Tag: Life

Joy Is A Choice

Joy is a choice I get to make every moment of every day.  Same with you, even if it doesn’t seem so.

Did I mention that I have a pile of emotional baggage as big as many of you?

Did I mention that my wife and I are disabled?

Did I mention we spent our life savings to become parents?

Did I mention our son has an incurable disease?

Did I mention that I’ve overcome addiction?

The list goes on and on. So please, please don’t say, “But you’ve got it made.  You are living the dream.  You are so fortunate.”

This would generally be considered an insult, and completely disrespectful.  And maybe the beginning of an excuse.

But forgiveness rushes in and all that’s left is joy.  Almost unspeakable joy.

Addicted to Thankfulness?

It is extraordinarily uncommon to be fully conscious and in the moment all day, every day.

Why?  No seriously, why?

If being thankful is such a blessing, why do we spend so little time doing it?  Perhaps the same can be said for being healthy.

If being healthy is such a blessing, why do we spend so little time getting and staying healthy?

I think it’s because we over commit, over schedule, and, under plan. There’s a saying, “Failure to plan is planning to fail.”

I’m addicted to thankfulness.  Grateful for the ability to think about issues like this. Excited to have daily challenges. Encouraged by slow and steady progress toward reconciliation.

Yes indeed, thankfulness is a drug. Don’t forget to take your medicine.

Mid Life Ailments Thankfully

“This is true joy in life. … To be a force of nature, not a feverish clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” – George Bernard Shaw

If I focused on my ailments and grievances, that’s all you’d hear me talk about.

Instead, I’m thankful that my feet hurt after a long day of standing and teaching others.

There are people who wish they had sore feet.  Well actually, they simply wish they had feet.  Not everyone does.

This reminds me to be thankful for everything. Everything.  Ya with me?

Be Afraid to Stop

“Be not afraid of going slowly;  be only afraid of standing still”. — Chinese Proverb

I just wrote a blog post at jeff noel.com about this very subject.  About wondering if now is the right time, if the current approach is the right approach.

This type of potential self-doubt and potential fear, can sabatoge us from breaking through to something we can be great at.  And something we should be great at.  It’s just that we are late bloomers and are playing catch up.

This time delay – from creating a compelling vision – to it actually materializing, takes way longer than most people can comprehend.  This is why people give up and stop,

So, be not afraid of going slow.   Be afraid of stopping.

Busiest Day of the Year?

“Tomorrow is always the busiest day of the year”. — Jonathon Lazear

Ain’t it the truth?  At least that’s the way it feels.  Why?

You may feel differently.  But for me, it seems like tomorrow is “the day” that, “I’ll finally be able to catch up with things“.  So I race hard to get so much done.

Time marches on and there is simply more to take the place of that which has been done.  Ever heard the phrase, “busy beaver“?  Beavers work hard every day, repairing their dam, fixing their den, looking for food, etc.  Seems there is always lots of work to do.

What’s the solution?  If I knew that, tomorrow would be looking like a vacation day, eh?