Billosophy

10 Easy Things To Make Life Fun

// August 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // Life, Thoughts

I have been inspired lately to read things that inspire!  Its quite interesting how many opinions are out there on what inspires people … for me, its all about living a good life.  I think if you ask 10 people to define “a good life” you will get 18 different definitions.  This got me thinking … what 10 things do I try to do every day?

1. Memorize Something – I work online … I am reading constantly.  I remember in school all the “studies” that have been done saying we as people forget 80% of what we hear and see in a day.  Find something that interests you and memorize a fact, a date, information about that topic.  Not only will this leave your brain sharp and your memory functioning, you will also have a huge library of quotes to bust out at any moment.  Poetry, sayings and philosophies are your best options.

2. Smile – I love making eye contact with strangers and just smiling.  Two things will happen … they will smile back or they will look around to see why you are smiling.  If they smile back watch how that makes you feel inside – and think about how that person will feel now.  I am shocked sometimes how a simple smile will change the outward appearance of someone.  Usually I look for someone with an angry look on their face or maybe they are sitting slouched in a chair … I make eye contact … smile … and watch!  Try it – who knows, you might even meet someone cool.

3. Do Not Be So Serious – Learn to laugh at the little things, life will be a whole lot easier.  If you find amusement in your mistakes and failures (and you are still alive) you can be thankful for a lesson.  Life is not strictly business, it can be mixed with pleasure.  You will find life to be a bit more entertaining if you can laugh more.

4. Make Someone Feel Special – Even something as simple as remembering a name (See #1) … you can have such a profound effect on someone’s whole day or week.  Reach out and tell someone you were thinking about them.  You know your friends … what makes them smile?  Most of the time you’ll find it does not take money to make someone feel special.  Give a word of encouragement … Thank someone for doing something nice … take an extra step to make someone feel like they mean something to you.

5. Relax – You remember … “Frankie Says” … did I just date myself?  Every now and then … sit on the couch and do nothing.  Think about what makes you happy, read a book, watch TV, play a video game!  Relaxing is not evil … I hear so many people tell me how busy they are and how much time they do not have.  How can you be happy and make others happy when you are sooooo busy doing busy things?  We all have the same 24 hours in a day … take some time out for yourself and relax for even 5 minutes.  Try it … Trust me!

6. Create A Daily Mantra – A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that are considered capable of “creating transformation” (says Wikipedia) … I admit I do not do this every day, but when I think about it creating a daily mantra is fun.  Try it tomorrow … when you wake up in the morning ask yourself “What one sound, syllable or word will transform my day?”  This can be as easy as the word “Love” … “Laugh” … “Smile!”  It can also be the sound of a sigh (breathe in slowly – exhale quickly) .. sometimes I need that sound when I am starting to feel overwhelmed.  Get creative … try a daily Mantra!

7. Learn To Juggle – Who doesn’t love to watch someone juggle?  Try it … learn it … you will be surprised how easy it really is.  If you do not even know where to start … Google “Learn to juggle” and I am sure you’ll find plenty of videos and website tutorials.  Juggling is fun … plus once you get good at it you can mark that down as an accomplishment!

8. Help Someone – Every minute of every day … someone in your network of friends needs help.  Take a few minutes to observe which one of your friends could use a hand with a task, a project, anything.  Helping others has a ripple effect too … if you help someone, the example is set and it may give them the motivation to help someone else.  You know – Pay It Forward!  Your relationship with that person will grow – I Promise!  If you believe in Karma … its always good to have some in the bank.  Also, if you want a selfish reason … you’ll be able to call in a favor one day and those around you will be more than happy to pitch in.

9. Laugh – Whenever you get a chance … Every time you think about it … find some reason to laugh!  Laughter is a great thing – that’s why we’ve all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” There is strong evidence that laughter can actually improve health and help fight disease.  Laughter connects us with others and it is contagious, if you bring more laughter into your life, you will most likely help others around you to laugh more, and realize the benefits as well.  By elevating the mood of those around you, you can reduce their stress levels, and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them, reducing your stress level even more!

