Saturday Evening Thoughts on Feeling Special 6/29/13

The first half of the year is just about complete and I can honestly say that 2013 has been one for the books. The last couple of days, I figured I was going to melt with temperatures peaking in excess of 116 degrees. I can't lie and say this wasn't another great week because it was. When I tell you what made it so great, you are probably going to be like wow I can see how that makes you feel that way. Believe it or not there are just a few things that really inspire me to live the life I live and my relationships with the special people in my life is probably the most important. The highlight of my week was talking to one of my nieces Thursday on her 9th birthday. Its actually funny that with all the stuff I have going on that when I woke up, my most important task on June 27 was making sure I set aside some time to visit with this amazing 9 year old. As I thought about it, with the exception of one year that I was out of the country, I have always shared some special time with her even if just over the phone on her birthday. While I am highlighting how excited I was to visit with her, I began to realize how often I take time out for those that I care about to recognize these special occasions. Define what special means to you. What does it mean to feel special? Do you ever feel special? Do you ever make others feel special? As I thought about those questions I began to think about people that I have encountered over the years and how they have been placed in my life. For me it basically broke down like this. 1) People who know me 2) People I know 3) People I associate with 4) Acquaintances 5) People I just be emailing, texting, Facebooking, or tweeting 6) Friends 7) Family Amazingly enough, over the years I have learned that a lot of the people I consider family don't even share the same blood with me, but they have proved to hold a special place in my heart. There's just something about the way people make you feel when you are around them that makes everything about the relationship seem special. Maybe there's a word or phrase here that inspires you to live tomorrow differently than you did today. I challenge you to create special moments with every opportunity that you have cause you just never know if the opportunity may come around again. Don't ever forget that you are special yourself. Live life and be phenomenal in all that you do. Hopefully you realize if you are reading this right now, that you are special to me for one reason or another. PositiveMovementsForward always! “To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.” Jim Valvano “Distance never separates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad cuz I miss you I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss.” “Life becomes precious and more special to us when we look for the little everyday miracles and get excited about the privileges of simply being human” Tim Hansel “No matter what age you are, or what your circumstances might be, you are special, and you still have something unique to offer. Your life, because of who you are, has meaning.” Barbara De Angelis “The friends who grew up with you deserve a special respect- the ones who stuck by you shoulder to shoulder, in a time when nothing was certain, all life lay ahead, and every road led home.” “Will you ever? I don’t think you will ever fully understand how you've touched my life and made me who I am.I don't think you could ever know just how truly special you are that even on the darkest nights you are my brightest star.” Erica Jong “Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do. It does not matter what others think, it is of prime importance, however, what you think about you. You can never do your best, which should always be your trademark, if you are cutting corners and shirking responsibilities. You are special. Act it. Never neglect the little things.” Og Mandino

Sunday Afternoon Thoughts on Seeing Through the Blindness 06/23/13

Let's take a look at where we are right now; spring is in our rear view mirror, the beginning of summer is in our midst, and we are almost halfway through 2013. Surely, some of us have said that 2013 is going to be our year and that may be true if we strayed away from all things that didn't work for us in years past. I have probably had one of my best weeks in a long time and I think it has a lot to do with my family and extended family; Father's Day last Sunday, Big Brother & Sister T celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary, and my Sister Melle Mel appearing on The Price is Right. While I wasn't present for everything that was going on, it was beyond exciting just to know what they were experiencing. This past week I was reminded that sometimes you have to lose one of your senses in order to appreciate everything that you have in your life. How would we see things if we experienced some sort of blindness? Have you ever experienced a moment of blindness that helped you see things clearly? Losing sight even temporarily could possibly be one of the best things for our vision. What have I learned even if just only for me is that we are so dependent on what we see with our eyes that often times we fail to see the right things with our hearts and minds. We are very visual people, but rely solely on what we can actually see and touch. What about those things that we can't see and touch, where do we get our visions from? How well is your sight? What about your vision? Sometimes merely closing our eyes for a moment brings the right visions to life for us. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen and should never be far from your mind. As we move into a new week, I challenge you to appreciate your moments of blindness to learn more about where you are in life. You may see something that you haven't seen before in your career, relationships, and even within yourself. Position yourself to live life and be phenomenal as the #PositiveMovementsForward mindset will carry you through anything that life can throw at you. “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see” Mark Twain “Love is not blind; it simply enables one to see things others fail to see.” “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” Helen Keller “You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.” “I have always thought it would be a blessing if each person could be blind and deaf for a few days during his early adult life. Darkness would make him appreciate sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.” Helen Keller “A blind man knows he cannot see, and is glad to be led, though it be by a dog; but he that is blind in his understanding, which is the worst blindness of all, believes he sees as the best, and scorns a guide” Samuel Butler “What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed?” Michelangelo

