Charlois

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven; …”            Ecclesiastes 3: 3-8 NRSV

This passage, often used at funerals, can actually be applied anywhere in life.  The past is behind us, the future is before us, so all we really have is this moment in time.  That is not to say the past, and the future, have no place; they really do, in reference to the present.

Every decision we make, is made based on our past experience, and affects the future in some way.  Therefore, we should maintain a balance with our time.  It is a gift from God, but but is in our care as we go through life.

Go in God’s grace.

Pastor Yancy

Over the past few months, and now into the foreseeable future, my reading is focusing mainly on time management literature.  There is a reason for this; My next book I write will be on time management.

My most recent read has been, “15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management.”  This book, by Kevin Kruse, gives at least 15 keys to being more productive with our time.  Each chapter covers a key concept, incorporates quotes from successful people, and finally lays out the secret he taught in the chapter.

Also, as part of each chapter he includes a link to bonus material, which includes things like a quiz testing your time management knowledge.  There are 100 quotes from history, and more input from billionaires, Olympic athletes, straight A students, and entrepreneurs.  All of this makes for a great resource which should be read by anyone wishing their time management skills were better.

Buy it, read it, and grow in your quest.

Robert A. Charlois III

As last reported, The Charlois Co., LLC is officially established.  However, that does not mean we are open for business.  There is still much work to be done; researching suppliers, writing a business plan, and other groundbreaking activities are in our future.

There are some things we hope to solidify.  The Co. will be made up of many different businesses.  Charlois General Trading will be a general merchandise store that focuses on quality for ethical prices.  Then there will be Leonardo’s Books and Personal Growth Center.  Its aim is to be a self-help destination, again with ethical pricing.  There will be others as we grow but for now that should keep us busy.

Eventually we want to hire staff that will be provided a nice compensation package.  This will help those who are entering the workforce for the first time, or, those who may be having difficulties for other reasons.

While these will be for profit businesses, portions of those profits will be directed toward benevolent causes.  Again, helping people have a better quality of life.

Check this site every Thursday for updates on our progress.

Robert A. Charlois III

Persistence pays off in huge dividends.  A few days ago, I posted persistence is one of the cornerstones of the Charlois Philosophy; I want to carry that forward to this post.

Five years ago, I was struggling. That is until I found The Owingsville Manor.  Since that time, I have progressed, a lot.  But it hasn’t been a carefree journey.  There have been struggles, sometimes taking as many steps backward as forward.  Through it all I have improved.

Here lately has been no different.  It is my goal to be a certain type of person, my dream persona if you will.  However, coming this far has not been easy.  I have several projects on my goal list: write a book, run a blog and website, and have a business organization that helps people become the best they can be.

Maybe I’ve tried to do too much at once.  This week I’m trying an experiment; do one thing on my routine schedule.  Once that becomes steady add another while keeping the previous one going.  So far, I’m getting up at 7:00 am, my set hour. Two, I’m writing a blog post every day.  I’ve done three without fail.  When I’m ready I’ll add another activity, thus building my habits one step at a time.

It will be slow but with persistence I’ll reach my goals.

God bless, and happy journeys.

Robert A. Charlois III

It is about time to start with some meaningful content.  The focus of this week’s blog is our first major event.  Occurring May 14^{th, 2024,} through May 19^{th, 2024}, that is Tuesday through Sunday, we are planning a “Spiritual Renewal Event.”  The reason we are announcing it now is because we want to get started on the planning process.

The purpose of this event will be to raise awareness of our mission.  While it will be evangelistic in nature, that will not be the only thing happening.  There will also be exposure to different benevolent causes in and around the Maysville area.  With this awareness will come a request for funds to support these causes.

Along side of the crusade will be studies and preaching about the Spiritual life.  We at Charlois Philosophy believe the cornerstone of an abundant life is our Spiritual foundation.

The main event will begin on Tuesday, May 14^th, 2024, with a 24-hour prayer vigil.  This will be followed with 5 days of worship, the focus being, “What Must I Do To Inherit Eternal Life?”  From Mark 10:17-22.  On Saturday we will have a resource fair with various ministries set up to raise awareness.  The preaching this evening will conclude with an offering for these programs.’  On Sunday we will begin with a fellowship meal, followed by preaching, communion, and a sending forth.

Help us make this event a success by getting involved early.

Pastor Yancy

A key concept in Charlois Philosophy is persistence.  So often in today’s world people seem to give up at the meekest sign of an obstacle.  By doing so they never realize the abundance that awaits those who persevere, in spite of the struggle.

In developing this philosophy, we have encountered all manner of setbacks.  But we continue, working to make it to victory.  And we shall have it.  All of the dreams, all of the goals, all of those inconveniences, will make our success even sweeter.

Let us look at the pieces so far: we have this blog, which struggles but we haven’t given up.  There is the book, nearing completion but not quite there, yet.  We also have the beginnings of both profit and non-profit divisions, which are just waiting to blossom.  We have come so far over the last few years, because we persevered.

We don’t know what the future holds but we trust this philosophy and all the branches will make a significant impact. That is what we are working for; “Helping  improve lives, because we care.”

God bless, and have a great day.

Robert A. Charlois III

This post is out of the regularly scheduled order but I want to cover some important ground.  For the past week I’ve been at a Behavioral Care Unit in Morehead, Kentucky.  I’ll get into the details momentarily but first I want to say something. I have no shame in checking myself into a unit such as this.  I have a severe mental illness and flare-ups happen the wisest course of action is to get help before it’s too late.  We would get treatment for any other illnesses, why not for the mental ones.  If you are struggling, get help, don’t let the stigma stop you.

