A Historic Moment
January 20, 2009, was very historic day for the United States of America. For the first time since the birth of this nation an American citizen with racial ethnicity of 50% Caucasian, 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% Black African, was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Over 1.4 million Americans were packed together like sardines to watch President Barack Obama be sworn into public office.
Where was I during this momentous day in history? Watching a live internet feed in my office as it snowed for the first time in four years here in Raleigh, NC. I started to think of other moments that changed the course of history; in my living room in Tempe, AZ as the Twin Towers in New York City collapsed, in Target as I watched news of the Oklahoma City Bombings, in a ski lodge in Vail, CO as America began the Gulf War, in our old farmhouse with my mom watching the famous USA/Russia Olympic Hockey game, and in Kewanee, IL watching our living room TV as it showed black and white news footage of Elvis stepping off of a plane in Hawaii with a lei around his neck.
Remembering these moments in history got me thinking about some of the other happy memories from my life. I remember tromping through weeds twice as tall as me the day my dad and I went fishing, sitting in the back of the car going for an ice cream cone at the Tasty Freeze when the flavor of the night was lemon, or the thrill of shooting frogs with my cousins in a small farm pond in Missouri.
With my kids being so young, I started to wonder how they would remember the events of today. Probably, Nicolas and Isabelle will remember the snow today more than anything. I am hoping if we explain the historical significance of the day with Nicolas, and sit down with him tonight to watch the recording of the inauguration, he may remember it.
• What will your kids or other loved one’s remember as the Magic Moments over the course of their lifetime?
• What are you doing to create those Magic Moments with them?
• What will they remember when they are 40, 50, or 80 years old?
• Will those Magic Moments be filled with happy emotional times that you have created or one’s that have just happened?
• How can you work to purposefully live and share a life of Magic Moments for everyone you come in contact with?
Every moment could be a significant moment that someone will rememberas significant for the rest of their life. And, you hold within yourself the ability to make it be one! I am sure that my Dad didn’t plan on taking me fishing that day in order for me to have a Magical Moment that I would remember 30 years later. I don’t know if he even remembers how good that lemon ice cream tasted that night we drove to the Tasty Freeze. I do know that I have told my Uncle Don one million “Thank You’s” for the Missouri farm pond trips. However, I doubt he ever knew the tremendous impact they would have for me in my life when he invited me to go.
What makes these such Magical Moments? When someone steps up to serve, give and share a moment in their life to create something special with and for someone else. If you look back over your life I am sure that you have many Magical Moments. As you look forward to your future, what kind of Magic Moments could you create? Every moment of life has the potential for a Magic Moment. America will continue to have Magical Moments of history. Those Magic Moments are what make a country great. I encourage you to create some Magic Moments for yourself and others also! It will be what makes your life Great too!
1/20/09
Have you ever been Wrong?
Have you ever been wrong?
Here in the subdivision we live in there is a very large fountain that welcomes visitors and residents into our neighborhood. My son Nicolas and I were out running the other day and as we approached the fountain I noticed it was not working. I made an offhand comment to Nicolas, something to the effect of, “That’s strange, they don’t have the fountain on today.” Quick as a whistle Nicolas said, “That’s OK Dad, I will make it come on in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…NOW! Look, its magic!” And, the fountain turned on!
There was another time during my military training where we had to qualify with our M-16’s. I had never qualified expert in any of our trainings and there were very few who were optimistic about their performance, or mine, on qualification day. This was largely due to the training regimen, sleep deprivation, and cold outdoor environment. It’s hard to shoot straight when you are shivering in 40 degree, rainy weather! As you could surmise, many of my colleagues were very competitive and there was a lot of posturing over who would score expert and who wouldn’t. When all was said and done I scored 39 hits out of 40, an Expert. It was the best I had ever shot. As I walked back and shared my news with the others in my squad most were in disbelief and thought I was joking. It even took me a while to believe I had could have, and did, perform so well.
Each of us possess beliefs we hold to be true that have been created or adopted from peers and society. I have to ask, “Have you ever been wrong?”
