Living richly truly is spending time with the ones you love.

An evening walk just as the sun was setting.  The Canadian geese performing a low formation fly-over just for the occasion.

Perfect!

Happy anniversary!

An amazing story of triumph in overcoming all setbacks.

It inspired me and brought tears to my eyes as I watched it.  I hope it does the same for you.

It is a longer video but well worth watching.

Please, let me know your thoughts.

What does triumph mean to you? How have you overcome challenges?

And share it with someone who needs encouragement.

Yet, the greatest pleasure in my life is the time I spend with my kids and their mom.  It’s not a sacrifice.  There’s nothing I would rather do.

For all I have taught my children they have taught me a hundred fold more.  I would not be the person I am today if I had not been blessed with them.

So to all you fathers who are trying to be dads.  To all who are feeling swamped with diapers or car insurance or college expenses hang in there.  We only go through this life once.  And this is the best.

There is no greater calling and no greater joy than to have your kids call you “Dad.”  Enjoy it!

Happy Father’s Day!

When I accepted the presidency of my Rotary Club, one of the largest in the world, it put me over the top.  It’s an honor to be asked but it comes with great expectations and responsibilities.  So while happy to serve it’s like having a second job.

About two weeks ago I finally hit the wall.  I caught a respiratory virus and melted down.

While lying in bed somewhere between dreaming and consciousness I realized I was not doing what I have written about—building margin into my life.  My days had become a succession of running from meeting to meeting and launching new programs.  I was exhausted and knew I couldn’t keep this pace.

So I’m taking my own advice.  Dialing back the blog for a while.  I won’t be posting regularly but sporadically as I have time and inspiration.  I simply need to build in reserve to regain my health and energy.

One of the things that’s different about writing a blog compared to writing articles or a book is it happens in real time.  No matter what else is going on in my life every week I need to come up with fresh ideas for posts.  Right now I’m simply drained and need step back.

I’m going to evaluate the blog.  Experiment as I feel led.  Try some fresh ideas.  Get re-enthused.

So welcome new posts when they come.  Give me feedback on the changes.  And build in margin in your own life if you need it.

We’ll talk soon.

(A repost of one of my most viewed posts as I take a brief hiatus)

J.K. Rowling, the author of the best selling Harry Potter series, gave the commencement address at Harvard University in 2008.  She spoke about how hitting rock-bottom failure led to her phenomenal success.

She dreamed of writing fantasy when she was young.  Yet, her parents felt it was a waste of time.  So they prodded her to pursue something more practical.  But she secretly continued to write, study literature and dream.

She got married, gave birth to a daughter.  Then went through a divorce leaving her out of work and financially destitute.

She said she was, “As poor as you can be in England and not be homeless.”

No one to help.  And her daughter to take care of.

So in the midst of that struggle, with no other choice, she decided to follow her dream.  She began to write what resided inside.  She struggled.  She was ridiculed by other writers.  She was disdained by religious leaders.  But she kept on.

And through the years her Harry Potter series took off.  It became a raving success in books and subsequent movies.  One of the most popular series in history.

She said in her commencement address:

“Why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

When you can, I encourage you to watch the video on a link at Jonathon Fields’ blog.  It’s one of the most encouraging and heart-warming speeches I’ve seen in a long time.

I love her words about failure stripping away the inessential. And rock bottom becoming the foundation for her new life.

So often we fear failure so much we won’t venture out. 

We start out with our own dreams of greatness.  Our dreams of life as we would like to live it.

Yet, along the way we hit the inevitable setbacks.  We hit the failures that knock us down.  We often give up.  Find a safe career.  Settle into a sensible lifestyle

Yet, that can lead to lives of boredom and mediocrity.  No wonder reality television is so popular.  We can watch others living out the excitement of their lives from the safety ours.

Yet, Jesus offers us something radically different.  He said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:25, NIV)

He’s talking about real life.  Amazing life.  A life lived in unimaginable success.  And he says we will find it when we give up the easy way and walk with him in the passion he has given us.

So when you stumble.  When you’ve failed.  When you’ve encountered set backs. What do you do?

Some things that help me.

In those times, I purposely get apart from all the distractions. I get away from the noise.  It may be out in the sunroom listening to some quiet music on a Sunday morning.  Or walking in our garden on a pleasant evening.  It may be riding a ski lift in winter or sailing our boat in the summer.  It may be driving the Healey in the foothills or walking by the ocean watching the waves lap up on the rocks.  It doesn’t matter as long as I can listen to my heart and sense God’s leading.

I often write down questions and the answers.

“If I could do anything I wanted what would it be?  What am I passionate about?  What excites me to get up in morning?  Where do I find fulfillment and purpose?  What are the gifts I have and where can I use them most effectively?”

Then I determine how I can make it work.  Take the first steps. It’s never clear at this point and there will be a lot of detours and changes along the way.  That’s ok.  It gets me moving in the right direction.

Determine who I know who can help me and talk to them.  Study what I need to learn.  Decide on the first step and take it?

This is life changing and challenging.  That’s why J.K. Rowling said when she had nothing to lose it set her free to pursue her dream.

It comes down to trusting God is leading me. He’ll guide me into the dreams he has implanted in me.  He’ll show me the steps.  He wants my life to be full and rich.  He wants me to discover the greatness he created me for.

And that underlying confidence sets me free to pursue those dreams.  It releases me to live life beyond the ordinary.

There’s a wonderful promise in Psalms that encourages me.

