Thursday, March 29, 2012

Mistakes


People make mistakes all the time. In fact, I'm pretty sure we are all going to make a mistake today. It may be a small one or it may be a huge mistake. We can either dwell on them or we can acknowledge them and learn from them while moving on with our day.

There is a good chance you are going to do something to disappoint people today. It happens. If you are trying to walk the line between learning from your mistakes or dwelling on them, you are also going to have to be careful when dealing with the people who are disappointed because of your mistake. You don't want to seem as if you don't care about it, but you also don't want to dwell on it with them. This is a fine line you have to walk and it isn't always going to come easy. Some people love to point out the mistakes of others and will continue to bring them up over and over again. Don't let these people goad you in to dwelling on them. Learn and move on.

No one likes to make mistakes, but mistakes are no the end of the world. Learn from them and move on. Don't let others pull you in to dwelling on them. Acknowledge the mistake and let people know what you will do differently next time. Don't become afraid to make mistakes. As long as we learn from our mistakes,  we can become better at anything we try to do.

Go out there and live. Make mistakes and learn from them. Do the best you can and if something goes wrong, know you will do better the next time.  Everyone makes mistakes...how we deal with them makes all the difference.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Learn From Each Other

We can (and should) learn from everyone around us. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has something to offer. Sometimes, we have to search to find it, but it is there. All we have to do is remain open and learn.

This can be very difficult. There are people in our lives who just rub us the wrong way. We don't like them and we don't want to spend much time around them. Sometimes, these are the very people we can learn the most from. There is something about them giving us a negative feeling and it could be this is what we need to learn. Our ego pushes them away knowing we could become a little different with the knowledge we could obtain. Learn from them.

Surrounding us will be people we like, people we respect and people we admire. All of these people have something to offer as well. We can do well to study them, to see what they do and how they do it and then learn from them. Everyone has talents, even if they don't realize it. Figure out what you can learn from the people around you and gain the knowledge.

We can learn from the constructive feedback others give us and we can even learn from destructive feedback we receive. All we need to do is enter into every situation knowing, no matter what happens, we have something to learn. Don't take things personally (easier said than done) and focus on the learning process. This will not always be easy, but usually the best things in life aren't easy. Learning and knowledge building doesn't stop when you grasp the degree...in fact, it should never stop. Look for ways to learn something new each and every day and then see how the world around us changes.


All knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.
Leonardo da Vinci

Monday, March 26, 2012

Support Each Other

There are people who know exactly what they want to do and they do it. They find a career they love and continue pushing towards their goal of what they want to do. Then, there are people who aren't really sure. They think they want to do something and go for it, but once they are doing it, they realize it isn't really what they want to do.

It's okay to not know and to experiment. You will often frustrate the people who do know what they want to do because they can't grasp the idea that you do not. Don't let their frustration get to you. Keep moving forward and figuring out what you want to do and where you want to go. For you, passion has to be found. Keep searching and you will find what you are looking for. But, you have to keep searching.

If you are the type of person who gets frustrated at those of us searching, just relax. We would love to be in your shoes, but we don't think the same way you do. We would love to do something that makes us excited to jump out of bed in the morning. Constantly searching, we may talk about how things will be better when we do something else. If we get there, we may find out it isn't what we thought it was going to be or it doesn't do to our soul what we wanted it to. This may frustrate the person who knows exactly what they want, but it doesn't compare to the frustration of the person who feels unfulfilled.

If you know exactly what you want to do and you go for it, great! If you don't have a clue, but know you are going to constantly search and mold what you have, great (and good luck)! Both of these types of people need to support each other and cut the other a little slack. We're all in this together and we have to remember we each have our own thoughts and motivations. The more we help and support each other, the better off we will be.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Prove Yourself


Too many of us spend an obscene about of time trying to prove to everyone else that we are right. If you are doing the right thing, do you really need to prove it?

We really should spend our time doing more things, rather than trying to justify what we have already done. We don't need to prove to everyone else that we are smarter or that what we did works better or that they did the wrong thing. We need to get past wanting everyone to think of us in a positive way. We are who we are and people are going to either like us or dislike us. They are going to support us or not.

