A Killer Saint Patrick’s Day!

How do you celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day in North Texas?  

Do you go to the parade?  Drink a Green Beer? Lead snakes out of Dublin Texas?
How about a new tradition starting in 2018?

A KILLER SAINT PATRICK’s DAY!

You are cordially invited to join us for a COMEDY KILLERS EXCLUSIVE Murder Mystery at our new venue on the water.  Bring your own favorite spirits and booze and enjoy the delicious food and killer comedy as you help us solve the crime.     

We are doing public, private and semi-private shows and this year we are fortunate enough to be able to so a special show on one of our favorite holidays (ST. PATTY’S DAY).  We also can help you celebrate your Birthday, Anniversary, Promotion, Company Party, Private Retreat, First Memorable Date or JUST FOR FUN!  Let us know you are coming and if you want to be part of the show.

BRING YOUR OWN BOOZE!  An affordable safe way to bring in Saint Patrick’s Day on the water.

WHEN: Saturday, March 17th at 7 pm.  Buy Tickets HERE
The boat leaves at 7 pm so plan to be at the dock around 6:45 pm

WHO:  The Comedy Killers.  The hilarious division of www.shane-arts.com
If you don’t know, be social and follow us

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Are YOU in a Healthy Relationship with a Salesperson?

You could be.  

Whether it is your first date or your 50th Anniversary, you agreed to go out with them in some capacity.  They connected with you on a level that you liked and you said “Yes!”.  Good and healthy sales professionals are typically emotionally intelligent and help us feel genuine authentic emotions.  They understand how to influence us to feel excited, safe and secure in our choice.  That is what many want in our personal lives.  How about you?

Human nature focuses on the negative, but the sales professional traditionally finds ways to turn that negative pain into a positive opportunity.  They are trained to see both sides (and many more) and understand how to leverage them into action.  Who doesn’t want more action?

Life is Pain, anyone you says differently is selling something.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThDwS79HPhs

Both men and women alike want to be heard and their thoughts, feelings and opinions valued by their partner.  Sales professionals have to continually practice to be good listeners as an essential part of their craft.  They know when to speak, and when not to be silent and just listen.  We tend to buy from those that really “Get us” and can anticipate our needs.  We tend to stick with those people in our personal lives as well.  Do you?

Do Ask Don’t Tell

People do not like to be “told to” do anything anymore than they like to be “sold to” by someone.  A good sales pro knows “Telling is not Selling” but will rather ask questions.  This can be a real asset in personal relationships where you can come to important decisions together.  Do you like to make or be included in the big decisions?  

Those that may not have the good fortune of being in a healthy relationship with a salesperson and I hear them talk about how much work it is and all this talk about sacrifice.  Sales people know how to negotiate for win-win outcomes.  While speaking of good fortune, good salespeople often make good money for their hard work and usually have incentives to make them want to be better every day.  Is that something you would want in a partner?

They do not take you for granted.  They are usually confident, secure and have a thick skin because they are usually facing rejection and high stakes on a regular basis.  They know customers are loyal right up until something better comes along so they make sure to stay on the pulse of what you value and thinking about an upgrade rather than an out.    

Fortunately we are all in sales whether we realize it or not.  We wish you the best in your personal life.  If you can use some help in your professional life, you know how to reach me.

2017 (and 2016) Years In Review and Missions Accomplished!

This is the time of year when I reflect on my wins and learn from my losses and share them with anyone that is willing to read or listen to help me be accountable to the solutions.  Say what you will about 2017.  It was one of my best years ever.  It seemed to be a year of things coming together like a giant master plan.  As I look back at previous years I caught something.  I usually don’t share the bad stuff.  Last year (2017) seemed so good because it also included 2016.  Most of my bold wins of 2017 where me addressing to the epic failed attempts of 2016, so in all honesty these success were two years coming.  It was surprising to look for the 2016 recap and find that I did not even pause for the failures but kept on going until I succeeded.  Come with me back to early 2016…    https://shanespeare.wordpress.com/2016/01/09/2016-i-am-in-you/

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Best Health! Best Race Season Ever!
ULTRA BEAST, Hurricane Heats, Triathlon and Trifecta Deltas

I am so proud of my performance and lifestyle change I happily went to the doctor at the end of the year just to get a full physical to back it up.  The results were great.  Much of it can be attributed to a few key moments I will talk about in other entries, but the primary one was Spartan Race!  Whenever I am worried that civilization is doomed, I know we are fine because there are “Spartans” all over the world, and I have traveled to meet so many of them.  I pursued the Trifecta Delta (https://youtu.be/9yEf_HG9520 for those that do not know), completed the Ultra Beast and Hurricane Heats and the Colorado Rockies Beast and finished out 2017 with my tenth (10th) Trifecta in in the first official race in SPARTA, GREECE!  