Saturday Morning Thoughts on Being Worth the Investment 05/25/13

My, my, my I woke up this morning feeling quite a bit more refreshed than I have felt in awhile. Not sure what it was, but I feel like I don't have a care in the world right now. As I look around I can easily say, that things could be worse or so glad I don't have to deal with that. For about 2 weeks, there have been a few thoughts on my brain that I was struggling to wrap my mind around. So basically, I put some things down on paper and left them in draft status. The last 24 hours it seems like I have been in living in the midst of an ongoing epiphany revolving around this question, "Am I worth the investment?" Like most people that exist in the world today, there are so many ways of staying connected or in tune with what's going on. I have to ask, have you made an investment in something that is worth checking in on ever so often. If you know me and understand how much I value my relationships with the people that I care about, you know sharing my thoughts is therapeutic for me and its how I grow. Over time, I have learned that if I am not sharing my thoughts that I becoming stagnant with no growth. I have to thank my pro bono therapist Dora G for adding some additional insight on who Nick Jr. actually is.(Doesn't hurt that I have been a patient of hers since '96 lol) Here's an exercise that I am still working on, but is extremely healthy for your overall well being. Stand in front of a mirror and ask yourself, "Am I worth the investment?" Sit down with a blank sheet of paper and write down a list of things you have accomplished in life thus far and ask yourself, "Was it worth the investment?" And last, but certainly not least, count your blessings and you may realize that HIS investment was more than worth it. It's up to us to make the decision that whatever we choose to do is a worthwhile investment that gives us the return that we desire. We all have different reasons as to what, when, who, and why we invest our time, energy, and efforts into. What has been your greatest investment thus far? I would be willing to bet that your answer would be yourself, but I could be wrong. Would you believe that at some point in your life you have been someone else's biggest investment? The thing about it is that you have to be confident in knowing that you are worth the investment and then some at all times. When life happens, you learn a lot about yourself and those around you. I challenge you to go forward, live life, and be phenomenal. “Take time to gather up the past so that you will be able to draw from your experience and invest them in the future.” Jim Rohn “The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.” Frank Lloyd Wright “If you want to be truly successful invest in yourself to get the knowledge you need to find your unique factor. When you find it and focus on it and persevere your success will blossom.” Sidney Madwed “Invest three percent of your income in yourself (self-development) in order to guarantee your future.” Brian Tracy “When you make a commitment to a relationship, you invest your attention and energy in it more profoundly because you now experience ownership of that relationship.” Barbara De Angelis “Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough.” Mary McLeod Bethune “The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to.” Marian Wright Edelman Sent from my Blackberry on the nation's best wireless network. Can you hear me now? #Boom