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24, NLT)

He is delighted to guide the details of my life if I will only listen to him and pursue it.

And I rest in the promise that as his child, even when I do stumble, I won’t fall because he’s there holding me up in his love. That assurance gives me the confidence to press on into greater things.

We can truly live in greatness.  The choice is ours.  Out of failure can come unimaginable success.

Where have you had setbacks?  What are your dreams of unimaginable success?

If this post has encouraged you please let me know.  And share it.  And if you haven’t already I encourage you to subscribe to receive regular updates.  Thanks.

A moving video by Third Day reminding us that we all are children of God as we are adopted into his family by his grace.  Brought tears to my eyes.
 
Hope it encourages you this day.

What a fantastic reminder of the extraordinary life we can have through the power of God available to all of us, as we discussed on Tuesday.

A beautiful song sung by Josh Groban and the African Children’s Choir.

Moved me to tears.

What about you?

If you enjoyed this please let me know and share it with a friend.  I appreciate it.

When I started my financial advising career in 1997 I dreamed of great success.  Early on I was introduced to reality, though.  This is a tough business.  Incredibly competitive and pressurized.

I set out to build a fee based business which I felt better served my clients.  It also would be a more stable business that would give me freedom after getting it established.

The veterans in our office, who were all transaction brokers, told me, “It’ll never work.  You can’t build a fee based business.  You’ll starve before you succeed.”

In the first couple of years they were right.  If we hadn’t had savings to get us through we would have been a lot thinner.

But I knew the kind of business I wanted.  I wanted to do strategic things with my life, including writing, and yet not give up my business.  Once built it would be a great platform to expand from.

So I struggled through it.  By year three it was starting to come alive. Then the tech meltdown hit in 2000.  It hurt me as it did everyone else.   But it turned out to be a great time to build a business.  Many brokers left or didn’t call their clients especially after they had loaded up their portfolios with tech stocks.  So with a lot of hard work my business grew substantially.

Ten years later, when I left to set up my own financial planning company, I was one of the highest producers in our office.  Not only had we not failed but I had other brokers literally say, “Boy, you’re lucky.”

And I would think, “Where were you through the struggle?  We’ve been incredibly blessed and worked incredibly hard.  But lucky?  I don’t think so.”

Jonathon Fields, who writes a popular blog, wrote about achieving the extraordinary and said, “It’s about a commitment to mastery, passion and remarkability.  And, it’s very likely about thousands of hours and a whole lotta years.”

We all start out with dreams.  We want our lives and careers to be extraordinary.

We dream of success and the satisfaction that goes with it.  But along the way the road gets tough.  We meet the resistance of remarkability.  It’s never easy.  It requires sacrifice and a lot of work.

At that place we make choices.  Do we press on or do we give up?  Sometimes we change direction because we realize we’re not willing to pay the price for that particular dream.  That’s ok.  But often people give up because they’re not willing to pay the price for any dream.  It’s far easier to dream about success than truly achieve it.

Yet, so many end up with broken dreams and envy of those who have been, “so lucky to be an overnight success.”  And there’s a sense of emptiness.  A thought of, “I wonder what if?”

The apostle Paul wrote of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept my faith.  Now I’ll receive the crown.”

Mediocrity is easy.  Greatness never is.  If we want an extraordinary life it will take extraordinary effort.

How do we keep going when it gets tough though?

Some ideas that help me.

First, I recheck my dreams and goals. Are they worth the price?  Are they great goals?  Do they serve others and God?  Are they bigger than me?  Only great goals keep us inspired when the way gets hard.  The apostle Paul knew the race he was in.  So he could keep going when it got hard.

Second, in the midst of the challenges I try to stay focused on the dream. I live it out in my imagination.  I picture what the victory will feel like.  It keeps reminding me of why I am doing what I’m doing.  This helps me stay motivated and encouraged.  The crown of achievement, whatever that is, awaits those who press through.

Third, I remember I don’t need to accomplish everything today. All I need to do is accomplish one more step.  As I break down the large goal into manageable daily steps I can then have small victories along the way.  This keeps me moving forward toward the large goals.

Then fourth, I celebrate the little victories. Honestly, this one I don’t do well.  But I try to focus on my progress each day.  Each little step achieved.  Each little victory accomplished.  This cheers me up and helps me enjoy the journey.

Fifth, one critical step, is to not compare myself to others. I’m not walking their path nor are they walking mine.  When I feel arrogant I let down.  When I feel inferior it weighs me down.  So I try to stay focused on what I need to accomplish and celebrate my achievements.  Then I can support others in theirs.

At the foundation of all this is the trust that if my goals are great goals God will guide me. He’s my managing partner.  I can counsel with him and he will lead me into the next steps.  And he’ll bless my efforts if they truly bless others and him.  Paul said he had kept the faith.  And that kept him going.

And, finally, in the midst, I realize even if I don’t achieve every dream my life can still be rich and extraordinary. God is still blessing me as he has so abundantly already.  And he will lead me into the extraordinary life he has designed for me.  As his child my life is meant to be remarkable.  I simply relax in that hope.

The apostle Paul later wrote, “We are more than conquerors through Jesus.”

Now that is truly an extraordinary life!

Do you have dreams of your life being extraordinary?  Have you hit some setbacks?

Is it time to get moving again?

What is an extraordinary dream you have?

If this post has encouraged you please let me know.  And please share it with a friend.  And if you haven’t already I encourage you to subscribe to get the updates automatically.  Thanks.