Stop wasting your time trying to prove yourself to the people who dislike you or don't support you. Spend your time doing more work instead. Believe in yourself and stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. There are always going to be haters. When you listen to them and attempt to justify yourself or your actions, you give them the power. Ignore them and do what you know is right!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Motivation


For many of us, we have days when the motivation wanes. This can show itself in any number of ways-procrastination, anger, self-doubt and the inability to focus, though if you are like me, it will become all of these wrapped together. It may start as procrastination, but I always end up tumbling in to self-doubt. I think this is one of the worst places to end up when it comes to losing your motivation. Once you start doubting your abilities, it becomes hard to pull yourself back up, not impossible, but difficult.

There are some important things you can do to help keep your motivation from disappearing:

1) Make sure you are doing the job you should be doing. It's nearly impossible to stay motivated when you are chasing another person's dream. You can do work without being motivated, but you can't do your life's work without it.
2) Surround yourself with the right people (both personally and professionally). You need to be surrounded by people who are positive, upbeat and strive to do the best work they can. Plus, you need people you can trust when things get tough.
3) Keep it fun. Always make sure you take the time to have fun with anything you are doing. You are going to be more creative and driven if you enjoy what you do.
4) Get some exercise. If things start to get stressful or your feel your motivation start to wane, take a walk, go for a bike ride, jog...do anything to get your blood pumping. It helps to get those creative juices flowing again.
5) Allow yourself some time away. Every now and again, we need to get away to help regain focus and let our mind and body relax.

Even if you do all of these, there are no guarantees your motivation will always stick around. It can pull a disappearing act, often when you need it the most. In these cases, what do you do to get it back?

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Think Positive

I have spent much of my life telling people I was a realist. Truth be known, I have actually spent much of my life as a pessimist. I always expected the worst to happen, the other shoe to drop or things to get messed up. I looked for, and by consequence often found, the things that would continue to fuel this pessimism.

I would tell people that it was better to expect the worst for if it happened, you would be prepared. If something better happened, then you would be all the more happy because you were expecting the worst. It doesn't really work this way. When you expect the worst, you put in less than your best because you don't think you can do it. Why do your best if your best isn't going to change the outcome? Most of us won't. When we expect the worst thing to happen, we convince our mind it will and steal our ability to do great things. By expecting the worst, you also limit the amount of happiness you experience each day. It's hard to be upbeat and happy if you are always waiting for something bad to happen.

If we attack life with a positive outlook, things can be so much different. When we know, not just think, we can do anything, we are more likely to do whatever it takes to make things work. We expect things to work and will put in our best to make it so. When they don't, we are more likely to figure out what went wrong and try again instead of throwing up our hands and saying I knew it wouldn't work. When we expect good things to happen, we spend more time being upbeat and happy, which allows us to roll with the punches and deal with things when they go wrong. It's a cycle that always ends with us being positive and doing our best work.

For many of us, it isn't always easy to come at life from a positive outlook, especially if we have been pessimistic in the past. We have to constantly remind ourselves to not be negative and focus on looking at the good around us instead of the bad. We have to actively work to not complain and try to remind the people around us to be more positive, too. It takes work and it doesn't happen over night, but if we remain conscious to our thoughts and actions, it is possible to move from being a pessimist to an optimist. It is definitely worth the work.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Worry


If you are like me, all too often you find yourself worrying about things that may or may not occur. What has caused us to worry about these things?

Most of us have had our ups and downs, but all in all, things really haven't been horrible. We all have had times in our life we thought we wouldn't get through, but looking back, they usually don't seem as bad as we thought they were at the time. Why then, do we continue to worry about what may or may not happen in the future?

When we worry, not only do we imagine things being worse than they usually are, but we never know how each occurrence will affect our life. Many times, the things that hurt the most open us up to the best experiences later. Maybe having the person walk out on you opens your eyes and heart to someone much better. Maybe getting fired will force you to take the chance on what turns out to be the job of your dreams.

We never know what is going to happen in the future. We never know what good will come from seemingly bad things. Of course we don't want horrible things to happen, but good may just come from it. Even if the worst does happen, it might be because the best things needed it to enter your life. Worrying won't stop things from happening. All it does is keep you from enjoying the present.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Everyone Dies

Why do people who are told they have a terminal illness suddenly realize they haven't done the things they really want to do and change the way they live their life to do them? What are we planning for that doesn't allow us to live this life now?

