Something to Think About.

Lately I've been entertaining the thought that absolutely every thing in life is tied to self discipline. An ugly thought I know. Especially if you struggle with the subject and as I've come to realize, you do - if; you jump from one thing to the next without completion, try to do to much at once because so many things seem exciting, eat to much, drink to much or watch to many infomercials.

But any way . . . focus! Because we lack self discipline we also struggle with low self esteem. I mean think about it. If you were self disciplined, and focused, completing your tasks, reaching your goals. You'd feel better about yourself.

It seems that to many of us live on an island called "Someday". Like, tomorrow I'll get to that (Diet, exercise program, read more, do better, etc . . . ) Really "Someday" I'm going to consider that. Or, Your right, "Someday" I'm going to do something about that.

Let me tell you something I've realized. "Someday" is like tomorrow, IT NEVER COMES! When tomorrow gets here it's always "Today" and our excuses are still living in "Tomorrow" to keep us comfortable!

The absolute first step to success in anything is to VOTE YOURSELF OFF THE ISLAND! That's right vote yourself off "Someday Island" and take your stand in the self discipline of completing your tasks TODAY! I think some people call it taking action. TAKE ACTION TODAY. Don't wait for the tomorrow that never comes. Don't waste your time making up excuses for yourself to make you feel better. Today's the only day that's going to make a difference and if your trying to be better than average consider this. OVER 80% of the world's current population lives on "Sometime Island". That's one ___ big island! Can we all say "AWK!" together?

In fighting an enemy called average it pays great dividends to live some where other than were the majority lives. GET UP AND MOVE OFF THE ISLAND TODAY! Do something that you can make a habit of that takes you out of the average and off "Someday Island". Today I will _______ (You fill in the blank) and then when tomorrow becomes today DO IT AGAIN!

Vote yourself off the island today and form a small habit that makes you different than the crowd. Remember, I'm pulling for ya. See you latter.

Hi there! It's a Beautiful Day!

Okay - Wow again. I can't believe I've been gone so long. But, good things are happening. Change is inevitable, you will change. The question becomes whether it will be good change or bad. I'm opting for the good. How about you?

Lately I've been having a wonderful time connecting and reconnecting with family and friends. The rewards are incredible. But it seems to take a constant and consistent effort on my part. I'm sure you know that sitting and watching "The Biggest Loser, Families" will not improve your relationships with any one. In fact from my perspective there's enough "Biggest Loser" candidates running around loose today anyway. While convicting, the show is not effecting enough people. In fact I know to many people that are probably watching the show and eating rather than DOING something about their situation. But you see that's really the point. Until we get out of our ruts and really do something, nothing is going to change. And then change has to become permanent (that's a "Biggest Loser" lesson). But it is true and if we face the facts truth then become a reality and not a reality show.

Lately I/we have been doing things that make for more time with family and friends and that in turn is paying great dividends. This weekend we had a bonfire in the backyard and invited just one person, and then someone else invited one person, which turned into two people and then the neighbors dropped by with their new baby and it turned into a really fantastic fun night and everyone enjoyed themselves. I know we went to bed that night personally feeling happy and fulfilled. And we didn't watch any TV!

You can do things like this to on your road to fighting average. Get out and do that little something different. Commit to new goals, small measurable ones, and then purpose to do the things that will make them happen. Turn it off (the TV) and turn it on (Doing new things). Make those new things include people. Maybe new people that feed your dreams and possibilities, maybe not the old ones that drag you down or cause you to lower your expectations. You know the old saying, "Bad people help build bad habits." You are greater than that. You can do it. Get busy, get better!
Love and see ya sooner next time.

Status Quo

I'll bet you didn't know that "Status Quo" is Latin for "The Mess We're In"

Yesterday was a doosie. It would literally freak you out to know how much they want to put a new thermostat in a VW Passat! It did me! Just when everything seemed to be in it's place (or at least getting there.) Whamo! Isn't that just like life to throw you a curve ball just when you think things are getting better.

But you know . . . there's a way I used to act (average) that would let this kind of a thing derail me (at least mentally)and I would in turn let that ruin my day, and of course try to get everyone else to feel as bad as I do, etc, etc . . .

BUT NOT THIS TIME!!!!!! In reality I have a little bit of an emergency fund set aside and I'm going to be thankful I have that. Put it to the problem this time and then start over on that fund and build it up bigger! Things aren't as bad as they may seem, so I'm going to keep smiling and work through it. I've got my health, as they say and I'm not ready to give up! Besides when it's all said an done the car will be better and I'll not have to worry about that issue for a long time! So there life! You had your shot and you lose!

You know the unexpected will always happen. You can expect it. As someone said, "It's not the problem that's the problem. It's how you treat it."

You know I feel pretty good about this. I've got to go set an appointment for a thermostat change. Here's to success. See you tomorrow.

OMG!

OMG, is an understatement. I've spent considerable quiet time reading and contemplating the subject of change today.

AWK! Here's a taste:
"Mignon McLaughlin said, 'It's the most unhappy people who fear change.' When patterns and traditions are broken, new opportunities come together. Defending your faults and errors only proves that you have no intention of quitting them. All progress is due to those who were not satisfied to let well enough alone. They weren't afraid to change. CHANGE IS NOT YOUR ENEMY - IT IS YOUR FRIEND."

Unfortunately (because like all humans I enjoy the comfort of the status quo)I know this to be true. Yesterday my wife and I managed to complete a budget! And as my wife stated "We're still talking and smiling!" In fact we are looking forward to some things! Knowing where you're at helps you see where you are going, and that is initiated by a small amount of change.

