Tag: Neil Panoisan

IT IS NOT ONE MORE, IT IS ONE LESS

This is a change in mindset that could really motivate us. The funny thing is that it is the truth. Often, I use the hourglass as a metaphor for our life. The sand is always going from top to bottom. Just like the time in our life is always fleeting. This should motivate even those who procrastinate the most. You do not get ‘one more day’ on earth, you actually have one less. One less day to leave a meaningful legacy. One less day to love those closest to you. One less day to become the best version of who you can be.

Most of you who follow this blog know that I had a brief flirtation with death not all that long ago. In fact, I did die, but not to ruin the plot of my book, The Beat Goes On, but I came back. That whole experience certainly changed my outlook on life as you might imagine it would. The crazy part is that it was not the actual dying and coming back, but the time leading up to it that had the greatest impact on me. Knowing that in 2 months I would have a surgery that could end my life (I did not know it actually would briefly) was not a scary prospect in terms of me not being here. What really scared me is what I would, or in some cases would not, leave behind.

I thought of the Native American saying, “It is a good day to die.” Meaning that if your life were to end today, would you be happy with the life you lived up to that point? I realized that although I had turned around a great many aspects of my life that I had a long way to go to live a life that I would be at peace leaving. For one, I felt that I had not done enough to leave the world a better place. There was so much more content to create. There were more books to write, more videos to make, and of course more blogs to write. Since that day I have written a blog for nearly 1300 days straight. My fourth book will arrive in 2026. My podcast has moved to YouTube (See Living the Dream with Neil Panosian),

Every day we have one less opportunity. Some days may be tough, others may seem impossible. Even those days we must take advantage of. We must never miss an opportunity to show kindness or lighten the burden of another. We may never have the chance again. How many more opportunities will we have to tell, and more importantly show, those we love how much we care for them? Each day is one less chance. Make the most of today.

THE SECRET OF THE JOURNEY

Most of us have heard this saying. It has become almost cliche. What I want to point out at the start of the week, and the start of a new year is how powerful it can really be. Many people have the goal to regain their health in the new year. Many of these people haven’t put any thought into their health for at least 365 days. Their journey is 1000 miles long – metaphorically. What they must remember is just like walking a thousand miles, you cannot do it any other way than one step at a time.

Another great example is writing a book. After writing three of them you think I would have a great idea of how to stay motivated and disciplined. It may very well be the opposite. When I wrote my first book, A Happy Life for Busy People, I was ignorant to all of the challenges that go into writing a book. I could not dread the editing or formatting because I had never experienced them. Same with any other goal you have tried and failed. What we must focus on is the next step.

The reason I bring this up is because it is far easier to say than do. We must keep this saying in front of us as we make our journey. In walking a thousand miles, some steps will be easier than others. We will be tempted to give up sometimes and driven others. We must realize that each one is one step closer. As we start a new week and a new year, remember to take it one step at a time.

HOW TO THINK ABOUT YOURSELF

This quote is not only amusing, it is also very powerful! We may chuckle when we read it, but it does force us to confront a certain reality. That reality is often the smallest things can create the biggest changes. Think of Covid. That was a virus. Something so small it could not even be seen. Still, this small thing changed the entire world! It is not always a mosquito or virus. The same can be true with things in the positive. Think of how people change just by adopting one new habit. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator or giving up soda or alcohol. These are just one little habit, yet they create a big change in people.

Just as a mosquito is a seemingly small and insignificant creature, it can sure create an issue. A while back I shared a story about an employee at the coffee shop I write at. She came in on her off day and proceeded to hand out roses to every woman present. A nice, but not that grand gesture. I cannot be sure how it affected the other women, but I know it gave my mom a great deal of joy. Not sure how many flowers she handed out, or the cost of each individual one, but each one gave joy to the life of the person who received it.

You can do the same. You do not have to hand out flowers. It can be a smile, or a genuine compliment. What may seem insignificant to you can be nothing short of magic to the person receiving it. You, my dear reader, are keeper of magic beyond your imagination. With social media, YouTube and the closeness of the globe, you can impact lives with not only your actions, but your example. Are you striving to better yourself in the new year? Those watching can draw strength and motivation for you. Believe in yourself and your power to make a difference. You can give someone hope, peace and joy. That is nothing short of magic.

BUILD THE NEW!

