Simple

"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do." -Mother Teresa

After a long and extensive research, Boeing has concluded its flight attendant call button on 737 airplanes was a bad design. They have now come out with a new location for the call button.

A simple yet very effective change to an age old design issue. Some may wonder why it took so long. A simple answer that can change so many things. But many will say that life is much too complicated for simple answers. The only way to solve our problems is through complex and intricate resolutions. It isn't easy to move a button to a new location, "it is hard." I hear it in my job, the words rolling out in many different forms. But the response is usually, "that is too hard."

I understand that there are complex issues in our life. But we tend to over-complicate, over-think, and over-worry. Sometimes the answer lay in the simple. You will probably call me naive but don't get me wrong. I fully understand there are things to worry about in life. We must be good stewards of our planet, our countries, and our neighborhoods with everything that entails.

What I'm referring to is the simplicity of a smile to break the cold. A simple handshake to break down barriers. The simple act of sitting down and talking with another person can move mountains.

There will be plenty of math problems, social issues, political disagreement and unsolved mysteries of the universe. Start with a simple smile, the simple connection of two or more, the simple belief in all that is possible.

SCREEN: ORIGINAL HORROR MOVIE!

"Give them pleasure - the same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare.' -Alfred Hitchcock

There is a film maker I know by the name of David P. Baker. He is one of those passionate guys when it comes to making movies. Which is pretty much like you or me when it comes to doing what we love in life. For him its about making great movies which gives him his greatest pleasure.

Currently he is a long way from his home in Scotland. He has joined forces in Tulsa, Oklahoma with another passionate movie maker named Oklahoma Ward. Together with Nicole Alonso, the three are on an ambitious project to film two movies and a documentary about the whole process.

The first movie (currently being filmed) is called CRAWL. This is Oklahoma's movie and will certainly make a lot of heads turn.

The second movie will begin shooting after the completion of CRAWL is called SCREEN. This is David's and has been...well a lot of years in the making. All I can say is that after seeing this film, chances are you might be too scared to ever go to a drive-in movie theatre again....if you can find one.

Now to the point of my article. David is making this movie on what some would call a 'micro-budget'. There is no major studio backing him, nor is there a rich executive producer funding the whims of this director. No, David is pushing forward with this film in such a manner that will make it easier for others to follow in his foot steps.

So now you are asking, "what is the sales pitch?" I have been backing David for a couple of years now. Mainly I do this because he is a pretty decent guy, talented and most importantly passionate about what he does. I like that and with a few limited bucks, I try to help him out. If it helps give him that little added boost to keep him moving, then its worth it.

You can do the same thing, with just a few bucks. We all know times are tough and money is tight. But David could use your help with some additional expenses he has in the filming of SCREEN. My pitch is $10, $20, $50 or even more if you can. The goal is $5000 and he is part way there with roughly nine days to go. Take a chance, donate a few bucks and be part of something that is pretty cool.

And as Hitchcock said (paraphrased), "send a little pleasure ($$) David's way, the same pleasure he'd get when waking up from a nightmare."

Click on the picture below and it will take you to his campaign site. There you can see a video from David explaining things, some additional information and a place to donate.

Follow your passions folks, those dreams and goals you have are achievable. Surprisingly you will find others that share your vision and want to be a part in making it a success. And thanks for your donation to David's vision!

Make a Decision

Volition by Michael Micali

Volition is defined as the act of making a choice or decision. Other sources describe it as "the cognitive process by which an individual decides on and commits to a particular course of action."

So what that means is we have the power to choose our own attitude, our own happiness, or even our own path in life. All it takes is making a decision to do just that. All it takes is overcoming our own self-doubt.

It is the making of a decision that we often struggle with. We worry either about the outcomes of a decision or about having enough information. Sometimes it comes down to trusting our own ability to accept the choices we have made. Other times we are simply scared to decide.

Whatever is preventing you from making those decisions, know that the power to decide still lay in your own hands.

Knowing that you have that power is a big part of moving forward. But if you need some added ideas, Kathryn Britton wrote a good article in Positive Psychology News Daily titled "On Making Choices". In summary, she offers six tips on improving your ability to make a decision.

