The Past Year

Another year is now behind us and a new one begins. The first few days of the new year I take a serious look back into the previous year. I try to reflect on the lessons I have learned and see if I missed any along the line. I take a good look at my accomplishments, goals that I met and perhaps a few things that I wanted to accomplish and did not. Looking into the past year will help me to move into the new year.

One thing I noticed in doing this every year is that there are always both good and bad things that happened in the previous year, there always needs to be balance. There will be gains and there will be losses, also bringing balance. We must remember with every death there is a birth and I don't mean someone dying and a baby being born. The death of a relationship or perhaps a friendship is certain to bring the birth of a new and hopefully better relationship or friendship. This is one of many lessons I have learned over the past year.

2007 was a very active year for myself which is bound to bring both positive and negative things to the surface. I have been procrastinating the past few days with writing in this blog because I was not sure what I wanted to share. Normally I write about experiences with readings and some of the things going on with my work. Today I decided to write about some personal issues and things that have bothered me over the past year. Things that have taught me a few good lessons. I'm hoping that this will help my readers in understanding a few of the things that I have learned over the past year.

This year I had many great opportunities and have met and worked with along with becoming friends with many wonderful people. I'm very grateful for the the experiences that I have had and the opportunities that have come. I have known for a long time that it is very important to give back to the community and to help others when you can.

One thing that I forgot and 2007 helped remind me is how good it actually feels to give to others who are in need. We have raised a good amount of money for several organizations including Susan G. Komen and the arthritis foundation. We also donated hundreds of Beanie Baby toys for a Camp Kindle which is a camp that caters to children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. Its a good feeling that you get when you know that you have done something that helped someone in need and brought a smile to their face.

Along with the positive things that happened to me in 2007 there were a few negative things that came along with it. I have learned that Hollywood and being on television is not as glamorous as you may think. Yes it was a great experience and I hope I have others like it in the future, but it was very tiring. It certainly was not at all easy in any aspect what so ever. A celebrity psychic that I became friends with warned me that there would be some negative things that could happen from doing television. One of those things are the nasty emails that we received from people who are not big fans of psychics. Some of the things people say are more then just rude, they are a disgrace. I laugh at these emails and luckily that is one thing that did not bother me.

There were also some phone calls from some pretty disturbing people which you blow off after a short time. Then comes those who decide to try and slander your name through the Internet. That one really pissed me off and that taught me another good lesson. Type in any well known psychics name on the net or any famous actor or actress and so on. Without a doubt you will find some idiot out there that feels a need to try and make that person look bad. I learned that things like this will just go away. As long as your doing good in the world for both yourself and others, good will come back and the bad will dissolve.

Its nothing new to me or anyone reading this that there are just some really rude and nasty people in this world. People that live a miserable life and like no one else, not even their selves. So they feel a need to try and make others miserable like them. I learned that we need to smile and wish them the best in life and do not allow them to effect me. I have learned that jealousy does not discriminate. Also I leaned that some people change for the worst where others never change at all.

Earlier in 2007 I heard from a good friend , we will call her B after not hearing from her for a while. She invited Bob and I over for a little get together with some other friends. We were not even there an hour before B started hinting around that she wanted a reading. I thought we were all here to catch up on lost time and here it was all because she wanted a reading. That would be like inviting me over because I'm a mechanic and you need your car fixed without just calling and asking "hey when you have a chance, can you fix my car?". I blew off B's little comments about how long its been since she had a reading and left her home feeling used. Besides the fact that we were invited to a dinner and there was no dinner.

I have been friends with B for more then 10 years and she knows she can get a reading any time she calls and asks me for one. I did not hear from B for months, even after leaving her a voice message. The very next day after I appeared on America's Psychic Challenge I received a very long email message from B . I still can not believe the things that she said to me in this message. You can just imagine the nasty things that she wrote me all because I did not offer to give her a reading the day she invited us for a dinner. Better yet it took her four months to write me this message. If it were an issue she should have addressed it right away and not when she saw things going well for me. Then she in turn went onto the net to try and slander my reputation by posting negative comments about me on the APC website.