However looking back I totally got my ass kicked in 2016 attempting it which is probably why the success is so much sweeter to me now.  I returned to the Hawaii Trifecta to do the Ultra Beast towards my Endurance Trifecta and was cut from the race missing a “time hack” by ten minutes.  This sucked more because I had so much more to give but I was mismanaging my effort.  They gave me a radio and let me be the “Sweeper” which was an amazing life experience in itself.        

That “set back” launched me forward as soon as I returned stateside to finish the Beast hours ahead of my fastest time.  I started to measure metrics I never understood prior and learned you do not have to choose between macro and micro, you can do both.  I got a bike and started swimming and training to do Triathlons and set goals not from race to race, but from day to day and workout to workout.  I treated myself to a Garmin Fenix 5 watch and committed to never doing less than I did yesterday.  I trained a bit with a Half-Ironman who told me there was a James Bond themed Triathlon that I thought I would “tri” and came in 2nd place.  I soon realized that I didn’t need the Spartan Race to put myself to the test, but started looking at them as a chance to document my improved performance.  Although I didn’t need a race to do my best, I began exploring virtual races to keep raising the bar.  I committed to traveling to new races and completed the Hurricane Heat, the Colorado Rockies Beast, the AT&T Stadium Sprint (which is the first one my mother attended and finally got “why” I do this) and the first Dallas Ultra Beast better than I predicted and recovered on a plane en route to the real SPARTA to finish my best race season.       

abstract heart

LOVE and LIGHT

Picking up on the “LOVE and LOSS” I certainly feel I made some wise decisions that put my heart in the right place for “LOVE and LIGHT”.  Especially in this digital age of swiping left at the slightest inconvenience and over sharing what I would consider intimate details I did find love and it is beyond anything and everything I ever imagined.  To share any more would contradict the breakthroughs I’ve had regarding closeness and intimacy, but I can tell you what resonates with what we generally hear; trust yourself and follow your heart.  Perhaps I always take the long way around to get there, but I feel my heart and soul are healed and very capable of loving and being loved well in return.  This continues to be the biggest win in my life so far.  The only reason I didn’t lead with this was following the structure of the last entry and I did not want to disgust those of you that have read this far.  Love is the most amazing thing ever!

CAR FANTASIES FULFILLED!

Long before I could legally drive and while most boys were obsessed with girls or video games I always had a thing for exotic european cars, particularly those of British heritage.  For decades I have been pushing, towing, fixing, troubleshooting and cleverly customizing my dream cars with no payoff other than occasionally people saying “I love your car”.  I was never saving on gas mileage, never had a warranty and never took arriving at my destination for granted.  When I did have to go to a mechanic they were usually a specialist and we usually had to brainstorm about innovative and creative solutions.  During this time I had the second incarnation of my beloved Triumph TR-6 https://shanespeare.wordpress.com/2015/06/, my James Bond BMW Motorcycle, the reincarnation of my LandRover Discovery II and my Wildest Dream, my V12 Aston Martin convertible.  Do you remember that poster of a car barn that had a dream car for every day of the week?  I made it, although I don’t know what I would have filled the other bays with.   

The Aston landed my first Blue Ribbon at All British and European Car Day and the Rover saved our lives when we were somehow picked up into the air and dropped on our heads.  It was truly a supernatural paranormal out of this world experience but to land upside down in opposing traffic and for us to walk out with a minor scratch and a bump on the head was pretty amazing.  They built them like tanks back then and I found a replacement in the same color with a few upgrades while at the hospital being checked out.  The good folks at North Texas British combined all the best to make my third Rover.  Much like all the letters after NCC-1701 I think I am sold that I will always have one of these in my collection.  

