Beautiful Life Ahead

I think Frank Lloyd Wright was on to something.  The aging process may be concerning for some but I do believe there's more beauty to behold as time passes.  To make sure I don't miss anything, I schedule an annual eye exam and change my glasses when needed.  Speaking of exams, don't forget to see your doctor once a year and your dentist every six months.  Good health is a process and what you do today and help you enjoy a beautiful life ahead.  Have a great day.

Drums

What gift do you have to bring that's fit to give our king?  If you feel like the poor little drummer boy who showed up with nothing but a song, don't be afraid.  Showing up means you're willing to give the gift of your time.  And if you bring two or more with you, you've enhanced your gift, like the group For King and Country did when they brought drums to a concert in Phoenix, the place where I grew up.  I think all of Heaven is smiling with this rendition of the Little Drummer Boy.  Enjoy.  Have a great day...

Are You Ready for a Breakthrough?

I have much respect for the visionaries – the ones who can see past their struggles, see through the opposition and conquer their discouragement.  Some people can only see insurmountable walls.  They never really know how close they were to the finish line.

I've been locked up in the editing room for what seems like an eternity.  I don't know when my breakthrough moment will arrive but I'm certain I won't be confined forever.  The people outside my walls are waiting for me and I promise to bust out of this place once the final piece of the puzzle is in place.  I'm ready for a breakthrough.  How about you?  Have a great day.

Think About the Why

Having trouble getting motivated for your big projects?  The best incentive to get back on track is thinking about the why – the reason why you get up in the morning.  What's important?  What's the benefit of accomplishing your major tasks.  Get a clear picture in your mind about how your goals will help others.  If you can see this, you can see past any obstacle in your way.  Have a great day.

Location, Location, Location

I'm a big fan of blue zone living.  Author and National Geographic writer, Dan Buettner, states that where you live plays a big role in your longevity.  If your neighborhood isn't blue zone friendly, consider relocating to one that offers a healthier lifestyle. 

Rivers, streams, lakes and oceans are great ingredients but be careful not to overpay for these amenities.  I traded my thirty minute drive to the Pacific Ocean for a budget friendly ten minute drive to Lake Iowa.  The backyard view to our local rec center is also a nice bonus and nature friendly too.  Have a great day.

3 Choices

Here's another quote for your refrigerator or any prominent place for daily viewing.  I believe good things happen when you choose the third option – give it your all.  This is embedded in my DNA.  It's more than a habit.  It's a lifestyle choice.  Have a great day.

Got Courage?

Fear and courage are two opposing forces.  One freezes and the other sets you free.  If you feel frozen, search inside yourself for the fire within.  Once you begin your quest in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire you become unstoppable.  Have a great day.

Where Will You Plant Your Mustard Seed?

Jesus says one mustard-size seed of faith is all you need to move mountains.  He didn't say how long it will take or which mountains will move.  The other day a stranger approached me at my day job and said, "you're a believer, aren't you?"

I answered, "100%."

I'm thankful others can see that teeny weeny seed inside me.  That seed was a gift from my parents and from those who came before me.  Some arrived here penniless but they had this hope for a better life.  I don't know what mountains in your life need moving.  Maybe you have this hurt inside you from a void and it won't go away.  Holidays can be painful reminders that a loved one is no longer present.  Perhaps a dream withered and died.  Maybe you have doubts about what your seed can turn into if you plant it.

My hope for you today is that you plant that seed.  Don't worry about anything in your life, no matter how tough your situation may be.  If all you have is that one seed, it's all you need.  The best place to plant is in the spot where you are right now.  Go ahead.  Plant.  Happy Thanksgiving.  Have a great day.

Look Straight Ahead

Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you ~ Proverbs 4:25 

Be wary of all the distractions around you preventing you from reaching your goals.  The list seems to get bigger this time of year and your will power may be the difference between a successful outcome and a failed attempt.  If you happen to fall off the horse, get back up and stay the course.  Fix your eyes on the finish line.  Have a great day.

Gratitude Changes Everything

Little things matter.  A smile from a stranger.  A wave from a fan in the stadium.  A note of encouragement from a teacher or mentor.  I'm counting my blessings today.  And all those small things are adding up to make one fantastic life.  Those little things are a game changer for me.  Thank you for being a part of it.  Have a great day.

Great Life Ahead

Want a great life?  It's really no more than a series of great years.  Great years are the results of great days.  Start with a great attitude when you wake up every morning.  This sets the stage for a great mood.  Before you know it, you're having back-to-back great days, weeks, months and years.  Your great life begins today.  Have a great day.

