Distraction Tactics
This article might or might not be what you expected when reading the title. Essentially I was thinking about how we humans use diversionary thoughts and practices to avoid facing the tough challenges we tackle in everyday life. Sometimes this strategy is on purpose and sometimes it is subconscious and we have no control over it. Even more important is [...]
I Will Always Remember
I will always remember where I was and what I was doing on the morning of September 11, 2001. For my generation it is akin to what our parents said about the Kennedy assassination. We will always remember it. ALWAYS! The funny thing is I remember a country that came together. That loved and cared for one another. A country that stood together to fight tyranny and terror. A country that no other would want to face in open battle. For a brief period, democrats hugged republicans and vice versa. Over the years our wounds have [...]
City Boy with Cowboy Heart
I am fond of saying, "I'm a city boy with a cowboy's heart." Most folks look at me with a tilted head and wry grin when I make that statement. Usually it's right after someone notices and questions my cowboy boots. You heard that right ... I wear cowboy boots. My goat leather Lucchese (pronounced Lu-K-C) boots are my absolute favorite and I wear them fairly often. My boots are only part of the story. I also [...]
How I Self Published
Since my book, Survivor, has come out, I have been asked a plethora of times what the process was, how long it took, and how I did it. So, I decided to create a blog article to detail what made me decide to self publish, the steps I went through, the pitfalls, my struggles, cost, and of course, how long the entire publishing thing took.
Let's go back to the beginning to really get this post kicked off properly ... In 1986 I was diagnosed with [...]
A Son’s Eulogy for Julien Kim Ripley
My dad, Julien Kim Ripley, died on December 4th, 2011 at 1:12 a.m. It has been almost a year and not a day goes by that I do not think about him. In tribute, I decided to blog a eulogy.
Often when you see a headstone in a graveyard [...]
My Dream is a World Without AIDS
My claim to fame is being one of the longest surviving HIV+ people in the universe. This isn't exactly the coolest title to have, but I am proud of the fact that I've made it so far. I attribute much of my success and survivability to [...]
P90X Redux
Many moons ago (actually two years ago) I bought and started the P90X® training routine. It was crazy tough and time consuming ... I only made it [...]
Jump Start Your Day
What if I told you that if you give me 13 minutes, I PROMISE your day will be more enjoyable and go smoother!!! What have you got to lose?
Lately I find that I am slower getting out of bed. Perhaps this is because [...]
Fit4LifeTraining
You've probably seen me touting Fit4LifeTraining lately (especially if you follow me on twitter @vripley). The hashtag #Fit4LifeTraining says it all. It encompasses so much in a compact package of words. As most of you know, I will be in an upcoming issue of Competitor magazine (I think May). There is a reason for that. Besides the fact that I've befriended professional athlete and one of my triathlete mentor/inspirations, Pip Taylor (she authored my article). And, [...]
PEP Talk From the Grave
My dad taught me countless things. On a daily basis I relate more than a dozen things that I do that came directly from his teachings. He helped me to mold the base of loyalty and creativity that became the grown up me. Among the manifold things he guided me on, he impressed three things into me more than anything else. Those three things [...]
Life Balance
Balancing the different pieces of your life is a surefire way to improve and become successful. I strive to improve aspects of my life and therefore build a better balance. This goes back to a few previous articles I wrote about kaizen, and constantly working to improve yourself on a daily basis.
One popular method of working on your balance is called [...]
Learning How to Live After Cancer
About five years ago, I was preparing to celebrate my son's first birthday in July of 2007. Two days prior to his birthday, I received news that rocked my world and flipped it upside down. I was positive for breast cancer at age 30. It was invasive and aggressive. I was also told that it was a gene that had caused it. I am BRCA 1 positive. After picking myself up off of the floor, we got to work on starting to formulate a plan of action. First was a bi-lateral mastectomy. After the surgery, I went to Shady Grove Fertility in order to harvest eggs just in case I was not able to conceive after chemo, which was about a 50/50 chance. I had to give myself shots in the stomach twice a day, while trying to heal from my mastectomy. I was then told [...]
Sunrises and Sunsets
Do you take the time to stop and smell the sunrise? I know most folks say "roses," but I'm more of a sunrise kind of fella. My ride to work takes 61 or more minutes, yet I don't complain and it flies by. One of the main reasons for this is because I have [...]
The War of the Body
In many of my previous posts I have talked about the war of the body. I've even posted some information about it. Today's Secret article is going to breakdown my idea and how it has helped me.
After all of these peaceful and loving blog entries, let me step out on a limb and discuss [...]
Kotowaza – Japanese Proverbs
As you all know, I refer to kaizen on a regular basis. Kaizen is a Japanese word that means daily improvement. I strive on a daily basis to improve myself. Today, I'd like to introduce you to another Japanese word ... Kotowaza. Essentially, kotowaza translates to "proverb." I am fascinated with Japanese philosophy and one of the main things I gain from the Japanese is [...]
How to Create Your Own Blog
Several times a week I am asked two questions:
What is a blog?
How can I make my own blog?
So, I thought I would take a break from the deadly serious subject of [...]
Stress (fancy word for life)
After all of the posts in the secret article thread, I figured it was time to tackle stress. It’s also a very good time to bring it up, considering our last post was about living longer. One thing we didn’t discuss during that article was managing your stress levels. The main reason for this [...]
What Are You Grateful For?
I know that this topic has been covered by most inspirational authors and in hundreds of books and magazine articles. Alas, I have my own take on it, and I wanted to share my belief about one of the strongest subjects I know about [...]
How to Live Longer
Don’t laugh; the fountain of youth does exist. Living longer does not only apply to HIV+ folks, this information will work for everyone. Following some simple guidelines and principals can have you on the path to increasing your life expectancy.
Many people from different walks of life told me precisely what I needed to do to prolong my life [...]
Getting Results
For better or for worse, ALL of the things we do have results or an outcome. Wouldn’t it be cool to shape your life to provide positive and desired/wanted results?
This post is related to one of my passions [...]
Ring in the New Year!
Well it's 2012 ... Woo-Whoo!!! I have officially lived with HIV for more than 25 years! And, I have lived with hemophilia for nearly 45 years!
But ... more importantly ... [...]
Family and Friends (support system)
Most of us are looking for support systems in our daily lives. And, the funny thing is that our family and friends surround us and we often fail to recognize that they are [...]
Find Vaughn Online:
My memoir, Survivor: One Man's Battle with HIV, Hemophilia, and Hepatitis C is available at bookstores and online. You can buy your copy here.
And, be sure to checkout all of my books here.
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