Now this could have been me dodging my next regeneration.  Whether you are a Whovian or believe a cool cat has 9 lives I was pretty much dead when I hit a deer on a motorcycle in 2002.  Then when 7 years later almost to the day I was hit in Deep Ellum on a motorcycle I was paying attention.  Some might say “stop riding motorcycles”, but I was pretty clear the universe was saying third time’s the charm (in 7 years).  I thought I was good until 2016-17 when I looked around and saw the drivers on their phones all around me.  I parted with the motorcycles and saw this was my way of cheating my next regeneration the way the 10th Doctor did for my Whovian friends.  I live every day hoping I was right.     

“MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE” ~Shakespeare

“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”
~ Winston Churchill   

Fortunately horses have often found their way into my life and my heart and in 2016 it was presented to me by a brilliant and very influential saleswoman that I could train, ride and even compete for almost the same budget (in both time and money) as I was allocating to my other endeavors.  I always say you should be learning something new because it helps with your perspective with all things and being around horses is changing my life for the better.  

There are many paths that converge on this.  As part of my healing heart I shared my passions and also embraced those that were shared with me.  That opened my eyes to how often I see horses around while I’m running, walking or training on my bike.  Even in the city when I would train for the races I found myself at a barn right off the trail behind my house that goes to White Rock Lake. (Rocking M Stables).  Trying to climb the stairs after a Spartan Race is quite a challenge, and then you see a horse jumping over the fence or traversing the terrain just puts it all into perspective.  Maybe I’ve been going about this all wrong.       

I started taking lessons and progressing on school horses but was not able to ride as much as I wanted so began the search for my own horse that I could ride, bond, train, learn, grow and essentially evolve.  Many warned me about this process and I consider myself fortunate to have found such a great horse with the help of my trainer and insight from trusted friends.  I am on the right track with a beautiful and talented mare named Artful Design.

The Five Year Mission… To Boldly Go… Blind?  

Over the past five years many good friends that have become my work family have come to work at Bold.  Bold; Our brave venture into human connection through sales, marketing, call centers and emerging technologies.  Just like Star Trek, we “boldly go” and some have come on for a cameo or an episode, season and some have been part of the entire series.  Bold has consistently grown year over year, pretty much doubling what we did the previous year.  As with all the other things lining up this past year we strategically joined forces with the Dallas Lighthouse For The Blind.

This has so much potential and opportunities going forward I feel this is the cusp of something entirely new professionally.  This also gives me the flexibility to continue my creative pursuits with Shane-Arts as we go into our 25th year.

What’s next?

It is quite satisfying to cross such epic life goals off my list.  I am sure there will be a way to top them in 2018 and beyond.

Chapter 4 – A New Hopeful Moon

Darkness fell across the land as a cloaked discombobulated figure skulked through night without as sound.  Wise men such as Wylie H Dallas say that if you are not present in the moment you cannot see the figure.  Other cynics such as Mack Herbert say it’s just imagination and Shannon Lee Dyson argued it is a stress monster and everyone needs to chill out.  Little did they know they could all be right.  “So SO RIGHT!” echoed Amber Womack Skipper  Little did they know they could all be wrong.  “So so wrong” worried Steven Jeffers.

AND when I say “So So Wrong” I mean to emphatically stress Soo Soo wrong, much like those that still know which “2 “to use in a sentence might say “too too solid flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew” and not be apathetically confused with “so so” as in not one extreme or another.

Those with a Class C Creative License such as Brandi Andrade, Alana Macías de Cortes and Larry D. LeMaster know what I am talking about as they also have a current one and support breaking the fourth wall (or Drew Wall as he likes to call it) in writing.  So lets continue.

The figure glided by a distracted Curtis Raymond Shideler completely undetected and right in the path of Jennifer Roe without skipping a step and cut in line in front of Shannon Knipp without missing a beat.  The figure slipped between Raven Jacobs and Whitney Kelley who were discussing conservative politics while the businessmen slowly get stoned.

Finally, the keen Patrick McAlister noticed the mysterious figure and got the attention of Rob Hood by tapping him on the shoulder and nodding in the direction of the mysterious figure.

