Looks like another blazing week in the Valley of the Sun with temperatures stuck in triple digits. I'm Trying to relax and stay cool on this Friday afternoon, reflecting on my interactions and things I have witnessed lately. The more I live, the more I start to focus on the things that people do versus what they say.
Lately, I have been engaged in a lot of discussions about life and relationships. There are many moments that make up our lives, and some of them begin to define our lives and relationships with people.
No matter what goes on in our lives we are faced with choices every day that we are here. In the moment of making decisions we are often relying on our past experiences or stepping out on faith in order to move forward. It is in that moment that we learn to trust our experiences and our instincts to impact our future.
I'm pretty sure that we can all go back and find a moment in a relationship and determine when we decided the kind of relationship it would be. I have some friends that knew the moment the first met someone that they would end up marrying them. I think that may have been a pretty powerful moment to have vision of a future with another person.
These thoughts about moments have also taken me to think about moments that we made decisions about taking things to the next level. And by next level I mean in our relationships and in our lives. What was it that had you going from good to great and from great to amazing?
Have you had any defining moments in relationships? Did they strengthen the relationship? Or weaken the relationship? Have you had a moment that made you want to be better? Better person? Better friend? Better companion? Better leader/role model? What can those around you say about you this moment?
At the same time that I ask these questions of myself, I can also ask what am I doing with this moment? Are we doing the right things in this moment so that we are looking forward to the next moment?
Regardless of what is going on in our lives, we should cherish this moment as we will never get it back. As you prepare to enjoy this weekend, appreciate where you are and enjoy the people in your life. The moment that you have tomorrow may be different, but the fact that you can enjoy it is the opportunity you must take advantage of.
Live life and be amazing!
“Any so-called material thing that you want is merely a symbol: you want it not for itself, but because it will content your spirit for the moment.”
-Mark Twain
“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”
-Oprah Winfrey
“I'd rather have a moment of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.”
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
-Buddha
“What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now.”
“You can't let one bad moment spoil a bunch of good ones.”
-Dale Earnhardt
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”
-Henry David Thoreau
“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares.”
-Henri Nouwen
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one”
-C.S. Lewis
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Reflections After Mother's Day 2011 5/10/11
Mother's Day weekend usually coincides with college graduations and family gatherings as mothers have the ability to bring people in from near and far. For me it has been a pretty decent weekend as I was able to enjoy some time with friends and extended family. Golf, good food, good times, and ice cold beverages was exactly the prescription needed for a relaxing weekend.
I had a few thoughts on the brain as I think about the impact that women have had on the world raising their children and taking care of their families. I don't know where I would be if I didn't have the love and support of my mother, surrogate mothers, and other motherly figures that have made an impact on me over the years.
As we look at our lives what it is it about the mother figures lives that contribute to our successes? Is it the nurturing component? Is it the desire to see the smile on their face knowing that they approve of your actions?
There's just something about a mother's love that makes you feel unlike anything else. No matter where we are in life or what we do, we will always believe that a mother's love will be there with us always in spite of. What have we learned from the mother figures in our lives that lead us to believe this? As, I started to answer this question I started to think about why we believe the things that we do.
There are so many statements or sayings that we have heard over time about believing; 'Seeing is believing,' 'Believe none of what you hear and everything that you see' etc. As I think about the role of mother's in our lives, they have shown us from the very beginning that their love is unprecedented through their words and actions toward us.
So as we think about what we believe, we should overlay what we have learned from our mother's as we move forward in our lives. I trust that this week is starting amazing for you and that you welcome the many blessings heading your way.
“Run your fingers through my soul. For once, just once, feel exactly what I feel, believe what I believe, perceive as I perceive, look, experience, examine, and for once; just once, understand.”
“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”
-Buddha
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
-Oprah Winfrey
“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.”
-Charles Kettering
“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be”
-George Sheehan
“Believe in your dreams and they may come true; believe in yourself and they will come true”
“Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution.”