With that said, this has been coming on for a couple of months.  Up until May 10^th, I was doing very well.  We had started talking about backing off on the frequency of my therapy sessions with the goal of being maintenance only by the end of the year.

Then, in May I left with my x, for a 5-day vacation.  I struggled with all the stimulation the whole time.  Being my first trip away from the Manor in over four years, (not counting hospital trips, which there were several) I was not prepared for what people on the outside deal with on a daily basis.  So, when I got back, I had a session with my therapist to process it all.

With that trip I was out of sync with my life and other stressors started building to dangerous levels.  Projects that should have been a joy became oppressive.  Over several weeks the stress continued to mount; nothing seemed to be working.  Finally, on July 3^rd, I was involved in an altercation with a fellow resident.  It wasn’t pretty, and it sent me over the edge.  The staff called EMS and I was taken to St Claire hospital in Morehead.

I am now somewhat stable, with a new awareness of my situation.  I have a plan for moving forward, which includes working on my three primary projects, and doing more self-care.  What I was reminded of was that none of us are immune.  With the right mix of situations, any of us can be pushed over the edge.

So, remember, even if you’re living your best possible life, be on guard.  It only takes an instant to put us in a bad situation.  Here is to living the good life.

God bless, and happy journeys.

Robert A. Charlois III

It has been said before, one of the best ways to participate in a self-improvement program is to read.  The question then becomes, do you know how to read?  Reading is a very complex activity, which many people really don’t do as well as they should.  It has been estimated that the average person reads on about the 6^th grade level.  This is not adequate for the needs of someone who is desiring to become their best self.  The answer is, most of us could benefit from a reading development program.

From time-to-time I have worked on improving my reading skills, and intend to do so again, starting in a few days.  In the past I have focused on specific aspects of my reading; speed, vocabulary, comprehension, breadth, etc.  This time I’m putting together a comprehensive program that addresses the whole reading process.

The program will consist of a variety of approaches:  three books, an online study, and a reading practice, will all be a part of the program.  It should be understood that this is the program I will be following; you may use any of it that you desire, however I recommend designing your own program so as to get the best results.

The three books cover various aspects of reading.  The first, “Rapid Reading Made Simple,” covers elementary reading.  It focuses mainly on mechanics:  vocabulary building, speed work, and comprehension tools, all things taught, (or should be taught) in elementary school.

The second book is more about the strategy of reading.  While it contains additional practice with the basics, the main focus is on “reading with a purpose.”  “Work Smarter With Speed Reading,” is a little misleading.  It does cover some speed-reading techniques; however, the main thrust is on reading with a purpose and plan.  This is meant to speed you up by focusing your efforts on primarily reading material relevant to your needs.

 The third, and final book, “How To Read A Book,” by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren is the classic text written nearly eighty years ago.  It gives treatment to the four levels of reading: elementary reading, inspectional reading, analytical reading, and syntopical reading.  It gives one chapter to each: elementary, inspectional, and syntopical reading, then dedicates six chapters to analytical reading.  The reason appears to be that the authors view this as the most important aspect of reading, and should be accomplished by the time students graduate high school.

These three books will be read concurrently along with work on the online study and reading practice, conducted over a sixteen-week period.  The online work can be found on “The Daily Stoic” website found under our resources page.  Just go to their online store and find the “Read To Lead” link.

As far as the reading practice, it will consist of utilizing the Britannica, Great Books of The Western World and the introductory reading plan for that set of books.  That plan consists of fifteen readings with accompanying study materials.  In addition to that study, I will be devoting more time to my usual reading.

The three books I’ve mentioned may be found in used copies on the web.  The How to Read a Book is the only one that I know of that is still in print.

If you are serious about improving yourself, I suggest developing your own reading program.  There is no better way to grow than by reading.

Robert A. Charlois III

One of the key features of the Charlois Philosophy is the constant process of personal growth.  Without the movement toward self-improvement, we are not truly living The Charlois Life.  I for one am continually seeking ways to grow as a member of this universe.

One of the first things we can do in this regard is examine our lives.  Plato said, “the unexamined life is a life not worth living.”  I don’t know if I would go quite that far, however, growth happens as a result of reflection.

I’ve been reflecting a lot lately.  In fact, I have over emphasized the reflection and not done enough of the growth exercises.  The two must go hand in hand. 

June will see a change in my activity.  I plan on being more active in regards to my development.  There is much I want to accomplish in my life, and not enough time to do it all.  Especially if I take the laid-back approach.

One of my goals is to be a model that inspires people to strive to be their best selves.  The only way to do that is by living the Charlois Life.  So join me and let’s see if we can change the world.

Robert A. Charlois III

One great way to increase your personal growth is to read.  Most of the world’s knowledge is available through reading.  That is why we at Charlois believe every person should avail themselves of the opportunity to read as much as possible.

Whether it is to learn something new, or to travel to a distant land, or even to just escape; it is all possible through reading.  And the more we read the better we get at it.  This makes it even more beneficial.

Over the next week I’m going to be writing a lot about reading and ways to get the most from it.  But as a beginning you might want to pull up the “Resource” page and click on the “Daily Stoic.”  The offer a study called “Read to Lead.”  Check it out.

God bless, and have a great day.

Robert A. Charlois III