“What in the world?” Whispered Andrew Redd
“Could it be the spirit of the missing Doctor?” Asked Mark Fickert
“Perhaps it’s the ghost of Spot Acus Yasso Yang” Pondered Trae Morgan
“I think we should pursue it, just to see what’s going on.” Stated Craig Norris

James Beasley hopped in his hearse (All Dukes of Hazzard Style) as Katy Polito, Helen Woodrum, Belinda Boyd, Monica Moody and Nicole Holt piled in.  They crept along behind Anja Holweg power walking with her German efficiency and long legs.

 William Shane Thompson followed ringing a bell, and like some sort of Pavlovian response people started to form a parade. Andrea Reich Fender emerged with her fashionable entourage from an upscale art gallery and fell in line with Dora Chu and the fashion police.  Candice Ordered Steps Johnson and Diana Tucker followed too.

Before long the cloaked figure was leading a parade of followers through the Haunted French Quarter.  Alexis Jo and Maria Hildreth Zsohar danced behind a float featuring Knizza Live, Chris Bartee, Jim Cady,Dean Lindsay, Peter Elkin, Thomas Jacob Lovelace, Gleb Tarro all throwing beads to those gathering in the streets.  Even Gloria Smith who was working security got distracted from her conversation with Monique Childers about training and both were caught up in the spell.

Kevin Hunt juggled fire around Lorca Simons brilliant puppet, mask and mime work.  She was leading a troupe featuring the sexy and sassy vixens of Vixens Vaudeville and League of Lovely Ladies Bettie Pink, Vivienne Vermuth, Shanna Lee, Amber Williams, Naima Lett, Brooke Hamblet and Amber Garton.

Matt Barron, Stephanie Ward-Pierre and Christi Dalton Whitworth were dancing the dance in the streets and scooped up by the parade.

There were pirates and ninjas fight dancing and dance fighting depending on your perspective.  Sarah Saathoff was doing flips and Metsy showing off with her forward rolls.  Kathy Robinson-Hays, Elizabeth Dewhirst and Adrian Santiago had a tumbling act that would make the most experience acrobat envious.  Stephen Kirkham, Lindsay McEllen James and Chad Kelly Dotson were making music as Citlalli Smith played her cello on a nearby float while Rich Frohlich made sure they sounded amazing.

This parade now filled the streets and swelled into the walkways and climbed the walls.  Linda Jackson rode on the shoulders of James Warila.  The lovely Joyau Pénard was nominated the princess of the parade and her court displayed the most breathtaking international fashion the world as ever seen displayed by Angel Anderson, Adriana I. Romero and Tamara Voss.

The mysterious figure led them all to the largest riverboat they have ever seen.  There was no hesitation whatsoever from the crowd.  Lyzz Kirk danced wildly down the boarding plank with no rails or guards.  The plank bowed and bounced like a guitar string as Daniel Sandoval, Delfina Bedarte, and Noel Lucky Brucker plucked aboard.  Breonny Lee and Donatelle Mascari noticed the ripples of the water matching the beat, or rather the pulse of the massive combined energy of party, yet the cloaked figure had yet to make a sound.

Silently slipping up stairs and ladders to the higher decks the figure slipped past Clifton Hall who was guarding the door to the wheel house.

Kenneth Fulenwider had the wheel and halted the figure before you could go any further.

“You do not have permission to come aboard!” he declared rather bravely.

The figure paused, untied the rope belt that made him resemble a Frangelico bottle and removed its hood.  The cloak fell to the ground to reveal Steven Hacker II on the shoulders of Frankie Garcia III!

“SURPRISE!” busted Hacker as he jumped down to fire up the engines.  “We’ll be takin this boat” he then said in an unsuccessful attempt to sound like a pirate.

Rick Spivey and Zachary Stefaniak charged them but Frankie took them out so effortlessly next thing you knew they were asleep on the floor, and not hurt or injured in any way.  Steve gave the signal and his masquerading troops engaged the next phase of the over elaborate plan usually led by mysterious figures in cloaks.

“Just like Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi!” Referenced Stephanie Butterfield

Jennifer Culp and Nancy Soto untied the boat from the dock and Heather Dinning Perry retracted the plank.  Cheryl Reedy cranked the music and Lori Garcia dimmed the lights.  Kenne Earl and Kathleen Terbeek began to sing captivating the guests and crew as the boat left the dock on the still water that reflected the wide smile of the moon of the almost new moon.

