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This past weekend was a very reflective one for me–and quite a few of our friends and family members. Every year in the small town where my mother, brother and I grew up (about 5 hours north of where I live presently), a water ski barefoot tournament is held in honor of my brother’s memory (he was an INCREDIBLE barefoot water skier–one of the best there is)!. These tournaments started in 1999 and we just had the 7th one this past weekend. This weekend was especially significant because we have had Caleb’s ashes for nine years and with his closest friends, we chose this year to spread them in the water

There are some things I must explain about “Up north” for you to understand the story and lesson I would like to share. This heavily-wooded little town holds about 600 people year round and thousands in the summer. Its main attraction is a chain of 9 lakes connected by channels. If you have a boat or love the water–this is the place to be.

Life moves at a slower pace there–or maybe life goes at the pace it should and we just move faster elsewhere. There aren’t any drive-through fast-food options for over 25 miles, so you actually have to plan what you are going to do for meals. Stores still close at 4PM and 5PM so commitments don’t eat into the nighttime hours. There isn’t a gym or fitness center for miles — so you’ll see many people swimming in the lake, walking, jogging, or biking. Hotels don’t have high-speed internet (that’s why I was so quiet LOL!) and there isn’t a Best Buy to grab a new computer game to keep a young one busy.

Despite all these “missing things” there is one thing you will notice as soon as you set foot in this little unincorporated town. People are connected. People laugh together, share together, work together. When tragedy strikes, people help and grieve together. Inside the slow pace something incredible happens–people live together instead of apart, and they cherish the moments versus missing them. After spending a weekend in “the woods,” it is easy to see why there is a voluntary simplicity movement where people are trading the fast-paced life for personal peace. Yet, living in “the woods” isn’t for all of us–and it isn’t for me (Could you imagine my life without high-speed internet - LOL)! So as I packed up my suitcase and returned home yesterday I packed 3 things I noticed that we can implement daily no matter where we live, that will enrich our lives.

Go with the flow - Sara was with me on this journey up north (some of you know Sara from the Health Challenge). By day 2 we had to chuckle as we discovered how “unwired” we were! Our hotel didn’t have a hairdryer or shampoo; we didn’t have high-speed; our cell phones were out-of-area in many places; and every task we had to complete for the tournament required at least 40 miles of driving round trip. We had the choice to “go with the flow” or become stressed because of what we needed to do, yet couldn’t get done. After washing my hair with a 1/8-inch thick bar of hotel soap, Sara and I connected for the daily duties. We both held the same attitude of going with the flow and letting the days unfold versus trying to create a “certain day.” For both of us, this made a big difference in our ability to enjoy and cherish the many moments that were to come.

Apply it to your life: How often do you get stressed versus going with the flow? How often do you focus on things outside of your control? How often do you try to create a certain memory or day versus letting the day unfold and bring its gifts to you? For at least 5 days each week, start your day with good intention and a solid plan of action, but when things go awry or off-plan, don’t miss the gifts the day might have in store because you are so busy trying to “push” the day back into something that it just isn’t.

Put people at the center - We are all susceptible to the paradox of living our lives backward. We put our to-do’s at the center of our life and put spending time with those we love AFTER we meet our to-do’s. Often, that can mean that our time with others is cut short when our commitments exceed our time limit. While certain time and seasons will require more to-dos than others, we must maintain our connection to the people we love.

Apply it to your life: Which people are at the core of your life? Family? Friends? List them out by name. As you look at your week, are you spending enough time with the people that matter most to you? Avoid letting your to-dos take away spending the time with the people that make life worth living and to-do’s worth doing.

Schedule living for today instead of tomorrow - Similar to the above concept, we often put off what we truly want and desire to do for once our must-do list is complete. Must-do lists are never complete–at least not while we are living! Take time every day, even if it is just a little bit of time, to do something you want-to-do. “Tomorrows” are not promises–just hopes. Today is our only guarantee. Let’s live it while we have it.

Apply it to your life: Where have you sacrificed your want-to-dos for your must-dos to the point that you never arrive at your want-to-dos? How can you incorporate some of your want-to-dos daily?