10. Call Someone “Just To Say HEY!” – Has this ever happened to you?  You get a call out of the blue from a friend just ’cause!  It has happened to me and every time my day has changed for the better.  Think of someone you care about … and call them to say hi.  Do it now … and watch how your day becomes better by sharing with someone you care about.

This is your life … your journey … why not make it fun for you and those around?  Try some of these … leave a comment … tell us what you do to make life fun!

5 Things Kids Want To Hear

// July 25th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Belief, Life, Thoughts

I was thinking about this the other day and decided to try to come up with a few things I do to push my son Tyler and challenge him to think and try harder.  I looked at this not from my point of view as the parent – but as Tyler and what would I want from me in order to really push hard and reach my goals … here are my thoughts on 5 things every kid wants to hear from their parents

1. No … Because – Nobody wants to be told “No” … especially when there is nothing backing up the decision.  How many times did you hear the phrase “No, because I said so!”  Then we as kids, would just walk away shaking our head thinking “well that didn’t make any sense at all” … but as kids, our attention span was the equivalent of a puppy so we quickly moved on.  The inquisitive nature of kids will always test and push your boundaries on what is and is not acceptable behavior, activities, language, mannerism.  It is our job as parents to provide the boundaries for the kids and then teach them how to use the boundaries to get the most out of life.  When they push the boundaries to far, it is up to us to correct and teach.  If the answer is “No” … explain why.  How else are they going to learn where the danger zones are?  “No, because if you touch the hot stove you will burn your hand” for example.

2. I need you to {insert goal here} – Kids need to be pushed … they need to be challenged.  If you do not start challenging early it is only making your job as a parent harder.  Last year Tyler moved down to live with Dawn and I.  It was a HUGE decision for him to make and he really put some thought into why he was moving away from his mom and brother and starting a new life with Dawn and I in a strange town.  Tyler has struggled in school always … I was very clear in what my expectations were regarding his school work and grades.  I set the bar very high for Tyler early .. A’s and B’s only on his semester and end of year report card.  Every day we talked about the progress, we had a countdown calendar for the semester and end of year.  I heard EVERY excuse in the book (my favorite was “The teacher gave us the wrong test … I studied chapter 3 and the test was on chapter 4!)  However, at the end of the first semester Tyler made Honor Roll (4 A’s and 3 B’s) and at the end of the year he finished with 3 A’s and 4 B’s … There are no words that can explain the pride Tyler felt and showed on the last day of school when he found out he actually DID IT!  Trust me – the 9 month journey was frustrating and hard … but I think that made the victory even sweeter for Tyler.  Kids want challenge … they need challenge … it is up to us as parents to set the bar and support them 100% in their pursuit.  This does not mean we should DO it for them … let them fail along the way … after all – how else will they learn?

3. You can do it!!! – Who does not LOVE a cheerleader in their corner?  This one is pretty self explanatory … support your kids while they are working to reach the goals you have set for them.  How hard do you work and how proud are you when you reach a goal and get nothing from those around you?  Kids look up to their parents … they strive to please their parents.  I pushed Tyler last year hard … at the same time, I told him every day “You can do this!”  Even when he gave me 186 excuses why his Chemistry teacher was not doing a good job … my response was “It is not his job to get the grades … it is his job to make sure you are in class and receive the material he is going to test you on.”  I knew Tyler was able to do it … and I pushed him to accept nothing less than a B and he DID IT.  So … I guess that would mean “I WAS RIGHT!”  When you set goals for your kids … cheer for them along the way … Its FUN!

4. I am proud of you – No matter what the outcome … be proud of your kids.  Try it sometime … out of the blue, when your kid does something … just say “I am proud of you!”  They might pretend to not care, but I promise they will remember that statement for a long time.  There were times when Tyler wanted to give up during the year … I supported him and kept him focused on the goal.  I gave him help, hired a tutor, emailed his teachers … I was involved.  I told him he could do it … and I believed that he could.  He struggled and accomplished the goal.  The icing on the cake was when Dawn and I looked Tyler in the eye and told him “We are so proud of you!”  He smiled … he pretended it didn’t matter … but his actions told a different story.  He walked prouder, he felt prouder … and I over heard him on the phone a few times telling his mom, brother, grandma and grandpa – “I did it!”  I am proud of Tyler … and in 4 weeks we start all over again.  I am soooooo ready!

