Move a Nation

"Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic." ~ Unknown

I try to write my blogs from various devices from time to time. It becomes sort of an experiment doing so with devices such as an iPad or iPhone. My admission here is that I am a Windows PC kind of guy and it is my comfort zone.

Yet I'm not here to review the iPad or my lack of skill in figuring out how to do a lot of cool things with it. I am sure there are hidden features and applications to soon be discovered. What I am interested in talking about is the unknown.

An exciting part of life is stretching out into the new and unknown.

When you look down a new path and trust your own ability, doing so is what makes life great. You do n0t have to be the best trained or the smartest one out there. Heck, look at me! I'm not a professional writer nor a professional motivator, or even a professional speaker.

I step out and stretch myself because they have an impact on people's lives and my own. I am careful not to over step into areas where "real" professional help is needed. But I do reach into the unknown and try to create a new path.

You have the ability try the unknown, the new, in your life.

There is nothing and no one stopping you except yourself. You can take on a new way of looking at your attitude about life. You can find a different kind of book to read or maybe a new set of friends. And maybe it doesn't have to start that extreme.

Just believing in yourself is the start of something greater.

Knowing that regardless of which path you go down, you will overcome anything that comes your way. And it is not the professionals I am talking to here. They perform great work throughout their lives with hard work, dedication and belief.

The people I am speaking to are the ones who can build an ark, move a nation or inspire a generation. And that just happens to be each one of you.

Stay inspired my friends!

Streets of Inspiration

"One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

One particular day I was on the freeway driving near where I live in Atlanta. Along side the road was a very large billboard. I'm not sure why it caught my eye but it was for a motivational seminar. The event was soon to be happening here in the Atlanta area.

Seminars can be quite good at motivating you to greater achievement.

What struck me in reading the billboard, you were going to receive a full day of top notch speakers; ten in all. Famous and well known people who are pretty good people to listen to. And just how much do the tickets cost?

That is possibly the most mind-blowing part of the whole deal.

As the billboard cried out; "$19 for EVERYBODY IN YOUR ENTIRE OFFICE! Not per person — $19 for the whole office! If you bring a large office, you could save thousands and thousands by registering prior to the event. That’s a HUGE VALUE!"

I then became slightly skeptical at this point I guess. That many speakers in a one day event can only leave fifteen or twenty minutes for each to speak. Much more of the time is left to sell product, pressure and pitch for the tapes and CDs and additional motivational seminars sign ups. My skepticism can get in the way sometimes I suppose. The billboard screamed to me the point was more about taking your money from your pocket than it was about motivation.

Don't get me wrong, I believe motivational events are great.

The ability of a great speaker to click the right thing in your mind can be powerful. All of the well-dressed and successful speakers can really pull you in and give you incentive to succeed. There something good in do so.

What I wonder though, is it the red ties, nice suites, lights and huge production the motivator or is it the words of the speaker?

Could a simple person such as myself, without the fancy suit and mega stage production inspire?

I believe the answer is yes.

If true motivation or change is needed, then it becomes the words one needs to hear and absorb. The lights and awesome images of the stage will fade over time. The words will sink in and take root in your life. The words will be what motivate you to change your life.

And anyone, on any kind of stage can motivate another person. Motivational seminars are great, those folks are earning a living just as you do and they are very good at what they do. But do not forget that you can inspire others without the big lights and fancy names. You can also gain inspiration from lots of people out there in blue jeans and sneakers.

Sometimes the inspiration comes from the street, from people like you and me. Everyone can inspire and help you change your life.

You too can inspire us, so stay inspired my friends.

Humans of New York from Facebook Stories on Vimeo.

Live Life - Live Well

"We are always getting ready to live but never living." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I came upon this quite some time ago and felt it was something that might inspire you as well.

~~~~~~

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will.

You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time.

You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.

You'll fight with your best friend.

You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.

You'll cry because time is passing too fast and you'll eventually lose someone you love.

So take too many pictures.

Laugh too much.

And love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Don't be afraid that your life will end.

Be afraid that it will never begin.

~~~~~~

Stay inspired my friends.