Overcome Every Excuse

The battles never end.  You can keep fighting them but they have their own supply lines and they keep coming back to fight again and again.  The strategy I use is to attack my strongest excuse with everything I have.  If you can be stronger than your strongest excuse, your odds of success increase dramatically.  Watch out for the smaller ones, too.  They can combine forces to derail you when you think you're in the clear.  You can't be the person you were created to be unless you wipe out every excuse that comes your way.  Have a great day.

Awareness

My hope for you today is for you to be alive in the moment and to be aware of just how precious that moment is.  Yes, life is passing rapidly.  The only way I keep my head from spinning is to focus on the beauty of what's in front of me.  Savor your life, one moment at a time.  Have a great day.

Good Luck to the Wild Card Team Today

It's only the second time in our home town's history – an appearance at the dome.  Our team gained a wild card entry into the playoffs and play today in the state championships after shocking the same team that beat them late in the regular season.  A win today will give our community its first football state champion.  I would like to wish our team good luck today.  Go Raiders!  Have a great day.

Mood Check

If you're not in a good mood right now, it might be a good idea to check your sources.  Your mood, good or bad, most likely can be traced to the foods you eat on a regular basis.  Get this right at least 90% of the time and odds are in your favor that your mood will be on the positive side most of the time.  Take the first step today.  Eat healthy.  Everything else, including your mood, will improve.  Have a great day.

Morning Thoughts

The quote above pretty much summarizes the way I feel every morning when I wake up.  Ponder it and share it with someone you love.  Have a great day.

Healthy Investments

A super contagious bug is attacking my day job peers this week and employees are dropping like flies all around me.  I'm hoping my healthy meals will keep my immune system strong enough to ward off this and all other health threats.  I do believe every meal is an investment in your health.  Invest wisely.  Have a great day.

Do Not Be Afraid

Fear cripples.  It's the blanket you don't want to remove in the morning when you wake up.  It's the meeting you don't want to have with your doctor.  It's the to do list for the day you don't think you can handle.  It's that nagging voice in your head that tells you you're not worthy.  Maybe that's why God reminds you every day that he is with you.  When he tells you, "do not be afraid," he is assuring you he is with you.  Have a great day.

Daily Blog Streak Hits 3,000 Today

If I could use just one word to summarize what these last 3,000 days of blogging means to me, the word is grace – the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.  God's timing is perfect.  His love is perfect.  All of us, though broken and fallen, are a reflection of his image.  Every morning at 8:08 AM, Pacific Time, in my own brokenness and imperfections, I get out of bed and find a way to make my contribution for others so they may get a glimpse of what I see through the shards of glass in my mind's eye.  Though broken, I know with every cell in my body there's an awesome God who cares deeply about you and me.

St. John wrote, Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written – John 21-25.  This is how I feel in my heart about God's grace.  I could write every day until I die about all the good Jesus does in my life and barely touch the tip of the iceberg of blessings.

I would like to thank you for stopping by to read my stories.  Special thanks to my cousin John who texted me on several occasions to remind me my blog wasn't showing up.  It's good to be able to rely on others when a "senior moment" hits.  The odometer hit 3,000 days today but this is only one more mile marker in my life's journey and today I'm renewing my promise to keep moving forward until my fingers can no longer be used to write about God's grace.  Have a great day.

Acceptance

Life is a puzzle.  Figuring out how the pieces fit together can take a lifetime.  I admit I wasted large blocks of time attempting to connect things that never really belonged together.  Letting go wasn't an option in my opinion because I falsely believed it meant quitting or giving up.  What a relief it is to let go.  It's unburdening.  It's life changing.  It's an opportunity to become who you really are.  It's acceptance.  One day you wake up and you see all the pieces of the puzzle fitting together and you have your aha moment.  Yes, there are things that cannot be.  That's okay because there are so many more things that can be.  Go find those pieces of your puzzle.  Have a great day.

Happiness Starts Here

If you're not happy, you may have a long list of reasons why you believe happiness is so elusive.  I challenge you to make a list of all reasons why you're missing out on happiness.  I have a feeling your name isn't on the list, is it?  Unhappy people like to blame everyone else while happy people choose to be happy in all circumstances.

I admit there are certain people in my life who know how to push my buttons.  When this happens, I think to myself, here we go again.  It's really a game and I know in my heart that if I handle every situation and every person properly there is absolutely nothing that can happen that will take away my happiness.  I am the only person on my list.  Any other name or situation is really an excuse.  Your happiness starts here.  Have a great day.

Fight Fat with Fatty Fruit

It sounds counter-intuitive eating fat can help lose weight but I know first-hand how this works on my body.  Olive oil, extracted from the olive, is the fatty fruit of the olive tree.  I like it because it can be used for high heat cooking and it enhances taste.  Scientists are studying how olive oil plays a role in reducing inflammation, type II diabetes, cancer and other diseases.  If you want to fight fat, eat fatty fruit.  Olive oil is your solution.  Have a great day.

