How to be a Fighter (Without Throwing a Punch)

May 15, 2012, by No comments yet


photo credit: boltron- via photo pin cc

Let’s face it. Every once in awhile, life walks up and punches you straight in the mouth with a cheap shot. No warning. Just…. BAM! Right in the kisser. Life can be a jerk that way.

The question is… are you just gonna take that? I hope your answer is a resounding NO!!! Whatever life threw at you, fight back. Maybe it sent illness or poverty at you. Perhaps a ton of drama. Doesn’t matter, This not a turn your other cheek moment. This is a wind it up and chuck a hay maker right back at it moment. It may get a little bloody, but make sure you can quip, “You should see the other guy!”

This is a preview of How to be a Fighter (Without Throwing a Punch). Read the full post

One Thing You Need For More Adventure

May 11, 2012, by No comments yet

photo credit: heatherlyone via photo pin cc

 

Whatever happened to hitchhiking?

Bear with me here. You may wonder who cares, but I do. And I think in the wider sense, you should too.

I started thinking about this the other day when I was listening to the Freakonomics Radio Podcast and they were discussing this very thing. It turns out that their conclusion was that it died out mostly due to fears of savage criminal hitchhikers after a couple of popular movies with that plot came out. However, it turns out that hitchhikers were never statistically more likely to commit any crime than the average person. Of course other factors also lead to the decline of the practice, like cars getting cheaper and more people using credit to get them. The point of the show was they felt it was a shame because hitchhiking is a cheaper option and certainly leads to a smaller carbon footprint. More importantly to me….

This is a preview of One Thing You Need For More Adventure. Read the full post

Put Passion In Your Life

May 8, 2012, by No comments yet

photo credit: KariHak via photo pin cc

It’s time to bring back a little of that passion in your life. Put some sizzle in that steak, as they say.

No, I know where your mind is going, I’m not talking about that. Well…. maybe…. I guess I could be, but what I am talking about is going to be a little different for each person. I’m talking about finding that thing that drives you. The thing that consumes you.

I’m bringing it up because I’ve had a recent up tick of that kind of passion lately. That sort of passion is what gets things done.

We’ve talked about goals before. How strong motivators resulted in strong results and weak motivators … well didn’t. There are some very good reasons to get about doing those things you know are right, but there are also things that pull you in like a siren call that you can’t resist. These passions engulf you and give you no choice other than to run towards them at full speed. They give you the ability to do things you weren’t sure you could.

This is a preview of Put Passion In Your Life. Read the full post

Back in the Saddle

May 3, 2012, by No comments yet


photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photo pin cc

So I stopped. Or rather, paused. I disappered. I wasn’t present in this space. I’ve been gone, but never permanantly. I never walked away from this blog. I simply stopped writing it for awhile. I guess you could say I took some time off, but it was always in my mind.

You see, I let things happen to me and then I went about happenng to things.

I could write about all the reasons I wasn’t writing for awhile, but they’re excuses more than reasons. It isn’t important the events that happened. What is important was I was learning and I was  living. I stopped writing at a time when I wasn’t feeling well.I needed a solution to my problems and though I found some, they weren’t the solutions I thought I was seeking.

This is a preview of Back in the Saddle. Read the full post

Life’s Questions, Answered!

March 6, 2012, by No comments yet

photo credit: asafantman via photopin cc

 

If you absolutely never want to reach any of your goals in life, let me recommend being as vague as humanly possible. Be vague about the goal, vague about the deadline and, by all means, be vague about the plan to get there. If you do these things, you will get nowhere in life as you sit by the sidelines wishing you were someone you simply aren’t.

 

However, some of you probably want to accomplish something. Perhaps you wish to go out and enjoy a exciting life. You want the reward of fulfillment. You yearn for adventure. Well, in that case, let me offer you the gift of specificity. Yes for the low, low price of free, you too can enjoy the wonder and secrets of actually accomplishing something by be positively specific about the who, what, when, how and why of your goals.

This is a preview of Life’s Questions, Answered!. Read the full post

Plan for Victory

February 7, 2012, by No comments yet

Whatever the game you play, there is a gut check time somewhere in the game that causes you to evaluate where you stand and what it will take to get to the victory you so desire. It may be a football game or the game of life. Whatever it is, there will be struggles and, perhaps, moments of doubt. Can you really do this?

