Keep Your Eyes On The Horizon - Life's Lessons Learned At Sea

So what draws people to the sea? I am not referring to those sunny weather sailors, but those sailors who truly head out to sea. Slip the lines and head off into the blue yonder. Sailing can be liberating on many fronts. It's just you, the crew and the deep blue sea. Many of today's sailboats have auxiliary engines to power you home when the wind stops blowing or is against you. Should you look at the engine as " Plan B". Perhaps so, but is the engine a way to keep "Plan A" alive? Life is that way too.
When you are sailing you have a destination. Perhaps we shall call it a short term goal. It may be a navigational mark you go to before you set course to the next mark. For all the GPS junkies out there we would call it a way point. My point being here, is that you have to get to that position before you can head on the next leg of the journey. There are steps you have to take in order for you to achieve that goal.
Taking this one step further. If the wind is in your favor the passage will be relatively easy. But if the wind is against you the trip will take longer and the seas will be rougher. However you can still get there with good planning and execution. The trick is to keep your eyes on the destination. If you focus on the waves the journey will most certainly be rougher. When you can see or visualize the end or destination you are more certain to achieve it. Achieving success in any endeavor is the same. You need to know where you are going and you need to have the tools to get there. Both physical and mental.
Having personally been at sea during several serious storms, I have learned not to fear the ocean. I have learned instead to respect the ocean. This respect has been obtained through preparation and the knowledge I gained through experience from my many years at sea. Life is also the same. If you never leave port you will never get to see and appreciate the horizon. You will never really test yourself and know what heights you can reach. That's OK if a safe harbor is all you want in life. However you would not be reading the article if you were so disposed to stay at anchor. Set sail. Take flight. What every you want to call it. If you are in search of new horizons, your life will become enriched.
The horizon is endless just like life's possibilities. To be truly successful in life we must slip the lines and head to sea. We must hike to the other side of the mountain. By doing these things we have the opportunity to grow as humans. The thirst for adventure is a catalyst in achieving your success. It is a right of passage to have your visualizations and dreams become tomorrows reality. The object after all, is to be living your dream.

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Bring In 2012 With A Positive Attitude

We have heard all our lives that if we focus on something we will be able to accomplish that desire. To focus is to zero in on our desires through intense thought. Speaking to the title of my article it is positive thoughts that we need to concentrate on. I have been a positive thinker most of my life. In looking back on my life the rough years were the ones that I allowed negative thoughts to get a hold of me. I wish I understood the power of thought back in those years. It has given me a wonderful appreciation on how older people gain wisdom.

So how do you get to this space that you are able to stay in this positive frame of mind? There are so many external pressures in our lives. Perhaps you do not like your job. The kids need your attention. It seems there is not enough time left for you. Your whole life has become about reacting to external forces. You feel like you have lost control of your day to day life. No wonder there are so many divorces in today's society. There are so many pressures coming at you from many sources. You often become bitter because you do not have enough "me time". You become very defensive of what little personal time you have to yourself. Can you be number one in your life yet be a loving caring husband and father? The answer is without question, yes. You can accomplish this by getting control over the "me time" so you can better enjoy the "we time". Once you have the "me time" figured out you now have the opportunity to gain control your thoughts. So how do you get to this space. The way there is very simple. Things will not change if you keep doing things the same old way. What it will take is for you to create a couple of new habits. Ready? Approach these suggestions with an open and positive attitude.

• Go to bed earlier. Insure you get the sleep that you need. Starting the next day from an exhausted state is unproductive and unhealthy. Using the TV to decompress is OK however it robs you of your precious "me time". Much needed time for you to think and look after yourself.
• Much of the news on television is about catastrophic events. I recommend you control the intake of this information. You can be a compassionate person however focus on how things will get better. Not on what has just happened.
• Become an early riser. Approach the day on your terms. Enjoy a cup of coffee and perhaps a little reading. The phone does not ring. No need to stand in line for the shower. Start the day tending to you and your needs. This is the time to be grateful for all you have Personally I get up at 5 am most mornings. I look out over the night ocean from our living room watching the navigation buoy lights flickering in the distance. Very soothing. In summer time I get to watch the sun rise. What a way to bring in the day. I keep a note pad beside me and jot down what I need to accomplish today and then I organize them.
• Start a gratitude journal. Yes a book that you will write in every day expressing your gratitude for all that you have. When you know and appreciate what you already have you can focus on gaining more.
• Never ever allow yourself to leave the house mad or upset. You will carry that baggage with you all day. Head out the door ready to embrace the day.

I know this all seems simple. But if you are not aware of your thoughts the negative thoughts and images can creep into your mind. Misery does like company. These are not the kind of friends you want. Stop them dead in their tracks. With this formula you will look forward to each day. A "Happy You" will be an inspiration for a happy family. A "Happy You" will be a creative contributor at work. Make it your plan to get control of your life and your mind. The first step is with a positive attitude.

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Can You Simplify Your Life And Be Successful?

Just this week I was going through some boxes in the garage. Not looking for anything in particular. I came across some old photographs of when I had hair on the top of my head. Plaques acknowledging all the boards I used to sit on. Great memories. Then I came upon a box that had some books I had read years ago. One of then a little gem. "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff" by Dr. Richard Carleson. So I pulled the book out of the box and brought it in from the garage.

What a wonderful and light thinking book this is. Each chapter is just two or three pages with a little nugget in each chapter. I felt it would be fun to read just a couple of chapters a day. I smiled to myself thinking this would be a great way to help me really concentrate on slowing down. My life too can be hectic with all the community service work I do. Yes I do over commit. I surrender. But I get so much back from all the giving I do.

One of the little nuggets I read this morning was this. "There will still be things on your to do list the day you die". The to do list is a working document. It lives and has a life all it's own. That's why there is always things on it to do. Weather or not the screen on the patio door gets repaired today or next week is not life altering. The lesson from this is slow down and enjoy your life. Many things in our lives can indeed, wait until tomorrow.

So the question remains can you slow down and still achieve success? Absolutely. So how do we approach this? It's always a great time to plan for the coming year. So lets not leave it until December 28th or 29th or make them News Year's Resolutions. These changes in the way we lead our lives will take some reflection and some planning. So let's have some fun. If you have the ability to laugh at yourself this exercise will be easy. Why you ask? Because we all know we have these little quirks. Quirks about ourselves that we know we should change. Are you are a list completer? Having lists are good. Having them control our day in and day out lives is tragic.

So here we go.

1. Pull out your to do list and see what lays there.
2. Next is to start a new list but put the items in order of importance.
3. Now is a good time to add or delete items with the emphasis being on delete.
4. The next step is to put completion dates on them and makes sure you have left lots of time to complete them.
5. You may not add new items on the to do list unless it something like the garage door stopped working. Only "have to" things can be added to the list until you have mastered management of your list.
6. The second last step is to schedule these "to do" things in your diary. Yes, the day on which you will do them.
7. The last and most important step is to schedule free time in your diary. Time to read, sleep, go hiking. Go to a movie with your kids. Schedule time you are not doing task related activities.

Here in lies the prize. I expect your saying this is to simple an approach. That's the purpose of this exercise. Simplification. Why should we choose to live life the hard way? I personally believe we can achieve our goals and stay on track and enjoy your down time. Going slow from time to time will allow you to better enjoy the journey. Going slow will allow you time to reflect and to make better decisions because you thought them through. I suggest you learn to embrace your to do list. Once you take this approach you will take ownership of the list instead of the list taking ownership of you. Your family and state of mind will thank you.

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