Find someone or something that brings you up.

Planning a vacation?

Really want to do or be something more?

It’s all up to you!

You choose.

You decide.

You discover.

Every Thursday I will give an inkling and quick review of what book I am reading, and/or studying. ๐Ÿ“–

The book I am studying this week is called, “Think Forward to Thrive.”

It is an enlightening and enlivening book with a purpose.

It helps people discover meaningful goals to work towards.

Plan to be happy ๐Ÿ˜Š

Some goals I’ve set for this summer.

Daily goals

More people, More cameras

By Amy Zents

I believe that our generation will be the most well-documented generation of all time.
Everywhere you go, you see people with cell phones taking pictures.

People take pictures of everything, not to mention video. It’s amazing how everyone now aspires to being a movie star.

The Me Generation.

It’s not bad to be self-conscious. Like it or not, you will be in somebody’s photo whether you want to be or not. It’s just dumb how people indiscriminately take photos of everything.

There’s very little that is secret nowadays with cameras and video.

If you would like to see inside the Vatican or you would like to see inside somebody’s garage, you could probably find a way.

Signs that say no video photography or no camera photography are ignored.

From movie theaters, to the live theaters on Broadway, to the great concert halls around the world, people in charge have a hard time preventing audience members or others from taking photos or video.

Documentation for representation.

The paper trail is getting smaller. They have stopped automatically giving paper receipts at the liquor store or at the grocery store in my town. Everything is going electronic, at least that’s the way it seems nowadays. Even plastic, aka credit cards instead of currency is becoming more common. I saw someone pull out his checkbook this morning and I thought, Dark Ages! LOL!

Universal Sport

People often complain that they can’t make room for exercise. That is nonsense.
All you have to do is step outside and see your gym. There are hills to climb, there are places to walk or run to, and of course there are all the other opportunities for motion with a bicycle, homemade gym, or even housework.

Since I am a prognosticator of future events, I believe that in this 21st century, it is even more vital that we work on being thin and fit.

New inventions are making life more exciting for those who can engage with their environment on a physical level.

I don’t say hand-gliding, or bodysuit-flying is for me, but one would feel much better going down a zipline or going down a waterslide or riding on a brand new amusement ride if one is thin and fit.

Sadly, that is not in the range of many people today.

So the question has been raised, who rules your body? Take charge and don’t let your lack of self-control ruin your life. You deserve the best, and that means taking care of your body.

I thought I saw my future self walk by the window of my radio station the other day. I told my sister my destiny could be one of two things. Either a women of 82 who is trim, with great posture, and a sprint in her step, or else one of those morbidly obese in the Tom Kruse Hoveround, going through the till at the grocery store, clutching a bag of chips and soda pop, unable to walk.

Since I do not want the latter, and I pray and hope and daily work towards the former, I think about tomorrow, but I focus on this moment. I chronicle everything I eat, and I wear my fitness watch that tracks my heart rate, my steps and my sleeping.

We all have dreams, but the time is now to wake up and act, to make our dreams come true!

Stay happy and be good

First of all, let me write I have been pretty amazed at the news stories I’ve read tonight.
The resolution of a smartphone or an HDTV can send you photos, videos, and stories that are all too real, and too close for comfort.

The world is a crazy quilt. There is good and there is bad. Yesterday the news was rotten. However today, the news is so bad that it makes you want to hang your head and cry.

Child rape at a daycare in Ohio, bombings in Baghdad, those are just a couple of stories to grab the headlines.

Wickedness, and evil do not sleep. And the news services?  They don’t sleep either. They keep churning out pictures and words, sharing the world’s sorrows to keep you informed.

I suppose we need to know the truth of what is going on, but one has to be aware of the consequences of knowing. It can be heart-wrenching to know the news.

Tomorrow I’m taking a news detox! 

The news won’t make me crazy! 

I won’t allow it! 

No being a News Junkie tomorrow! 

I go back to work Wednesday, there part of my job as a radio broadcaster involves reading and hearing the news. So it’s back to the world of news on Wednesday.

People are frightened about different things. I think they’re smart to be frightened, but they also should practice being good. Don’t let the news hustlers get you down, and don’t be trapped by evil and wickedness. 

Stay happy and be good!

Musically yours,

Amy Zents 

My Road, My Rules

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Driving home from swimming laps, I had a great urge to smash into the side of a car that failed to stop at the stop sign and pulled out in front of me.
l used to like playing Bumper Cars at the CNE and the Demo Derby is not a thing of the past.
Needless to say, I had the right of way on the main thoroughfare.
What this ignoramus did not take note of was the fact my vehicle is older, and I could certainly use a new truck!
But, not even thinking of who was behind me, I  slowed down to yield to the intrusive driver.
It was like a game of chicken as the stupid driver selfishly cut into my path, and could have caused a pile-up.
Often we must yield to idiot drivers.
I predict that, until we get safe self-driving cars, with more people on the roads, matters will only get worse.
In a perfect world it would be, my road, my rules:
Keep your eyes open, look both ways two or three times to make sure the coast is clear, and then proceed! Oh, and put your phone down and obey the red octagon sign, it’s there for a reason.

