I was naked.
That part is true.
But just for a couple of minutes.
There is, however, some very troubling fake news that you’ll surely want to take note of.
When you take one, take a real one. Not a fake one.
You’ll rest; rejuvenate; recover; re-create.
You’ll come back energized and on fire; ready to take on the world again.
A fake one just won’t do that for you.
That thing on your tombstone?
That dash?
That’s your life.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” the poet Mary Oliver asks.
You have gifts and talents that are unique to you, that only you can share with the world.
Your art; your writing; your work; your message.
Your smile; your healing hands.
There are people you are meant to serve in the world… many of whom are in pain; many of whom are needy and weary and alone.
And those people? They’re waiting for you… waiting for your gifts. Waiting for you now.
Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
Do the work you’re called to do.
Make your dash your masterpiece.
There’s a bad question; a very bad question.
A question you should never, ever ask… especially if there’s something important that you want to accomplish.
(And… especially in bed.)
You think that you need to be motivated to take action.
But motivation is whimsical.
Act.
And never, ever entertain that bad question.
There’s a new disease. Have you heard about it?
The World Health Organization just discovered it.
You likely have symptoms.
Luckily, there are just two causes.
And… there’s a pretty simple fix.
Oxygen and fuel.
Re-fuel. Claim what’s oxygen for you.
No antibiotics required.
It’s easy to fall into a rut.
To find yourself just going through the motions.
To get complacent.
Sometimes you need a reminder that these are the days of your life; that this is it.
The writer Annie Dillard suggests, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.”
Be mindful as you go about your days, your hours.
They are your one and only life.
Moments of despair can knock you off your game.
One such moment is what we call the “false summit.”
It happens when you think you “should” have arrived… but you haven’t; when you think you “should” be done… and you’re not.
Moments of despair – false summits – can rattle even those at the top of their game.
When elite swimmer Florence Chadwick made her first attempt to cross the treacherous 26-mile strait between Catalina Island and the coast of California, she quit. She’d been in the shark-infested waters for more than 15 hours. The fog was so thick, she could barely see her support boat.
Cold and tired and despondent, she asked her team to pull her from the water. When she got in the boat, she discovered that she’d given up just a mile short of the shore.
She gave up b
Staying the course is so much easier when you can see your summit. But the truth is that false summits are pretty common.
This is when the “why” of what you’re doing really matters. Connect again with why you’re doing what you’re doing… why it matters to you… why it matters to the people you serve… why it matters to the world.
Claim that why.
It’s the fuel that will help you stay steady through the fog; persevere across those false summits; push through those moments of despair; so that you can achieve those hopes and dreams you hold dear.
It’s a beautiful, soaring tower of granite. Deep in the Tetons of Wyoming.
A dear friend of mine and I were going to give it a go. And each of us had a slightly different idea of where the route went.
I climbed up one narrow crack system.
He endeavored to climb another.
For 40 minutes, he flailed until he finally saw that his way just wouldn’t yield.
After more than a bit of cussing, my buddy joined me on the approach I had chosen.
Now, to be sure, my way wasn’t without its challenges… but it seemed to just flow.
And that’s often how you know that the route you’re on is the “right” one.
Worthy goals – whether the search for a new career, or a new love; the writing of a book, or the launch of a new program; freedom from debt or the pivot to a business of your own – are always challenging… fraught with pitfalls for the unwary, laced with discouragement and despair.
They require resolve; they demand courage and tenacity.
And… finding the way to achieve such goals can turn back even the hardiest of us.
Is it just hard? Or are you off course?
The “right way” is the way that flows.
When the kids were little and when they’d misbehave, I’d send them to “time out.”
“Go to your room and think about what you’ve done!”
There’s still some wisdom in that admonition.
All of our problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone, the philosopher, Blaise Pascal, suggests.
Being alone with ourselves, especially in this age of noise, can be a scary proposition.
But… in that stillness IS your power.
Take some “time out.”
Most of us have a go-to in times of stress and overwhelm.
Your go-to can be resourceful. Or not.
Ours wouldn’t be for everyone. But it works for us.
In order to go the distance, in order to do the work you’re meant to do, in order to serve the people you’re meant to serve, you need to seek out those experiences and places that allow you to rest and re-create.
What’s your drug of choice?
Measure your life in love.”
As I get near to my birthday, I think a lot about beans.
About how many I have; and how I want to use them.
I am acutely aware that I have a limited supply of beans.
I want to be mindful about my beans. I never want to squander them.
Because my beans (and your beans) are precious.
Because you (and I) are always moving at the speed of life, it’s really easy to pretend that we have plenty of beans… that we don’t need to pay attention to our beans.
But… from time to time, it’s worth taking an inventory of your beans.
How many beans do you have?
What would you do if you only had a handful of beans?
What if you had just one?
