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Articles by Hugh DeBurgh

Browse published articles attributed to Hugh DeBurgh, with full-archive search.

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By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Educating Teens

"Educating" Teensr My wife and I were talking today about our oldest child, who is almost eleven years old. He is a very bright, compassionate, and mature young man, and he has been a great help to us with chores and in dealing with the younger kids. But he is getting quite bored, maybe even burned out, at school. We’ve been wondering what to do about his education after the sixth grade. You see, his Montessori school only goes up to the sixth grade.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,513 views★ 2.3 (8)

By Hugh DeBurghRecently publishedTopic pending

Financial Lessons From 007

Financial Lessons from 007 It’s time for a lesson in family finances. I was watching one of the recent James Bond flicks with Daniel Craig as 007, Casino Royale (I think he makes a great Bond – you?). Anyway, something I saw stuck in my mind and for some reason it popped back to the front today.r

Primary topic: Recently published

Recently published

1,399 views★ 2.1 (8)

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Do Something Different

Give your creative family lifestyle dreams a try out. If you followed the advice in the past, you have been doing a lot of thinking lately about what sort of creative family lifestyle you could be following. Now it’s time to get your feet wet. Up to this point, everything that you have done has been in your head. You have imagined your creative family lifestyle involving your family in all sorts of adventures together. You have visualized a more proud; more alive you living a new life of real meaning.

Primary topic: Happiness

1,317 views★ 2.5 (6)

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

What is beauty

What is Beauty? What is beauty? Is it a perfect profile or a perfect smile? Is it hope? Is it the energy of positive expectations? Is beauty simply the opposite of ugly? Is beauty the absence of ugly? Is ugly a lack of hope? Is it a surrendered soul; a bitter heart? Every day around me, I see beauty and I see ugly. Mostly, I see beauty in young people. I see ugly in the old. I see an empty look of a life that has been spent; like a salmon that has laid its eggs and is now waiting to die. Is that what we are? Are we slaves of instinct? Are we not better than a salmon?r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,214 views★ 2.1 (8)

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Mars vs. Venus Redux

One of the greatest problems that families have in improving the quality of their lives together is the common reality that the parents themselves don’t always agree on what the family priorities should be. In fact many men find themselves confused and saddened by their family life; especially as it relates to their relationship to their wife.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,262 views★ 2.3 (6)

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

What's Wrong With a Game About Dead Bunnies?

So What’s Wrong With Dead Bunnies? Ahhhhh! Splat! Ewwwww... My kids have been complaining about the Internet filters we put on our PCs to prevent them from accessing inappropriate content. It’s a parent’s right and duty: right? My oldest is quite the crusader and may just be a budding Civil Rights lawyer. Nevertheless, these things are necessary. In protest, they have changed the background on one of our laptops to an image of a cartoon with a circle and slash over it, the image that they see indicating that inappropriate content was being accessed;r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,186 views★ 2.0 (5)

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

The Problem with Big Families

The problem with big families is that they don’t fit anywhere. I never thought about this problem until I experienced it, but everything in our society is designed for the family with 2.4 kids and a dog. If you happen to have four kids, a cat, a few kid friends, and a spouse, a lot of things get complicated. For example, when my first child was born, my wife and I sold our six-month-old BMW Z3 convertible and bought a Toyota Sienna minivan. My driving experience has gone downhill ever since.r

Primary topic: Happiness

3,965 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Why Thinking Like A Child is Better Than Thinking Like A Grown-up

Why I Like Kids Better Than Grown-Ups I have a confession to make. For years, I really had little use for kids. I used to have a near magical ability to entertain kids and engage them in a way that other adults just didn’t get. I didn’t enjoy doing it. It was like an elaborate act and it was hard to keep up. I was fascinated by my ability to do this and I really didn’t want to disappoint the kids so I kept up the charade. Otherwise, I would avoid events where there would be kids who had no other kids to play with because I knew that I would be on “entertainment duty.”r

