So many books, movies and philosophies are concerned with the meaning of life. I guess it is good to ponder the direction one’s life is going. Do you know what is infinitely better? Creating it!
This weekend, if you haven’t already, take some time to get clear as to what the meaning of your life is going to be. This doesn’t matter if you are 18 or 80. As the saying goes, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. ”
Getting clear, for the first time perhaps, as to what the purpose of your life is, will have amazing benefits! Stress will be reduced. Energy will be increased. Indecision will be a thing of the past. You will have a definite idea of what is right and wrong for your life. Most importantly, you will be able to decipher if you are going in the right direction or not. If not, you will be able to take corrective actions.
With all of these benefits, and more, isn’t spending some time deciding what the purpose of your life worth it? In fact, it is worth its weight in gold!
Everyone knows this time of year is tough for me. The Wisconsin State Fair, one of my favorite events, has ended. This also means my yearly 2 week vacation is also over. Cold weather is on its way. Every year I do my best to find inspiration.
This quote is very helpful. In life we all have those times when it feels like we are losing everything. It doesn’t have to be the end of summer. It can be when you need to go to both the dentist and the mechanic in the same week. Your relationship and your job could be falling apart at the same time.
Regardless of what the situation is, looking at the trees as they start to lose their leaves can remind us that although things can look bleak and dead, it can just be a phase of life. Just like a tree continues to grow in the winter, we can continue to grow in the winters of our life. Remember how the trees boom again and come back to life in spring. Often, we just need to hang on and make it through the season.
Yesterday, my mother and I went for a nice 3 mile walk. It was at a park, Greenfield Park, where we have walked many times. We have discussed the benefits of walking in nature on this very blog many times. What I would like to share with you today are 2 new lessons I was reminded of on this walk.
Here is a bird we came across as we were waking. It is a Black Crowned Night Heron. A what? I hadn’t heard of it before yesterday either. Here was the first lesson. No matter how many times you have been somewhere, there is always something new to discover. We have seen many of the same animals before, but this one was new to us.
Already excited at seeing a new animal for the first time, we were in for another great surprise. We came across this young deer as we rounded the corner of the path. Approaching slowly, we watched the deer. We were able to walk on the path right passed it without the deer running away. I’m sure it sensed we meant no harm. Lesson 2 – no matter how many times you have been somewhere, there is always new magic to experience.
In life we may seem, and feel, like life does not have much in the way of new excitement and adventure to offer. Yet, even in the usual places, there is always something wonderful if you look hard enough.
There are many things that influence my writing ✍️ and life’s mission. It began with a feeling that I was missing the true meaning of life. The United States Postal Service, as it so often does, informed after 10 years of service my job would be all but eliminated. At that point,I realized my focus, and to a large part my identity, had been tied to my job and my material success in life. When that was being taken away, I also realized what a poor life I had created.
That forced me to take a long hard look at both what is important in life as well as what truly brings us joy. Those years of reading, listening and attending seminars resulted in the creation of my first book, A Happy Life for Busy People. As I was writing this book it became clear that I was often the happiest when I was on vacation in the tropics. This should not seem like a shocking revelation, but it did bring up the question that would define the writing and work I was to do the rest of my life.
That question was this – How can you keep that vacation feeling all year long? When you are out shoveling snow in order to go to a job that drains your soul? How about stuck in traffic when you just want to be home with the love of your life. Two song lyrics and a smart ass response from a friend of mine helped provide some answers. The first lyric was from the band Kiss. The lyric was simply “You have to live like you’re on vacation.” While pondering that, I stopped into have lunch where a friend of mine worked. I asked her how her day was going. Her response? “You know. Living the dream right here at the ___”
The other lyric came from Jimmy Buffett, who sadly passed away at the age 76 yesterday. It was the song “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes”. It got me thinking about how different I felt stepping off the plane on a sun-drenched island 🏝 . Why did I feel so different and how can I bring that Attitude home with me? Listening to some of Mr. Buffett’s other songs offered clues to this laid-back beach state of mind.
It was attending a Jimmy Buffett concert that showed how people in the frozen state of Wisconsin kept that tropical state of mind. The parking lot of the concert was turned into a tropical paradise much like my trip to margaritaville, as documented in the picture above. There was people in swimwear. There was swimming pools full of rum drinks. Homemade beach signs and tropical colors everywhere.
Just to investigate further, I made a return trip to Jamaica and created as many memories as I could, including this one with another wonderful couple Margie and I met while we were down there.
The point of this is that we all need an escape. Whether it is writing about it in a song like Jimmy Buffett did, or even just listening to those songs. We need to escape, in whatever fashion we can, to the places that make us happy. It is not a luxury, but a necessity for our sanity.Where is your escape and how do you get there?
This was the temperature on the way to work this morning. Felt like a crisp fall day. I am more of a sunny summer kind of fellow.this time of year I feel my spirits start to drag a little. Still, I stay focused on the fact I am not driving in snow or ice…. yet.
