Eyes Wide Shut

“Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?” ~Bob Marley

So the thing is, I had a meeting in the Huntington Beach area south of Los Angeles. I was heading back to the Hollywood area north of the city and decided to set my camcorder on the dash and record coming into the city, the traffic and some of the sites. There are some amazing views along this drive and wanted to capture some video for future use.

When I arrived at my destination, I grabbed the camera ready to view what neat scenes I had captured. But to my dismay, when I set the camera up on the dashboard, a failure to open the lens cover resulted in several "blacked out" videos. The kind where plenty of sound exists, but no pictures to fill ones view.

That is sort of how we go through life at times with our eyes wide shut. Going through our daily routine but never really seeing where we are going. We exist and accomplish the everday routines, but we never seem to get closer to our goal. The sounds fill our life, but the picture never seems to brighten or come into view for us.

Just maybe we have our own lens cover closed. Maybe its the idea that we are not opening our eyes to new possibility. The kind of view that allows us to see beyond the everyday. The kind of view that allows us to see a greater vision for our life.

When I viewed the various videos on my camera, there were others that existed without a closed lens. Those videos gave me a look at a young couple full of dreams and goals. It revealed pictures of the landscape that has so much to offer. Much nicer then the depressing blacked out videos. It makes a huge difference when you open your eyes and see everything.

So make sure you open the camera lens each and everyday. Look towards the future with eyes wide open.

Sunset Blvd

"Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal." ~Elbert Hubbard

When speaking of a sunset, is there anything more obvious then Sunset Boulevard in the Los Angeles, California area. It runs from downtown LA northwest and then turns west running out to the Pacific Ocean near Pacific Palisades.

It is a famed road that offers a wide range of both social and economic variation. As you travel its course, you encounter everyday people, those trying to be famous and the very famous. There are the destitute people living on the street, those trying to survive, the getting by just fine and the super rich that have done amazingly well.

Even the street views give a glimpse into the diversity. In some areas you find the gorgeous trimmed and gated homes. In other areas the shiny glass office and retail entertainment complexes take your breath away. But you also see the rougher areas, broken glass windows and lots of struggle to maintain appearance.

The people along this twenty-two mile stretch tell a tale of dreams being pursued. The similarity carries across all situations. Every morning the poorest to the richest are getting up, getting dressed, getting prepared for the day; all wanting to pursue their dreams. The needs and wants, the visions and dreams, each may be at different levels, but each are still being pursued.

Regardless of that level, hold onto the dream and continue to move towards it. Never let go of what you want to achieve in life. "It is possible" is not just a silly phrase. There is so much proof of it through out history. You might even be surprised by what some people went through to achieve what they have today. One day it will be you with a story that will surprise others when you tell them of how you achieved your success.

What you need to remember is that we all see the sun rise and we all see the sun set. What matters is have you moved towards the dream today? Have you taken one or more steps? If so, then the dream is that much closer. The sunset is also a little more awe inspiring.

Life Is Full Of Surprise

"A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise. Because that is how life is - full of surprises." ~Isaac Bashevis Singer

So where oh where have I been the past couple of days? I have had this question asked of me several times. They say, "its not like you to disappear for a couple of days" and "have you stopped writing?" Which are nice questions to be asked, which means there are people that actually read my blog.

Where I have been is keeping a secret from our daughter Shirin. She lives in L.A. with her husband Dave. This weekend is her birthday and it has been several months since we've seen her. So in a conspiracy of epic proportion, her husband and we have been planning this birthday surprise for a couple of months.

In preparing, we had to ensure many friends back in Atlanta didn't let slip we were coming. Emails and texts between her and us meant we had to be careful what we said. It took her husband being stealthy in planning the big day. And it worked...SURPRISE.

The plot worked as planned. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, staying at a cool little guest house called The Sanborn House, not more then a block or so from their home. A great location very close to a great coffee shop called Intelligentsia to relax and take in the area called Sunset Junction.

Step outside the coffee shop to head back to the Sanborn and a great view of the Hollywood sign. But alas, our timing was such that the sign read Save The Peak. Wow...SURPRISE. Life is really full of them.

The next day, a Friday while Shirin is at work...we work with Dave to set the stage. He sets up the apartment of nearby friends where everyone will meet to surprise Shirin. She and Dave arrive on the idea of a few friends meeting to go out to a few clubs. Wow...SURPRISE. Life has a cool way of doing this. Its actually a party for her. But what about her mother and I? We are not there.