Primary topic: Happiness

3,376 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Leaving the World a Better Place

One of the mottoes that I like to live by goes something like this: “Leave the world a better place than you found it; your community a better home than when you arrived and others happier than when you met them.”r

Primary topic: Happiness

2,886 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Approaching Life

Happiness is the direct result of a choice. An agreement, between you and you. If you aren’t happy now, it’s because you have not made this choice, this agreement with yourself. The question is, “Why not?” Many people simply do not understand this basic rule of life. Apparently, nobody told them about it. Their parents didn’t know it. Chances are their parents weren’t so happy themselves. And maybe those parents didn’t see themselves as success stories either? Friends were probably clueless too.r

Primary topic: Happiness

2,527 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Are You Determined to Be Happy?

Are You Determined To Be Happy? You already have everything that you need to live your dream life except perhaps a solid understanding of who you are and a bit of courage. And a desire to be happy; no; a determination to be happy. In fact, I think that it is determination that sets satisfied people apart from the rest. It is determination that overcomes old habits. And it is determination that stands up to the constant resistance we all face from the world – resistance to the change that we bring, simply by daring to be us.r

Primary topic: Happiness

2,517 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

When It Hurts Say OUCH!

That's Got to Hurt! I recently had a Twitter friend ask me to post some uplifting quotes related to “taking kindness as weakness” and “being pushed too far.” Of course I did my best to find a few that might assuage her pain. At least I hope they helped a little. This reminded me of a common bumper sticker I see around my home. It is published by the local women’s shelter. “Love is not abuse,” it says. Abuse comes in many forms and generally it does not involve obvious physical battering. Verbal and psychological abuse, even when subtle, can hurt. These do not communicate love.r

Primary topic: Happiness

2,086 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Keeping Your Female Partner Happy

This article is aimed at my masculine readers. If you are of the feminine race, please read this as well, and set me straight if you disagree. You certainly know this subject better tha I! Let me start out by stating that this post is a hopeless generalization. When I refer to relationships it must be also understood that there are as many unique relationship dynamics as there are relationships. That’s a lot of variety!r

Primary topic: Happiness

2,056 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Embracing Your Inner Warrior

Embracing My Inner Warrior They say that you can do anything in Vegas. Well, apparently, you can. My older kids noticed a brochure on the tourist racks for a place called “The Gun Store.” Yeah, I know a gun store? “But dad, they have all of these uber old guns from World War II and stuff and they even let grownups fire some of them.”r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,804 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Live and Let Live

Live and Let Live “There will always be war, famine & poverty as long as anyone believes that he has the right to impose his will on another.” I wrote that on Twitter a few weeks back and it seemed to resonate with some people. That sentence is my conclusion of what people like you and I must commit to if we want there to be a future for our children and grandchildren. I believe that only when we understand that we must persuade others to our point of view, rather than impose our “wisdom” on the world through law or otherwise people will not truly respect one another.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,770 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Get to Know Yourself

Who Am I? Know Thyself. This advice was reportedly engraved on the famed Oracle at Delphi the seat of all wisdom in the ancient world. It was the guiding rule of the ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates. Even the mysterious “Oracle” in Hollywood’s Matrix movie trilogy had this phrase posted above the entrance to her kitchen. What does it mean? Before you can go anywhere with your life; before you can do anything meaningful; you must understand yourself. Who are you? What matters to you? What are your passions? Why are you on this Earth? Most people never ask these questions.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,753 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Peace Amid the Chaos

Peace Amid the Chaos I am going to tell you something strange; perhaps even unbelievable. I understand exactly what is going on in today’s world. I seem to have a gift. I can see the big picture where many others cannot. I understand what is causing so much of this chaos that surrounds us. I know why the stock market is so weird and why there is a financial crisis. I called it all ten years ago and my call has been right on.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,743 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