HERES ANOTHER ONE: "To have more than you've got, become more than you are." - Jim Rohn

Of course realization is only the first step in change. The second and more important is ACTION. To have knowledge of where your at and not taking steps toward your destiny is like sitting in the car without the keys.

How many things have you seen change in the last few years? (This is tough I know. Think economy.) You can be change. What small thing can you do today? Realize where you are and just take one step in the direction you want to go. The ancients remind us that the journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. Just a single tiny step defeats the enemy called average.

And remember this: "Only fools and dead men don't change their minds. Fools won't. Dead men can't"

Changin' to defeat the average. See you tomorrow.

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!

Oh yeah baby! COFFEE GOOD! I don't know about you but I really enjoy that morning cup! As average as that may sound.

You know, when the weekends roll around, the chance to become average always seems to come with it. The same old same old, do what everybody else does, clean, shop for food, laundry, church, relax from the work grind (mentally prepare to go back) . . . nothing special. Just the normal formula. Does that sound too average?

But what's the way out? I KNOW!!! Just throw your schedule a curve ball!!!
- Do some Saturday stuff on Sunday or visa/versa!
- Get out and do things a little different (Make shopping a fun adventure - this requires a bit of imagination. Like play hide and seek at the store. I know difficult if you're alone.)
- Send somebody you haven't talked to in a while a card, (A nice card. Not a "Hi you're a jerk" card) or call them.

We're working on our budget (novel), together (novel again.) But WOW! Now we can see where we're at! Something new!

GO ON! GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! Walk around a mall (You don't have to spend money.) Say "Hi" to someone you don't know. (Watch their reaction. It's fun.) Stroke some poor sales person - pretend you're rich.

All these little things add up to above average (different)! You can to it! (Spoken with a slight Spanish accent."it" = eet) And in the immortal words of Red Green, "Keep your stick on the ice." or "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati."

Happy weekend and see you tomorrow!

You Can't stand in the Middle of the Road

You know you can't stand in the middle of the road (be politically correct all the time, or please everybody all the time) and still fight the enemy call average. Average tries to stand in the middle of the road and I read that there's nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos. (James Hightower)

To attempt to be more than average is a choice, not a chance. Too many people go through life not knowing what they want, but the feel sure they don't have it. I guess there's an element of risk in stepping out of the average. You take a chance. That's what I'm deciding to do today. Take a chance. Do something differently. Hopefully surprise myself, and maybe someone else.

I discovered today that it's tough sometimes making the decision to be different. To not enter into the negative conversations and mind set. To force yourself to stay out of it, to not eat the cookie, to do the exercise (no matter how much it hurts.) Say something deliberate (maybe even cute) and move on.

I read this today:
"Too many people are like wheelbarrows, trailers or canoes. They need to be pushed, pulled, or paddled. You're either moving other people to decisions or they're moving you. Decide to do something now to make YOUR life better. The Choice is yours."

That really strikes me. THE CHOICE IS YOURS TO MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER. I hope you can think of some choices you could make to make your life better too. As my wife would say "Make good choices." and the correct answer is . . . "Yes dear".

Making choices to change for the better. Something that fits in your own skin. And maybe even looks good while you do it. This sounds like fun! Make it great! See you tomorrow.

Oh Ouch!

Here ya go the day started with these:
"You can't fulfill your destiny on theory . . . It takes WORK!

" What you believe doesn't amount to much unless it causes you to climb out of the grandstand and onto the playing field."

"The only time a lazy person succeeds is when he tries to do nothing."

And . . .
"God made the birds and the worms. But he didn't drop the worms in the bird's nest."

Talk about convicting stuff! So I head off to work with good intentions. Bent on be more (better) than average. Ta da! So I volunteer at work to go to a different area and look for the dead mouse that someone says they can smell. Well they were right. It stinketh! And . . . fifty 40lb. bags, two dead mice, cleaning up a ton of bird seed, 5-6 bags with mouse holes in them and a whole lot of bad smell later and I have accomplished what no one else really wanted to do. (You know that smell seemed stuck in my nose all day.)

But here's what I learned. Sometimes being a bit more than average means taking on what others will not or do not want to do. Going the extra mile so to speak. And you know what else? It will get you noticed. I was affectionately nicknamed "The Verminator" today. But I was also named team member of the week in my department, someone who did something extra.

So I guess I'm feeling pretty good about the fight today. A small victory is in hand. AND I can definitely say it fells pretty good. Now to translate it into other areas of my life. I think I'll drag this over into exercising and diet tomorrow. Whoa there now. Easy. Well you know what I mean.

Take the small victories and use them to accomplish a little more. Never give up! Never surrender! There's a long year ahead.

See you tomorrow.:>)

Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH NO!

Wow. what an interesting day. I won't say it's easy this thing, fighting average. I will admit to the struggle of not falling into the negative conversations and attitudes. Keeping your head above water swimming requires effort and so does this.

So I read this today and it really helped me. Maybe it can help you too.
"Life is too short to think small. . . so march off the map. Most people can do more than they think they can. (Just try) The answer to your future lies outside the confines that you have right now. If you want to see if you can swim, don't frustrate yourself with shallow water. Launch out in to the deep"

So even in the difficulties to just be the same, do the same, say the same, think the same. I'm going to march outside the box. Do something different, be something different. What ever the results. The way I figure it you can't change if you do the same things all the time. So I'm choosing the positive and the possibilities. It can't hurt and who knows, for some reason I believe it just might get better. So here's to all the different things I can do to change the way things are. How about you?

Here's one for today. If you get what you ask for. Ask for commitment. From yourself and others.

See you tomorrow.