I Have A Confession…

“I have a confession”, our son told me last night as I was checking in on my social media routine.

His confession was nothing alarming.  You see, we recently made an agreement that if he reaches a certain goal (with one of his daily chores) by the end on this month, he can pick out some Lego pods from the Lego store at Disney World (we live next door to Disney World).

However, while I was in Anchorage, Alaska this week, my wife got him one of these Lego pods.  They are small and inexpensive, in the big picture.

He was worried that he broke some sort of deal with me.  He did not. Not as far as I’m concerned anyway.

What he really did though, was remind me how thankful I am to have placed so much time and energy (worry) on developing honesty as a core value.  “You will never get in trouble for telling the truth”, is the mantra he’s heard over and over again.

This also makes me thankful for repetition.  Over and over again. Repetition is the “mother” of all learning.  It is the root of evil and the root of goodness.  But only if we focus on it, over and over again.

Mid Life in Finland?

Mid Life in Finland?

Yes.  Arrived yesterday.

Woke at 5AM local time, after a good eight hours of restful sleep.

Today is a brand new day. Of course, being at the Master’s World Championships is a huge jolt to my mid-life psychological stimulation.

I mean, who would have every thought? Me. World Championships?

What I try to do, and what I have already done, is stay motivated to live a Mid Life Celebration, so my wife and young son can see that Mid-Life is a blessing to be looked forward to.

Not some curse of mid-life crisis.

Make it a GREAT day, because if you don’t, who will?  If not today, when?

Carpe diem, from Lahti, Finland.  jeff noel  🙂

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Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!  I say let your affairs be as one, two, three and not a hundred or a thousand…..  We are happy in proportion to the things we can do without”.   — Henry David Thoreau

Sure looks good on paper.

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot on my plate:

  1. Faith
  2. Family
  3. Career

These are the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Each one has a subset of additional topics.

1. Servant, Disciple, Church, Prayer, Emmaus Brothers, Catechism, First Holy Communion, Lector, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Cub Scouts, Networker, Volunteer, Innovator.

2. Servant, Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Uncle, Nephew, Cousin, Neighbor, Friend, Home Owner, Yard Man, Mechanic, Pet Owner, Chief Financial Officer, Investor, Small Business Owner, Writer, Professional Speaker, Student, Leader, Teacher, Historian, Networker, Innovator, Runner, Athlete, Comedian.

3. Servant, Leader, Follower, Team Member, Teacher, Professional Speaker, Idea Generator, Envelope Pusher, Ambassador, Spokes Person, Student, Trainer, Lead Generator, Historian, Writer, Helper, Friend, Colleague, Profit Driver, Innovator, Traveler, Listener, Planner, Comedian.

No wonder it’s so challenging for me to relax.

I’ll tell you what though, I would rather be aware of this and consciously and consistently work on simplification, than to be oblivious.

Plus, the harder I work, the luckier I get.

Carpe diem!

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First Holy Communion

Our eight-year old son will receive his first Holy Communion today.

Wow!

Who would have ever thought I’d be a father?

My life centered around me for about 40 years, although I never admitted it.

The past decade, thanks to this Mid Life Celebration, it’s been a journey of Rethinking, Reprioritizing, and Recommiting.

The hardest part was simplist part. Rethink. Reprioritize. Recommit.

It takes effort, but like any good investment, it grows exponentially over time. They call it the magic of compound interest. It works as well with your time, as it does with your money.

Carpe diem, and spend wisely. jeff noel 🙂