Sandstorm of Change

“When a great moment knocks on the door of your life, it is often no louder than the beating of your heart, and it is very easy to miss it.” ― Boris Pasternak

Could this be a picture from the Mars Land Rover?

Of course the trees give it away and for some of us, it is a long way from home. This picture comes from an area north of Baghdad in the country of Iraq. As happens in this and other parts of the world, a sandstorm was occurring this particular day. These type of storms are not a pleasant thing to experience. There are other things in life you would rather not experience as well.

It is in the experience that you learn and change.

It could be anything from witnessing a horrible accident to seeing the wonderful birth of a child. Every one of these experiences have an impact upon us. It can cause change in your life to occur.

You wonder how a sandstorm could change your life?

- Inspires you to develop a product to improve the lives of those who living in these areas.
- Motivates you to move where sandstorms do not occur and you meet the love of your life.
- Fills you with stories that will inspire and motivate your children and your grandchildren.

Every life event, every life experience, every new perspective can change your life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Developing a Vision

"Envisioning the end is enough to put the means in motion." - Dorothea Brande

Main Entry: vi·sion
Pronunciation: \ˈvi-zhən\

1 a: something seen in a dream, trance, or ecstasy ; especially : a supernatural appearance that conveys a revelation b: a thought, concept, or object formed by the imagination
2 a: the act or power of imagination b (1): mode of seeing or conceiving (2): unusual discernment or foresight, a person of vision c: direct mystical awareness of the supernatural usually in visible form.
3 a: the act or power of seeing : sight b: the special sense by which the qualities of an object (as color, luminosity, shape, and size) constituting its appearance are perceived through a process in which light rays entering the eye are transformed by the retina into electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve.

Creating and having a vision is the most powerful way to keep your focus on what you really want in life. It keeps you motivated to achieve that goal. By taking the time to visualize the end result of a goal will provide you with a particular kind of clarity, inspiration and direction to achieve it. Many people will experience anxiety and frustration by not having this vision.

But how do you develop this vision?

Begin by knowing what you want either short term or long term. Just where is it that you see yourself one year from now and five years from now? Are you looking for greater wealth; are you looking for greater health? What is in that 'minds eye' picture of your life? And be specific about the details of what you want.

Now write it down because visions become clearer and more real when you physically place it on paper, which reinforces the memory. Take this paper and make copies; place them on your bedroom mirror, bathroom mirror, car dash and in all the places where it will serve to remind you.

Read if often so you can see yourself already in possession of that life. This well defined vision will help you focus; it creates a purpose and becomes a measurement for success.

Some steps to achieving your vision I've learned;

1) Believe you will become who you want to be. Believing in yourself is the first and most important.

2) Learn what to do after you believe you will become who you want to be. I've heard it said that it is like trying to go to "New York City", but you don't really believe "New York City" exists. How will you get to a place you don't think exists?

3) Think good thoughts, block out negativity. Your thoughts and beliefs can be very fragile.

4) Success is created from within. It does not come from a place or live outside of us. Once you believe you will be successful, it's just a matter of creating it.

Your vision can be reality. Step forward and grab hold of it.

Stay inspired my friends!

You Wanna Be Like Me

"There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world." -Robert Louis Stevenson

My single thought for the day. Stay inspired my friends!

Catcher in the Rye

"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around — nobody big, I mean — except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff — I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be. I know it's crazy."
-Holden Caulfield (from J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye)

I know there will be many that have a much different opinion than I on this, but I consider Catcher in the Rye one of the great reads of my life. If I slip back into my high school years, there were many teachers being let go or reassigned after having their students read this book. In fact one study showed Catcher in the Rye being the most often censored book in the U.S., second only to John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

My good fortune was to have an English teacher who was not afraid to give us The Catcher in the Rye as a reading assignment. The book will most likely be forever one of Salinger's most memorable books.



What prompts you to question and learn more about the life we live? What inspires you?

Serving Daily

"Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger and we will make not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large." -Mahatma Gandhi

In our daily lives, it is a fact that in one way or another, we serve people in many different ways. Acknowledging that serving others is one step in cultivating your own attitude into something great. Once you realize the servant nature of our lives, where we help others, success in your own life becomes quite evident.

