‘Living’ Archives
Those Things You Do
Did you ever wonder if your random acts of kindness, good deeds, smiles or friendly words have any significant or lasting affect on the world around you? I think it's pretty important for you to know that even the slightest action taken, in the right spirit and with the proper intention, absolutely does. You may not see the direct result of it manifest itself immediately. In fact, it may cause wonderful things to happen that end up as circumstances or opportunities in your life you would never in a million years relate back to that one [...]
Give To Live
Life has an amazing way of rewarding you based on the effort you put into it. Thomas Jefferson had a great quote which I have kept at my desk for years. He said, "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it". Over time I sort of paraphrased for TJ and usually end up telling people, "the harder you work, the luckier you'll get". Same principle, of course. And the really miraculous part of this universal axiom is that you usually end up receiving much more than you actually give. Or at the very [...]
What You Do Next
The late John Wooden said a lot of things over the years that I absolutely loved. He was such a principled man and had such discipline and conviction, he was hard not to admire. If you listen to the people that were around him the most, they were all so touched and inspired by this man it's hard not to think of him as one of the most influential people who ever lived. Especially in the sports world. He had one particular saying that I have referenced over the years and used to motivate myself at the times in my life when I have seemed [...]
Go and Keep Going
I found another really good motivational poem today and I couldn't help myself...I had to post it! Of all of the traits that seem common to the most successful people in the world, persistence seems to be the one that actually gets things done. Anytime I have the opportunity to talk to someone about their goals I will tell them that they can achieve whatever they set their minds and heart on if they will commit to not quitting. Ever. It is as tried and true a process as there is in the universe. So I found this short but very [...]
TGIM?
I tell people that when their "Mondays" start to feel like their "Fridays" they are on to something! Of course I usually have to clarify that I said "onto something" and not "on something" because most people can't fathom a Monday being anything less than a full day of depressing torture. On the other hand, there is an almost giddy excitement that grabs hold of even the toughest individual when they wake up in the morning on a Friday and realize they are only a few hours away from the freedom and fun that a weekend brings to their [...]
Will Power
I ran across a great poem tonight that was written by a guy named Berton Braley. The poem is all about will power, but I also think it speaks to the power of the focused and persistent human spirit. There is no doubt in my mind that if any of us want something bad enough, we can have it. Of course if we never do anything about our desire, we will simply go on wanting. It is, after all, by taking action that we start to achieve all that we desire in life. The poem was just such a great reminder to me that wanting something is not [...]
The Laughable Life
"At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities" - Jean Houston Laughter is a remarkable thing. I've often said to people that it is in my ability to laugh, at myself and at circumstances around me, that I have remained sane in this ever changing world. Now, I don't know exactly how sane I am, but I can assure you that had I not figured out how much fun it is and how therapeutic it can be to laugh, I would have been a much different and likely crazier dude. Just stop for a moment and [...]
Real Self Help
I was speaking to a group of sales professionals the other day and I let them in on a little secret. The topic was the toughest sales job they will ever have. It involved the most difficult prospect that they would ever have to persuade. And I also wanted them to know that once they were able to convince and sell this very specific person and convert them to their way of thinking, they would have a loyal customer for life. And a customer that would lead them to unbridled success. The little secret that I shared with them and which [...]
Monday Love
It's a great feeling when you're doing something that you love. Even on a Monday. I was getting on the elevator today and this guy gets on with me. He was only going to the 2nd floor and I was headed all the way up to 12. So I didn't have him with me for much of the trip... He was talking to someone as he boarded and he was laughing and smiling when he jumped in and pressed the appropriate button. "Are you having a good time so far today?" he asked me, as he continued laughing a little bit. (Whatever it was he was talking [...]
Sensible Shoes
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go" - Dr. Seuss Each of us was born with a built in system that can get us anywhere we want to go in our lives. It is a system that is as perfect and works as well as anything else in all of life, and yet it is also one of those things that seems to rarely get used. Most of us have never tapped into the internal resources which [...]
Some Quick Dad Tips
Being a dad rules. I may not be an expert, but I sure feel like I've learned a lot in the nine years that it's been my major responsibility. So, I figured I'd impart some words of wisdom and maybe help someone out there be even better than they already are. The truth is, all of our situations as dads are a little unique. But there certainly are some things that we all have in common. By the way, any of you moms out there...I wish I could say, just take what I'm saying about dads and apply it and it will work for you, too...but we [...]
Sunday Blues
I'm sure you've had them. Most of us have at one point or another in our lives. In fact, unless you've never been part of the Monday through Friday, nine-to-five crowd, I guarantee you've felt their sting and waded through their murky waters. I'm talking about the Sunday Blues. They typically hit someone around four o'clock in the afternoon on any given Sunday and they can last all night unless the person experiencing them can manage to sneak in some shut eye. That's not always the case. The Sunday Blues have been known to claim [...]
Wake Up and Start Dreaming!
"All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible" - T.E. Lawrence Follow your heart. Chase your dreams. Believe in yourself. Become exceptional. Live an extraordinary and abundant life. How about it? How does it feel to think about doing all of the wonderful things you've ever dreamed about? Wouldn't you like to accomplish [...]
Burgers, Fries and Wide Eyes
You know that I often write about my kids. The reason I do so much is because they have become a constant source of inspiration for me to the many wonderful lessons of life that we miss if we only pay attention to the grown ups! I was having the dinner the other night with my family on Main Street in the quaint little city of Seal Beach, California. We like quaint, we like beaches, and we like California...so it worked for us! Anyway, the kids were served their fabulous meals in cardboard cars that were doubling as platters. My [...]
