THE CHASE

We're all chasing something.  My something might be different than your something that is different than their something.

Today, I want to encourage you to have a pursuit.  Have a "something."  Go after your dreams.

Sometimes we chase things for others...or better yet, we only chase things that we think THAT guy or THAT gal would want us to have, so we go after it...but it's not in our heart.

What are you chasing? Is it:

• A new job
• A person
• Money
• Approval/Acceptance
• A ghost

But do these things REALLY satisfy?  Some of us are like Doug, the dog, from the movie UP.  We are pursing something and then, "SQUIRREL!"  And our attention is distracted.

What are you passionate about?  The things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling!  

Go after it....whatever it is for you.  In this BEST YEAR YET, follow your heart, but take your brains with you!  Stay focused and limit the "noise" and anything else that will try to distract you.

CHASE WHAT MAKES YOUR HEART RACE!

My 3 things I'm GRATEFUL for today:

• My work from home space
• Walking my dog
• Encouragement from others

ARE YOU ALL IN?

COMMITMENT.

What does it take to be "ALL IN?"  

Your attitude?  Are you a good "team member?"  If you're not scoring the points or getting the press, does that affect how you act?  What makes you be ALL IN when it's not about you?

Maybe with you it's being noticed or getting THAT promotion.  Or getting the lead in the play or having the solo in the song?  Do we only commit if we get to be the STAR?

There is a great 2 1/2 minute YouTube of a press conference of basketball coach Geno Auriemma where he discusses the importance of attitude and body language.  This is a GREAT lesson for all of us, young and experienced.  Stop what you are doing, (click the "attitude and body language" link above), and watch it.

BE ALL IN!  

My 3 things I'm GRATEFUL for today:

• A thought of someone that makes me smile
• My team I work beside everyday
• Pedicures

DON'T WASTE IT

A while back, I was talking with someone and they uttered the phrase, "Don't waste it....." They had a few things that fit the *blank* following the phrase, but I was captivated by those three words, "DON'T WASTE IT!"

I thought about many things that we have a tendency to waste, but today, we're going to focus on one thing to NOT waste:  INFLUENCE

in·flu·ence

ˈinflo͝oəns/

noun

1. 1.

   the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.

INFLUENCE is a powerful word.  Leadership expert, Dr. John C. Maxwell, has said that "Leadership is Influence....nothing more, nothing less."  We can be a good leader with influence or a bad leader with influence.

We influence MANY situations everyday, whether we realize it or not....whether we want to or not.  In 1993, the athletic brand Nike, did a commercial, featuring Charles Barkley, where Charles repeats over and over, "I am not a role model."  There is truth to that statement, but also, by our definition above, he was/is a role model.  Charles says that just because he can dunk a basketball, that doesn't make him a role model.  Parents, he says, are to be role models....and that is truth.  But say what we may, our actions by our words, declares our INFLUENCE at any given time, whether we signed up for it or not.

OK...all that being said, DON'T WASTE IT.....YOUR INFLUENCE!  You and I truly have an opportunity to inspire/influence/effect others in a positive way.  

I remember one of the final scenes in the movie, "Saving Private Ryan,"  Captain Miller, with his final words says to Private Ryan, "James, earn this....earn it." The scene cuts to present day and and elderly James Ryan, standing over Captain Miller's grave says, "Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge.  I tried to live my life the best I could.  I hope that was enough.  I hope that, at least in your eyes, I've earned all that you have done for me."  THAT is INFLUENCE!

Well, we might not be have had to travel through war torn Europe to find someone to bring home...but we do have an opportunity to shape lives, in this our BEST YEAR YET.  Don't let some opportunities go by to be the calm in someone's storm....to be the voice of reason in their uncertainty.  A few year's ago, I had a colleague from a previous company quote something I had said.  He put it out on FaceBook for the world to see.  Honestly, I don't remember saying it, although it was something that I would and did say, but he shared it proudly and with meaning.  So, even at times when you are just talking, remember....SOMEONE IS LISTENING!  

INFLUENCE.....DON'T WASTE IT! 

My 3 things I'm GRATEFUL for today:

• Spring weather
• HOKA running shoes
• Prayer

What are you GRATEFUL for today?  If you don't know what I mean, go back to the blog post from May 4th, "21 DAYS OF GRATITUDE," to see what I'm taking about here and start your 21 Day GRATITUDE Journey.  Drop me a line and let me know your in!

LAUGH OUT LOUD

Recently, I was attending an on line conference, The Reinvented Reinvent Conference, with BETH JONES and she had, as a guest, REAL TALK KIM.  Have you heard of Kim?  SHE.IS.FUNNY!  She was dropping line after line that was HILARIOUS!

