Nike says “Just do It” I say “Do it Now”!

I was talking with a girlfriend the other day. She was sharing with me the loss of a client, whom she calls a friend. At the young age of 62 she went out of town on a Business trip. She had a brain aneurism and passed away.

We talked about how hard we work and how we fail to realize how important it is to do the things we want to do and follow that old cliche.

I’m so sorry for the loss of her friend and my heart is saddened. Losing someone close to us is the hardest thing ever. However, we both agree, we should all treat our own lives like it is our last day on earth.

There is always that fine line between what we want to do and what we can or what we can afford to do. I think people have a mis-conception that just because we should do it, doesn’t mean we should be reckless.

Living life isn’t about being willy nilly. It’s about doing the right thing “all the time” not just some the time. It’s about patience and kindness. It’s about taking responsibility for our own actions. It’s about having fun but not being stupid. It’s about planning. Planning to reach our goals so we can be happy in what we want to do to live life to the fullest.

Enjoying life is about de-stressing. It’s about thinking about the process to get to where we want to be. Whether being is with someone, having something or doing something is our goal.

Living our life to the fullest is about every little aspect. Our God, our Family, our Friends, our Work. And, having a plan for each one of those categories is what gives us the strength and the encouragement to meet all our goals.

Living life to the fullest is about realizing AND accepting that we will fail. It’s about accepting those failures gracefully and setting new goals to help us stay focused, help us keep the strength and help us stay encouraged.

• Hula Hoop – YES! Make a small investment in a good hula hoop and go at it.
• Dance to music – Turn on your favorite music and dance like no one is watching.
• Skip – Not only is skipping refreshing, it also burns energy.
• Sing – We’ve all seen the u-tube videos. Turn up the music and sing to your hearts content

I know all these things sound pretty silly. Being silly is stress relief and these things are harmless. You can do them by yourself or do them with your friends. Either way, I guarantee you an energy burst and an attitude adjustment if you do.

In case you are wondering. Yup….I do. Sometimes I even hula hoop and sing at the same time. LOL

What about living life to the fullest in our jobs. When my girlfriend was sharing her story, I couldn’t help but think about 2 different people I spoke to on that very same day who “wants to take a class….but”. Who “wants to buy xxx….but”. Who, “wants to have a price increase….but” etc etc.

Every time you put “but at the end of a sentence, it means everything you just said isn’t true

• If you want to take a class. Do it! Plan the time, plan how to save for it and make it happen. No one can make it happen for you. You are completely in control.
• If you want to purchase something. Do it! Set a time frame goal and figure out how much you need to save to buy it. I bet if you added up how much money you spend on trivial things, you would have enough money to purchase what you really want.
• If you want to go somewhere. Do it! Again, pick a time frame and save. Saving doesn’t mean you have all the funds in one shot. Saving is like eating a big elephant. You do it in little pieces at a time.
• If you need to readjust within your Business.  Do it!  There is absolutely no reason to be miserable in a place you spend most of your time at.

I think the thing I hear the most is this

I know I need to, but I just don’t have the time

Believe you me…..if you really know you need to, then make the time. I can remember my days in the Salon. I was amazed at how many trips a friend of mine use to take. Who, BTW, owned her own business as well.

I remember asking her how she can find the time? Isn’t she worried about leaving her Business? Simply put she said “time is what you make of it. And, the Business will still be here when I return. We may have to do some cleaning up and fixing of problems, however, it will still be here?

That lesson resonates with me still today. It’s hard to leave and there are always consequences. Nothing however, has ever been so bad when I’ve returned that has ever made me say “never again”.

There’s a song that came out as my daughter was growing up. Her and I use to sing it as loudly as possible in the car when it came over the radio. I still sing it in my head today as a reminder……life is short.

I HOPE YOU DANCE

Lee Ann Womack

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

May you never take one single breath for granted

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens

Promise me you’ll give faith a fighting chance

And when you have the choice to sit or dance

I HOPE YOU DANCE

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance

I hope you never settle for the path of lease resistance

Living might mean taking chances, but they’re worth taking

When you come close to selling out reconsider

And when you have the choice to sit or dance

I HOPE YOU DANCE

 

I HOPE YOU DANCE.  I hope you take a moment think about your goals, write them down and plan to make them happen.