Where Do You Sleep

In the book Attitudes 101 by John C. Maxwell, it included a quote from Thomas Jefferson regarding those with bad attitudes, "nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

I was reminded of this quote after having spoken to some folks recently. One person was battling this type of attitude and I couldn't think of the right words at the time. As I've always suggested, stay positive and encouraging. There are times when being up front is the better approach. But as Mr. Maxwell says, "dealing with a person whose attitude is bad can be a very tricky thing. Before you try to address the issue, you would benefit from a closer look at attitudes and how they affect an individual."

So I read and try to find the right way of handling such a situation. You as an individual need to read both for advice and inspiration. Think of those commercials in which a person just completes a successful surgery and admits he really isn't a doctor, but did sleep in a Holiday Inn last night. Do you really want that person operating on you?

Being a person of great mental attitude, which starts to bring you into the realm of leadership requires knowledge as well as willingness. So enrich your life by reading up. The inspirational stuff is good as it energizes you as well. I've never said that having a great mental attitude would be easier...but it does become more and more a natural part of your life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Wonderful Rain

“No vision and you perish; No ideal and you're lost; Your heart must ever cherish some faith at any cost. Some hope, some dream to cling to; Some rainbow in the sky; Some melody to sing to; Some service that is high.” -Harriet Du Autermont

This week I am spending time in Seattle on business. It is winter time and in typical fashion, it is cloudy, cool and rainy. Most definitely, the weather here or most anywhere can be dismal at times. At times it might be gloomy with torrents of rain occurring through out your day. At other times, the wind and cool air will cause you to blanket yourself in a dark corner.

Our own attitude can mimic the weather and it can have a big effect upon our daily lives. We tend to allow the negative to creep into our day. In doing so, this can delay or at most prevent us from achieving greater things and enjoying life.

Maybe it is time we try something different. Maybe we look at the rain in a different manner. Maybe the rain is there to replenish our lives, to make the blue skies seems bluer and the warm sun feel warmer.

Maybe we can try to "sing through the rain" until the rainbow appears.



Enjoy the rain and stay inspired my friends.

Create Greatness

"Things you do today impact and set up a future for your children, your grand children and those beyond. So develop greatness today." -Dean Sweetman

To think that when I was 20 years old, my belief was that there was plenty of time to make changes in how I approached life. There was a sense of responsibility to excel in my work, to be a great service provider and to be friendly and out going. But not all of the facets were in place. It took quite a bit of time to force myself into change.

All of us go through it, procrastinating in the belief that the days ahead of us are limitless. We try to fool ourselves into believing that each of us will live to be 110 years old. Believing that there is plenty of time for change. You then wake up one day and realize you have lost many a day. You figure out that you could have been enjoying the fruits of change for many years.

Do not linger on those thoughts for very long. Change can happen right now just as it could have many years ago. The things you do today can have as much impact as it would have so long ago. So do not wait, develop greatness today. Create impact upon your life and others. You can do this!

Stay inspired my friends.

Spinning Your Life

What a wonderful picture to describe many of our lives. We are running around trying to accomplish so much, just barely staying ahead of the wobbling plates. In a quote from David Lassiter, in a book in which he talks about our lives at times, he says, "we all spin all those plates. We've got the work plate, the family plate, the health plate and the friends plate. We spin too many plates. We need to pick the most important plates and begin to slow down."

Our lives are so busy and I can not say it is any worse today then it was many, many years ago. What I tend to think is that it is the same as it has always been. In Dean Sweetman's teachings on the Wheel Of Life, we need to find balance in all parts of our lives. This wheel is not the cure all and end all to our life problems. It is a tool you can use to find out where you are and to identify those areas you may need to work on.

If you want to better your own life, you need to identify those areas most important and to strike a balance. Some plates may fall and the crashing may be painful. But know that your life can be greater. Spin the plates that matter.

Stay inspired my friends.

Start Now

“What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

At the start of a new year, many people like to make resolutions. They decide that January 1st is the best time to start on a path to accomplish some particular task or goal in their lives. It could be a goal to lose weight, exercise more or eat better on a daily basis. Others may decide to quit smoking, drinking or try to simply moderate any excesses in their lives. Still others have financial, relationship, college and a host of other goals.

Whatever type of vision or dream you might have, what are you waiting for?

You are probably telling yourself that January 1st is nearly a month behind us. You could be saying internally, "I'll plan during the year and get a start on things next January 1st." The problem with this thinking is that it will never happen. Unless you push the start button now and start moving, year after year you will keep repeating the same thing. You will never advance from that worn spot on the carpet where you pace, constanly planning but never doing.

Anything you decide to do in the new year can not be accomplished if you do not begin moving towards it today. And guess what? There is nothing magical about January 1st. Yes, you read that correctly. January 1st is a date on a calendar, a moment in time. What that means is that you can start now, today, this hour, this minute.

There is no special alignment of the stars.

There is no perfect economy.

There is no fool-proof business model.

There is only YOU and this moment in time.

Stay inspired my friends!

The Standoff

"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I happen to be a fan of the old Clint Eastwood western movies and maybe you have seen one or two of them as well. Many times he plays the unknown gunslinger who might have a checkered past but somehow has the redeeming quality of doing what is right. One of my favorite movies is "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

It is a movie that pits three men against each other in the search for a treasure. In a crucial scene near the end, the Clint Eastwood character declares that only he knows the real name of a grave in which the treasure is buried. He then writes the name on a rock, placing it in the middle of the graveyard.

He proceeds to tell the other two characters that "two hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money. We're going to have to earn it." The three then begin to stare each other down in the circular center of a cemetery, calculating alliances and dangers in a Mexican standoff before suddenly drawing their guns.

A Mexican standoff, as I am sure you have heard before is a stalemate, no one with an advantage, and no way to make a decision. In its most precise definition, it is a confrontation among three opponents. Popular usage would refer to only two opponents in which neither side has an advantage by attacking first. The interesting thing is that each of us create this standoff in our own minds daily.