1. Learn how to make good enough choices, rather than aim for best choices.
2. Make a choice and then focus on its benefits instead of peering down the road not taken.
3. Remember that the identifiable attributes of a decision may be negligible compared to the accidentals that one cannot predict.
4. Create personal heuristics for choices that do not warrant great effort, such as selecting items on a menu.
5. Group large numbers of options into categories so that you can rule out several at a time, rather than having to study the pros and cons of each individually.
6. After collecting the pros and cons of the remaining alternatives, give your intuitive mind a chance to work on decisions that involve integrating a large number of complex options.

The choice is yours to make. Start with small ones if you must but the key is to make a choice and move forward. There might be setbacks but you make a choice and you go with it. Of your own volition, you keep moving your life forward.

Truth or Lies

"A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future." -Author Unknown

The news has recently been filled with the scintillating news of a New York Congressman. The public appetite for this type of news has always intrigued me.

There are U.S. Military personnel risking their lives in foreign nations to help the oppressed and fight terrorism. We spend our day reading of someone who took some pictures and then lied about it.

There are Japanese people still without a home due to a nuclear plant disaster after a tsunami. But yet we spend our day debating the social aspects of what this man did and his resignation.

I guess it has to do with our attention span as human beings. The ever increasing ADHD nature of our lives. We flip from channel to channel and the last hour's news is old news. But it wouldn't be quite so bad if we didn't just focus on what is termed lurid pictures. The real story is why do we lie in the first place.

My belief is that if you come out at first with the truth, no lies, no cover up, people are pretty forgiving. The truth sets you on a path to recovery or redemption much quicker. You save yourself having to fix two problems instead of just one.

But what a lot of people tend to depend upon is the short memory of others. If I lie and get away with it, they believe "no foul, no harm." But if I get caught in the lie, people will eventually forget about it. the only problem is that it doesn't make you a better person. Not telling the truth pulls you down and makes telling the next one easier and more costly. Lies will only hurt you and those close to you.

So try telling the truth upfront. It is going to hurt most certainly and maybe its that pain we are trying to avoid. But the pain is short-lived and redemption so much greater. Your life will be greater for having told the truth.

Broken Lens

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them." -Henri Matisse

There will be times in our life when the rose-colored glasses we wear might get broken. Disappointment can occur due to circumstance, change or other unforeseen instances. The pessimists in our life will certainly try to pull us down to their way of thinking. The pebbles they throw may break our view of life. The lens can be repaired, your optimism restored.

Love Is

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.' -Lao Tzu

This is a special day for my wife and I as we celebrate an anniversary. It is the type of day that is only understood by two people. It can only have meaning for those two hearts.

The words between two people are not shared in a blog or video. Only two people can understand the words each speak. It is in the sound, the touch and the unspoken looks.

That is what love is.

Graduation is Over

"When you get to be our age, you all of a sudden realize that you are being ruled by people you went to high school with ... You all of a sudden catch on that life is nothing but high school." -Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Kurt wrote the above when he was 47 years-old during the time of the Vietnam War and after many years that drifted him through World War II and numerous jobs. It is a topic that could get wide spread discussion at a party. Both in regarding the quote and Kurt Vonnegut's life. But it also makes you stop and think about what one has done with their life since high school.

In a Time article by Annie Murphy Paul titled, Life After High School the discussion does take place. Are we that same person we were in high school? Did the time we spend in high school dictate the person we have become? Maybe to some degree it does but it doesn't have to be that way.

The person you are in high school is not the person you have to be later in life. All of our life experiences, high school, college, work, travel, friends, and just about everything has an influence on whom we become. But the determining factor in whom you become is you.

Think of those movies which depict what a person in high school turns out to be at the ten year, twenty-five and so forth reunions. Most times they are over-dramatizations or generalizations of people. But we get a picture of people that really didn't change much from high school.