Musically yours,

Amy Zents

Move more and eat less junk

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Long ago a lady told me the best way to eat. She was a para-professional who worked with children in the public school system. She said after the age of 40, she could no longer eat like she did when she was young.
She told me she didn’t eat hardly anything for breakfast. She ate a small amount for lunch.
Supper was her main meal.
At the time, I was in my early twenties, and I basically ate whatever I liked. I was very thin, and high-strung. I was active and full of energy. I burned a lot of calories.
Those words she said to me seemed pitiful.
Who wanted to deprive themselves?
Certainly not I!
And yet, her words followed me down through time. To the place where now I understand the value of exercise and eating lightly. Nevertheless, the secret to being fit, is in the choice of your eating, and getting regular exercise.
In the future, I imagine weight will not be a problem.
Now and then we read of different treatments for people who have obesity. Some scientific tests hold out astonishing promises for the obese. But most of them come with risks we do not have to take.
Someday, medical science will find a quick and efficient way for all of us to be svelte.
Currently, the best way to get skinny is probably the healthiest, if we are willing to try hard to move more and eat less junk.

Musically yours, Amy Zents

The best of the best

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When one thinks about our grandparent’s day we think about how life was a little less complicated.
I just watched an old movie reel on YouTube that I thought was very fascinating about small city living.
A Day in the Life in the 50s
When we think about the future, we imagine advanced implants, and intricate technologies that supersede the imagination. Do you think of people being disconnected? Do we think of people lonely and suicidal? Or does the future hold a promise of exciting living with all the boring aspects of life eliminated? I think about living here in the middle of Minnesota and how life holds firmly to traditional values,ย on the surface, that is.
Must I decry all the blended-extended families?
What about the way revolutionary science has changed medical practices and saved lives?
I think that in some ways, the future needs to be embraced and encouraged. But with all the Marilyn Monroe wannabes, and the retro-programming in movies and TV, ( they’re even bringing the TV show The Odd Couple back!) we need not fear we will lose our past!
In fact, we standing on the shoulders of giants. We have the best of the best and it’s only going to get better!

Musically yours, Amy Zents

Big brother or a good boss?

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There is a lot to be said for people who employ the physically disabled and the mentally challenged.
Of course, no employee is perfect. Some people have greater strengths than others.
Yet any person who is capable is considered a good hire.
The best thing to do, if you know your strengths, is to find work utilizing them.

The best employers are those who allow us to be ourselves. But first, we would be wise to know what we need, like, and can do, before taking a new job.

There has been a lot of negative press about employers. The fact is fewer of us these days are willing to take on the responsibilities of most employers. Most of us would rather ride along as passengers than drive the bus.

Imagine having to follow ever more stringent rules and regulations, having to deal with litigatious liabilities, the management that comes with dealing with whiny employees and picky customers, not to mention rapacious vendors!

Most people would rather not have that headache. It seems most people would rather have an employer to blame, than take the personal responsibility in the event of a difficulty.

Many times people try to tell you, “Face it. In real life, you are your own boss.” If that is the case, without employer’s oversight and feedback, generally speaking, people are often very poor bosses of themselves.

Most people don’t have an inkling of what it is to really be a boss.

Having your own business, means having to deal with other people’s business as well. You deal with their dirt as well as your own.

I would rather not be a boss if that is the case. I do empathize with my bosses. Yet, it really takes a team to make a business.
For everyone, bosses included, the focus should be on being a good team player.

All the different kinds of players that assemble in a business do so under the auspices of a good boss. It is good to be grateful to a boss who does a good job being the head honcho. If the boss does not do a good job, employee retention suffers.

Praise be to the bosses who are tolerant and understanding of all the varieties of people who come through their doors. It’s a two-way street.
However, in the end, the ultimate responsibility in a business is always put on the boss. Employees can  lessen that burden through self-monitoring and trustworthiness.

Musically yours, Amy Zents

Babysitter or music teacher?

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Being a parent is hard sometimes. I’m not a parent, but I do have to talk to parents now and then because I teach their children music lessons.

In the past, I would teach piano, guitar and voice from my home. Happily, I state now that I teach individual music lessons in a music studio in an arts and cultural centre.

The one thing I like about having individual music students, is because students generally know what is expected of them.

When I used to teach at home I encountered situations where my music teaching studio was being turned into a babysitting service.

Perhaps it was not deliberate, but I recall times when mom or dad didn’t pick up their child for hours after their lessons were over.

The TV would be on in the other room and the student would just sit and watch and wait for their ride home.

After a few of theseย “extended music lessons,” I realized I was being taken advantage of. It drove me to stop teaching privately for awhile.

In the future, I believe teachers will find parents are a lot more appreciative of the one on one attention their kids receive when it is more costly, and more scarce.

When parents appreciate that a teacher’s time is valuable and respected, then teachers will be more willing to teach.

Musically yours, Amy Zents

The Straight Path to Freedom

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Freedom is what we all love. The law allows us all a measure of it. Along with relative freedom, you also get a whole bunch of opportunities to find enjoyment and fun in life, in a variety of ways.
However, if you use your freedom to drink to a point where your thoughts are muddled by an excess of booze, and you put others and yourself in harm’s way, your freedom is taken away, and rightly so.
It’s crazy to believe that if you harm others, then pass out, or black out from whatever you may be under the influence of, that you should be free of responsibility. Sorry, life doesn’t work that way, especially if you are a grown-up.
Perhaps that is why we all need each other. We always have to remind ourselves and each other of our own responsibility to ourselves and others.
I fear that in the future, as a society we may lose our current freedom, if we do not watch it. If things keep going the way they are, I predict there will be developed more blatant stop-gap mechanisms put in place to prevent criminals from breaking the law, and hurting themselves and others.
If we don’t want the law to take over because we can’t manage ourselves, then it seems necessary we should make up our minds as individuals to keep on the straight path to freedom by being responsible grown-ups, and not insensitive, selfish losers.

Musically yours, Amy Zents