Author: davidholly@gmail.com

One the things to keep in mind when thinking about “presence” is: Follow you plan, not your mood.
From day to day, moment to moment, we make decisions. What do we want to do? Where do we want to go? How do I get through this next puzzle? Who do I want to be with?
If we lay out a plan for the day, whether it’s based around a schedule that we have been given by someone else or a schedule in our head, we have to decide moment by moment whether we will follow the schedule or not. In this way we will move forward with our plans, uphold the values we have, meet the expectations that we or others have.
A lot of times my mood is different from my plan. I get tired, I woke up late so I’m grumpy, or I’m hungry and don’t see an opportunity to eat anything for a couple of hours.
Or on the positive side of mood I’m happy doing something I love, I’m enjoying time with some friends, or I’m content with the comfort that I’m experiencing.
No matter how I feel I’ve found that I still need to check my plan throughout the day. And start doing something I want or need to get done because it’s what I planned to do.
Sticking with your plan is a great way to be present. And it helps move the pegs along the planned path you set and help you achieve your goals.
So follow your plan, not your mood.

When I have an appointment or something happening at a specific time, I do my best to get there a few minutes early. For me, it’s a sign of respect to get there early and be able to say hello or get in and sit quietly waiting and watching as people gather for whatever it is. It’s also a time to keep things relaxed instead of being stressed and wound up tight as I rush to try to get there at the last minute.
I used to get there right at the last minute a lot. I prided myself on being able to time things so that I could overcome whatever obstacles jumped up unexpectedly and still get there just as something started. I was embarrassed a lot because I got there a couple of minutes late. I was very tense and the pressure that I put on myself was eventually too much.
As my kids went through high school they were in band. I think all of their band directors had a saying that being five minutes early is on time, and being on time is late.
This was especially true for high school kids, teenagers, because they would get there on time and then have to get their instruments out and have to talk and joke around and figure out where they needed to be and all that stuff.
So if everybody showed up at the appointed time, then 10 minutes later, practice still has not started. I know that some people will go ahead and schedule things with a buffer time, trying to allow for the people that show up late.
I stopped doing that because if you don’t have enough respect for me to be on time, then I really don’t want to wait for you.
Do your best to get there five minutes early so that you can show respect for the organizer and actually be comfortable as you ease your way into the event, whatever it might be.
Go for it!
#us

Being money savvy can help you become unstoppable. But it’s a challenge in today’s world of easy credit card approval and “loan forgiveness” teases.
Check out this Dry Bar Comdedy show that jokes about how villainous the banks are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6RbuF8gClI

The clothing that you wear says a lot about you marketers have sold a lot of clothes because some big star wears something with their symbol on it or people in movies are wearing that product. And so people associate what you wear with you like or what you are like.
We can see this in even the clothes that parents buy for their kids. When babies are little they don’t care what they’re wearing and they usually get it dirty a lot. But mothers still go out and buy brand-name clothing things that cost too much for a baby that’s going to wear it maybe three times and then outgrow it. Kids going to elementary school would dress up in namebrand merchandise to show that their parents care and want them to have the best. And even middle school and high school that happens; all the styles to start changing based on music and video tastes and whether or not the young adult is given money to go on by clothes or as close box.
A lot of times when you get clothes from a relative as a gift it just doesn’t fit your lifestyle. That sweatshirt with the unicorn on. The team that a 14-year-old never heard of or care for. And other stuff like that end up at the bottom of your closet or even better under your bed just never see it again.
What I’ve learned in life is that when I dress nice people act differently towards me. I go out on my in jeans and a T-shirt and people in stores treat me like a bum and ignore me. Until they realize I am ready to buy something, then all of a sudden I get service. But based on my look they treat me differently than if I was wearing something that is considered more professional and nice.
The problem with that the challenge with that is that a lot of times professional looking shirts are uncomfortable. They’re made of the wrong materials and they show every bit of my sweat. If I have to wear a tie the collars are too tight and don’t stretch.
For a long time I would wear Oxford style button down collar blue shirts and a tie to where I work. It may me look professional. But I never learned that you should dress so that you’re comfortable and not necessarily for the look that others are expecting. But you still have to look professional and not walk around in a basketball tank tops and baggy shorts hanging down around the cheeks of your butt
I love Under Armor shirts! When I started buying under armor T-shirts it was because the material wicked away sweat and didn’t show that I was sweating as much as cotton shirts cotton T-shirts would get soaked and stay soaked on my body whereas under armor sell shirts stay late and lose and dry or at least dry look. But I can’t wear Under Armor shirts to work
Luckily some companies have started making dress shirts out of material similar to Under Armor and other companies make their sport shirts from. &collar is one of those companies that I regularly wear their shirts. Button-down oxford style shirts out of the sweat-wicking stretchy material that is made from recycled plastic water bottles. According to their marketing one shirt uses about 12 plastic water bottles worth of recycled plastic so wearing &Collar shirts makes me feel like I’m contributing to the recycling efforts that will hopefully save our ecology.
You can check out and color shirts at andcollar.com

What are some of the ways that you can earn respect? Those include many of the unstoppable skills that I like to share with people. Be presentable. Be positive. Be present. Encourage people. Communicate clearly.
I like to share with people about the skills that I found to be unstoppable. My hope is that when I do people will learn and grow and become better and more able to integrate into society. Once you’re integrated and unstoppable then you can start to affect the change that you think should happen. Put your stamp on the way things ought to be. But until you’ve earned that respect all you are is a noisemaker getting in the way of people actually trying to accomplish things.
I hope that you will join me in trying to build and continue a great society. Become unstoppable!