A Brick

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." -David Brinkley

I guess you figuratively are not walking down the street with people throwing bricks at you. But it can certainly feel like it at times. The oddity is that it also feels like you are picking up those same bricks to carry.

It is sort of a "double-whammy" in that you are being pelted with bricks and having to pick them up carry them away. You could say it is very similar to a wagon full of rocks. An ever increasing load that you allow others to put upon your life.

The weight and size of this load slows your progress and eventually might break you down. It is a terrible thing to see a load of brick or rock come tumbling down upon someone's life. When it happens, there are only two possible results; complete destruction of the persons life or fighting renewal.

I have seen the destruction in people's lives. The kind in which they never recover and no matter how much you want; they are buried forever. It is a heart breaking process to watch but one that I learned from. No matter how heavy or burdensome, there is hope and possibility as long as life exists within you.

Start laying the bricks down, stop shouldering them and let them lift you. The foundation you can build can serve a couple of purposes. One is give you greater footing and raise you above the soft ground. A foundation that creates a means for you to reach greater heights.

These same bricks can be used to build a path for others to follow. A path that serves as an example to your spouse, your children, your friends, or others that are watching. Because the choices we make, the decisions on how we respond are being watched. Other people are learning by seeing how you respond and the path you lay for them will be everlasting.

Are you going to leave a pile of bricks or a nice brick path behind?

Ageless

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" ~Satchel Paige

Our family has a Fox Terrier named Snickers but also goes by the Twitter pseudonym of @nacholibredog. This dog is full of energy and excitement when the time is right. Her rapid movement reminds me of those videos in which you are walking slow but the whole word is moving at lightening speed. It can be a real whirlwind of excitement.

What I managed to do the other day though was to start chasing our dog around the house. Up the stairs, around the dining room table and back. The burst of activity caught up to me faster then it would have a nine year old. But even at my age, I still felt like a nine year old during those moments.

Age had nothing to do with the fun during those moments. I did get a reminder of my age, but it won't deter me from doing it again. I continue to float between many different ages. It comes down to trying to have an ageless attitude.

It sounds like wishful thinking but it does work. Just because you may age in terms of years, your mind can have limitless dreams. An article about aging in Forbe's indicated that "only 1% considered age a barrier to achieving their goals." This tells me that the mind wants to continue doing all that it can regardless of our physical age.

All of this comes with the inevitable need to maintain a healthy level of weight, exercise and many of those other aspects to keep your health. But it also takes the right kind of attitude. If you think you are old and act like you are old then chances are you will live life old.

Does all of this mean we will live forever? Of course not, the cycle of life has its hold on us.

Does all of this mean we will be forever youthful? Of course not, the body physically ages.

What it does mean is that you can live an ageless life with the attitude that you carry inside. Your attitude about life can generate a great life beyond the physical aging. Your attitude can carry you further then you might expect.

Try changing your attitude about your age. Change the way you live.

Full Moon

"Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished." ~Michael Strassfeld

Every time it happens I'm simply amazed by the wonder of it. The beauty it casts upon the landscape can be breathtaking at times. I have yet to see a photograph that truly captures the view. While there are many excellent pictures and paintings, none captures it more then just seeing it for yourself.

What I'm talking about is a full Moon, shining upon the night and lighting up the dark half of the earth.

Moon light could be considered a harbinger of hope, that a new day is coming. It is something that is inside each of us. Some little light that others may call a burning ember. But it is that little light that grows and gives us the ability to see some greater.

You might feel that you are much too alone. That the light is too small for me because your problems are much too large. If so, then think about it from the perspective of the Moon.

Here a small object, orbiting around by itself in a cold and hostile space. Heck, only twelve people have actually visited the moon in the last 100 million years.

But during all of that time, a huge and beautiful Earth has been shining its light upon the Moon. So the light inside of you is not the small Moon but a huge light filled with people that care. The light comes from so many others that are a part of your life.

While the Moon lights the night darkness for us, from the perspective of the Moon, imagine how grand the light is coming from Earth.

Allow the light to grow inside and fill you with hope and greatness. The darkness will vanish and your eyes will see all that is in and around you.

Overcoming Anything

"Fear is your greatest obstacle - so question your fear. If it does not serve your greatest life then do not make it your master." ~Joy Page

As you go through life, there are going to be obstacles attempting to weigh you down. There will be things that try to slow you down. There will be people that try to stand in the way of your dreams. Take the life of a man named Barry Pincus. Born in Brooklyn in the early 40s, his parents divorced when he was just two years old.

As he grew up he learned to play piano and learned what he could of music. His mother then remarried when he was nearly 13. She married a man named Willie who drove a beer truck for the Schaefer Brewery. It was through his mother's new husband that a whole new world opened up. Willie had a record collection of Jazz and Broadway musicals that vastly changed the way Barry Pincus viewed his world.

As he grew up, Barry Pincus worked his way through Julliard's School of Music and worked in the mail room at CBS Television. Like many others, he started at the bottom in the mailroom and worked his way up. Life probably couldn't get any better for Barry Pincus some thought. But he kept his dreams intact and there was nothing that was going to keep him down. Even after marriage and an emotional divorce that would set many back, Barry Pincus ventured on.

He started work at composing music and performing at small gigs. He even wrote jingles for commericals to support himself and to feed his vision. Eventually he connected with a person by the name of Bette Midler and the two performed with Barry being the musical director. The two became a very successful pair and Barry Pincus gained popularity as well.

Barry Manilow is how Barry Pincus is better known. He is famous for his multitude of songs and very successful performing career. He did much of this in the face of harsh music critics. Many called his music 'sentimental garbage', a tough remark for anyone to face. But Barry Manilow persevered in his dreams and remains very popular today.

Barry Pincus could have 'folded his cards' many times when others set out to criticize and place those obstacles in his path. Your life faces many of the same challenges. Never give up. Always believe in your dreams, believe in your visions.

Overcome the obstacles in your life and find your greatest life.