Surprise, we are all going to die. You have now been warned. At some unknown point in the future, your life will end. Go out and live the life you really want. Don's save up all your happiness and fun for later. Have them now. Do something crazy. Do something you want to do. Quit putting it off for tomorrow because tomorrow may never come.

Today, have more fun, laugh a little more, do something interesting you have been putting off, tell the people who matter that they matter, take less personally, give someone a break, smile more, spend less time worrying about stupid shit and just live. We have a limited number of todays left...make sure you aren't wasting them.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

A Positive Outlook


The older I get, the faster time seems to fly by. When I look at the date, I have a hard time believing it is already 2012. It feels like only yesterday that I was still bright eyed and busy tailed, ready to take on the world. Today, I am probably a little too cynical and sarcastic, but I am still ready to take on the world and try to change it for the better.

As I get older, I have found it challenging to remain a positive person. After going through some struggles during the last handful of years, I have crossed a threshold on my path and have started to become more aware of my outlook and strive to remain positive as much as I can. As anyone who knows me will tell you, I am not all sunshine and rainbows, but I think I have a better outlook on life than I did even one year ago.

We all have control over the vibe we put off and most people can pick up on the positivity or negativity pretty quickly. We all know people who land in both camps. There are people who are looking to complain about anything on any given day and those who may complain a little and then put their head down to get to work. The rarest people we find are those who take everything in stride, nothing really seems to bother them and they go about their life as if everything is perfect.

One of my goals is to become one of these people. I think (hope) I have moved from the first person who just looks for something to complain about to the person who complains about some things, but not other things they would have complained about in the past. I try to take things less personally. If someone does something to make my life or work harder, I will remind myself they aren't doing it on purpose and just do what needs to be done.  I would like to get to a point where I just don't get frustrated, just roll with the punches and don't let these things bother me.

I know very few of us get to this point completely, but the more we can approach it, the better off we will be. As we work to approach this point, we can help the people around us become more positive. We just have to be careful the negative people do not pull us in their direction. It can be tough to remain positive around people who are constantly negative, but it is possible. For many of us, being positive takes work. Our society glorifies negativity, through the news and talk radio and television, nearly everything we hear or see is about how things aren't working well.

We just have do what we can to focus on the positive things happening in our life and in the world around us. Slow down and enjoy a beautiful spring day. Spend a little time every day thinking about what you are grateful for. Start a habit of writing down three good things that happen each day (or shares these things with your family at dinner). Start expressing gratitude to the people around you. Smile more. Exercise a little more. Read more. Turn off the television and experience life more. When you start to feel negative, smile and think about things that make you happy. Catch yourself when you are complaining and think about how you feel when you do it. If all of us just focus a little on being more positive each day, think about how much different this world could be. What do we have to do to get there?

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Share a Smile

We all have the ability to change the world around us, if we choose to do it. We can struggle to come up with ideas and work to bring these ideas to fruition in hopes they will make a great impact. While we do this, we can also do little things each day to make the world a happier place.

Smile at one more stranger each day. Say please and thank you a little more. Hold the door for someone as they are entering or exiting a building. Make eye contact. Go out of your way to express your gratitude to a co-worker.

These may sound trivial, but it is the little things that add up to greatness. The person you made eye contact with and smiled at may just spread that smile to five more people who then spread it to five more who spread it on and on. Your coworker may have a better day because of your gratitude and may spread the thanks to the people who have helped them. 

Working in a positive environment is going to make you more creative, will give you the energy to accomplish more work and the quality of your work is going to be better.  When we are happy, the people around us tend to be happy. It's easier for us to be happy when the people around us are happy. We have to focus on doing the little things each day to help improve everyone's mood. After a little time doing this, you will notice it starts to come naturally. 

Start today. Share a smile and see if the world around you smiles back. 

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Stop Stealing Dreams


A great, free manifesto from Seth Godin, Stop Stealing Dreams discusses the problems with our education system and challenges everyone to come up with solutions. While our first reaction may be to dismiss what Mr. Godin has to say, the more we think about it, the more we know our education system needs an overhaul. We need to challenge the next generations to think for themselves, to develop their talents and to bring more to the table.

