Category: Goals

Posted on

Mile Marker 65…

I’m not sure how I feel about arriving here… It’s a milestone that was always coming…but for some reason…it always seems a long way off…but now it’s here. Now that I’ve arrived, should I celebrate it? Probably. Some of my friends never made it here, so yes, I should celebrate. But it doesn’t feel like a ‘whoo hoo’ celebration. Instead, it calls for a reflective acknowledgment of the journey ahead, which will be much different from the path that led me here.

It seems like the path forward will require me to carry a lighter load than before. I can no longer count on my physical stamina and strength to make up for my shortcomings. I need to be smarter, wiser, and more deliberate moving forward. I’ll need to carry a lighter load and make sure I’m more intentional about how I use my resources since they are fewer now.

This milestone is about taking off my backpack and sitting down for a moment. It’s about looking back on all the beauty that God has allowed me to experience. It’s about wondering how on earth I was blessed to have the life I have enjoyed thus far. It’s about thinking of all the people I’ve met and relationships I’ve had and appreciating all of the impact each and everyone of them have had on my life. It’s being thankful and grateful and just basking in those memories for a while and thanking God for His love of me and His grace.

It’s also about going through my backpack and removing those things I no longer need. Things that have weight to them I can no longer carry. Dreams, hopes and desires that I need to let go. Some of which include, hiking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail probably needs to go, owning a house on a lake probably won’t happen, having a single digit handicap in golf is probably gone for good as well and many others… Giving them up is difficult. The voice in my head is constantly asking me, “are you sure you want to let this one go? ” …and reluctantly the answer is yes.

As difficult as this is…it’s also a time to make sure the things I still have in my backpack will be utilized and needed for the remainder of my journey. They are items that may have only been sparingly used in the past, but will be significant to my success moving forward. Some of these areas include realizing the importance of relationships, taking care of my health, watching what I eat, growing deeper spiritually, being a good steward of my finances, shielding myself from negativity and others… The journey ahead will be challenging in new ways and I’m going to need new tools, skills and attitudes.

65 is a mile marker that I’m grateful to have achieved. I’ve been blessed beyond words. My life has been nothing like I had dreamed of yet remarkable beyond my imagination. It’s now time to move on… It’s time to get up, load my new backpack on to my sore shoulders and continue on an upward path.

I’m mindful of the new feel on my shoulders and while it’s not markably heavier, it is markably different. I’m going to need to slow my pace and at the same time be more mindful to enjoy the views. I’m above the treeline now and the view is nothing but mountaintops and clouds. Yet I’m also exposed to the elements and can no longer seek the protection from the trees. This is no time to be reckless if I plan on completing my journey successfully.

The great thing about hiking is you never really know what is around the bend, or what the view is going to look like once you reach the ridge. The view is always new and changing. The camera cannot capture its beauty, nor can you share the peace that is felt in the silence of your thoughts. The wind, the sun, the crunch of each step on the path is the soundtrack of the day. Yet one thing is certain…the path that I’m on is the one that was made just for me and for how ever long it continues…I know where I’ll end up…home.

Happy 65th to me…the journey continues…

Posted on

Weeds…

There used to be an infomercial on TV that was made famous by Ron Popeil regarding a little rotisserie oven… He would say, “Set it and forget it!” That is all that would be required. Put the food in, set the timer and it would be perfectly cooked when the timer went off.

Unfortunately, there is little in life that we can expect to come out perfectly without at least some type of maintenance and work. In fact, I would say there is nothing in life that you can truly “set it and forget it!”

We all have multiple aspects of our lives that we try to maintain. Work demands, family needs, relationships, physical responsibilities, spiritual needs as well as the things outside of ourselves, home maintenance, car, finances, and the list goes on and on. Think about all the things, both internal and external that require some aspect of your time and attention. It’s a daunting thought! The question then becomes…how are you doing?

When areas of your life get ignored, expect weeds. Nobody wants a life full of weeds because over time they just get worse and worse. If weeds remain too long, things begin to deteriorate. Weeds don’t go away by themselves. Their removal requires diligence, focus, and effort and we usually get a little dirty during the process. If you’re like me, weeding wears me out. I’m physically sore and exhausted after weeding.

Life is no different. The only way to keep weeds out of your life is to regularly spend the time to remove them in their earliest stages. The effort is minimal, but yet still required. It is relatively painless but still requires diligence, focus, and at least some degree of effort.

Every so often I make a list of everything I am responsible for. Then I ask myself, “How am I doing in that area?” This exercise always results in several areas in my life I have either neglected entirely or need immediate attention. Then I try to keep this list in front of me for a time so I’m aware of areas I need to maintain.

Unfortunately, having a perfectly manicured life is only a temporary state. Weeds can and will return. However, it is worth those brief moments when you can step back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Stay on top of your life. Ron Popeil’s tagline should have been, “Set it and forget it….will make you regret it!”

Posted on

Sharpening…

A couple of months ago, the guys I work with talked me into getting a knife.   They all had them made fun of me because I didn’t carry one with me like they did on a daily basis.   So after a little bit of research, I got a nice knife.   Oddly, ever since getting it, not a week goes by that I’m not reaching into my pocket and pulling the knife out to open a package, mail, or cut something.

