Monday, April 19, 2010

What's your Bucket List?

We have all heard of the bucket list. That's that list of things that you want to do before you die. I was really moved by the Movie with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman titled "The Bucket List". After watching it I pondered what my bucket list was. I started to think about things that I wanted to accomplish, places I wanted to travel, things that I wanted to learn, and people I would like to meet. Then it came to me, instead of emptying the the bucket I wanted to create a fill the bucket list.

Isn't life really about the journey not the destination. It's the ride that's most exciting. Accomplishing goals is only one small piece to life. Sure you get that sense of completion and accomplishment. But then what? For me owning or acquiring more STUFF is not important at all. When you are on your death bed will you think about all the stuff you had? Or will you think about relationships, experiences, travel, your contribution to your family, community, and the world?

Think of the times when you went somewhere you have never been. When you experienced something like a roller coaster ride for the first time. When you did something totally selfless for another person without expecting anything in return. That's the most meaningful way to fill your bucket.

Life Lesson:

  1. Make a list of things that you can fill your bucket with.
  2. Break it down into people, places, and things, with more emphasis on the first two.
  3. Next to each one write down the feeling you will experience when you put them in your bucket.

Now get started! Remember if you don't take the time to do the lessons then you are no closer to filling that bucket.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Are you Here?

Forever is composed of nows.
--Emily Dickenson


That old phrase "Stop and smell the roses" has incredible wisdom to it. To me, the most important word is "STOP"! In society today we are so hyper stimulated with the pace of things we forget to stop and seek out what inspires us. With the internet, cell phones, facebook, twitter, ipod, ipads, laptops and whatever else you can think of we are so connected all the time we have forgotten how to disconnect. After all, what is life all about? Don't get me wrong, I use technology just like everyone else but I have learned that there is an off button.


Don't we need to find our inspiration in order to recharge our mental, physical, and spiritual batteries. WHAT INSPIRES YOU. It could be music, art, biking, reading, hiking, writing, yoga, or anything that helps you to get grounded and totally develop the art of being in the present. There are certain people that I make sure that I spend time with that inspire me. I love to read biographies about people who have made a difference in not just their own lives but the lives of others. Reading about their victories and the challenges and obstacles that they had to overcome. That inspires me.

Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed. -- Wayne Dyer

Spend time with children and PLAY. Reconnect with their innocence and the simple way they approach life. They are not thinking about the future or past but being totally in the moment. What a skill that truly is. I have been a professional martial arts educator for close to thirty years. I have a friend that I have trained with over the years that goes to Japan every few years to train with his master who is in his eighties. My friend told me of a powerful lesson that he learned the last time he went to Japan to train. His master had him watch other students as they practiced their movements and explained that you can tell the personality of a student by the way they perform their movements.



Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here right now. Don't miss it. -- Leo Buscaglia

He said that if a student is always leaning forward and into the movement that they are too focused on the future. While another student is always leaning back because they are stuck in the past. My friend's master said that true mastery means that you are centered, not leaning forward or backward and totally in the moment. That example really helped me personally as a teacher and communicator.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Spend Time with Living History.

When I was five years old my family moved to a farm. My parents rented a house on the farm that happened to be next door to an elderly couple, Mr. & Mrs. Lambert. They were the parents of the farm owners wife. Mr. Lambert would always go out in the evening and sit in an old comfortable chair in his front yard until it got dark outside. By the time I was nine or ten I would go down and sit with Mr. Lambert. We had great conversations. Listening to him was like having a living history lesson. You see, Mr. Lambert at that time was well into his eighties. He had not only seen it all, but lived through it all. From the great depression to the world wars.

I know one of the reasons for my need to spend time with the Lamberts was the fact that I had only one living Grandparent, my Grandmother on my Father's side and never really got an opportunity to spend any time with her. So there was this inner yearning for connecting with that generation.

I learned so much from Mr. Lambert including a formula that I still use today. I call it ASL. It stands for Ask, Shut Up, and Listen. I learned more from him about real history than any text book could offer me. After all aren't text books someone's opinion or perception of historical events. You can't always believe all that you read. Everyday, I would try to do my homework in the school bus on the way home so that I could do my chores and then go and sit with Mr. Lambert. I would also do chores for he and Mrs. Lambert just to be able to spend time with them.

My parents taught me right from wrong. The Lamberts showed me how to apply it through the way they conducted themselves. The way they treated each other, even the way they disagreed was a lesson. I think that so much is lost in our society today. Children don't get the opportunity to interact with our living history as much as in the past. In the past when grandparents got on in age they would live with their children and grandchildren. By doing that they passed on family history, traditions, and stories. They helped to pass on lessons in respect, compassion, and empathy. As adults I think it's important to spend time with our living history. Visiting regularly with senior family members, neighbors, or visiting someone in a seniors home.

In closing, the next time you think about reading a history book, why don't you go instead and talk to one. It will be better for you and it will brighten another persons day.