Over the years I’ve discovered that the struggles and hardships of our lives have a way of wearing “Most People” down and forcing them to seek the comfort and shelter of a life that’s less challenging. 

This behavior usually results in an average, mediocre life of lack-luster accomplishments outside of the area of our biggest gifts and passions.  Focus and discipline are the two key components that are absent here and without them, it’s almost impossible to stay on course and achieve anything great or significant in the area of our passion.  The ability to maintain discipline and keep our minds focused and sharp is the biggest asset we can possess in the times of struggle and adversity.

So I say to you today, refuse to be a volunteer victim of a personal recession of years and years of no improvement.  Refuse to stay stuck in an old mindset and continue daily disciplines that no longer serve you well.  If this is you, I encourage you to break out of the personal recession and renovate, innovate and recreate so you can positively stimulate your mind, body and soul in the right direction to improve your situation. 

No volunteer victims seeking mediocrity here today.  We will continue to steer clear of the “Most People” syndrome and continue to upgrade our mental computers with the good stuff.  We choose to once again lean forward in this life and make it GREAT!

For those of you who’re striving to accomplish some type of big goal or dream, I encourage you to “stay on the right track” as you consider the following questions today:

How many times are you willing to fail before your success shows up?  How many losses are you willing to endure before you get your win?  How many “No’s” are you willing to hear before you get your “Yes”? 

Yes my friends, these are indeed the tough questions that we all must answer with a high number before we can obtain that significant goal or dream in our lives.  So I say to you today, be sure you’re ready to tackle these questions with an unshakable resolve to endure until you WIN. 

So exactly how many setbacks and no’s and no-shows are your goals and dreams worth?  Hmmmm…   No need to answer out loud, just make me proud as you stand out from the crowd.

Be sure to set your numbers HIGH as we continue to move forward in our attempt to make this good life GREAT!   “Stay on the Right Track”

In this life we can all be found guilty of forgetting a lot of things at different times.  Our car keys, cell phone, hat, purse, wallet or check book.  Some of us may even forget to wash our face, brush our teeth or even comb our hair a time or two.  But please make sure that out of all the things that you may forget in your day, please don’t ever forget to laugh and smile.

Studies show that ONE short minute of genuine laughter can even boost your immune system for up to 24 hours.  Studies also show that happy people live longer.  And, I’ve personally experienced that smiling is actually pretty contagious.  So be sure to show your teeth today, even if you only have just one.  Laugh, Smile and Dance in spite of your circumstance.  Let’s all be found guilty of trying to make this “good” life GREAT!   GREAT WEEK !!!

For those of you who’re in positions of authority, please be sure to check your stress level from time-to-time to avoid taking your frustration out on other harmless individuals.  As an Ex-Peace Officer myself, I understand that there is a distinct difference between the “Spirit of the Law” and the “Letter of the Law” and I’ve found that often times high stress levels can tend to push a person to the side of the “Letter of the Law” more often than not.

I was driving home late last night from hanging out with my group-home boys for the day.  It was about 10 pm and I was traveling on a major road with no other civilian vehicles.  I pulled up behind a CHP (California Highway Patrol) vehicle at a stop light.  The light turned green and I switched lanes and then continued on and watched in my review mirror as the CHP officer got in back of me.  I watched carefully to make sure that I didn’t go too slow or too fast.  The posted speed limit was 50mph and my speed was fluctuating between 49mph and 52mph.  After about a mile or two the officer switched over to the #2 lane and pulled up next to me and yelled at me over his bull-horn, “STOP SPEEDING!  YOU’RE DRIVING TOO FAST!  SLOW DOWN AND DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT!”  I must admit that I was surprised to hear this, considering the speed I was driving at and the surrounding conditions.  I actually felt kinda like I was being scolded by my father.  LOL.

As a result, I immediately decreased my speed by 2mph to prevent from endangering the general public.  Then it hit me.  I suddenly realized that even CHP Officers are human and have to deal with stress.  I thought to myself that maybe he was headed home from a hard, stressful day at work out on the freeways and interstates and he felt that my actions in his presence was an act of some sort of disrespect.  Well whatever the case, I wasn’t going to let his bad day ruin my GREAT day.  So, I smiled and waved and drove on singing my song. 

This event prompted me to issue this gentle reminder.  We must check our “Stress-Level” often and keep ourselves in check in this world.  We should also be sure that we never let someone else’s stressful day ruin ours. 

Stress-free for me.  How’s your stress level today?  No need to answer out loud or raise your hand, just hear and understand.  Let’s continue to make it GREAT!