It made me think about how much I enjoy LAUGHTER and really, how it makes me feel to laugh.

Proverbs 17:22, in the Bible says, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength."  Notice, it's better to laugh and and be light hearted (it's GOOD MEDICINE), but if you do the opposite, it drains you or saps strength from you.

Think about it:  how do you feel coming out of a great comedy movie where you are laughing the whole time?  How about coming out of a depressing movie...how do you feel then?  I like a good thriller or mind bender movie, but if the CHEERLEADER and I hit up RedBox on the weekend, we make sure that we get at least one comedy.   Why?  Because we don't want to walk away from the experience in down, sad, scared, or drained mood.  

The late author, Norman Cousins, talked about the healing power of laughter in his classic book, "Anatomy of an Illness".  One report from Laughter Online University (LOU) about his illness said this:

"In 1964 following a very stressful trip to Russia, he was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (a degenerative disease causing the breakdown of collagen), which left him in almost constant pain and motivated his doctor to say he would die within a few months. He disagreed and reasoned that if stress had somehow contributed to his illness (he was not sick before the trip to Russia), then positive emotions should help him feel better. With his doctors’ consent, he checked himself out of the hospital and into a hotel across the street and began taking extremely high doses of vitamin C while exposing himself to a continuous stream of humorous films and similar “laughing matter”. He later claimed that 10 minutes of belly rippling laughter would give him two hours of pain-free sleep, when nothing else, not even morphine could help him.

His condition steadily improved and he slowly regained the use of his limbs. Within six months he was back on his feet, and within two years he was able to return to his full-time job at the Saturday Review. His story baffled the scientific community and inspired a number of research projects."

I like when it said, "...if stress had somehow contributed to his illness...then positive emotions should help him feel better."  

Stress less.  LAUGH MORE!

Make laughing and laughter a regular part of your BEST YEAR YET...and "LIGHTEN UP FRANCIS!"

My 3 things I'm GRATEFUL for today:

• Laughter
• My Bible
• Technology

DON'T BURY THE LEAD

Yesterday, we talked about GRATITUDE and what elements we could incorporate into our daily lives to express GRATITUDE and THANKFULNESS. 

We started a "21 DAY CHALLENGE" (see yesterday's post). In the blog, I mentioned, as my 3 things I was grateful for yesterday, were:

• My health
• My job
• Water

Although I am very grateful for those 3, and they are a great part of my list for 21 days, I should have led with what I wrote for today (see at the end of this post my 3 things for today).  I guess I wasn't wanting to state the obvious, but sometimes the obvious is exactly what you need to state.  In journalism, there is a phrase that says, "don't bury the lead!"  It means you should write the MOST important thing first. 

I.BURIED.THE.LEAD!

For me, there is no BEST YEAR YET without my FAMILY. 

The CHEERLEADER, My 3 Sons, my Extended Family....these are my top 3 for today.

             

I am SO thankful/grateful for all of my three. 

They say that you really know who are the closest to you when you are "up against it."  I have had some times over the past few years, where I was "up against it," and "My 3" for today were ALWAYS there.  Sometimes it was with a call, a card, a hug...whatever it was, they were there.  Even when I was not reacting the most positive way, especially to the CHEERLEADER...probably because she was with me ALL the time....she was so strong.  I now realize that I took that "strength" for granted, knowing that she was hurting too...just differently.

My boys, all my sibs and parents (both the CHEERLEADER's and mine) are a great group to "go through it" with.  

So to all my FAMILY....THANK YOU!  I intend to continue to have my BEST YEAR YET.  I encourage you to follow my lead and purpose to have your BEST YEAR YET.  But realize this, you shouldn't go it alone.  

Maybe you don't have any blood family living...but you most likely have some type of "tribe" that you belong to (the gym; church; work friends; your running club; etc).  Invest your time in them....they will invest their time in you!

FAMILY!

#TEAMPETERSON

OK...I mentioned it above, but here are my top 3:

My 3 things I'm GRATEFUL for today:

• The CHEERLEADER
• My 3 Sons
• Extended Family

21 DAYS OF GRATITUDE

A few years ago, I had the privilege to hear Author/Researcher/Speaker Shaun Achor speak at a conference I was at.  Take a look and listen to a similar presentation he gave as part of a TEDx Talk here.

As you watch the TEDx Talk, you hear some whit along with science (as Mary Poppins sang, "A spoonful of sugar, helps the medicine go down...and science is like nasty medicine to me:  needed but hard to swallow!) of Happiness....how GRATEFUL are we, truly?

With all that is going on in our world, in our state, in our homes, it is real easy to lean into the fear of the unknown.  I've been challenged to be BETTER during this time.  How can I make sure I don't waste an opportunity to grow, in one or multiple areas of my life?