We actually arrive about fifteen minutes late (on purpose) and ring the bell. Dave has tactfully positioned her near the door so that she is the one to open it...SURPRISE. Well we were in the neighborhood and thought we'd drop by. The look of speechless wonder was wonderful. And a great evening of chatting and seeing her with all her friends was great. It was even better seeing her and Dave together enjoying the moment.

But yet another surprise. Our son Jon, in school at the University of Georgia has called. A rare snow storm in the Atlanta area created a perfect setting for playing football outside. And the perfect setting for a broken collarbone and his buddy taking him to the hospital emergency room. Wow...SURPRISE, life never seems to cease in giving them.

But all is well, he will do well and we continue to enjoy time with our daughter and husband. SURPRISE, life will work out one way or another and leave you with more.

Sharing Our Life

"Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be." ~Grandma Moses

We each have a life story to share with others.  It might be imparting the history to a younger generation or to someone in need of direction.  To share with others is a way to teach.  In the following story, a few pictures wrapped in a musical carriage can say so much without a single word.



Do not keep your life to yourself.  Share it with others through connection and feel the wonder of it.

Super Bowl Achievement

"Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything." ~Napoleon Hill

Another American NFL Football game was completed last night. The 44th Super Bowl in which the winner of the American Football Conference plays the winner of the National Football Conference for bragging rights. Last night it was the Indianapolis Colts (NFC) taking on what for many years were the hapless New Orleans Saints (AFC).

I don't mean to bore you with football statistics and aim to get you excited about American football. World soccer, rugby and many other sports have their own fans. What is interesting is that in each sport, there is always one team that never seems to quite make it.

In American football, one of those teams are...excuse me...were the New Orleans Saints. With their famed "Who Dat" slogan, they kept believing, kept dreaming of achieving one of the greatest rewards in American sports.

Achievement, an overnight success story one might say that was 43 years in the making. During that entire time, a whole lot of dreams were dashed and disappointment seemed to always find its way in. Pretty much like life in general I would say.

Each of us have dreams of achieving some level of greatness. The "journey" can be a spiritual one or a physical one. Either way, the journey is a process leading to some level of achievement that will have dashed dreams and disappointment along the way.

We will change things up, the players we once had in our lives will leave and new ones will enter. The journey will take a team effort of support and guidance as we seek the goal. Our connections to others will be a great force to help achieve the "overnight" success.

The New Orleans Saints could have settled for winning a couple of games each year. But they kept dreaming and striving for even greater achievement. And you need to keep dreaming and striving for greater achievement.

Battle the disappointment, battle the dashed hopes, battle those things that will get in the way. You will get there and the feeling will be astounding.

The New Soap Box

“Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.”

~John Wesley

Each of us will at various times get up on our 'soap box' and evangelize our thoughts. It might be in a meeting at work, at the dinner table or in a crowded room filled with party guests. An opinion or belief will get expressed to the masses.

There have been great speakers going way back in time. Well before the biblical time of Jesus up until today, many have spoken from their own pulpit. And you may have been speaking from a pulpit and not even realized it. They come in all shapes and forms, but are real regardless of what they look like.

The above quote by John Wesley is one that I learned many years ago. Now while John Wesley was a a co-founder with his brother of the Methodist movement. But he 'evangelized' in open-air places. To bring good works to the community outside the church walls.

In today's world, I stand on my 'soap box' called a blog that reaches a fair amount of people through BLOGGER, TWITTER, FACEBOOK and other sources. I do what I can to bring goodness to others and to encourage them to do the same.

My soap box is much different then the old wooden one...

The Certainty Of Possibility

"When nothing is sure, everything is possible." ~Margaret Drabble

While in New York on business recently the above quote was used in a presentation at one of my meetings. It was used in the vision being presented for this year. It was meant to inspire and push people to excellence in their pursuit of success.

It stuck with me as the day wore on and had me thinking about how it can be applied to everything we do. "When nothing is sure", pretty much describes what life can be like. A birth, school, marriage, divorce, job, money and even with death, nothing is sure.

One could think back to the days of the Cold War when a concrete barrier called the Berlin Wall was erected not to keep people out, but to keep them in. The uncertainty of ones life and would this wall ever come down. People dreamed of the day it would happen and it did eventually. Many thought it never would, but the dreams overpowered the uncertainty. Today the German people are no longer seperated by a wall, today they live with greater possibility.

We can spend all of our time concentrating on these uncertainties. Will my baby be healthy and smart? Will our marriage be all that I dreamed it would be? Will a divorce be the end to all that my life was ever going to be? Will I achieve my full potential in my job and have enough money to live a comfortable life? Will the death of someone close change everything.

