Month: January 2024 (Page 2 of 3)

Even though it appears as if we long to be lone-wolf’s in this world, whether that’s through non-conformance, standing out of a crowd or the desire to go the opposite direction of the masses, in the end it’s the connection with others that seems to fulfill us all.

What good is winning a race or accomplishing a goal if you have no one to share your joy with.

So many of us seem to have goals that don’t include anyone else but ourselves, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But I know from my past experiences, it’s the sharing of the news with loved ones where I find most of my thrill.

No doubt, we can feel accomplished and gain confidence in oneself by putting out a sought-after goal and then consistently working hard until we’ve reached it.

But, let’s not forget the celebration afterwards. It’s those you’re surrounded with that share your joy for what you’ve done that makes that party special.

Twenty Nine years of marriage, 4 children and three houses later, my wife has decided to go back to school and I’m absolutely thrilled.

No doubt it will be a challenge to get back into the “classroom” as I’m sure much has changed since she was a young adult, but who cares!? Let’s go Lady!!

We can lose track of what’s important to us and possibly forget about the big dreams we had when we were younger because LIFE happens to us. We can get caught up in the day to day while we keep our head down working away and the next thing you know 10 years have past. What ever happened to those wild dreams we had as a teenager? Why have we forgotten about those? Isn’t there something within us that gets excited when we think about accomplishing a certain goal? Or expressing ourselves in a particular way? Maybe just partaking in the activity stirs the spirit within us.

That’s where I want to be. That’s what I want to do. And I truly believe, it’s never too late.

One of my biggest thrills when it comes to my relationships with other people is trust. The trust with which I give them, and more times than not, receive in return.

Many of these interactions have happened with total strangers. Whether it’s accurate or not, I view opening a door for someone a form of trust. I trust that they will respond accordingly by saying “Thank you.” Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. But that doesn’t stop me from doing it over and over again. Even buying someone’s coffee behind you in the drive-thru at Starbucks I see as an opportunity for that person to take that trust and reciprocate accordingly.

But, the deepest fulfillment for me is my close relationships in which the trust we have with each other runs deep and is always present. This is when you can skip the small talk and tackle deep issues between you bringing you closer with every new conversation. With that, the foundation of trust is only bolstered.

Over the years, I’ve come to learn that the world isn’t going to slow down for me no matter what. The good news is it doesn’t slow down for anyone. It wasn’t just me. Call me a slow learner, but I used to wish for blocks of time – days even – when I could ponder over the elements of my next project I was taking on or obstacle I faced, while the world waited patiently on pause for my reply. Uhhhh, yeah.

Here’s what I learned: Go!

As I’ve said before and I do subscribe to even today; the details are in the doing. Not the pontificating of doing. Doing. Go. Get started. Get going. It’s going to be messy, chaotic – even ugly at times. Such is life.

We can adjust our methods along the way. If we don’t get the results we’re looking for then we can build it different the next time. If a more effective strategy presents itself with less time, then we’ll implement it on the next go around. But let’s keep moving our feet.

What if the speed with which we respond and create a “less-than” perfect product or service is more important than taking the time to perfect them before releasing them to the public?

Sometimes I need to be around upbeat, positive and creative people. Other times, I’m yearning for some peace and quiet by myself in order to give my mind some space to wander. And yet there are other times when I’m longing for some one on one time with my wife.

The older I get the more clear to me what it is that I need in order to strike balance in my life. This includes diet, exercise, socializing, deep thinking and creating. For this I’m grateful.

Knowing what one needs in order to get clarity, rejuvenate oneself, rest or knowing how to put yourself in an environment where you can create and/or problem solve is priceless.

And the only way to find that out is by experimenting. I’m pretty sure it’s not by death-scrolling on social media.