-David Joseph Schwartz
“Love what you do. Believe in your instincts. And you'd better be able to pick yourself up and brush yourself off every day.”
“One comes to believe whatever one repeats to oneself sufficiently often, whether the statement be true of false. It comes to be dominating thought in one's mind.”
-Robert Collier
I had a few thoughts on the brain as I think about the impact that women have had on the world raising their children and taking care of their families. I don't know where I would be if I didn't have the love and support of my mother, surrogate mothers, and other motherly figures that have made an impact on me over the years.
As we look at our lives what it is it about the mother figures lives that contribute to our successes? Is it the nurturing component? Is it the desire to see the smile on their face knowing that they approve of your actions?
There's just something about a mother's love that makes you feel unlike anything else. No matter where we are in life or what we do, we will always believe that a mother's love will be there with us always in spite of. What have we learned from the mother figures in our lives that lead us to believe this? As, I started to answer this question I started to think about why we believe the things that we do.
There are so many statements or sayings that we have heard over time about believing; 'Seeing is believing,' 'Believe none of what you hear and everything that you see' etc. As I think about the role of mother's in our lives, they have shown us from the very beginning that their love is unprecedented through their words and actions toward us.
So as we think about what we believe, we should overlay what we have learned from our mother's as we move forward in our lives. I trust that this week is starting amazing for you and that you welcome the many blessings heading your way.
“Run your fingers through my soul. For once, just once, feel exactly what I feel, believe what I believe, perceive as I perceive, look, experience, examine, and for once; just once, understand.”
“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”
-Buddha
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
-Oprah Winfrey
“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.”
-Charles Kettering
“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be”
-George Sheehan
“Believe in your dreams and they may come true; believe in yourself and they will come true”
“Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution.”
-David Joseph Schwartz
“Love what you do. Believe in your instincts. And you'd better be able to pick yourself up and brush yourself off every day.”
“One comes to believe whatever one repeats to oneself sufficiently often, whether the statement be true of false. It comes to be dominating thought in one's mind.”
-Robert Collier
Tuesday Evening Thoughts after Good Friday 4/26/11
The Friday before Easter will always be Good Friday, but for some reason this particular Friday was a little more than good. The weather seemed to cooperate a little bit and it wasn't that unbearable as the high was only 89 when we anticipated mid 90's. Anytime that happens, my days easily go from good to great and sometimes amazing.
Just about third of the year is passed and all I can say where did the time go. The year has moved relatively fast and I can't say that I haven't enjoyed the ride. There are so many things going on in my life right that are
As I look at my life, my family, and circle of friends I see a lot situations where there is some sort of farewell or new beginning that is taking place. Recently lost another member of the family, but they lived a very full life. I do know that we will see them again and their memory will always be with us. I also have seen a lot of people within my circle move on to new opportunities in new places allowing for a new start.
I am learning now that sometimes its necessary to say farewell in some situations in order to grow. Through the many stages of our lives we may have to say farewell to things that we may have been comfortable with. We learn to live without people and things, but our living doesn't stop there. We can learn to create new legacies, new traditions, and new ways to get by.
Sometimes closing a chapter in our lives leads to a new chapter and maybe even a new book. There was a time that we all had to say good bye to our training wheels, favorite toy, or even our favorite blanket like Linus. There are times we need to let go of our security blankets and step out of our comfort zones in order to grow into our next season.
What was the toughest thing you ever had to part with? What were things like after? Were you stronger? What was the hardest thing you ever had to begin? What is imperative to have while laying a foundation for a new beginning?
As you move forward this week, embrace the opportunities before you that are preparing you to be amazing. Embrace the doors that may have closed for you as there is always another for you to open in order to walk over the next new threshold waiting for you. Don't be afraid to close any door that may need to be closed in order to move forward and the same holds true for opening doors.
“Don't be dismayed at goodbyes, a farewell is necessary before you can meet again and meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.”
-Richard Bach
“Here's to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.”
