Moving backward to Go Forward
My daughter is learning how to crawl. The only problem is she is moving backwards like a car stuck in reverse. She is getting into the crawling position fine but when she pushes up with her little arms she slides backwards.
It’s cute to watch but I feel her frustration. The toy or object just out of reach and after a few moments of intense struggle she finds the goal seems to have moved further away than when she started.
It bothers me seeing her get frustrated even though I know it’s very much a part of the necessary learning curve. She has to go through this but before long she will be crawling, and then walking, and finally running. She has to get through this backward moment to propel forward.
This kind of thing happens to us as adults as well. You see it a lot when golfers learn a new swing. There is a period when their game actually gets worse. It takes time for them to integrate the new technique into their muscle memory.
A lot of us really feel like we are moving backwards when we leave a nice safe secure job to Start our own business, go back to school, or take care of the kids. This can be pretty much any life change that you can think of. There is that learning curve and breaking in time. It can be stressful while you endure it. However once you have surpassed that learning curve you will be up and running and glad you did it.
Adventure Deficet Dissorder
Do you ever feel tired and listless?
Do you ever get bored?
Is everyday not absolutely perfect in every way?
Well then friend you may be suffering from Adventure Deficit Disorder.
Well don’t worry we have pill you can take (warning: pill may actually increase undesired symptoms)
Don’t you love the way pharmaceutical advertisers install the negative feelings they are claiming be able to rid you of? Then they have a whole list of side effects some of which are actually worse than the condition they are claiming to cure.
Adventure Deficit Disorder (copyright pending) is simply lack of adventure and passion that drives our feeling of fulfillment.
I have a theory that many of the problems in people’s lives stem from a missing the level of adventure that they truly deserve.
Why do people drink to excess and do drugs? Because they are unsatisfied with their lives and they feel they lack the tools to live a compelling lifestyle.
Why do people cheat on their spouses and partners (Besides they are a Douche bags)? Because they are bored in their relationship.
Why do most businesses fail? Well according to E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber it’s at least partly because their owners get caught up and bogged down in the daily operations or boring parts of the business. Then they get burned out and loose the passion for which they started the business in the first place. Then it’s no longer the adventure they set out on but a just a job that they own. Their passion for the business dies & with it so does the business.
Now there is no magic pill for Adventure Deficit Disorder. Only certain things you can think and actions you can take to get to the level.
I will continue this train of thought in my next post. Until then make every day an adventure.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Helen Keller
Para-sailing over Clearwater Beach with the new helmet cam.
Make 2011 an Adventure
I don’t about you but 2010 was a very exciting year for me. Any time I start the year out on a different continent it makes for a very interesting year. A lot has happened for me this year including starting the year out in Australia, then witnessing the birth of my daughter and then leaving the safety and security of one of those job thingy’s.
It was a wild ride this year for many of us. If you like me had a lot of stuff happen this year you probably found that a lot of the stuff you feared didn’t happen or wasn’t as bad as you thought it was going to be.
My adrenaline charge of the year. Going from what I thought was a textbook delivery to the operating room for an emergency C-section.
2011 I think is going to be a break out year for a lot of us. You just have to keep the faith and keep moving. Whatever 2011 has in store for you don’t forget to look at it as an adventure. This is the foundation of my philosophy. View the wild ride of life as an adventure and it’s exciting now you are set to be pro-active instead of re-active.
All right I will get of the soapbox and into the Champaign!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Attitude of Gratitude
Tomorrow is thanksgiving here in America. A lot of people here have been having relatively hard times these last couple of years.
The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony had also known hard times escaping England because of religious persecution. Out of 102 passengers that boarded the Mayflower for America only 53 survived the first winter. Talk about hard times. Then their fortune turned when a Native American named Samoset walked boldly into their midst and welcomed them.
It was his tribes generosity that allowed the rest of the pilgrims to survive and have something to be thankful for their lives.
Each day should be looked at with an attidude of gratitude. If you have web access and can read this blog you are better off than a lot of people out there. Be Thankful and help somebody out less fortunate than yourself.
Since I have never done a text only post I think I will change it up. No picture this time.
I Believe I can Fly!
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Viddler video.I was at a workshop a couple of weeks ago and we were discussing the difference between an abundance or success consciousness and a poverty consciousness. The jist of what was being said is that if you train your brain to have a success consciousness you can do anything you want. As we were talking, this guy with this really whinny, nasally voice stood up and said “You can’t do anything! You can’t fly, not without an airplane!” So this week’s video clip is yes, me flying. And yes I am flying around a room without an airplane, wires or any mechanical device attached to my body, which was his stated criteria for not being able to fly.
The point is if you develop a success consciousness your brain will automatically look ways you can do things instead of reasons why you can’t.
