Tag: Neil Panoisan

HOW DO YOU VIEW THE RAIN?

This is a great challenge for all of us. The example of the rain is something we can all wrap our heads around, but it holds true in many examples of life. When something challenges our life, we often see it as something bad. Sure, life may not be the way we had planned or even wished for. If we look close enough, we will find some good that came out of it. There are several examples that come to mind when I think of this. While our own life may not seem as grand as the examples that I am going to reference, the principle is the same. As you read the following words, think of how you can apply them to your own life.

One of the people I really enjoy listening to is the Dalai Lama. His story in a nutshell is one of tragedy turned into triumph. Before him, the Lama was a sacred spiritual leader in Tibet. They lived in a palace and had very little worries. They were often disassociated with the common people. When China took over Tibet, the Dalai Lama fled with many of his followers. The made a long and dangerous journey into India. Through that, the position of Lama changed. He became someone that could relate to many more people. He was thrust into a position of importance. Without the invasion, many people would not have heard his words of compassion and wisdom.

Someone quite different from the Dalai Lama, but whose story has challenges just the same is David Goggins. Growing up, David’s father abused both him and his mother. They ended up moving to a different state where David faced racism, and more abuse. As you can imagine, this impacted his ability to learn in school and to develop as an individual. One day he realized that there was nobody to save him. That propelled him to take control of his own life. He lost over 100 pounds in 3 months, became a Navy seal. He became an ultra-marathon runner. Even running 8 100-mile races on back to back weekends. Now he shares his story online, in person events and his 2 books that he wrote. The challenges he faced in life could have been an excuse but instead became his source of motivation.

On the surface, these two men seem to have little in common. When we take a step back we see that the rain that might have ruined their picnic, ended up helping a part of them grow that would not have otherwise developed. What challenges in your own life can you put to use? What can you learn and develop in yourself from the challenges you have faced? What credibility do they give you?

Every challenge we face gives us choice. Will we define what this challenge means to our life and put it to work for us or will we let the challenge define us? Quite often, the more pain we survive, the more opportunity we have to help others. How do you view the ‘rain’ in your life? Do you use it to fuel growth or do you use it as an excuse not to grow?

I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW…

Recently, while writing these posts, I noticed that this site had passed a total of 3000 posts. This is post number 3009. That means, if you were to read a post a day, you would have over 8 years worth of reading. The funny thing about this was this milestone was reached while we were busy celebrating a month of gratitude posts. We were so busy creating content that will help us all live an amazing life that we did not even notice we had reached 3000 posts. This brought up a point that I think would be good to revisit.

In our own life we often take time to criticize others. The people who you do not hear doing this are those who are working hard to make the most of their life. Why? Time spent saying something judgmental or critical about someone else is time that could, and should, be used to better your own life. Next time you are tempted to be critical, ask yourself a few very important questions. Is what I am about to say beneficial to me in any way? Would the time I am about use making this statement be better served working on improving my own life? Is my own life perfect? The answers to these questions should be pretty obvious for most of us.

If you want an amazing life, your focus should be solely on your own life. What can you do to become the best version of yourself? Here is a fact that may seem sobering, but can also be liberating. You will never be the best version of yourself. The more we learn and experience in life, the more that we can grow and develop. In the world of self-improvement there is not a finish line. That means there is opportunity to improve every day. When we spend time being critical of others and the life they are living, we are moving further away from becoming the best version of ourselves. We are sacrificing improving our own life to put another life down. It makes no sense and in counter-productive to becoming the best version of ourselves.

THANKFUL FOR CHANGE

There are so many of us that have a negative view of change. “Why can’t the world just stay the same?” they ask. They wish they could go back to a less chaotic time. They look at the past through a sort of rose-colored glasses. Remembering when they could leave their doors unlocked and not worry. Remembering when kids played outside and talked to each other instead of just staring into their phones. They see criminals and social decline everywhere. Being the age I am, I have seen the transition from one of these to the other. I grew up in an era before cell phones and the internet. I would not change that for anything, but it does give me a unique perspective. Change, although it can be scary, it not only constant, it is necessary.