The sports jocks get depicted as faded stars still talking about the winning touchdown. The geeks are shown as brainiacs with a lonely career in research. The partiers are revealed to still be whacked out people with no job living under the boardwalk. The stereo-types go on and on.

And yes, there are those that do not change. There are people that tend to keep holding onto their high school persona, never growing beyond that point in life. But the stories I like to hear are those of people that, what I call, 'drink from the water of life.' The people that have taken their high school life and used it as a launching pad towards a greater life. People with changed livesthat take what life has to offer and makes it work for them.

When we leave high school and home, we have the whole world before us. We can choose the type of life we desire. We have limitless potential. There will be those that choose a simplified life, full of the wonders and joy that exist there. Others will choose the uncharted road that is also full of wonders and joy. The point being that there is no right or wrong, just do the things that fill your life.

If ten years from high school have passed and you are unhappy, then the water of life is there to drink from. You can change what is happening and move beyond it. The same is true for any point in life. This isn't to say that you run from responsibility or run just because things get hard. You need to work through and persevere, but you can adapt and change along the way as well.

There is so much you can do with your life. You can take advantage of the power to change at any point, situation or age. All it takes is being bold enough to move. Your graduation is over and there are no more tests to take, just life.

100 Percent

"Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different. ~Katherine Mansfield

A friend sent me the following a while back and thought I would share with you. It goes on to complain (in theory) of how some people achieve more then 100 percent out of life. But I like the math as a reflection of our own attitudes. So for your enjoyment and consideration, what makes 100%, the math theory.

~~~~~~~~

The following comes from 2 math teachers with a combined experience of seventy years. It has an indisputable mathematical logic to it. This is a strictly mathematical viewpoint, which goes like this:


What Makes 100%?


What does it mean to give more than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%.


- How about achieving 103%?
- What makes up 100% in life?


Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:


If the ABCs are represented as percentage numbers:
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I--J--K--L--M--N--O--P--Q--R--S--T--U--V--W--X--Y--Z
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24-25-26

then
H-A--R-D--W--O--R--K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and
-K--N--O--W--L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

but
A--T--T-I--T--U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty, that while Hard work and Knowledge will get you close,  it is Attitude that will get you all of the way there.

~~~~~~~~

There are other word combinations that will take you beyond 100% but its attitude that gets you there. Think about it and see if maybe your attitudedoesn't add up to getting 100% of what you want in life.

Two Hands

"A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down." -Arnold H. Glasow

I have had friends through out the years of my life that would fit the above quote perfectly. These people are ones that I hold close in my heart although many of them I have drifted from. With family and job changes, the miles and time seem to fill the gap. But I can truly say that these friends have helped shape my life.

I recently read a story to which I can't find an attribution or even how true the story is. But it does speak of friendship and what one will do for the other.

In WW1 an English soldier watched in horror how his lifelong friend fell under gunfire. All the soldiers had to retreat. The soldier went to ask permission from the lieutenant to go and fetch his friend from the no-mans-land.

The lieutenant gave permission, but added: "It is hardly worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may die too."

The soldier did not care about the warnings and miraculously he did reach his friend, lifted him to his shoulders and stumbled back. He was wounded in the process.

The lieutenant helped them to safety and noticed the soldier´s friend was dead. "I am sorry for your friend - but I told you it was not worth it. Your friend is dead and now you are also seriously wounded."

"I have to disagree with you. It was worth it", the soldier answered.

"What ever do you mean?" the lieutenant wondered.

"It was worth it", the soldier repeated. "When I got to my friend, he was still alive and said ´Jim, I knew you would never leave me.´

The friendships you receive in life are gifts. They keep you grounded when you begin to fly too high in self. They help pull you up off the ground when life is trying to bury you.

We know that these friendships will go through stages of closeness and also distance. But if you can point back to those that made a difference, then you are truly blessed.

For me I can count them on two hands. Two hands by which I can clench and stand my ground when circumstance tries to knock me down. Two hands to reach out and pull them up when they need me.

Remember your friends on this day, remember your friends tomorrow. Most of all, remember to be a friend.

