Michael

Nat and I continued our brainstorming session today with tremendous success. We were able to get an amazing amount done in a very little time. I’m still amazed at how our collaboration works. I can relate it to lighting a fuse to a fireworks show. The ideas we generate just seem to pour out of the sky.

After finishing our creative session, we decided to go and take a couple of short hikes in the forest at the Arcadia Wildlife Management Area in Rhode Island. The State of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management supplies online reference and topographical maps of the area. It’s a great place to hike, ride horses, mountain bike, swim, boat and just enjoy the outdoors.

Neither Nat nor I have been out hiking in the forest in the last few weeks. I always find this to be a great way to recharge my batteries and release a lot of stress. Within 5 minutes of walking the first trail, I could feel my state of being relaxing and my level of happiness increasing.

Our shoes hardly made a sound on the needle carpeted trail. It was an incredibly peaceful area. We were surrounded by multiple shades of green. The dappled sunlight danced on the forest floor as the clouds moved overhead. We ate our lunch on a scenic overlook where the green of the forest stretched for miles in all directions. After our quick lunch we took a second hike around Beach Pond. Overall it was a brilliant day.

Walking in the forest can be quite therapeutic and a wonderful way to get rid of our stress. I’m going to work on doing this more regularly.

Have a great day!

Michael

When choosing a business partner it is really important to find someone that has a skill set that enhances and compliments your own. Two people with similar skills will probably not be successful because they will not have the breadth of knowledge, experience and diversity.

I’m fortunate to have a business partner whose personality and skill set completely meshes with my own. We are extremely comfortable with each other’s style of business management. The level of trust is very high. Neither takes anything personal, so it really makes it easy to get through challenging moments.

Both of us have been dealing with some stressful times lately. We met for dinner last night as the start of a long planning session this weekend. Within an hour, Nat and I were able to dramatically reduce and ultimate eliminate the stress we had both been feeling over the last few weeks. We typically are able to get right to the core of any issue, discuss it and help each to reach a better place. Both of us felt that we were now prepared for our brainstorm/working session for tomorrow. All baggage from our work stress had been left behind.

I look forward to working with Nat in the coming years and beyond. He is one of those people that help me realize that my potential is unlimited. Two unlimited potentials working together have to be better than one.

Michael

The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers. – M. Scott Peck

I know my own growth over the years has come in spurts. I’ve experienced plateaus of seemingly no growth where in other times it felt like an emotional roller coaster ride.

In my early years, periods of unhappiness or feeling uncomfortable lasted much longer than necessary. I took longer to learn the “lesson” or were fearful to do something outside of my comfort zone even though it meant being miserable for an extended time.

But, I finally understood that the best answer was to step outside of myself and try something completely different. As I took those first tentative steps to change, I remember feeling quite fearful. In fact, I remember the time; April, 1992. That first step I took was a major career change and I’ve never looked back. That decision completely changed the direction of my life and is a fundamental insight into who I am today.

I started to grow by leaps and bounds. I believe it was a time when my “true self” was beginning to merge. I can’t say that my true self is completely present now, but I know that I’m more “me” than I have ever been. I continue to peel back the layers to get to that core person I know as Michael.

If you find yourself in challenging times, try taking a completely different direction and see what happens. Take a small step first, but take the step. Don’t be stagnant. Stretch yourself to fulfill a small desire. If you need help or reassurance, find someone that can support you. Most importantly if that step didn’t work out, go in a different direction. I live by a simple philosophy now. I don’t want to have any “what ifs” in my life when I get older. I want answers, regardless of whether the answer is yes or no. I don’t want to be sitting around when I’m 90 and thinking, “What if I had tried this or that?” I want to know.

Have a great day!

Michael

We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations. – Anais Nin

My friend Rebecca came up with the term, synchronistic chaos. According to dictionary.com, synchronistic means coincidence in time and chaos means a state of utter confusion or disorder. So, what we have here is a lot of craziness going on at the same time.

