Category: Uncategorized (Page 136 of 158)

Isn’t that the case with everything? “Hindsight is 20/20.” We all know the maxim’s and sayings that describe the desire to have the ability to know all the information in this moment in order to make the “right” decision.

Well, how about this. You are exactly where you need to be in this moment and you know exactly what you need to know. This is not a cop-out, but rather a tool to give you a perspective in which you can spring off and gain momentum.

After all, life is perspective. You can wake up in the morning and choose to have a bad day or a good day. It’s your choice. There is nothing different about Christmas morning than a Monday morning is February. The only difference is how we choose to look at it.

In the meantime, learn. Grow. And evolve. Connect with others. Empathize. Love. Give. Listen. Lead. Create and respect others. These are the elements that slowly creates a person who has the tools to make the strong choices to put him/her in a position to succeed and lead.

Stop looking back and get present. You know what you know right now and that’s more than enough.

Have you ever looked back on pictures when you were younger and thought to yourself? “Things were so great back then. Life was so much more simple. Look at how much hair I had. If I knew I looked like that, I would have wore a swimming suit around all the time.”

Here’s the deal: You can do that the rest of your life. Look back and glorify what once was or you can declare today as one of The Good Ole Days. It’s up to you.

To me that means being present in the moment and relishing each and every experience you have throughout your day without looking forward to the next activity. It’s so easy to do that it becomes second nature for us. “I can’t wait for this weekend.” “My vacation is only 3 weeks away.” “When summer comes . . . ” The problem with this way of living your life is – your not living it. Your so focused on the next moment you have completely missed out on the one in front of you.

The title of this blog comes from a friend of mine. We were talking on the phone about our children and reminiscing about when they were younger. I brought up exactly what I’m writing about here and then he said something really profound. He said, “we can’t keep living our lives like this, there needs to be another way to look at it. These have to be the good ole days.”

I agreed.

Where does it start? It begins in the same place where all brilliant ideas, thoughts and creative seeds find their inception. Our minds.

I’ve heard that all manifestations take place once before declaring their existence in the world: once in the mind and then in the physical world. If this is true it would be worth it for all of us to pay attention to what’s going on between our ears on a daily basis.

What are we saying to ourselves? How do we move through our day? What do we focus on? What do we do when we don’t get the results we anticipated? Greatness is not an accident. You don’t trip and fall into it like a pile of gold coins lying on the ground. If you look at anyone who was ever considered “great” in an aspect of their life, you will find he/she spent many many hours at their “craft”. But not only that, they had the thoughts and mindset to support their practice. They had to. It’s imperative to them. Why? Because what you focus on becomes your reality. And people of greatness know that.

Unfortunately, that can go the other way as well. If you’re focus is on “what am I going to watch on TV today,” then your reality is going to be mostly mediocre.

Shooting for greatness isn’t such a bad idea. After all, you may just end up really really good a what you focus on. That’s not so bad either.

How often do you start your day with an intention? Do you take any time on Sunday to Rest, Reflect and Rejuvenate for the upcoming week? How about looking over what’s to come and putting together a plan on what’s important to you and what you would like to focus on the next 6 days?

I don’t do it nearly enough. Every time I do, I realize how focused and productive my week is afterwards. This is always a lesson for me. Writing down what is important to you is not only important – it’s necessary for staying on task, having a record of your process and a way to gage your progress as well helping you process your thoughts. The act of writing down your thoughts for me is a close to therapy as I can get without speaking with another person.

The older I become, the more I realize how important it is for me to be intentional with every task I choose to take on. It sounds silly. Don’t you already have an idea of what you want before doing something? Yes, but many times I engaged in an activity without really thinking it through of what I expect to get out of it. I’m not saying you have to write out a list every time you start a an activity, but if you remain aware of what your expectations are and how it fits into the big picture of your day or week, you may find more meaning in your work. You may also realize it’s just a waste of your time or better yet, you need to spend more time and preparation the next time you begin that task.

I moved pretty fast when I was younger, but I also wasn’t very efficient with my time. Being older I move slower, but I feel I’m much more efficient and effective with the passing of time and it’s because I do my best to approach my day With Intention.

I believe one of the primary intentions of people in this world today is to find and have a genuine experience. It’s nothing new. This desire has been around for years, but seems to becoming more aloof in today’s changing landscape.

Ironically, the experiences we are having today -via technology – can be the opposite of that. We are communicating more and more through our phones, laptops and Zoom meetings now than ever. I’m not sure of the long term effects of such methods, but I can assure you it cannot replace human to human connection.

The problem with such technology is that when we tend to like something for it’s convenience and time-saving aspects, we think more is always better. That’s not always the case.

Let’s not forget what’s important here.

After a long day of travel to distant countries or even across a few states in the U.S., the best way to reset your circadian clock’s and reconnect yourself to your world and your body is to walk the earth in your bare feet. Feel the ground beneath you and reconnect physically, emotionally and spiritually. This is absent from many electronic interactions.

The definition of genuine: Sincerely and honestly felt or experienced.

I value authentic and honest people in my life as well as genuine experiences and I would be willing to bet you do too. Then let’s strive for those.