This video is from Skyventure in Orlando. It is a big wind tunnel that actually blows you up in the air. It’s designed to train skydivers but it is great fun even if you have never been skydiving.
Painted Faces
It seems like people are always asking me what I looked like before I became bald with a goatie. This a pretty good picture of me so I thought I would share it.
It is kind of funny since my face is painted to blend in to the background. My wife paints peoples faces not so they blend in but so they stand out. In fact the painting of ones face is a ritual that dates back thousands of years across multiple cultures. Sometimes to beautify and sometimes to prepare for war. Either way the ritual can help instill confidence and make the psychological preparations for what ever endeavor they are about to embark upon.
Of course its always important to remember whatever face is worn it is whats underneath that counts.
Dr. Dolittle
My Friend Bill say that I talk a whole lot about animals. Well Bill I not only talk about animals I also talk to the animals.
Now I am not so crazy as to think the animals understand English (not fluently anyway). If you want learn to communicate better with animals with follow these tips.
- If you use a nice relaxed tonality, use a soft voice almost as if speaking to a child, open friendly gestures and a low non-threatening posture they will regard you as friendly and may approach.
- speak and move slowly
- If you posture up and use sharp tonality they usually will slink away or if they are large enough and feel threatened they may attack.
- Animals are tuned to the radio frequency WIFM (whats in it for me). The promise of food may certainly attract attention. If you can show them there is vested interest in them listening to you speak they will pay attention.
- when you are giving a command your tone should go down at the end of a sentence
Hey you know this stuff not only works with animals but it works with people as well. You don’t want to have as high a pitched voice as I have in the video. It’s good for animals and small children. But for for adults that would just be weird.
Only Ugly People Eat Mustard
About twelve years ago I was at a restaurant with one of my best friends and his four year old son.
He had ordered a burger his son and enthusiastically his son asked for him to put some mustard on for him. ‘No son’ he said ‘only ugly people eat mustard’. At the time I thought it was pretty funny and I made some remark about future therapy.
Not long ago I talked to my friend for the first time in a while. His son is graduating from High school and getting ready to go to collage. For some reason I remembered the mustard incident. To this day his son does not like mustard. The remarkable thing is he doesn’t know why.
The point is we have all been told lies. Most of the time these where told to protect us. Sometimes they where meant as jokes. Kids take most everything adults say very seriously. Sometimes they are just mistruths that someone passed on to them they didn’t even realize they are aren’t’ true or no longer apply. For instance; ‘All rich people are greedy’. Some rich people are the nicest people you will ever meet.
These things that people tell us shape our beliefs often without our even knowing it. Be careful what you tell your children and be very careful what you listen to.
LIFE
Last week was very special to me. I witnessed the birth of my daughter. My wife went through a very difficult labor in the end the doctor had to perform an emergency C-section. I used to think I was tough. After all I am a former U.S. Marine and I do know more than one Martial Art. However after seeing what my wife has gone through and how quickly she is recovering I realize I’ve got nothing on that one. My wife is one amazing lady.
My daughter is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. When I look into her deep blue eyes I am floating in a sea of gratitude. Who would have thought something so small would bring so much joy.
We have named our little miracle, Zoe which is Greek for life.
I want her to live up to her namesake and experience life to its fullest. I have already started the brain washing process. While giving her her bottle I will remind her in a soft pleasing tone that she will be going to a good univeristy, to only date nice guys, and that she should enjoy the small things in life.
I hope for you what I hope for my daughter that you live an enjoyable fulfilling life!
A Good Home for Mo
A couple of years ago I was listening to Denis Waitley speak and he was telling a a story about his older neighbor planting a shade tree that he would never feel the shade from.
I found this to be a most profound story about our disposable ‘instant gratification’ society. There is a definite need to act in ways that will improve life in the future, even if we never experience the results of our labor. Those that come after us can appreciate our labor… our legacies to them.
Enter project Mo. You see Mo is a Mighty Oak tree currently trapped in the guise of a potted plant. After hearing the Waitley story I planted an acorn that I then named Mo. It was a great lesson for me not to see things as they are but for seeing them for the potential for what they can be.
You see I have a vision for Mo. Although he currently only stands 5′ 8” one day he will be a nice shade tree. Birds will nest in him and children may climb him. I was quite the tree climber when I was kid. Perhaps a tire swing will hang from one of his lower limbs.
I nurtured and watered Mo and have transplanted him to the biggest pot I could find. The other day I went to move him and he had put a tap root down through the bottom of the pot.
The investment property I planned to move him too didn’t work out and I need someplace to plant him. My yard has too many large oaks already and there is no room for him to grow.
If you know of a nice sunny spot that we can plant him where no one will cut him down…. a place where he can grow to his full potential please let me know.
Remember to plant shade trees for others that you might not ever see the fruit of.
Mo's Dad
Join Our Mailing List
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Mar | ||||||
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 | |||||