My Life IS My Message

My Life IS My Message My Life IS My Message. Sometimes new acquaintances ask me, “So Hugh, what is it you do?” It seems like a straight-forward question but for me answering never is. Consider the following possible answers: • “I help awaken people to the life they should be living.” • “I show people how to transform their lives and live their dreams.” • “I help people to re-order their priorities.” • “I talk about my unusual lifestyle so that others might be inspired to follow.”r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,717 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

The 7th Secret to Living the Good Life

It's Time to Fall In Love ~ With YOU! I’ve saved the best for last. It doesn’t matter how hard you work or how much natural talent ekes out of your every crevice – you will not achieve satisfaction in life if you do not love yourself. Instead, you will sabotage your own success, knowingly or not. You will believe others’ doubts about your abilities. You will internalize criticism. You will judge yourself through the eyes of others instead of your own.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,655 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Persuade Your Partner

New FREE Guide to Persuading Your Partner Published! You have made up your mind. You are going to take the plunge. Start your new life. Live it your way. Then reality socks you in the face. What about your partner? What will he or she think? What if they nix the idea right off? Or maybe they’ll just laugh – call it another of your hair-brained ideas – and refuse to take you seriously? What do you do now?r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,607 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

The Seven Secrets to a Successful Life

7 Secrets to Living the Good Life Know the 7 Secrets. There really are 7 “Secrets” that you need to know and understand before you can successfully transform your life from where it is now to where it needs to be. These 7 Secrets require that you change your long-held attitudes, your approach to living and your priorities. They also require you to discover a degree of emotional maturity within that few today know they can possess. Comprehend and implement these 7 Secrets and you will dramatically transform the quality of your life. The 7 Secrets to Living the Good Life are as follows:r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,572 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

AWE

Today there isn’t much that leaves us in awe. We are educated in general scientific principles. Through modern media we are exposed to the wonders of space; of quantum physics and other incredible discoveries. As a species we no longer ascribe great geological events to the anger of the gods. It is easy therefore to think that physical travel for the purpose of discovery and learning is a quaint but expensive relic that is best left to the rich and the retired.

Primary topic: Happiness

1,561 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Life on the Canals of France

Life on the Canals of France Cruising the Canals of France by Barge

Primary topic: Happiness

1,552 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Be the Best You Can Be

Before you can even begin to reorder your life, you must surrender. Most people cringe at the thought of surrender. We are fighters. We don’t just give up. I am not suggesting that you surrender to others. I am suggesting that you surrender to yourself.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,534 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Freedom; Is It On the Wane?

Freedr As we live our lives, freedom is singing its sweet music in far off Iran. The younger generation there simply refuses to accept tyranny over their lives any longer. When I watch these brave souls fighting this tyranny in the streets of Tehran and elsewhere; I realize that freedom is really what I am all about. Without true freedom you would not be able to live your true natural lifestyle. You would be a prisoner of the common accepted manner of living. True freedom is the liberty to be you; without so much as a “by your leave” to anyone else. In order to be you, you must be free.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,468 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Life is our Classroom

Life is Our Classroomr

Primary topic: Happiness

1,465 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Amy's American Adventure

Amy was an adventurous blond, blue-eyed tomboy living an ordinary suburban life when her parents announced that the family would be purchasing an RV motor home and traveling the United States for one year on a journey of discovery. She was a bit sad to leave her friends behind, and she wasn’t sure what she would do to keep herself busy for an entire year.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,443 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

The Dunes of Mars

The Dunes of Mars Today the Warrior left the Earth that I know and entered a strange world of towering sand dunes and brown-orange volcanic rocks. In the distance low brown hills rise above a rubble filled surface. The sky above us is cloudless. The sun is quite hot and glares so bright that we cannot keep our eyes open when looking in its general direction. There is little sign of life. There are no trees, animals or human development. As far as the eye can see there is only this scene of desolation.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,440 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Be True to Yourself

One of the conce s that I had before I decided to take my life (and my family’s lives) in a completely new direction was what people around me might think. You know what I’m talking about. For some folks being different comes easy. For those of us who grew up among the cliques and jock/freak/nerd labels of public high school you can’t help but feel a bit of a cringe when you realize that what you are about to do is different.