“Man's feelings are always purest and most glowing in the hour of meeting and of farewell”
-Jean Paul Richter
“If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
-Mary Pickford
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
“He who chooses the beginning of the road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determines the end.”
-Harry Emerson Fosdick
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
-Plato
“So many fail because they don't get started - they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin.”
-W. Clement Stone
“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”
-T. S. Eliot
Just about third of the year is passed and all I can say where did the time go. The year has moved relatively fast and I can't say that I haven't enjoyed the ride. There are so many things going on in my life right that are
As I look at my life, my family, and circle of friends I see a lot situations where there is some sort of farewell or new beginning that is taking place. Recently lost another member of the family, but they lived a very full life. I do know that we will see them again and their memory will always be with us. I also have seen a lot of people within my circle move on to new opportunities in new places allowing for a new start.
I am learning now that sometimes its necessary to say farewell in some situations in order to grow. Through the many stages of our lives we may have to say farewell to things that we may have been comfortable with. We learn to live without people and things, but our living doesn't stop there. We can learn to create new legacies, new traditions, and new ways to get by.
Sometimes closing a chapter in our lives leads to a new chapter and maybe even a new book. There was a time that we all had to say good bye to our training wheels, favorite toy, or even our favorite blanket like Linus. There are times we need to let go of our security blankets and step out of our comfort zones in order to grow into our next season.
What was the toughest thing you ever had to part with? What were things like after? Were you stronger? What was the hardest thing you ever had to begin? What is imperative to have while laying a foundation for a new beginning?
As you move forward this week, embrace the opportunities before you that are preparing you to be amazing. Embrace the doors that may have closed for you as there is always another for you to open in order to walk over the next new threshold waiting for you. Don't be afraid to close any door that may need to be closed in order to move forward and the same holds true for opening doors.
“Don't be dismayed at goodbyes, a farewell is necessary before you can meet again and meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.”
-Richard Bach
“Here's to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.”
“Man's feelings are always purest and most glowing in the hour of meeting and of farewell”
-Jean Paul Richter
“If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
-Mary Pickford
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
“He who chooses the beginning of the road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determines the end.”
-Harry Emerson Fosdick
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
-Plato
“So many fail because they don't get started - they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin.”
-W. Clement Stone
“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”
-T. S. Eliot
Friday Afternoon Thoughts on Decisions 4/1/11
Another Friday afternoon has come upon us and I am trying to enjoy it the best way I know how. I woke up this morning feeling a little relieved as I think I have finally started to get a lot off my chest. A quarter of the year has gone by and I am starting to believe that the year 2011 will be one of the defining years of my life.
The temperature is starting to heat up in the Valley of the Sun as the projected high is 98 degrees today. As I look at the thermometer of my life it seems to correspond well with the temperatures outside. There's been quite a lot on my mind for awhile and I think I have finally prepared myself to appropriately address my thoughts.
There is a lot of uncertainty in our lives from time to time, but that will never stop us from making decisions. Decisions are a part of life and they are necessary for everything from breakfast choices to retirement investment options.
The decisions that we make today will ultimately shape our tomorrow. We can't allow our past decisions to hinder us from making new decisions. With every new experience that comes from making a decision, there should be some growth for us.
What are some of the toughest decisions you have ever needed to make? What makes a decision tough? Is it harder to make a decision when it affects more than just you? Are there any decisions that you are reluctant to make? Why?
As you move forward in anything you do trust that you have knowledge, resources, and people around you to help you make good decisions. Move confidently into your weekend and prepare for more amazing things headed your way.
“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.”
-Flora Whittemore
“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.”
-Tom Robbins
“Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.”
-Keri Russell
“It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”
“A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion”
-Chinese Proverb
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure , the process is its own reward.”
-Amelia Earhart
“We can try to avoid making choices by doing nothing, but even that is a decision.”
-Gary Collins
“Don't you ever wonder maybe if you took a left turn instead of a right you could be someone different?”
“My basic principle is that you don't make decisions because they are easy; you don't make them because they are cheap; you don't make them because they're popular; you make them because they're right.”
