Furnish It Well!

"A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner, so if one's life is cold and bare he can blame none but himself."

-- Louis L'Amour

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How will you furnish your mind?  Will it be with thoughts of happiness, gratitude and achievement, or thoughts of sadness, lack and failure.  Unlike furnishing a home, which is limited to what you can afford, your mind is not limited.  It possesses great power and potential.  The key is too furnish it with the “right stuff.” 

If things do not appear to be going right in your life, then it is time to get rid of some of the old furnishings to make room for some new furnishings.  Remember, you are the sole designer of your life, so choose your furnishings wisely. 

It's your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!

- MJD

Actions Speak Louder than Words

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

John F. Kennedy

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Actions validate our words.  It' nice to say you're appreciative of somebody or something, but words soon become hollow if they're not supported with action.   Remember people may forget what you said.  But, they will never forget the way you made them feel. 

Today, make it a point to say something nice, do something nice and be somebody nice! 

It's your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!
- MJD

Seasons of Life

"Death is not the greatest loss in life.  The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live."

-- Norman Cousins

***

Like it or not, you were born to die!  Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2 tells us. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:  a time to be born and a time to die.”   The reason we were born to die is so that we can live.  Remember, nothing lasts forever: love and hate, and, joy and suffering are not intended to endure.  Everything has a begin date (time to be born) and an end date (time to die).  Life’s events certainly can precipitate an end date to love and hate, and joy and suffering.  And, ultimately, death will determine our final end date as a mortal.  Remember, the Good Lord promises us that there will be seasons of death (time to die) and seasons of rebirth (time to be born) throughout our lives. 

So, if you are experiencing love, cherish it.  Don’t ever take it for granted, for tomorrow it may no longer exist (time to die).  If you are experiencing the effects of hatred, have faith that love will find a way (time to be born).  If you are experiencing joy, be thankful, for tomorrow holds no guarantees (time to die).  If you are experiencing suffering, believe that a new found happiness awaits you (time to be born).

You might ask, why would a loving God allow us to experience hatred and suffering.  It is because you cannot experience true love until you have felt the effects of hatred.  You cannot experience joy until you have experienced the pain and suffering.  Often, we have a tendency to take things for granted: we may get too comfortable with love or not appreciate the joys.  The seasons in our lives are intended to remind us to cherish what we have, because nothing lasts forever. 

Life starts with a heart beat and ends with a final heart beat.  Remember it is in between those two heartbeats that we were born to live and born to die.  Recording artist, Kris Allen tells it best:

“Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying.”    

So, life is a paradox:  We were born to live, yet born to die.  I encourage you to live, live, live!  You can’t escape death, it is inevitable!  And, you really don’t have much control over death.  But, you do have a whole lot of control over how you choose to live.  Steve Jobs said, “Death is very likely the single best invention of life."  So I urge you, get out there and live your life.  Live it loud and live it proud! 

It’s your life: live it, love it & celebrate it! 
MJD

A New World

“Show me a day when the world wasn't new.”

  ~ Sister Barbara Hance

***

Although God has never told me this, I suspect that he created day and night to allow us to begin anew.  Yes, day gives way to night and night gives way to day; a new beginning!  Each day is a new day and it is a gift to you from God.   The gift is another opportunity; another opportunity to be happy, healthy, and productive.   Although the choices you have made up to this point certainly define you, they don’t have to define your tomorrow.  Tomorrow is a new day.  So for a better tomorrow, make the best use of your gift today; become a better, new you.  Remember, when you change the world changes too!

It's your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!
MJD

The Small Room

"One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody."
~Mother Teresa

***
Today, I heard a conversation about LeBron James.  The talk was about the phenomenal season he is having thus far.  He is averaging 29.2 points per game, 8.3 assists and 7.1 rebounds. He is shooting 55.1 percent from the floor.  LeBron’s stats are most impressive.   If this trek continues, some may claim that he could be the best basketball player to ever take the hardwood.  But, would he be?   His statistics alone could dictate that.  But there is more to basketball than just statistics.  There are the intangibles: things like character, leadership and work ethic. 

Some believe that in order for LeBron James to be identified with the likes of Bird, Magic and His Airness, LeBron must win a championship.  Why is it so important that Mr. James win a championship to take his place among the great ones?  It is because winning a championship speaks to a complete player.   No doubt, statistics can be impressive.  But alone, statistics do not win championships.   Basketball requires teamwork.  LeBron has four other players on the court with him.  If LeBron is going to win a championship, he has to be able to do what the great players that went before him did.  Bird did it; Magic did it; and Jordan dit it!. The great ones made those around them better.  They knew they could not win a championship by themselves.  Everyone on the team had to get better.  The great ones have a leadership style that brings out the best in people.  If LeBron James is going to win a championship, he has to become a person of influence.  It is imperative that he must make those around him better.
 
