"It's a NEW YOU, not a NEW YEAR!"

To some, this may be a hazardous way to start a blog. But to be completely honest, I didn't want to begin this entry by sugar coating, or appeasing your readable appetite. My goal is to help you to begin your NEW YOU [Year]...now!

My mind is only able to think about two things that are inevitable in our lives. The first and most significant is TIME. The second one is the LIFE STRUGGLE.

It seems like it was just yesterday when I was sitting in this same position writing for the year 2010! It's so amazing how time just slips by. Over the last few weeks, I've heard countless stories that have literally dropped my jaw. From the things that people have experienced; ranging from relationships, finances, physical illnesses, academic hardships, unexpected moves, career issues, etc., I've become emotionally drained by hearing and seeing what we as people MUST endure. At times, it's heart aching to be a listening ear.

It's weird because this entry most likely won't be the one that will inspire you because of proper word choice! However, what will motivate you to action are the words that cause you to reflect back on the year 2010.

Just a few quick questions: What hit you the hardest this year? Did you lose your job? Were you one to be cast aside by the one you love? What physical illness were you diagnosed with this year? What loved one did you lose? Was it your mom, dad, or grandparent? Did you lose a friend? If this wasn't you, I'm more than certain it was someone you knew.

After sitting and pondering, this has been an incredibly rough year for so many people. There have been an array of lessons learned. We've gained experience in areas that we would have never thought that we would be literate in. But, thank God for time. Proper timing! What about the people we met? The individuals that crossed our path at the VERY moment we were going to give up? How about it? It's wonderful. When we take just a minute to recollect on the year 2010, [as tears begin to form in my eyes!] we have no choice BUT to be appreciative that we are still alive to see another year. I spoke with my great-great-friend tonight, and one thing that she said was that 2011 is the year to get it done. No more procrastination. No excuses. No hindrances. No more bad relationships that keep us stagnant. Just get it done!

As we quickly float into the "new year", so much emphasis is put on the "new year". However, what we find is that when the "new year" starts, many people are the same people that they were last year because nothing changed internally. Minds are always programmed to "start" something new because of what is seen and heard (jumping on the bandwagon!). The key factor that must not be omitted is that something new can't be started, until you start something new. Catch that now. A diet is what you want to start, but a diet can't start until you start to CHANGE what triggered the need/want for the diet (i.e. food choice or recognizing that it isn't food that you're craving.).

Get your mind off of a NEW YEAR and put it on a NEW YOU. No matter what time of year it is, a NEW YOU can start. How about starting now? Why would you wait? Don't you deserve more than that? These last days leading into the "new year" can be your time to prepare for the NEW YOU. Why waste time? Don't wait until January 1. Because if you do, you're going to be playing catch up. It's better to be ahead than to try to catch up. If you wait until it's time to start to prepare, you won't be prepared to start. Don't let that be you!

My friends, have a phenomenal year 2011! I send many blessings to you. Stay lifted...

THIS IS WHY I WRITE.

-Author Matthew Newman

Please post your comments, or email me at Matthew.M.Newman@gmail.com

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"Acceptance."

I’m going to get straight to the point…

Acceptance is when a person agrees to experience a situation, to follow a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it, protest, or exit 1.

I don’t think that anyone could define this often-overlooked word any better. It speaks tremendous volume, but seems not to sink into the minds of most because of their struggle with “Acceptance”.

Each day we’re presented with a choice to receive or reject what’s presented. The simpler of the two is obvious for the majority. But, for those of you who may not grasp its simplicity, rejecting is more than often the simpler of the two. We can blow people and situations aside as if they/it never exist. But the reality of it all is that it still exists whether we chose to overlook it or not. When you can find the exact moment in your life to accept what could be beneficial, or not so beneficial, you will begin to recognize that every single situation that is presented to you is only going to help you to grow. Life throws bricks at us but why not use those bricks to build our future? If you’re anything like me, your future is BIG and we can contribute its massiveness to life!

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been observing SOOO much. Many people around me have been dealing with a transition and a positive transformation in their life. For some, the situations are new, but for others it seems as if life has just been on “repeat”! I often get calls from friends and family asking for advice on numerous things that we as humans have to endure. And I must admit that it’s not easy giving advice when at times you need guidance for your own situations. However, I’ve noticed (and, what seems so transparent) that in giving you receive automatically. When you speak into the lives of others, you have no choice but to hear it yourself. You accept the advice you’re giving to better yourself and your doings. It’s powerful, its life changing!

As the definition of the word “Acceptance” so eloquently speaks, we are all dealing with what many deem as negative, but what are truly just uncomfortable situations. The level of discomfort is exactly why rejecting the situation is simpler than accepting the situation.

