One Hour, One Day, One Life

Turn off the television!
Get off your butt!
LIVE!

We talk about it, dream about it, but how often do we really do anything about it? I know I am guilty of bemoaning the wasted days and hours of life. I have heard myself say, "If I had it all to do over again." Why are we all so reluctant to get out there and take the life we dream of? Fear, Doubt, what others might think - excuses, nothing but excuses.

Think about it! What can you accomplish in the next hour to get you closer to the life you envision for yourself? Sometimes its just simple things like NOT eating that donut you are craving, or turning off the television and reading a good book that has been sitting on your shelf for six months.

Granted, some things we dream of take time, money and planning, but even in those cases we have to ask ourselves "is what I am doing taking me closer to the life I want or father from it?"

What about today? What can you do today that is part of the life you dream of. Last night everyone was gone from the house. I brewed a cup of Jamacain Blue Mountain coffee, grabbed a great book and sat quietly by the fire for an hour and half and read in peace, quiet and solitude. That is almost as good as it gets.

One Life - thats it, no second chances to live today. You have one life to invest in others, one life to find happiness, one life to leave a legacy. This is the only life in which you can climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, run with the bulls in Pamplona, or sit by the fire with a cup of coffee and a good book.

Just for today - do at least one thing that is part of "dream life."

Cheerleaders, Counselors & Friends

Sometimes I stop and actually try to look objectively at my own life and the inconsistencies are glaring! I have never been the kind of person that is motivated by the cheerleader approach to life. What do I mean by cheerleader approach, "Yeah rah, you can do it, go, go, go." That is where the inconsistencies come - sometimes I find myself using that approach in trying to help others.

Maybe this is over-simplified, but I can think of three ways we need to approach others as a source of encouragement and motivation: 1) Cheerleaders, 2) Counselors, and/or 3) Friends. Yes, I know, some of these may overlap at times, but here is my take on helping others.

Cheerleaders: There are times that all we really need is a little encouragement or support. We need someone to believe in us, or at the very least pretend to believe in us. A simple "you can do it," may be all they need to take them to the next level.

Counselors: I am not talking about professional counselors (though they certainly have their place). This is when you need to sit down with someone, listen carefully and guide them through the morass and strugglesof life. They may not be abe to see clearly, or understand the path they are on and they need someone to hold them accountable, help them define the problem, or see options they have not considered.

Friends: Finally there are those times you just need someone you trust to sit and listen. You don't want advice, you aren't looking for a placebo to help you past the little heartache or pain you are experiencing. You need that trusted confidant who can hear the worst, but still beleive the best.

I guess there are two life lessons here for me: 1) I need to learn to look for help in the right places at the right time. Calling a cheerleader when I need a friend is just going to irritate the fire out of me; 2) I need to stop and listen when others are sharing their walk through life. I need to learn to understand what they need - a cheerleader, a counselor or a friend.

February 12

It's Tuesday, February 12, 2013!

So what is so special about February 12, 2013 - only the fact that it is now over half gone and you will never get it back. The time you spent watching the morning news, or creeping on your friends on Facebook has slipped by almost inperceptably.  The five minutes you sat at your desk just wondering, "what should I do first?" Gone, all of it is gone and you can't recover it.

Think about other opportunities in your life that may come only once. Some of the guys who played in the 2013 Super Bowl may never get there again. They got one shot at it and it may be their last. For me, spending two days in London, or climbing Oluma Rock in Nigeria, or the last time I got to tell my mom how much I loved her. Some things in life we approach with an awareness of finality - we know we may never cross that path again.

What if you approach each day understanding that it is the last time you will pass that milestone in your life. The last 02/12/2013 you will ever see! What are you going to do with it?

One of my pet peeves in life is hearing people wish their life away. "I can't wait till Friday and the weekend, or I can't wait till June and our family vacation." I understand there is a sense of expectation as special events approach in our lives, but why do we trade the treasure that is today, for the uncertainty of tomorrow.

So its February 12, 2013! You have roughly 10 hours left and it will be gone forever. Make those hours count. Call your mother. Take your kids out for ice cream. Write a new chapter in your own book of life.

Living in a Well

   I was reminded this week why I am not Joel Osteen fan, or an advocate of the "prosperity gospel." I was sitting having a cup of coffee and the local coffeeshop had Olsteen's television broadcast on in the background. He was closing out a sermon with an illustration about a frog that lived in a well. I will try to condense it down for this post.