The reward of that servant minded life may not seemso great in the beginnning. And believing in yourself as one who can do great things in service to others isn't an easy concept. You have to understand how you serve others and how much it impacts their lives. You should constantly work on improving how you service others and the success will follow.

When I travel on business, it is the little things I do that impacts the lives of other people. Whether it is opening a door for someone else, buying a cup of coffee for a coworker, or simply listening to their story - these things impact others. I have learned through out the years that these are things of service. I try to improve on them and notice as well when I forget or fail to perform them.

In the long run it simply becomes second nature.

Is it success? to me it brings me a feeling of success and has brought me great things in life so far. Sure, success is in the "eye of the beholder" and my eye is quite happy with what it sees.

Take a few minutes to stop and examine those things in life you do for others. Find ways to perform small things and see the reaction you get. See what it does to you personally in both happiness and success.

The video below comes from a series of commercials about an insurance company. It is not my intent to endorse this company, but every once in while we can learn a life lesson within those sixty seconds.

Stay inspired my friends.

The Standoff

"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I happen to be a fan of the old Clint Eastwood western movies and maybe you have seen one or two of them as well. Many times he plays the unknown gunslinger who might have a checkered past but somehow has the redeeming quality of doing what is right. One of my favorite movies is "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

It is a movie that pits three men against each other in the search for a treasure. In a crucial scene near the end, the Clint Eastwood character declares that only he knows the real name of a grave in which the treasure is buried. He then writes the name on a rock, placing it in the middle of the graveyard.

He proceeds to tell the other two characters that "two hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money. We're going to have to earn it." The three then begin to stare each other down in the circular center of a cemetery, calculating alliances and dangers in a Mexican standoff before suddenly drawing their guns.

A Mexican standoff, as I am sure you have heard before is a stalemate, no one with an advantage, and no way to make a decision. In its most precise definition, it is a confrontation among three opponents. Popular usage would refer to only two opponents in which neither side has an advantage by attacking first. The interesting thing is that each of us create this standoff in our own minds daily.

We conspire against ourselves, weighing the decision to get out of bed early versus staying snuggled in bed warm, sleeping another 20 minutes. We could get up early to read, meditate, exercise or we could simply stay in bed sleeping. You might think is is an easy decision to make but it can stifle you.

Better yet, you might be thinking of taking that one college course to advance your skills. Yet it means sacrificing time with friends and additional effort in energy or less sleep while you study. The results could mean a better paying job, advancement or any other number of postivie outcomes. But we create that standoff, a Mexican standoff within our mind. Do I or do I not pull the trigger on moving forward in life?

How does one "win" the standoff when allow both sides of our mind have equal advantage? To answer, let us go back to the three men standing in the circle. Each has what seems to be no advantage but that is not quite so. You also have an advantage that you may not thought of, an advantage in which you have stacked the odds in your favor.

In the movie, the Clint Eastwood character had done just that. He had taken the bullets secretly from one of the men. The decision to pull first and which man to shoot first was easy. He had stacked the deck in his favor and so can you.

In your own standoff, you get to stack the deck by doing some things before hand. You get to make the decision and by believing in yourself, the deck is stacked in your favor. You know the benefits of making the right choice, of where you want to be in life and believe that you will get there.

So when the standoff occurs, you have the gun of decision already in hand and get to pull the trigger first. When you believe in yourself, no matter the outcome, the decision becomes easier each time. You will be the one to pull the trigger first.

Sounds easy, right?

Setting yourself up for success is never easy. It takes hard work and consistency in your daily habits. There will be days when you fail to pull the trigger first and the day will fall from a bullet of indecision. You mourn the decision and then let it go and move forward.

The next decision to be made will come around soon enough. This one you will pull first and have the advantage within your own Mexican standoff. The accomplishments and success will be your's to have. And all it took was making a decision to keep your life moving forward.

A Bridge To Cross

"I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment." -Patti Smith

For twenty-one days, the church my wife and I attend are participating in a fast. Now you and many others will have differing opinions and ideas about how one should fast and for what reasons. I am no different in that, but I tend to believe it is meant to help us redirect our focus and allow us more time to reflect, pray or meditate.