The important part of the definition is how it ends (just like life; it’s not how you start, but how you finish!); “to follow without the attempt to change, protest, and/or exit”.

Think about this for a minute…

It’s always our natural “reaction” to try to change the things that we are going through. If we feel that a situation isn’t going according to our plan, we so abruptly try to find an exit. It’s the truth and no one can dismiss it. As stated earlier, it’s simpler to just reject the situation. But the truth of the matter is that there is growth in “Acceptance”. Remember, nutrients needed for growth harvest from a seed planted in dirt.

Life is a process that must be embraced. I mention this in my book; “Embracing a struggle only shows that you know there is a struggle. But, embracing the process of the struggle shows that you know there is a solution or an end to your struggle”. We shouldn’t fret when we recognize or discover change. “Acceptance” breathes new life. It allows you to sit in the struggle to thoroughly analyze what is happening around you and most importantly in you!

THIS IS WHY I WRITE.

-Author Matthew Newman

Please post your comments, or email me at Matthew.M.Newman@gmail.com

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1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance

"Something New."

Hello to everyone across the world! As always, I'm excited and thankful that you've decided to swing by to read my blog. Your support is never ending and so is my love for you. Please, keep me in your prayers as I do the work that I was purposed to do.

It has been over two months since I've posted something for your leisure, your inspiration, or for whatever reason you come by! But, today I would like to write about something that has been in my spirit for the entire month of August.

To be completely honest, as mentioned earlier, I haven't written anything in over two months; neither for my blog or for my book, This Is Why I Write. I sat and stared, but couldn't pin point why anything hadn't come to me. However, it finally hit me towards the latter part of July - beginning of August... this is what I heard, "Something New".

I needed "Something New" to contribute to the lives of those who follow me. The revelation that I saw, felt, and heard was so life changing that I knew it would be transformational for you as well.

"When you find yourself stagnant, find something new."

Simple, yet profound. The "find" can easily be replaced with "try", but something tells me that "trying" isn't "being". Life is purposed for a search. It will present you with situations that leave you with one choice and that is to find an escape, or in other words an effective way to deal. Since we as humans have had the conscious to move on our own, we have believed that "If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again". This is a more certain way to say it,

"If at first you don't succeed, find a new way, and THEN try again."

At the moment you begin to find, or seek something new, you tap into the totality of your essence; being. You start to recognize your full potential in everything that you pursue. Your pursuit will no longer be purposeless, but purposeful. The significance in the search is that it prepares you to reap new understanding that can only come from seeking something new. How can one FIND something without first looking for it? This sounds elementary, but it requires a little thinking.

Everyone, at some point in their life, comes to a place where looking for "Something New" seems pointless. We would rather settle in a comfortable position rather than step out of a comfort zone, experience a few valley's, and crawl to the mountain. It's much more convenient to stay where we are. But, what about where we will go? Is that not important? To some it is, but to others it's not. We must come to the point to accept the revelation that there is "Something New" waiting for all of us. No matther what may be "New" for you, or for me... it's out there. It's simply waiting for us to embrace it. One may ask, how will we know? Some may think that it's deeper than this, but it's just this simple... You will notice a dramatic change in your thinking.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think."

The "easy answers and half-baked solutions" are only found in the comfort zone. But, "solid thinking", or in my words enlightenment, is only found in "Something New". Are you willing to embrace it?

-Matthew M. Newman

Please feel free to post your comments, or email them to me at Matthew.M.Newman@gmail.com

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My Website, Coming Soon! at: http://matthewnewman.org.

"The Right Car, The Right Direction"

My friends, life is often perplexed; its meaning lacks clarity. It sometimes leads us astray because it doesn't give proper direction. It weaves us on and off of roads that we think are straight-shots to a promising place, but what we find as we hit every single pot-hole, we get stopped by every red light, is that we are in the wrong car; the wrong car, headed in the wrong direction. The positive light of the situation is that if we were never sitting in the wrong car, headed in the wrong direction, we would be oblivious to the right car, the right direction. In contrast to the positive light, we know there are many who have grown content to the journey; temporary pleasures do often distract a soul from original, planned destinations.

A subject that continues to reveal itself; one of, if not the, most important discoveries that an individual could ever make is PURPOSE. Purpose is the right car that leads you in the right direction towards destiny; the original, planned destination.

Purpose is probably the most important discovery because it's all-encompassing. When you discover purpose, you find you. When you find you, you discover meaning. That's what all-encompassing means. When the path is clear, where you're headed is that much brighter.

Purpose, or the "why" to life saturates the path with incentive. Purpose fuels determination. Purpose is what steers ambition. Purpose erases the doubted beliefs of others and replaces them with self-proclaimed possibilities. Purpose is what keeps you going. Purpose doesn't prevent life's issues, but it does allow you to see pass them. It gives meaning to the issues. If we as humans can understand why, our purpose will show us how.