We conspire against ourselves, weighing the decision to get out of bed early versus staying snuggled in bed warm, sleeping another 20 minutes. We could get up early to read, meditate, exercise or we could simply stay in bed sleeping. You might think is is an easy decision to make but it can stifle you.

Better yet, you might be thinking of taking that one college course to advance your skills. Yet it means sacrificing time with friends and additional effort in energy or less sleep while you study. The results could mean a better paying job, advancement or any other number of postivie outcomes. But we create that standoff, a Mexican standoff within our mind. Do I or do I not pull the trigger on moving forward in life?

How does one "win" the standoff when allow both sides of our mind have equal advantage? To answer, let us go back to the three men standing in the circle. Each has what seems to be no advantage but that is not quite so. You also have an advantage that you may not thought of, an advantage in which you have stacked the odds in your favor.

In the movie, the Clint Eastwood character had done just that. He had taken the bullets secretly from one of the men. The decision to pull first and which man to shoot first was easy. He had stacked the deck in his favor and so can you.

In your own standoff, you get to stack the deck by doing some things before hand. You get to make the decision and by believing in yourself, the deck is stacked in your favor. You know the benefits of making the right choice, of where you want to be in life and believe that you will get there.

So when the standoff occurs, you have the gun of decision already in hand and get to pull the trigger first. When you believe in yourself, no matter the outcome, the decision becomes easier each time. You will be the one to pull the trigger first.

Sounds easy, right?

Setting yourself up for success is never easy. It takes hard work and consistency in your daily habits. There will be days when you fail to pull the trigger first and the day will fall from a bullet of indecision. You mourn the decision and then let it go and move forward.

The next decision to be made will come around soon enough. This one you will pull first and have the advantage within your own Mexican standoff. The accomplishments and success will be your's to have. And all it took was making a decision to keep your life moving forward.

Happy Birthday Mom

"Oh happy day!" -Edwin Hawkins Singers

Happy Birthday Mom - you would have been 82 years old today in the natural. But please be assured you are 82 years old in my heart today. Love Joe

Positive Leadership

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” -Viktor Frankl

There are times in your life when your attitude will be tested. It may be a family issue, problems at work and sometimes it occurs in your church life. How you respond to these tests of life will dictate many times the outcome of each. It will dictate the direction of your life. The point being is that your attitude can have a huge impact upon your life.

A few years back, a friend went through a couple of job changes. They were not of his doing and he simply was caught in the circumstances of the times. He and his wife also had various challenges with children, health and the death of relatives.

They were experiencing many of the things all of us go through. Yet to compound all of that with job loss seemed too much for anyone to carry on their shoulders. It seemed that they were carrying an unfair share of life's problems. Certainly they had every right to complain. But he kept an attitude of positive thought under the pressure.

My friend lost his first job due to company layoffs, but he had positioned himself to gain another job rather quickly. In this second job, it was a good one but after a short amount of time, a returning soldier was given his job back. The employer had promised to keep both but circumstances had changed and only one could be kept. There being no room, my friend was let go. The returning soldier deserved his old job back and so my friend left with a cheerful heart.

What happend to my friend? He kept looking, kept his attitude positive and landed a job to manage another, larger company. It was a bigger position with more responsibility and leadership. It was the job that was waiting to meet up with him at the right intersection and time in life. This man will know who he is and I'm proud to know him. He is a man of great character, great attitude and a leader among those he comes in contact with.

It is those qualities by which great leaders operate. Leaders who have learned and continue to learn how to 'rule' their attitudes. These people know how they want to feel and then chose to feel that way. Their mood and choices help create the end result. You too can be that kind of person, with the right kind of attitude.

Stay inspired my friends!

Your Imagination

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire; you will what you imagine; and at last you create what you will." -George Bernard Shaw

Your imagination is endless and until you walk through a door towards it, you will never realize the possibility. Go forward in life dreaming big dreams and always moving towards those dreams. To stand still and do nothing means we may as well never imagine greater things for our life.

Turn your imagination into dreams...turn your dreams into goals...turn your goals into reality. Believe in your vision, act upon your vision and realize your vision.

The adventure will be a great one.

Stay inspired my friends.

The Old Man in Seat 12B

"Respect your elders: they graduated high school without Google or Wikipedia!" -Unknown

I had boarded the flight early as I normally do, settling into seat 12C. As I fly quite frequently, my airline status allows me to board early. It is a seat on the aisle near the front of the plane, one of my favorite spots. The location can be great for people watching as seasoned flyers and first timers all jostle down the narrow aisle looking for their assigned seat.

Today would be no different I thought, a normal flight to Boston, my usual routine. After settling in I would get my headphones on, my iPad opened to my favorite music and settle in for two hours of reading. Yet today would be a day when I would not do the usual, for the old man in 12B would delight my day.

He found a way to place his items in the overhead compartment and fumbled a bit getting into his seat. My thoughts at first were that he was new to flying. It also seemed odd with his crumpled trench coat, a well used jacket but neatly finished with an outdated tie. By the leathery look of his skin and deep wrinkles, I imagined his age to be well into his eighties.

As I finished up some business on my iPhone, he gestured and remarked at how connected we are these days. He certainly wasn't against technology but he said we never seem to talk anymore or better yet, we never seem to listen to each other much anymore. So with that, I shut off my phone, put away my iPad and headphones in order to listen.

The lady in 12A was not too sure what to think of this old gentleman as he told me his tales. She had a look of skepticism on her face but to me, I found him fascinating. The stories of his travels to many parts of the world having worked for a large mining company were amazing. But many times he and his wife of nearly sixty years traveled for leisure.

They would travel many times to South America, taking in the adventures that traveling outside of your comfort zone can be. He gave me detailed depictions of the places they had been; the food, the music and the people. Remembering those travels with his wife brought a smile to his face.

You see, she had died three years ago when cancer came back a second time. Quietly he spoke not to me but to his own thoughts about her. It was ongoing medical work that had him heading to Boston from Charleston, South Carolina where he lived. The day was nearly half over and the flight only forty-five minutes from landing when he drifted into sleep.

