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Ransom Jones - High Hopes Here

I wanted to share a video I did awhile back.




I have high hopes here.

Follow me on twitter if you haven't yet - https://twitter.com/RansomJones

Pretending to Care . . .

Hello

How are you this fine day or evening depending on when you're reading this? I had a great weekend - just visited Nashville, TN. Took a two day trip down there and saw a lot of great sites. I was thinking about moving out there. Still unsure about that, it's just an idea I was tossing around in the back of my mind.

Life is pretty good. I can't really complain, I have a lot to be grateful for. My girlfriend, my family, my health, the opportunity within my business, opportunities with music and my opportunity for growth.

The reason I titled this pretending to care is because I've had some interactions where it seems people were pretending to care. And it rubbed me the wrong way and I got to thinking why and it's because sometimes I will pretend to care. I was thinking about my own life and how I've pretended to care about something to please someone else. Or pretended to care in my business with a customer interaction just to move the process along and close a deal.

How do I know when I really care vs pretending to care? It's what you do when no one's watching. It's how you show up in your relationships regardless of how the other people show up. It's how you show up in your job or career. It's how you prepare for whatever it is you know you need to prepare for. It's how often you follow through with those things you tell yourself you're going to do. That inner voice that says I'm going to accomplish this goal this week, month or year and then giving up on it before you've even gained any traction. Or giving up on it when your commitment is tested. So I encourage you to stop pretending.

Start being the real you. Start showing up as the real you. Believe that you can and will accomplish those things that you put your mind to. Stop telling yourself you're going to do something if you know you're not going to do it. Regain control of your inner guidance and what makes you who you are. How can I prove to myself I really care about this goal? How can I prove to my friends I really care about them? How can I prove to my family I really care about them? Tell them, ask them, be a force and a guiding light for your own life and an example for others.

Be relentless with your discipline. Be relentless in your training and your preparation. Do the things you know you should do regardless of whether or not it is rewarded.

"How you do anything is how you do everything."  Be vulnerable. CARE.

Just some thoughts I wanted to share. This is how I have a conversation with the world.  I say these things as much to others as I do to myself. And I probably need to hear them more than anyone else. The adage of taking your own advice. I must take my own advice.

 Thanks for reading.

 Peace,
JG

Ransom Jones - Practice Session - Thinking Out Loud Cover (Ed Sheeran)

I've been learning a few new cover songs lately.  I've been torn between wanting to learn covers because I don't want to be a "cover song guy" but I do love music and I can't resist putting my own twist on other artist's songs.  Here's a taste of Thinking Out Loud.  Let me know what you think.  Also any other covers you want to hear, I can't guarantee I'll learn it but I'm always open to ideas.

Did you know?

You can download my album on soundcloud


I just figured it out how to make it so you can download my tracks.  Feel free to download one or download them all.  It's all free ;)

Let me know what you think too

Some of the songs are a little more professionally recorded than others, but hey I hope you enjoy them either way.

"Don't Worry" & "Lover, Lover" are the most played.  "I Believe" is one of my favorite songs to play.  "I'd Rather Be a Sparrow" is my friend Tony's most requested song I play.  I just recently listened to "Final Sound" - I haven't played that one in awhile, I may have to relearn it.

Also if you like my sound follow me on.  Thanks

Look out for some covers and new songs coming out this month.

Peace,
Ransom Jones

ps. if you want to use any of my music in a film/commercial or other creative work let me know.

“We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange.  As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.”

Carson McCullers

Periscope Practice Session - Ransom Jones

https://t.co/VdGbZe2cTP - Check me out on Periscope - A little practice session - Don't Worry (Original Song), Knocking On Heavens Door (Bob Dylan Cover), I Believe (Original Song), Lover Lover (Original Song), Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran Cover) - Let me know what you think - It only stays up for 24 hours - Thanks!

Favorite Quotes 1

I love reading quotes from greats of our time and past times.  Some aren't so great but the quote lives on.  Some will be remembered and repeated throughout history.

I was reading an old dream journal that I had made back in 2011 and here were some of the quotes of inspiration I had in the journal.