We have all been in the wrong car, headed in the wrong direction. Some of us are still there! When you find yourself depressed, suicidal, in misery, and/or your heart is filled with malice, something is opposing your purpose; you're in the wrong car. You can't travel the road of purpose if you're headed away from your destiny.

I encourage everyone to start car shopping! Begin to recognize that it's time for a new car; it's time to recognize the "why" of life. Your purpose is the answer that will help you to "pass" every test. It's the right car, that will take you in the right direction.

This Is Why I Write!

-Matthew M. Newman

Please feel free to post your comments, or send them to me directly at: Matthew.M.Newman@gmail.com.

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http://matthewnewman.org (Coming Soon!)

"Experience"

To the world! I would like to take you down a dark, well-lit road (Contradicting, I know!) that weaves you between the crevasses of my mind. I want you to explore the penetrating thoughts that I feel should be shared to help those who may STRUGGLE with the acceptance phase of life. Not those who feel the need to be accepted because of gender, race, or sexual-orientation, but accepted because of their self-value.

Though it is sad to say, there are many who degrade their value as humans because they feel as if the exposure, or Experience of life is what constitutes value. However, I come to boldly proclaim that "life Experience" does not dictate value, or credibility. What does dictate value is the correct balance of emotion and logic.

There are countless individuals who have "run their course" but are irrational and ignorant of many things. The precise application of common sense can be the remedy of "life Experience".

Much respect is lost for people who feel that it is important for someone to "Experience" certain things to "help" steer someone towards a more positive, productive future. It shows that they are not thinking logically. Our role as humans is not "to steer" but to "help steer" someone towards a well-established future. We are able "to help" because of a well-balanced scale of emotion and logic.

We are naturally inclined to respond based off of our emotions. The emotional response is what makes us ALL valuable. Each and every person, no matter how cruel, has an emotional chord that is struck (I'll argue this point with any mental scholar). If we all have an emotional response, it is safe to say that we are ALL equal, which makes the "Experience" irrelevant to the assistance of another person.

Furthermore, any one can feel their way through life; emotions. However, what marks the distinction, no matter the tenure, or how long a person has lived, or what they have "Experienced" is how a person thinks. A rational thinker will clearly understand the significance of the ability to adapt logic with emotion, equally. If you are only able to "feel", you will only do what is best for "self". Logic allows you to sort through what is at hand to pull out a decision that is not only best for "self", but for others as well. An individuals value, or self-worth is not marked by life Experience but by balanced emotional and logical decisions that effect self and others.

In this case, "I write" to erase the misconceptions that "Experience" dictates value. Nothing can be further from the truth. How a person feels and thinks, alike, is THE only form of self-value.

-Author Matthew Newman

This Is Why I Write, my book COMING SOON!

Please post your comments, or send them to me directly: Matthew.M.Newman@gmail.com.

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Web Page, Coming Soon. Visit at: http://matthewnewman.org

"Feeling the Uncertain"

What is that feeling that I feel inside? A feeling that is uncertain because of the things that are uncertain. I sit and stare at the wall trying to figure it out, but why do I stare at a blank wall to try to figure out a blank feeling? I can never answer this feeling. But, why? Aren't feelings suppose to have meaning?

It's not lack of confidence. It's not lack of companionship. It's not depression. It's not the lack of joy. It's not a lonely feeling. It's a feeling that I can't put a finger on. Maybe everything that I think it isn't...it is. Well, maybe not. That I don't know. The feeling is uncertain.

But, ok. Let's see. What now? How can I move on from uncertainty? If what I'm moving FROM is uncertain, how can I move TO that which is certain? This is crazy...very crazy.

Have you ever felt like this? What is it, then? I'm sure that there are many who have felt the uncertain. But, now my question is how do you FEEL the uncertain? If the feeling is uncertain, what is there to feel? How do you know that there is something there? (I think I see a ghost, but I'm not sure. <--An assumption...uncertainty!) And, I tell myself, good question! Now go figure it out.

I think it'll be worth the work to attempt to tap into the heart to unveil the hidden mystery of "feeling the uncertain". Once you're able to discover the uncertainty you can discover the certainty of your feeling; what's there and why.
Once that's figured out, you can now figure out WHAT you're suppose to learn from the feeling you experienced and HOW you can move from that which is uncertain to a future that IS certain. Go...go...go!

This Is Why I Write

-Author Matthew Newman

My book, COMING SOON!

Follow me at http://Twitter.com/ThisIsWhyIWrite

http://matthewnewman.org (Coming Soon - Domain Name purchased!)