This isn't only for people who have children or who are planning on having children. Every last one of us should be concerned about the education of our youth. Even if they are not your children, they will be your future co-workers, employees, bosses, doctors, lawyers, senators, presidents, etc. These are the people who will run the country as we get older. This makes the education of them a concern for us all. 

Read Stop Stealing Dreams and come up with some of your own ideas on how to make improvements. Then, share these ideas with everyone who will listen.


Monday, March 12, 2012

That's Just Not How It Works

That's just not how it works. This is a sentence I never want to hear again. Whatever the it is in this sentence, I always want to ask why.

Instead of telling me doing "it" a different way isn't how "it" works, tell me about how you tried to do "it" that way and what you learned when "it" didn't work. Otherwise, you are only telling me you are afraid to do "it" in a way that no one else does "it". This doesn't make the new way wrong; this makes you afraid to try something new. If your goal is to follow the leader, then by all means, do things exactly like everyone else.

We live in a time when we should be struggling to try new things. We should be spending our days dreaming of new ideas, experimenting and pushing the envelope. The world is constantly changing around us. More and more knowledge is at our fingertips. The way we do business is changing all the time. Instead of doing things the way they have always been done, isn't it about time we starting asking why? Isn't it about time we start coming up with new ideas and then, trying them?

If you don't, someone else will.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Steal Like An Artist

This weekend, do yourself a favor and read this book. Steal Like An Artist is a quick read, but one that gives interesting and creative advice. I read it in one sitting and I am sure I will read it again from time to time. Seriously, pick up a copy of this book and read it. Actually, pick up a couple of copies so you can read one and give the other away. Your friend will thank you.

Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy the day and remember it is never as bad as you think.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Knowledge is Power


We live in a time when knowledge is at our fingertips. With the internet, we can find out the answer to just about any question we have. We have access to the writings and knowledge of the great minds that have lived. No longer do we need to find a library (though getting lost in stacks of books is still a beautiful thing) and search through numerous tomes to find exactly what we are looking for. Today, if you want a quote from Dostoevsky to make a point, all you need is a mouse and the right search terms. You can google anything and fall down the rabbit hole of your choosing. We live in a time when knowledge surrounds us and most people still don’t take the time to dive in and follow their curious mind.

As we get older, we let the curious part of our mind atrophy because we are too busy to indulge it’s whims. Curiosity keeps us young, keeps us interesting, keeps us pushing forward. This is a skill kids have and we have lost. We used to be very curious little people, wondering why things worked the way they do or wondering why the sky was blue or the grass green or an infinite amount of other things. We asked the questions because we really wanted to know the answers. Now, with the answers literally at our fingertips, we don’t ask the questions. Why is this? Are we afraid to know the reasons? Have we become fearful of asking questions? Are we just too lazy? Or, is it because we have gone so long without asking the questions that our curious side has become so quiet we no longer hear it?

Take one thing you would like to know and look it up. Learn about it. I guarantee this one thing will lead you to another and to another and the next thing you know, you are chasing thoughts and ideas all around. This is good for us. This helps us learn. This will bring us closer to finding who we are and what we are supposed to do. Knowledge is power and we now have the capability of amassing an amazing amount. What’s holding you back?

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Let It Go


Walking around with built-up bitterness is a recipe for disaster. When we feel slighted or screwed over by someone we will often hold resentment towards this person for years to come. We will constantly talk about how we really dislike them and will let others know how we were screwed over.

Everything the person does is viewed through a lens of negativity. We assume every decision is one based on malice and bad intent. We may even think that anything done now is still an attempt to one up us or make us look bad. Some of us will struggle the rest of our life trying to prove the other person wrong. 

The sad part is we can never, ever do our best work when we are doing it out of spite or in an attempt to show someone they were wrong about us. We can only do our best from a place of peace. Our motivation to do great work should not come from a place of negativity, like proving someone wrong. We will all do this from time to time, but when the past wrong constantly drives us, we will go nowhere good.

As hard as it sounds and as hard as it is to do, we have to let go of these negative emotions. They are doing nothing good for us and will only continue to bring us down. Yes, the person may have screwed us over. Yes, they might still be doing things in an effort to discredit us. Let them worry about the negativity they are bringing to their work. If this is really their goal, nothing good will come of their emotions, either. We have to be the bigger person and just let go. We should do the work we want to do and not worry what anyone else thinks, especially people we don’t like.

