Another Christmas favorite....

Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You

(https://youtu.be/yXQViqx6GMY)

Have a plan

Struggle may beget more struggle (see yesterday's post). Low income / poverty may lead to poor health (due to the inability to pay for quality healthcare), limited education, and more poverty. These cycles / loops / circles may be hard to get out of. Having a plan would help tremendously....

Here is a woman with a realistic plan:

She is facing issues....

You see my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
His body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

The plan....

You got a fast car
I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
Won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living

You got a fast car
We go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs

She is off to a great start.

(From song 'Fast Car' by Tracy Chapman)

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from LifeLessonsForAll / The Lessons Project!

One of my new Christmas favorites:

Underneath the tree by Kelly Clarkson(a really fun performance)

Struggles and more struggles

We all see evil and its effects, especially on people. It is ugly. It causes us to struggle.
But, isn't it interesting that a lot of people are evil because of various struggles.
Struggle, struggle, and more struggle....

From song 'I Look To You' by Whitney Houston:

Winter storms have come
And darkened my sun
After all that I've been through
Who on earth can I turn to

I look to you
I look to you
After all my strength is gone
In you I can be strong

...
My levees are broken
My walls coming down on me....

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pze_mdbOK8&list=PLmYXTlZN4bBLiYNV-KrhlU0dV3NS6jpHQ&index=17)

Ambition

In life, men are always striving - striving for a better job with higher income, striving for excellence, and so on. We are on a quest for great achievement and happiness. Everyone wants to be somebody.

A lot of people are driven to do evil to achieve much. Maybe we are born evil beings - evil tendencies "kick in" at the right time. It is a struggle to be good (rather than evil), to always make wise choices, to resist temptation, and so on. Keep up the fight!

Songs that remind us we can easily be greedy and evil.....

I Want It All
"I want it all, the fame and the fortune and more....."

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5xxSRvl5VM&index=3&list=PLmYXTlZN4bBLiYNV-KrhlU0dV3NS6jpHQ)


I'm Bad By Michael Jackson
"You know I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it...."

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd4SJVsTulc&list=PLmYXTlZN4bBLiYNV-KrhlU0dV3NS6jpHQ&index=5)

Do not fall by the wayside

'Learn as much as possible' and 'listen to constructive criticism to improve' are just some of the advice we receive and strategies we use to do better and live a good life. Take it all in and find what works for you. Take steps to make sure you do not fall by the wayside.....

From 'Circle of Life':


From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the Sun
There's more to be seen than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done

Some say eat or be eaten
Some say live and let live
But all are agreed as they join the stampede
You should never take more than you give

In the circle of life
It's the wheel of fortune
It's the leap of faith
It's the band of hope
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle, the circle of life

Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with the scars
....

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwH9YvhPN7c&index=2&list=PLmYXTlZN4bBLiYNV-KrhlU0dV3NS6jpHQ)

After problems....success

After problems and failure, a change for the better.....she learned a lot and became a champion.

From 'Roar' by Katy Perry:

Now I'm floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero

You held me down, but I got up (hey!)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, your hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready 'cause I've had enough
I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, the fire
Dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!
...

(https://youtu.be/CevxZvSJLk8?list=PLmYXTlZN4bBLiYNV-KrhlU0dV3NS6jpHQ)