We May Never Pass This Way Again

We May Never Pass This Way Again

As I prepared our dogs for their trip from NYC to Las Vegas, I couldn’t stop singing the words from the old Seals and Crofts song We May Never Pass This Way Again – it’s all about the connection between yesterday and tomorrow, and it described what I was thinking.

Life, so they say, is but a game and we let it slip away….

I think the dogs liked all of the places we’ve been in their 12 years – Las Vegas, Laguna Beach, New York, and the Adirondack Mountains.  And now that they’re back in Las Vegas I wonder if they think about where they’ve been, or just focus on where they are?   Because looking back can certainly let today slip away…..

Dreams, so they say, are for the fools and they let ‘em drift away….

It’s easy to wish we could go back to yesterday because tomorrow represents the unknown, and that scares us.  It’s also common for people to obsess about what they didn’t do rather than all they might accomplish.  Most of us are somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow and so we run the risk of missing the moment we’re in, and then that moment drifts away....

Like Columbus in the olden days,

We must gather all our courage.

Sail our ships out on the open sea. 

Cast away our fears, and all the years will come and go, and take us up, always up.…           

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

We need to face today with courage, because no matter what, the years will come and go; but if we let all of our experiences fill us up, then we’ll be smarter and better prepared for whatever happens. That’s how to never have any regrets; even if:

We may never pass this way again.

Remember: what we take away from each of our experiences is never lost!

My message this week is about happily facing each day with a sense of purpose:

“The key to a happy life is to have accomplishments to be proud of and purpose to look forward to.”  Jeff Lindsay

Are you happy? Not the kind of happy where you’re laughing or walking around with a silly grin on your face, but rather the kind that makes you feel good about yourself.   The key to feeling good about yourself is knowing who you are and what you’re capable of, developing knowledge, skills and abilities to do good things for those who are counting on you, and believing in yourself.  Put these into place in your life and you’ll have accomplishments to be proud of and purpose to look forward to.  And then you’ll be happy, and those around you will be happy, and success will more easily be yours!

Stay well!                        

                   

Majestic

                      Majestic  

I flew around the country this week, going from New York to Edmonton to San Francisco to Las Vegas. I saw friends and clients, and ended up with family.  And as I flew the last leg from the Bay Area to the Strip, flying over the Sierra Nevada Mountains clearly got me thinking about the majesty of life.

The snowcapped mountains sparkled in the setting sun, reminding me of the beauty and breadth of this land of ours. And in the dying light of Valentine’s Day, I couldn’t help but feel that it’s times and sights like these that we live for. Not even the travel fatigue brought on by gate and customs agents could dampen my excitement to be going home.

Seeing my granddaughter, who grows by the day and was standing wearing sunglasses when I walked in: she’s my new Valentine! A big hug from the mother of my granddaughter – such a nice present from the daughter we love. Dinner with my wife for Valentine’s Day: a great end to a long week.  And a birthday party for my Mom, who turns 92 in the midst of this trip: her continued thirst for life is an inspiration and a blessing.  And having the four women in my life, together: that’s a pretty good Valentine’s gift.

In spite of the goals and resolutions we set for ourselves, life tends to take over and we end up running farther and faster than we should, past the things and people that mean the most to us.  And so when chances come along to slow down – like on Valentine’s Day – we should take full advantage of them to remember what’s really important.  That’s when we need to gaze at all the majestic places and people in our lives. 

My message this week is about love and happiness:

“Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” Robert Heinlein

Love and integrity are joined together in most things in life.  Because love is best when it involves another person, openness, honesty, and integrity are keys to it being what each person wants and needs.  And the happiness that comes from this is what allows relationships to endure.  The same is true about the relationships at work, where honesty and openness form the basis for how people interact with co-workers and customers.  Strive to make others happy today and see how good life can be.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Stay well!

                                Dire Predictions!

 

I apologize for being late with this week’s message, but I got distracted by all the hype about the huge nor’easter that’s supposed to hit today.  Every news – no, make that every communication – channel is broadcasting dire predictions and warnings about what they say is going to be the worst storm since…….; and like everyone else around here, I am in the grip of this hysteria.

