October 2009

When was the last time you did something for the first time? I know that life gets in the way of your hopes and dreams. There comes a time when you put away your youthful ambitions for the daily adult grind. Someone has to take care of the kids, pay the bills, do the dishes, right?
I think it’s time you cleanse a bit, wash off the dust, and reenergize your life. Take a class, start up a new hobby, join a club. Do something for YOU. Being a better spouse, lover, worker, whatever, starts with investing in yourself. Don’t have the time? How much time do you spend reading magazines, browsing the internet, watching t.v.? Pretty much wasting the one thing we never get more of, time.
Need help getting out of a rut? Need some ideas, or just some mentoring and coaching? Just drop me a line at contact@writingonlife.com, and I’ll get you headed in the right direction.

When’s the last time you changed something? Changing the channel or a song on your ipod doesn’t count. Change is inevitable. It’s going to happen. But, are things changing around you while you remain stagnant? When’s the last time you changed your hair, your workout, car, routine, career…the list goes on and on. There are plenty of things to do to spark the fire that’s been put out by years of the same old thing.
Recently, I changed careers. I found myself with a wardrobe full of navy uniforms, T-shirts and swish pants. As a financial advisor, it wouldn’t go over to well if I walked in to your home in workout gear. I’ve spent several thousand dollars buying suits and business casual, because as change came, I embraced it and rolled with the punches. I could of spent that money elsewhere, but I invested in me, and I feel like a million bucks. When’s the last time you felt that way? I’d say, you should feel that way every day. You’ve been blessed with life, family and friends, and the ability to do whatever it is that you set your mind to. Your life, your state of mind, everything around you is what you make of it. I say make it a million, and do it with a smile. Have a great day!

Stress. The good and the bad. Most people look at stress in a negative light. Work, the bills, family, the list goes on and on. It’s what you do with that stress that matters. Stress is a natural trigger telling the body that something is wrong, or that it could go wrong. You can let that feeling eat away at you can act on it. Stress is great, it let’s you know you’re alive. Let’s you know that there are things going on that need to be worked on. Without it all the things that you think are problems would become problems. That said, all the worrying you do, it’s unwarranted. Well, maybe not unwarranted, because your concerns are important. But, you can worry all day and night or you can focus on what you can do to change your situation. Worry brings on more worry that brings on real problems. Most time you just have situations to deal with, and what you do in those situations makes all the difference. Are you making the right decisions?

What do you value? How do you look at value and put a label on it? For me, I have a passion for leading people and helping them make their dreams come true. I’ve met with several people over the past couple weeks and the same message rings through with all of them. Life has made them put there dreams on hold. When you were a child did you have dreams of a mortgage, bills, debt, stress and worry? I highly doubt it. There was a sweet freedom that came with being young. As responsibility creeps in, we tend to start losing part of the vision, part of the dream. I can tell you right now that it doesn’t need to be like that. You want to accomplish something? Then do it. I’m certainly here to help. All you have to do is reach out and ask me. Business ideasn relationships, sales, marketing, leadership, social media…the list goes on and on. What are you doing to stop making the best of what you have and start making it better? What do you want to do and where do you want to be. I achieved at the highest level of the military and have led wildly successful sales teams. I’ve motivated a new generation of Navy Sailors to do great things. Now I’m working in the finance world, more importantly working on giving back to the community and giving my help to you. Want to find success in a certain part of your life? Let’s talk about it and get you headed in the right direction. Either that, or you can continue doing what you’re doing, while achieving the same results. I think some may call that being crazy, no? Have a great day!

Memorization makes me feel like some sort of robot. Certainly not human. Prepackaged replies and scripted pitches take away all of the natural communication that comes with doing business. When I’m working with someone, I want to be sincere and honest. I shouldn’t be rattling off some flavor of the week sales pitch that I spent all week memorizing. What happened to shaking hands and smiling. Now that sort of thing is done to go through the motions. It has nothing to do with a sincere desire to build a lasting relationship. It’s sad that things have turned out that way, because when your life ends, that’s what will matter the most. Not the car, house, nifty coffee maker. You’ll look back on the relationships you’ve built, and hopefully your memories will be filled with a genuine love for others. It’s either that, or you’ll remember all your memorization, seems like programming to me. What do you think?