Simple Magic Trick to Make Your Fat Cells Disappear

You don't have to be a magician to make your fat cells disappear.  Despite my novice abilities, I tried something a couple of years ago that made over 30 pounds disappear and they're still gone.  I taught some of my friends how to wave their magic wands and now they're believers too.  The process has little to do with magic but does require preparation and a slight of hand at the grocery store in order to get results.  Here goes:

1. Don't expect all the fat to disappear on day one.  In fact, you need to stay at it for about 45 days.
2. Your preparation is key for success.
3. Team up with a buddy who is willing to practice with you for better results.
4. Modify your grocery list and only buy fruits, veggies, nuts, beans and seeds.  Confine your liquid intake to water and wine.  Drink water in unlimited quantities while limiting wine to no more than two glasses per day.
5. Watch the pounds disappear at a rate of 3-5 per week.

Warning:  you may experience a few headaches during the first week of waving your wand.  Your audience may grow impatient as they watch you and they may even try to persuade you to give up.  Keep practicing.  It's worth it.  And some other things may also disappear from your life – things you may not be aware of that could be lurking in your body such as diabetes, heart attack, stroke and cancer.  You have the power to make these "things" disappear from your future.  Start with the fat cells first and everything else will fall into place.  Have a great day, Houdini.

Got Ikigai?

It's not the flu or some dreaded disease.  I didn't know I had it until I learned what Ikigai means.  It's a Japanese word which means a reason for being, encompassing joy, a sense of purpose and well-being.  The word derives from iki, meaning life, and kai, meaning the realization of hopes and expectations.

The Okinawan people don't just say the word, they live it, often to age 90, 100 and beyond.  Dan Buettner, author of Blue Zones, defines Ikigai as the reason for which you wake up in the morning.  I find this topic fascinating and I want to learn more about healthy living.  It's interesting to note that the Okinawans have no word for retirement.  Check out Dan's message about longevity in his Ted Talk below.  It may help you find your inner ikigai.  Have a great day.

Unburdening

Unburdening yourself is a lifestyle choice.  Thinking small brings about greater abundance.  It starts with a decision to free up space in your closet or garage by getting rid of the things you really don't need.  It may be cutting the ice cream from the grocery list that leads to a slimmer waist line.  Or the reduced amount of time spent in front of the TV that creates better quality family time.  Keep your life simple and you will discover abundance in every area of your life.  Have a great day.

Keep Going

Most of the dark clouds are in my rear view mirror now.  It's not easy to get through the storms but I do know one thing – standing still on rainy days adds time to difficult situations.  Movement is key.  There are times when one small step is all you can muster.  Take that step.  Pursue small wins.  Keep going.  Have a great day.

Feeling Buried?

One of the most important choices you will make today has to do with your perception about the world around you.  Be careful.  If you're feeling buried, your vision may not be very good.  This is where the germination begins.  The truth is you've been planted  Those days in the darkness are numbered.  Get ready.  Your time is coming and soon you'll be sprouting.  Congratulations.  Have a great day.

Vision of Success

Can you see it in your mind?  There it is – your vision of success.  Once you can see it, all you need to do is work backward from that vision until you reach today.  Now you have a road map.  It's much easier to stay the course when you know what's waiting for you at the finish line.  Ready. Set. Go! Have a great day.

What Sets Your Soul on Fire?

Have you found the magic yet?  I'm referring to the spark you need to set your soul on fire.  Without it, your life is like being a zombie who wanders aimlessly.  You weren't created to be a zombie and you weren't created to be a copycat of someone else.  That "thing" that makes your soul sing is inside you and only you can set it on fire for all the world to see.

If you're afraid to light the match, you're not alone.  Just look at all the zombies.  They let fear cripple their dreams.  They live in darkness.  They have nothing to pursue because they allowed the rain to extinguish their flames.  Which will it be?  Darkness or light?  Go ahead.  Make it a bonfire.  Have a great day.

Where Happiness Lives

There are three areas of my life where I'm ringing the happiness bell and they happen to be connected.  I decided I'm going to play tennis until I can no longer stand up or see and in order to do that I need to eat properly.  This brings up passion #2 – cooking, a necessary part of my life to sustain healthy living.  The more I experiment in the kitchen, the better the meals turn out.  I figure, why not share all these recipes with others who are also pursuing healthy food choices?  That's how simple it is to discover where happiness lives.  Combine all the ingredients from the things you love and you can serve happiness at every meal.  Be happy.  Have a great day.