The answer to these questions is yes and no. The answer to these questions is that "everything is possible" when everything is unsure. Events and circumstance will occur in your life. One aspect of your life may end or be radically changed. But it also means that a new chapter is beginning and you have limitless possibility.

So instead of worrying about the uncertainty, focus on possibility and see your life expand.

New Game Or Continue

“When you are in the valley, keep your goal firmly in view and you will get the renewed energy to continue the climb.” ~Denis Waitley

The game is played and you reach a point in which failure occurs. Mario couldn't jump the deep gorge; the race car veered off course; maybe the wall of Tetris bricks fell down around you. When this happens, you get two choices presented. One selection is to start a "NEW GAME", while the other option is to "CONTINUE".

Similarly in the game of golf, if you flub a swing, you have the opportunity for what is called a mulligan. Some call it a do-over or something that allows you to take another swing at the ball.

Yet when it comes to life, we only get this one to live. We can't start over our lives in order to avoid mistakes made. What we have is the ability to continue on with our life. All we have to do is make changes in how or what we are doing and then press the "CONTINUE" button.

Keep your eye ahead of you, towards the road further on. Find a different path, find a different way and continue on with your life. A NEW GAME may not be possible, but a NEW WAY is.

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".

Looking Beyond

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." ~Matthew 3:24

Its amazing what can happen when our path becomes blocked by trouble or pain. Some will look and simply sit down on the side of the road. So many of these roads are littered with the shanty buildings of those that have given up.

Others though will see the mountain and have the ability to believe in something beyond it. They can see what lay beyond the obstacle and use faith to guide them past it.

With the recent earthquake in Haiti, as with any major disaster; people will see the devastation around them and simply give up. But there will be many that can see the vision of a new country. Of rebuilding a hospital or a grocery store. They see their new home where now only a pile of rubble exists.

Your problems could be simply finding that job, someone to love or getting beyond whatever troubles you. It is your own personal mountain; your own personal boulder on the road to where you want to be. See beyond the obstacle and believe in it.

Then begin your trek across, around, over or through it. There are many different ways to achieve success. All you have to do is keep trying. Pretty soon you'll leave those shacks built by others along the road. A clear and wonderful path will lay before you.

Take today and work through what you have. Tomorrow will present greater opportunity for you and yesterday is gone...so let it go. Overcome your obstacles and achieve.

When Disaster Strikes

From Getty Images on Financial Times

"Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to reveal a social disaster." ~Jim Wallis

Disaster can strike anywhere at anytime in this world. The devastation in Haiti caused by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake is astounding to see. This occurred about 10 miles from the center of Port au Prince which has a population of nearly one million people. Think of similar sized cities any where around the world;

1,200,000 - Glasgow UK
1,200,000 - Lumumbashi Congo
1,177,000 - Perth Australia
1,157,000 - Orlando USA
1,075,000 - Dublin Ireland
1,050,000 - Auckland New Zealand
1,050,000 - Lille France
1,035,000 - Porto Portugal
1,002,000 - Adelaide Australia
1,000,000 - Helsinki Finland
972,000 --- Memphis USA
915,000 --- Antwerp Belgium
900,000 --- Port Elizabeth South Africa

Think of your own community. A town of 615 people like Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska can suffer as much as a city of nearly 34 million people like Tokyo, Japan. Disaster effects people on an individual basis. It could happen to any of us and when it does, others will come to your aide similar to what is happening in Haiti.

Yet we can not live in fear of the next disaster. We simply need to be prepared in ways that make sense. And when a disaster occurs, 'just breathe'. We will work through the pain and sorrow that a disaster brings. Greatness and better times exist on the other side of it. Just maintain faith in yourself and those around you. The people of Haiti will pull through with the help of themselves and those around the world.

Help in what ways you can today; not only in Haiti but in support of those that assist people in need around the world and within your own community.

Haiti - Treating The Injured

Treating those hurt by the Haiti earthquake, medical doctors are needed and here is another organization that is helping in relief efforts

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS (also known as Médecins Sans Frontières) has already treated more than 1,000 people on the ground in Haiti following Tuesday's earthquake, but the needs are huge. An inflatable hospital with operating theatres is expected to arrive in the next 24 hours.

Haiti Disaster Relief

Haiti Relief and Development

On January 12, a series of earthquakes measuring 6.5 to 7.3 on the Richter scale devastated Haiti. The AMERICAN RED CROSS is working with its partners in the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network, including the Haitian Red Cross, and other partners to assist those affected by this disaster.