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I look out into the unknown and am excited. The past nine years has taught me a great deal, and I am forever grateful to the Navy for getting me where I am today.
Life throws you many curveballs. How do you handle what’s coming at you? Are you ready to react? Are you going to be ready when the time comes?
I was at a point I my life where I was feeling unfulfilled and under utilized. I knew that there were a lot of things I wanted to do in my life, and being stuck on a ship for 6 months was not going to get me there. The only way to push forward though, was to take an incredible leap of faith and leave the military.
I’m leaving behind the safety and security that the military brings to my family. I’m confident in my abilities though, and know that I can do great things out there. You can too. Don’t get so bogged down with life that you forget to give thanks for what you have. Life could be a lot worse. I hear about people trying to make ends meet. Try living in a fox hole for 18 months and taking mortar hits. What about all the military widows out there? How do they go on?
The big picture here is that it can always be worse. Why dwell on that? Don’t give it another thought and start thinking that it WILL get better. It is better. Walk around with a smile on your face and say hello to people. Love those around you and feel good about who you are. There is only one of you, and that simple idea is the most powerful in the universe. This isn’t rocket science folks. Put that smile on, hold your head up, and take ownership of your life. You can do anything. Seriously.

We all want the best for our kids. If you don’t have kids, then you want the best for those you’re close to. As you plan for the future, what are you doing to make sure that you’re making the necessary steps for success?
Do you know where you’re going? More importantly, do you know how you’re getting there? Not having at least a 5 year plan is like taking a trip without a map, well maybe without GPS or mapquest.
Really though, you can go through each day blindly, but I can guarantee unless you hit the lotto you’re not going to like where you end up.
The bottom line though, is that it is so simple to sit down and map things out. People just don’t do it. Maybe it’s because you don’t want to find out where you really are. It’s like that sickening feeling when you realize you really are lost, and it’s in the wrong part of the city. The place where you lock the doors in fear as you pull up to a red light.
Well, is that what you’re doing with your life?
What are your goals? What do you want next year? 5 years? Ask yourself where you want to be, what you want to accomplish. Then, write it down and place it somewhere that you’ll see it everyday. Plan you work, then work the plan. It starts today though. Put one foot forward and start the journey towards your dreams. It really is that easy. Don’t think so? Tell me why, and I’ll help you out.

The end of the month inches closer. You sit at your table, looking at your accounts online, wondering how you’re going to pay those last few bills.
How often does worrying about money consume you? Some of us are well off, with a solid plan and vision for the future. Most of us though, are just getting by, living pay check to pay check.
Do you ever think that what you fill your thoughts with, what you constantly dwell on, will actually come to be? You spend so much energy on concentrating on what you don’t have. If you continue to that your going to continue having what you don’t have.
Sounds silly, right? Why not devote your energy to what you do have. Think about all the good in your life, and all the great things that will come. We are all very lucky, and have many things to give thanks for. Let’s focus on the wonderful things in this world, and take action on making things better.
Enjoy your day!

How much time do you spend waiting? On the smallest level we spend a large part of our life standing in line,stuck in traffic, or waiting for someone to do something they were supposed to do a week ago. Most of these things are unavoidable and a necessary evil.
So, what bothers you? What are you always waiting on?
There are better ways to do things. There are ways to lean out the process and make things better for everyone. However, just like with anything else, people are resistant to change. Well, we’ve always done it this way…
Could you imagine if everyone had that outlook? I certainly wouldn’t be writing this on my blackberry, standing in line waiting because of a flawed process.
On a more important note, what are the important things you’re waiting on? What have you been putting off?
I can assure you that life is too short to put things off another day. You’ll regret it, and any one you ask will tell you that.
So what does it take to make the next step? Courage. Tenacity. Ambition? Let me know what’s on your mind.

At times I wonder why it is we make an effort to build new relationships. I could happily go through life with just my close cirlce, which is very small to say the least.  I have my family, and I hold them very close to my heart. My life pretty much revolves around them, and everything I do is to build a strong foundation for our family’s success. That said, other relationships help me find my way in this world, establishing a social footprint. Often times I do it to leave behind my mark, to leave something behind for my children to have.
Like I said, I can sit back and enjoy my days being isolated to my circle. But I open up and build new relationships because they are valuable. Most people don’t realize that you can collect people just like you do other collectibles. You can store your contacts away until you need them most, or more importantly until they need you most.
That’s where I find the value in things. Giving back. Truly giving back and making a difference. As you grow and foster these relationships you begin to see things in a different light. It’s good to see things clearly. It’s an amazing feeling.
How are you feeling? Are you where you want to be? What steps do you need to take to get you where you need to be?