The other day as I was walking down a hallway in my home that has various pictures of times past, when all of a sudden I just stopped.  A voice deep within me whispered for me to stop and pay attention. As I looked to my right, there was a picture of my son and I posed in a plane along with a ticket stub from the air show where it happened. We had originally given it to my mom probably 20 years ago or so. I hadn’t looked at it, I mean really looked at it for probably years. One day in the past, I thought these memories were important enough to hang on the wall so I could relive them. Now, it appears things have changed, what a shame! We all have those reminders in our own homes, pictures, knickknacks, marks we made measuring our kids, etc. and yet day after today, we walk past them God knows how many times without  paying them the attention they deserve. You deserve the memories you’ve created. You also deserve to build upon them. To put it even more clearly, YOU DESERVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE LIFE YOU’VE LIVED AND THE LIFE THAT IS SURROUNDING YOU NOW! Pay attention to those pictures and knickknacks. Pay attention to the “little” words that people sometimes “throw away” in their conversations. Pay attention to life. Commit to one day of really paying attention to life. Smell the air when you go outside, listen to the wind whip through the trees, feel the warmth of the sun as it shines through the window, really taste the tartness of an apple or the sweetness of the jam you spread on your toast. Isn’t this something that we should be doing anyway? Shouldn’t we be aware that we are alive? Each and everyday, shouldn’t we be grateful that we are alive!?! While the answer is clearly yes, it is also something that falls by the wayside with every year we are here on earth. The things is, it doesn’t cost us anything and doesn’t take take away from the importance of our life or the appreciation of our family. As a matter of fact, simply by paying attention, it accentuates them! So do it! As I mentioned earlier, commit to just ONE DAY of noticing, appreciating, reflecting, being grateful for and really living life the way we all hoped we would, and deserve to! As for me, I’ve come to have a new appreciation for simply walking down that hallway and feeling those memories that I one day thought were important enough to hang on those walls. I hope your walk though life will find some of that appreciation and gratitude. I hope your awareness of life continues to grow because then you will grow with it. Peace Gregg

Instead of seeking to find our way,

We should instead be 

Seeking to find our resolve.

That is how we find our way

Peace

Gregg

Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t always have to be strong. You don’t have to be funny. You don’t always have to know the answer. You don’t always have to be stoic. These are only a few of the things that we pretend to be each and every day. That’s right, I said pretend.

For some reason, we believe that if we “playact” through this part of life it will somehow make it better or easier for us or for those around us. It won’t! Oh maybe we’ll get a way with it for a while, but sooner or later it will catch up with us. We have to be authentic in order to walk the path we were meant to walk and help the people we need to help.

Think of it this way, how would you like it if you found out your best friend, boss, husband or wife was lying to your face? (After all, isn’t being inauthentic the same as lying?) Most importantly, if we spend our days lying to others, there will come a day when we begin lying to ourselves. When that day comes, finding the truth in anything is like peering through the fog at midnight.

So what does it take to “stay the path” of authenticity? Two things, courage (That my friends is so much easier said than done!) and forgiveness.  We all know what courage is but we seem forget that, when it comes to forgiving ourselves, we aren’t very charitable. We’re not always going to succeed at this new project and understanding that will be a daily challenge but at the end of the day, we’ll be that much closer to being the kind of person we were meant to be.

Here’s what I know…

It’s ok to feel the way you feel even if it’s out of the norm.

Communicate! Tell others how you feel and why. They might be more accommodating that you think. The same goes for telling yourself the same.

Don’t be afraid! This applies across the board. Don’t be afraid to fail, don’t be afraid to succeed, to feel bad, to feel good, not to know, etc.

And oh yes, convince yourself to be authentic as munch as possible.

Remember, you don’t always have to be strong. You don’t have to be funny. You don’t always have to know the answer. You don’t always have to be stoic. Each day before you get going make a promise to yourself that you’ll do your best to be as authentic as possible. That’s all anyone could ask, including what you’d ask of yourself.

Peace

Gregg