I see it also as a time to rethink or readjust our own attitudes. You see for me, I want for you the same things I want for my life and that would be a great life and great success. It sounds simple but each of us have a vision for our own lives and now would be a good time to adopt a stronger belief in that vision.

As I write articles each day, I am writing words that are meant to keep you on your path to accomplishment. The articles are also meant to serve me for it helps keep me corrected, encouraged and believing in achieving even more in this life. The path spoken of is the one you journey on towards dreams.

Just remember that when I talk of change, you have to understand that change in itself is only the first step. Taking that first step means you are going to 'change' your life. From there, it is a matter of one foot in front of the other, leaving your baggage behind and willing to experience something new.

Life may seem to stay the same around you. It will remain the same where you live and work. That is unless you change your environment. The real work will be to change that environment and change the aspects of your life which are keeping you from achieving your dreams. It is a hard process and can be discouraging at times, but keep on your path, keep on believing.

So join me as begin our walk across the bridge to something new and greater. I'll take you as far as I can but much of the work will be yours to complete. Let's get started and take the first steps together.

And should we happen to approach the Bridge of Death on our path, be sure to know something about birds.



Stay inspired my friends.

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!

Acting Our Age

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." -Mark Twain

Theodor Seuss Geisel, American writer, poet, and cartoonist who was most famously known under his pen name, Dr. Seuss, wrote a book called You’re Only Old Once. The story makes you laugh as you follow one man through his checkup with the experts at the Golden Years Clinic.

If you have ever been through a battery of medical tests associated with growing older, this story will certainly lighten your mood. It really brings to light that we take growing old much too seriously. The aging process is not meant to be dull or even dreaded.

The AOA or Administration On Aging (yes, a U.S. government office) indicates that in 2009, persons 65 years or older numbered 39.6 million. This amounts to 12.9% of the U.S. population or one in every eight Americans. This number is estimated to rise to 72.1 million by 2030 or nearly 20% of the population.

Of course you will notice that marketing people are taking notice of this. The advertisements you see on television to make you look younger, act younger and be younger are on the rise. But I say, embrace the aging process, enjoy the fact that you have made it this far.

Do not get me wrong. I am not saying "act your age" at all. What I am saying is enjoy your age while laughing, planning, dreaming and looking forward to a hundred more years of life. The end always comes too soon no matter what age we are.

I have been known to act older than I am, like a child at times and exactly the age that I am. The point is that we should not use age as a limiting factor. Our attitude should never grow old. It should be fresh and looking forward. Whether 50, 70, or 90 years of age, I always want to be looking forward to the next fifty years.

Stay inspired my friends, regardless of your age.

Presidents Day, Really?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.." -William Shakespeare

So why exactly do we celebrate two President's birthdays on the same day? Initially it was (for some) to honor all the American presidents, but most importantly George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. If you look at the Gregorian or "New Style" calendar most commonly used today, George Washington was born on February 22, 1732.

But if you look at the older Julian or "Old Style" calendar used in England until 1752, his birth date was February 11th. And Americans back in the 1790s were split - some celebrated his birthday on February 11th and some on February 22nd. What a shocking notion that Americans were having a disagreement.

When Abraham Lincoln became president and helped reshape our country, many believed that he, too, should have a special day of recognition. The tough part was that Lincoln’s birthday fell on February 12th. And prior to 1968, having two presidential birthdays so close together really didn't seem to bother anyone.

• February 22nd was observed as a federal public holiday to honor the birthday of George Washington
• February 12th was observed as a public holiday to honor Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

Then in 1968, things changed when the 90th Congress decided that a uniform system of federal Monday holidays should be created. A vote was made to shift all three existing holidays (including Washington's Birthday) to Mondays. This new law took effect in 1971, and as a result, Washington's Birthday holiday was changed to the third Monday in February.

Again, shockingly, not all Americans were happy with the new law. There was some concern Washington's identity would be forgotten as the third Monday in February would never fall on his actual birthday. Others also attempted to rename this public holiday "Presidents' Day", alas this attempt didn't get any support as some believed not all presidents deserved a special recognition.

