Hard Coffee Road

"The road of life can only reveal itself as it is traveled; each turn in the road reveals a surprise. Man's future is hidden." -Unknown

There is a phrase that I became familiar with growing up in the farmland of the midwest. If you were being given directions to get from one field to the next, you might hear "its a hard coffee road." The phrase meant that at least one of the roads being traveled was not in very good shape. More than likely it was a poorly maintained road full of ruts and bumps. In turn, it would be a hard road to drive down and drink coffee at the same time.

I have been down that type of road many a time. It is the type of road that you may have been down as well in life. A road you might be traveling in life, drinking a cup of coffee when all of a sudden things become quite bumpy. That nice smooth ride, sipping on your morning coffee suddenly becomes difficult and hard to enjoy.

There are going to be those days during your drive in life that drinking your morning coffee is difficult. The coffee will burn your lip, spill onto your tie and make you wonder why you even drink coffee. And know there are really only two options.

You pull over on the side of the road and enjoy your coffee, but to stop your forward movement is will not get you to your destination. Your coffee will either become cold or you will have drank until the cup is empty. You are simply left sitting on the side of the road and not one step closer to where you want to be in life.

The other option is to manage the situation and keep moving forward. You could always slow down a little bit while drinking that coffee. You could always put the coffee down for now, getting rid of that distraction and concentrating on the more important things. And even if you keep trying to drink the coffee, with it splashing back and forth. Remember that a little bit of spilled coffee is just coffee.

It might be a "hard coffee road" you are currently on, but just keep moving. There are better roads ahead for you.

Stay inspired my friends.

Doing More

"Do more more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work." -William A. Ward

Our lives are filled with chances to impact not only ourselves but others around us each and every day. Living one's life is not always easy and the words in a quote may seem trite or unrealistic to some. But the words are meant to encourage and inspire you, me and anyone that chooses to embrace the idea.

Your life can be better and it starts with making a change. Change can be just as difficult and you will ask yourself, "what if I make the wrong choice?" My first response to that is, "to not make any change means you will remain exactly where you are. Forever to worry and be dissatisfied with your place in life."

Change, good or bad teaches and expands our knowledge of life. You learn from a bad decision as much if not more than you do from a good choice. And I certainly do not wish for a series of bad decisions on anyone, but with bad decisions you learn to start making good ones.

Eventually you find yourself making more and more of the right ones. And while you are pushing forward with your life, remember the words, "do more than". Do more than just enough for yourself. Do more for others and you will find your life changed forever.

Stay inspired my friends.

Thinking Big

“Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it.”
-Danny Kaye

Today is a simple message and that is to "THINK BIG" in life. It comes from Ben Carson's book titled Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence. I would recommend reading Ben's story to fully appreciate how his life came about.

From its poorest beginnings to the success he has attained. Ben is described as a man who transformed himself from a ghetto kid into the most celebrated pediatric neurosurgeon in the world. It is a book that I found inspiring and it held concepts that we can apply in our own lives.

THINK BIG

T - talent: if you recognize your talents, use them appropriately and choose a field that uses those talents, you will rise to the top of your field.

H - honest: if we live by the rule of honesty and accept our problems, we can go far down the road of achievement.

I - insight: if we observe and reflect and commit ourselves to giving our best, we will come out on top.

N - nice: if we are nice to others, others respond to us in the same way and we can give our best for each other.

K - knowledge: if we make every attempt to increase our knowledge in order to use it for human good, it will make a difference in us and in our world.

B - books: if we commit ourselves to reading thus increasing our knowledge, only God limits how far we can go in this world.

I - indepth knowledge: if we develop indepth knowledge, it will enable usto give our best to others and help to make a better world.

G - God: if we acknowledge our need for God, he will help us.

You may not agree or possibly agree completely with many of the things Ben Carson says. But what you can do is apply those things in your life that will make you the bigger and better person.

Grab hold of a greater life by thinking bigger. And remember you can not just "think" big, you have to also "act" big. Stay inspired my friends.

Carrying Excellence

Ralph Marston said, “Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.”

I have strived over these many years to have the right attitude when it comes to my job. And I have not gotten to this point in my career by being the smartest guy. My success or your own, is measured in many ways but it is truly achieved by having an attitude of excellence.

Another quote from Ralph Marston that fits many successful people reads;

"Excellence can be obtained if you:
...care more than others think is wise;
...risk more than others think is safe;
...dream more than others think is practical;
...expect more than others think is possible.”

You will find that those words can fit into your life as well. You can excel in life and overcome challenges to be successful. Just know that challenges will always be there, but you will be better prepared to face and overcome each of them when you carry an attitude of excellence in your step.

Stay inspired my friends.