Carpe Diem

"Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." -John Keating, Dead Poets Society

Carpe Diem, an interesting phrase generally meaning "seize the day." It comes from a Latin poem written by Horace that has become sort of a statement of principle for many people. It is generally translated as "seize the day" and literally it means "to pick, pluck, pluck off, cull, crop, or gather", but Publius Ovidius Naso (better known as Ovid) used it to mean, "To enjoy, seize, use, make use of".

In Horace's poem, the long version is "Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero", meaning to "Seize the Day, putting as little trust as possible in the future." His intent was to say that our future is uncertain and we should limit our hope's to a shorter future. In some respects he was speaking to people and business leaders that think short term goals or just the next quarter, so "drink one's wine."

In modern culture, I would argue that the quote above describes its use best. "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary", meaning to use each and every day to do something great. Don't waste a single day waiting for the next day to occur; choose now, not later. Begin to move your life forward, to find your dreams, to have a great and 'extraordinary' life.

The future exists but you have to move towards it. To sit idle and allow the future to find you, it will only find you in the same place, sitting idle. You have the ability to impact your own future. You can impact your own future. So "Seize the day, folks. Make your lives extraordinary."

Unexpected

"Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents and capacities simply by being given the opportunity to do so." -Doris Lessing

So there we were, checking in the baggage for my daughter and grand-daughter to return to Los Angeles. The Delta agent was very kind and pleasant as she indicated the one suitcase would cost $115 US dollars. I'm not sure if my chin actually touched the floor, but it did hit the counter on the way down.

I fly quite frequently and had just never had occassion to check-in an overweight bag. So the base cost was $25 and an additional $90 for ten additional pounds over the 50 pound limit. It was all so unexpected I guess but then again I shouldn't have been surprised.

It is the unexpected that presents us with opportunity. I could have gotten upset and thrown a tantrum. I could have paid the additional money and been done with it. What we did do is pull ten pounds out of the bag. It is surprising how much shoes and jeans weigh! I can now take a US Postal service flat rate box; much cheaper and send it directly to their home.

There are many times in our lives when we get confronted by a challenge. Challenges that vary in degrees of difficulty and angst. It is what we do in those moments that define the outcome. Do we let anger and frustration take over? Do we allow it to overcome our life or do we look for the possible opportunity.

I fully understand that sometimes the challenge leaves us seemingly with no choices. My daughter may have had that presented to her had she been alone. But I have always felt there are choices which are sometimes very hard to make. And we usually fail to see them because they are hard choices. We choose not to even consider them because they are hard choices.

If all I have is $25 to pay for a checked 50 pound bag, then maybe I don't need that pair of shoes or jeans. Maybe I do without something else in my life. And don't get me wrong, my daughter did not have an over abundance of things and would have made the right choices. That I am confident of. Yet I see others struggle to make those hard choices in life. I myself have had to make them.

A recent movie called "The Company Men" explores some of these hard choices we have to make in life. One of the main characters, Bobby Walker (played by Ben Affleck) continues to hang onto the material possessions even with his family's lack of money. He finally has to make a choice to give up their expensive home and his beloved Porsche. You will say, sure, thats a movie but it does reflect real life.

Last fall a local church which does great community work was giving away food for the needy. All the groceries needed for a Thanksgiving dinner plus additional food was being given to those in need. All one had to do was drive to a parking lot, drive through and they would load you up with food. It was a great success and I commend them for the great giving heart.

What I did notice were the vehicles being driven. There were many average and well-used vehicles in line. But within the ranks were very nice and very new vehicles. I had to temper my thoughts about someone driving a new vehicle but needing food to put on the table. I wouldn't presume to know the individual stories, but my outward view is that maybe they need to make a hard choice to get rid of the expensive vehicle. Maybe the right choice is to get a cheaper car and have the money to put food on the table.

That sounds harsh I'm sure and it doesn't fix everything but it is a step. Don't take me wrong here as I can't say what goes through peoples minds. I am simply trying to illustrate a point about making hard choices. The unexpected is going to happen in our lives. A car break down, a new baby, a job loss, divorce or a myriad of other events.

