This Great Adventure Called Life

Your Life Can Be An Adventure

"One way to get the most out of life is to look at it as an adventure."...William Feather

So I go into my sons room to roust him out of bed this morning. My two sons share a room together and one is in Jr. High and one is in high school.  Since that is the case, I do my youngest son the favor of letting him have uninterrupted sleep and I wake up Nicky as quietly as possible instead of having Kevin waken up by a blaring alarm clock a half hour before he needs to be.

Well as it turns out Nick was up probably a little later than he should have been, watching the NBA playoffs since our city Cleveland is in the Eastern Conference Finals and his favorite player of course in the incredible LeBron James.  So I wasn't upset. But after several attempts to get him up quietly...to which he wasn't responding well to...I had to raise my "Dad" voice a wee bit to motivate him.

As he was eating breakfast he asked me why he couldn't sleep in 10 or 15 minutes more.  I seized on an opportunity to discuss the importance of habits.  I explained that there are good habits and bad habits, and habits are what shape the results of our lives.  Getting out of bed as quick as possible is a good habit.  Anybody can lay in bed for another 10-15 minutes and think about how tired they are...but is it REALLY going to help?  Some would say "Hell Yes!", but to be honest it's never worked for me. It usually sets a negative tone for the day. I prefer to think of a few things I'm grateful for and a few things that might help get me excited about the day that I'm about to embark upon.

I told him that as he starts the day he should be excited!  This great adventure called life could surprise him on any given day.  Today could be the day that he meets his future wife!  By the way, he looked at me like I was crazy when I said that.  It could be the day that he meets a future business partner or that he gets an idea that could send him in the direction of his greatest dream.  Anything can happen on any day.  

The point is that we don't need to view each day as routine.  We should be excited to see what is waiting for us as the day unfolds. As paraphrase the great Jim Rohn, its about what we can get FROM each day...not just getting THROUGH each day! If you observe young children you'll notice that within a very short time they are up and enthusiastically attacking their day! Yes.  I know going to the job doesn't have the same appeal that watching cartoons does.  But certainly there's some sort of challenge that you can create or objective that you can meet in your workday that can get you a little fired up.  Perhaps it's just the group of people you're working with. When I was in my late 20's I worked a construction job with a few fellows who I had a ball with.  The work was hard but I tell you we had a lot of laughs while I worked there and I came away with some very funny stories and memories.

Your life can be an adventure if you view it as such.  It's all in your attitude.  And if you're so miserable that you can barely drag yourself through the day...if you're in a situation where you absolutely can't stand who you work with or what you do...I would suggest taking action.  Strong action. That type of existence and those types of feeling will absolutely kill you.  I believe both literally and figuratively.  Begin looking for a change.  Perhaps a better employment situation.  Perhaps taking the risk to becoming your own boss.  Perhaps returning to school to acquire a new skill set.  There are plenty of options available. Don't settle for a miserable existence. While every single day isn't going to be a pleasure cruise, certainly it doesn't have to be the type of life whereby you begin to resemble an extra on the Walking Dead show! As Robin Sharma said: "Don't live the same year 75 times and call it a life."  IF you're not happy with it I would add! 

 Remember...you live for the experience!  It's not the years in your life...it's the life in your years!

Until the next time...

#YouMatterTremendously

#GoldenRuleLifeStrategy
#LiveYourLifeWithPurpose

Friendship

The Wonderful Gift That Is Friendship

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."...Helen Keller

Humans are social beings.  We always have been and we always will be.  We thrive on interacting with each other; indeed our very survival as a species has been dependent upon this fact.  Our social groups are how we identify and relate to each other.  Outside of the family that we are born into, our friends play a pivotal role throughout the course of our lives, and have much to do with how we perceive and experience life.  

I have a few life long friends.  One of these fellows is Mike Mennozi. I've known Mike ever since kindergarten.  When you're 49 years old and you've had a friend since you were 5 years old...well...that's special.  People who have known you for your entire life know you in an entirely different way than somebody whose only known you for the past couple years.

That is not to say that Mike and I talk every single day...or that we have weekly visits.  We do see each other a few times a year still and make sure that we have a good conversation whenever one of us picks up the phone to call the other.  The conversation flows naturally, laughs ensue, and that is enough to sustain our deep rooted friendship.  I think all who have these types of long standing friendships should consider themselves fortunate.

Throughout the course of our lives, through shared experiences like school, college, the military, careers, etc...we meet people and bond with those who we have the most in comon with, who we find interesting, and who we admire and respect.  We should all "keep on the lookout", so to speak, for good quality people who we can develop friendships with.  One of my good friends, Jimmy Fields, is a terrific guy I met through both of our son's participation in the sport of wrestling.  At this point, because of our son's involvement in wrestling, we talk and see each other much more than my friendship with my childhood friend Mike, but that's not saying that one is more important than the other.  All friendships have their unique properties, and they do not have to parallel or be in competition with each other.

And then there is my best friend...my wife Pam.  Lucky are us men who would otherwise be set adrift to the currents of life if not achored down by the sensibilities of a good woman!  She is the greatest gift ever bestowed upon me and gave me two wonderful sons to focus my life's energies on...two equally great gifts who are sure to be my running mates in just a few more years.  One can hope!

In this day and age of Facebook and other social media friendships, when a persons "friends list" can number in the thousands, it is important to recognize, cultivate, and value the different types of friendships that we have.  Friendship can be the best therapy in the world for someone who is down in the dumps.  Friendships can encourage us to see the potentialities within ourselves that may be difficult, for whatever reason, for us to recognize.

Friendship truly is a wonderful gift and the following advice are things that I have both heard throughout my life and have found to be truth:

1. Pick your friends carefully.  You are judged by the company you keep.
2. "Wishing to be friends is quick work, but true friendship is a slow ripening fruit."...Aristotle
3. To have a friend you have to be a friend.

Until the next time...

#YouMatterTremendously
#GoldenRuleLifeStrategy
#LiveYourLifeWithPurpose

Here's the irrepressible Brendon Burchard. Terrific video on the subject of friendship.