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“Abundance can be had simply by consciously receiving what already has been given.”

How important is insight? What is insight? Where does it come from?

When deciding whether you have a mid life crisis or a mid life celebration, you may consider using our God given ability to think. Not only can we think, but we can also use intuition.

So what is insight and how is it related to intuition?

Webster’s dictionary sums it up like this:

Insight – “the ability to see and understand the inner nature of things, especially by intuition.”

Why tell you that? Because it is reasonable to believe that eventually we’ll all be in a situation where we’ll look back on things (our life, in this example) and evaluate our effectiveness.

Typically, there are two things that trigger our need to evaluate. First and foremost is a “wake-up call”. Second, and far less common, is self-reflection – done in advance of any major life-changing event.

Please don’t misinterpret this message. Trust me, I’ve made more “mistakes” already, than most make in an entire 90-year lifetime. That’s one of the reasons I’m an expert at Mid Life Celebration.

The fundamental acts of self-reflection, prayer, meditation and being thankful, are all that are needed to start transforming your life. It certainly transformed my life.

If you remember yesterday’s post and the lyrics from “Cats in the Cradle”, you’ll surely know that the children you love, will turn out just like you.

Does this make you proud, or worried?

Make your day GREAT! And, “If your goal isn’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough.”

I’m constantly reminded of how our actions tell a story much more precisely than our thoughts and intentions. Whether it’s business or personal, what we do communicates far more than what we say.

This profoundly simple, yet simply profound fact has had the power to affect the way I live my life.

It quite literally has changed my life.

Many reading this might scratch their heads and wonder, “What is this crazy man talking about?” I’m okay with that.

It’s a very fundamental concept. Ever heard the cliche, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”?

Harry Chapin recorded a song long ago, entitled, “Cats in the Cradle”. If you’re still not sure what this concept means, these lyrics should make it crystal clear.

(Lyrics by Harry Chapin):

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin’ ‘fore I knew it, and as he grew
He’d say “I’m gonna be like you dad
You know I’m gonna be like you”

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home dad?
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then son
You know we’ll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, “Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let’s play
Can you teach me to throw”, I said “Not today
I got a lot to do”, he said, “That’s ok”
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, “I’m gonna be like him, yeah
You know I’m gonna be like him”

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home son?
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then son
You know we’ll have a good time then

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
“Son, I’m proud of you, can you sit for a while?”
He shook his head and said with a smile
“What I’d really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?”

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home son?
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then son
You know we’ll have a good time then

I’ve long since retired, my son’s moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, “I’d like to see you if you don’t mind”
He said, “I’d love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job’s a hassle and kids have the flu
But it’s sure nice talking to you, Dad
It’s been sure nice talking to you”

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He’d grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home son?
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then son
You know we’ll have a good time then

Make it a GREAT day, because if you don’t who will?

Are you one of those people that dreamt, during your youthful days, of a wildly fulfilling life? Have you let go of those dreams? Have you accomplished your dreams? Modified them? Forgotten them?

Or……

Are you quietly and steadily finding renewed purpose and hope in those idealistic youthful dreams?

This past Wednesday I heard keynote speaker, Mark Sanborn ( www.marksanborn.com ) at a Walt Disney World conference. He quoted a statistic we can all relate to – 76% of Americans say they are insanely busy. And that most Americans are proud of it. Not me. What about you?

My guess is the other 25% are really busy and have yet to climb to the insanity level.

We get to be so busy because we have so much coming at us that we are never taught to handle. Because we don’t know how to handle it, with effective life strategies and tactics, we become overwhelmed. And there is little chance we will ever break this chain. Death may set us free, perhaps.

Ever feel this way? Ever think about this kind of stuff?

Who’s got time to think about it? We’re all so insanely busy that we just keep turning up the heat, until we reach the boiling point. This is where things called wake-up calls arrive at our front door.

I’ve had quite a few wake-up calls in my life. Some I’ve heeded. Some I haven’t. And then the phone rings again. It’s for me. It’s my wake-up call again.

So what seemed logical, took forever to figure out. But once I started to spend time to Rethink, and then to Reprioritize, things actually started getting better.

And my life has gotten measurably better since I’ve Recommited to what matters most.

I can offer you hope and inspiration, but only if you want it. Needing it isn’t enough. You absolutely have to want it, or none of it will make a difference.

Here’s one of Life’s Secrets: You’ll see it when you believe it!

Good night and sweet (youthful) dreams. The ones where nothing seemed impossible and anything seemed possible.

PS. Here’s another secret that works for me, and maybe you too. And you can quote me on this one:

“If your goal isn’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough.”

The most important thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother. — Henry Ward Beecher

He who is taught to live upon little owes more to his father’s wisdom than he who has a great deal left him does. — William Penn