With all of the holiday changes, Congress had created a uniform federal holiday law but not a uniform holiday title. There was no agreement among the individual states on what to call this holiday. There were some states, like California, Idaho, Tennessee and Texas made the choice not to use the federal holiday title and renamed their state holiday "President's Day."

It was at that point going forward that the term “Presidents' Day” became a marketing phenomenon. Advertisers sought to capitalize on the opportunity for three-day or week-long sales.

There have been attempts since that time to specify that the legal public holiday once referred to as Washington's Birthday be "officially" called by that name once again. All attempts have failed.

So what does this have to do with having a great attitude and success in life?

Most people today accept things as they are. They accept that President's Day is called that because it just is. They accept that their life is what it is. But if you dig a little deeper, you will find out more. If you dig a little deeper into yourself, you will find that YOU are so much more.

Don't accept things as they are in your life. You can get beyond what you currently have and where you are in life. You simply need to dig a little deeper and learn that you are capable of so much more.

So enjoy your Federal Holiday, then move forward in life. And stay inspired my friends.

Keep Your Fork

"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile." -Unknown

There is a story I heard not long ago regarding a young woman diagnosed with a terminal illness. She had not been given much time left to live and felt it very important to get things in order. So she contacted her Pastor to come discuss various aspects of her final wishes.

There were all of the usual things regarding song she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. When everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman remembered something very important to her.

She said excitedly "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say. In response to his puzzled look, she explained. "My grand mother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!"

She went on to say, "So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork....the best is yet to come."

By telling this story, you do not need to be on death's door to understand the meaning. Whatever circumstance you are in, things will get better, the best is yet to come.

So stay inspired my friends and keep a fork in your hand.

That Old Car

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." -Greg Anderson

Recently one of my boys left Phoenix, Arizona on a car drive back to Atlanta, Georgia. The vehicle he is driving leaves me somewhat suspect but adventure was on his mind. He had choices and decided that driving back in his marginal car would be just fine.

I can remember in my younger years that I would have probably embarked on a similar journey. Adventure and possibility were the driving factors in doing what older people may have considered differently. Now, I am one of those older people.

I'm not certain when I lost a bit of that adventure and invincibility. But I work on it daily and push myself to understand that possibility exists at any age. The road ahead can be as long and far as we want it to be. No matter the distance, what really matters is what happens along the way.

Your own journey will look different from others. You will encounter many different sights, sounds and circumstances. The important thing to know is that a journey can be started at any time, any place or any age. Don't limit yourself just because the timing isn't perfect or you have a sub-standard car. Just get up and start moving down the road.

The scenery you encounter will be the most important part of where you are headed. The destination may be the ending point where your goal exists, but how you get there is the exciting part. Enjoy the journey, enjoy the possibility and crank up that old engine and get moving.

Stay inspired my friends.

Dreams for 2012

The end of 2011 is coming quickly to an end. In under four days, 2011 will ring out with a rush of parties, a dropping of the ball in New York's famed Times Square (yes, there are many others around the world), kissing, hugging and resolutions declared. People will declare the start of a new year, new beginning and renewed hope for better times.

While I talked of that new beginning in a previous article, I understand the general consensus will go based upon the calendar. But it doesn't mean that you can't start thinking about it now; starting today with a new beginning and renewed hope for better times.

As we dream of great things and see visions of prosperity, success and great love in 2012, dreaming is only part of the equation. There are those dreams that come to us at night while we sleep. There are dreams that occur during the day as we lazily ponder thoughts in our mind. But as you notice, both are sedentary activities, no movement, only thought. But what I have found is that DREAMS + ACTION = ACHIEVEMENT as you start a new beginning and renewed hope for better times.

As I have said before, you have to "Raise the BAR" (Believe, Act, Realize) in order to achieve your dreams. Do not wait until the blur of 12:01 AM on January 1 or even the hangover of the next morning. Start making movement on the 2012 year. Forget that the Mayans wrote of destruction and disaster. Believe in greatness and a new beginning and renewed hope for better times.