It seems to fit really well in describing what I have been going through over the last several weeks. A lot of other people I know are going through “challenging” times; not necessarily bad, just challenging. Lots of personal growth coupled with positive and negative events.

For me, the past few weeks have been really crazy; lots of travel, massive changes and crises at work balanced by some really spectacular personal moments (budding relationship, great movies, wonderful food and lot of fun). All this adds up to long hours that have left me exhausted at the end of the day. Strangely though, that hasn’t really bothered me.

Fundamentally, I think everything that is going on is really good. Yes, I’m the eternal optimist, but bear with me a moment. For example, I’ll take the work challenges that are going on in the company where I work. The tremendous changes happening and the many crises occurring at the same time have forced people to begin looking at things with a different perspective. We have been forced to start dealing openly with some issues that have not been addressed for a long time. These issues, more than ever before, are forcing people to start working differently as a team. Is it really hard? You bet! Is it worth it? Yes, most definitely.

During these challenging and potentially stressful times, you have several options. You can dive and tackle each issue as they come. You can stand back, observe and not react until you gather all the facts. You can go with the flow. You can become overwhelmed and completely stressed. You can take a walk to think things through. Find what works for you in any given situation.

Michael

One ought every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words. – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

I can’t stress enough how important it is to do little things for yourself. Most of us spend a lot of time doing for others, performing chores, running errands or simply getting wrapped up in “life.” It is really detrimental to our well-being when we don’t give back to ourselves.

It could be any number of things: taking a walk, spending 15 minutes reading a favorite book, getting a massage once a month, going to your favorite restaurant, taking a swim, enjoying that special hobby, writing, a little shopping, watching a movie, enjoying a T.V. show, having a girls night out, going out with the guys, fishing, boating, drawing, painting, working in the garden, taking a drive to anywhere, sleeping in an extra hour on the weekend or really just about anything you can come up with.

The important part is giving to yourself. It will do wonders for your attitude, increase your level of happiness, renew your hope, put some fun back into your life and boost your energy level. But, most importantly, it is how you tell yourself that you are okay with who you are, that you are someone that can be loved and that you deserve the best.

Take that first step. What can you do for yourself today?

Michael

There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out. There’s no such thing as life in-between. – Pat Riley

A decision is made with the brain. A commitment is made with the heart. Therefore, a commitment is much deeper and more binding than a decision. – Nido Qubein

Reality forms around your commitments. The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it. – Max Steingart

Do you find it hard to commit to anything? Does it feel like you have to make a definitive stand and maybe that just puts you too much in the “public” eye for comfort? Does making a commitment feel too permanent, like you can’t change your mind in the future? Does it feel like too much responsibility?

According to the quote authors above, without a firm commitment success will be elusive and you will have difficulty achieving your desires and/or fulfilling your goals.

The opposite of committing is not making a commitment. Yes, this is an obvious statement but important to state because many people find it easier to not make a choice/commitment. What happens is that they let indecision choose for them. Some take it so far to actually complain about that choice. I find that quite humorous.

I believe that you will learn more from making any commitment than not all. At least when you make a “bad” commitment, there is more chance you can learn from that mistake than you can by not making any.

If you are really serious about getting on the commitment bandwagon, try some small commitments first. For example, commit to spending 15 minutes every other day solely for yourself. Commit to drinking 1 cup of coffee less per day. Commit to cooking one new recipe a month.

As you get better at committing, try bigger things and before you know it, you’ll be committed…….I mean you’ll be committing like the best of them.

Have a great day!

Michael

A father … knows exactly what those boys at the mall have in their depraved little minds because he once owned such a depraved little mind himself. In fact, if he thinks enough about the plans that he used to have for young girls, the father not only will support his wife in keeping their daughter home but he might even run over to the mall and have a few of those boys arrested. – Bill Cosby

Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express. – Joseph Addison

Watching your daughter being collected by her date feels like handing over a million dollar Stradivarius to a gorilla. – Jim Bishop

A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart. – Author Unknown

I just spent a week with my daughter in California. Father/daughter relationships are difficult to express. The quotes above go a long way in expressing some of my feelings towards my daughter.

