I’ve always loved the idea of viewing our own thoughts as sacred. Here’s why: It would seem that many of us don’t give ourselves enough credit, feel unworthy, see ourselves as incompetent and/or incapable of bringing to fruition what is truly important and meaningful in our lives, no matter the size or grandeur of that dream. I certainly am guilty of this.

In doing so, we find ourselves dependent on what others think, feel and say about us and our ‘talents.’ Who cares what others think? Why do we place so much importance on what another individual’s opinion of us is? Because we want to belong. We don’t want to be an outcast. Many times we’ll compromise our own desires and intentions just to avoid being excommunicated from our safe haven.

This is a fallacy. First of all, everyone has the same doubts within themselves and – as I tell my teenage son – no one cares about what you’re doing. They have their own problems to deal with. So, instead of dismissing that small voice within us, we should be listening with great intent as if it’s a wise loved-one from the past is whispering words of truth in our ear to guide us to where we intend to go.

These are our instincts. These are indeed sacred and should be held as such. The more we listen the louder the whisper. We know where we’re going. And we can certainly use the help of others, but ultimately we know the way.

It seems like everywhere we turn these days, someone is giving us new information.

Whether it be about the foods we should or should not eat, the materials we should expose our body’s to, the state of our planet and of course fake news.

How are we supposed to discern the truth from fiction when most of the information is part of a larger agenda being pushed from behind the curtain? And the majority of it seems to come from the pursuit of money.

I’m suspect of everyone when a ‘fact’ is flippantly spouted out for great effect. It can be confusing and quite depressing. Everyone seems to be an expert.

I certainly don’t want to go through my day in a state of paranoia, but we have to do our own due diligence and not rely on the quick fixes and fast facts in order to life-hack our lives.

Most of the time, the true facts come from objective individuals without an agenda and are willing to put in the long arduous time to collect data without shortcuts. The sensationalism of the front page is not their goal. It’s the truth. This takes time, patience and a lot of hard work.

My kingdom for the truth . . . . .

The older I get the more I’m a ‘Boomer’ in my teenagers eyes. And I’m good with that. Why? Because there a whole lot of things in which I’m ‘Old School.’

I read. I take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator. I walk on the golf course instead of ride. I use punctuation when I text. I value conversations with people. I enjoy quiet hikes in the mountains along with hand-written notes. And I enjoy long car rides with family and loved-ones.

I’ll be the first to reap the rewards of modern technology and will save me time because of it. But, I also know how important a hand-shake and looking into someone’s eyes can be. If being ‘Old School’ keeps me connected, grounded and present in the moment, then sign me up.

What an incredible blessing of life we have on this earth

The gift of the sunrise, the dark pink sky as it slowly illuminates to pale blue

The breath in our lungs and the faint smells of the morning bloom

The sounds of the world awakening and shuffling their feet

Beautiful faces of anticipation, hope and joy passing us by

The exchanging of ideas, encouragement and knowledge

Gestures of kindness and respect as the fervor to act grows

Individuals expressing their ideas as they expand their minds

The connection with others and the trust that forms within

Laughter and Love

A day of complete emotions

A betterment of one person and a betterment of all

The Blessing of life

Personal growth coach Darren Hardy would tell you that if someone asks you to do something and your response is not “Hell Yeah!” then you should probably pass.

The idea of attacking our day with such energy and fervor gets me pumped up.

I’m not sure I know when the last time I used that phrasing when my wife asked whether I wanted to go to that birthday party on Saturday. But, I also think it’s a great way to get our minds right when we show up to do the things that we may not be so excited to do. Like, workout or that conversation we’ve been putting off or even an email that we know needs to be written.

Maybe I should look at what I’m choosing to do. Maybe I should be arriving at my tasks, appointments and meetings with a little more enthusiasm. Maybe I need to get my head in the proper place in order to kill it when I show up at my desk. What do you think?

Hell Yeah!