   "There was a frog that lived in a small well and was happy that he had all the water he could ever want. One day he climbed to the top of the well and saw a pond much larger than the well and was excited about this new habitat he could live in. From there he traveled till he found a lake the size of an ocean . . . and on it went." The application was, God wants you to have this and so much more. Why limit yourself to the humble dwellings around you. Just believe and you can achieve.

   Most of you who know me, or have read my posts understand that I am a huge advocate of having a positive outlook on life and pursuing your dreams. To me, that is a lot different than "God wants you to have everything you can imagine." Whatever happened to "godliness with contentment is great gain" (I Timothy 6:6). The little frog was happy with his accomodations until he saw something bigger and better. Isn't that what the advertising industry does to us everyday. They create a percieved "need" that isn't a need at all, but a want.

   As I get older, I find peace and comfort in simplicity. I look around at all I have accumulated and I have to ask myself, "to what end?" The first time I returned from Africa in 1987 I had this urge to sell everything. I was ashamed I had so much and the rest of the world had so little. Like most people that feeling passed and I got caught up in the "keeping up with the Jones' mentality." No longer is my desire for simplicity and a knee-jerk reaction to world poverty, or an emotional response to some "save the children campaign," I want contentment.

   I want more than to learn contentment, I want to exercise that kind of peace in my life. It is a hard discipline and television doesn't help. Cookings shows make me want food, home improvement shows make me want change, television advertising makes me want ______________.

   So to all the Joel Olsteens in the world I have this to say. Quit preaching to us about having it all, or that God wants us to have this or that - I have seen a world of sorrow from people who say, "I did this, or bought this, because God wants me to be happy." Try teaching people about contentment, about living a quiet and peaceful life. Give them the tools to cope with grief and poverty and heartache and sorrow. God help me that whatever state I find myself in, "therein to be content."

 



Good Advice - Try it sometime

   I recently had a friend who has been out of work and like many has struggled to find their next job. It isn't because of lack of effort or desire, this individual is just one more casualty of our failed economy. In an attempt to be encouraging another friend suggested that they pursue their dream job - the one they actually went to college for. Being the skilled motivator that I am, I jumped on the bandwagon and seconded that idea. Now that is easy for those of us working, but over the past week I have struggled internally with a nagging voice in my head - "That's good advice Trent - why don't you try it sometime."

   Just under a year ago I sat down and laid out some ambitious goals. Most of them were the typical things we all hope for - get in better shape, work on my retirement and financial situation, but I also set some very personal and lofty goals that have been, for the most part dormant since last April. Just like my friend there have been lots of valid reasons for NOT doing some of the things I dream of, at least not today, but that nagging voice still haunts me saying, "why, what are you waiting for." Seriously? Let's see:

• I have an obligation to my family.
• I have bills that have to be paid.
• I have a reputation to consider.

   There are plenty of additional items I could add to the list: doubt, fear, procrastination, but mostly I have had to stop and ask that really tough question - "How bad do you really want it?" When I decided to lose over 40 lbs. I finally came to the point I could answer that question. I was willing to change my eating, be miserable while trying to exercise and look ridiculous as that old fat man running down the street. I didn't care! I was tired of being old, fat and tired.

   Now my admonition to a friend has boomeranged and hit me right between the eyes. I was at the store today and met a lovely young lady named Kenya. We talked about her name and about Africa when she said to me, "As far back as I can remember, I have wanted to go to Kenya. Ever since I realized where my name came from, but I know it will probably never happen." I smiled and told her to never say that to herself again. I encouraged her to envision her flight to Nairobi and begin to talk about "WHEN I go to Kenya." I assured her that if she truly wanted to go, she could make it happen. She smiled the biggest smile and said, "I AM GOING TO KENYA." As I walked out of the store I think we were both inspired just a little.

   So physician heal thyself. My next book is about half finished, but will be completed by the end of February. That is just the first of a series of things that will happen this year. I will share the next one with you just as soon as the book is finished.

   This is one blog where I am not going to challenge you to join me, or give you some lofty ideal to follow. This about personal accountability. I am going to stop preaching, stop meddling, stop giving advice (at least for today) and try to take a little of my own. A friend, Rick Loy had this on his facebook page today, "What we do (behavior) is what we really believe. The rest is just talk or self-deception. Behavior reveals true priorities/values."