Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Enthusiasm for Your Life


"Enthusiasm is the energy and force that builds literal momentum of the human soul and mind." ~ Bryant H. McGill

When building a great life, we have to approach it with enthusiasm.

We need to have a pure joy for the process of living life.

We have to love living.

If we hate our job, if we hate our circumstance in life, if we just hate being; then our life will remain stuck with no chance of improvement. There has to be a change in those circumstances. You have to alter your view of life and how you feel about it. Always complaining and bickering about your lot in life will only yield an unlikeable life.

Try changing all of that around.

Try being a better person your self.

Try having a little more enthusiasm.

Try to enjoy the life you have a little more.

If we start by being slightly amused, maybe we can begin to get past the negativity in life. It is up to each of us to change our thoughts and behaviors. If we remain negative about all that is around us, a negative life is what we will get. If we choose to enjoy life and rid ourselves of the negativity, a greater life can be ours.

It sounds easy but the reality requires a lot of work on our part and many people are not willing to put in the work required. But the point is, it takes work to be negative and the result of that work will be a negative life.

Why not direct that enthusiasm; that energy; towards doing something greater for your life? Start laughing a bit more, start being less critical and start by just having more enthusiasm for your life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Monday, August 04, 2014

Perfect Game


"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." ~ Mother Teresa

A baseball pitcher named Roy Halladay became only the second person to ever throw a no-hitter in post-season play on October 5, 2010. It was quite an accomplishment when you look at the history of baseball. It was made even more amazing because on May 29 of that same year, Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in Major League Baseball history.

As they say, "27 up, 27 down" for a perfect game.

So what does pitching a no-hitter in baseball have to do with living a great life? Most certainly having that level of talent brings adulation and lots of money which helps make life more comfortable. But this story has to do with the person behind the talent; their character is what makes this a great story.

Roy Halladay did more than just receiving acclaim for his accomplishments.

After pitching the perfect game in May that year, he arranged to commemorate the accomplishment of a perfect game. Halladay presented roughly sixty Swiss-made Baume and Mercier watches he had purchased to everyone in the clubhouse. Each watch was presented in commemorative boxes bearing the inscription,

"We did it together. Thanks, Roy Halladay."

To top it off, each watch was engraved with the date of the game, the line score, and the individual recipient's name. And if you are not aware, there are only nine players on the field at any one time. He gave out sixty of these gifts which were not just given to his fellow ballplayers.

These sixty people were the coaches, the trainers, and down to what may seem to be the most insignificant people to some. But not to Roy, he understood and acknowledged that even the smallest have a large impact on our success in life.

Your own life involves both ends of this spectrum.

While you toil away at something, you may feel insignificant in what you do. But know that even the smallest flower along the roadside serves a grand purpose. The nectar a bee consumes, which creates food for the hive yet sustains the bee to carry on the pollination of other plants. The smallest flower is involved in the circle that will carry life forward.

And if when we achieve greatness in our life, remember and acknowledge all the other people who helped you accomplish it. For without others, our accomplishments are hard to achieve. Without the smallest flowers, the bee has less to draw upon. In time, the bee will not have the ability to sustain its grand work.

The largest depend upon the small as do the small upon the largest.

Know that your life is never too big to have done so on your own. Nor is your life too small not to have an impact on the life of others. Not all of us can pitch a no-hitter, but each of us can make a difference in the life of another. And when we impact the lives of other people, its as good as having a "27 up and 27 down" great life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Friday, August 01, 2014

Learning to Listen


"When you are least willing to listen to others is exactly the time that you need to stop and listen." - Dean Sweetman

Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which you are moving head long into a situation while someone is trying to tell you not to? In your mind, you know exactly what you are doing and fail to see the need for anyone's advice.

All of us have had this shared experience.

My wife, two daughters and I were in Los Angeles to attend another daughter's wedding. We arrived late in the evening and after a long wait in the car rental facility, we were on our way. It was a tiring adventure due to the time change and having arrived late at night.

The goal was to find our hotel in the Burbank area. My keen sense of direction was performing fine for the first ten miles and then things started to go askew. I inexplicably missed getting onto Hwy 101 eastbound and then had a difficult time maneuvering from Hwy 134 towards the I-5 freeway.

Seems easy but unfamiliarity can breed confusion.

Getting from these freeways into Burbank and finding our hotel proved most difficult for me. My dogged pursuit kept trying to shut out the advice and direction of my wife and daughters.

It finally hit me that 'listening' might be a good thing. Once I did that, we successfully found the hotel by 12:30am or 3:30am eastern time; morning would come all too soon.

So take some advice; listening to and trusting others can have a positive impact on your life. Do not let pride or stubborn ignorance get in the way of learning something new.

Listening is an effective tool in life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Enjoy Life


"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." - Dr. Seuss

You hear it often about 'being on top of our game' and 'giving it our all' in regards to doing anything in life. Many people seem to think this means toil and drudgery in their daily life. They would say that if you are having fun, you are not working hard enough.

if you are not having fun, you may not be working hard enough.

Life isn't meant to be lived in a depressing state. We all know depression is a serious thing. I myself went through a year-long state of it. I received help from the right people and came back from those lows.

All of this means you should enjoy your pursuits in life.

You need to find joy in all that you do. If working hard, climbing the next rung on the ladder of success, enjoy it. If toiling away at your desk, truck, show floor, or any number of occupations, enjoy it. If raising your kids, in or out of a relationship, talking to friends or just walking alone in the park, enjoy it. If the glass you see is only half full

If your glass is half empty, enjoy it.

Enjoy what you do have instead of what you don't have. You are working towards having something greater in life but while you are at it, enjoy those things you do have in life.

Enjoy life.

Stay inspired my friends!