• What do others believe to be true about you and your life right now?
• What do you believe to be true about you and your life right now?
• What if you thought was true, was wrong?
Other peoples’ beliefs about you and what you are capable of achieving in life are not true. Whatever you or others think you are; you are more than that. Whatever you or others think you can achieve in life, you can achieve more than that. Other people’s beliefs do not determine your results, however, your beliefs do determine your results. Many times success in life comes by being one step ahead of the norms and beliefs that society holds to be true.
And, in the case of the fountain, since I had been looking down as Nicolas and I were running, I did not see that the fountain stopped half a second before I looked up. As a result, what I perceived to be right, was wrong. Many times in life our perceptions of what is true, are false.
The people who succeed in the next ten years and experience prosperity will be able to challenge what they and others believe to be right. What if now was the best time to invest, make money, and succeed? If you find yourself stuck with no way out, not believing in yourself, or surrounded by others who are sharing their doom and gloom, ask yourself, “Have I (or they) ever been wrong? What if they were?” There is amazing potential and opportunity waiting for you in life at this very moment. I hope your fountains overflow with wealth, prosperity, faith and love this year!
Here in the subdivision we live in there is a very large fountain that welcomes visitors and residents into our neighborhood. My son Nicolas and I were out running the other day and as we approached the fountain I noticed it was not working. I made an offhand comment to Nicolas, something to the effect of, “That’s strange, they don’t have the fountain on today.” Quick as a whistle Nicolas said, “That’s OK Dad, I will make it come on in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…NOW! Look, its magic!” And, the fountain turned on!
There was another time during my military training where we had to qualify with our M-16’s. I had never qualified expert in any of our trainings and there were very few who were optimistic about their performance, or mine, on qualification day. This was largely due to the training regimen, sleep deprivation, and cold outdoor environment. It’s hard to shoot straight when you are shivering in 40 degree, rainy weather! As you could surmise, many of my colleagues were very competitive and there was a lot of posturing over who would score expert and who wouldn’t. When all was said and done I scored 39 hits out of 40, an Expert. It was the best I had ever shot. As I walked back and shared my news with the others in my squad most were in disbelief and thought I was joking. It even took me a while to believe I had could have, and did, perform so well.
Each of us possess beliefs we hold to be true that have been created or adopted from peers and society. I have to ask, “Have you ever been wrong?”
• What do others believe to be true about you and your life right now?
• What do you believe to be true about you and your life right now?
• What if you thought was true, was wrong?
Other peoples’ beliefs about you and what you are capable of achieving in life are not true. Whatever you or others think you are; you are more than that. Whatever you or others think you can achieve in life, you can achieve more than that. Other people’s beliefs do not determine your results, however, your beliefs do determine your results. Many times success in life comes by being one step ahead of the norms and beliefs that society holds to be true.
And, in the case of the fountain, since I had been looking down as Nicolas and I were running, I did not see that the fountain stopped half a second before I looked up. As a result, what I perceived to be right, was wrong. Many times in life our perceptions of what is true, are false.
The people who succeed in the next ten years and experience prosperity will be able to challenge what they and others believe to be right. What if now was the best time to invest, make money, and succeed? If you find yourself stuck with no way out, not believing in yourself, or surrounded by others who are sharing their doom and gloom, ask yourself, “Have I (or they) ever been wrong? What if they were?” There is amazing potential and opportunity waiting for you in life at this very moment. I hope your fountains overflow with wealth, prosperity, faith and love this year!
1/2/09
Play Head's Up in 2009!
Play Head’s Up in 2009!
During my Federal Law Enforcement Training one of the most important tools they taught us in self defense class was awareness. The best way to stay safe in any situation, day or night, was to be always be aware of your environment. The classic victim of violence is the person who is caught unaware. They are completely taken by surprise by their attacker and never see it coming. It is ironic that one of the best self defense tools isn’t marital arts, a weapon, or whistle, but simply “Keeping Your Head Up.”