“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any and if there is anything praise worthy ---- meditate on these things.”  Paul the Apostle

“A man is only as good as what he loves.” Saul Bellow

“A consistent man believes in destiny, a capricious man in chance.”  Benjamin Disraeli

“Dreams don’t work unless you do.” John C. Maxwell

“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.” Carl Jung

“We will either find a way, or make one.” Hannibal

“What you get by reaching your destination is not nearly as important as what you will become by reaching your destination.” Zig Ziglar

“The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you.  If you do that, you’re in control of your life.  If you don’t life controls you.”  Anthony Robbins.

“If you don’t set a baseline standard for what you’ll accept in your life, you’ll find it’s easy to slip into behaviors and attitudes or a quality of life that’s far below what you deserve.”  Anthony Robbins

“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.  Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” Carl Jung

“Man is not the creature of circumstances; circumstances are the creatures of men.”  Benjamin Disraeli

“No limit people celebrate the lessons.” Wayne Dyer

“See the greatness & uniqueness in you.” Wayne Dyer

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I’m not what happened to me, I’m what I choose to become.” Carl Jung

“Man is born to live and not to prepare to live.” Boris Pasternak

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” Marcus Aurelius

Some of my other favorite quotes I currently have on my wall . . .

"Amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice until they can't get it wrong." Unknown - from 6 Months to 6 Figures by Peter Voogd

“Stay hungry, Stay foolish.”  Steve Jobs

“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” Anthony Robbins

“Don’t tell me who you are, show me what you do.” Grant Cardone

“The moment you take responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you can change anything in your life.” Hal Elrod

“Winning is a habit.  Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs.  Watch your beliefs, they become your words.  Watch your words, they become your actions.  Watch your actions, they become your habits.  Watch your habits they become your character.” Vince Lombardi

Cheers,

Make it a great day!

JG

I'd Rather Be A Sparrow

This is one of my favorite songs I've covered.  I don't sound much like Paul Simon, the original singer.  This song was one of the first songs I learned on guitar.  My friends enjoy when I play it, hope you enjoy it too.



Let me know what you think in the comments.

Also if you want to hear more and see more of what I'm up to subscribe to my channel - Thanks

Memory & Green Tea & Poetry

I've been drinking green tea more recently.  It's supposed to improve your memory.  It also has a lot of other added health benefits.  Check out the article below for all the details.  I'm excited to see or feel the changes.

Green Tea Article

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My goal this week is to continue developing more content.  Videos, music, poems, photos.  More cool stuff I run into and feel like sharing.

Here's a poem I wrote.  I'm looking to post quite a bit this week.

Master of Fate

I'm no expert
I'm no poet
I'm not a fanatic
I'm just enough

This is a game
Traded for the same
A life and memory
Death to your misery

Don't think twice
I'll hold you tonight
Moonlight looking down
Darkness lurks in the sky

I'm a beginner
Never want to end
Patience is a virtue
Progress is a plan

Memory remembers
Friendships of childhood
Smile to see the light
Blinded by your sight

No form or reason
Going coast to coast
Your journey continues
Even when this trail hits the edge

JG


Cheers!!!

Poems from My Father - A Question Most Often Asked

My father passed away when I was in first grade.  It changed my life dramatically.  I think about how my life would be different had my father been alive to see me grow up.  Have him give me guidance and teach me through his life experience.  He was my hero, my role model, especially being so young.  Parents can be the best heroes.  There's always that feeling of what if?  I don't know if that will ever go away.  It's exactly the way it's meant to be.  Everything happens for a reason.

My father's passing gave me a certain curiosity about the world.  Curiosity has always been in my nature.  My father's death gave me a different lens and filter to see the world through.  What advice would my father give, as if he knew.  This advice has guided me well.  It's become my own advice at times.

What character traits do you keep from your parents?  What character traits do you decide to discard?  We all have flaws.  It's interesting how when someone dies - that's when you hear how great they are.  For a 1st grader standing in a funeral home trying to make sense of everything, it didn't matter whether he was great or flawed, I just wanted him back.  I'd pretend as if I could make that wish come true.  Flaws remind us of our own humanity.  Life will never be the same again.  This experience gives me an appreciation for life and those I love.