Do you know what else I remember as a child? More graffiti in public restrooms. Less ability to communicate with people halfway across the room. Memories not being captured because someone forgot the camera or they could not see if the picture turned out until the film was developed. I also remember things like cancer and aids being a death sentence. Advances in medicine and technology have saved, or prolonged, many lives that would have been cut short.

Even in more personal examples, change helps us grow and evolve. In my own life I have seen my share of jobs lost, people pass away and health challenges. At the time, I thought “I wish things would not change.” Every time there is a part of me that grows and evolves to rise up and meet that change. Something that would not happen if the change had not occurred.

I understand that change can be scary. It is not always bad, and most often helps our growth more than comfort. Can you think of a change that may have seemed scary or bad at first that you would not undo? One that helped you grow into the person you are today? Change is something that we can…well…change our view of with the addition of gratitude. If you spend a week recording a change a day that you are grateful for, you will realize that if life stayed the same it would not only get boring rather quickly, but ultimately we would not grow or evolve.

SMILING STRANGERS 😃

Last post we discussed an interaction I had with a stranger named Jeff. If you have not read it, have a look. It is an entertaining and brief story. It was a short and pleasant moment with a fellow I may never see again. This altercation not only provided material for a post on this website, but it brightened my day and filled me with gratitude. Can you recall a pleasant interaction with a stranger? Most of us remember rude or disrespectful people a lot more than we remember nice ones. Just the way our brains seem to be wired. The cumulative effect of stacking memories of unpleasant interactions, is that it can lead to a conclusion that most people in the world are unpleasant.

While it is true that there is a demographic of people that we may describe as unpleasant, we are helped every day by people we can often overlook or take for granted. Did you stop for a cup of coffee? Were you greeted nicely? Did someone hold a door for you? Did someone share a smile with you? Even someone listening to what you had to say is such a gift. A person cleaning off a table in a restaurant so you can eat at a clean table. Yes, this is there job, but them doing it and doing it well allows for a more pleasant experience for you. Stop and think of all the nice things that strangers do for you in a day. Even just sharing a smile with you in their busy day. When you do this for a week, it will do two important things for you.

What should be obvious is that it will increase the level of gratitude you enjoy in your life. We have discussed what this will do for you, but suffice to say it will help you in all areas physical, mental and emotional. The more important, and less obvious, is it will help you to see others and the world in a more positive light. When you reflect daily, for about a week, on what strangers did for you, it will help you to see how good people are. It will also help you to see those on your journey as helping you. This will cause you to have a more positive outlook on the world at large. How helpful could this be? You may be asking what those sunshine-challenged individuals did to cause you to feel grateful? Did they help you practice your patience? Give you an example of the person you do not want to be? Remind you how important it is to be decent and kind? Perhaps their poor behavior only allowed your good behavior to shine even greater? There are at least four ways in which a negative stranger can give you something to be grateful for. Imagine how much more we could get from a positive person?

Lastly, turn this around a little. Ask yourself what positive thing you have done for a stranger. You can have a far greater impact on the world around you than you think. Once you begin to take note of things strangers do for you and how they wonderfully impact your life, you will desire to return the favor.

THIS AMERICAN ALSO WANTS TO CONQUER GREENLAND!

With all of the wars of conquest happening around the globe and the foolish words and actions taken by the government in this country you may fear I am adding to that. On the contrary. I would like to point out there is more than just one way to conquer a land, or a people. In the world of this blog, we are viewed in over 200 countries. Some, I must confess, to not even have known about prior to them viewing this site. One country that has yet to join our community of motivated people pursuing an amazing life is the country of Greenland. I do understand that it has less people than the city I live in, but I would love to reach and offer some positivity to them.

Have you ever thought about conquering in such a fashion? It can be conquering someone’s hateful heart with love. It can be conquering your own lack of self-discipline to accomplish your goals. It can be helping a friend conquer their self-doubt to love themselves more completely. In this case, I would like to add the wonderful country of Greenland to our self-improvement family. Reaching a whole new country and its culture would be wonderful. We can all learn so much from each other.

One of the best things we can do in this world is to conquer the division and hate that is being put forth. Love your neighbor even if that neighbor is different or holds a different opinion than you. Conquer your own inclination to judge someone just because they are different. These are conquests the world should be pursuing!