Please feel free to post your comments or email them to Matthew.M.Newman@gmail.com.

"The Final Stretch"

It feels like it's been forever since I've last written what's going in my mind. Believe it or not, I spend everyday writing...about something! Even if it's just a text message!!! ...just kidding.

Many have asked where I'm at in completion to my book; I'm just about 2 weeks away! After I'm completely done, I'll draft my manuscript and then on to the publishing process. Oh, am I excited! Thank you for your anticipation :)

---

I was a member of my high school track & field team for four years. Most people would not have ever categorized me as a runner because of my size then but, I sought to prove them wrong.

The 110M and 300M hurdles was my race. I wasn't the best hurdler but I did compete. 300M hurdles was my favorite because it allowed adequate time and space between each hurdle for me to regain my step pattern. I would practice everyday from the STARTing line going over the first four hurdles only. Or, in other words the first stretch and curve.

I would get to the Track Meets well stretched. As I approached the STARTing line, the hydrenaline would be pumping, the START gun would fire...and off I went! I would usually beat the other runners to the first hurdle...the second hurdle...the third hurdle...the fourth hurdle BUT, there was something about "The Final Stretch". At the time I didn't know what was wrong. My legs would get heavy; so heavy that I couldn't get them properly and effectively over the last few hurdles. I would gasp for air to the point where I "felt" as if I wouldn't make it to the finished line.

It wasn't until after my track & field tenure that I looked up "Hurdle Exercises" and realized that I had been training wrong. The exercise suggested that you train by sprinting the first straight and curve with no hurdles, only setting up the hurdles on "The Final Stretch", and jumping the last four with what energy you had left. This would enable your body to get use to the most difficult part of the race... "The Final Stretch".

This same type of concept applies to our life. We're often times only trained for the start of the race and not "The Final Stretch". And because of that, we wonder why we can't find hope, or in other words, we can't find the strength within us to finish our race. Just as I did as a runner, we must train everyday...the right way! Everyday we wake up is an opportunity to sharpen our weakness. Our weakness isn't dreaming, or the start, it's the struggle, or "The Final Stretch". Those things that cause us to grow weary, or in other words cause our legs to get heavy must be trained so that we can build the strength and energy to finish the race. But the only way we can train for the race is to train for "The Final Stretch".

Someone may be going through a challenging time, and if you arent they will come. Your best days are waiting for you at the finished line. Just get over the last few hurdles; you're almost there... you're on "The Final Stretch"!

-Author Matthew Newman

Please feel free to post your comments and/or email them to me at Matthew.M.Newman@gmail.com.

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thisiswhyiwrite

http://www.matthewnewman.org (Coming Soon!)

"Put On Hold"

Even if you haven't worked in an office where you had to use the big phone with all the buttons(!), you've asked someone in your time, "Could you hold, please?" Maybe you had to get more information to better assist them, or maybe you had to simply use the restroom! Either way it goes, you had something to get, or something to do. The call was still active, but just put on hold.

For the last few days, I have posted a question to my Facebook and Twitter followers, "For someone who is 18-24 years old, what are your fears, worries, and STRUGGLES?" It was a question suggested by a wonderful person at Brown Books Publishing, here in Dallas, TX. The responses that I received were tear-jerking and a pivotal point in my book writing journey.

I would be selfish to ask for your response and I not give you mine, so I present to you:

"PUT ON HOLD"

I fear a threat to my future because of the worry caused by my struggle. At times during my process, I find it hard to maneuver diligently around the hold-ups because my belief is shattered by a specific situation.

-I fear that the future of my readers rest in my pen.
-I worry that if I'M held up, the dreams of my readers will be held up because of my struggle.
-I struggle with the assurance of a poitive attitude leading to positive results... although I know it's true.
-I fear that my financial success will be dictated by someone else.
-I worry that too many people are counting on my success to give THEM the motivation they need to succeed.
-I struggle with the acceptance of fear, and of worry.
-I fear that life will put my dream "on hold".
-I worry...
-I struggle...

Your life, my life, our dream and our future are just phone calls put "on hold" because of our fears, worries, and struggles. However, it's still active! What happens when we're taken off of hold is what matters most.

We can't become impatient because we've been put "on hold", but we must grow to understand how we can overcome the fear, conquer the worry, and be inspired by the struggle. No matter what life presents to you, your destiny does not change. It stays intact.

"Your dream may be put 'on hold', but your destiny is still active."

Be encouraged and know that you're a CHAMPION!

This Is Why I Write

-Author Matthew Newman

http://twitter.com/thisiswhyiwrite
http://www.matthewnewman.org (Coming Soon!)

Please feel free to post your comments, or send them to Matthew.M.Newman@gmail.com