Primary topic: Happiness

1,420 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

We Are All Related

Hey Cousin! For those of you following the progress of the Road Warrior crew I am writing to you tonight from Stone Mountain, Georgia, outside of Atlanta. Today as I sat with my family in an Atlanta restaurant I couldn’t help but notice the guy who was sitting just across from us. You see, he looked a lot like me. It was the look of his eyes, and his eyebrows, I think. But then he was “black,” and I am “white.”r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,407 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Getting the Life You Want

The 5th Secret to Getting the Life You Wantr Know Your Priorities – Be present with who and what you love – otherwise, what’s the point? The greatest gift that you can give to another person is your full and undivided attention. It’s also the greatest gift that you can give to yourself. The reality is every living thing seems to thrive on attention. From people right down to your houseplants, your focused, sincere and caring attention is what life craves. What you pay attention to most defines your life.

Primary topic: Happiness

1,396 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

A War of Words

You Are Wrong! I was distracted today by a vigorous “debate” that I stumbled upon on Amazon.com. I never realized just how active the discussion groups at Amazon are and regarding much more than books! One such subject was the health care battle that is currently raging in Washington. Now I am not about to chime in on that quagmire. It was clear from what I saw that plenty of what was often a rather nasty “discussion” was underway.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,394 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

What About Your Savings

In today’s economic chaos how can any of us ever hope to earn enough to break out of our life rut and start living the good life? The good news is that you don’t need to. Instead, what you must do is refocus your life on living with meaning; rather than on making money while developing unique skills to generate all the buying power that you will need at those moments that you need it.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,390 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

I have found that there are two approaches to achieving a goal. • You can focus on the process – that is, focus on the things you need to do to be a success • You can focus on the goal, and sort of let the process happen. The first method sounds more responsible; certainly you have to master methods and techniques that will allow you to get what you want? Experience has taught me that too many folks become obsessed with the process or even fall in love with it and, as a result, stay perpetually involved in that process; never quite reaching their stated goals.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,372 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Going Into the Light

My good friend died this morning. We knew it was coming, of course. We arrived at his home only last night. I didn’t feel bad for him. I believe that he was finally released from a now-useless body and probably feels great. I’m glad that today he can be with us without a struggle. I’m not religious, but I’m a firm believe in life after death – or maybe I should say that I believe that life and consciousness transcend any physical presence. That belief helps me immeasurably.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,369 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

I am Bored

Yesterday I was talking to my kids at dinner when one of them uttered those classic words, “I’m bored.” I told her that there were only two roads away from boredom, and only one of those was permanent. The second road would lead her right back to the boredom she hated, but the first road would give her a permanent tool that she could use whenever she wanted to get rid of boredom.

Primary topic: Happiness

1,368 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Family Freedom Now

A practical article connected into the broader SelfGrowth topic graph.

Primary topic: Happiness

1,363 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Living the Good Life

It's Time to Live the Good Lifer Now it’s time to go to school; Creative Family Lifestyle Design School, to be exact.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,361 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

How to Beat the Best at Their Own Game

How to Beat the Best at Their Own Game The Power of Focus on Demandr The following is a reprint of a guest post that I did last month at the Bold Life blog. Just in case you didn’t catch it there, I thought you might enjoy it. rn~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Everybody wants to win. Winning is fun. Achieving what you set out to do is part of what life is about. But when we start thinking about taking on a challenge, we can quickly become discouraged.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,360 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Family Leadership 101

Family Leadership 101 Leading Your Broodr Are you your family’s leader? Whether your answer is yes or no, this post is focused on you. Why does leadership matter? Well, first let’s consider the following questions. Is your home just a collection of people going separately about their own lives? Is this what you had always dreamed that it would be like? Are you and your loved ones bonded together in a way that brings each of you positive energy, strength, and a sense of true belonging?r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,355 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Spreading Good News