-Theodore Hesburgh
The temperature is starting to heat up in the Valley of the Sun as the projected high is 98 degrees today. As I look at the thermometer of my life it seems to correspond well with the temperatures outside. There's been quite a lot on my mind for awhile and I think I have finally prepared myself to appropriately address my thoughts.
There is a lot of uncertainty in our lives from time to time, but that will never stop us from making decisions. Decisions are a part of life and they are necessary for everything from breakfast choices to retirement investment options.
The decisions that we make today will ultimately shape our tomorrow. We can't allow our past decisions to hinder us from making new decisions. With every new experience that comes from making a decision, there should be some growth for us.
What are some of the toughest decisions you have ever needed to make? What makes a decision tough? Is it harder to make a decision when it affects more than just you? Are there any decisions that you are reluctant to make? Why?
As you move forward in anything you do trust that you have knowledge, resources, and people around you to help you make good decisions. Move confidently into your weekend and prepare for more amazing things headed your way.
“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.”
-Flora Whittemore
“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.”
-Tom Robbins
“Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.”
-Keri Russell
“It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”
“A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion”
-Chinese Proverb
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure , the process is its own reward.”
-Amelia Earhart
“We can try to avoid making choices by doing nothing, but even that is a decision.”
-Gary Collins
“Don't you ever wonder maybe if you took a left turn instead of a right you could be someone different?”
“My basic principle is that you don't make decisions because they are easy; you don't make them because they are cheap; you don't make them because they're popular; you make them because they're right.”
-Theodore Hesburgh
Thursday Afternoon Thoughts - When Love and Passion are in the Right Place 2/17/11
Taking a quick moment out of the day to sit down and reflect on a few things. It should come as no surprise that my current thoughts happen to revolve around love and anything else that could be associated with the Valentine's holiday. Throughout this past weekend and especially on Monday, there was no escaping the holiday and the individuals that were either all for it or against it. Believe it or not, there are some people out here that do not like Valentine's Day one bit.
At first glance, you might see the holiday and focus on the love aspect in terms of a relationship only. What if we just pulled the word "LOVE" out for a moment and just started to pose a few questions that may get you to thinking.
What is love? What does it mean to love? What is it that you love? How do you show love? Do you love yourself?
My thoughts are all over the place right now after reading over those questions again. Like most things in life it all starts internally with us. We are always at the center of anything we do, but we often times fail to remember that it all starts with us. Love is a part of so many things that we do, but are we recognizing its presence in certain areas.
Take a quick moment and just think about your career or the job that you are currently involved in. Do you love what you do? Do you love where you are at? Depending on how you answer the questions, you may need to take a deeper look inside to determine if you are loving everything about yourself this moment.
Think about a food that you love to eat. How do you feel when the food is mentioned? Or how you feel when you are preparing it or sitting down to eat it? I am sure you may be having some problems describing the feeling, but I can bet that there's a smile on your face as you think about it more.
The more I think about it love has a power beyond anything ever imagined and affects not only relationships but careers, preferences, activities, and so many other things. When we have love for something no matter what it is we are willing to put are all into it to the very end. When the love is not there do we put our best foot forward?
In every aspect of your life, how different would things be when love and passion are in the right place at the right time. I think I have arrived at the place that my thoughts trying to get me to. When love and passion are in the right place things become clear.
So at the end of the day, if you can't love yourself how can you love anyone or anything else. Make it a point to love yourself and in turn that love will be shared with others as well as seen in everything that you touch. It's really no secret that if love and passion are in the right place that you are definitely on the road to amazing.
As you prepare to usher in another weekend, I hope that you are ready to embrace some amazing things that are in store for you. Love the moment and seize the opportunity to better prepared for the next amazing moment in your life.
“Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning.”
“A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.”
-John Maxwell
“We say we love flowers, yet we pluck them. We say we love trees, yet we cut them down. And people still wonder why some are afraid when told they are loved.”
“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
-Mitch Albom
“Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is.”
