Category: Uncategorized (Page 150 of 158)

My wife said something that resonated with me quite a bit. She said that you have a choice to “carry your sunshine with you.” What a brilliant concept. It’s another way of choosing your perspective in life. You get to decide whether to carry rain clouds around in your pockets all day or you can choose to bring out the sunshine. It’s YOUR universe. You get to pick the weather. Why not select the sun?

Often times we play the role of a passenger on a ride to a destination we don’t want to go or haven’t done our due diligence to find out where it ends. Or maybe worst of all – we don’t care.

We are where we are today because of the mix of circumstances and the choices we have made under those circumstances. I am fully aware I have a choice of the weather I want to walk through my day in. And no matter if it’s rain or shine – I take responsibility for that weather.

I’ll tell you this: I’m grabbing my sunglasses

Everything I have done in the past with some sort of preparation – from what I can remember – has paid off in the long run. Whether it’s a race (half-marathon), changing my diet (becoming vegan) or a creative project. Preparation is key. It’s more than just the physical aspects of being prepared. It’s the mental and emotional as well. It spills out to every resource I need in order to take on that particular endeavor.

I don’t always learn my lesson however. If I’m too excited and just begin with no prep, my results are just somewhat average. In addition it’ more difficult for me to stay in the moment, I’m less focused and often times less committed.

It doesn’t take much to prepare for your upcoming event. Just put a little effort into it and before you know it you’re making progress. Write down your expectations, what you may discover about yourself and anticipate how you may feel after completed. It just gets you focused for the task at hand.

Give it a shot.

“And here’s the secret: merely begin”

Seth Godin

When I was young – old enough to know right from wrong but young enough to think the world revolved around me (5-35) – I was a master at allowing one moment (especially if that moment wasn’t going my way) to bleed into the next and the next and the next and the next. I could waste a good couple of hours for sure. If I worked hard enough, half a day. It took a lot of effort to ruin a whole day, but believe you/me I could do that too. But, it took work.

What I have come to understand since is this: a moment is just a moment. We have the choice of allowing it to permeate into our minds and reek havoc. We also have the choice to see it for what it is: A very brief picture in time. It doesn’t have to mean anything else – unless you want it to. If you want to give it power, then by all means build it up and place a lot of importance on it. Make it seem like that moment is more important than any one in the past and will ever be in the future.

Or you can see it for what it is and then move one. “It” only has as much power as you choose to give “it.”.

Pretty simple. You will always have the next moment, so don’t get paralyzed by this one.

After all, the past does not equal the future.

I have a friend who has a “Betting it all on Love” tattoo on his arm. He either liked the quote or came up with it on his own. I’m not sure if I’m ready for a tattoo at this point in my life, but if I was in the market, I would have to say that his is a pretty good one. For a few reasons.

When I hear that phrase I feel a sense of defiance. Who talks like that? Only mavericks, maybe. Artists. Mad men. And not defiance against the establishment or “the man.” It’s about going in your own direction in that face of everything that is going on in the world in this very moment. He got it about 15 years ago. It still remains relevant.

To me what he’s saying is, “I don’t care what society tells us. I don’t care how things should be done. It doesn’t matter what the chances are of it working. It’s not important what’s safe. This is something I need to do.” All of it. And more.

He’s choosing NOT to allow fear to keep him from doing what he needs to do. Wants to do. Loves to do. Must do. There are no guarantees. We cannot peak to see the results, know it’s going to work out and then say, “Okay, I’ll give it a shot.” That’s safe. Hollow. That’s not what you want. Not compared to betting it all on Love.

There’s the real treasure. It hits within. It’s a whisper. An inner glow. A flame within that burns just a little brighter. A knowing that says, I told you could do it.

Now, try it again.

There is not going to be anyone who is pulling for you more than you. As well, there may not be anyone who is harder on yourself than you. Being objective with oneself and where they are can be a bit difficult to navigate at times. I know it is for me. We can either make excuses for ourselves in order to escape the responsibility or we can drag ourselves through the ashes until we have ground ourselves down to almost nothing. Neither one is really productive.

Let’s learn to treat ourselves fairly. Take responsibility where we need to and encourage yourself to not stay comfortable for too long. No one grows living a life of Royalty. Stay a bit hungry. It’s not always easy, as the path of least resistance is much more convenient.

This is something I must remind myself often. I do my best to set myself up for these challenges, whether it be a race I enter as a runner or projects I set up for myself and my workplace or even endeavors at home. I feel better when I’m uncomfortable in my process. Because I know I’m evolving and not remaining stagnant.

Sometimes it’s nice to take some time out for yourself to relax, no doubt. But, for me I don’t like getting used to that life-style. Before long I’m ready for more. How about you?