The Little Things

“You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.” ― Andy Warhol

I have written quite often how we should be doing small things that touch other people's lives. You open a door, let another car into the line of traffic or maybe sending a smile their way. All good things are returned to you in ways you will never expect. For me it happened in a way I did not expect.

Good things come in unexpected ways.

I was eating dinner with my son who is in the U.S. Army. We had finished eating at a local restaurant and were getting ready to leave. The waitress had brought our bill and I noticed it was short one meal. I called her back over in order to get it corrected. It turns out that someone in the restaurant had paid for my son's meal.

I asked whom it was so that we could thank them, but it was indicated they wished to remain anonymous. A very nice gesture which touched me in a way I didn't think it could. My son was grateful and I could tell in his quiet way that it had made an impression.

Not looking for headlines, just a person doing something nice for another.

All of us can not fly another to Paris to view the Eiffel Tower, but we can give them a key chain. It is the little things that let another person know we are thinking of them or that we do care. A simple gesture that has a grand effect.

The little things in life do matter.

You can do something for others every day of your life. You can start right now, tonight or in the morning - find one small thing to do. To paraphrase a quote, "The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention." Small things become great in their own simplicity.

Stay inspired my friends.

Useless or Important Stuff

"From the time we're born until we die, we're kept busy with artificial stuff that isn't important." - Tom Ford

I have many of the normal excuses you might have for doing something else instead of a needed task.

... was busy with a lot of important paperwork.
... the world was clearly going to end without it.
... was the only one on earth capable of doing it.

There are a lot of things we do each and every single day. Sometimes I simply get busy with the actual work I do each day for a job. I am sure that you are also very busy every day with the work you do.

Do we pile a lot of non-useful stuff onto the pile of important things?

I probably do because I am one of those self-proclaimed multi-tasking people. I find things to do which fill in and mix with the important stuff. During a slow work week, it can be very useful. But when busy, I do have a hard time cutting back and focusing on single tasks.

Heck, if I'm not working composing a document; tweeting every once in a while; checking email; working on a second project; all at the same time while ensuring my coffee cup is full - then I just don't feel I'm getting anything done.

Experts say the important work suffers in quality when we try to multi-task.

For me, quality suffers when I become single task oriented. I can become very bored with a single task but doing multiple things keeps me interested in the individual tasks. It is also my own type of creative process.

Creative process you might ask?

We may not all be artists in the strict definition of the word. But each of us use some level of creativity in most everything we do. The creation of a business proposal, creation of a meal at home, creation of a successful work shift; you probably get the idea.

Regardless of single tasking or multi-tasking, we tend to create artificial needs and the important stuff gets lost many times in busy life? It is of course relative to you and those around you. One persons "important" stuff is another persons "artificial" stuff. You have to decide what works in life and for those that surround your life (ie; spouse, family, friends).

You have to decide what can be tossed to make room for the important.

All of this sounds like setting priorities in ones life. Well it sort of is and don't be surprised if others judge you based upon your priorities. Use common sense and adjust according to you and (again) those in your life.

Some people thrive in a very busy, multi-tasking world.
Some people thrive in a more singular task type of world.

Neither is better than the other. Neither is the right choice for everyone. You have to figure out which one best fits you. From there, achieving things becomes easier, on your terms, with your style.

Useless stuff can be important, it just depends upon you.

Stay inspired my friends!

Roll the Dice

"You roll the dice, and you deal with it." - Hunter S. Thompson

The above quote can be seen in many different places, forms and contexts of meaning. The writer Hunter Thompson had written something similar in his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He wrote the words "buy the ticket, take the ride.” I am unsure if Mr. Thompson would say I have taken his words out of context, but I take them to simply mean that life is our journey.

You make a decision and you live with it.

Some will sit quietly with the shades drawn and allow life around them to roll the dice for them. Others may choose to live life on the edge like the famed Dos Equis (Most Interesting Man In The World) commercial. Many of us live somewhere between the two extremes.

The key thing to remember is that we are the ones to live our own life.

We roll our dice, we buy our ticket and those choices we make constitute the journey we take. We can choose to roll those dice at any point. We can change the direction we are going. We can change the pattern in our way of living. We can change our attitude.

We can change.

So buy the ticket, take the ride, roll the dice and see what comes up. But more importantly, live life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Happy Today

“Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.” - Unknown Author

Everyday that goes by is an opportunity to enjoy life regardless of your circumstance.

It doesn't mean you have to be satisfied with that circumstance. But in order to allow your self to move on from where you are, happiness in the current will turn to joy in the future.

Why be happy in the current though?

If you spend your day complaining of all that is wrong in your life, you will have very little time to work on moving towards what is right with your life.

Take the energy being expended in unhappiness today and use it to create a great day. Continue doing this each and every day. You will find yourself moving towards a better place in life, a greater happiness and more joy.

Stay inspired my friends.