I sat and thought of the stories he had told me. Much of what was said could have been gleaned from National Geographic magazines or any local library. I am sure the lady in 12A felt he was spinning a tale. But I chose to believe the old man in 12B. I chose to allow his adventures to inspire me to seek more out of life.

He passed onto me what he knew; a real Tango in Argentina, seeing Table Mountain from a boat offshore of Capetown, having high tea in the lobby of the Peninsula Hotel while in Hong Kong, or taking in a Turkish bath at the Danubius Hotel Gellert in Budapest. Each one was crystal clear in his descriptions and it appeared that he wanted to pass his joy of each one to me.

The plane landed and as all travelers do, we go our separate ways. I shook his hand and thanked him for the conversation. He never gave me his name, but he smiled and thanked me for my time, for listening I suppose. As I left though he said to me, "find more time to experience the adventure of life."

I learned a lot from an elderly man in seat 12B. I learned about living life from a man I will probably never see again. I learned by listening.

Stay inspired my friends.

Life in 30 Seconds

"For fast-acting relief try slowing down." -Lily Tomlin

The life we live is full of quick-fix marketing flashes of advertising, instant meals and short-term resolutions to everything. The idea is to handle it fast, immediate and move on to the next great thing. Never mind that many of life's troubles or achievements take longer then the '30-second commercial.'

Think of what it is like to look for a job. The reality is that you get basically 30 seconds to make a first impression. It could be your resume, your introduction or someone speaking about you. Thirty seconds to impress an employer just like the thirty seconds a commercial uses to hook you on a product.

All of this rush to quickness draws us into a need for everything to be that quick.

• Fall in love in thirty seconds;
• Raise a child in thirty seconds;
• Get promoted at work in thirty seconds;
• Make a million dollars in thirty seconds;
• Quit smoking in thirty seconds;
• Resolve an addiction in thirty seconds.

Living life in thirty second increments causes us to become very disjointed because life does not happen in thirty second increments. Life happens in a persistent and long term flow.

With patience and perseverance, much can be accomplished. Discouragement in waiting will try to pull you down and try to knock you off course. Stay with your direction, stick to the path and make adjustments as you move along. You may find that you need to change paths, but stay with the long term vision.

Accomplish little things along the way, but ensure that those little things are pieces of your long term goal. Even reading this short encouragement took you longer then 30-seconds. Read more, learn more, take more time to live your life.

And while you are at it....stay inspired my friends.

A Bridge To Cross

"I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment." -Patti Smith

For twenty-one days, the church my wife and I attend are participating in a fast. Now you and many others will have differing opinions and ideas about how one should fast and for what reasons. I am no different in that, but I tend to believe it is meant to help us redirect our focus and allow us more time to reflect, pray or meditate.

I see it also as a time to rethink or readjust our own attitudes. You see for me, I want for you the same things I want for my life and that would be a great life and great success. It sounds simple but each of us have a vision for our own lives and now would be a good time to adopt a stronger belief in that vision.

As I write articles each day, I am writing words that are meant to keep you on your path to accomplishment. The articles are also meant to serve me for it helps keep me corrected, encouraged and believing in achieving even more in this life. The path spoken of is the one you journey on towards dreams.

Just remember that when I talk of change, you have to understand that change in itself is only the first step. Taking that first step means you are going to 'change' your life. From there, it is a matter of one foot in front of the other, leaving your baggage behind and willing to experience something new.

Life may seem to stay the same around you. It will remain the same where you live and work. That is unless you change your environment. The real work will be to change that environment and change the aspects of your life which are keeping you from achieving your dreams. It is a hard process and can be discouraging at times, but keep on your path, keep on believing.

So join me as begin our walk across the bridge to something new and greater. I'll take you as far as I can but much of the work will be yours to complete. Let's get started and take the first steps together.

And should we happen to approach the Bridge of Death on our path, be sure to know something about birds.



Stay inspired my friends.

What Is Being Thrown At You

"Troubles are inevitable but misery is optional." -Joel Osteen

Most sorry about the graphic picture today, but life has its fill of bad days along with many good days. This just happened to be one of those "bad days" for a judge.

The picture is of Brazilian javelin judge Lia Mara Lourenco being helped by colleagues and medics after a javelin, launched during warm-ups by a competitor, pierced her foot before the start of the competition in a national athletics championship called Trofeu Brasil (Trophy Brazil) in Sao Paulo September 24, 2006. Lourenco was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery to remove the javelin tip.

As reported in Sports Illustrated, "...she wasn't hurt as bad as you might think. Lourenco underwent surgery to remove the javelin and was released from the hospital with nothing more than a fractured pinkie toe."

I am amused by the statement "not be as bad you might think" in the news article. My guess is Ms. Lourenco would beg to differ with that statement.

In life we are going to have moments that catch us off guard. Maybe our attention to what is going on around us slips for a bit. The important thing is that we recover and get back into the game of life. Never let a momentary lapse in attention, which might possibly lead to pain, keep you from continuing on your path to greatness.

The hurt that will happen to us may not "be as bad you might think" but to each of us individually it is the worst hurt imaginable. The pain and disappointment is very real but how you overcome and get through will determine your next outcome in life. Just know that life and circumstance are going to throw stuff at you. Some of it you will have the ability to avoid. Other things will not be so easy to avoid, but you get to make the choice on how you will respond.

Keep getting back up, pull the javelin out of your foot and move forward. And above all, stay inspired my friends.

Denial Hurts

“The thing about denial is that it doesn't feel like denial when it's going on.” ―Georgina Kleege

When does denial become harmful? It does so at the point when the denial is found out to be untrue. Such is the case of Lance Armstrong and his denials of drug doping during his perceived stellar cycling career. It becomes harmful to the many that believed in his success. It becomes harmful to those that were attacked by his denials. It becomes harmful to the individual, the one making the denials.

Denial itself is simply a person's inability or unwillingness to recognize that they are unable or unwilling to face a painful reality. Denial (of reality) exists, but why?

