Advance

"Advance, and never halt, for advancing is perfection. Advance and do not fear the thorns in the path, for they draw only corrupt blood." ~Kahlil Gibran

There are varied definitions of what a hermit is. There are the religious hermits that seclude themselves in pursuit of the "forty years wandering in the desert", change of heart life. A life that seeks God. On the other end are those hermits characterized as "returning to nature" by living a life free from materialism. And as with anything, you can find different forms in between and outside of these descriptions.

One description you may not have thought of is how you live your own life. It may seem a bit radical to describe it this way, but many of us are hermits. As defined in dictionaries, a hermit is a person who has withdrawn from society and lives a solitary existence. Or in other words, a person who avoids the company or assistance of others.

As such, when we live a life that doesn't move forward and becomes mired in the sameness of everyday; what is the point of life? It simply becomes a pursuit of waiting for the 'end' to happen. While the rest of life is passing us by, this type of hermit life might as well be watching the clock tick away the minutes. Yes, living without advance can also be described as living the life of a hermit.

So what do I mean by advance your life?

• To raise; to elevate.
• To accelerate the growth or progress; to further; to forward; to help on; to aid; to heighten; as, to advance the ripening of fruit; to advance one's interests.
• To raise to a higher point; to enhance.
• To move or go forward; to proceed.
• To increase or make progress in any respect; as, to advance in knowledge, in stature, in years.
• The act of advancing or moving forward or upward; progress.
• Improvement or progression, physically, mentally, morally, or socially; as, an advance in health, knowledge, or religion; an advance in rank or office.
• The first step towards the attainment of a result; to form an acquaintance, to adjust a difference, etc.; an overture; a tender; an offer.

What I mean is to advance with your life to its greatest potential. It means to advance your life in order to help others. It means to advance your life and actually engage in life around you.

Will you possibly get hurt or bloodied along the way? Very possibly, but you will be amazed how alive you will feel. You can sit and listen to the tic-toc of the clock as time melts away. Or you can advance your life by engaging in new and different ways. Advance, advance, and keep advancing.

~~~~~~~~~~

For those in the Atlanta area, SIGN UP for a Men's Conference being held September 30 - October 3. Come for one night, two nights or the whole thing, but come along and ADVANCE your life. This isn't a kumbaya event. You'll learn practical lessons to advance your life, your families lives and the lives of those around you.

Light of Life

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” ~Abraham Lincoln

All of life is actually pretty grand when you think about it. An amazing biological wonder is what happens from conception to death. Sometimes it is very difficult to comprehend the immensity of what must happen for life to exist.

And then I turn to my beliefs and know that anything is possible. The big bang theory, Adam and Eve, evolution, and how they get the peanut butter inside the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup; life gives us enormous possibility. Darkness can turn into light with the blink of an eye. That light becomes you and shines from within you as well.

So as we celebrate my brother Jim's birthday today, think about how amazing your own life is. Then consider all of the possibility life has to offer you. Enjoy life, live life to your greatest potential and allow the light of your life to shine.

Happy Birthday Jim.

Wondrous Stories

"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe." ~Gail Devers

Recently I was listening to the song Wondrous Stories, by a group from back in the 1970s named YES. This particular group was and remains a favorite of mine. It reminded me of visiting my hometown with my father. As we drove, he told me stories of life growing up.

These stories are truly wondrous and I love to hear these wonderous stories not only from him, but from others about life. So much can be learned from listening and hearing of those things which make up who we are today.

It is these same stories we will pass down to others. There will also be stories that we have to pass down to others. All of these are wonderous and special. Each of them are worth gold to our lives if all we do is hear them. If you take the lessons learned, they will mold your dreams.



Yearn to hear the wondrous stories that those in your life have to tell.

Busy Bee

"As busy as I claim to be, I've still got the greatest job in the world." ~Peter Criss

Would I want to be the drummer of a world-famous rock-n-roll band? Would it be the coolest thing to tour all over the world playing before thousands upon thousands of people? At one point in my life it was a thought. It was the drumming part that I was not very good at.

As a matter of fact, my musical skills were much better in my mind then in reality. So the dream of touring as part of the mega-great group KISS was never going to be in my future. What else was there?

The thing that brings my 'once vivid' dream is the manic lifestyle that probably accompanies such a life. But then, a manic lifestyle can touch each of our lives at most any time. It could be a crazy Monday or week that creates pandemonium in our lives.

What matters is taking better care of ourselves when the hectic times start to take over our lives. Carolyn Rubenstein writes in Psychology Today that, "We are conditioned to think that when more needs to be done, we must increase the amount of time spent working and decrease the amount of time spent refueling. This thinking causes a strange sense of obligation to sacrifice our well being due to the time crunch and demands of the situation. While it may seem counterintuitive, during the most hectic of times, we actually need more time to recharge."

It is your health from many perspectives that suffers during these hectic times. You need to take care of yourself throughout those busy times. All of that is a given and the advice is great.

It is also very helpful that you enjoy the work that you do. I don't mean to say that there are not certain things and times when the job isn't so enjoyable. But overall, you have to enjoy what you do if surviving the hectic times is going to happen.

Your life outside of work is going to get hectic enough at times. Yet if you compound it with a hectic job that you don't like, then things can become worse. And if you like the work you do, the hectic times are much easier to get through. In fact, enjoying your work has an impact on the rest of your life. Your relationships, your days off and even your sleep will be improved.

My hectic life is not your hectic, nor that of the next person. But it is my hectic life and I enjoy my hectic life. Are you enjoying your hectic life?