Robin Clayton for one was thrilled at the hope for a new adventure as was Tiffany Bryan who is always up for an unexpected journey.  Jackie Kobe started a new “Ships Blog, Stardate Now point Now Two!”

“We got company!” Bobby Friske noticed as they headed out to International Water.
“Looks like the U.S. Armed Forces!” commented Megan Myers

Lindsay Martin Walser with the Air Force, Molly Mitchell with the Navy (Call Sign: GOOSE!) and U.S. Marine Allie Shane were all awaiting orders to engage, but none came as the moon went out into total darkness.

“A New Moon! But not in a Twillight Novel kinda way” joked Comedian Mo Zan
“Thank Goodness!” chimed Diana Wickman

From the shadows a beautiful olive skinned woman with green eyes removed her masquerade mask.  She beckoned for those that saw her to follow her.

“Don’t do it!  What if she be a spirit to tempt you to the water!?” Worried Pamela Ward
“Lets both follow and we will stick together.” Explained Mardi Allen

They followed the woman to the bowels of the ship where they found 2 sleeping men holding a letter addressed to a King.  Those two men were David Jeremiah and  Christopher Dontrell Piper.

 

 

2016! I AM IN YOU!

What a difference a year makes!  I’ve been looking forward to this post for quite some time as 2015 proved to be both the most challenging and the most rewarding.  I do my best to live every day and every moment exceeding my personal best. This post is more about benchmarks and milestones than hoping to keep cliche promises to myself.  Moreover I put this out there online with the intention to share, inspire and connect as we all continue our human adventure.  Looking forward to meeting the challenges of leveling up in 2016!

ULTRA BEAST’n TRIPLE TRIFECTA DELTA   
#SpartanRace

While proud of my 2014 Spartan Trifecta I am even more proud of my lifestyle change exceeding the Triple Trifecta in 2015 including destination racing and confidence in knowing I will achieve my 2016 goals. The Hawaii Trifecta experience was such an awakening! I look forward to expanding my Spartan Travels in 2016 and going for the ULTRA Beast and the Spartan Triple Trifecta Delta!  (https://youtu.be/9yEf_HG9520)!

LOVE and LOSS

2015 claimed many of my companions and dealing with death and loss forced me to deal with aspects of myself I viewed as weakness but were needed as strengths (sensitivity, humility, humbleness, feelings).  I lost my father, thankfully not my mother that survived the Tornado, both my cats and too many friends and loved ones.  Life is too short to have many walls, but it is good to have boundaries.  I have a feeling 2016 will provide many opportunities where I will have to know the difference.

Continuing to BOLDLY GO

If I may be so “Bold” ever since I learned the word “mission” I knew mine was to “boldly go where no one has gone before”.  Once again I underestimated my professional goals.  In a lesson on goal setting I made what I thought was a stretch goal for myself.  (A V-12 Aston Martin DB9).  Just when I thought I was living the dream with my TR6 I thought I would show how setting a goal, developing a plan and following through can lead to success, but it turned out to happen even faster than I optimistically projected.  My goal was to build my dream team and while I am aligned with some incredible talent and a crew that would make any Captain of the Starship Enterprise proud, but there is still a great deal of room for improvement and new roles to fill.  There are also many new projects which will be launched under the Shane-Arts or Bold banners.  

In 2016 I plan to surround myself with the right people to keep me exceeding my personal best in addition to me helping them exceed theirs. May all the roles be cast, the dream team assembled but in 2016 I hope to always keep a chair open for that new rising star.   

(www.shane-arts.com  and   www.boldstaffing.com)

Keep On Saving The Day!

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPZW8_ID-l4)

The lifestyle change of eating better and being better to the environment has continued to the point where I had almost no trash and while I was proud putting out four times the recycling to a single bag of trash, by eating clean, healthy and sustainable the even the recycling declined taking reducing my footprint to a new level.  This also brought about a healthy diet and reignited my passion for cooking.  Many seem to think healthy clean eating is boring and taste bad but I actually found the opposite to be true.  There have been many times in 2015 that people that justify certain toxins for themselves have been impressed with my healthy alternatives, even though I do my best to focus on the flavor and experience rather than the healthy substitutions.  I do not believe I am missing a thing but I am able to keep optimizing my performance while still enjoying all the goods.  In 2016 I plan to do more sharing of delicious food and drink through healthy (or healthier alternatives).    