-Gary Zukav
“Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.”
“The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”
-Thomas Merton
“Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.”
-Hebbel
“Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.”
-Lao Tzu
At first glance, you might see the holiday and focus on the love aspect in terms of a relationship only. What if we just pulled the word "LOVE" out for a moment and just started to pose a few questions that may get you to thinking.
What is love? What does it mean to love? What is it that you love? How do you show love? Do you love yourself?
My thoughts are all over the place right now after reading over those questions again. Like most things in life it all starts internally with us. We are always at the center of anything we do, but we often times fail to remember that it all starts with us. Love is a part of so many things that we do, but are we recognizing its presence in certain areas.
Take a quick moment and just think about your career or the job that you are currently involved in. Do you love what you do? Do you love where you are at? Depending on how you answer the questions, you may need to take a deeper look inside to determine if you are loving everything about yourself this moment.
Think about a food that you love to eat. How do you feel when the food is mentioned? Or how you feel when you are preparing it or sitting down to eat it? I am sure you may be having some problems describing the feeling, but I can bet that there's a smile on your face as you think about it more.
The more I think about it love has a power beyond anything ever imagined and affects not only relationships but careers, preferences, activities, and so many other things. When we have love for something no matter what it is we are willing to put are all into it to the very end. When the love is not there do we put our best foot forward?
In every aspect of your life, how different would things be when love and passion are in the right place at the right time. I think I have arrived at the place that my thoughts trying to get me to. When love and passion are in the right place things become clear.
So at the end of the day, if you can't love yourself how can you love anyone or anything else. Make it a point to love yourself and in turn that love will be shared with others as well as seen in everything that you touch. It's really no secret that if love and passion are in the right place that you are definitely on the road to amazing.
As you prepare to usher in another weekend, I hope that you are ready to embrace some amazing things that are in store for you. Love the moment and seize the opportunity to better prepared for the next amazing moment in your life.
“Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning.”
“A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.”
-John Maxwell
“We say we love flowers, yet we pluck them. We say we love trees, yet we cut them down. And people still wonder why some are afraid when told they are loved.”
“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
-Mitch Albom
“Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is.”
-Gary Zukav
“Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.”
“The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”
-Thomas Merton
“Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.”
-Hebbel
“Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.”
-Lao Tzu
Monday Evening Thoughts on When Design Meets Desire 2/7/11
The weekend is over and I am sure that people are still talking about the Super Bowl. There were the events that surrounded the game as well as the commercials that people couldn't wait to see this year. Super Bowl weekend also represents a time for family/friends to get together to enjoy good times and good food. As we marvel at the activities of Super Bowl weekend, I wonder how often we think about what took place prior to the game. We can probably account for the regular season and the playoff games that made it possible for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers to meet for NFL Championship, but there's much more to it.
As I sat there watching the pre-game specials and then the game there were two words that remained stuck in my head; desire and design. I was trying to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday, but for some reason my intellectual side was itching to put some thoughts on paper. I sat there thinking about desire and design wondering why were these words popping into my head at this time. All of a sudden it started to make sense as I thought about the roads that the Packers and Steelers took that landed them in the Super Bowl.
Yesterday, we could all see the end result of a season of accomplishment and perseverance as the Packers proved successful in winning the Super Bowl. What didn't you see? You didn't see the memories of NFL Draft Day when Aaron Rodgers sat patiently waiting to be drafted before the first round was over. You didn't see the fifteen players from the Packers that were on injured reserve and didn't play in the Super Bowl.
If you take a step back for a moment, you can probably see it in this glaring example from the Super Bowl when design and desire meet. How is it that the Green Bay Packers can draft a quarterback to replace one of the greatest quarterbacks in history? It was by design I can only say as someone saw something in this young man. It was probably his desire to be the best and his desire to make those around him better.
So let's take a look at our own lives for a minute. Have you ever thought about how connected design and desire are? Can we have one without the other and truly be successful? What do you see as your life's design? What is it that you truly desire? Are you ready for design and desire to meet?
