Initially, I had the mind to just let it go but as usual curiosity once again got the best of me.  I increased my speed just a bit and moved up along side of the vehicle and glanced over to take a peek, and to no surprise, I was right. There sat a little silver haired grandma with her seat dangerously close to the airbag, eyes straight ahead and both hands at 10-and-2 on the steering wheel.  I couldn’t help but to let out a little audible chuckle.

Well, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that this event got me to thinking.  Is retirement the goal for us?  Is being “ALLDUNN” a noble dream for the masses?  This may be true for some, but I would argue that the day we stop living and contributing to something greater than ourselves is the day we start dying.

Studies show that people who live their lives actively involved in things that inspire them not only live a happier life, but also a longer life.  Sure, death will eventually come for us all, but let it find us climbing yet another mountain and pursuing yet another goal that will make a difference and leave a positive mark on this world. 

So for those of you who’re headed for retirement or already in retirement, consider the following.  It’s Ok to retire from one activity, but you may want to pick up something else that allows you to live out a life of purpose for the continued betterment of others.

Let’s all stay in a “forward” motion and commit to never being “ALLDUNN”.  The world needs us now more than ever before.  So don’t let’em down.  Not today.  Let’s continue to make it GREAT!

Meet Tommy, better known as “Smokey”.  I had the distinct privilege of meeting him while out on a photo shoot a few days ago.  On any given day he would go unnoticed by “Most People” in our society because he appears to have lost his status.  But as I’ve said before, I’m anything but “Most People”.

Smokey just-so-happened to be hanging out behind a dumpster in the alley behind a building in the downtown commercial district area of Bakersfield, CA where we were conducting our photo shoot.  I noticed him and called him over for a short chat and my photographer April Massirio snapped this photo to capture the moment. 

An outcast to most,  he quickly became a friend to me that day.  He shared a quick story with me of how he made it to Bakersfield and his continuous struggle to get back on his feet.  The main thing I noticed about Smokey during our conversation was his smile and his outgoing, energetic personality.  His ability to behave in such a manner in spite of his current situation and circumstance made me realize all over again how blessed and fortunate we are for both the little things and the not-so-little things we all have in our lives.  The real truth is, the biggest thing we have in life is “Life” itself, and that’s a great thing indeed.  

I invite you to take a short break today and take your focus off of those things you don’t have and refocus on those things that you do have.  Also realize that what you focus on most will develop in your life.

Smokey is in the “Struggle” phase of his life again and how he deals with it will dictate where he ends up and who he becomes in the process.  He made my day, so I returned the favor and made his day with a gift that made his smile even bigger.  “Thank You Cedric” he said.  “No, THANK YOU SMOKEY!”  I said.  We exchanged a few more parting words of thanks and encouragement and moved on with our lives.

I don’t know what the future holds for Smokey, but I do know who holds our future.  Our choices and decisions in these present moments will determine how that future pans out for us all.  So I say to you today, let’s all make a point to do something on a regular basis to make someone else’s day GREAT!  GO GET’EM SMOKEY!!!!!!

The Book:     “Make it GREAT”
www.MakeItGreatNOW.com

Ever had one of those moments when the story of your whole life suddenly flashes by in front of your eyes?  Then shortly after the moment has passed you actually thought the story of your life was boring and full of stuff that really didn’t mean much for leaving a positive legacy for the generations to follow?  Well, such a moment happened to me a few years ago and it really shook me up and got my attention. 

The good news is moments after that big moment I realized that I had the power to change my story.  I realized that I had the power to put a period at the end of that paragraph of my life and start a totally new chapter.  A chapter that would be more selfless than selfish.  A chapter that would contain more lift-service than lip-service.  A chapter that would be more focused on building up He and She rather than Me and I’m happy to report that “yes” a lot of changes and progress has definitely been made for the better since that infamous day. 

More good news!  You don’t have to wait for a near-death-experience or moment of awakening to start changing the content of your story.  You can start today, Right Now, making the necessary adjustments to squeeze the juice out of this life and not just strive to stay alive, but THRIVE!  You can take captive this very moment and use it as the defining moment where you re-commit yourself to reach your full potential in this life and then make a point to leave the best parts of yourself in others.  There’s no better time to start working on altering the future than in the present.  After all, we only get one time through this ‘life’ thing so let’s make it GREAT!

www.MakeItGreatNOW.com
www.CedricCrawford.com