Even though it is cold, my seasonal allergies have decided it is their season. I always find it remarkable how doing an activity while unable to breathe through your nose is that much more draining. It feels as though I am walking in quick sand. I’ve tried every medication and natural remedy I can think of, but still they persist
It can seem hard not to get a little down in the mouth when the world seems against you. This past week not only included the above drop in temperature and allergy mayhem, but a concussion and other serious injury. It seemed a period in my life when everything is going south but me! At this point in time down south, say in the islands with my lady, seems like a good remedy.
As the quote from Mr. Churchill says, we must never surrender. Bruce Springsteen and Corey Hart said something similar. I’ve decided a change in perception is what is needed. I’m going to look at this the same way I do the gym. The struggle today will give me the strength I need tomorrow. Who knows, I might learn something along the way. What do you do when your life seems upside down?
I hesitated at choosing the title of this post. It sounds a bit too much like those scam videos we are all sent on social media. Speaking of the fine art of online communications, I am here to propose an idea. Stop your scrolling for a second and ponder the question above? Do you know anyone who is sunshine in human form? I’m sure we all do.
I’m going to mention a few, as I am grateful 🙏 enough to have many in my life. There is my mother. Always up for an adventure. This is especially true if it has to do with walking in nature. As you can see, it also could involve October fest too.
There is my friend Shannon. We have known each other for… well… let’s just say for a good number of years. 😉 We also shared a lot of walks in nature great conversations and an even better connection.
Raymon (far left) is another great example. Here he is with his wonderful wife, attending my recent charity book event. Raymon is someone who genuinely listens to understand and is a very thoughtful and caring person.
This list would not be complete without my lovely lady. Margie can turn a dark day sunny with just a smile. She always does more than that. The other day, when I was having a hard day, she room me out to lunch and made sure to put a smile back on my face. She really is my sunshine!
How about you? Is there someone in your life that can brighten even the darkest of days? Who are they? Maybe leave a little comment of appreciation on their social media. Take them out for lunch a cup of coffee or a walk in nature. Get around them and soak up the sun!
Today was a tough day at the day job. I had just finished what I was working on and one of my coworkers walked right through it and ruined it. This was despite the fact that I had a sign posted alerting passers-by that the section was temporarily closed. Assuming that she might be challenged when it came to literacy, I politely asked if next time she saw that sign, she could please walk around the area. In what can only be described as a very condescending time, she glared and said, “No.”
I was a bit dumbfounded as I have never treated this lady with anything but kindness and respect. I also was raised to respect everyone so her behavior was just not what I was used to. She even asked the boss later, “Why should I respect him?” Clearly, this young lady could benefit from reading my favorite book How to Win Friends and Influence People.
This is not a post about how poorly people treat one another, or how we should respect everyone. No, it is about a mistake I made following this interaction. It also is about having a system in place to address and correct that mistake.
First the mistake. I let this lady’s behavior really affect me. It rather upset my day. When the person who usually makes everyone else happy is unhappy, that didn’t help the overall vibe of the office for the day. This lady, in which should be no surprise, seemed not to care at all.
I know you should not let others control your emotional state. I even teach tools to that effect. You know what else I am? Human. That means in spite of all the knowledge I both have and teach, on occasion life will get the best of me. Especially when someone’s behavior is so out of line in catches me off guard.
Knowledge of tools for success is what saved me from the rest of this day. One of them is surrounding yourself with other people who are passionate about learning to improve themselves. Another one is to foster relationships that allow you both to share knowledge and feelings freely with each other.
To this end, I had several folks which included family, friends and more courteous coworkers, to remind me of what I already know. It is fatal to put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket.Life happens and we are all human. We will forget what we know and make mistakes. That is why it is important to surround ourselves with people who can give us that reminder of what is important and what we should be doing.
Music is certainly something that can change our emotional state. You put your headphones 🎧 on at the gym to get fired up. You hear a song and think of someone you love, or even someone you miss. Often these moments happen by chance. We hear a song while driving in the car. A song is playing while we are shopping or eating in a restaurant.
Don’t forget, you can use this intentionally. In my first 2 books I advocate creating a happy Playlist. That is a collection of songs that put you in a positive mental state. That way when stress comes, all you have to do is push play and you have a little help getting back to a happier place.
If you haven’t read either of my first 2 books, or this idea is new to you, I suggest getting started on it today. Create a Playlist on your phone, your iPad or wherever else you can. Music is a great tool. Let us use it to our advantage!
Below you will find a link to my Living the Dream with Neil Panosian podcast. If that link doesn’t work for you, feel free to find out wherever you stream your favorite podcasts. Don’t forget to subscribe so you will get the latest episodes as soon as they are released!
In this episode, you will hear a section from my second book, Living the Dream. It will be the secret to giving your life direction and accomplishing more in less time! Click below to listen right now!
One of the best, and most fulfilling things we can do is to find ways to help others. The great thing about that is the repercussions of doing so. You not only make the person you are helping feel good, you also feel good for doing so. As an effect of that, you make the world a brighter and better place for everyone. It is a no lose situation.
Even if you are too shy to help in person, there are so many things you can do virtually. From posting an encouraging comment on a friend’s social media page, to sharing a positive and inspiring post (take this one for example)
If we all do one little thing to help others, it will make a big impact. What are your ideas to help this weekend?
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 