Sunday Evening Thoughts on Finding the Joy in Your Connection 04/28/13

Finally, an opportunity to take a break to relax and reflect on this Sunday evening. This was quite the long week with all the thoughts and emotions that were running through my head. Just one of those weeks that you are truly grateful for the problems that you do have as there are so many out here that have it worse than you do. From brain surgery of a member of my extended family to a motorcycle accident that left a young man I know in critical condition for several days, living the life you have was put in perspective for me yet again. At this point in life, I get my strength from my relationships with others. My mission now is all about finding the joy in the connections that I have. Have you ever wondered any of these things? Why did we cross paths? What is it I am here to learn? Or what is it that I'm supposed to be teaching? Or are we supposed to be building something together? Why this connection? Why now? I think back to a conversation that I had with a customer a little over a week ago that really brought things to the forefront about the connections we have. He came in to get his girlfriend's vehicle serviced and he was shocked to see that I remembered what both he and his girlfriend drove. He told me that he rarely remembers peoples names because he is getting up in age, but was surprised that when I see him I do reference our previous conversations as there was a connection there. The customer loves automobiles and has a vanity plate that says "CAR NUT" so he is not an easy one to forget. We have an appreciation for automobiles so finding the joy in the connection in this case was pretty easy. Lately, it seems like the majority of my conversations and thoughts have centered around our networks and relationships with others. I decided to peel back yet another layer of it all and figure out what is it about our different connections that bring them to life. You are probably like me in the fact that there are some connections that seem to come to life in an instant and stay that way all the time, and then there are others that are only alive in certain situations. Do you find joy in most of your connections? Is there pain in some? Why is that? Is it due to a lack of communication? Whatever the reason for your joy in any connection, do whatever you can to hold on to it and the feeling it gives you. Whether it be a smile, a kind word, or a listening ear there's always an opportunity to appreciate a connection. Seems like pretty simple stuff, but you would be surprised at how much we really do take for granted. If you haven't done so already take some time out find the joy in your connections and acknowledge people for what being connected them has given you. Believe it or not sometimes we go through life and never know what just being connected means to someone else. As you prepare to embark on a new week, I trust that you live life to the fullest and welcome the phenomenal things that life is sending your way. And if you didn't know it already, there is a tremendous amount of joy that I have received from being connected to you. “A hidden connection is stronger than an obvious one.” Heraclitus of Ephesus “Joy is not in things; it is in us” Richard Wagner “a good friend is a connection to life- a tie to the past,a road to the future,the key to sanity in a totally insane world” Lois Wyse “Joy is increased by spreading it to others” Robert Murray McCheyne “When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another - and ourselves” Jack Kornfield “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” Thich Nhat Hanh “Communication--the human connection--is the key to personal and career success.” Paul Meyer “There is no hope of joy except in human relations.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Sunday Evening Thoughts on Our Time is of the Essence 04/14

Sitting here relaxing and reflecting on a Sunday evening is probably exactly what I needed right now. Life continues to amaze me with how it presents opportunities for you to learn about yourself and others. At the beginning of every day, believe it or not we all have the same opportunity. The thing that’s different for all of us is how you choose to embrace your opportunity. What does the number 86,400 mean to you? Quite often, I think that we forgot that we all wake up with the same 86,400 seconds every day. It’s how we choose to spend that time that differentiates the successful people from the unsuccessful people in this world. Which one have you decided to be? Take a moment and think about how you spend your day. What takes up the most of your time? What takes up the least amount of your time? What do you think it is that makes you allot your time in a certain manner? Does your passion have anything to do with those decisions? Time is probably one of our most valuable assets and once we’ve lost it there’s no opportunity to get it back. Have you ever missed a moment? What were you doing that caused you to miss it? Were you simply not paying attention at the time? I am probably guilty of this like most people of being reminded about how precious time is when a tragic event occurs. What would our lives look like if we really valued our time and the moments that we have to make an impact in this life? As I think about what I need to do with my time from this moment forward, a quote that I heard recently comes to mind; “Look up, get up, and don’t ever give up!” There’s no better time than right now to realize your potential of making this life phenomenal for you and all those around you. Question is are you up for it at this time? “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.” Harvey MacKay “Time goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life. You must never miss the opportunity to tell these people how much they mean to you.” “Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.” Andrew Jackson “Life is all about timing… the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable become available, the unattainable… attainable. Have the patience, wait it out It’s all about timing.” Stacey Charter “Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.” “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Steve Jobs

