Almost There

"We're almost there and nowhere near it. All that matters is we're going." -Gilmore Girls

One final week before Christmas, one final push towards the finish line of accomplishment. Its near, you can almost feel the warmth of the fireplace, the smell of hot cider and excitement of the Christmas lights. The anticipation grows and fills every pore in our bodies with excitement.

While we move towards our destination, remember that the journey is meant to be exciting as well.

Stay inspired my friends.

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.

Christmas "Is" Perfect

"Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven't fallen asleep yet." -Author Unknown

You know it is going to happen next Monday when you wake up from a weekend of office Christmas parties. You will suddenly realize that you are not even close to being ready for Christmas Day. The pressure of knowing that family and friends will be arriving in just a few short days.

You might look at your bank budget and see that very little is left. One string of lights on the Christmas tree just went out and no cookies have been baked yet. The growing tension inside of you is starting to bubble to the surface.

When it seems that all of your Christmas bulbs are going to burn out, stop, relax and let it go. Christmas is not meant for us to make perfect. Christmas "is" perfect in all manners that we experience it.

All of that stress, anxiety, and depression are common during a holiday season. If nothing else, reassure yourself that these feelings are normal. So again, relax.

Some tips I collected from various health organizations that will help you deal with Christmas stress or any other kind of stress are;

- If there is still shopping to do, try to do all your shopping on one day. It focuses the mind. Shop via the Internet to avoid crowds, lines and parking problems.

- If you do go shopping, don't stop for coffee. Caffeine makes the body release cortisol, which is a stress hormone and leaves you feeling tense. Instead take a bottle of water with you.

- When you are in a line, breath in for four counts, hold it for 16 counts, then breath out for eight counts. This will boost levels of serotonin in your brain.

- Don't expect miracles. If you and certain family members bicker all year long, you can be sure there will be tension at Christmas gatherings. So avoid the known triggers. In example, if politics is a touchy subject in your family, don't talk about it. If someone brings up the topic, use distraction and quickly move on to something else to talk about.

- Use relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or focusing on your breath to cope with anxiety or tension.

- Family members involved in after-lunch activities (such as football, Frisbee or something else on the back lawn) are less likely to get into arguments. Plan for something to do as a group after lunch if necessary.

- People under stress tend to 'self-medicate' with alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs. Try to remember that drugs can't solve problems or alleviate stress in the long term.

Above all, stay calm and carry on. It is the holiday season and it should be a happy time for you and those around you. Choose to be happy and cheerful in attitude. Remember that this is Christmas and it "is" perfect already.

Pay It Forward

"Don't try to be different. Just be good. To be good is different enough." -Arthur Freed

There was a movie released in the year 2000 that many of you will remember. It was called "Pay It Forward." In this tale, a young boy develops a simple plan to make the world better when a teacher gives an assignment to come up with a project for school. It was a great movie and if you have not seen it, you can get a copy of the movie
(Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment) at Amazon.

The idea of "paying it forward" didn't start with this movie of course. The concept has been around a very long time. If you are not familiar with it, the concept is to simply ask that a good deed be repaid by having it done (something good) to others instead. Even an insurance company began using the concept as a theme for their commercials back in 2006.

"Pay it forward" dates back to 317 BC in Athens, Greece. It was used as a primary part of a play called Dyskolos (translated as "The Grouch"). The play disappeared or was lost either in the archives of history or obscurity. It was rediscovered and described by Benjamin Franklin, in a letter dated April 25, 1784:

"I do not pretend to give such a Sum; I only lend it to you. When you [...] meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go thro' many hands, before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money."

The famed Ohio State University football coach, Woody Hayes even spoke of the concept in nearly every speech he made. In the 1986 OSU Commencement speech, he speaks vividly about what it takes to "pay it forward" in life.

In whatever manner you want to view this, I see it as "feeding one" similar to that which Mother Theresa is quoted as saying. If you can not feed a hundred people, feed one and that person will do the same. It doesn't start with the huge and grandiose idea of saving the world in one fell swoop. It starts by saving the world, one-by-one.

Pay it forward in your life whenever a good deed is done for you. Pass it along to others and know that the goodness will come back around to you.

Stay inspired my friends.