Help Spread The Good News! I believe that people everywhere need to be woken up to the life that they could be living. Do you have friends and loved one’s who seem to be sleep-walking through life? Do the energy and the light seem to have faded from their eyes? Has their marriage lost its luster? Do these folks believe that the promise of their lives that was as clear to them as a child has turned out to be just another childhood fairy tale?r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,318 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Is Public School Right for Your Child (Part 1)

Education – Is It Screwing Up Your Child? (Part One)r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,317 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Take time for You

Sometimes life seems so complex and chaotic that we really have no idea where to start to wrest back control over it. It may be necessary for you to take a personal time out. This time out may be with family and/or friends; like a vacation. However I believe that you really need to spend some time completely alone before you will be able to perceive your world with clarity. When’s the last time that you took time for yourself? When’s the last time you were all alone for an hour, a day, a weekend, or a month?r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,316 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

I Ain't Got No Money!

Let’s face it. The number one reason (or excuse) that most of us use to avoid even thinking about making a major change in our family’s lifestyle is fear about our financial situation. Especially in today’s unstable economic environment most folks are holding their breath and hoping that they can simply hold it all together. With that in mind this might seem like a bad time to be planning a major lifestyle change but the opposite is true. For one thing the process of reconsidering your lifestyle starts with taking inventory of the lifestyle that you are living now.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,313 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Losing Your Job in Today's Economy

Gotta Let You Go… Now What? Those words (or just the fear of hearing them) haunt just about every job holder in today’s “deadsville” economy. Losing a job is a real possibility these days even for long-time loyal employees. I cannot begin to alleviate your pain if this has happened to you recently. However I want to point out the silver lining in the otherwise dark clouds that are hanging over you right now. Answer this question for me: did you get up every morning for this job excited to go to work and dive right in? If not then why are you looking for another one of these dead ends?

Primary topic: Happiness

1,311 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Dare to Dream

Dare to Dream - And to DO “Follow your dreams – this requires courage, drive, and bold action.” It is easy to ignore your dreams; to regret them; to label them as unrealistic, childish artifacts; to deny that they really matter to you anymore. Adult life is filled with reasons that dreams are for children only yet we all hear the admonishments to “follow your dreams.”r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,292 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Inspiring Families

Inspire Your Family; families don’t really exist until they “connect.” Personally, I don’t define a family by who its members are or even by how those members might be related to each. I define a family by how it behaves and by the degree of connectedness and cohesion between its members. Even more I define a family by the degree of personal respect and compassion that its members express toward each other. I have a feeling that my definition leaves out a lot of “families.”

Primary topic: Happiness

1,288 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Are You a Family Leader?

Are You A Family Leader? The purpose of The Way of the Passionate Warrior is to create inspired and passionate family leaders. Yes, this site is about families but truly it is about family leadership. Are you a family leader? Not much happens in life without some sort of initiative and initiative is leadership even if you are the only one being led.r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,283 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

You Wanna Do WHAT?

You Wanna Do What?!? Are You Nuts? Because I blog about changing your lifestyle I have asked readers to comment about what they think are the personal barriers to chucking it all right now and living the ultimate family lifestyle. I want to thank all who responded. The honesty and palpable emotions touched me. Today I am posting one of those responses, and my reply to it. Ben is a reader who is struggling with the challenges of approaching his partner with his creative lifestyle design dreams. Let’s listen in … Hugh -r

Primary topic: Happiness

1,276 views

By Hugh DeBurghRecently published1 topic

Meeting New Friends

As we travel across a continent we inevitably make new friends. Some are just fleeting. Others last a lifetime. At our current campground in southern Califo ia we have met and made a new friend who has had quite an impact on both the kids and the adults. Our new friend’s name is Kindle. Actually it’s Morgan and his owner’s name is Kindle. But the kids decided that Kindle was a better name for him.

Primary topic: Happiness

1,275 views

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