Over the years, I believe that I have demonstrated to my daughter that I will be there for her, no matter what, regardless of where I am in the world. I now know that she understands that.

I only want the best for my daughter and to see her grow into the incredible potential that she holds inside. Some of the times have been challenging and others have been fantastic, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I will always hold a special place in my heart for her; more if she needs.

I love my daughter. There is nothing that can change that.

Michael

If you want a kinder world, then behave with kindness; if you want a peaceful world, make peace within. – Dan Millman

We can change the world. All we have to do is change ourselves. Most of the time the focus is on the external, the symptoms of the problem and not the real causes. Symptoms are much easier to work on but the challenge is the underlying cause of the issue still exists.

Truly working on our own “stuff” can be quite difficult, but the rewards are boundless. As we gain more clarity, increase our potential through unlimited possibilities, turn fears into strengths and believe in ourselves more, we begin to approach what humans are capable of being.

As I became happier, happier people have come into my world more. As I became more spiritual, I met more spiritual people and I experienced more spirituality in the world. As I learned to love myself, I found more people that loved me. As I gained more hope and optimism for the world, I found more people with hope and optimism.

We have an amazing ability to change the world and it all starts with a good healthy look inside. Ask yourself some challenging questions. Be your own therapist. Watch closely around you, because as you change you will start to notice your world changing to match what is happening internally.

Have a great day!

Michael

What we see depends mainly on what we look for. – John Lubbock

I’ve been thinking a lot about clarity today and came across this quote. Most of us have many windows of perception from which we view the external world. These filters have been built up over time through our experiences, our fears, influential people in our lives and belief systems we have cultivated.

All of this makes it difficult to be objective, i.e. we see what we look for. Unfortunately this creates the potential of missing a lot that is right in front of eyes.

Here are some ideas/techniques that I have used to eliminate internal biases and increase my clarity:

1. Cultivate an open mind (read, travel, learn about other cultures, etc.).
2. Practice seeing different perspectives. (See how many you can come up with)
3. Don’t judge quickly and ultimately stop judging altogether.
4. Imagine what it would be like in “another person’s shoes.”
5. Participate in healthy debates with friends on topics that you disagree.
6. Don’t take things personally.
7. Start to think about how “truth” may not be so black and white.
8. Do things that get you out of “your comfort zone.”
9. Cultivate friends and acquaintances of many cultures, races and religious beliefs.
10. Eliminate fears.
11. Meditate.
12. Try new things and see if you like them.
13. And remember that we (all humans) share a common desire to simply be happy.

Have a great day!

Michael

I’m currently in California visiting my daughter. Tonight I was treated to a major culinary feast by my daughter’s boyfriend, Patrick. Pat is a trained gourmet chef who loves what he does.

I enjoyed just sitting and waiting for the many dishes to be prepared. I was able to enjoy the multitude of fragrances emanating from the kitchen as each part of the meal was carefully cooked. This is unusual for me as I am the one that typically cooks for my daughter while she waits in the other room. But tonight, I got to sit back and simply wait for the delicious feast to be served.

The main dish was tilapia covered with a butter wine sauce. Pat made a dish called vegetable ragu that had mushrooms, asparagus, leeks and artichokes. It was quite tasty. A special potato gratin complimented the vegetable and fish. A nice side salad with fresh avocados rounded out the meal. The dessert was a delicate crepe filled with fresh strawberries and blueberries topped with a sauce made with vanilla bean and garnished with fresh basil. I had to eat the entire thing.

One of my favorite things is to cook for someone. But, it was really enjoyable to be on the receiving end tonight for a special meal as it had been a long day with work.

Thanks Pat for allowing me to relax and savor the magically delicious meal you so meticulously prepared, cooked and served.

Michael