The question is how we as intelligent humans with the ability to analyze complex information ignore facts that clearly lay in front of us? This ability to refuse seeing those facts even when ignoring them might have disastrous results.

Part of the problem is that many things are simply neither just true or false. People experience a wide range of powerful and very complex emotions. There is desire, greed, pride, revenge, need for status, shame, humiliation, and others. Each of these will command a strong influence over that person's ability to interpret facts.

Yes, we have to learn how to control those emotions and make wise decisions based upon facts. But fact-based decision-making is really in short supply because we continue to see bad decisions made based upon emotions. Researchers indicate that you can also attribute other dynamics such as ideology (substitution of belief for facts), inertia (taking the easy way out), momentum (willing obstacles out of our way), impulsiveness (now) and stubbornness (no one will change my mind). As one researcher put it, "we can easily push facts off to a far corner behind several pieces of heavy mental furniture."

Reality Bites

To admit to the reality means basically that we are potentially admitting to the limitations we may have in our life. And that can be a very restrictive feeling, so deny the facts and live in denial. The problem is that denial is not a long-term answer.

Reality will always catch up with you. You will either spend yourself into debt, eat to an unhealthy weight, destroy a relationship or found to have actually used performance enhancing drugs.

What usually follows is blame. Blame of something or someone else as the reason for your denials. It only lengthens the road to foregiveness and renewal. But blame is a subject for a different time.

My Advice

All of us will likely fall prey to denial at some point or another. The best thing you can do is learn how to control emotion over fact. Learn how to distinguish between the two. Learn how to recognize denial early on. Yes, not to go into denial is the best course you can take. But if you do, recognize it quickly, admit it quickly and seek the reality quickly.

Stay inspired my friends.

How Do I Look

“Never wear a backward baseball cap to an interview unless applying for the job of umpire” -Dan Zevin

ATTIRE = ADVANCEMENT

93% of 150 Senior Executives from the 1000 largest corporations in the U.S. said that a person's style of dress at work influences their chances of getting a promotion.

It may not seem fair, but it is one of the realities of our work life. How you adjust and fit in to these realities can determine the level of your success. You may surprise yourself and actually get that raise or promotion.

BUT I'M LOOKING FOR WORK

There was a survey conducted by Robert Half International regarding the hiring process. It found that hiring managers will form either a positive or negative opinion of a job candidate within roughly 10 minutes. It is very possible that "Your behavior may be under scrutiny from the moment you arrive for the interview," according to Brandi Britton, senior regional vice president with RHI.

It may not seem fair to "judge a book by its cover" in your mind. But don't forget there are probably ten or more other people that need to be interviewed. You may have gotten into the final cut, lucky enough to get an interview. As unfair as it might seem, appearances make all the difference.

The same survey provided 10 tips from different job-search gurus to make sure you wow them from the minute you walk in the room.

"A firm, nonsweaty handshake, eye contact and a nice smile make you seem likeable. Likeable people are hired most often."
-- David Lewis, an executive with Express Employment Professionals and an expert on career development

"Prepare to engage in small talk, which helps to break the ice and puts both parties at ease and also demonstrates your ability to make conversation with potential clients, coworkers and executives."
-- Brandi Britton, Robert Half International

"Be prepared with everything you can possibly know about the company and the person who is doing the interview."
-- Executive coach Beth Ross

"Don't take the head of a table or sit down until you are invited to do so to demonstrate how you'll behave in professional situations."
-- Patty DeDominic, cofounder of DeDominic & Associates, a professional coaching and business services firm

"Open with penetrating questions that prove beyond a doubt that you've done your homework on the company, the position, the department, the industry and/or the competition."
-- Ford Myers, author of Get the Job You Want Even When No One's Hiring

"Practice your answers to commonly asked interview questions so that you come across as a well-prepared candidate."
-- Certified executive career coach Cheryl Palmer, Calltocareer.com

"If asked to talk about yourself, always answer from a professional sense. Telling people about your family and what you do on the weekends is definitely the wrong approach. You want to solely focus on the areas of your work in which you are most effective and productive."
-- Careers and resume expert Lauren Milligan, Resumayday.com

"Become an object of interest by the questions you ask. Leave them wanting more with the quality of content you add to the conversation (versus noise)."
-- David Nour, consultant and author of Relationship Economics

"Mirror the body language of the interviewer. If they are leaning forward, you should be doing the same. This builds rapport on a subconscious level, giving the feeling of a deeper connection."
-- Job market expert Jabez LaBret, ThawingtheJobMarket.com

"Your interview strategy must include proof that you have successfully completed job-relevant tasks. A good strategy is to marry a strength and a specific example to prove that you are accomplished at what you do. Quantify accomplishments using numbers, percentages and dollars whenever possible."
-- Barbara Safani, president, CareerSolvers.com

Make yourself the entire package and get the job you want. And stay inspired my friends!

Lead to Change

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
―Pablo Picasso

A person that decides to take a positive attitude towards life, family and work has to be willing to do a bit of leading. Putting yourself out there extending kindness and positive reinforcement to others is a first step in leading. But how can you begin the process of leading with a positive attitude.

I took the following from a bit of training I’ve had, which is to understand yourself in the workplace. And there are places in our own personal life that these suggestions should take place first. Whether it is your personal life or the work place, either can be the starting point. The point is to start somewhere.

I suggest the workplace because we spend so much of our time in it. If work goes well and you can leave with a good feeling, the drive home is easier, family time is much more relaxing and you will most likely sleep better. You will likely feel better in the morning and the day will get off to a much better start. The driver that accidentally cut you off just won’t bother you.

In “First, Break All the Rules”, there are twelve questions to ask yourself regarding your place of work. These questions can be used to measure your work environment.

Evaluate where you are, where your work place is and provide areas of opportunity for you to step in and make change.

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday?
4. In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor or someone at work seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

As employers, have you done these things to improve your workplace? The opportunity to make change happens in both directions. Work can be so stressful, you may not realize that simply telling a co-worker or employee or even your boss that they’re doing a great job goes a long way.