Personally, I think I have reached a point where the design of my life and the desires of my heart are just about ready to collide. When you can recognize a moment like this, you have made the statement that I am ready to embrace amazing.
As you prepare to make this an amazing week, try to enjoy each and every moment that you can as there are some things you just can't get back. Be blessed and ready to receive amazing.
“The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.”
-Robert Kiyosaki
“Good design is a lot like clear thinking made visual.”
-Edward Tufte
“Burning desire to be or do something gives us staying power - a reason to get up every morning or to pick ourselves up and start in again after a disappointment”
-Marsha Sinetar
“Design is intelligence made visible.”
-Alina Wheeler
“Our destiny changes with our thought; we shall become what we wish to become, do what we wish to do, when our habitual thought corresponds with our desire.”
-Orison Swett Marden
“Design is about making things good (and then better) and right (and fantastic) for the people who use and encounter them.”
-Matt Beale
“The desire of knowledge, like the thirst for riches, increases ever with the acquisition of it.”
-Laurence Sterne
“Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future."
-Robert L. Peters
As I sat there watching the pre-game specials and then the game there were two words that remained stuck in my head; desire and design. I was trying to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday, but for some reason my intellectual side was itching to put some thoughts on paper. I sat there thinking about desire and design wondering why were these words popping into my head at this time. All of a sudden it started to make sense as I thought about the roads that the Packers and Steelers took that landed them in the Super Bowl.
Yesterday, we could all see the end result of a season of accomplishment and perseverance as the Packers proved successful in winning the Super Bowl. What didn't you see? You didn't see the memories of NFL Draft Day when Aaron Rodgers sat patiently waiting to be drafted before the first round was over. You didn't see the fifteen players from the Packers that were on injured reserve and didn't play in the Super Bowl.
If you take a step back for a moment, you can probably see it in this glaring example from the Super Bowl when design and desire meet. How is it that the Green Bay Packers can draft a quarterback to replace one of the greatest quarterbacks in history? It was by design I can only say as someone saw something in this young man. It was probably his desire to be the best and his desire to make those around him better.
So let's take a look at our own lives for a minute. Have you ever thought about how connected design and desire are? Can we have one without the other and truly be successful? What do you see as your life's design? What is it that you truly desire? Are you ready for design and desire to meet?
Personally, I think I have reached a point where the design of my life and the desires of my heart are just about ready to collide. When you can recognize a moment like this, you have made the statement that I am ready to embrace amazing.
As you prepare to make this an amazing week, try to enjoy each and every moment that you can as there are some things you just can't get back. Be blessed and ready to receive amazing.
“The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.”
-Robert Kiyosaki
“Good design is a lot like clear thinking made visual.”
-Edward Tufte
“Burning desire to be or do something gives us staying power - a reason to get up every morning or to pick ourselves up and start in again after a disappointment”
-Marsha Sinetar
“Design is intelligence made visible.”
-Alina Wheeler
“Our destiny changes with our thought; we shall become what we wish to become, do what we wish to do, when our habitual thought corresponds with our desire.”
-Orison Swett Marden
“Design is about making things good (and then better) and right (and fantastic) for the people who use and encounter them.”
-Matt Beale
“The desire of knowledge, like the thirst for riches, increases ever with the acquisition of it.”
-Laurence Sterne
“Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future."
-Robert L. Peters
Dreary Monday Afternoon Thoughts 1/31/11
Just a little over 2 weeks removed from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend and holiday I find myself with a very heavy heart in addition to a lot of conflicting thoughts. Dr. King had a dream and I often wonder am I moving forward in the manner that he would have wanted me to. There are many people that came before me that paved the way for me to even be able to do some of things that I am doing now.
January is an important month for several different reasons in my opinion: the start of a new year, my birthday month, the MLK holiday and National Mentoring Month. I have to reference National Mentoring Month and the MLK holiday in the same sentence as I can sit back and see that they will forever be intertwined. Dr. King was a very influential man and his dreams/teachings still live on today through the many people that he was a mentor to while he was here.