The same principle applies in the fundamentals of basketball. One of the hardest skills for a youth to master when they begin playing is to dribble the basketball without looking down at it. Before a young player can have any court awareness they have to learn to dribble with their head up. Once they can dribble with one hand, “Keeping Their Head Up,” their skills almost double overnight. It is a small jump to dribbling a ball in both hands simultaneously, and their can passing, receiving and shooting skills are dramatically better. Their court awareness skills develop and suddenly instead of having five individual players on the court, the “team” develops as they play more cohesively. Of all of the slogans and saying I could have put on the gym bags I gave my team after winning the YMCA Valleywide Youth Basketball Tournament in Arizona was, “Keep Your Head Up.” It is a great life lesson to keep playing, “Heads Up Ball.”
As we look a little further into the concept of “Keeping Your Head Up,” let’s do a simple exercise. Dip your head down to your chest and notice what you feel. Slowly lift your head up and as your chin hits parallel with the ground notice the switch in emotion. As you keep lifting your head higher, notice how your shoulders drop and relax, slowly your posture straightens, you feel better, and more confident. Do the old sayings of, “Look forward towards your future, Lift your head up and rejoice,” and “Look towards a brighter tomorrow” carry a deeper meaning now?
I would ask that as you move into 2009, keep looking forward in anticipation of a brighter year than 2008. Put your shoulders back in a state of confidence and relaxation. Raise your game by building your skills and mastering this simple fundamental skill. It will raise your level of play in life and help you build exciting and more dynamic teams around you. You will not be a victim in life that is easily surprised or taken unaware but an individual who is alert, confident, and able to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. No matter what your dreams, goals, hopes, and desires in 2009, “Keep Your Head Up!”
I wish you a New Year and a New Life this next year. Have a Peaceful, Powerful, and Prosperous 2009.
To your continued success,
James
During my Federal Law Enforcement Training one of the most important tools they taught us in self defense class was awareness. The best way to stay safe in any situation, day or night, was to be always be aware of your environment. The classic victim of violence is the person who is caught unaware. They are completely taken by surprise by their attacker and never see it coming. It is ironic that one of the best self defense tools isn’t marital arts, a weapon, or whistle, but simply “Keeping Your Head Up.”
The same principle applies in the fundamentals of basketball. One of the hardest skills for a youth to master when they begin playing is to dribble the basketball without looking down at it. Before a young player can have any court awareness they have to learn to dribble with their head up. Once they can dribble with one hand, “Keeping Their Head Up,” their skills almost double overnight. It is a small jump to dribbling a ball in both hands simultaneously, and their can passing, receiving and shooting skills are dramatically better. Their court awareness skills develop and suddenly instead of having five individual players on the court, the “team” develops as they play more cohesively. Of all of the slogans and saying I could have put on the gym bags I gave my team after winning the YMCA Valleywide Youth Basketball Tournament in Arizona was, “Keep Your Head Up.” It is a great life lesson to keep playing, “Heads Up Ball.”
As we look a little further into the concept of “Keeping Your Head Up,” let’s do a simple exercise. Dip your head down to your chest and notice what you feel. Slowly lift your head up and as your chin hits parallel with the ground notice the switch in emotion. As you keep lifting your head higher, notice how your shoulders drop and relax, slowly your posture straightens, you feel better, and more confident. Do the old sayings of, “Look forward towards your future, Lift your head up and rejoice,” and “Look towards a brighter tomorrow” carry a deeper meaning now?
I would ask that as you move into 2009, keep looking forward in anticipation of a brighter year than 2008. Put your shoulders back in a state of confidence and relaxation. Raise your game by building your skills and mastering this simple fundamental skill. It will raise your level of play in life and help you build exciting and more dynamic teams around you. You will not be a victim in life that is easily surprised or taken unaware but an individual who is alert, confident, and able to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. No matter what your dreams, goals, hopes, and desires in 2009, “Keep Your Head Up!”
I wish you a New Year and a New Life this next year. Have a Peaceful, Powerful, and Prosperous 2009.
To your continued success,
James
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