So pick a spot, jump into it and move your life forward to a more enjoyable and fruitful experience.

Above all, stay inspired my friends.

Dream Anything

“To dream anything that you want to dream. That's the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.”
-Bernard Edmonds

Dream your dreams my friends.

Dreams Become Real

"Vision, it reaches beyond the thing that is, into the conception of what can be. Imagination gives you the picture. Vision gives you the impulse to make the picture your own." -Robert Collier

As you dream at night when nothing else can interfere and in some cases these dreams can be remembered during your waking hours. Some of these dreams are horrible or confusing with no meaning to be found. Others are of a yearning, a vision, that you want for your future. But dreams are only an undefined mound of wet clay, waiting for you to form it.

As you begin to take hold of your dreams, trying to remember the details, it is your imagination that will start to mold the dream. You will mold the clay into something that only you can create. It may change from what you first dreamed, but it will start to take shape and become a clear thing for your life.

As your dream becomes more real, you have to apply vision in order to move towards the dream as a tangible part of your life. It prods you to walk through the open door and begin a journey. A trip that begins with movement.

Allow yourself to dream big things and let vision push you towards it. Go beyond what currently surrounds you. There is a large life out there waiting for you.

And stay inspired my friends.

What Worry

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength."
-Corrie Ten Boom

As you go about your day, things will happen that cause worry to come upon you. It may be little things like 'did you leave a light on at home', 'should I have brought an umbrella along' or other small nuisance types of worry. They are the nagging minor issues which fill the voids in our daily thoughts.

There are also the worries which impact us in a much bigger way. These are the worries that directly impact your ability to function on a daily basis. There are a hundred and one types of examples we could discuss. Many of you probably have one or two of them at this moment in time. It could be money, health, sex or job worries. Worries are anything that effect your day or impact your ability to fully function to your best.

Yet when worry consumes your life, it can be a detriment to your quality of life. It is said in an article from NetDoctor, that "many people openly confess to being worriers. They usually make the announcement as if to suggest the world is divided into the virtuous, who fret over everything, and the feckless majority who are laid back to the point of decadence."

Much of our worry can lead to bouts of anxiety and when diagnosed can be a very debilitating disorder. The anxiety can be treated and is best left to the professionals. But what I can say is that for constant everyday worry, "for worries sake" is not productive.

The time comes when you need to apply the energy consumed by worrying to one of making change and improvement. Once you have identified the issue, then take a breath and look for solutions. Certainly there are things out of your control but you do have control of you.

Look for advice, look for information, look to change the situation. And as the quote states, don't let worry steal your strength today, make change and let tomorrow bring a new and brighter day.

Stay inspired my friends!

Almost

almost
Main Entry: al·most
Pronunciation: \ˈol-ˌmōst, ol-ˈ\
Function: adverb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ealmæst, from eall + mæst most
Date: before 12th century

: very nearly but not exactly or entirely

Yesterday, you almost called home to say hello to your mother. With a passing thought, you almost held a door open for someone carrying a package. Early this morning you almost had a conversation with your teenaged child. Those things that we almost do in life but never seem to find the urge to actually do.

Your day goes by, then a week and eventually the year is nearly over. We think back and wonder at all of those things we missed doing. We feel that we came close, that we almost had the ability to do all of those meaningful things. But in our own self assessment, we know that almost really wasn't quite good enough.

The analogies one can use vary with many examples how almost results in things lost. In sports it might be said, "we almost made the winning touchdown." Yet the team still lost so almost doesn't quite cut it. In a political race, others may state, "we almost won the election." And once again, almost does not put the person into office.

Take the idea of almost completing your high school education. Almost does not make it easy to find a job or move ahead in life. There is also the big one, "I almost called to say hello," or for others, "I almost called to say I love you." Life on earth is finite, and almost will turn into never being able to do those things.

Find the time today to actually do those things that you know and feel need to be done. Do not put them off any longer, take the time now. Do not almost try it, actually accomplish and look back on all of those things you did complete.

Stay inspired my friends!

Dan's Big Wheel Birthday

"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over." -Hunter S. Thompson

Just a Happy Birthday shout out to my son Dan Primm. We knew in 1985 that things would never be the same. You have brought great adventure, joy and love into all of our lives.

Be safe, be joyful and be loving on this wonderful day.

And just as a reminder....

Mirrorball Moment

“You can't stop the future. You can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret...is to press play.” ―Jay Asher,

Just a quick note to remind myself in this new year of when I first met my wife Laura. From the moment I met you, everything changed in a very good way. I look forware to another wondrous year together.

For everyone else, what is that one thing that changed your life forever? It might be several "one" things. Take a moment to remember what those moments were. Knowing what changed your life for the good will set you up for a great start in this new year.

Make the moon your mirrorball and stay inspired my friends!

Realize the Awe

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed." -Albert Einstein

Life can be pretty awe inspiring if you just stop for a few minutes and experience it. Take those moments and energize your life starting today.

Place your own thoughts, music, or words to the following video and stay inspired my friends.

Thirty Days

"I have never heard anything about the resolutions of the apostles, but a good deal about their acts." -Og Mandino

Here are the top ten resolutions made by people each and every year around the world. Not a very surprising list because it covers areas we could all work a little bit on.

1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends
2. Fit in Fitness
3. Tame the Bulge
4. Quit Smoking
5. Enjoy Life More
6. Quit Drinking
7. Get Out of Debt
8. Learn Something New
9. Help Others
10. Get Organized

You have probably selected one, two or more of these resolutions to work on this year. But what I want you to do is stop for just a moment and think about those New Year's resolutions made on December 31st.

Get off the treadmill at the gym. Walk into another room away from your family and friends. Have that one last cigarette and you might as well spend what is left in your wallet. Go ahead and get it out of your system today.

You may wonder why I am telling you to stop working on your resolutions? I am sure it sounds negative for me to be discouraging you at this very moment.