It is what we do in response to the unexpected. Do we take that moment to view the new opportunity? Do we take that moment to make choices which keep our lives moving forward? Do we take that moment and confront the unexpected with the unexpected?

Keep moving forward, keep living, keep making choices even when the unexpected happens. You are capable of doing great and unexpected things. Don't let the unexpected defeat you. Do the unexpected.

Climb a Mountain

"Big thinking precedes great achievement." -Wilferd A. Peterson

On June 7, 1913, Hudson Stuck, an Alaskan missionary, led the first successful ascent of Mt. McKinley, the highest point on the American continent. Located in the state of Alaska, the mountain's Athabascan Indian name is Denali, meaning "The High One." In 1896, it was renamed in honor of Senator William McKinley, who became president of the United States that year.

When they set foot on McKinley's south peak, considered the mountain's true summit, it was an achievement many thought unattainable. A member of the group, Robert Tatum later commented, "The view from the top of Mount McKinley is like looking out the windows of Heaven!" To achieve something so large took large thinking.

It took thinking beyond the word no. It took believing in themselves and in the possibility of something greater. It also took them seven and a half weeks to climb what amounts to fourteen Empire State Buildings. A total of 20,320 feet into the bluest reaches of the sky.

Nothing comes easy in life. To scale the highest mountains of your life, it can take time. But you can take an ordinary day like June 7 and turn it into a great achievement. It all starts with thinking big things for your life and then living your journey today.

Start dreaming of large mountains to climb and then start climbing. The top isn't nearly as far away as you think.

Monday Morning

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." -Marcus Aurelius

Here it is, Monday morning and I can hear the collective groan that comes with the rising sun. The alarm shatters our peaceful slumber and no matter how hard we try, the day must start.

Is it lack of sleep that causes our angst in getting up? If so, maybe you need to adjust your sleep pattern to obtain the right level of sleep. Maybe depression has entered your life and you haven't realized it. If so, then read up about it but more importantly, go see your doctor.

Could it possibly be that you simply are not satisfied with the amount of stress in your life? When we feel stressed and overworked, we try to "plow on through" the list of things to do. This causes additional stress which in turn can turn our motivation into a lack of it. It is these moments we need to stop and step back to relax.

Maybe you need some new techniques to recharge your life. Psychology Today provides some helpful tips to do just that. In an article titled How to Recharge and Get Motivated, it offers advice on just that. A dip in your personal motivation will work against you and make those mornings more difficult. Try something new in order to lift the stress from your life and raise the motivation.

Monday morning is always going to come, as is Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. While we may not want to jump up in joy with the birds, taking care of ourselves will make all mornings a little easier to enjoy.

Brush With Something

"With the brush we merely tint, while the imagination alone produces colour." -Theodore Gericault

Once in a while you get the chance to brush by fame. In this case, it was Salman Rushdie. Or so I believed it was him when having breakfast at my hotel in London one morning.

I was on a business trip and due to my frequent hotel stays, the club room is a convenience that makes the trip much easier. I was always asked, why not ask to take a picture, why not engage in a conversation, why not....

But I did not ask and here is why.

In all of my travels, it is very rare that I come within ear shot or even see famous people. For all of the media exposure that so many get, there are so many others that are average, everyday people like you and me.

So it was with great interest that the man sitting one table away from me seemed very familiar. In my hotel in central London, the business lounge provides breakfast on the top floor for members. This particular morning I chose a later time to arrive.

With only three of us in the room, there was no particular reason that I sat near this man. The only thing that drove me that direction is that it was close to the television. It also gave me a clear view of the Thames River. Well then again, maybe I did have a reason for sitting where I did.

Something about the presence of the man sitting near me and his familiar face told me he was of some importance or celebrity. After a short while it dawned on me that it could very well be Salman Rushdie. Yes, that famous auther who wrote the Satanic Verses which became the scorn of many Muslims. So much that in 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini, (leader of Iran at the time) issued a fatwa or decree telling all Muslims to kill Rushdie and his publishers.