Naturally, once you get a knife, you need to keep it sharp.  So now I had to get a sharpening stone.   After several attempts, and several different types of sharpening devices…I found that the act of sharpening is one of my favorite things to do!   I find it so relaxing…almost meditative!

So recently as I was sharpening my knife, I began to think about what sharpening really is…

When I’m sharpening my knife…I’m actually removing small particles of the steel.   The action is very intentional and balanced and the small bits of steel are removed at a very precise angle for an intended purpose…bringing to edges together perfectly at precise and matching angles.

Then I started thinking about how this might apply to my life…

For me, if I was very intentional about removing certain things in my life…I think I would be better…”sharper” if you will.  Like my knife skills, this would require me to be very intentional about what those things are and they would need to be removed in a balanced and precise manner.

So what if I removed the following things from my life…

  • Fear and Worry
  • A couple of extra pounds
  • Some of the crap around the house that I no longer use
  • Some bills that I pay for services I don’t use
  • The desire to try to control every situation
  • Social Media
I think removing some of these things would make a huge difference.  It would make me happier, healthier and a better person to be around as well!   I’d be a better version of myself…I’d be sharper!
This sounds like a worthwhile exercise!   I could do with a bit of sharpening!  And with January 1st coming next week, I might have stumbled on my 2022 goal list!
One thing about sharpening though…it’s not a one-time thing.   It’s something that I’ll be working on throughout the year…but that’s ok.
Life is better with a little less sometimes…
Posted on

Slow Down…Minimum Wake!

This morning as I kayaked out into Tampa Bay, I saw this sign for the first time. I’m sure I’ve seen the sign in the past…but it wasn’t until today that it took on a new meaning.

We are now in the heart of the holiday season and our culture is under siege by marketing companies trying to make us feel a certain way and act a certain way…and it usually ends with us parting with our hard earned money in exchange for the false promises these companies tease us with.

The funny thing is…we all know better…

We all know what works for us and what fills our hearts rather than emptying our pockets…we know this…

So, my hope and prayer is that for this holiday season, we will all try to slow down. Let’s try to be intentional about not only what we do…but why we are doing it.

Here’s an idea… take each of the following suggestions and do only one a day…then at the end of the day, ask yourself how that made you feel. Give it a try and add to the list as well!

  1. For one day, use your phone only to only talk on it!
  2. Look strangers in the eye and smile at them.
  3. Watch the sunrise and say “thank you.”
  4. Handwrite a note and mail it.
  5. Take something to Goodwill.
  6. Round up all your loose change and drop it in a Salvation Army bucket.
  7. One of my favorites…go to the mall at night and just walk around and enjoy the lights.
  8. Buy a couple of gift cards and put each in an envelope with a note of encouragement and just randomly pass them out to strangers that you’re drawn to.
  9. Turn off the TV at home and just play your favorite Christmas music.
  10. Allow other people to “go ahead of you.”
  11. Sit down quietly and write down all the things you are grateful for…also include all the people you are grateful for.

We all have so much in this culture, yet we often feel so lacking… Maybe all we need to “do” is to slow down and enjoy what we have always had…the time… to truly appreciate it all…

Blessings to all of you!

Posted on

Colors…

 I recently celebrated a significant day in my life…my 50th birthday. Now many people celebrate this day surrounded by friends and families all bearing “over the hill” cards and gag gifts, black balloons, and streamers. It has become the realization that one has reached the pinnacle of your life’s achievement and now begins the slow descent into retirement.

Like I said, on this day of celebration, I chose to mark it as a day of decision. It was to become a day beginning, a fork in the road that I had been standing and contemplating for far too long.

You see, I look at each of us like a box of crayons. God gave us each multiple colors that we are to utilize to color our worlds with our lives. Some people are blessed with the 8 pack, some with the 16 pack, and some people got the 64 pack with the built-in sharpener in the box. But each of us has been gifted by God with unique skills, talents, abilities, and desires that have been placed within our hearts. It is by unlocking and utilizing these gifts that our world is uniquely colored.

You see, for more than half of my life, I’ve been using one maybe two of my colors. My choice of study in college was made haphazardly and through sheer will and determination, I managed to graduate with a degree in the field of my choice. Then I followed it up with 30 years of varying degrees of the same type of work. While I managed to be promoted through the ranks, the view from the top of my ladder was nothing like I expected or actually wanted. I had achieved, but I was not fulfilled. I had created a career by default…not by design.

So again, on this special day…I have climbed down the ladder. I am picking up all of my colors. Ironically, many still have the sharpened tips that remind me not that I have failed to use them…but excite me because of the untapped potential that they are now making themselves available to me. I also am reminded of the one or two colors that are mere knubs. They have been worn down and overused. The paper barely remains on one of the knubs. I respect them for their gifts of bringing me to this moment in my life and providing for me a small nest egg to which I may begin…again.

So yes, my 50th birthday was just that. A celebration of a “new birth”. A new day that will allow me finally begin to use many if not all of my colors. I’m excited about the painting that my life will bring to this world and at this point, I don’t know exactly what that will look like…but I can promise one thing…it’s going to be colorful!