As always, there are a few other experience, knowledge and financial goals I do not wish to put out there on the internet, but they are out there in the universe and I look forward to celebrating their success in 2017.

 

Can You Trust The Opposite Sex?

While working to improve some trust issues in my personal relationships with the opposite sex, the Huffington Post released an article “Men Just Don’t Trust Women” and added “It’s a Huge Problem“. Personally I found the article played it safe and danced around the issue utilizing one of my favorite tactics; humor.  It also did not address anything substantial aside from he has a built in EF (Exaggeration Factor).  I will say it and many people have confided in me that they find the opposite sex “Emotionally Manipulative”.  The more I get to know someone the more I understand their “EF” and I don’t care if they ‘re a man, woman, age, religion or sexual preference.  Since it seems I am not the only one struggling with trust issues with the opposite sex, lets go deeper.  Some make promises they have no intention of keeping, pretend to misunderstand when it suits them and use your own emotions against you.  This is not every woman, or every man, but they sure mess it up for the rest of us.

It’s Not Women… Necessarily

Perhaps a headline of “Women Just Don’t Trust Men” wouldn’t get attention. Everybody knows that. (Wanna save on car insurance?) Most would respond “Duh” and move on to more important topics such as videos of kittens or funny memes and lets face it, Huffington Post wants people to read their content as I want you to read mine. I say we quickly learn whether or not we can trust the “opposite sex” and level the playing field.  Men OR Woman, the “Huge Problem” is people trusting people we shouldn’t and not trusting people we should.  Lets get back to the basics and allow me to shout out to my parents for instilling in me that trust is earned, not given.  (Also true with respect)

Trust Me

As a general rule, the more a person says “Trust Me” the less I do.  In contrast I have also observed that I trust people when their actions have demonstrated that they are trustworthy.  Depending on your environment and the circumstances sometimes people consider it more fun to behave in a untrustworthy manner, and some may rank being “fun” higher than being “trustworthy” or “honorable”.  Perhaps they have never seen the reward of trusting someone or perhaps they are so jaded at being continually disappointed that they no longer believe anyone is trustworthy including themselves.  Personally, I strive to be impeccable with my word even down to the details but I try to never say “Trust Me” unless I am paying homage to a Harrison Ford character.  Sometimes I am in a situation that requires the person to trust me when they don’t have the time and history to see how trustworthy I am and I am asking them to take a leap of faith.  Of course intimate romantic situations have more at stake than your average acquaintance, sale or service, so it tends to impact us more.  Therefore do we trust the opposite sex less, or is it simply we have higher criteria because there is more at stake?  I am going with there is more at stake.

Trust No One

Earning someone’s trust is a great responsibility and in a world of instant gratification it has become much easier to simply trust no one.  This may also explain why people can feel isolated and lonely in relationships.  Emotional Intelligence and growth is limited when you do not trust, so if you want to grow and be the best person you can be, you have to learn who to trust and who not to.  There are people I do trust and the reward is worth it.  Having that one person you can count on is better than hundreds you “think” you can count on.  The tricky part is we don’t get the clear validation for choosing wisely as quickly as you do when you’ve chosen poorly.  Sometimes it becomes clear from all the people that are not worthy of your trust.  Pay attention to who is trustworthy as much as who is not, but don’t put up so many walls that you suffocate yourself.

 

Action Plan

Be the change you want to see in the world.  If you want people to behave more trustworthy no matter what their sexual orientation or culture, then be the person they can trust.  Treat them how you want to be treated; Trust them how you want to be trusted. Start small because from experience if you go “all in” and your partner does not then you just get jaded and resentful.  Start with details such as time, small tasks and discrete disclosures before moving to major commitments, promises or secrets. Do they do what they say they are going to?  Are they accurate and accountable in the expectations they present to you? Do they honor your privacy? Do they respect you? If so then proceed to the next level of risk reward ratio and repeat as appropriate.  I have some very trusted friends that I can trust with some things but not others and I accept them fully for who they are.  Where do you fit?  What have you learned?  I would love to hear in the comments.