THURSDAY THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – For just a moment – consider you are a famous, successful, and respected celebrity being interviewed by a major publication and for the content, they want your answers to a variety of questions. So, here are just a few of the questions – how would you answer them?  Verbally, in writing – doesn’t matter OR, you can ask someone you know or are close to or related to, to answer the questions about you. Here we go – What’s your biggest life regret? How do you want to be remembered? Name three of your life heroes and why. What has been your most important life lesson? What was your biggest mistake in life? What living person do you most admire and why?  If you could go back and start over, what would you do differently?  How should we handle getting older?  Criticism?  What role(s) have relationships played in your life?  What’s the best advice you have ever received? What’s the biggest criticism you have gotten?  What skills do you most admire?  Human traits?  And now the last one – If you could change anything in your life now – what would it be and why?

MY THURSDAY THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - When is it too late to start over or for second or even a third chance – in a career, a relationship, a business or just life. It’s a really simple answer - when you are dead. I have no clue why people quit or give up when a business fails or a relationship ends without their control or they are given bad health news or someone special in their life dies or they think they are too old or – shall I go on? Ever wanted to quit? Ever quit or caved?  Ever thrown in the towel for any number of stupid reasons? Well, I have to tell you after far more failures in; relationships, business, finances, health, and relationships I am the expert on not quitting. Not bragging cause I’m sure some of you are questioning my right to even write this given my sordid past. But I digress. It is never too late to start again in any life area as long as you are willing to learn three simple truths; 1 - failure is an important ingredient of success. 2 – If you don’t learn from the past you are doomed to repeat a failure in the same life area. And 3 – How you handle failure, adversity, and disappointment define your character, circumstances, and future.

During these challenging times, many people find themselves alone and disconnected from others and the world. There are three aspects of this topic; loneliness, aloneness and solitude and all three are not circumstances but mindsets. You can be lonely while in a crowd. Loneliness is not solved by others or circumstances. It is solved by changing your perspective. The next level above loneliness is aloneness. This life period is not always a choice, but the response is always positive rather than negative.  You use the time for any number of actions; study, prayer, learning, exercising, etc.    The final level is solitude. This is a choice to be alone for a variety of reasons; introspection, personal growth or just to observe life as it unfolds.  Let me ask you – during this difficult period or any other similar ones in the past or ones you will experience in the future – which of these three approaches dominates your time, your life, your decisions, etc.? The final two can be a valuable life opportunity while the first one is a waste of life and all aspects of it.

MY THURSDAY THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – Consider – which is a better life teacher success or failure? Success can teach us many things – what works, what feels good, what is of value in our life or the life of others etc.  But, here’s the problem with success lessons – they tend to prevent us from looking at what isn’t working or wrong or how what we are doing could be working even better.  Consistent success tends to keep people stuck – yes, they have had many success benefits but imagine for a moment if they could achieve even greater success if they would learn to see past their success to what could be? What can failure teach us – (your turn). What has failure taught you during your life? What has success taught you? Now the tough one – which lessons do you feel – over time - were more valuable or beneficial? Anyone who has ever achieved worthwhile success has faced trials, failure, adversity, etc. Failure, adversity, challenges, trials, etc. are not what is happening to us but how we respond to it, react, deal with it, learn from it or use it for something good. Think of success and failure as teachers. Some of the lessons are painful and some exhilarating but, in the end, – which tend to be more valuable?  If you are a success freak you probably disagree with me with the premise of this concept.  If you are a huge success, I’ll bet you “get it”. THURSDAY THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – Which is a better teacher in life - success or failure?

MY THURSDAY THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - Are doing what you are destined to do or are you just working- day after day, year after year in a career or business to make money, pay bills and own stuff? Let me put this another way does your career, job or business give you a sense of joy – day In and day out?  If your answer is no to either question, I’m sure you know what the next one is that’s coming? Why? You might be amazed at how many people lie on their deathbed sharing nothing but regrets and disappointments again – why? This is not a book – there are hundreds of them out there to help you address this issue. This is just a simple few sentence to try and get your attention, maybe for the first time, about how your life is progressing.  Sure you might be successful, wealthy, and even tell others how happy and content you are but let me ask you – in the quiet of your own consciousness – would you like something important in your life to be better or different, added or removed before it’s too late (and none of us know when that time is) that you believe would give you more peace, joy, contentment and a belief that you are living the destiny you were designed for? What are you waiting for?

MY THURSDAY THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - I’ve discovered that when it comes to an individual’s reactions to life circumstances, people, adversity, opportunities, etc. there are two types of people; inside-out and outside-in. Let me explain with two quick examples. You are on your way to an important appointment and you get a flat tire. An outside-in person starts blaming the road, the tire, the weather, the whatever. While in blame mode they also start whining, complaining and even screaming at whatever or whoever. An inside-out person just starts changing the tire or calls road service. Next – Your turn - A peer receives a promotion that you feel you deserve. How do you think the outside-in person reacts? The inside-out person? Who do you think lives longer? Who do you think tends to be more successful? Who do you think is happier?  Which do you think you are? If you asked some close friends or relatives which one would they say you are? Know any outside -in people? Like being around them? Listening to them? Know any inside-out people? Learned any valuable lessons from them? Look forward to spending more time with them? If you are an outside-in person – you probably stopped reading a while ago. If you are an inside-out person - I’ll bet you wish this article was a bit longer.

MY THURSDAY THOUGHT FOR THE - Do you know the difference between knowledge and wisdom?  First of all – most people say a hundred times a day – I know this, and I know that – blah blah blah.  Trust me very little of what you think you know is really true.  I’d love to ask a politician, a weather person or physician this simple question when they say anything - how do you know that?  And you know what they would say – they would just give me more reasons or opinions to validate their words.  It’s simple folks - knowing is superficial and temporary – wisdom blends a degree of knowledge with, experience, information, insight, discernment, education, and history.  Much of what you think you know and act as if you know is nothing but conjecture or your opinion. What we thought we knew about travel, medicine, technology, etc. 2000 years ago is a lot different than what we know today.  And what we will know 100 years from today will be a lot different than what is true today.  Here’s the basic problem – most people become attached to what they think they know is true and then they let it define them. I’ll close with a quick question – in the past several years have you changed an opinion about anything because of new information, experience or education?  I rest my case.