Building a Life in One Day

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” ― A.A. Milne

If life were simple, we could have everything we wanted. If only we did not have to wait for things, signs all over exclaiming "no waiting." We certainly see advertisements shouting out "no waiting" when it comes to things being sold to us.

But can we have everything we want, right now, with no waiting?

Are we that impatient to achieve things in life so quickly?

Ralph Marston is quoted as saying, “The keys to patience are acceptance and faith. Accept things as they are, and look realistically at the world around you. Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen.” The possibility of things falling quickly into your life does exist, but the long sought after will mean much more to you. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your life be built in a single day.

Enjoy the journey, enjoy the process and patience will fall naturally upon your life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Throwing Stones

“We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them.” - William Arthur Ward

Social media is a daily and common communication thread for a vast amount of people these days. Whether it be Twitter, Facebook or any of a number other outlets, people love to talk. There are conversations ranging from art, babies and cooking to politics, sports and weddings.

The level of talk can also bring complaint and disagreement. I have a habit of starting conversations to try and bring people on opposing edges of belief into a rational conversation. There are many more times when I simply have to bite my proverbial tongue when reading many of the posts.

What I really wish people could do is look beyond what are sometimes very zealous beliefs. Having a strong belief is a good trait to have. But having the ability to compromise and adjust those beliefs are also a very good trait.

Many times I see the stones being thrown with nothing but complaint tied to them. We hold so steadfast in those beliefs, that the stones we are throwing are coming from the house we live within. Sooner or later, the house is gone and all we are left with is nothing.

If we take those stones and build something better with them, all of us live a better life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Build a Road

"You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space." - Johnny Cash

I was driving home from work one day and came upon some construction workers. They were bricklayers piecing together an intricate stone wall. It was interesting to watch them and I had the time to do so. There was road construction ahead and stopped traffic, so I sat there watching.

As the bricklayers did their work, complaint was bubbling up inside of me with the annoyance of delay. It could have been quite easy to fall into the trap of getting upset about the situation. So I turned my focus to watching these men as they built their wall.

The bricklayers picked up each unique piece of stone and carefully laid it within the wall. Each piece was selected in order to fit and complete another section of the wall.

Do we build walls in our lives by using complaints and disappointments?

In relationships, we take little dissatisfactions with each other and place it on our wall. These are the small stones of objection, petty differences or disagreements added to the construction. Soon we find we have built a wall between ourselves and the other person. It may seem like we are trying to build a majestic wall when in reality it will be a wall that separates us.

We may not even realize the wall has been built until such time we can no longer see beyond it. At this point we may come to our senses and begin the process of tearing it down. But some of us will choose to cap the wall and finish the separation, walling ourselves off forever. It is a choice eventually made.

Know that these walls do not build themselves.

We are the ones who create and choose which stones to use. Maybe it is time we choose to use those stones differently. Maybe instead of using them to build a wall, we choose to build a road on which we walk, leaving the stones of discontent behind us. Maybe we let the complaint go and lay a path to better relationships instead of walls.

I never had the opportunity to see how the completed wall looked. I am sure it was going to be a majestic wall. It would be a wall that would enclose all within.

For me, I had a road being built ahead of me.

A road which will lead me past those walls that would seek to confine my life. A road that enables me to leave all the complaints and disappointments behind. A road built to carry my relationships, my dreams and my life to greater places.

Do not use your complaints, disagreements and disappointments as material for a wall. All that creates is confinement in your life.

Take the stones and build a road to your future.

Use it stone pavers for the road you are constructing for your life. Put up a sign in your life that says "Road Construction" and see where you can take your life; a far greater place for sure.

Stay inspired my friends!

Building a Roof

"We are made to persist. That's how we find out who we are." -Tobias Wolff

I will be upfront and honest with you. What I am about to describe would not have been possible for me fifteen or twenty years ago. There would have been an attempt but I simply was not the same person back in those days. But I can also say that I had my moments this time as well. So please bear with me as I tell you my tale of success.

It all started a few weeks ago, the story I am about to tell you that is.

We are new, or at least newer, homeowners after eighteen years in a much older home. Our new home has a great yard and a great deck off the back of the house. the one thing we decided to do was look into building a roof over part of the large deck. This would provide us with an open area to sit even during the rain and still enjoy the outdoors.

Plans were discussed with a friend on how we could build this new and amazing roof to enhance the deck area. All that remained was to contact our homeowner's association for approval and then pull the proper county building permit. This was going to be a "piece of cake" especially after I had spoken with a very nice man named Joel with the planning department.

I had drawn up a reasonable set of plans that would show the simple nature of the roof, how it would blend in architecturally and no other complications should ensure. Then off to the county offices, papers in hand to meet with the correct people.

After a mistake, on my part of waiting in the wrong office, I met with Joel and we drew up a quick hand drawing of the lot showing house location, etc. This was so simple he said, it should be "piece of cake."