EXPLAIN TO YOUR BRAIN

Last post we discussed how self-discipline can help us start our day with a winning attitude. Many people struggle with self-discipline. In a world where almost everything can be a push of a button away, it can be hard to understand the importance of delayed gratification. What is even more difficult for many to understand is why we must do something that we deem uncomfortable or undesirable even if it leads to success later on. A friend of mine once told me, “Why would I want to work out? It makes me sore and I feel fine sitting on the couch watching movies.” That may be true in the moment, but which behavior will we wish we would have acted on ten years down the line?

The answer to that question should be fairly obvious. We would be a lot better off taking care of our health, even if it means a little discomfort in the present. A less-than-enlightened coworker of mine was remarked, “Why should I care about improving my life? We are all going to die. Just like lemmings jumping off a cliff.” Not only is that statement a very depressing outlook on life, it overlooks one important point. We are all lemmings jumping off that cliff. This is metaphorical. I do not believe any lemmings read the post. If we are all going to die what is the point of living? How about to have the most fun we can on the way down that cliff? We should work to squeeze as much out of our life as we can.

Reminding ourself the importance of why we must work to become the best version of ourselves is key to self-discipline. When I think about not wanting to work out after a long day at work or not wanting to write, I think about my beautiful lady and how she deserves to have the best version of me. I think about all of you who read these blogs. There have been several people who have told me how much they impact their day and their life. Would I rather sit in the park and watch the birds on a lovely day? Absolutely. Could I do that after writing for an hour? Yes indeed. When I look back on my life I want to be proud of the life I lived. I can only do that if I exercise my discipline.

TRY THIS IN THE MORNING

This seems like a pretty obvious thing to do. Who would not want to start their day with some positive thoughts? We can all agree that thinking of healing, big dreams, thinking of things that make us happy and picturing our own success would start our day in a good fashion. How come more of us do not do that? Did you do it this morning? I woke up at 4am for work and I can tell you that I made coffee, brushed my teeth, got dressed and got out the door with just enough time to make it to work on time. Why did I not spend at least a few minutes thinking these thoughts?

The reason more of us do not begin our days in a deliberate way is twofold. First, in today’s world most people tend to be reactionary. We wake up and look at our phones. We wake up and listen to the news. We let outside circumstances determine the trajectory of our day. Many of us do not realize there is any other way to live. This is how our parents lived and more than likely their parents too. Is there anything stopping from taking time to decide how to live our life? The answer to that question brings us to the second reason that most of us do not begin our lives in the way the photo above would advocate.

The second reason is the same reason that I did not begin my day with thoughts that would set me up for a happier and more successful day. Looking at the fact that I get up at 4am, have a 35 minute commute and have to be at work at 5am, you may think the reason is time. No, that is the excuse. Yes, I do have to hurry to make sure I get everything done and out the door in time. What is preventing me from spending 5 minutes thinking some positive and productive thoughts? A lack of self-discipline. Could I wake up at 3:55 instead of 4? Sure. Would 5 minutes less of sleep make that great of a difference? Could I have some mantras written out so I could read them to get my mind right? How about a vision board with pictures of my goals or things that I am grateful for? Could I put all of these things in a little binder and have it sitting by the coffee maker to grab and spend a few minutes looking at?

The answer to all of these questions would be ‘yes’. It would not take much to make such a binder. Even to put a few inspiring affirmations on some sticky notes on the bathroom mirror. All it takes is a little self-discipline. Once these items are done, having a morning that begins with empowering thoughts is almost on autopilot. The notes, binder or whatever method you choose to use are right there for you to look at. It becomes part of your morning. Just like making a cup of coffee or brushing your teeth.

It is time for us to stop waking up in neutral and letting the world determine what kind of day we are going to have. It is time to take control of our own destiny and determine our own level of happiness. No phone, no news until we take time for ourselves and our emotional well-being. Are you with me?

WHEN YOU HAVE ONLY 2 MONTHS TO LIVE…

Take a look at someone you really care about. Now imagine what that person would think if you were gone. What kind of memory would you be for that person? Would you be endless enjoyable and loving times together? Would they recall ways in which you hurt them with your words or actions? Would they know how you truly feel about them? This not only holds true for people younger than you such as your kids and grandkids. We never know when our time is up, or could be called into question at the very least. These moments could be just a phone call away.