Thirty Days

According to many different surveys, there will be roughly 60 percent of us still going strong with our New Year's resolutions by the end of January. That number will drop to under 50 percent by the month of July. The smoking huts will be lonely this first month or two. Fitness gyms will be teaming over with people and the drinking establishments a little less crowded.

What researchers do know is that your odds of making it to July or the entire year improve simply by getting past the first thirty days. Yes, only thirty days to lose your will and desire to accomplish something great. But make it past that first month and you will have made a huge step forward.

So your target should not be December 31st.

Your target should be January 31st.

Those thirty days should be your goal. Get past those first thirty days and then set another mark for the end of February...only twenty-eight days, very achievable. Pretty soon you will find yourself in July and seeing the year half over.

Do not allow your New Year's resolutions to live for only thirty days. Give those resolutions thirty days to grow and change your life. The rest of the year will come along and if you push yourself to thirty days, life will change. Your acts will overcome your intentions and change your life forever.

Stay inspired my friends.

Conan Video

Asking Questions

Your New Year

“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.” ― Arnold Bennett

The building blocks for the year 2013 are there in front of you. They are freely there for the taking and building of a great life. Let this be the year that you build a great life, your best life.

Stay inspired my friends!

Shout It Out

"As selfishness and complaint pervert the mind, so love with its joy clears and sharpens the vision." -Helen Keller

It is December 31st, the final day of the year, the final chance to do one great thing for your life this year. And that one last great thing is to let it go. Let go of the hurt and complaints that crept into your life during the year. Today is the day to pour out any pain or disappointment that remains.

Your life is like a bucket, some shiny new while others are getting old and tarnished, but both capable of holding great things. But we carry complaint like a full bucket of water, heavy and cumbersome. We carefully carry it so as not to spill any of it from our lives. The only problem is that while we are concentrating so hard on the complaints, we lose sight of the great things in our lives.

Now that the year has come to an end, pour that complaint out of your life. With an empty bucket to start the year, it DOES NOT mean we fill it with complaint for the coming year. In fact, pour it out, turn the bucket over, stand on top of it and shout out all of your worries, your complaints and your doubts.

Shout out the complaints from the past year.

Shout out the complaints you are sure to have in the new year.

Let it all go now, today and let it seep deep into the ground and out of your life. The bucket will be ready for all those great things to happen in the year to come. This empty bucket will now be ready for you to fill it with goodness, no complaining, no regrets, no looking back.

The end of a year is like a paved road ending. All that stretches out in front of you is a dirt path. It is an uncharted course, with the unknown but something of great promise around the bend.

Take this final day and unload all of your complaints from this year. Unload all complaints for the coming year. Be done with complaint and free up your year for all of the good that can happen.

A new year awaits you filled with many great things. Take your empty bucket into the new year and fill it with all of those great things.

Stay inspired my friends! Have a safe and happy New Year!

Miles To Go

“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.”
-Homer, The Odyssey

Sleep is a wonderous and re-energizing activity that we tend to give short shrift to. But during these days of vacation, it can be a good thing to learn more about your sleep patterns. Give your alarm clock a vacation now.

Doing so will help you sleep better at night during those weeks of working. Better sleep means better physical and mental preparedness, which also means you will perform better during the daylight hours.

In a Psychology Today article, it is good to evaluate your sleep patterns. They say "...take the time to figure out when your body wants to sleep and when it wants to be awake." Find out what kind of sleep your body needs in preparation for the new year.

We are not all made the same and that means not all of us require the same kind of sleep. Doing this now will help you become more productive in the coming year. Besides, we all have many miles to go before we sleep...we might as well be well rested.

Stay inspired my friends.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Blow Thou Winter Wind

“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” ―Steve Maraboli

Only a few more days left in this year and for those in the northern hemisphere, winter's cold wind blows with a cold fierceness. It is a time when emotions can get the better of us. The lamentations of another year gone by can consume our thoughts of perceived failures.

It is easy to sit and question the wrongs we feel others may have exacted upon us. We can let past wrongs consume our future as the cold wind howls outside. Thoughts of how thankless and false love and friendship can be will creep into our minds. It seems as if all life is made up of human ingratitude.

We pull our coats tight in order to fight the winter winds. But the idea that people can be thankless is worse than the harshness of that same winter wind. We allow these thoughts to take over and debilitate us.

What should never be forgotten is that life is worth living. One should move forward, be happy, forgive and forget the failings of others. Forgive your own failings.

Shift your thinking and your world will shift for the better.

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind
by William Shakespeare

Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
Thou dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remember'd not.
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly.

Stay inspired my friends!

Six is not Evil

"Seeing within changes one's outer vision." -Joseph Chilton Pearce

Wow, wasn't that another amazing Christmas Day celebration? It was full of family, friends, presents and eating; lots of eating. Hopefully you received that one special gift and more importantly, you gave someone that one special gift. Yet the day is over and the wrapping paper is bundled in trash bags awaiting the garbage man.

We have also fallen into that time period at the end of a year I call the quiet period. A time when the year is not quite over and not much more can be accomplished. Many people have taken time off and others are left working; seemingly there to only keep the office from burning down. A lull in what was a busy and full year.

It also becomes a time when we truly find moments to reflect on the year gone by. The New Year's resolutions made nearly 365 days ago are either distant memories or marked accomplishments on our goal list. Some may still be working on them, which is a good thing and please continue with them into the newest year arriving.

This time of year is also a good time to reflect on how we have lived our lives over the past year. Have we tried to be a good and decent person? Have we been loving and true to our family and friends? Have we treated everyone including strangers as we would want to be treated?

What I suggest during this quiet period is to take these next six days and make a list of six things you would like to improve upon next year. And do not think the number six to be evil, it is just a number. It is simply the number of days left to prepare yourself for the new coming year.

Take those six days and look for the good in a number such as six. Six days and you will also find there is goodness in other people. Six days to prepare yourself for the coming year. Six days to become a better person to others.

Stay inspired my friends.

