Whats Next

“There are as many worlds as there are kinds of days, and as an opal changes its colors and its fire to match the nature of a day, so do I.”
― John Steinbeck

On November 15, 1871, Horace Greeley who was editor of the New York Tribune, wrote this letter to a young reporter. The reporters name was R. L. Sanderson of Duxbury, Massachusetts who was looking for career advice.

Dear Sir:

So many people ask me what they shall do; so few tell me what they can do. Yet this is the pivot wherein all must turn. I believe that each of us who has his place to make should go where men are wanted, and where employment is not bestowed as alms. Of course, I say to all who are in want of work, Go West!

But what can you do? and how can your family help you? Your mother, I infer, is to be counted out as an effective worker. But what of the rest? And you – can you chop? Can you plow? Can you mow? Can you cut up Indian corn? I reckon not. And in the west it is hard to find such work as you have been accustomed to. The conditions of living are very rude there.

On the whole I say, stay where you are; do as well as you can; and devote every spare hour to making yourself familiar with the conditions and dexterity required for the efficient conservation of out-door industry in a new country. Having mastered these, gather up your family and Go West!

Yours,
Horace Greeley

My own son is leaving today, embarking on a new adventure out west.

He has filled his course with lessons learned and is now embarking on a western happening. There is a long road stretching leading him to both unexpected things but also leading him to expectation.

We wish him well and look forward to the day when we can once again sit and talk of music, sports and worldly plans.

Stay inspired my son!

Best Laid Plan Of

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." -E. M. Forster

One of my favorite books is one written by John Steinbeck in 1937 called "Of Mice and Men." It is a parable of what it means to be human and is well worth the read if you have some extra time.

Steinbeck said in one of his journals that, "In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. there are shorter means, many of them.There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other."

What I love is the idea that the "best laid plans of mice and men tend to go awry." In fact the title of Steinbecks novel comes from a poem by the Scottish poet Robert Burns called "To a Mouse." The line regarding "mice 'n men" contains the line "The best-laid schemes Of Mice and Men often go awry." It is quite appropriate such that in Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men" contains Lenny and George's scheme that goes tragically awry — that is, off track.

So by now you are wondering why I would write of things not going as planned? The novel itself ends (spoiler alert) somewhat bittersweet and tragic. But not all is lost when things don't quite as planned. For me, I had hoped to have my new book out in time for Christmas. But due to production issues, it looks like January now.

I could fuss and fret over the delay and many of you have been waiting patiently for its release as well. While the "best laid plans of mice and Joe" prevail currently, the book will come out. And like anything we do in life, our plans may not necessarily work out as we would have wished. but we have the opportunity to adjust, to move on and succeed in other ways.

Have a great weekend folks and stay inspired.

Winning Lottery Number

So what would you do if you won the 'Mega Money Mucho Bucks' Lottery? Would you hide out for a while and try to figure out what to do with the winnings? Would you jump up and let the world know of your new riches?

You can dream and wish to win some of the biggest lotteries. Some take those dreams and wishes to Las Vegas to try out their luck. Each and every one of these are dreams that do come true for some people. So I'm not here to debate or lay opinion on lotteries.

What I am here is to let you know that you can plan your dreams even if they are not about winning money. Planning for your dreams are important in order to place yourself in a position to actually achieve them. By planning, you become more aware of what is needed to succeed. But what does planning have to do with winning the lottery?

First, the planning on what you would do with the winnings is practice for what you would do by reaching your others dreams. Practice, practice; plan and plan all in an effort to get you closer to that vision.

Second, you have to participate in your dream. Success does not just come to you, you have to be involved in order to grab it. Same is true of a lottery, if you don't buy a ticket, you have no chance in winning the 'pot of gold'. As Hunter Thompson said, 'buy the ticket, take the ride.'; involve your self and take the ride to your goals.
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