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)

Do it anyway

We usually blame others when there is failure, when there is disappointment....when things go wrong, in general. Maybe everyone (including you) expected success, but instead there is failure / a disappointing outcome. Here is an interesting question: What if you knew there was a good chance of failure or a lot of people expected failure? Would you still work on that project or pursue that goal? Would the effort be enough - you TRIED to achieve success?

This beautiful song by Martina McBride reminds us that we need to do things anyway....

Anyway

You can spend your whole life building
Something from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not never come your way
Dream it anyway

God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

...



You can pour your soul out singing
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yeah, sing it anyway
I sing
I dream
I love
Anyway

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uLtyzRgmyI&list=PLmYXTlZN4bBLiYNV-KrhlU0dV3NS6jpHQ)

Blame

Do you usually blame others for your shortcomings, your mistakes, your failures, and so on? Lots of people like to play the blame game (blame somebody else) so that they are unscathed by certain events/incidents or not caught up in controversy. It is the "right kind of wrong."

I have personally witnessed/seen blame games where it feels like (or is a lot like) the individual(s) doing the blaming is selling his/her soul to the devil. Maybe it is better to take responsibility for your actions in all situations.

Here is a blame song - an old favorite of many - by Rupee:
Blame it on the music
"It is not me, oh on
Blame it on the music,,
Blame it on the band...."

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-xMcC4xuo0&index=7&list=PLmYXTlZN4bBLiYNV-KrhlU0dV3NS6jpHQ)

Struggles on the path to womanhood

Teenagers usually struggle to fit in, to follow rules, to act responsibly, and so on.

I like this song by Britney Spears on struggles experienced on the path to womanhood/adulthood....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLmYXTlZN4bBLiYNV-KrhlU0dV3NS6jpHQ&v=IlV7RhT6zHs

From the song:

I used to think
I had the answers to everything
But now I know
Life doesn't always
Go my way, yeah

Feels like I'm caught in the middle
That's when I realize
I'm not a girl
Not yet a woman

All I need is time
A moment that is mine
...

If you have plans/dreams that are different from the dreams your parents have for you, your life may be filled with arguments, disagreements, and the like.  The decision is yours to make, but you may have regrets.....

In the song 'The Living Years,' Mike & The Mechanics "talk" about such a struggle....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLmYXTlZN4bBLiYNV-KrhlU0dV3NS6jpHQ&v=uGDA0Hecw1k

Featured song 12/9/2017: Christmas Through  Your Eyes by Gloria Estefan
https://youtu.be/8J1nPEGHdq0

 "I wanna see Christmas through your eyes,
I want everything to be the way it used to be,
Back to being a child again, thinking the world was mine,
I wanna see Christmas, Christmas through your eyes."


There is beauty in a child's perspective /innocence - as explained in this article:
https://hubpages.com/family/The-beauty-of-a-childs-innocence

We grow up and we discover the world can be a cold, dark, evil place. We lose a lot of the innocence. We are also expected to behave as mature adults (be responsible, make/handle difficult decisions, and so on). Many adults would like to experience some "childhood wonder and dreaming" from time to time.

A struggle for some parents is how much information/knowledge to pass on to a very young child. Woulld they lose their innocence too early? This article discusses the struggle: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/11384246/Too-much-information-destroys-childhood-innocence.html

#FlashbackFriday #DownMemoryLane

Today, I am remembering the first playlist I created for The Lessons Project /  LifeLessonsForAll. That top 10 list included the best songs selected (for inclusion in posts providing life lessons) during the first year. The lesson was important, but so was the song (quality).

The playlist - Top 10 2013: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmYXTlZN4bBLIvcpNFoL72tT0eqKLzjY0

That year, two songs received special mentions (not shown in the YouTube list):
- Bridge of Light by Pink
- Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson
I included both of these songs in this year's struggle song list.

"Take a risk, make a change and breakaway" and "If you will it, it will be yours"...
https://youtu.be/c-3vPxKdj6o
https://youtu.be/iYb1R4Q4ou0

Playlist of struggle songs

A playlist of top struggle songs (for 2017) from The Lessons Project / LifeLessons:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmYXTlZN4bBLiYNV-KrhlU0dV3NS6jpHQ

Look for a song from the list each day until the new year.

More struggles

Sometimes things go wrong and we struggle to understand God's plan for our lives and God's will.
But God is fair, God is just, and God is good. What is occurring may be punishment for evil or inappropriate things you have done. Or God may be molding and strengthening you for greater things.

Songs of struggles from the same artist/singer Martina McBride:

FROM 'ANYWAY':

You can spend your whole life buildin'
Somethin' from nothin',
One storm can come and blow it all away,
Build it anyway.

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach,
And you know it might not ever come your way,
Dream it anyway.

God is great, but sometimes life ain't good,
When I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should,
But I do it anyway,
I do it anyway.

FROM 'GOD's WILL':

I've been searchin', wonderin', thinkin',
Lost and lookin' all my life.
I've been wounded, jaded, loved, and hated,
I've wrestled wrong and right.
He was a boy without a father,
And his mother's miracle.
I've been readin', writin', prayin', fightin',
I guess I would be still,
Yeah, that was until,
I knew God's will.

I believe I can fly

"See I was on the verge of breaking down,
Sometimes silence can seem so loud.
Miracles in life I must achieve,
But first I know it starts inside of me..."
- From the song 'I Believe I Can Fly' by R. Kelly

A struggle

Struggles to find a job...

(click to enlarge image)

Who do you turn to?

We all struggle. Who do you turn to? It may make the difference...

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

As I lay me down, 

Heaven hear me now,

I'm lost without a cause

After giving it my all,

Winter storms have come,

And darkened my sun,

After all that I've been through

Who on earth can I turn to...

Another struggle story...

Link: https://www.facebook.com/lifelessons1/posts/595354397322245

Dr. Niwaz: "It is never too late to follow your dreams"

Financial struggles

Financial struggles (trouble paying bills, bankruptcy etc.) are complicated. Financial struggles are not always due to living beyond one's means or an inability to manage funds. An example is the bankruptcy of 50 Cent who filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2015. He filed for bankruptcy "in the wake of a jury ruling earlier in the month ordering 50 Cent to pay a woman $5 million over a sex tape."
(Source: 50 Cent and 10 Other Celebrities Who Have Gone Bankrupt By Emily Stewart, https://www.thestreet.com/story/13216782/1/50-cent-and-10-other-celebrities-who-have-gone-bankrupt.html)

Also see:
15 Celebrities Who Made Fortunes and Went Bankrupt
By Fox News Magazine, http://magazine.foxnews.com/celebrity/15-celebrities-who-made-fortunes-and-went-bankrupt