Lessons of Christmas

"A Charlie Brown Christmas"

How many of you remember and look forward to watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" cartoon every year? This cartoon animation is the work of the Peanuts creator, Charles Schulz. It first aired in 1965 and is a must-watch show for those that celebrate the Christmas season. It is a message of anti-commercialism along with good will towards man. While millions love its message, I do find it ironic that the materialism it speaks out against is one in which each of us actively take part in.

There is a famous scene in which one of the characters named Linus gives his “True Meaning of Christmas” speech. It is the speech that is meant to steer all of us back towards what Christmas is truly about. But interestingly enough, this particular scene was nearly cut from the final release. You see, Charles Schulz was a religious man and according to his biography, “the life of Jesus remained for him a consuming subject.”

So in the early stages of production, he wanted the script to feature some religious overtones.  In particular, he wanted a passage from the St. Luke gospel about the birth of Jesus Christ. Schulz wanted to bring that meaning to the Christmas holiday. It was a meaning that many times get lost in the mayhem and excitement of the day.

The producers agreed to include a Nativity scene, but when the script was finished, the animation director realized he had included an entire minute-long speech directly from the New Testament. this led to a huge argument between Schulz and the producers. They argued that the cartoon was an “entertainment show” and the speech would scare off advertisers by narrowing its audience. Schulz argued that it should remain as it was central to the story line.

Charles Schulz fought for what he believed in and this iconic speech survived being cut from the show. The "speech" remained part of the original CBS special and it became the second-most watched show of the week when it debuted on December 9, 1965. This story has aired every year since.

You know, there are many things that are worth standing up for in our lives. Charles Schulz believed in something that has resulted in millions of children and adults hearing this message each and every year since 1965. It reminds us that even one person can impact many others with their actions of belief.

You are a pebble dropped in the water which creates the waves that wash a seashell upon the shore for someone else to find. You make a difference simply by standing up for what you believe in.

And without more said, here are the words from Linus, spoken not only to Charlie Brown, but to millions of us.

Luke 2:8-14

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

A very merry Christmas to you, your family and friends!

Twas the day before Christmas

‘Twas the day before Christmas, at the place where I work,
Not a phone was a ringing, a pleasant and nice perk;
The laptops were playing YouTube funny clips,
With hopes that our boss would give not a flip.

The workers they rustled in adjustable chairs;
While thinking of dinner and a good old cold beer;
And me with my headphones clapped over my ears,
Listening to Pandora and Tears for Fears.

When out in the lobby there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter.
Away through the door I flew like a flash,
Down the hall in a hurry, my coffee did splash.

An EMC video, it played on the screen,
To an empty reception room, with outdated chairs,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a UPS truck run into a FEDEX trucks rear.

Both drivers were talking so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment, the tension was thick.
More rapid then a post man, the brothers they came,
A rumble of couriers soon burst into flames.

Now, Airborne and Fedex and A1 did fight,
With UPS and USPS in locked battle might.
To the top of the hood, no sign of a stop;
Now dash away, dash away before we all call the cops.

With a blink of an eye, more boxes to deliver,
They shook hands in friendship and none did shiver,
To their trucks they arose, turning keys to ignite,
More packages to go before they could have dinner.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard in the lot,
Screeching tires of couriers dashing off one by one.
For this was the day, we work before Christmas,
But I heard a faint echo as they drove out of sight,

“Merry Christmas to all and to all a good-night.”

Made It Past That One

"The joy of life consists in the exercise of one's energies, continual growth, constant change, the enjoyment of every new experience. To stop means simply to die. The eternal mistake of mankind is to set up an attainable ideal." -Aleister Crowley

I survived the world meltdown that so many people thought would happen today. Yes, I am here, writing a blog and happy in the knowledge that life goes on.

Have a great weekend everyone. A very merry Christmas and Happy New Year along with the many other holidays celebrated this time of year.

25 December Christmas
25 December Anastasia of Sirmium Feast Day
25 December Malkh
26 December Boxing Day
26 December - 1 January Kwanzaa
26 December Saint Stephen's Day
27 December Saint John the Evangelist's Day
28 December Holy Innocents' Day
31 December Saint Sylvester's Day
31 December Watch Night
31 December New Year's Eve
31 December Hogmanay
01 January New Year's Day
01 JanuaryS aint Basil's Day

Be safe and stay inspired my friends.

A Big World

“Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty. I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be.” -George Carlin

You might expect the usual discussion about a glass half full or half empty at this point. I have written that article before describing and discussing the nature of our positive or negative attitudes. But this article is not going down that path.

In fact, for those that firmly believe in predictions of the wrold ending tomorrow, December 21, 2012, time spent reading this article won't matter I suppose. It is very likely that those people will not have the time as they prepare for what may or may not happen tomorrow. They will be rushing about ensuring their "bug out" packs are ready. I truly do admire their preparedness.

For me it is interesting to think people would be worried about that specific day though. Why not worry and prepare for December 1st, April 22nd, February 3rd or any "tomorrow" day? If not an interpreted doomsday word from thousands of years ago, maybe a large meteor hitting the earth, huge earthquake or world war. Are not the odds generally the same or more likely?

Then again, I am not against being prepared in life. It is smart to plan forlife's circumstances in order to have a chance at reacting to the curves it throws at us. But I am also on the side of having expectation of good things happening. I prepare but I also allow myself to have expectation of great things to happen as opposed to the worst.

If I read the quote from George Carlin again, I begin to realize that the glass is life itself. Life is so much bigger, so much greater than I can ever imagine. It means to me that we get to choose how full we want the glass to be. For some of us that will mean only a few drops of water. Others will fill the glass with as much as they can.

The glass will always be bigger than what we need.

Flying Upside Down

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.” ―Seneca

When you step out into the unknown, there will be fear encountered both real and imagined. A few years back, many of us attended a couple's retreat in the North Georgia mountains. The camp had what is referred to as a challenge tower, four stories high and with various climbing obstacles to overcome.

During that retreat, a friend by the name of Belinda conquered something greater than the tower that day. She accomplished it in ways that you can not imagine. In fact, I think what she overcame that day was fear. In doing so, it set her up to overcome years later a brain tumor.

