If we allow religious freedom (building a mosque) then the Muslims win! If we allow gays to marry then the gays win! If we allow illegal aliens (a.k.a. undocumented workers) to come out of the shadows and into the light of citizenship then the illegal aliens win!

Life. Liberty. Pursuits of Happiness. Freedom of Religion. Sound familiar?

We have two choices: We can believe in Faith or we can believe in Fear! And while both ask us to believe in things unseen, ultimately we have to choose which one to live by.

Fear calls us to despise. It creates walls. And it moves us away from our better selves and our best lives.

Faith calls us to love. It requires us to consider our roles in the world and how we can live our best lives.

So here’s my take: 

If you want to build a mosque, which will actually be three blocks from “ground zero” and not at ground zero, go ahead!

If my gay (not crazy about labels but need to make a point) friends want to enjoy the rights that all humans should have, go for it!

If someone crosses a border in pursuit of freedom and a better life for his/her family, I won’t condemn them for making a choice that all of our ancestors made at some point in their lives.

We can love or hate. We can show people kindness or show them the door. We can believe that our country, our world will prosper or ultimately disintegrate. We can believe in the fundamental goodness of people or judge them to be unworthy.

It’s up to us! It’s our choice!

I choose Faith!

Carpe Diem!

I absolutely LOVE the AT&T commercial that’s been on television lately. A guy’s sitting on a bench, visualizing his childhood drawings coming to life, with Gene Wilder singing in the background, “Come with me and we’ll be in a world of pure imagination…” The announcer says, “Remember when you were 5 and anything was possible? Happy 5th birthday again.” The guy on the bench smiles the kind of smile that says, “now I get it!”

Lots of folks write and speak about finding happiness and purpose in life by going back to their childhoods. And I think there’s something to it. In this month’s Success Magazine, there’s an ad for Rosetta Stone (yes I know they’re in the business of selling) that references a child’s ability to learn language as a function of the fact that for a child, every act of learning is an act of play. And that adults can learn at any age if they can tap into their inner child.

My point: For many of us, we were our happiest as kids, when the entire world was a play ground, life was an adventure, and we had none of the answers. Over the years as we became adults, we lost much of the magic that inspired us to explore and believe that anything was/is possible. Our tribe told us what to do, what to say and how to say it, what to fear, what to expect, who to be friends with, who to love, who to marry, when to have kids, and a million other lines of the script that we unwittingly adopted as truth.

Well I’ve come to a point in my life where I’m announcing to the world, “Please stop the ride I want to get off!” I’m not willing to follow tribal scripts anymore and I’m reverting back to my childhood. I’m gonna have fun! Sure I understand about bills and obligations! I get that people have expectations of me and want me to live the way they live, the way most people have lived for more years than I’ve been alive. But I have to say that I no longer care!

I’ve had one version or another of the tribal script on my desk for 46 years, ready for me to refer to whenever I felt unsure. Most of the people who know me, would say that I’ve not been too good at following it. But now I’m throwing it in the garbage can and moving on. It’s time to reclaim wonder, magic, adventure, fun and joy.  

I’m going to become a George Bernard Shaw-ian and live by his mantra: “Some men see things as they are and say why - I dream things that never were and say why not?”

And I’m going to sit on the bench with the my new friend and listen to Gene Wilder sing. And the best part: The bench is long enough for all of us.

Wanna come along?

Carpe Diem!

In his book, The Greatness Guide, Robin Sharma refers to a time in history when Hernando Cortes and his army landed on the shores of Veracruz, Mexico to conquer the land for Spain. As he sent his army into battle, he ordered one of his men to go back and burn their boats, ensuring that they would have no other choice but to stand and fight.

It’s an interesting metaphor for how we can choose to live our lives. For me, selling my house at this point in life is akin to a boat burning. There’s no turning back! And while I know ultimately where I want to live, if you were to ask me where I’ll be living 10 days from now when the ink is dry at settlement, I’d have to tell you that I’m not really sure. What I am sure of is that for as much as I appreciate having a place to live these past nine years, in some respects I’ve allowed my house to anchor me in a place and a mindset that was safe, but not expansive. In a place and mindset where the bills were paid but the work of my soul was not honored.

Now I’m not suggesting that you go out and burn your entire fleet immediately in an attempt to flee the safe harbor of the life you’ve created over the years. To do so would require a level of courage that frankly, not many of us can muster. But if you’ll take some time to reflect on where your life is at this moment, and where you’d like it to be, is there one area where you could make permanent changes that would alter the course of your life for the better?

As we’ve seen so often lately, the safety of a job, a steady paycheck, health benefits, and the “four more years and then I can retire” attitude are nice but illusory. We hunker down and hold on, because we fear what could happen if we make a change. I’m reminded of the following quote I read somewhere: “Most people tiptoe through life so that they can make it safely to death.” But that kind of attitude is not worthy of us. Our time on this earth is limited and we need to get on with the work of our soul!

It occurs to me that we have to be more proactive in life. We must summon the courage to move in new directions, growing and changing on the way to living our best lives. And there will be times when we realize that the boat we’re in is holding us back. So here’s my suggestion:

Find a match!