This could not be more true than it is today. The world is a crazy place. That is something we can all agree on. Many people stand on the corner cursing out the way things are. Instead of that, why not try to focus on building things the way you wish them to be? Personally, I would love a world that is more tolerant, accepting and loving. Through these posts, and in my personal life, I do my best to be that.

I am not telling you to stand up against what you feel is wrong. Quite the contrary. What I am suggesting is to approach the situation with understanding, compassion and most importantly, a solution. One that does not marginalize or hurt others. One that is constructive and brings peace and positivity to the world. That is what is most important in these trying times. Build a world we love and celebrate.

SOMETIMES THE BEST GIFT AND RESOLUTION IS SIMPLY MORE!

I cannot assume you had the chance to read my post on the one Christmas gift I wanted, so allow me to explain the title of this post. No, it is not a recommendation to be extremely materialistic. During Christmas, people asked me what I would like for a gift. Living in a state of gratitude as much as possible, I could not think of anything that would make my life more incredible. I have a gorgeous woman who loves me (see photo above), amazing friends that add greatly to my life, and experiences that bless me in ways I cannot often imagine. Walks in nature and coffee with my mother and friend Nick, fun and laughter with friends, and of course all of the amazing loving moments with my lady.

When thinking about all of the blessings I have, the only thing I could think that I would want, was more of the same. When pondering resolutions for the new year, the same thought came into mind. That thought was simply more. I enjoy making my lady feel special and loved, because she is both. In the coming year I will do that more. My passion is helping people see the greatness inside them and the world around them. This year I am going to work on doing that more. Sharing special moments of love and laughter with family and friends will be done more often.

How can I manage to do more of all these things? It will definitely take more energy. It will take more knowledge as well. How can I gain more energy and more knowledge? By working on becoming a better version of myself. Eating better, working out more consistently and listening and learning more. There is so much material at our fingertips, we can often overlook some of the easiest ways to improve. Eduardo, one of our self-improvement family from Italy recommended a great book on how to improve communication in a relationship. Not only were there great tools and strategies in this book, but it reminded me that there is always so much to learn. Pick any subject and spend an afternoon on Google and YouTube exploring that topic. You will be amazed at what you will learn. Do that for a week and you will walk away an entirely different person.

It is exciting that you can Google, “How can I be a better author?” for example. There will be many ideas for you to explore. Type the same question into YouTube and there will be videos addressing the same subject. Think of the possibilities! You can do this with how to be a better husband/wife, how to be more romantic, how to be a better listener, how to be a better friend and a million other questions. For once, we could use technology in a constructive manner to serve us instead of the other way around. Some of the information we will discover may not be a fit for us, but if you were to spend an hour, five days a week invested in learning on these or any other subject, think of how much further along you would be! That would be over 6 working weeks of time spent on self-improvement! You would only need to do it an hour a day and you could even take weekends off! Do you see how easy it could be to get ahead?

The best way to add ‘more’ to every area of your life and to make each area better is to work on the common denominator in all of those situations. That common denominator is YOU! By becoming the best version of yourself, you positively affect every area of your life. It is as easy as consuming content that is already out there. It does not cost you anything but a small fraction of your time. This should excite all of us in the year to come! I look forward to bringing you more, and better, content in the year to come as I work on improving myself. What areas of your life are you looking forward to learning more about?

FORGET FINDING, START CREATING!

Here we are, the first Monday of 2026! Let us take a chance to set ourselves up for success. This quote above is a great reminder that we are both the work of art, as well as the artist. We need to stop searching for our purpose, and start deciding what it will be. It can be helpful to consider what we are naturally gifted in and have a passion for. These will make our journey a little less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. We still have to spend some quality time deciding what we want the purpose of our life to be. One great way to do this is by using the ‘write your own eulogy’ exercise outlined in my second book, Living the Dream. We also discussed that a few posts back.

Neale Donald Walsch, despite spelling his first name incorrectly, is an incredible author. He mentioned how many people are looking for a mysterious chalkboard in the sky where God wrote “Your purpose in life is _____” That chalkboard does not exist. We must decide and write it. The great news is once we do decide our purpose, it can make decision making a lot easier. Does this align with my purpose or not? Another thing to consider is that once we decide on our purpose, it is not a life sentence. We can change or adapt our purpose as we grow and develop as human beings.

As we go into a new week, and a new year, let us take some time to decide what we really want to do with our life. What is our purpose? If we cannot decide on a life purpose, we can decide on the purpose of a year, or even a week. What are we going to do with our life this coming week? Will it be to practice the self-care we have been putting off? Maybe take the first step in writing that book, or starting that business? Maybe it is to reach out to some of our friends and let them know we care?