Salman Rushdie was placed under police protection by the British government. As of this year (2010), Salman has not been harmed, but it is said that 38 others connected with the book have been killed.

So my mind kept thinking and rationalizing his presence in this place. No body guards and such. But after so many years, I had to think he had slipped back into obscurity and maybe it just wasn't as big of a concern anymore.

But was it really Salman Rushdie? I never asked because I've always felt that there are times of approach and there are times of quiet. This seemed like a time of quiet. We both nodded a good morning to each other and left each other to our quiet and peaceful breakfast.

He may have simply been a person that looked extremely similar to Salman, but I'd like to think otherwise. That I had breakfast with Salman Rushdie and that we enjoyed the peaceful quiet of the morning.

Each of us need those quiet moments in time. To pull ourselves back from the hurried and noise filled life that surrounds us each day. A time to reflect on things that matter to us. A time to just let down our guard a little bit and not be looking over our shoulder.

Maybe next time I'll ask to be sure, but then it might disappoint me. Then the peaceful and quiet breakfast that I had with Salman Rushdie will disappear forever for both myself and for him.

Another Brass Ring

Picture comes from The Brass Ring Poem, by Janet Boyd.

It is well worth a read when you finish here.

"We dance around the ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows." -Robert Frost

This article was an early one in my blog writing days. It shows that I was still learning how to structure the pictures, the quotes, the links and my thoughts. But I found it to be a good one that even today gathers a fair amount of views.

I was recently reminded of the article while watching a show about amusement parks. One in particular was the Looff Carousel at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. It features a brass ring dispenser that was interesting to hear about.

So without anymore ado, the original post titled "Grab A New Attitude - Grab The Brass Ring".

Ever sit around thinking about how your life could be different. Going round and round in your mind, like sitting on a merry-go-round.

Maybe daydreaming at work regarding how much you may not like what it is you do.

Maybe sitting in traffic between your place of work and home wondering if your well used vehicle couldn't be replaced by a new one.

Maybe at home watching television on that 25" envisioning what it would be like to have a large screen version with surround sound.

Maybe just wishing you had more meaning or purpose in your life.

Daydreaming, wondering and envisioning is good. Everyone should have dreams and goals for a better life. But you wonder how can I ever achieve them? How am I going to grasp that 'brass ring'?

Stop and think about the merry-go-round. Around and around and around and around in circles with the same music. As an amusement ride, I love them for the memories it brings back growing up. For the simplicity of the ride, for the safety of the ride. What can go wrong in a round the circle ride. I had always wondered why the 'brass ring' was there. It hit me years ago that it is there to add a bit of excitement to the ride.

For those that dared to, they could reach out in an attempt to grab it. Maybe earn a free ride or a prize. Many wouldn't try, simply content to hold on tight to go around and around and around. The ones that did keep trying to grab the brass ring eventually succeeded. They had the courage to overcome fear and reach out. What then was left? To move on to another more exciting ride. To take a chance at something different. To move on from the same thing over and over, around and around, again and again.

Get out there and make a move. Sitting still, not changing the way you do things results in just that - nothing changes. Another year goes by, around in a circle on the merry-go-round watching the brass ring pass you by.

Don't wait - reach out and make a change in your life. Reach for the brass ring, do something to help someone else, move your attitude to a higher plateau. Start moving and change will occur.

Fishing Advice

"The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself." -Oscar Wilde

The following article was originally posted on February 13, 2007. I thought it was a pretty decent article about taking care of your relationships. What I didn't expect was how the title "Mending Fishing Nets" would become a search item for fishermen.

I was getting so many hits to the article, I had the sense that maybe it was a great article. Yet I tempered my excitement and soon realized the majority were from coastal locations. These were people actually looking for advice on mending a fishing net.

To make sure I didn't turn away those people, I changed the articles to give links to some actual sites offering that advice. I also gave these people an offer to return to my site later for motivation and inspiration.

I still get quite a few hits to these articles. So hopefully I'm providing a good service. In a way maybe I'm helping fishermen become fishers of men.

