Enjoy the Journey!

As a family, we recently reached a milestone.  My son just graduated from high school.  It is an interesting time and I can’t help thinking about the journey to this point and the bigger journey that lies ahead.

We all come to pivotal moments in our lives when we think about the past, the future and the journey.  What we do during those moments is key to our frame of mind.

When we think about our past or the past of someone in our lives, how do we view it?  Do we focus on the minute details of the journey or the milestone reached?  To put things in true proper perspective, we need to embrace both.  I am very proud of my son for reaching this milestone and for the journey along the way, especially after overcoming some challenges along the way.  But, hallelujah, he made it!

Everyone has journey stories, contributions made by us and through us.

Lao Tzu once wrote, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

Another quote comes from Robert R. Updegraff - “Happiness is to be found along the way, not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it is too late. Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the minute for each of us to sense the fact that life is good, with all of its trials and troubles, and perhaps more interesting because of them.

In an earlier blog (How do you Spend Your Dash?) I mentioned reflected on maximizing our entire life and enjoying the journey.  It is a revelation most of us never quite embrace in totality.  Let’s not get stuck along the way or settle for reaching the milestone, keep moving, realize where you came from and where you are going.

Enjoy the journey!

Spend the Currency of Your Focus Wisely

We expend energy every day on so many things.  The energy to begin our day, the energy to exercise, the energy to problem solve.  Where we focus our energy is equivalent to a currency we can spend in creative ways every day.  How are you spending your energy on a daily basis?

If we are not careful, we can find ourselves focusing on the wrong things and the wrong thought patterns.  If we are going to be spending our energy anyway, why not spend it in constructive ways.  Spend it focusing on the blessings you have received.  You may not think you have anything to be thankful for, but if you are breathing, you have something to be thankful for.

What do you think?  How can you spend your focus in more creative and productive ways?

B-Positive!

I have been accused of many things in my life, not all of them flattering.  But, recently, a number of people have accused me of being too positive.  Of all of the things I have been called, I have to say this is a first. My answer has two parts.  One, guilty as charged and second, thanks you.

I have come to believe, through many trials and much error that thinking right is worth the energy. When faced with the option of being eternally positive or hopelessly negative, choose positive.

2010: Raise the Level and Quality of Your Expectations

Okay, so we are at another transition from one year to another.  As a matter of fact, this is also a transition into a new decade, so what are you going to do?

We come to this time every year and look in the mirror, step on the scale, look at our bank account, reflect on our relationships and decide, with boldness, “I declare that next year will be different!”

It seems that with the change of the calendar always comes an inwardly-focused evaluation of what we have done in the past 12 months and many times, even further back into our past, good and bad.

Unemployed, Underemployed, Have Faith?

Hallelujah, Thank the Lawd!

It has been eight months that I have been back to work, after being out of work for nearly as long – eight months.

I am grateful, and dare I say even more so now, to be among the working.  I still have friends that either remain unemployed or underemployed after months and some more than a year.

Be Who You Be, Even When Nobody Can See

(Right off the bat…excuse the grammar usage in the title – trying to make a point.)

I have to admit that I love the age we live in right now. I mean from a technology and access to information standpoint.

By self-declaration, I am a proud and unabashed maven of gadgets, whiz bang toys and oh, I can’t forget about cell phones…I l-o-o-v-v-e new cell phones. To put it bluntly, I am a techno geek.

I got to thinking the other day about this whole “social” media phenomenon and how people have become so engulfed in communicating this way, anonymously, without actual human contact, seemingly without restrictions or boundaries.

Earlier this year, a study came out (http://bit.ly/5uV2) declaring people visited Facebook, the most popular “social” media site nearly 1.2 billion a month, MySpace more than 810-million times a month and Twitter more than half a billion times during a typical 30-day period. That’s a lot of visits and a lot of time behind a computer screen for a lot of people.

The beauty of it all is that we can all make a difference in the world. While we all have the capacity for greatness, many times, we do not rise to the occasion.  

It is so much easier to just sit back and "go with the flow," instead of standing up for something, having a real impact or making that significant change in our lives that we all would love to make.

The power to make any significant and lasting change in our lives is a result of the decisions we make and the corresponding actions we take.  What we all need is a spark to initiate the decisions and create an environment in life where those lasting changes can take place.

Without a doubt, one of my favorite allegories in the world concerns David – the biblical king of Israel.  If anyone has spent any time in Sunday school, or even read a little, you have probably heard about his exploits on the battlefield against the giant, Goliath.  Many people know something about his proficient handling of a sling shot and three smooth stones. But, the reason I love the story is because of – as old time radio host Paul Harvey would say – the, “rest” of the story.  Whether you consider yourself “religious” or not, there are similarities in the way David was prepared for and subsequently handled this seemingly insurmountable challenge, and what you can decide to tackle in your own life.