Our life, and our reason for living it, is entirely up to us. It takes some thinking and deciding to settle what that may be. The time spent on this endeavor is worth its weight in gold. It makes our decision making easier and brings a great deal of clarity and purpose to our life. Don’t you owe it to yourself to spend the time making these decisions?

UNDERSTAND BACKWARDS, LIVE FORWARD

With the ending of one year and the beginning of another, there is plenty of time spent in reflection. Many times, as we discussed a few posts ago, we discover that some of our seemingly worst moments have brought us some of our greatest gifts. Life is like that. As it says in the photo above, life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forward.

Life can be likened to driving a car. For safety, tell you to glance in the rearview mirror every 8 seconds. One of the key words here is ‘glance’. It is important to see what is behind you. It can come up and cause trouble. Same with reflecting on your past. Spending a small amount of time reflecting on your past can serve you. It also lets you know if something in your past can negatively affect your present or your future. The key word here is ‘glance’. If you were to drive constantly focused on your rearview mirror, it would cause considerable issues with you going forward. Same with life, if you were constantly focused on your past, it would prevent you from making the most of your present. It may inevitably cause your present circumstances to crash, as you would do in your car if you drove looking in the rearview mirror.

Just as important is the part about living life forward. We mentioned it is important to glance (about 1 second) in the rearview mirror every 8 seconds. That means spending 7/8 of your time looking forward. Again, this is the same as life. When you drive you look ahead anticipating obstacles, challenges and drivers who do not realize their cars are equipped with turn signals. Then we take the appropriate actions to deal with these upcoming challenges. The same is true with life. We must look ahead and anticipate challenges and take actions to deal with them before they approach. Take that new year’s resolution you made. There will be a challenge to staying committed to that resolution. If we anticipate that in advance, we can take actions in the present to address those. Thus, making it more likely to succeed in our goal.

Will there still be the occasional driver that pulls in front of us without warning? Will there still be people who feel red lights are optional? Yes indeed. That is why looking ahead and anticipating challenges is so important. It will allow us to deal with the unforeseen challenges that much better. It is also the same reason why it is important to glance behind us. Some challenges can sneak up from behind. Same with life. Unexpected challenges can crop up out of nowhere. You anticipate expenditures, but then the water heater goes. You plan a picnic, then you get the flu. We must be prepared to deal with the unexpected. In addition, issues from our past can crop up out of nowhere. We must be prepared for that as well. In life, as well as in the car, remember to glance behind you while you focus on what is in front of you.

GET REVENGE ON LAST YEAR!

I have always enjoyed this quote by Frank Sinatra. It reminds us that we should not waste our time trying to ‘get even’ with others. That the best revenge on people and things that bring us down is to be massively successful in our own life. We would go a lot farther by focusing our energy on improving ourselves than by bringing down someone else. It also provides some intense motivation when we are not inclined to do those things which we know will bring the necessary improvements to our life. Knowing that there are people who would relish the opportunity to see us fail, or who have counted us out, can drive us to take that action that is necessary.

Last year, there were certainly people who counted you out. Use them for your motivation. Maybe there were situations that were not fair to you. Perhaps you did not get that promotion you deserved? Instead of harboring anger about it, use it to help drive you to show them how amazing you are. You can only do that by becoming the best version of yourself. That involves hard work and consistent action. This year, try to spend more time with people who do believe in you. Include those people who will drive you to better yourself. Those who criticize you, or doubt you, thank them with a wry smile. Use that for fuel to work even harder than you did last year. Do so with an inner smile knowing that those who do speak ill of you will look foolish when you rise to the top!

FROM MISFORTUNE TO MIRACLE

On New Year’s Eve, Margie and I had the pleasure of meeting some friends out. Normally, I am all about staying home, but we decided to go out as it was close to our home and plenty of our friends would be there. While there, I asked everyone a question we talked about a few posts ago. That question was, “What in the last year are you most grateful for?” It is a new tradition I have been wanting to start. Coupling the act of making resolutions for self-improvement with gratitude for many of the good things that have already happened.