 

I found myself thinking about this concept halfway through the Super Bowl as the Giants went into the locker room down by a point at the half. During halftime, there was a brilliant commercial starring Clint Eastwood from GM about the resurgence of Detroit and its manufacturing base. The commercial was about how America is at its halftime. It’s down, but it can make a plan. It can come back.

 

This is a preview of Plan for Victory. Read the full post

How to Become a Powerful Person

February 1, 2012, by No comments yet

 Powerful people are those who have the ability to move others to action; to get others to do what they want. That is what power really is. Naturally people want power. They lust after it. They work for it. Some give just about anything to obtain it. Hell, I want power.

 

Before you start to think I’m the evil scientist bent on world domination, there is nothing inherently wrong with wanting power. It takes power to create change in this world. Power is simply a tool, like any other. It is no more good or evil than the person who wields it. Yes, Hitler gained great power and used it to unleash unimaginable devastation on our world. However, it took power for Martin Luther King Jr. to lead the civil rights movement. It took power for Gandhi to lead a movement to shake imperial rule off of India. It even took power for Mother Theresa to get the resources to aid the dying and sick. In fact it is often said that the greatest display of power is the act of mercy.

This is a preview of How to Become a Powerful Person. Read the full post

Giving Great Applause

January 25, 2012, by No comments yet

There is a great tradition of spectatorship in human society. One in which we come together to watch our “heroes” perform for us on the stage or field. We invest such a great amount of our emotional being into the efforts of these entertainers. We hold them so high on the pedestal of our consciousness. It once was the gladiators in the Roman Coliseum. Today it’s rock bands and athletes. We get incredibly excited when they play our favorite song or lift our favorite teams up from mediocrity to the heights of victory. (I’m looking at you Tyler Bray and Jarnell Stokes) Go Vols!

 

While watching our favorite actors, bands, or athletes perform for all to see, we are incredibly quick to applaud their accomplishments. We collectively cheer as loud as we can, do the fist pump, high five and clap wildly for the efforts we see before us. I have no problem with this whatsoever.

This is a preview of Giving Great Applause. Read the full post

The New American Disability

January 22, 2012, by No comments yet

There is an epidemic running rampant in America today. Perhaps it is spilling over to the rest of the world. I don’t know, but the evidence here is everywhere. This epidemic is leading to a rash of disabilities for the victims of this insidious malady. The culprit? Unchecked obesity.

 

Obesity in now a recognized disability in the U.S.
The problem was crystallized for me of my recent vacation to Orlando. The theme parks and other companies down there are making a killing renting wheelchairs and scooters to patrons at exorbitant prices. Despite this, they sell out almost before the park opens each day. Who are the people driving this industry? Many of the people using these devices have more traditional injuries or are just elderly. But here’s the thing, a huge percentage of the people renting the devices are simply suffering from being so out of shape, they can’t walk around the park reasonably any more. They get handicap stickers because walking the whole parking lot is difficult. They get injuries because their joints and frames can’t handle the amount of weight being supported. This is a problem that really needs to be addressed in this country. How can people live extraordinary lives, if they can barely make it out of the house?

This is a preview of The New American Disability. Read the full post

Announcing the New Inspiration to Change Newsletter

January 19, 2012, by No comments yet

Today, I’m announcing the release of my first newsletter series, Inspiration to Change! In it, you’ll read inspiring stories of people who have made grand changes in their life despite momentous obstacles standing in their path. I’m offering this series absolutely free of charge to my loyal subscribers. This is bonus material that simply won’t appear on the blog itself. If you’d like to receive this series and be inspired, please sign up for my mailing list by clicking right here! You will receive regular updates of the blog and receive the entire series.

 

One of the great feelings we have in this world is that instant of inspiration. That moment when the light bulb clicks on and the ideas in our head all click together. Sometimes the inspiration we find is the key puzzle piece that allows the rest of the picture to finally become visible. Sometimes the inspiration is more the kick in the pants that that motivates us toward the action we must take in our lives.

This is a preview of Announcing the New Inspiration to Change Newsletter. Read the full post