A little food-4-thought for you today:

Even the best among us have their fair share of ups and downs.  I’ve found that the very definition of life has to incorporate the reality of ups and downs, for if there were no “downs” how would we ever know when we’re “up”.  Hmmmm.

I invite you to consider the following thought today and understand that your current position in life, up or down, is simply just part of the process of life.  The down days can build character and resilience, and the up days can build confidence and self-esteem.

The harsh reality is that he/she who is not experiencing the ups and downs of life is no longer living, they’re dead.  So my good-word for you today friends is to enjoy the ups and embrace the downs, for it all works to our good if we want it to. 

Let’s continue to lean forward this weekend as we attempt to once again Make it GREAT!

I invite you to join me today in imagining ourselves winning those mental battles we’ve lost with ourselves in the past.  Let’s develop a healthy thirst for revenge against the negative self-talk that’s gotten the best of us in the not- so-distant past. 

            Today we solemnly declare that our internal foe won’t be given a second chance to knock us on the ropes of life.  Our foe won’t have another opportunity to place doubt into our heads about our capabilities and abilities to overcome and become something greater.  We understand that the toughest battles we will ever fight are the ones on the battlefields of our own minds.  We clearly realize that our “enemy” outside is secondary to our “inner-me” on the inside.  We also understand all-too-well that our inner-me knows all of our weaknesses and our strengths, so it is indeed a formidable foe. 

            Nevertheless, in all of our battles both internal and external, we will ultimately win because we’re not afraid to lose.  We will “find” because we have dared to seek.  And, we choose to live our lives in pursuit of something great and significant for the benefit and service of others today, because we know that tomorrow never comes. Yes my friends, we only have today, this infinite moment in time.

            So, we choose today to pursue making our lives matter for much more than just ourselves and our loved ones in our general vicinity.  We will pursue making it GREAT for the world!  So, “PRESS-ON!” I say toward the mark of the high call that has been placed on our lives by our creator and let’s continue to not just make it good but Make it GREAT!    GREAT WEEKEND!!!  

PRESS ON !!!

E  ver heard the phrase, “Misery loves company”?  Well, I ran into one of misery’s cousins named “complainy” a few days ago and found out that complainy loves company too. 

In life, I’ve found these types of incidents to be very common and I don’t think I’m alone.  I’ve also discovered that the easiest conversations to engage in with strangers are the ones where they’re complaining about something and for some odd reason politics seem to be the most popular.  It’s easy for the “average” person to add to the fray by complaining too, but much tougher for the “average” person to be creative and insert a positive, uplifting comment while smiling.  It appears to me that shared conflict has a knack for bringing people together for a journey down a road of complaining.  May I humbly suggest that we not go down that road?  The world needs “non-average” people like us sprinkled around in many areas to capitalize on the many opportunities to insert flowers of positivity where weeds of negativity are trying to grow. 

So, I humbly ask that you join me today and everyday hereafter in being anything but “Average”.  Don’t miss the message today.  Let’s continue to lean forward and be the example as we attempt to make it GREAT.

“AVERAGE”?  I think not.

 I  remember as a kid we used to play the ever-so-popular game called “Hide & Seek”.  The rules were simple.  Everybody finds a place to hide while one designated person seeks them out one by one.  The seeker’s job was to count up to the number 10 or 20 and then yell, “READY OR NOT, HEAR I COME!”  If we weren’t ready we could easily yell out, “DO-OVER, I’M NOT READY!” and the seeker would oblige us by starting the count over. 

As a seeker I remember having a hard time finding the older kids because they were usually good at hiding, but in spite of this fact, I still managed to have a load of fun.  The actual thought of this childhood memory brings a big “Cool-aid” smile to my face and cranks up feelings of nostalgia for me.

The interesting thing is today as an adult I feel like we play a game of “Hide & Seek” with life, and once we reach adulthood life becomes a seeker and screams out, “READY OR NOT, HEAR I COME!”  The only twist is, if we’re not ready, we can’t call out for a “Do-Over”, not this time.  Life comes at us fast and furiously and we all have to be ready for it, not just at the beginning of adulthood, but everyday thereafter.  

So the question today is, “Are you ready?”  because ready or not, here it comes again and again and again.  Also beware because no matter if you’re young or old, rich or poor, big, small, short, tall, hair or bald life is guaranteed to find us all. 

My unsolicited advice today is, Don’t Get Ready for life’s ups and down, Stay Ready for life’s ups and downs.  Let’s stay ready and make it GREAT!