One of the first people I asked was a friend of ours that is due to be married in 2027. As expected when asked what he was most grateful for in the past year, he pointed to his bride to be. That would have been a touching story in its own right, but when he added why, it drove home a point that we often discuss on this site. The gentleman had worked in law enforcement and was shot. Soon as he was healing from that, he had a rupture in his intestines. This landed him in the hospital for quite some time. As you can imagine, one happening right after the other was hard to take. His lady made sure to be by his side every day. In addition to working full-time, and taking care of the house and looking after his dog, she stayed with him at the hospital often foregoing sleep.

As terrible as this situation was, it proved to him that this lady’s love was true and strong. Something that could only have been displayed in such trying times. When someone tells you that they will love you through anything, that is wonderful to hear. When they show you that they will, that is something different entirely. Nobody wants to have tragedy thrust upon them. Certainly, nobody want to be in the hospital for a long period of time. It is through situations like this, we are shown the true depths of others love for us. That is something to be grateful for.

When reflecting on what we are most grateful for, it can seem contrary to think of our hardships, but as you can see, they often bring the greatest blessings. I heard a saying that many people never open their greatest gifts because they do not like the wrapping paper. In this case, discovering that someone’s love for you is deep and true was wrapped in medical emergency that included lots of pain and a long time of healing. Discovering a gift in that is a skill and an art that many of us could stand to develop more of. When thinking about what we are most grateful for in our life, maybe we should ponder our challenges as well as our triumphs.

THE TRUTH ABOUT FALLING IN LOVE WITH LIFE

My upcoming fourth book will revolve around the concept of falling back in love with your life. To that end, I have been spending a good deal of time thinking about just such a topic. What does falling in love with life look like, feel like and more to the point, how can we accomplish it? Falling in love with life sounds like a complex, New-age sort of goal. It really is neither. Falling in love with life is much like falling in love with a person. It is in considering this, we can answer all of the questions we asked earlier.

When you first fall in love with someone, how does it feel? Like you are walking on clouds. Nothing they do really bothers you… that much anyway. As time goes on, you have your little disagreements. Maybe even a few big ones too. Without realizing it, the hurts and disappointments mount. Not only in your partner, but in yourself as well. Asking yourself why you said or did that stupid thing that hurt your partner. Soon, little things that you didn’t even notice tend you drive you crazy. The more this happens, the more crazy you get. It can be like a snowball rolling downhill.

If this is true, and we all know it is, how does any relationship last? Even more to the point, how do some maintain that love and even grow? It would seem impossible looking at the facts we explored above. The truth is hard for many to take, and too hard for some to do. The truth is falling in love is work. No matter how amazing your partner is, and believe me I have the best, it takes work. Those disappointments must be balanced with moments of care and compassion. We must work on controlling our emotions and proper and healthy communication. We must not only accept our mistakes in learning, but those of our partner. In striving to be better, we will slip on occasion. Growth is never linear. In addition to acceptance, we must learn from them. Every painful lesson has in it the seed of greater understanding and growth.

How do you know if you are succeeding and growing? Do you find yourself arguing about the same things over and over? Are your disagreements more frequent? Then you have some work to do. This work takes years and involves much pain and uncomfortable moments. Why would anyone go through that? The reward is worth far more than the struggle. Being with someone who can not only still make you feel like you are walking on clouds, but has the knowledge of your past hurts and mistakes and still loves you is on another level. Learning and developing yourself is a process that positively affects everything in your life, including your relationship. Look at the photos of my lady and I above. They are 5 years apart and the love has only grown.

Falling in love with life is much the same as falling in love with another person. At first, when we are children every bit of life is a miracle. As we get older, more challenges arise. The hurts we experience tend to mount up. Life can end up seeming like a chore or a job. How can we maintain our love of life, like we do in our relationship? By using the same tools. Yes, there will be the same challenges. We will have moments of doubt. There will be lessons that are uncomfortable to learn. We will have to confront and fix things about ourself that we may not like to. We must work hard to change our mindset. Changing our focus from what is wrong to what is right. That does not mean denying some things need work. No, it means seeing those things as opportunities instead of challenges or failures. It also means spending time focusing on the miracles of life. All of the blessings we take for granted.

Reading this, it may sound like a new-age nonsense advice column, but it is the truth. Feeling like life is a miracle and everyday is an opportunity verses like life is a battle or a job makes all of the difference. Which one do you currently feel? What could you do to change that perception? Falling back in love with your life takes a lot of work, but the payoff is worth far more. The more effort you put in, the greater the return. You only get one life, why not work to enjoy it to the fullest?