5. I love you – Kids do everything they can to please their parents.  They look for acceptance from their parents and they are hungry to learn how their mom and dad feel about them.  Every day I tell Tyler I love him … and every time I talk to Bryan I tell him too.  Believe it or not – Kids care about what their parents think about them.  If you have not told your son or daughter you love them lately … START NOW!  For one reason – so they can never say “I dont know if my parents loved me” … and that statement usually comes out during a therapy session or an interview from a jail cell.  Kids want to know … kids beg for attention … give it to them – and watch what happens.

I am sure there are other things kids want to hear … leave a comment and tell me what you tell your kids and how you challenge them.

Dancin Dawn!

// June 5th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Life

So a while back I talked Dawn into doing a little dance skit for me … remember the guy Matt who did a video of dancing around the world?  Yea … well anyway, every year at Epcot they do a Food and Wine festival.  I thought it would be cool to record Dawn “Dancing around the world” … as you can see – she danced in quite a few countries.  This was such a fun video to make … and the song is one of her favorites.  Enjoy!

Perception Is Reality

// March 2nd, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Life, Thoughts

I had a boss tell me this for 2 years … my first “corporate” job and I had no idea what I was doing.  Perception Is Reality!  Not a week goes by that I am reminded of this.  Perceptions will always vary … you will always get different stories from different people about the same situation.  To take that a step further, we as humans assign different meanings to what we perceive.  There are usually two options when it comes to perception, depending on the situation someone might change their own perspective or simply make things mean something else … sometimes that happens the more you look at something.  There is no fixed meaning to things, sure we have definitions – but isn’t it the exception that usually makes the rule?  You can always change perspectives and change meanings depending on the situation you are in and what is on your agenda.

Perception is that word that makes people tons of money … the people that sit in a chair and listen to you talk for 50 mintues, and then bill you for one hour!  I am finding more and more young kids try to aspire to meet the image society sets for them.  To tall, to short, to skinny, to fat … clothes, language, behaviors, all building blocks of Your Perception!  Think about it – how many times have you watched a commercial telling us in order to be happy, all we have to do is follow this program.  Why must we be validated by others in order for US to feel better?  I continue to tell my boys … figure out what you want and plan that journey.  What is happiness to you … is it a car, big house, an RV, a Boat, airplane, own a company, lead a team, be the boss?  Once we focus our attention on what our definition of success is … when we can stand up and quantify why we are happy.  Perceptions will sometimes become strenght to your armor.  Think about it – Most of our lives will be spent in the pursuit of goals, not the attainment. Therefore, it is far more important to enjoy the journey.  When living in that mindset, outside perceptions will affect your path in a way that validates your decisions and proves you made the right or wrong ones (if they are wrong – regroup, discuss, fix, move on!). Sometimes they reinforce your motivation and drive to give you that extra push when you need focus.

If you change your story – you change your perception – you change your life!

The Book Of Vision Quest by Steven Foster talks about perceptions:

“You may wonder, ‘How can I leave it all behind if I am just coming back to it? How can I make a new beginning if I simply return to the old?’ The answer lies in the return. You will not come back to the ‘same old thing.’ What you return to has changed because you have changed. Your perceptions will be altered. You will not incorporate into the same body, status, or world you left behind. The river has been flowing while you were gone. Now it does not look like the same river.”

All this boils down to one thing – the ONLY thing you can control in life is how you react to situations.  My boys, and sometimes Dawn, will ask me during stressfull times or heated discussions – Why do you seem so calm?  More than once their perception of me has been that either I do not care what the topic is – or I am not that interested in it.  While I am trying to process the information before I decide on the plan to fix the situation.  What controls your perception is your history of decisions and experiences.  Its all you got – Use It!  My experience has been like none other – I would not ask anyone to take a ride in my shoes.  It is all in how you handle reality … how you make your decisions after you process the information (and sometimes before you process – but that is another post).

Where do you find yourself stumbling with perceptions … where do you find yourself excelling?  What are key indicators that trigger your perception of things?  Volume?  Attitude?  Clothing?  Language?

This could be a fun one to talk about – tell me one thing you would change about your story!