“If we don’t change, we don’t grow.  If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.”  Gail Sheehy

A week ago I saw an incredible movie called Boyhood.  This is a coming of age film that uses the same actors to tell a story that encompasses 12 years of life from 6-18 for the boy.  The breaks inside the story are seamless and the tale comes off like memories.  It shows how the little parts of a life are what shift and shape someones trajectory more than anything thing else.

After the film I was full of perspective as to where I was at and where I had been.  My life has slowly changed, day by day, month by month, year by year and then one day I wake up and I am not the man I used to be and not sure if I would recognize my past and present self as being the same person if I wasn’t tipped off buy the looks.  The win on my end in this moment is this new man I see today has GROWN and changed in such a positive way.  The truth about these slow gradual changes is that sometimes you can not see them happening but they go in both positive and negative directions.

So today I know that I am doing the actions to continue my trajectory towards positive change so I am excited for what is next.  I can easily see how easy it would be to see life in the other way.  To think that things are getting worse and attune less effort into what is good and continue to breed negative results.  So for me, accentuate the positive, move forward and watch this beautiful life grow and change in an instant.

Affirmation Today I see all this good that has been bestowed upon me.

Call To Action  Are you doing all that you can to create the best life for you moving forward?  How are you cultivating what is good right now?

“Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human.” – Viktor E. Frankl

Last night I was watching a movie, and it was a great reminder of how much grey area there is when being human. None of the characters were truly “good” or “perfect.” The director did a great job of making each character relatable. Even the antagonist who was quite the villain had his moments where a sympathetic soul could see his struggle and attempt at navigating this thing called life.

As I watched the movie, and reflected on it before bed, I was reminded of an important thing. I am human. From time to time I will get this unreasonable expectation that I need to be perfect, or I should be doing more, or that the way I am living my life is not good enough. In some aspects of my life this is true, I come up short. It is also important for me to remember where I am excelling in life.

Today I plan to challenge the perfection outlook I have of my life. As I take on this particular challenge I will also look at the areas of my life that I am lazy in, and use some of the energy I have used to be critical of myself to lift up other areas of my life.

Affirmation: Today I am living life as a human. Things are perfect and I can live from right where I am. Thank you Life.

Call To Action: Where are you experiencing life as a human? What are your imperfections that have been taking up space in your head? Can you let that thing go for one day? Please share your experiences with us.

“All things must come to the soul from its roots, from where it is planted.” St. Teresa of Avila

Last Sunday my fiancé and I moved into our own home that we have been in the process of purchasing and planning for the last several months.  Needless to say this has been an incredibly exciting and busy week.  We did the physical moving process with extreme quickness so that we could use the truck to transport some other materials around the city before we had to return it.  There have been workers in the home all week, moving and updating this and that for us and of course there have been friends popping in to see the spot that we intend to set our roots in.

So here I sit on an early CYLFriday morning, the first in my new home.  I am starring out an eastern facing window in the front of my home, coffee in hand, watching the sun begin to peak above the roofs of the houses and trees in the distances.  Small rays of sun are beginning to sneak through this giant tree that is in my own yard and I begin to think incredible it is to be able to know that this moment is the first of what could be a lifetime of mornings writing, watching this same view.  I am in love with this moment.  I have lived in three homes, 5 rooms between  in total, traveled around in between those not really knowing where my head was going to lie but now I do.

In this moment I feel like we have begun to set the stage for a new trajectory of life that I could never before realize.  We have been planted and can begin to grow and change in new ways that were never before ever an opportunity.  I never thought that settling in a space could feel so comforting, it had always seemed like the opposite, it seemed that if I was always moving I would always be forced to change but right now I begun to see how a firm base can allow me to deepen and grow into a new and exciting direction.

Affirmation From a solid base a great structure can be built!

Call To Action Where do you currently anchor the structure that is your life?  What can be built on the foundation that you are creating in you life?

“Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first” Jay-Z

Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk to two different people about their jobs. One had a work meeting that went rather oddly, and the other talked about how they have been lazy at work. I currently work at a job that I love, but in a field I have never worked in before. I was able to share some of my perspective with each person.

In the first scenario I reminded the person of the thing they can control. They really enjoy their job, and are always very enthusiastic when they talk about work. I simply reminded her that her effort and excitement are the only things she can truly control. Her boss, co-workers, and circumstances are out of here direct control, and that is ok. She gets to be the best worker possible, if that is what her choice is.

The second case my friend was talking about being lazy at work. Six months ago my response would have been “me too.” Instead I talked about not being in that mind frame because I had been at my job for less than three months. His response was “how would it look if I acted like tomorrow was my first day?” We chatted about that for a few minutes, and he decided that is how he was going to treat today.

Affirmation Today I will treat everything like it is my first time doing it. I am excited and enthusiastic about every moment.

Call To Action What would it look like to complete each task today as if it were your first and last time doing it?

Over the last week I have been fortunate to work on a marketing project for the Phoenix Children’s Hospital. We have been interviewing kids who were born under extreme circumstances and would not have been able to live if were not for Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the Donors that support it. We interviewed the families and filmed the kids doing their day-to-day activities. These activities, while most of us take for granted, are truly appreciated by these families. Playing video games, singing, dancing, playing basketball, and catch with their dads; are all so very precious. While talking with the parents, I often get goose bumps in hearing the sincerity and gratitude they have in their voice when talking about how the hospital saved their child’s life.

I know all parents are grateful to have their children and savoring those moments are precious for any family. When a child’s chances of survival are low from the time they are born and the time the doctor actually saves them through giving them a better quality of life; it elevates that preciousness to another level.