They’re calling the storm Nemo, and predicting it will cause blinding blizzard conditions, massive snow falls, snarled traffic, grounded airlines, widespread power outages, and possible food shortages. Government officials and network anchors are urging everyone to stay indoors.  Stock up and hunker down!

I just ran out and stocked up on stuff that will sustain me if these worst fears are realized, and by the size of the lines at the stores, nearly everyone else around here is doing the same.  But in the back of my mind I’m wondering why my parents and neighbors didn’t freak out like this when I was a kid and we had five foot snowfalls that kept us indoors.  How come nobody back then worried as we pulled on our snowsuits and headed out to make snowmen and forts, and ride our toboggans and sleds recklessly down any hill we could find?  The only dire warnings we got were not to put our tongues on the metal runners of our sleds.

Seems to me that snow storms back then were times of joy and fun, not fear and warnings.  They were times when fires in the fireplace and mugs of hot chocolate were the warm things we came home to; now we don’t even go out because “they” say it’s too dangerous.  I clearly and fondly remember those moments at dusk when the snowflakes were lit by street lights and made us feel like we were safe and all alone in that winter wonderland.  Maybe that was because there were no 24 hour news cycles looking for the next big thing to scare us. 

For sure it’s going to snow tonight, and it may even accumulate in some places.  But as long as people approach things with common sense, and are considerate of one another, then the wonder of watching snowflakes in the light and the thrill of riding toboggans down a hill will be the things we remember, and not the terrible things that are meant to scare us into remaining glued to the weather channel.

My message this week is about being ‘in the moment’ and getting the most out of everything you experience and do:

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Eleanor Roosevelt

How’s your life treating you? If it’s not all that you want, that may be a case of what you get is what you accept.  In truth, the lives of those we admire are that way because they actively go out and make them so.  Those people live their lives to the fullest: they know what they want, they make plans to achieve their goals, they adjust along the way as needed, and they fight to keep them that way. They are fearless in their approach to getting what they want, and that usually results in a rich set of experiences and rewards.  So if your life or job isn’t exactly what you want, make a plan to change it.  The best lives and jobs are the ones we have: the challenge is to make them the ones we want!

Stay well!

 

Another Dog Story

                Another Dog Story

 

We brought our dogs to Brooklyn two years ago and they’ve done pretty well on the streets of New York.  And now, like us, they’re going home.

 

Home is now in Las Vegas again.  And while I’ll continue to live in Brooklyn and work in NYC, they’ll be back where they started. They and I have learned a lot here: they like walking with me no matter where it is, getting to know new routes and people and dogs is a fun experience, and sniffing the streets here is like you and me going to a buffet.  And in these things, they’re a lot like you and me: we all adapt quickly when we’re with those we love and trust, and it’s good to remember to seek out the familiar in the midst of change; experiencing and getting to know new things is how any of us grow in life, and when that stops we start to grow old and slow down; and sniffing out all that’s new and exciting (and tasty) is something we should never cease nor grow tired of.

 

Life is full of changes and we should view these as opportunities to learn and grow.  And even better if those changes are done with those we love and trust.  While everyone says they’re okay with change, deep down we all like things to stay the same so that we can deal with the familiar and comfortable.  But try as we might,change often takes us into uncharted areas full of anxiety and worry….that is, until we get a little experience and familiarity, and then it all feels good again.  So as we settle in to the second month of 2013, embrace the opportunities that the New Year brings and find ways to enhance your knowledge, experiences and friendships. That’s how to get the most out of life.

 

My message this week is about doing all you can to be as good as you can:

 

“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, or call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” Jane Howard

 

Hilary Clinton once wrote that it takes a village to raise children to become responsible adults.  This concept - of a group of like-minded people coming together for a common purpose - is not unlike the environment needed at work to produce excellent results.  Because people who work together need to come together to provide the kind of services needed to attract, satisfy and retain customers.  And whether you’re a line employee or a supervisor, you need to act responsibly and professionally in order to do your part to satisfy these needs. So make sure you know what’s needed and what you can do to make your efforts as good as they can be.  Do that with the kind of positive attitude that motivates and inspires others.  That’s called a team….and whoever you are, you need one!

 

 

Stay well!