That was just one of a few friendships that I had to end in 2007. Sometimes you have to look at yourself, your life and the people that effect it. Like relationships that just are not good, the same goes for friendships. Is it healthy for you? Is it a constant stress? Are you happy? Do the friends and loved ones around you make you happy? You have to ask yourself these questions and decide what is better for you and your health. Again, as long as your doing good for others and leading a positive life you should come to the decision that you deserve to be surrounded by good and positive. Sometimes you have to clean up the clutter, not just in your home but in your life. Something else I learned this year.

Even though I ended a few long friendships in 2007, new ones have begun and the clutter is gone. Another hard lesson I learned this year is that even though a person says they are spiritual and say they are out to help others, that is not always the case. Being a spiritual person myself I tend to think I can trust others who seem to be on the same path. Things are not always as they seem. Some people that I thought were friends were only out to get information from me and copy my idea's. Some of that is flattering and some is a little too much. Come up with your own idea's!

Then comes another person who I thought was a friend and was just using me in any way that she can to make her career a success. I had someone volunteer to work our breast cancer event at the Sheraton, then I catch her stealing my email list. How screwed up is that? Then she tries to hold an event with another psychic at the Sheraton, probably with my mailing list. WOW! The things people will do. And they call themselves spiritual and light walkers. I think that's a little bit of trying to step on someones toes. I really don't know what goes through some people minds.

I stopped advertising on the radio after another medium decided she wanted to advertise on there also. Little did she know that advertising on that station did me no good at all. LOL. Then another medium tried calling Ashes To Ashes Cigar shop in Bordentown New Jersey where I hold a monthly event. She must have seen on my web site that this event often sells out. There are hundred of hotels and places to hold events. Why do these folks, who were suppose to be friends, feel that they need to do everything I do everywhere I do it?

This hurt my feelings more then anything. The Sheraton called me today to tell me about the woman calling to book another psychic at their hotel. Little did she know that I have a contract with all the places I hold my events so that things like that don't happen. That would be like me going and holding an event where she normally holds her events. How would you feel about that? So she is going to have to use the mailing list she stole from me for another one of her events. Don't these people know about Karma? Maybe they should read a little bit about it. Karma is a bitch. Another lesson that you would think most people would be aware of and focus on, what comes around goes around. That's why you have to do things for those in need. You have to give back to the community. Pay it forward.

One last thing I wanted to mention. The weekly radio show that I do every Tuesday. Some people think that I get paid to do this show and that would be incorrect. This is another way of giving back and helping others. I take peoples calls because I care and want to help people in any way that I can. This is a great opportunity for people who can not afford to go to a medium to call and get closure. If I do not have a sponsor for the show it comes out of my own pocket, which I'm fine with because it helps people.

For those of you that listen to the show you probably heard the calls from a very strange guy by the name of Bob. Bob seems to have a sick obsession with my sister for some reason. Not only is this guy really creepy, but he is also a real a**hole. He calls into the show every week and always comes off being a real weirdo. New Years Day Bob called in and had a few nasty things to say. He also mentioned that he thinks I need a new career. Sorry buddy but I love what I do and have no plan for change any time soon.

My message to Bob who called in is the same message that goes out to all the other jerks that feel a need to call into the station to say something bad or write me nasty emails about my work. If you don't like mediums, psychics or me then why are you waisting my time telling me about it? This guy calls into the station every week which means he listens every week. Why are you listening if you have a problem with it? If you feel a need to hurt others by bashing them through the net or other ways then maybe you should stop and take a good look in the mirror. It does not say much about yourself if you are out to hurt others, copy others or stealing from others. Remember karma folks and how much of a better world this would be if we all could just be ourselves and try helping others at the same time.

I will be posting my predictions from the New Years radio show some time tomorrow. I hope that sharing some of my experiences and lessons from 2007 will help to enlighten others to take a closer look at yourself and others.
God Bless you all and have a very healthy, happy and prosperous 2008.

Joseph