Why do we wait till someone dies to appreciate them?  Don't wait to love.  Don't wait to appreciate.  Don't wait till tomorrow if it can be done today.  Forgive them for not being perfect because you're not perfect either.  People are doing the best they can with what they have.

You're not where you once were and that's ok.  You must accept what you can't change.  Move forward.  Keep moving forward.  I'm not that 1st grader any more.  If I feel pain, is just pain of a memory, pain of something that never happened.  Pain of growing up without a father.  Some people have the pain of growing up with a father that never loved them or far worse situations.  Stop living a pain that never was.

Remember the things that make you happiest.

My dad's poetry is something that brings me happiness.  It's something I didn't discover until I was older.  I enjoy reading it, thinking what he may have thought when he wrote it.

If you like it share it with someone who would enjoy hearing it.  Thanks

Video of the poem



A Question Most Often Asked  1-7-1972

A question most often asked
Who are you and what are you going to be
I now answer easily
"I am me"
But you're no one
"I am happy and need no recognition"
But how can you be happy without recognition?
"By enjoying what I do"
"By just being me"
And this makes you happy
"Partly, but everything I do aides me"
"For helping others and sticking to my decisions"
But sometimes your decisions may hurt you
"It is better to hurt yourself knowingly"
"Than to hurt someone else fatally"
Your mind is confusing
"By mind may confuse others"
"Yet many people don't worry of the mind"
"So you try being understanding and compassionate"
"With this you never confuse yourself"
"And never become angered only when"
"You do not understand"
You're very contradicting
"But very real"

ERG



Cheers,
JG

Entertainment ON

Are you entertained?

I'm entertained.  We're all entertained!  Hey!!!

I love entertainment.  All forms.  Many different mediums.  I love art.  Many forms.  

I think about the process that it takes to create something of wonder, something to be remembered.  What is it that gives a certain person that nostalgia?  What is it that allows someone to overstep the bounds of our current realities and leave us in a fictitious world?

This documentary is something that has an amazing story to it.

It's a documentary on Conan O'Brien.  If you haven't seen it - it is amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzgcSBLwAzI

I've been intrigued by late night television.  What is it that makes us watch?  What is it that pulls us in?

What keeps us watching?  Is there anything that will turn us away - or will we keep watching no matter who is on - just because it's someone that is on.

As a culture - we like to be entertained and the entertainment is always on.

Cheers,

JG

Great article on Memorization

Hello Everyone,

I've been working on memorizing a script for my job - not an acting script (not yet at least ;) - a sales approach.  I'm excited about the process but wanted to know if there was a faster way to memorize material.

I found a great article on Lifehacker.org

Check out the article here

Some of the content I've heard before but some of it was brand new.  The tip about drinking green tea to improve memory was interesting and I'm definitely going to start drinking more green tea.

A friend had given me the tip of recording myself for faster memorization.  The article goes into more detail on why it works.

I've been so used to just reading content over and over and over again as a way to memorize material.  It's nice to know that there are better faster ways to get something done.

What memorization techniques have worked for you?

Let us know.

Cheers,
JG

Old Journals - Poetry "Shakespeare Killed Language"

Put another notch on the wall

For the foul play of the mind

It tends to get a little dark

But I'm still alive

Are you in this for fortune or fame?

I'm invisible it's all the same.