Saturday Afternoon Thoughts on Your Circle of Selflessness 3/9/13

Finally, sat down to put a few things on paper as there have been quite a few thoughts floating around my head recently. I am beating myself up a little bit as I vowed to write more in 2013, so I guess I am playing catch up now. Life happens and when it does, it never fails that you realize something that may have been there all along. The last week and a half has been a pretty long after learning about the unexpected passing of my classmate Marco McMillian. For me a reminder of how precious life, relationships, and time is. For the last week and a half, the conversations that my classmates and anyone who knew Marco opened our eyes to even more about who he was and who we are. His selfless acts from college until now, have helped so many people and I like so many others were truly honored to have known him. For me, so many reflections and an appreciation for what I have learned from this tragedy. Thinking about my friend and what his life has taught me about being selfless, humility, and your circles. Well, over time I have confirmed and believed that our circles are a direct reflection of who we are. As I think of people who are truly selfless people, they often associate themselves with other selfless people. Do you find that you are more selfless? Or selfish? Yourself? With your time? Your talents? These are very good questions to ask yourself as you examine what you surround yourself with daily. This would be a great exercise to help you prepare for tomorrow. Have you reached your full potential? Have you ever thought that your selflessness is actually here to help you grow? As we give of ourselves we learn more about not only others, but ourselves. Its a process and it is that thing that must continue in our lives and our circles. If you get nothing more than this statement, then I can't be mad as it is pretty powerful. Cherish every moment, every interaction, and every chance meeting as no one knows what the next moment may look like. Appreciate what the past has taught us, do whatever you have to do to enjoy this moment, and live today for tomorrow is not promised to anyone. I ask that prayers continue to be sent up for the family and friends of Marco McMillian during this time. Even during sadness, positive thoughts and actions still need to be present. #PositiveMovementsForward no matter what. “Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment.” Anthony Robbins “Our task must be to free ourselves...by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” Albert Einstein “We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.” Buddha “In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” Flora Edwards “Real love is when you become selfless and you are more concerned about your mate's or children's egos than your own. You're now a giver instead of a taker.” Sylvester Stallone “The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are” C.S. Lewis “without selfless service, no one ever receives the fruits of their rewards.” Sri Guru Granth Sahib “When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts, the circle of Creation is completed inside us, the doors of our souls fly open, and love steps forth to heal everything in sight.” Michael Bridge

Sunday Afternoon Thoughts on Being in the Right Place 01/06/13

The calendar has turned and it is now 2013. I close my eyes and wonder where did 2012 go. The older I get I swear the faster the years go by, so its even more important to take advantage of every moment. Yesterday, I celebrated another birthday, and I can't help but be humbled by all of the warm birthday wishes from my family, friends, and loved ones. I am truly at a very happy place in life right now, but I still have to ask if I am at in the right place. As I reflect on my learnings from 2012, I can't help but be excited about the opportunities that are before me in 2013. I have been thinking about several things that will allow me to continue to move forward to the place that I am destined to be. If you know anything about me, you can probably figure out what I may just start writing about. Preparing to watch the NFL Playoffs today and I can't lie and say I wasn't moved by ESPN's piece on former Ravens player OJ Brigance.(If you haven't seen it, please youtube it) OJ Brigance was stricken with a disease called A.L.S. which over a period of time caused him to lose the ability to utilize his extremities as well as his voice. At the time of his diagnosis he and his family were told the life expectancy was anywhere from 2 - 5 years, and here in 2013 they are enjoying moving past year 5. OJ became a member of the Ravens staff as an advisor and has been inspiring the organization daily even after being confined to a wheelchair and losing the ability to speak. Watching this made me think about a lot of things in my life, but most importantly what am I doing in my current place. I started to ask myself a few more questions about my place. Where is this place that I am? How did I get here? Is this the place I want to be? Am I moving or just running in place? Take a moment and think about things that have been placed in your life. Why have obstacles been placed in your path? Why have certain people been placed in your life? What are the blessings that have been placed in your life? You hear it all the time that everything happens for a reason, but often times we don't embrace what has happened as we are so concerned with the why it happened. What would happened if we understood our place and moved forward to exist in the place until we outgrew it? Maybe sometimes we are still in the same place because we are still the same and nothing has changed about us, our circle, or our thoughts. Just something to think about. As I live my life from this day forward, I know that I am traveling on the road to the place that I am supposed be. Still finding my way, but thankful for the people along they way that are helping me get there. Here's to much success in the New Year as you get to your place. Live life, enjoy the moment, and be phenomenal always! “When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place” CS Lewis “Sometimes the best way to figure out who you are is to get to that place where you don't have to be anything else.” “There is no value in life except what you choose to place upon it and no happiness in any place except what you bring to it yourself.” Henry David Thoreau “You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace.” Ernie Banks “Each moment is a place you've never been.” Mark Strand “In the wild struggle for existence, we want to have something that endures, and so we fill our minds with rubbish and facts, in the silly hope of keeping our place.” Oscar Wilde