For myself it puts my life into perspective how easy I have had it. I never had to fight for my life. Life was freely given to me and I was able to enjoy it without any serious problems. Sure I went through hormonal imbalances and thought life was so hard as a child, but I never had a chance to look back and appreciate how easy it really was until now.

Call to Action: Reflect on your life and think about the blessings you had growing up. This is a chance to focus on a positive aspect of your childhood and share it with someone: a parent, a friend, or with us in the comments below.

“I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. — I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. — Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.” -John Adams, from a letter to his wife Abigail Adams dated July 3rd 1776  

Happy 4th of July and of course another CYLFriday!!!

I love this holiday!  I love feeling that crosses the entire nation in celebration of freedom on this American holiday.  I hope that everyone in our community has a destination this evening where they can share the fellowship of friends and the spectacle of fireworks that are displayed from coast to coast.  

When I found the above excerpt from John Adams letter I had to share it.  He was able to see the future based on his belief and faith in this declaration that him and many others were putting into action.  It took extreme courage and convictions for those men to follow their passion for liberty with full knowledge that the price for this freedom was extremely high.  

I am inspired by the efforts of all of the men and women who have risked all of their comforts, security and certainly lives to allow us in this moment to take advantage of personal freedoms.  So it is on this holiday that I get to reflect on how I use the freedoms that I was so blessed to be born in to.  I do fully believe in this moment that this life is what ever I make it, I have the freedom to put forth as much or little into this life, in my life the results have been self evident.  When I exercise my freedoms to their fullest and stay away from imposing on anyone else’s liberties my life has continue to unfold in a truly blessed way.  

Affirmation:  Today I will honor, respect and flex my freedoms!!  God Bless America!!

Call to Action: Celebrate.  Reflect.  Respect.

If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.

– Gail Sheehy

I moved to the east coast, from the southwest, just over two months ago. One thing that I stay in awe of is just how green it is here. I have lived in very green places before, but I have never appreciated how many shades of green there truly are. This past week I have really made it a point to notice all the variants while walking my dog.

As summer unfolds, I am excited about spending time outside. I can find ways to connect with nature, and be in the midst of the river of Life. When I make these connections it allows my perspective to be of joy and optimism. That is what I want my life to look like as I am in the middle of it. Joy. Optimism. In the lush world, plants can remind me of this simple idea.

Green can mean many different things, for some money, others envy, but for me green is life. Not only the life I have lived, but the life I am living today. How am I contributing today? What areas am I afraid to change? Where am I growing?

Affirmation Living life is what I am here to do. I use the world around me to remind me of my truth.

Call to Action Look at the last 3 questions at the end of this post. Can you honestly answer each one? Green is for me, but what will you use today to remind you to live? Please share with the CYLF family below.

“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking potential.” – Winston Churchill

For me, today, it is all about putting in the work!  I learned an amazing lesson when I was out on a job site with my father when I was a young kid.  My father had several employees over the years for his brick laying company one of which was a man named Bill.  Bill was not the strongest or the smartest man that ever worked for my father but he was always on time in the morning, was willing to stay late and always kept moving even if it was not that fast.  He would make mistakes and complete tasks slowly but my father never gave him any grief.   One day I asked my dad why he didn’t fire Bill due to lack of production, he said “how could I fire Bill, he is the best employee I have.”  My father could see the confusion I had on my face so he started to explain something that I could not understand for many years to come.

What my father tried to teach me that day was that Bill was the best employee he had becasue Bill gave everything he had to the company even though everything he had did not measure up to many of the other men that worked for him.  Bill’s potential in his role for my fathers company was not the greatest but he was reaching it everyday that he showed up.  It was explained to me at that time that if any of the other men put in the effort that Bill did with what he had, they would all be masters at their craft in no time.

So I ask myself today, am I putting fourth the most amount of effort possible to all aspects of my life?   When I answer that honestly I have to say no.  I am ok with that because it is honest and it allows me to see the places in my life that I can work harder at to achieve my potential.  It also allows me to take responsibility for the things that I fall short with, learn a lessen as a result and refocus my effort the next time.

Affirmation:  I am the responsible for achieving my potential and today I will put forth the effort to reach it.

Call to Action: Take an honest look at the thing in your life that you are not satisfied with and ask your self am I putting forth all the effort needed.  If not allow this CYLFriday to be the day that you do and please share with us your results.

“Have you made anyone laugh today?” – Hand written note on Steve Sabol’s desk.

I had the amazing chance to catch up with some friends in New York City this past weekend. It was great to see people I had not seen in a couple years. One lunch in particular reminded me how rewarding a great conversation is, and more importantly how worthwhile a good laugh is. It was great sharing laughs, deep and meaningful belly laughs, and it was great watching my friend laugh the same way. At one point we could not even walk down the street because we were in stitches.

Affirmation:  Laughter is the song of the Universe, today I choose to sing along.

Call to Action:Share with the CYLFriday community who you made laugh today.

 Last night, I went to a screening for a movie that comes out next week. The film’s director was there for a Q&A wrapping up his press tour. He relayed a piece of advice that he received, which was to not rest on your laurels. In the context that he received, it meant he should keep directing projects all of the time and that is what led to his success as a filmmaker. As well as leading to his future success. It makes sense that for a creative endeavor people need to practice to achieve success. Just like athletes’ need to practice hitting off a tee or shooting free throws.

I find in my own life, in my own hobbies and desires, the things I would like to do, the things I believe are my passions get neglected. I know that more time needs to be dedicated to pursuing and practicing my own creative endeavors. This Friday I will spend some time and start to create good creative habits.

Affirmation: I can live the life of my dreams; the only thing stopping me is myself.

Call to Action: Set some time aside today to devote to your old hobby. Share what it is with us below or post it on Facebook.