Find the good and celebrate…

For the last week we’ve had rain and overcast days. Although we always need rain (though some up north have had more than ENOUGH my heart goes out to you all) this lack of  usual sunshine tends to make people sombre and thoughtful.

Greg and Sima

Although I’m busy drafting, I still like to take time to read. I’ve tackled several novels and have just gone back to reading about the Arabian horse. While I agree with much of what was written I put the book aside for a week because the discussion was more about what is wrong with the Arabian breed instead of what is right. I felt it pulled me down and had me asking  questions. I know questions are good, right? It’s good to contemplate where one is heading. But, there is always a flip side to every story. I believe that for every bad there’s a good so I sat for a while thinking about the good things associated with the Arabian breed rather than the doom and gloom.

For us personally, our journey with Arabian horses was really about lifestyle. A lifestyle shared with the horses and the people who love them. We’ve had years full of laughter, love, and joy! Okay, okay, I know it’s not a perfect world, so yes we’ve had our fair share of tears as well! But life is full of problems and struggles and I know no one can avoid them. Even so I make an effort to remain convinced we “get what we look for” in life.

I know some of life is serious and of course breeders/people/writers need to be aware and search for guidelines to make informed choices. Heavens knows, as far as breeding horses goes I wish the information around now was available 20 years ago.

Thankfully life is full of marvellous contrasts. So while I would never want to be naive about life’s difficulties, I know my life is better, when the simple things in life give me so much pleasure. Things like my dear Sima flopping down onto the damp, black Darling Downs soil and joyously rolling around. Only to heave herself up, glance smugly across at me, and saunter down the paddock with her once white  body smeared from head to tail with a layer of thick, sticky black dirt!  She’s happy and I’m amused?  But how can you not love her anyway.

I know we need to understand life’s pitfalls but I always try to search out the good – the silly and the fun. We need to smile at life because without too much help, trouble has a sneaky way of finding us when we least expect it. So I like the simple idea of understanding the bad but focusing on and celebrating the good.

Below is Phillip Humberts latest Life Tip for you to ponder and enjoy. People like Phillip have such wonderful advice – a terrific way to start the week.

What Exactly is Your World Class Life?
Written & Published by Philip E. Humbert, PhD
Visit Phillips website at: www.philiphumbert.com

About two weeks ago, my parents moved into what used to be called a “nursing home.” I understand the correct term is a “Skilled Nursing Facility,” but I get confused about the labels. What I know is that their lives are not as vibrant
as they used to be. They’re getting older. They spend a lot of time sitting and when they aren’t sitting, they’re mostly in bed. It’s hard to watch.

And it raises hard questions about priorities, about time management, and very practical questions about saving for the future (nursing care is expensive!) verses spending for the things we want now, while we can enjoy them.

Each spring, for fifteen years, I led a 3-day conference called, A World Class Life, where we pondered the questions of who we are and what we’re doing with our lives. After fifteen years it was time to move on, although last year I did a teleseminar version of the Conference and I may do that again this year.

But all those conversations and books and discussions over all those years never raised the questions as clearly as seeing my folks move into a small room in a nursing home. Trust me, that’s about as real as it gets!

I’ve often written the words, “Life is short. Live well.” But I never knew what they meant until now.

My father has always been incredibly active and intellectually curious. Often, he’s been so active and extroverted that it was annoying–he was always on the go, never sitting still, too busy for conversation. Now, he sits. He eats and sleeps and tries to walk, but mostly spends his time remembering and wishing things were different. My mother has dementia, which is terrible, but since she doesn’t remember or understand what’s going on, I don’t think she suffers like my father.

The point is that we will all be there one day. Hopefully, many of us will be blessed with active lives until a sudden heart attack takes us quickly and peacefully, but that is the exception. The rule seems to be that we grow old and lose our powers. Eventually, our options primarily revolve around choosing the facility that will serve us best.

Fortunately, before that happens, we have a short, vital window of opportunity. Before we grow old, we have a chance to play, to work, to build and to create. Soon old age will be upon us, but right now, today, we have this fleeting chance to “rock our world.”

My advice is, Don’t blow it!

For me, a World Class Life has two key components.

The first is to DO SOMETHING! Make a difference, create something, build something useful, fight for something important, stand for something meaningful. Take a chance and make some noise!

The second part of a World Class Life is to live on your own terms, in your own way, as seems best to you. Speak your truth. Tell people you love them. Live where and how you want to. Wear purple if you wish.

As I watch my parent’s lives draw to a close, I’m convinced they have achieved remarkable success. They have built and loved and lived as they chose. As their son, I can’t say I always agreed or approved of their choices–or they of my choices–but they lived well and did it their own way. Good for them!

And now I remind myself and beg you to live your life flat out, full tilt, in whatever way seems best to you! Don’t be mean or petty about it, but live out loud. Make a mark. Go for what you want. Stand tall, and leave a legacy.

Life’s short. Live well.

Statistically, a few TIPS subscribers are hit by the proverbial bus or receive a tragic diagnosis every week, but most of us will be blessed with several more years. We still have some time. But it goes quickly and we dare not waste it.

If there are things you want to see or places you need to visit, if there are things you need to say or do or build, begin today. Set goals, make plans, allocate time and resources, and TAKE ACTION!

Life’s short. Live well. Make today count!