Carpe Diem!  

Squire Rushnell wrote a book called “when God winks: How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life.” In it, Rushnell defines a Godwink as a personal signal or message, directly from a higher power, usually, but not always, in the form of a coincidence. I’m on my second reading of the book.

Most of my friends know that I passionately love to fly airplanes. And since my first trip to Santa Fe four years ago, most of them also know that my goal is to one day live there. Flying airplanes and living in Santa Fe. That’s the vision I have for my life. I’m sure my life will unfold in many more interesting and surprising ways. But that’s the baseline.

Getting to where I want to go with my life is a challenge, with many self-created roadblocks along the way. But through each challenge I’ve held onto my vision, flying airplanes and living in Santa Fe. And I feel closer to realizing my vision than ever before. And what’s kept me going through the challenging times are the Godwinks Squire refers to in his book. Those moments when something, some small message that I was tuned into, allowed me to know that I was on the right path.

For the last couple of years that message has been delivered courtesy of the Hyundai Santa Fe. It seems as though whenever I’m driving, stopped at a traffic light, or pulling through a parking lot, when a negative thought about my current situation or  future plans creeps into my mind, invariably a Hyundai Santa Fe pulls in front of me, reminding me that I need to keep going and keep believing. Two days ago I went to meet a friend for lunch. I drove through three parking lots looking for a space. Finally, and with a couple of minutes to spare, a car backed out of a space in front of. Wanna guess what kind of car it was?

My love of airplanes has brought me to the place in life where I want to challenge myself to fly jets. And as you can imagine, jet training’s really expensive. But rather than focus on the cost, I’m visualizing myself flying jets out of the airport in Santa Fe. I’m also visualizing my training, seeing myself flying the jet and passing my checkride. I even ordered a cockpit poster so that I could see how the panel is laid out and become familiar with it before I begin my training. The poster arrived yesterday and I laid the box against the wall in my living room.

This morning about 5:30 I went downstairs to read. I set a couple of books on the table and without making another move, the unopened box which contained the cockpit poster fell directly in front of my feet. I had not brushed up against the box. In fact, I had not gotten any closer to the box than 2 or 3 feet.

Hmm.

It occurs to me that we can go through life with our heads down, just taking what life gives us and going through the motions, until the day when our motion stops for good. Or we can tune in to our purpose for being on this planet. We can discover our talents and gifts, the ones that have been with us since we first arrived. And we can use them to do work that inspires us and moves the world forward.

Take time, wherever you are, to consider your place in the world. Think about your gifts and talents. Discover your passions. And if you don’t have a vision for your life, create one. Then listen and watch for the Godwinks that tell you that you’re on the right path.

Carpe Diem! 

palestinians and israelis. oil companies and shrimpers. republicans and democrats. blacks and whites. gays and straights. the list can go on for as long as we have lists.

A couple of years ago I read a quote that sticks with me to this day: “Most people look for opportunities to be offended.”

In the last few years the act of offending people has been elevated to an art form. Oh sure, we’ve always been good at it. But now it just seems to be the norm. We rally groups of people to the cause, convinced that “we’re” right and “they’re” wrong. But even more than that, offending and being offended is big business. Organizations raise money from “offended” people so that they can struggle to make sure that they are no longer offended. And media outlets produce shows to “report” on the offenders and the offended in an effort to sell shampoos and erectile dysfunction medications that pay the salaries of the people reporting the offenses.

Please stop the ride - I want to get off!

I propose that we make a greater effort to recognize our similarities to other people rather than our differences. I suggest that we look for common ground before looking for opportunities to be offended. And I ask you to consider the fact that there are businesses (for-profit and non-profit) created to get us offended so that we’ll buy their products or support their causes.

Here’s what I’m sure of:

palestinians and israelis - want to live in peace and create better lives for their kids

oil company employees and shrimpers - want this terrible tragedy to end as soon as possible

republicans and democrats - want our nation to thrive

blacks and whites - want good jobs and freedom

gays and straights - want to be treated fairly

Hey wait a minute - Don’t we all want those things?

Exactly!

Carpe Diem!

This morning I walked into one of my favorite “feel good” haunts for breakfast. The woman behind the counter asked if she could help me and I immediately noticed the “LOVE” tattoo on the inside of her forearm. Thinking there was probably a good story, I asked about her tattoo.

She told me that a few years ago she was visiting a friend in the U.K. During her visit the friend read a poem that was loosely translated from Russian and she loved it! There was a particular part in it about love and she was so inspired by the words that she had the word LOVE tattooed on her forearm. She told me that she intentionally had it tattooed in a way so that whenever someone shook her hand they would be able to read the word “LOVE.” And also that whenever she saw the word LOVE it would be a constant reminder of the way she wanted to live her life!

Wow! Can I get an Amen?

In a world where many people seem to find pleasure in the attack, sport in the insult, and humor in the misfortune, here’s a being that stands in front of the world and announces:

Love is the Answer!

So here’s my question:

How do we start a revolution with one woman and her LOVE tattoo standing behind a counter taking food orders?