Leave a legacy: As I mentioned earlier, the weekend was spent holding this memorial tournament for my brother. For various reasons which are too lengthy to explain, there was some confusion over the coordination of the annual tournament this year. In fact, just two short weeks ago it didn’t even look like there would be a tournament. When word got around that the tournament might be cancelled, people voluntarily stepped up on their own and made it happen. Some of the people that became involved were his friends, others never knew him but knew of him. Stores made donations of food and raffle prizes. Sponsors stepped up without being asked. Celebrations were scheduled. Permits, insurance, ski boats, skiers - the laundry list of things needed for a tournament seemed to appear out of “thin air” from caring hearts. When we arrived Friday evening a local restaurant had a celebration in his honor playing videos of his ski performances, giving away free food and free T-shirts that said “Footin’ in the Clouds.” (Footin’ is short for barefoot waterskiing.) What couldn’t be denied was how many people this simple soul had touched in his 27 years of living. Nine years after his death, he is as present in that community as ever, touching lives and bringing out the best in people. One can only leave a legacy like that by fully living each day and caring and embracing those around them.

Apply it to your life: You can’t leave a legacy if you are living in the future - you can only create a legacy by living each day fully. What can you do to stay more in touch with each day and truly embrace its gifts?

Try it! Choose one or more of the lessons I brought home and write it out on an index card and post it where you will see it often. Remember that tomorrow is determined by today. Make today count–and challenge life!

Brook Noel is the creator of the best-selling 70 Day Life Makeover Program for Women .. The Change Your Life Challenge. http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com
This program has helped thousands of women take control of their home, finances, relationships, clutter, time-managmenet and more.

She is the author of 19 books and maintains three free newsletters. The Daily Rush is devoted to quick and easy recipes; Good Morning! is a daily newsletter to get your day off to a great start and The Challenge Weekly offers a personal challenge for self-improvement each week. To sign up for these free newsletters please visit http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com/news.htm

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“What do I want people to say about me after I’m gone — and even while I’m still here?” I don’t watch a lot of television. Watching other people live their fake lives is a tremendous waste of a real one, in my opinion. I do, however, watch movies that have great lessons in them, like “Rocky”, “Rudy”, and “Mr. Holland’s Opus”. Stuff like that.

I first saw “It’s A Wonderful Life” in 1990. I cried a lot. It was then that I knew I wanted to be like George Bailey. I compared my life to his, and they didn’t even remotely resemble one another. I thought: If I die right now, how many people will really care? Have I done much for anyone other than myself?

It was then that I stepped up on the self-help books, tapes and seminars. I tend not to do things in small ways, so I became a sort of a fanatic. I figure that if you really want to become more, you have to learn how. You can’t give what you don’t have, after all. This is part of the path that led me to being able to talk to you every day.

Now, in your life, what is it that you’d like to stand for? Books like “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen teach about the power of thoughts. You see, we all are exactly what we think. It’s no accident that we end up where we are in life. I know, there are lots of situations like chance meetings, freak accidents, who your parents and family are, etc. that push us in certain directions. There’s no refuting that circumstances play a significant part in what your history will ultimately be.

But regardless of what has happened to detour you, you still decide where you’ll go and whom you become from where you currently are. Even if you are a world famous actor, business or political leader, or a successful professional in some other field (and there are many of all of those that read this letter every week), what is it that you want to stand for during this life?

I know a lot of people talk about actors that support this thing or that, and it makes them “sick.” But think about it. Anyone who is absent of certain challenges (and it’s challenges that make life worth living), feels empty. So they go looking for them. They don’t want the meaning of their lives to be just the characters they played. That’s not gratifying.

Only by helping other people and feeling a sense of purpose will you truly be happy during your time here. Pick up whatever books you can, watch inspiring movies, listen to successful people. Find some activities that make you feel alive.

If you’re depressed every day, if you’re filled with anxiety and panic, if you start things and don’t finish them, then examine your thoughts. Are they all “self” centered? If that is what you hear when you listen to that little voice inside your head, you must set some goals. You absolutely have to find some purpose.

And for Heaven’s sake, do just one thing at a time. Don’t buy 10 books and try to read them all at once. This is not one more thing to get panicky about. Just get “other people” centered. Start doing something for someone else beside yourself. It really is that simple. Don’t look for the answer. You’re reading it now. Help someone else. Every hour.

That could mean just doing your job as well as you can this hour. If you do, you’re helping lots of people. Isn’t that right? You’re helping your customers, your employer, co-workers, vendors, all those people’s families and the service providers who serve all of them. You see, you can’t help someone else without having a tremendous effect on potentially thousands of others.