Watch as our fates eclipse

I'll catch you as you fall

I'm not one to hold on long

You can catch me heading south

To make a trade with the devil

Soul for heart, passion for blood

Dissolve your crystallized fears

Trapped in a visitors palace for years

Fight or flight balanced in this game

My instincts are getting to me

Walking on without a name

Borrowed a knife from a friend

To kill the devil before he cursed me

Buried him in lime and salt

Under a tomb in the mountains

Rests a silver sun echoing a single beam

Ripples reside in our indignant nature

Marked his grave, Before parting ways

Said a prayer out of respect

I knew he was innocent

Justice lies in victory

There's no justice in battles lost

Separation is the myth of higher powers

I'm the myth that you'll devour

I'm now in a place where we can talk

It's unstable, chaos calls

Shakespeare killed language, dead men walk

I spilled my feelings, but not my heart

Cause I keep up my guard

Wisdom of nature, Self-defense

There are things yet to be finished

Sometimes it's not about how it ends

The dust falls and you wander

Chalk another one up to better sense

Damnation will waste your time

Darkness isn't about how dark it is

Put another notch on the wall

For the foul play of the mind

Are you in it for reason?

Or will you go on believing?

Death is a fate we all share

Listen to the wind to compare.

JG

Life Purpose: Figuring It All Out

What's your life purpose?

Do you know?

Do others know your purpose?

Is it important for you that they know your purpose?

Does your purpose serve the greater good of humanity?

How do you know when you have the right life purpose?

My life purpose is . . .
To discover my life purpose.
To live a fulfilled life.
To be honest with myself and others.
To live with integrity and character.
To create and provoke thought.
To challenge myself and others.
To grow.
To experience new adventures.
To create meaning.
To pursue a value & principle based life.

How can you simplify your purpose?

What does your purpose mean?

The great thing about life purpose is it can evolve over time.  Being a good person and treating others with respect and dignity is innate in my life purpose.

Our current self doesn't always match up with the life purpose of our ideal self.  In those moments of awareness we are provided the areas for growth within our current self.

You may need to figure out what your life purpose is not to figure out what it is.  You may need to figure out who you're not to see who you truly are.  Careful of the advice you follow.  Watch closely people's actions and keep on guard your own character.

"Don't take advice from someone you wouldn't trade places with." Unknown Author

Gaining clarity on your purpose will allow you to act in accordance with your purpose.  Imagine how you will feel when you are living your life purpose.  Imagine what it would be to have a life full of meaning.  Imagine waking up each day and knowing exactly why you're here.  How will it feel?  What would be different about your life?  Who do you have to be to bring about a change in your identity?

Share your life purpose in the comments below.

If you have any questions on life purpose let me know and I'll see what I can do to help.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers,
JG

Habits & Other Things on my Mind

What are the habits you're creating?

What do you want your legacy to be?

I've started the Miracle Morning again - I'm on day number 5 in a row.  I've found when I was most successful I had a solid morning routine.

The Miracle Morning is a great morning routine.  It implements six of the most powerful personal development practices into one routine.  Hal Elrod, the author, calls it SAVERS.  S is for silence and/or meditation.  A is for affirmations.  V is for Visualization.  E is for Exercise.  R is for reading.  S is for scribing - writing or journaling.

Here's what Hal outlines in the book

Silence - 5 minutes
Affirmations - 5 minutes
Visualization - 5 minutes
Exercise - 20 minutes
Reading - 20 minutes
Scribing - 5 minutes

There's your action packed morning routine.  You don't always have to do each activity for that set amount of time - you can do more or less.  It gives a great structure to your morning.  Also it allows you to work on yourself.  If you need a great morning routine, implement the Miracle Morning and really do it for at least 30 days.  It will work wonders.

What's your morning routine?

What helps you get started the right way?

Comment below . . .

Check out his book

Check out his website

Check out his podcast

If you've been looking for something to change your life, Hal Elrod can definitely help.  He'll give you tools that will help take your life and business to the next level.  Check him out - let me know what you think.

A great video on the book is from Brian Johnson

Next
It's planning your day with your most important tasks.
What's your outcome for the day?  What do you need to get done?  But also what is what you're getting done accomplishing?  What's your end goal with what you're doing?

Is what I'm doing generating income?  How can I be even more fulfilled with my work?  How can I be even more fulfilled in my life?

How can I look back on the day and make sure I had a great day?

How am I adding value today?

What questions do you ask yourself?
What gives you meaning?

