Tony Robbins - Tiny Changes Mean Huge Results

Change comes

Change Comes

Change comes.  Remember, In life we are either moving forward or backwards.  Life doesn’t let you stand still, stand in place.  Change means reinvention. In life, major shifts happen.  We lose a job, we change jobs, we move locations, lose a loved one, and each time we have to take control of who we are and who we will become.

We have all reinvented ourselves, whether we realize it or not.  

It is important to choose to reinvent yourself, rather than letting life do it for you. Plan a new path deliberately and with foresight.  Do not wait for your future to find you, it may never come and then, there you are, stuck in the same place and years older. That old saying, plan your life, or life gets planned, for you. 

Returning from Vacation

Returning from Vacation  8/2013

This summer, I really struggled to set aside some time and take a much-needed vacation.  At the last minute, and after much hand-wringing, I made the decision to fly to Aspen, CO., and spend time with friends who have a house there.

After a long day of traveling, I finally made it to their house which sits up high on top of a mountain presenting spectacular views from way above the treetops. There is a lot to do in Aspen, hiking, biking, eating, and walking the town. People are nice there and the air is clean and crisp. 

These days, with technology and remote access, you’re not very far from work.  But on this trip, I made it a point to ignore business emails and calls, and just tries to relax.

I find vacations, (those more than just weekends at the beach) aside from recharging your batteries a little and reducing stress, give one hope. That’s right, I said HOPE. 

By mid-week, I took on the Ute Trail, which is a steady climb up a rocky, serpentine path.  Battling the altitude along the way, I finally made it to the top and sat down on a large rock formation to enjoy the magnificent view of the Aspen Valley.  I was exhausted, yet I was overcome with hopefulness. Hope for my future, which is due for some dramatic changes.  I felt hopeful for change in my life, and hope for future possibilities for happiness.

At my age, after spending 25 years in one industry, I know that change for me is just around the corner. I have always believed, that in life, you’re either moving forward or you’re moving backward, there is no standing still.  Life won’t let you do that. So rather than just embracing change as it comes, at this point in my life, I feel it’s better to be fearless, positive and proactive.  Discover your passions, and move in that direction. That’s the decision I have made.  It just came to me while sitting on that rock formation, my feel dangling over the edge. 

My advice………….don’t stop making goals.  Be smart, but don’t stand still.  From the movie South Pacific, one line that I always use to say to my friends, and advice I rarely followed, that is, “ You eat life, or life eats you”.  I finally understand that that means. 

While driving around Frederick, Maryland recently, I came upon a historic graveyard, home to Barbara Fritchie, among others.  Graves dating back to the birth of our country. 

I learned about Barbara Fritchie in grade school and for whatever reason, she has stayed on my mind for my entire life. 

From Wikipedia:   According to one story, at the age of 95 she waved the Union flag in the middle of the street to block, or at least antagonize Stonewall Jackson's troops, as they passed though Frederick in the Maryland Campaign. This event is the subject of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem of 1864, Barbara Fritchie. When Winston Churchill passed through Frederick in 1943, with President Roosevelt on their way to Shangra-la (now Camp David), he recited the poem from memory,^[2] an excerpt of which follows.

"Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,
But spare your country's flag," she said.
A shade of sadness, a blush of shame,
Over the face of the leader came;
The nobler nature within him stirred
To life at that woman's deed and word;
"Who touches a hair of yon gray head
Dies like a dog! March on!" he said.....

Barbara Fritchie died at the age of 96 and was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery, in Frederick City, Maryland.

- I entered the cemetery on a lovely blue sky summer's day.  I was alone in that grave yard and I stood silently, listening to the slight breeze rustle through the trees. I felt the energy of the grave yard, ancient spirit's surrounded me. It was quite a moment, and I was compelled to write this poem. The words just flowed through my fingers.

Sea of Stones

Wandering in a Frederick grave yard

Their souls greeted me at the gate

I felt their presence all around me

As I rejoiced in their afterlife

I felt as if in a fog, though, I could see clearly. 

The rich blue sky, deep and inviting

I stood in a sea of stones, listening to their hungry souls, as if, left behind. 

"All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination. Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth."Napoleon Hill 

Walking in circles

WALKING IN CIRCLES

Dr. Jan Souman, of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, studied what happens to us when we have no map, no compass, no way to determine landmarks. I’m not talking about a metaphor—he researched what happens to people lost in the woods or stumbling around the Sahara, with no north star, no setting sun to guide them.

It turns out we walk in circles. Try as we might to walk in a straight line, to get out of the forest or the desert, we end up back where we started. Our instincts aren’t enough. In the words of Dr. Souman, “Don’t trust your senses because even though you might think you are walking in a straight line when you’re not.”

Human nature is to need a map. A map, written by you, of the things you want to accomplish in life. Without a map, or a plan, or goals, you’re set adrift, life happens to you, not the other way around.   I saw a movie once, about the South Pacific, a line from the movie was, “ You eat life, or life eat you”. Set goals, create a map, that’s how you get things done. 

Not just a coat of paint!

I just painted four rooms in my house, four rooms that were in dire need of paint on the walls. It’s the final leg in a complete renovation of my house, which started back in 2004.  Yes, I move slowly, but after doing a kitchen, master bath, wood floors, new roof, etc., I needed a break both mentally and monetarily.  Through the years, I haven’t always been in love with my home, for me, it was just a big nuisance, and at times, an expensive one. Nevertheless, I made the decision to complete the final items here that were long overdue, starting with finishing these last four rooms.  I brought in a color coordinator, we decided on paint colors, and I hired a painter.  The walls were so badly beat-up, the painters spent two full days just patching and plastering.

Friday evening, I arrived home and I couldn’t wait to see how it all turned out.  As I moved from room to room, admiring the painter’s handy work, I was so pleased with the outcome; I wondered why I had waited all these years. I mean, I could have been enjoying these rooms, this house. I felt a complete attitude change come over me.  As I sit here in my living room, typing these words, I’m completely in love with my house, perhaps for the first time since I originally purchased it.

It’s a coat of paint people! 

This got me to thinking. Such a minor change, yet, it set me off on a completely new and positive direction. Imagine, making a minor change in your life, and what new paths it might offer for you down the road. 

Forget the big stuff for now, that job change you have been contemplating, or moving to another city, I’m just talking here about making minor changes.  I have found that even small changes in your life, the way you do things, the way you interact, can have a profound effect on the quality of your life and plant the seeds for a more happy and fulfilling journey. Simple changes can make a big difference. Perhaps buying some new clothes, or a new suit.  Drive to work taking a different route, get on a dating site, or bring your wife flowers.  Give an old friend a phone call, take a class, or start eating healthy. In your job, perhaps branching off on a new idea, making a few extra phone calls each day, or start setting up more networking lunches. 

Get out of your routines, or perhaps, do the opposite of what you always do.  See what happens.

Stay happy my friends…….trust me, life moves fast, you blink and a chunk of it is gone……A friend of mine said, rightly so, “if not now, when?”