That may sound a little dark to some, but that does not make it any less true. Any moment you spend with any person could be the last one you spend together. It could be something as simple as one of you moving away. There have been some friends that I have personally had in my life that come to mind. You think you would get together and suddenly you are thousands of miles apart. Yes, you can still email, call or even have a video chat, but is that really that same? I think we can all agree it is not.

This idea really came to my attention when I had my heart surgery. It was November of 2021. My surgery was scheduled for the following January. Margie and I were out enjoying a movie. Foolishly, I had consumed too much coffee and had to run to the gents. While in there it occurred to me that this could be the last movie we ever see together. My heart surgery was far from a sure thing and there were some serious risks associated with it. I began to picture what life for Margie would be without me. Would she remember our moments together? For how long? Would they be loving memories or would she just be filled with pain and regret? It then came to my attention that I had two months to make sure I loved her the best I could. That was not a great deal of time.

Obviously, I made it through. There was a brief flirtation with death along the way. That whole journey can be found in my third book, The Beat Goes On. It would have been nice to have more time. The tricky part is that we never know how much time any of us have. Something could happen to us, or the other person. Then all that is left is the memories and it is too late to change them or add to them. Think again of that person you care about. If you or them were gone tomorrow, would you be a good memory? What can you do today to insure that?

30 DAYS OF GRATITUDE DAY 30 – SKILLS AND TALENTS

What talent or skill do you have that you are grateful for? What a great question. We do not stop and think of all the things that we are amazing at enough. The world teaches us to be self-critical. It is important to, at the very least, balance that out with complimenting ourselves on what we do well. This would be a practice to keep doing regularly. Keeping a reserve of positive self-image will help us succeed and go farther in life that being overly critical of ourselves.

Talents and skills are often used interchangeably, but I feel there is a big difference. To me, talent is something you are born with or naturally good at. Skill, on the other hand, is something that takes hard work and practice to excel at. Can you think of examples of both in your own life? Are there things you are just naturally good at? What skill that you have worked hard to be good at can you be both proud and grateful for?

My own personal examples are a little fuzzy. There are talents I believe that I am naturally good at, yet I still have put in much effort to make the most of them. Take speaking to people. For whatever reason, the fear of speaking is something that I do not have. Using this gift, I have worked hard to become a better speaker with each opportunity. I have always been a inquisitive person, but have used that to learn as much as my brain will hold. One of my favorite skills I have developed is to see the good in as many people as I can. Gleefully, many people in my life are pretty easy to see the good in. It is more reminding them why they are so awesome. Some forget or may have never been told. Some people are more of a challenge to see the good in, but it is those folks who help you strengthen this skill the most.

How about you? Have you thought of what talents and skills you are good at? Everyone has some. What are yours? Have you reminded yourself how amazing you are and felt grateful for the talents and skills you have? If not, today would be a good time to start.

30 DAYS OF GRATITUDE DAY 29 – FRIENDS AND FAMILY

How can you pick just one friend or family member to be grateful for? It doesn’t say just one, so we will pick a few. Friends and family members add the color to our lives. Some friends become just like family. There are so many amazing people in my life. I am grateful for all of them and are going to work on expressing that better as the year goes on.

For the purpose of this blog, I am going to name a few. It is not a complete list by any stretch of the imagination. As we mentioned last post, I am grateful for my mother. We always have such fun times together. Whether we are going for a hike, working out at the gym or just going for coffee. It is always great conversation. I am grateful for my friends Dan, Jonathan and Nick. Speaking of great conversations, those gentleman always have great things to say. We solve the worlds problems over a cup of coffee! I am grateful for my soul friend Shannon. She not only imparts much amazing knowledge of the natural world, but is kind enough to even let me know when my favorite burger stand opens up! Grateful for all the friends of Margie and I who come to see us at our shows on Sunday. It creates such a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Lastly, I am grateful for Margie. She is not only my best friend, but after next October she will be family as well. She adds so much joy to my life it would take an entire post just to explain it all! How about you? What friend or family member are you grateful for? Once you start thinking about it, I am sure you will feel very grateful and lucky just like I do!