You can’t possibly focus on being useful to the people around you without feeling incredible joy and satisfaction with yourself. Is this starting to make sense yet? Good. Think about whom you can help now. And if it’s indirect, think about all the people whose lives will be impacted if you simply take your job a little more seriously. I think you’re about to have a few “Aha’s.”

WINNING BELIEFS:

– I am other person centered

– I know that the quality of my life is the quality of my thoughts

– I am a positive and optimistic person

– I’ve released all selfish thoughts and ways

EMPOWERING QUOTE:
“The within is ceaselessly becoming the without. From the state of a man’s heart doth proceed the conditions of his life; his thoughts blossom into deeds, and his deeds bear the fruitage of character and destiny.” -James Allen (Author-”As a Man Thinketh”)

What if you had the same minute-by-minute thoughts as the super successful? Mike Brescia has developed the ultimate mental conditioning programs that can help anyone wipe out intense fears and enjoy huge successes in all areas of life.

Mike Brescia is the creator of the world-renowned Think Right Now! Accelerated Success Conditioning Programs. Mike becomes your own personal success coach - guiding, motivating, inspiring, teaching and moving you in a way that only a best friend would. Mike will inspire you to take a hard look at yourself and be accountable for what you are in life, to be dissatisfied with the “old you” and the bad habits, to take action, ready to happily do whatever it takes to win the game of life.

Find descriptions of all his products at http://www.thinkrightnow.net

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“Comparing my life to the homeless person on the street, what do I feel grateful for?” I felt I needed to ask a particularly pointed question, by including the reference to the homeless person. Why? Because most people who have a job, a home, a family, and a country that lets you live in freedom, for the most part don’t appreciate it. You take it for granted. And comparing yourself to someone who would be grateful for 1/1000th of what you probably have puts things in better perspective… especially when you get angry at trivial stuff that doesn’t really matter.

A perfect example… I recently saw a movie starring Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan - “City of Angels”. Cage plays an angel, Seth, whose “job” is to take people who die onto the next place. Ryan plays a cardiologist, Maggie, who loses a patient on the operating table. Seth takes Maggie’s patient… and falls in “love” with her. First he learns what love is, then he falls. Ultimately, he decides to give up his place in eternity, to become human… and to die like all humans must.

Shortly after he goes through the painful process of becoming human, they have less than 24 hours together and she has a tragic fatal accident. His emotional pain is beyond description. He gave up eternal “life” for her and now he doesn’t even have her. Soon after, his best angel friend asked him if he knew this was going to happen, would he still have done it? He said, “I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss of her lips, one touch of her hand, than an eternity without it…One.”

It was at that moment that I renewed my conviction that no matter how bad things could get, no matter what tragedy befalls me, I’m grateful for even the smallest of things. But this feeling can be fleeting and of little value unless you actually take the time to acknowledge it….Regularly. To do that you must recognize what you have. If you don’t, you’ll regularly go on mourning the tiniest of inconsequential crap. And literally billions of people do exactly that every day.

Keep in mind the homeless person and Seth. What can you be thankful for? Does it HAVE to be a new car? Can’t it be just a smile? How about that dinner that was made for you last night? Did you shiver last night as you slept? Many did. Do you have a job? Marketable skills? A nice neighbor? New shoes? Any shoes? What’s all this about? What is gratitude?

It’s simply a way for us to feel good any time we want… for free. And if we share it with others, it’s a way for them to feel good, too… any time you want. Now take a minute and find out what you have to feel grateful for… And if it’s someone else, tell him or her.

WINNING BELIEFS:

– I appreciate all that I have all the time

– I am grateful for all my challenges

EMPOWERING QUOTE:
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” -Cicero

What if you had the same minute-by-minute thoughts as the super successful? Mike Brescia has developed the ultimate mental conditioning programs that can help anyone wipe out intense fears and enjoy huge successes in all areas of life.

Mike Brescia is the creator of the world-renowned Think Right Now! Accelerated Success Conditioning Programs. Mike becomes your own personal success coach - guiding, motivating, inspiring, teaching and moving you in a way that only a best friend would. Mike will inspire you to take a hard look at yourself and be accountable for what you are in life, to be dissatisfied with the “old you” and the bad habits, to take action, ready to happily do whatever it takes to win the game of life.

Find descriptions of all his products at http://www.thinkrightnow.net

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