Thanks for reading
Have an outstanding day

-JG

Meditation 101: How to Meditate without Moving to the Himalayas

I enjoy sharing great ideas or things I'm learning.  I've done meditation in the past and it has really improved my focus and clarity.  This is something I'm going to get back into and making it a daily practice.  Above is a great video on meditation.  Brian Johnson has a lot of great videos.  Check out his Youtube Channel

Peace,
JG

Are you a writer?

This is a great question. . . What makes someone a writer?  Do they have to be published?  Do they have to be an expert?  Is there something that has to stand out about their style or their voice?  Are they catchy?  Are they edgy?  Do they tell a story?  Are they memorable?  Are their characters memorable?  Do you want more?  Are you curious what's next?  Do they have you creating your own plot lines of what could happen?  Is it intriguing?  Is it engaging?  Do I want to share this with a friend?  An enemy?  Does it connect to me?

Yes, yes, no, yeah, maybe, sure . . . whatever you say, right?

Are you passionate about writing?
Who told you, you can be a writer?

Or is a writer a writer.  A writer is someone who leaves the reader with a new thought or idea.  Or it could reinforce a current idea.

Does anyone even read any more?

Writing is an art form - so is editing.

So, are you a writer?  Yes.  Probably.  Most likely.  Maybe.  No.  You are a writer.  You communicate with an audience.  You draw a conclusion.  You change someone's of perspective or perception.

Writing changed my life.

What's changed your life?  What has meaning for you?

Journal whatever comes to mind - write about the world - how you see it - how you see your place in it.  Make up a story.  Write out dreams.  Write out ambitions.  Write something meaningful.  Write with purpose. You're your own hero.  You're your own history book.  You're someone who the world's been waiting to read.

Spill your heart onto the canvas to see the magic and mystic as you read the words.  You've captured your creativity.  You've harnessed your will even if it is just to amuse yourself.

Good Luck,
JG

How To Make More Money (Do This Everyday)

This is a great reminder.  "You get paid for the value you bring to the marketplace."  Jim Rohn

How are you bringing more value to the marketplace today? This week?  This month?  This year?

Focus on value and the money will come.

What are you doing to improve yourself today?

Old Journals

I have so many journals of things I've written.  It is kind of absurd how many I have.  I have plans to go through all of them and see what I can gather from them.  For now here's a poem I wrote back in July of 2011.  Thanks for reading.

Passion Dances on Your Tongue

You scared me that one time

I think you remember when

You had me that one time

I don't really understand

It's a viscous cycle we're facing

Better check for vital signs

I see we're fading

I see we're fading

Kissed on a summer night

The air was getting thin

Planned on doing things right

Couldn't seem to begin

Climbed to the mountaintops

Risked my life in a thunderstorm

I feel we're wasting

I feel we're wasting

Planned on moving up

Couldn't figure what you want

The final show will be done

And we'll see a setting sun

Don't forget your  loving song

Remember to live in everyone

You leave behind

You leave behind

Her life fell to hearts desire

Passion dancing on her tongue

Now you see he's right in front of you

Remember, when you see him

Here comes another setting love

Left unnamed forever gone

I see an open mind

I see an open mind

Welcome to my world

Blogging . . .

This world is a great and wonderful place.  I'm a writer.  I'm a creative person.  Fuck, I hate labels.  I'm who I want to be.  I'm who I'm meant to be.  I wonder, what will happen after we've figured this "life" thing out.  Welcome to my great and wonderful world.  This is a moment of self-discovery.  This blog will be whatever I want it to be.  I will share many of the things I enjoy.  I've thought about starting a vlog on youtube as well.  A collection of thoughts . . .  ********  Don't read into it too much - it probably doesn't mean what you think it means.  Nothing has meaning except the meaning you give it.  But if you do get lost in all of this be sure to come back to reality every now and then.

Imagination is something that can fool you, you're someone who can be fooled.
Tomorrow is a destination untraveled, Yesterday was never there.
It's only a realization of a moment to moment life - a chain reaction - lost in time.
Can you tell the difference between an actor and a saint?
Can you see the changes in this coded place?
Can you hear the waves in my art form?

Destination . . . unknown . . .

Time to blast off.

- JG