As I think about starting a new year and setting goals I have to wonder how many of us are having conversations with our mentors as we move forward with in the year. Often times, I feel that we have mentoring relationships on many different levels that we fail to recognize. So as I think about this I wonder where I would be without a lot of the people that have influenced me throughout my life. I do feel as though sometimes I have taken for granted a lot of the interactions and life lessons, but I am often reminded of them in some form or fashion.
Most times I think we take for granted things we are able to see through the people we have in our lives. Mentoring is always happening around us in the form of not only what we hear, but what we see as well.
We have to do a better job of recognizing the situations and people that have been placed in our lives to as yet another opportunity to teach us. No matter how far you go in life there is always something for you to learn.
As I sit here on this dreary cold Monday afternoon thinking about Dr. King's dream and the people that have mentored me: I wonder if I am ready to answer my calling in life?
I think at some point we all reach that point where we ask ourselves some of these questions. Am I ready to answer my calling in life? If not, what is it that is stopping me? Have I already answered my calling? What is it that I am being called to do?
I pose those questions to myself as well as I don't want to take my experiences and relationships for granted as I know they are part of the foundation to prepare me for what I am being called to do. As you prepare to start your week and make it amazing for yourself and those around you I can only ask that you put a smile on your face while you are doing it!
“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
-G. K. Chesterton
“Most human beings have an absolute and infinite capacity for taking things for granted”
-Aldous Huxley
“One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity...”
-Edward de Bono
“Life is a gift. Never take it for granted.”
-Sasha Azevedo
“I keep my friends as misers do their treasure, because of all things granted us by wisdom, none is greater or better than friendship”
“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kindness that sands behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off thee word or action for the expression of gratitude.”
-Albert Schweitzer
“The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.”
-Helen Keller
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
-Maya Angelou
January is an important month for several different reasons in my opinion: the start of a new year, my birthday month, the MLK holiday and National Mentoring Month. I have to reference National Mentoring Month and the MLK holiday in the same sentence as I can sit back and see that they will forever be intertwined. Dr. King was a very influential man and his dreams/teachings still live on today through the many people that he was a mentor to while he was here.
As I think about starting a new year and setting goals I have to wonder how many of us are having conversations with our mentors as we move forward with in the year. Often times, I feel that we have mentoring relationships on many different levels that we fail to recognize. So as I think about this I wonder where I would be without a lot of the people that have influenced me throughout my life. I do feel as though sometimes I have taken for granted a lot of the interactions and life lessons, but I am often reminded of them in some form or fashion.
Most times I think we take for granted things we are able to see through the people we have in our lives. Mentoring is always happening around us in the form of not only what we hear, but what we see as well.
We have to do a better job of recognizing the situations and people that have been placed in our lives to as yet another opportunity to teach us. No matter how far you go in life there is always something for you to learn.
As I sit here on this dreary cold Monday afternoon thinking about Dr. King's dream and the people that have mentored me: I wonder if I am ready to answer my calling in life?
I think at some point we all reach that point where we ask ourselves some of these questions. Am I ready to answer my calling in life? If not, what is it that is stopping me? Have I already answered my calling? What is it that I am being called to do?
I pose those questions to myself as well as I don't want to take my experiences and relationships for granted as I know they are part of the foundation to prepare me for what I am being called to do. As you prepare to start your week and make it amazing for yourself and those around you I can only ask that you put a smile on your face while you are doing it!
“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
-G. K. Chesterton
“Most human beings have an absolute and infinite capacity for taking things for granted”
-Aldous Huxley
“One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity...”
-Edward de Bono
“Life is a gift. Never take it for granted.”
-Sasha Azevedo
“I keep my friends as misers do their treasure, because of all things granted us by wisdom, none is greater or better than friendship”
“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kindness that sands behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off thee word or action for the expression of gratitude.”
-Albert Schweitzer
“The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.”
-Helen Keller
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
-Maya Angelou
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