So, this morning, I thought about the 5 disciplines Shaun spoke to the group I was a part of, to do for 21 days.  Why 21 days?  They (once again, whoever "THEY" are) say that to either start or stop a habit, it takes 21 days.  So if you have a habit you want to break, focus on NOT doing it for 21 days.  If there is a good, healthy habit you want to have as part of your lifestyle, do it for 21 days.  21 days....3 weeks....can you START or STOP something for 21 days?  

THE CHEERLEADER and I decided to start a 21 Day exercise program.  We got started yesterday, so we'll have this 21 DAYS OF GRATITUDE, go right alongside the exercise program.

Before I give you the 5 disciplines or positive habits, I want to ask you an all important question:  

WHAT ARE YOU PREPARED TO DO? 

If we are going after our BEST YEAR YET, then there are disciplines we are going to need to incorporate into our life.  Here are the 5 disciplines to do for (at least) 21 days:

• Positive Habit #1 - Write down 3 new things, each day, you are grateful for.  They can be anything.  Don't limit it...think and write down 3 things each day.  At the end of this post, I'll give you my 3 for today and be looking each day for the next 21 days for my "3 daily gratitudes."
• Positive Habit #2 - Journal for 2 minutes...TWO MINUTES..that's all, describing a meaningful experience that happened over the past 24 hours.  I would encourage you to do Positive Habits 1 & 2, first thing in the morning, to get your day started off, well....POSITIVE!
• Positive Habit #3 - Add (at least..that's my add there!) 15 minutes of fun, active cardio to your daily routine.  Get your heart pumping: a brisk walk; a run; an exercise video; whatever will do it for you.  
• Positive Habit #4 - Invest 2 minutes....I know you got it, just TWO MINUTES...of non-activity/meditation...if that word scares you, how about THINKING....to train your brain to just watch/listen to your breath/breathing.  I have not subscribed yet, but I heard there is a great app called CALM.  Check it out.
• Positive Habit #5 - Take 2 minutes...there it is again...(you can do 2 minutes, right?) and email/text/instant message one person, each day, in your social network and thank them.  This could be a loved one; a friend; a teacher; mentor; whoever...but let them know what they have done for you that you are grateful/thankful for.

These 5 actions are NOT difficult to do.  I CHALLENGE you...I'm going straight to the TRIPLE DOG DARE on this one.  Take the next 21 days from when you read this, and do these five.  Let me know after the 21 days are up what you think and how it has effected you.  Now, don't tell me "it didn't work" if you gave up at day 3 or 13 or even day 20....take it the whole way.  Send me a message to one of my social spots:

• Right here in the comment section below
• Email: pete3jn2@gmail.com
• Instagram: @tcpeterson01
• Twitter: @_timpeterson
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/tim.peterson.1848

I'll look forward to hearing from you as you continue to journey on to have your BEST YEAR YET.

My 3 things I'm GRATEFUL for today:

• My health
• My job
• Water

See, it's not that difficult.  How about yours?  Are you in?

THE D WORD

dis·ci·pline

ˈdisəplən/

 - behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and 

   control

I remember, a couple of years ago, seeing on Twitter, there was a post by a Hydration Company, Nuun, whose products I have used when training for marathons.  The post was a question that asked, "How do you stay motivated on the treadmill or trainer?"

I have talked, in the past, about the treadmill and how many in the running community do not like it, calling it a "dreadmill?"

For the record, I would rather do all my training miles, outside, in 52 degree weather.

But I don't live in a climate that is 52 degrees, every day!

I live in Nebraska.....AND WINTER IS HERE!

And, I'm running a Spring half marathon in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Running a Spring half marathon, or specifically, a half marathon in early May, training begins......NOW!

So, if I want to be ready to run 13 point 1 miles, I have to find a way.

"If it is important to you, you'll find a way.

If not, you'll find an excuse."

THIS.IS.IMPORTANT.TO.ME.

DISCIPLINE.

A couple of years ago, someone I knew told me about some health issues he was having.
He's a young guy.  At the time, he had been married less than a year.  His wife was pregnant, due that Spring, with their first child...a daughter.

Some of what he is going through was controllable.  

I told him my story of the CHEERLEADER asking me, about 19 years ago, if I loved her.  IF I LOVED HER?  Of course I loved her.....which is what my friend said to me about his wife, with her standing right there.  

I told him basically the same thing the CHEERLEADER told me.  Don't just say you love her, show her you love her by taking care of yourself.

A WAY....or....AN EXCUSE?

What about you?  

What is important to you that you won't find excuses for?

How bad do you want it?

Be DISCIPLINED and GO.FOR.IT!