Top ten things I learned over the weekend.

1. The sunrise is always a beautiful thing to watch.

2. Days seem longer when you’re up before the crack of dawn.

3. You still might not be able to afford something even after it was given to you for free.

4. Maintaining your sanity in an insane world is insane.

5. Opportunity always presents itself despite your lack of aggressiveness.

6. Without the correct key or any key as a matter of fact, a locked door is simply a locked

door.

7. No one wants to lose at anything.

8. Losing to a child is embarrassing.

9. People over thirty wish they weren’t.

10. You can really break a sweat from playing a wii.

11. Not being able to count is a terrible thing.

Extinction

In speaking to a friend today the topic of Lions came up. So I pondered the process of going from a cub to a Lion and lions in general. I tried to find some sort of amazing fact about lions to link to something motivational but instead I settled on extinction. Nothing profound, but rather simple. Animals go into extinction all the time. As a matter of fact one probably went into extinction since the year started. But I’ll mention the extinction not of animals but of people.

Where have all our stalwarts gone, our inventors, innovators, leaders, pioneers? Yes we all have heroes but what’s keeping us from being heroes and the like. Is it that we are making ourselves extinct by being normal and blending in. or is it that we are all superb so none of us stand out? I doubt the latter is true. It may be that we are on the road to being heroes and heroines alike and I assume time will tell. I may be jumping the gun as we may have yet to arrive but it is a concern none the less.

So even if you think you are a dying breed, don’t be afraid to shine for fear of being poached upon by those who would have your head on their walls but stand up and stand out. Be a lion.

The Flight

So I was driving past the airport this morning and saw a plane taking flight. Not too far behind were two other airplanes taxiing down the runway to do the same. It then dawned on me that I missed being in a plane. the thought of being on one island at 10 am and being on another by 12pm was very much appealing. My second thought was "if planes can take flight, why can't we". And if we can how do we?

I would believe that like the plane we have to go through a number of checks before we are on the runway too success. Like planes too we come in different sizes and models and able to take various amounts of people with us on our road to success (this latter part just came to me while typing:-). So someone with a Jumbo Jet mentality may take a while to get his 100 plus ambitions and dreams off the ground as opposed to someone like me with a Cessna ambition who just wants to cruise the open skies and see the sights.

Despite of the dreams and goals we have we all want to reach for the clouds and look out on to the sunset from 30,000 feet above sea level and see the ocean glistening in the moonlight being that much closer to the sky.

So whatever your dreams are made of, taxi on down the runway and prepare to take flight.

Be motivated, be inspired, be you.

I love Monday's

I know allot of people hate mondays and take them for granted but lets try to look on the bright side of Monday. Granted you ran head first for the door Friday afternoon and turned the weekend on its head with all the partying and merrymaking and now its back to work at the helm of the S.S. Mundane and Boring. It may not seem like it but Monday offers allot of opportunities for new starts. One of my college professors once said that as people we have the upper hand at taking advantage of our human interactions when we plan ahead. So here is your opportunity to confront those conversations you've been dreading with your boss, coworkers, clients etc. Everyone already knows Mondays are not good for most people so take advantage of it. I am not saying to break the news of your clients past due bill at 8 o clock on a Monday morning. I am rather in-sighting that it may be a good time to raise issues that have been gnawing away at you for a while.

By all means attempt to be happy before starting the conversation as people usually respond well to happy faces. Start the convo off with the general greetings and be sure to have something fun to mention like Blake Griffin jumping over a car during the NBA all star weekend or the new Starbucks around the corner or Victoria's secret new line of invisible line panties (women only) or Carmello Anthony's possible trade. Whatever your forte or that of the person to whom your relating make it something that lighten the mood. When all is said and done you can let the cat out the bag. Whatever the issue being discussed be sure to highlight the point that its the start of a new week and as such it can be seen as a new start to resolve on an old issue or a new page on which to generate new ideas. Setting deadlines in the days to follow and arranging follow up calls would be a sure fire way to keep the momentum going as well. However, be sure to follow up on your follow ups so as to not to have this conversation two or three Mondays from now cause after all not everyone likes Mondays.

Its also a good day to start that fitness program you always wanted to start or approaching your boss about that raise of yours (pitching ideas about increasing revenue and cutting cost might show your level of seriousness and dedication to the company). Proposing, or making a move on a long time "girl friend" can also be a task for this Magical Monday.

So from here on out, while your living up the weekend be sure to plan ahead to get the most out of your monday. It make take you a while but so will getting old, so take it one Monday at a time.