In an article called "10 Tips for Turning Your Dreams into Reality!" by Inez Bracy, Inez Bracy International; those things you need to start considering are;

1. Take an in depth look at your life, who you are and how you show up.
2. Decide if this is the way you want your life to be 365 days from now.
3. Give yourself permission to move in the direction of the life you say you want.
4. Chart your course; set goals toward achieving your dream life.
5. Do something daily that takes you closer to your dream
6. Keep a journal of your progress.
7. Celebrate something daily.
8. This is about you and for you.
9. Ask for help when you need to.
10. Express gratitude daily.

But you have to start now, start today; get a head start on 2012 before the crowd gets in the way. You will be on your way to something greater in your life, your best life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Message of Kindness

"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness." -Seneca

Day four of my week of giving during the Christmas season brings us to doing something simple but has a great impact. Today I am talking about spreading a little bit of encouragement and kindness, all from the quiet and easy keyboard on your computer.

The Childrens Hospital of Atlanta where more than 1200 children (1280 to be exact) will remain hospitalized through the holiday season. These are kids that have varying medical issues that prevent them from being home with their siblings and parents. While I am sure they will have visitors and presents to open, not being able to wake up Christmas morning and running downstairs to the tree would be missed by anyone under these conditions.

So what you can do is go to Childrens Hospital of Atlanta and write a message of encouragement and hope. Simply let these kids know that others know they are in a hopsital, unable to attend the Christmas program at school, attend Christmas Eve service, or sit around the Christmas Tree unwrapping presents. A message to offer hope and encouragement that there will be plenty of Christmas Days in their future.

Along with sending a message, watch the video and Verizon will donate $1 for every message sent up to 25,000 messages.

The monies will go to benefit programs in support of children at CHOA (Childrens Hospital of Atlanta). Then write your message and starting on December 15th, the hospital will be delivering your messages during the last two weeks of the year and sharing them with the patients over closed-circuit TVs throughout the hospital.

The idea of a few simple kind words will light up the face of a child with smiles and give them greater strength to overcome. It will brighten their Christmas just knowing that others are thinking of them. Remember each time you see your name on the television or in a newspaper, if even for the smallest of things, it was and is a big deal. Now think of a child in the hospital, battling for health, battling for a return to a normal childhood seeing their name on the television.

A simple act of kindness from a stranger can be powerful to them. A simple act of kindness given from you.

Stay inspired my friends.

London Fog

"Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us." -Henri Matisse

There are days when all we do seems to be shrouded in a heavy blanket of fog. Our mind is trying to clear out the haze in order to get a better view on our lives. Yet the thickness of what troubles us gets in the way.

Sometimes those days are due to our own negative way of thinking. We get down on ourselves, on what is happening in our life and on those around us. These are the days when the fog is thickest in our lives.

Even when it sets in like this, you need to find small things to help guide you. Little bits of positive lights that will mark the path you are on. The level of happiness we decide to shower upon our life will determine the amount of illumination that will guide us through the fog.

Do not allow the fog to burden your travel or to dampen the spirit within. Use the heaviness of that fog to heighten and focus your attention on the happiness and goodness. Allow it to make you more of aware what is important in your life.

Soon enough the fog will lift and the rest of this great world will once again be revealed. Stay inspired both in and out of the fog.

Color Outside The Lines

"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." -Albert Einstein

As I write this article, I am a couple of days past having submitted the manuscript for my fourth book. You will hear more about the book as the days progress, but writing it had the usual ups and downs. I am not a very disciplined writer in respect to creating an outline to frame a story. I do get a general idea in three or four parts of how I want the story to flow. But then I simply begin writing, letting words flow from inside like water flowing from a spigot.

Sometimes though, the spigot gets turned off with barely a drip of water. The flow stops and you could definitely call it "writers block." It is a frustrating thing to go through because the harder you try, the more void that occurs. It happens to many people so I know that I am not unique in that sense.