So here is the original posting:

Your life is like a series of connections, like the knots of a fishing net. Each knot is a relationship with another person. As these knots or connections grow, the larger the net becomes. Your impact on other peoples lives grows as well.

But you can't simply create a connection and forget about it. Each knot of the net has to be tended to. When a weak spot develops, a hole can develop. Not only your relationship but a piece of your life slips through.

When this happens, what is left will be difficult to gather back in. So mending and caring for each connection is important.

These relationships are more important than having all of the money in the world. These relationships define who you are. An old saying goes something like this, "he who dies with the most toys wins." But the reality of it is that "he who dies with the most toys still dies."

Tend to your life net connections, those relationships that will improve your life and others. The net will be there when you fall and help you when you recover. It will impact and connect many people to many others. It is your impact on other lives that will mean the most when life ends...a lasting memory to guide others when you are long gone.

Sufficient Love

"Love possesses not nor will it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love." -Khalil Gibran

A bit light on articles this week although I plan on posting a couple of favorites from the past. I am taking this week to clear up a few things at work and then spend the rest with family on a short vacation.

The picture and quote shown above are a little hint of what my next book will be. I'm still a ways off but plan to have it ready for Christmas gift giving. As the time draws closer, I will give you more bits and pieces.

Until then, the books I have out there already could always use another reader. I am also working on getting them into eBook format which will make the whole idea of becoming an avid reader of mine easier.

All I ask is that you keep reading, keep dreaming, but more importantly keep moving forward.

Days To Remember

"Love... it surrounds every being and extends slowly to embrace all that shall be." -Khalil Gibran

It was only supposed to be dinner for four and a movie. There was to be nothing more than good conversation and escape from the the week's work. But then I entered the room and you smiled.

Happy Birthday Laura, my friend, my love, my life.

"A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle and patriotism is loyalty to that principle." -George William Curtis

I would also like to say thank you to my son Dan for his continued service to our country. Thank you to him and the millions of others that have and continue to serve so bravely and boldly. I also say thank you to those that are taking those first steps to serve. Each of you are proud examples of a great and loving nation.

This great country was built by great people. It continues to be a great country despite the ups and downs we endure. And it is great people such as yourselves that protect and defend it so well. Thank you and I wish only continued strength and safety in your daily mission.

Day in the life of rocks

"We learn geology the morning after the earthquake" -Ralph Waldo Emerson



This past week one of my son's had a birthday. Jon to be precise but in the grand scheme of things, he is somewhere in the middle of Wyoming. He is likely outside the reach of cell phone towers, close enough to a town with a small diner.

But he is likely enjoying his time of research, of being able to put his learned degree in geology to use. I would assume he is picking away at geological formations, figuring out just how this big planet was formed and how we can use its resources.

Yet his Gpa Bill could have taught him everything. The rocks my father collected on vacations are something of a family "thing". I am sad to say that my brother Jim will be the one to get them one day.

So Jon will have to collect his own on this birthday and for the years to come. That is if he actually collects them. My father did, I do and I'm guessing Jon will. And if not, I'm fine with that.

Happy Birthday Jon - happy rock climbing!

Slice of Ireland

Greene's Restaurant - Cork, Ireland

"There are those moments when you shake someone's hand, have a conversation with someone, and suddenly your all bound together because you share your humanity in one simple moment."
-Ralph Fiennes-

Today we wrapped up our business meetings and held a grand dinner to celebrate. A local restaurant that had very good food, very good service and very good conversation.

All week we have worked together as representatives of different companies, as different nationalities and as different people. But the end result is that we worked together as a single entity. We held conversations and did those things as a group when so much could have been stacked against us.

I am not one to quote the Bible, but Matthew 18:20 reads, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." What is great about this verse is that each of us had a sense of purpose for what was at hand. We were given the opportunity to achieve something and we did, it was good. The verse reminds me that if we do come together as two, three or many, then something good can come from it.

Gather those that you know whether it be family, friends, and neighbors. Sit down with co-workers or people you know from business, sports, or any other connection. When we do, the conversation will flow and good things will happen. A little slice of my Ireland experience will come upon all of you.