Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Sleep Happy Die Happy

“As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.” - Leonardo da Vinci

I can’t think of many people who would want to think about their death. I am not talking about how you are going to die. I am talking about death itself. The moment when you let go of your life. What will the last thought be when you exhale that last breath of air? Will you leave with a smile on your face knowing you have done all that you can in the time you were given. Would there be more regrets than triumphs.

DaVinci wanted us to think about how we are living our lives. He wanted us to think about what we might do to make a difference in the people and the community and the nation around us. Think about what we could do to be happier. What could we do to strive, to do better in everything we do, to be excellent in whatever we put our minds towards.

I think we need to end the day like we were not going to wake up. If we knew that we were going to die sometime while we slept, would that change how we live today. Would we treat people a little bit differently? Would we try a little harder to spend time with those we love, those who are around us, but we take for granted because they are always there?

One of my favorite shows on TV right now is “How I Met Your Mother”. Barney states in one episode that he was going to make every night LEGENDARY! He would get together with his buddy Ted and do something neither one of them had ever done. Some of the things that make the nights legendary include eating everything on the bar menu, starting a mariachi band, and nearly bungee jumping off the Statue of Liberty.

We don’t have to go to those kinds of extremes, but we could do things we have never done. Try a new food. Go somewhere you have always wanted to go, but didn’t see the reason in it, whether it be expensive or a little far away. Now is the time to do it. Make everyday count for something.

I would also suggest you keep some sort of daily journal about what you have done to make today count. Write down those people you met, those art galleries you visited, those books you wrote, so you can go back later and smile at your accomplishments.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Learning From Experience

If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way. - Mark Twain

I wonder how many people have actually picked up a cat by the tail. I have. They truly do not like it. It hurts them and if you don’t let go in a hurry, it can seriously injure them. They will do whatever it takes to make you let them loose. They will curl up and grab hold of your wrist digging every claw and fang into the flesh of your arm. If you have never seen or experienced this before, it can be hard to know what will really happen.

Thinking about that image of a cat tearing up your arm, you may think, “Why would I ever want to pick a cat up by the tail?” I would never suggest that you do unless for some reason you like the feeling of claws in flesh. What Twain was trying to say is that sometimes you have to just do something to experience it, to learn from it even if it is painful. You might expect it not to work, but taking a chance will show you what might work and will not work.

Most people seem to live their lives cautiously. They are afraid to take chances, to do something other than what they are used to. If you can’t take those chances, then you can’t really live. Chances like talking to someone new, someone who you would never expect to want anything to do with you or buying a house or starting a business. Find a way to make it happen while minimizing the risk to your finances.

You might want to travel , but your afraid of the language barrier or getting lost or getting mugged or any other endless possibilities. Sure, bad things might happen, but are you willing to lose the opportunities and excitement and stories you will be able to tell by getting out there and doing it, just because something bad might happen.

I took a road trip by myself in 2003. I was in a transition period in my job and relationship and I decided to drive from South Florida all the way up to Maine. I stopped and visited some friends. I even visited my Grandmother on the way. I got to spend days in our National Capitol and New York. I spent three days hanging out in my favorite author, Stephen King’s home town, Bangor. I was able to see his house and take the Stephen King tour and even visit the famous “Betts Bookstore.” These are the types of stories you will be able to tell if you grab the cat by the tail and do something you think is worth doing.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Oh Wells’ are Better than What Ifs

“I would much rather live a life full of Oh Wells’ than a life full of What Ifs” ~ Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn

Pat says we should live our life by taking the risks we need to make our dreams come true. every dream comes with many mistakes, failures and stumbling blocks. You have to make it past all of that if you truly want to make your dreams come true.

One of my favorite examples is about Thomas Edison and his quote when someone asked him how he kept going after 10,000 failures trying to invent the light bulb. He said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that it won’t work.” If we want something bad enough, we must keep trying. We must not let anyone else talk us out of trying.

In the book called “The Traveler’s Gift” Andy Andrews main character David Ponder meets Gabriel the angel. Through him he discovers a room bigger than any eye could see. This room was full of ideas, inventions, medical cures, books, movies and anything else people came up with but just never had the time, money or courage to create. Imagine the possibilities, what could be accomplished if everyone could create whatever they could dream.

Take the time today to sit down with a notebook and write down the ideas that will make your dreams come true. Then schedule the time to work on these dreams each and every day. There has to be something you can do today that will get you closer to your dream. Even if all you can do is put it on paper, then do that one small thing. Start to meet people who can help you get closer to that dream. Find others who share the same passion as you. A group of people are more likely to flush out the dreams than only one mind.

As you move forward, take the precautions you need to protect yourself from the price of possible failures. If you want to start a baking business. Start in your kitchen. Save your profits to rent a kitchen or a store front. When you earn more money, then incorporate and hire some help. Don’t let yourself be in debt in case the store fails.

If we can take the risks needed, even if we fail and have to pay the price for those failures, we will not be wondering later in life if we could ever have made those dreams come true. If we can make those dreams come true, then we will live in happiness and will be able to share that happiness with everyone around us.