It was interesting recently to find that a sister-in-law of mine, very talented in the arts, was having something kind of similar happening. We were gathered as a family due to the recent passing of my mother-in-law. The siblings and their spouses all sat around eating, drinking wine, and talking about our lives with Mom. So I was surprised to hear my sister-in-law indicate that she had gone dry in her creativity. She was struggling to find the inspiration that would turn the spigot back on.

A brother-in-law offered a very good idea that can push you to creativity as well. The method is to force yourself into a deadline. In example, I had a deadline in order to get my manuscript completed. That can be a very good motivational thing, but a lot of times it doesn't unleash the creativity of the writing. I could tell that deadlines were not what she wanted or needed at this point in her life.

She then told us a story about her mother. One day when she was quite young, Mom was sitting with her at the table, chatting as a mother and daughter do. Mom was coloring in her daughter's coloring book. The story sounded as if they were talking about life in general and as they talked, the coloring Mom was doing was outside the lines.

Now most of us have taken crayons to a coloring book when we were young. We are instructed to stay inside the lines and use the various colors to fill in the picture. But this time Mom was coloring the areas outside the lines. I had to stop and think about what my sister-in-law was saying.

It occurred to me this was an expressive way of saying, "think outside the box." Step back and look at things differently from what conventional wisdom tells us to do. In my regular job, when troubleshooting a technical problem, when all logic fails, I employ this same method. You might call it "whacky" thinking or even "crazy" ideas, but it works. Like a broken record, trying the same thing over and over keeps you in the same spot.

I told my sister-in-law to keep after it, the creativity will come back. Take a piece of paper, just start pushing ink lines across the empty space of white. Crinkle up the paper, unfold and neatly fold it, wet the edges, and maybe end up throwing it away. Just change up what it is you are doing.

My own writers block got solved during the writing of my book by simply writing random words. I began typing cryptic and nonsensical phrases, and then printed it out and drew on it. An example is shown below. Don't ask me how it works but it works for me.

It takes several of these to get it happening again. Sometimes it is other things, but what it takes is thinking outside the box. Trying something different can be the thing that sparks a change. What we need to do though is change it up, don't sit and wait for it to happen. Movement causes change, movement will give you the chance to intersect with opportunity, and movement will keep your life moving forward.

Teamwork and Me

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." -Andrew Carnegie

It might be that you work by yourself, sitting at your desk filling out reports, researching, or making projections. Maybe you are on the factory floor installing windshields, or in a day care tending to infants. It could be a myriad of things you do each day. But much of what we accomplish is done with teamwork present visibly and many times invisibly.

Take the story of Charlie Plumb, a navy jet pilot in Vietnam. He had seventy-four successful combat missions, but on his 75th mission, with only five days before he was to return home, Plumb was shot down.

Captain Charlie Plumb parachuted into enemy territory, was captured and spent six years in prison. He survived imprisonment and now lectures on the lessons he learned from his experiences.

After his return from Vietnam, Charlie and his wife were sitting in a restaurant when a man approached them, and said, "Are you Plumb the navy pilot?"

"Yes, how did you know?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied.

Plumb was amazed and very grateful to the man, "If the chute you packed hadn't worked I wouldn't be here today."

Charlie Plumb refers to this story in many of his lectures. He realized that there were anonymous sailors who packed the parachutes and held the pilots' lives in their hands, and yet the pilots never gave these sailors a second thought; never even said hello, let alone said thanks.

As Captain Plumb asks his audiences, "Who packs your parachutes?..... Who helps you through your life?.... Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually?....... Think about who helps you; recognize them and say thanks."

There is teamwork involved in many parts of our lives. You know they are out there and you can find them. Look around your community to find them. Look around your workplace to see whom they are. Look around your home and church to see whom those people are that are on your team.

You will hear the phrase that there is no 'I' in 'TEAM' to make their point. I prefer to say that there is 'ME' wrapped up in the word 'TEAM' which means we only succeed because of those around us. And those around us succeed because you are part of their lives, their team. We are each an integral part of not only our success but of those around us, the team.

The people around you that have entered into your life. Your family, your friends and co-workers. Your team exists of many, not one. Realize that you are part of a bigger team than just one. See how much further your life and the lives of the team will achieve once we acknowledge and embrace the idea.

Stay inspired my friend.