You can read about her miraculous story by picking up a copy of Bwenna - A Story of Hope and Faith.

Overcoming her fear of climbing prepared her for the fear that could grip even the heartiest of us when a doctor says the word cancer.

It could be fear of failure to reach the top or fear in your own physical ability to accomplish the climb. It could be that "step off the platform" for the zip line ride that grabs hold of you. For others, it may be the fear of simply reaching the top and being so high up in the air.

It was during this same event that I watched in amazement as another friend scaled the tower with little problem. She had reached the top and quickly we all learned that she had a fear of being so high. It caught me by surprise, but she had conquered it. She conquered that thing which holds her from moving forward in life. She had let go of fear and created the path to achieving so much more in life.

For me it was a certain fear of not being able to make the climb. After watching so many others ascend and questioning my own ability; fear was beginning to creep in. Yet I made that step forward; actually up the tower. My focus became the goal, my focus became ensuring my wife made it to the top, my focus was to overcome.

Once achieved, everything became much more clear to me. It seemed to me that my ride down the zip line was now the reward. Stepping out from the platform, taking the ride upside down was the only way. Flying upside down, everything was crystal clear to me at that moment.

Take a chance by stepping out into the unknown. Let go of the fear and know that even if you find yourself flying upside down, everything will be clear. Enjoy the ride!

Stay inspired my friends.

Where Love Resides

"When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God." -Kahlil Gibran

There is one week to go before we celebrate the Christmas holiday. A time of celebration and good cheer. It is a time of new birth and new beginning, a gift for all of time to mankind.

Through out the year we experience pain, heartache and disappointment. But as the year draws near to a close, Christmas provides us with the promise of love. And love is many things but mostly love is being in the heart of God.

There are many things that have occurred lately and have happened all year long. The one thing that remains, that can heal, is love. I wrote of the power of love in my book Love Is. It is a very simple concept that can be very hard to understand. Maybe that is because we over think and over analyze it.

Yet in the end when all else is stripped away. When all the money, power, ego, possessions, humility and life itself are gone; love can endure and heal us.

May your Christmas holiday, you New Year celebrations, and everything around you be filled with love. And not only during these next two weeks, but throughout the coming years.

Stay inspired my friends.

Gravity Always Wins

"The memories of loved ones will allow us to jump and dance in joy for having been part of their lives." -Joseph Primm

For the past three days, my thoughts have been upon the tragic scene that unfolded in Newtown, Connecticut. I watched various news stories and the Sunday talk shows. The social media comments on Facebook and Twitter contained both words of sympathy and frustrated ignorance (from both ends of the spectrum).

I thought about writing in memoriam to the children and educators lost. There were words I wanted to express for the parents and loved ones left to grieve. There were words I wanted to express for those on both sides. There were words I wanted to express to my God and for myself. But those words are better left to myself.

What I decided to talk about today is the apple tree. A source of nutrition, a fruit taken from a tree branch. So much goodness that we can experience each day. As the old saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." A shiny red apple, juicy and sweet to the pallette.

Yet what of the apple tree?

Every season, the apple tree excitedly announces a new arrival with flowering buds. It fills the air with excitement and promise. As each tiny apple grows ever larger gravity eventually wins. The apple falls from the branch onto the ground and the apple tree branches lift with a sigh.

But even when the apples all fall from the tree, the apple tree will once again burst with new flowers. The apple tree will always continue to try it again, to move forward, to try and defy gravity. The fallen apples will have touched the lives of many others. The seeds of those tender apples will have planted new hope in others.

There will be new growth elsewhere, in other people. The fallen apple will not have been for naught. And while it may seem that gravity always wins, in actuality, it is the apple tree that always wins.

Day Into Night

"To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle." -Walt Whitman

It is a rare moment I get to enjoy when flying to see the actual edge of night. There is a wonderful glow of color as the darkness chases the light, never being able to catch it. I guess one could say something similar of the morning as light chases the darkness away. But this moment of day into night seems more magical.

What I find soothing about this particular moment is how the rush of a day, the worries that entrapped us all day fade into the darkness. The gathering night gives us a chance to rest and slow down for a few hours. While we know that a new day does not eliminate all problems, it does hold promise of something better and the night gives us the chance to realize that.

When the toils of the day become too much, stand and watch the gathering darkness flow in behind the light of day. Allow the day's burden to flow away with that light. Allow the calmness of night to ease your mind and to energize your soul. Know that a new day approaches with new possibility, new answers and a chance to overcome whatever burdens you.

Stay inspired my friends.

On This Day

“Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear.” -John Lennon

A very short but promising gift I give to you this day. Our fifth grandchild was born this morning. with his birth brings the promise of a great life full of adventure, pain, success, enlightenment and most of all...love.

Welcome to a new life that is blessed with all there is to offer. Welcome to a new life in which Grandma and Grandpa will always love you more and more with each passing day. Welcome into God's love.

Congratulations Sarra and Chester!

Pick a Moment

“Some moments are nice, some are nicer, some are even worth writing about.”
-Charles Bukowski

There was some little thing inside of me that kept saying that I should not miss the chance to write a blog article today. It bothered me so much that I set my alarm today to go off at 12:12pm on this, the 12th day, of the 12th month in the year 2012.

I can tell you that the logical part of me prefers to simply view this a another moment in time. That the passing of the day, hour, minute and second are just time passing as any other day, hour, minute or second.

Yet another part of me says this was something special to acknowledge. It will be a moment in time that will never happen again in my lifetime or for several lifetimes. The next moment similar to this will be in the year 2112. So I actually did a small little jig while standing in a cold computer lab for 12 seconds.

So maybe I am a bit crazy, a little off-kilter or just someone enjoying every minute of his life. In fact, I could have picked any one of the 635 months,

or 2728 weeks
or 19099 days
or 458372 hours
or 27502326 minutes

or 1650139611 seconds (and counting), I have been alive to dance and be happy about.

I guess every now and then we need to just pick one of them and rejoice at having experienced another moment of our lives. Stay inspired my friends.