Bitterness can only be a driving force for so long. It feels like it is pushing us forward and helping accomplish things, but in the end, it will only lead to burnout and disappointment. Eliminate the bitterness and we will be able to find motivation from positive sources.

Think about why you do the work you do. There may be some bitter motivator, but for many of us, we do the work because we want to make a difference. We do things we are good at. We do things we love. We have a vested interest in what we do. In any case, the motivation behind your best work is always going to be positive motivation. Forget the past and move towards the future while living in the moment. Getting over the past isn’t going to happen overnight and is going to take time, but as we continue to work towards it, we will feel better.

There is nothing we can do to change what has happened and very little we can do to change people’s minds or attitudes. But, we can leave the game they are playing and play our own. No one says we have to get along with everyone. We have to live our life the way we see fit and there will be some people who just don’t figure in to it. Instead of letting them ruin your day, your week or longer, just move on with your life. Eliminate the bitterness and let the positive motivation allow us to do the best work we have inside.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Frustration

I woke up this morning frustrated with the world. I was frustrated with the attitudes of people I know. I was frustrated by seemingly unreachable goals. I was frustrated with work and even thinking about it was making me even more frustrated. I was frustrated with the day and I had only been awake for ten minutes.

So, I sat down to write out my frustrations and see if I could work through some of the thoughts. Slowly, I began to realize all the frustration I was feeling and directing at outside influences was actually frustration with myself. This frustration was caused by expectations I have placed on my own work, expectations I didn't feel I was living up to.

We all have goals and dreams, but we also place other markers on ourselves without knowing we are doing it. Holding ourselves to a much higher standard than others do, we have a hard time, if not an impossible time, meeting these expectations. We expect perfection and we will never be able get there.

In some people, this can be a driving force for good, but in most of us, this leads to the morning I had. When you aren't living up to the expectations you have secretly placed on yourself, you lash out in frustration at the people around you. You convince yourself they aren't trying hard enough or doing a good enough job or getting things done as quickly as you would like. In reality, you aren't doing a good enough job, trying hard enough or getting things done as quickly as you would like, at least in your own mind.

Cut yourself a little slack. You are never going to be perfect. Train your mind to expect your best work, nothing more, nothing less. Realize when your outward frustration is really based on your inward feelings. This frustration isn't good for you and it isn't good for the people unfortunately caught in the fire. They don't deserve your wrath and you don't deserve it either.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Choice


We spend each day constantly making choices. What way should I go to work? What should I bring for lunch? Should I have a coffee this morning? What should I wear? How should I handle this situation? Should I write a blog post this morning? These types of questions continue throughout the day and we are so used to it, often we won't hear the question or know we are making a choice. It has become automatic.

These simple choices are easy (usually) but when it comes to choices about how we live our life or where we want our life to go, we often fall very short and let fear or laziness stop us. We all know we should exercise more, but how many of us actually make the choice to do it? We all know we shouldn't smoke or drink as much as we do, but how many of us actually make the choice not to? We all know we need to eat a healthier diet, but how many of us actually pass on seconds or desert because of this knowledge?

We have the ability to make choices that will change our lives. Yes, we don't know what the future will bring, but we can have some control over what is happening now. We can choose to not eat something so we can get in better shape. We can choose to get up off the couch, turn off the television and go for a jog. We can choose to stop drinking or smoking or doing anything that is causing us more harm than good. Are any of these easy choices? No, not at first. But, the more you choose to do them, the easier they become. Once you start to see some results based on your choices, you will start to be more motivated to continue to make good choices.

In the same way, you can choose to live a life you want. You can choose to find happiness in your job, even if you do a lot of things you don't enjoy doing. You can choose to start looking for a new job, if you want to leave the one your are in. You can choose to learn new skills to help with this job search. You can choose to do something completely different, if you want. You can choose to start a side project or follow a dream you have always had. You can choose to take a risk. You can choose to move far away. You can choose to start a business. You can choose to go back to school. You can choose to do or try anything you want.