Happy Birthday Dan

“It takes a long time to grow young.” ~Pablo Picasso

A very happy birthday to my son Dan.

Make It A Beautiful Day

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." ~Audrey Hepburn

The song you are listening to is probably more cynical about the reality of life then it may first appear. We each get up in the morning and see that wonderful sun rising in the east. Our hopes are that when it sets in the west, a great day will have happened.

The reality is that life throws a lot of different things at us. What starts great may get interrupted by circumstance. What may have been a wish for blue skies could turn into a rainy day.

What we can expect is how 'we' walk through our day. It is 'we' that determine our attitude in response to life. The ability that 'we' have to overcome anything in our way is what makes it a beautiful day.

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Time Begins Now

Soft Watch At Moment of First Explosion ~by Salvador Dali

"Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it." ~M. Scott Peck

Yes, the painting by Dali represents the last few moments before the end of time. But the representation could be what happens to time as it passes us. Or maybe it is the idea that time is slowly melting away from us. In many instances, where does time really go?

The start of a new year such as 2010 is the marking of time only. Some use it as the beginning of something different and the end to something old. For others it is a continuation of both. Either way, time is a resource and what we do with it matters greatly.

Time unused can be considered in some ways, time wasted. Does this mean one has to be productive with every waking moment? Not at all. There are things you want to do in your life. You want more 'things', you want more 'accomplishment', you want a 'greater life'. Yet if all you do is 'want', then time slips away and is wasted.

Eventually time is gone, melted away and lost forever.

But if you believe in yourself, if you respect your ability and worth to the short time we actually have, then time becomes meaningful. It will become a valued part of your life. Use time in the benefit of the life you live. It will create a much greater life.

Time is on your side more then it is against you. Use the time you have. Do not wait until tomorrow. Begin now...

New Year Of Possibility

"The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!" ~Edward Payson Powell

We have the ability to make 2010 anything we want it to be. You have the ability to create the face of this new year. Believe in you, believe in possibility.

Have a happy and prosperous new year!!

So Late So Soon

“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?” ~Dr. Seuss

If you haven't noticed the clock on the wall or extremely thin desk calendar; it is now December 31st, 2009. The year has gone by so fast for many, so slow for others but gone by exactly in the amount of time it always has.

The work day will have ended sooner then normal. The rush to prepare for the evening parties will begin. And the night will be over before it seems to have begun.

The clock will strike midnight, the horns will sound and the confetti will fly. People will hug and give passionate kisses of happiness to one another. A final dance, a final auld lang syne and the new year will have begun.

Before you realize it, you will wonder "how did it get so late so soon?"

So take a moment to reflect on 2009 and a few more moments to reflect on 2010. Then get started loving more, sharing more and moving forward with your life. Time will proceed with or without us and before you know it, 2011 will be upon us.

Year End Resolution

"Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed." ~Cavett Robertngs

We are nearing the end of calendar year 2009. The resolutions we made on January 1st seem a distant memory. Some may even fret over the fact that they never accomplished those resolutions. The fear is that a year is coming to an end and nothing more can be done.

But a year is only the marking of time, not the end of it. We use it to measure only the passing of time and events. So anything not accomplished yet, still can be pursued.

It also means the end of a year is not really the end of our journey. The things we wanted to accomplish can still be accomplished. The dreams we put on paper twelve months ago can still be dreamt.

The end is only a marking of the final day of a year. It is the continuance of our life's journey. Let the end be only the end of inaction. Let the end be only the end of procrastination.

Let the end be the start of moving forward in life.

New Year Faith

"Faith is courage; it is creative while despair is always destructive." ~David S. Muzzey

Do you have faith to overcome anything? When life comes and tears apart everything you have, will you be able to rebuild it?

It was during a private "fly-in" fishing excursion in the Alaskan wilderness, a charter pilot and fisherman left a cooler and bait in the plane. A bear smelled it and this is what the bear did to the plane.


The pilot used his radio and had another pilot bring him 2 new tires, 3 cases of duct tape, and a supply of sheet plastic. He patched the plane together, and FLEW IT HOME!


Each of us will encounter what the bear has destroyed. Each of us require the faith to rebuild. A Bible verse (Isaiah 9:10) says, "the bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars."

Have faith in what was put inside each of us and you will fly out from the wilderness. The bear that tried to destroy you will be left defeated once again.

Can I verify the story above? Did he really fly it out? I guess that is what faith is all about.