It seemed most everyone in our county of nearly one million residents were applying for a building permit this day. But I waited patiently for my turn with the "Development Plan Review" person. When my name was incorrectly pronounced as Jocelyn instead of Joseph, I didn't respond at first. When I realized it was my name being called, the lady was clearly not happy that I could not interpret what she was saying.

Hang on I said to myself, you are almost there.

Alas, the moment we sat down I knew this was not going well and she immediately didn't like the hand drawing. The same one that the very nice man named Joel in the Planning Department had drawn for me. To shorten my story, I would need a scale drawing, two copies to be exact. It seemed that her having a bad day was going to be mine as well. And I was nearly ready to let that happen. It was on the tip of my tongue, but I held it in check.

As I left the office, she said with what seemed a smirk, "...hope to see you again real soon." I responded "...hope that your day gets better and thank you for helping me."

Yes, there could have been a scene. I could have thrown a temper tantrum. I could have allowed whatever was possibly making her day a bad one, my problem. My attitude was going to stay above the line and it did. And maybe, just maybe by keeping my attitude in check, having a bit of grace for the woman with the red pen, I helped make her day slightly better.

The next day I returned with the paperwork requested. It was a new day, new perspective, and new optimism. I breezed through the "Development Plan Review" (different lady), the "Storm/Water/Sewer Plan Review" and with a slight bump in the actual "Building Permits" only one final stage remained. I would need to speak with the "Building Inspections" folks to clear up a small issue with the existing deck.

Well over an hour wait and closing time was nearing. I was sure inspectors were out and the very nice lady at the desk offered to contact one of the gentlemen over in the offices. There were only three minor questions, but I was determined not to leave until I was certain all was complete. In a few minutes, a man walked through the door to greet me.

We both smiled and laughed a little bit. My first response to him was, "the circle is now complete." the man greeting me was Joel, the very same person I had started my odyssey with. Life is good and we shared a few laughs, got my questions answered and left very happy in spite of any bumps.

We can choose to allow circumstance to get the better of us. We can choose to allow others to dictate how we feel.

Or we can choose to overcome circumstance. We can choose to determine how we are going to feel.

Persistence and attitude, they are for you to determine, not someone else. Build a great attitude over your life to shelter you and those around you from the storms of others. And stay inspired folks and have a great day.

Your New Year

“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.” ― Arnold Bennett

The building blocks for the year 2013 are there in front of you. They are freely there for the taking and building of a great life. Let this be the year that you build a great life, your best life.

Stay inspired my friends!

Life on a Napkin

"Fear melts when you take action towards a goal you really want." ~Robert G Allen

What is it going to be this year? While you were having those celebrations, did you start to write down those goals and resolutions for the new year?

We tend to draw our life up on napkins, building a life upon the bits of paper we find handy. Our dreams get written on PostIt notes. Our visions penciled in on napkins and all of those bits of paper scattered about your dresser.

The time is NOW to start turning those pieces of paper into reality. Find one thing, one easy thing and accomplish it. Then find the next one and the next one. Before you know, those pieces of paper have been built into a great new life.

Don't wait and let tomorrow all of a sudden become December 31st. You took the time to doodle notes on a scrap of paper. Don't leave your life on a napkin. Take the time to build something out of your effort. Build a great life.

Build A Life

"Life is a process. We are a process. The universe is a process." ~Anne Wilson Schaef

You have heard it before. It was either directed at you or someone else. The phrase "get a life" is tossed around by many folks. It is usually directed at those that are lazy or wasting their days. It is also meant to describe a process of achieving more.

But I contend that the phrase "get a life" is a misstatement. My belief is that you "build a life". There is no reaching up on a shelf to choose or find the life you want. I can not look up the keyword "life" on the Amazon website and all is well. It takes change on my part to help "build" the life you want.

Whether we are building a life from the ruins of a death, divorce or disaster, we do the work necessary to create something new for ourselves. We read stories of how others built a new life. We search for inspiration to keep us moving in the direction of a new life. We construct a life that will be great.

And when this life you are building begins to take shape, others will take notice. Your life will be that much greater when you "build a life".

Build On Life

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.” -Unknown

There is an owners manual which comes with most every new item you purchase. The car manual which reminds you how to turn the ignition on and exactly what most of the buttons do. Or maybe its that new vacuum describing how to empty the bag or to replace the belt.

Yet there isn't one that comes with life. There is no manual to pick up and find out when something goes wrong; no owners directions telling you how do you fix it. It is just you learning and moving through life. Information abounds in books and magazines, all giving you pieces of advice to help. There are experts out there that can give you guidance and direction.

But it is you that must build your life. You are the one building an 'ark' which will carry you through times of trouble. Do not be afraid to begin that building process, you will get it built and it will be your achievement.