Every day, we are confronted with choice after choice. Many of these decisions have become second nature to us. We need to slow down and think about some of the choices we are making. Some of these choices are too important to make on autopilot. Being present in the moment and consciously making a decision may be the best choice you make today. When we consider our options, we may make a completely different decision than we would have without thinking. It's your life, shouldn't you be making the choices you really want?  

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Make Things Happen


People are constantly talking about what they need to do or what they should be doing, instead of actually doing it. Many of us expect the perfect opportunities to fall in our laps and we are constantly surprised when they don't.

Hoping something is going to fall in our lap and make us happy is the easy way out. In the same way people play the lottery with dreams of striking it rich, we dream the perfect job or person or opportunity is going to fall from the sky and magically enter our life. This happens about as often as someone you know wins the lottery. It always happens to a friend's roommate's cousin's neighbor, but not to anyone you actually know.

We have to make the opportunities we want. We have to ask the person out. We have to find and pursue the jobs we want. We have to put in the work to get the things that matter the most. We have to make our dreams come true.

We can all point to people who seem to be living their dreams. They are doing what they want to do with the people they want to be around. They seem to have it all. Nothing fell into their laps. They worked for what they have. They made goals and then busted their asses to reach them. They put in the work, the constant toil, the hours and hours of behind the scenes, no one is paying any attention to me, work.

These people know what they want and they chased it with every ounce of their being. They are still chasing. Growing tired of the waiting and the bitching and the moaning, they decided to make the change they wanted to see. We all have the ability to make our dreams come true; we just have to get up off our ass and do the work. Just as it is improbable for you to win the lottery, it is equally improbable your dreams are going to fall from the sky and enter you life. Get up and make your dreams a reality.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Serious



Can we stop being so serious all the time? I am as guilty as anyone else and the older I get the less and less I seem to laugh. I know this needs to change.

As a society, we need to have more fun in all aspects of our life. We need to have fun at work. Outside of work, we really need to have more fun. We need to take more time off and go on more vacations and just do things that make us laugh and feel good about ourselves. Why do so many people become more and more serious as they age?

As we grow older, we see more and more responsibility, both at work and at home. Before we know it, we are paying bills and making large purchases and managing employees and running companies and balancing checkbooks and having kids and doing all kinds of other things we never thought we would do. We start to have "obligations" to fulfill. Life becomes less about having fun and more about making sure there is a roof over your head and food on your table. The laughter dissipates. The joy seems to be sucked out of many things we do and we feel challenged a lot more.

This doesn't have to happen. We shouldn't take ourselves or our lives so seriously. We need to laugh more. We need to play around more. We need to have more fun each and every day. The vast majority of "challenges" we face are not worth the stress. Yes, face them with everything you have, but don't let bring you down. This life is the only one you have. I know I don't want to be on my deathbed (hopefully many, many years from now) and regret the fact I didn't laugh more. I don't want to look back and regret the fact I didn't spend more time with people I love.

Today, I want you to spend more time having fun. I want to hear more laughter in the world. I want to see more people doing things they want to do and hear less complaining about how horrible things are. This doesn't mean you don't get your work done; it means finding ways to make your work more interesting and fun to do. If you can't do that, you need to find a new job. Get out there and do something interesting and enjoyable. Laugh more today. Smile more today. Worry less and have a lot more fun!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

The Past



We have all done things in our past we are not proud of. We were all young and dumb at some point in time. If you are anything like me, these experiences will pop into your mind every now and again and remind you just how dumb you were.

It's time to stop letting the past come back to haunt us. Yes, we should learn from our previous mistakes, but we need to let go of them. They serve no purpose and we can't go back and change the things we have done. We can atone for them now (if others were involved), but we do not have to let our mind relive the experience over and over again. We have to let go of the emotions involved, put to use any knowledge and continue on with our life.

To do the things we all claim we want to do, we have to be in the present. Letting our mind constantly drift to the past, both to the good and the bad, robs us of the ability to be active in the present. We have amazing gifts to offer the world, every one of us, but we have to create them. We can't do this if we are constantly wishing we had done something differently or if we are constantly wishing things would go back to the way they were. For better or worse, we have this moment, right now, to do the things we want to do. Instead of living inside a fictional world of how things were, become alive now.