I’ll probably spend the entire day pondering that question. But after seeing the love tattoo and hearing her story I can say a few things for sure:

• My breakfast was a little more delicious
• The sky was a little more blue
• And my tasks were a little more enjoyable

Maybe the first step in the revolution is to love ourselves.

Carpe Diem!

Consider these words from Patanjali: “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

If you believe, like I do, in the unlimited and virtually untapped potential of every human being to live their best lives, one must ask why, given our potential, do we fall back on the scripted, paint-by-numbers life that is comfortable but courage-free? Why do we choose the crowded highway over the road less traveled?

What causes us to choose paycheck and position over passion and purpose?

How do we find the courage to take a giant leap into our passion and purpose? By taking a small step in that direction. And then another. And then another. Until we’ve arrived at the place Aristotle referred to when he spoke of the place where our talents and the needs of the world cross.

How many of us really take time out of working for “the man” to consider the work of our hearts, work that will feed both our bodies and our souls? Are we taking an inventory of our talents and abilities and considering how we can best use them to do work in the world that moves the world forward?

We can start by eliminating our Resistance! Steven Pressfield in his book, “The War of Art” and Seth Godin in his book, “Linchpin” talk about the Resistance we choose to allow into our lives that prevents us from doing our life’s work. Resistance takes the form of all of the things, excuses, distractions, and justifications we use in order not to do the work we’re called to do. Resistance is comfortable! It is known! And crazy as it may seem, even when we know what we’re passionate about and we understand our purpose for being in the world, often we’re unable to summon the courage to focus and “get ‘er done!”

Consider for a moment the words of Kahil Gibran, author of the classic book, The Prophet: “When you are born, your work is placed in your heart.”

I would submit that for me, Gibran’s words ring true. And if you agree, I would ask you to begin your thousand mile journey with this single step:

Ask yourself, “What is my purpose for being on this planet?”

And when the answer comes, lace up your shoes and get on with it.

You, and the world, will reap the benefits.

Carpe Diem! 

I love Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Summer Day.” I don’t think anything sums up my outlook on life more than the last few lines:

“I don’t know how to pay attention, how to fall down,
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”

I end most of my blog posts with the phrase “Carpe Diem” because I believe that we should seize every day as if it was our last. We should seize every moment to tell our friends and family that we love them. We should seize every opportunity to be kind, to ourselves and others. We should seize every opportunity to be grateful for every opportunity.

Take a few moments right now to ask yourself the following questions:

* What’s my purpose for being on this planet?

* What are my talents and gifts?

* What am I passionate about?

* What would I do with my life if I knew I couldn’t fail?

* How do I get started on that path?

From this day forward, move in the direction of your dreams. Understand that everyone has a purpose for being on this planet. Find yours. And share it with the world.

What will you do with your one wild and precious life?

I can’t wait to find out.

Carpe Diem

Life comes down to choices. And it seems to me that taking responsibility for our choices, without blaming ourselves or other people for the ones that went awry, can often be a catalyst for positive change and growth in our lives. But in a world where too often people look to blame others for their plight, how do we find the courage to proclaim to ourselves and the world, “I screwed up. This happened on my watch and because of it I’ll learn to be a better person.” Where does the courage to take ownership of our choices come from?

I’ve been thinking about courage a lot lately. It’s a beautiful word, courage. For me, it conjures up thoughts and feelings of strength - of ownership - of the first step in moving life in a new direction. Courage is about positive change. But as we’ve seen all too often, it’s also an elusive ally.

We spend way too much of our precious time being entertained by people blaming other people. A television personality declares, “You’re Fired!” and people cheer. Politicians engage in the blame game and throngs of people join the waring camps so they can point fingers at each other. A star athlete has a bad game and suddenly it’s his or her fault that the team didn’t win.

At what point does “he/she” become “I/me?”

And if we embrace “I/me,” can we do it in a way that moves us forward to greater heights and more abundant lives?

I believe that we can.

Carpe Diem.

I know this may come off sounding a bit depressing. But I find myself thinking about death more these days. Not as some morbid preoccupation. But more along the lines of my place in the world and what I want to do with my life before I move on to my next adventure.

Human beings have short memories. 9/11 happens and we’re all united. A month goes by and we’re back to fighting with our neighbors. An earthquake shakes Haiti to the core, mobilizing thousands of rescue workers and hundreds of millions of dollars. And soon we’ll move on to following the health care debate or 2010 congressional elections and Haiti will be a distant memory.

So what’s my point?

When we leave this earth for parts unknown, our friends and relatives will grieve. There’ll be obituaries, burials, memorials, and glowing tributes from people who cared deeply about us while we were horizontal. But in the end, the memories will fade and the tributes will become less frequent. People will get caught up in their daily lives once again. And life, as it always does, will go on.

So where does that leave us?

With the opportunity to create, to love, to feel joy, and to share. With the chance to pursue our unique purpose for being on this planet. With precious moments to do all that we believe in our heart we were meant to do. So that when we move on, we’ll hear the wind whisper, “Well done.”

We have the opportunity right now, to leave our foot-print. To live meaning-fully. Words come and go. A life well-lived, lives on.