“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
One of my favorite country songs for a time was Tim McGraw’s “Live Like Your Were Dying”
“Someday I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dying
Like tomorrow was a gift
And you’ve got eternity
To think about
What you’d do with it…”
Sadly, I was reminded recently that for many of us one of our greatest sins is taking the people we love, and life in general, for granted.
A great man – pastor Steve Mason – who led our church when we were a newly married couple, and who dedicated our children…died suddenly.
And not long after that we learned that pastor Dave Browning, who leads CTK in Burlington, got the same type of devastating news described in the song above.
My heart breaks for both families of these great men.
Both of these events have helped to snap me out of my own funk, depression and the mourning of lost hopes and dreams. As my challenges seem trivial in light of those tragedies.
I’m not completely out by any stretch of the imagination but writing is helping and the feedback I received from friends on FB regarding my last post was a tremendous boost to my self confidence.
So here’s the thing…
We all are guilty of assumimg we will have more time to get around to things like: showing love, expressing appreciation, lending a helping hand, creating our own art, starting that new project or business, or just being present for moments that matter to others.
I have certainly been as guilty as anyone else: slogging in to an 8-5 job, trading my time & soul in exchange for the sense of security that a paycheck and gov’t bennies brings, thinking about someday creating secondary income streams through any number of biz ideas that spark across the synapses of my brain while passing by others who are similarly forgetting to appreciate what a miracle this blessed new day is.
In moments like these I have to remind myself that I’m lucky & have been granted another incredible day, full of opportunities, opportunities to make a difference…now, what would I do with that great gift?
For me, I am choosing to start with writing as a way of inspiring and encouraging others.
If you’re reading this and find it so, I would appreciate comments or sharing on Facebook (you’ll notice I have comments on this blog turned off by default, its design and structure is purposely minimalist).
We are all blessed with the same 24 hrs each day we’re above ground.
Some people are happy and content to work the bulk of those 24 hours. Can’t sit still, or put their phone down, for a minute.
Others are just as happy to take it easy and not sweat the small stuff (my old man’s motto in life).
I’m probably somewhere in between.
Not hustling every moment but also not a complete sloth either, as some have intimated – like the horrible counselor, who shall remain nameless – who’s integrity, professional ethics and skills to practice I question to this day.
Funny thing is, I’ve seen entrepreneurs who work all day and never get any real meaningful shit done.
Others work minimal hours and make tons of fungolas.
No judgement here as to what is right or wrong, better or worse. Just calling it like I’ve seen it after counseling almost 1,000 business owners over the last 9 years.
Self confessional moment – I haven’t really drank (drunk?) the Kool Aid of Tim Ferris’ 4-Hour Work Week, but I can tell you that if I had already banked a couple million bucks I probably wouldn’t work TOO much harder than that.
For now, since I haven’t banked the couple mil it’s time to get back to the side hustle.
Which means…I’ll be taking on more projects. Some my own. Some for clients.
I’ll be writing more about my journey to generating enough F-you money to lighten the burden on my family & allow my wife to quit working, if that is her choice, and allow me to get to doing what I really want to do in life.
The fact that I’m not there yet is my sole responsibility, a result of a combination of my giving up too early in any number of endeavors and not making the best use of my spare time along the way.
My goal is to inspire others to action, to embrace the opportunities of the day…like:
The opportunity to experience the wonders of the world, travel more and have more rich experiences.
The opportunity to be curious, question, learn, discover, make cool things, educate, play, inspire, and give.
The opportunity to connect deeply with another person, to be a great lover, partner, spouse…whatever.
The opportunity to care more about others than ourselves, to lessen the suffering of others, to not cause pain to loved ones, to make lives better.
The opportunity to create your own outcomes, the ones that will liberate you and set you free.
Do you desire to make the most of the opportunities of this moment, while you’re still here and able?
Then…