Congratulations to LeBron James – his statistics are stunning.  But, until he wins a championship, he will not find his name among the truly great ones.  Sure, LeBron is extremely talented.  Someday, he will retire with Hall of Fame type statistics.  Absent a championship, he will not be entitled to enter the "small room."  A room reserved only for the truly great ones; those who not only put up big numbers, but made everyone else better while doing so. 

So I ask you, do you make those around you better?  Or, are you so caught up in your statistics (your own affairs) that you either don't have the time or you don't care to make those around you better.  I encourage you to become a person of influence.  When you make those around you better, it is only natural that you become better too; your family becomes better; your organization becomes better and so on.  The truly great ones understand and embrace the responsibility of making others better. 

Here's to making those around you better.  I only hope that someday you find yourself in some "small room" among the truly great ones!
 
It's your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!
MJD

If Only You Believed in Miracles

There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle, or you can live as if everything is a miracle.
-- Albert Einstein

***
Just what is a miracle? A miracle is an extraordinary event in human affairs that is considered to be attributed to divine intervention. So do you believe in miracles? I do! Miracles happens everyday: the birth of a baby; the rising and setting of the sun; stars shining brightly at night; are to name but a few. Some will explain these incredible events as purely scientifically. Others will profess that there is nothing amazing about these events as they are common day occurrences.

I believe in a God who created the universe; including the sun, moon, stars, mountains, valleys, oceans and everything in it. Most importantly, I believe in a God who creates life by blowing the breath of life into each new born. Nature in itself is a miracle! Einstein tells us, “We can live our lives as nothing is a miracle or as if everything is a miracle.” The choice is ours. I believe in a God who performs miracles in our lives daily. Don’t be that person who takes the miracles in your life for granted or looks to science for an explanation. I’m choosing to live my life as if everything is a miracle and have yet to be disappointed. So I ask you, how will you live your life, as if nothing is a miracle or everything is a miracle?


It’s your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!


MJD

A Super Lesson

History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.
-- B.C. Forbes

***
Super Bowl XLVI is in the record books: New York Giants 21 – New England Patriots 17.

Congratulations to the Super Bowl champions! The New York Giants had a quintessential roller coaster season. At midseason they were 6-2. Four straight losses landed them with a .500 mark with 4 games to play. After week 15, they were still only a .500 team (7-7). With divisional rivals, Green Bay, New Orleans and San Francisco having stellar seasons, the thought of the Giants making it to the Super Bowl seemed all but a “pipe dream.” Besides, the Packer, Saints and 49ers beat the Giants during the Giants four game losing streak between weeks 10 and 13. At that point in the season, one might expect for the Giants to throw in the proverbial throw and begin focusing on next year; no, not the Giants!

Possessing an extraordinary will to win and believing it to be possible, the New York Giants found ways to win. Enough ways to find themselves in the Super Bowl and enough ways to win the big game! The Giants’ season and their Super Bowl victory define the cornerstone of success: passion and belief. It was their passion and belief that fueled the qualities necessary to become the top of their class: those qualities being discipline, hard work and perseverance. While the rest of the world was doubtful, the Giants believed it to be possible. It’s because of their unwavering belief and unbridled passion that they are now the best team in the National Football League. For sure, the Giants will have a target on their back next season. Will this year’s success breed complacency or will the Giants work that much harder to stay at the top?

Just as the Giants’ Super Bowl victory teaches us a valuable life lesson about winning, the Patriots loss teaches us a valuable life lesson about defeat. Defeat is only temporary. The quote from Marilyn vos Savant puts it into perspective, “Being defeated is only a temporary condition; giving up is what makes it permanent." Will the Patriots wallow in self-pity, make excuses and point fingers, or will they see their defeat as just a temporary condition and use it as a catalyst to come back stronger next year? One must understand a defeat/loss is not intended to punish us; it intended to serve us. Whether it punishes a person or serves a person depends entirely on the person. A defeat/loss tells us we are not quite there yet. Thus, affording us an opportunity to make the necessary adjustments that will put us in a better position to succeed next time around.

The Super Bowl teams remind us that in our life there will be times when we’ll feel like the Giants; experiencing the joys of success, and times when we’ll feel like the Patriots; coping with the sting of defeat. Yes, life is a series of wins and losses. Each win and each loss contains a lesson. It is not important that we keep a record of the wins and losses, for a loss can contain far greater value than a win. Instead of focusing too much on our wins and losses, we need to focus our attention on the person we become as a result of our wins and losses. Remember, time has a way of turning a win or a loss into nothing but a faded memory. What doesn’t fade away is the person that we have become because of triumphs we’ve encountered and defeats we’ve suffered. So, when our game of life finally comes to an end and we stand before the head referee, we will not be judged on the number of our wins and losses, but we’ll be judges on how we played the game and, more importantly, the person we became because of the game.

It’s your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!

MJD

A Tribute to Pete McDonough

There was a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on his tombstone
From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of his birth
And spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
we spent alive on earth
And those that love us most
Know what that dash is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

- Adapted from The Dash by Linda Ellis

***

Peter Edward McDonough (1949 - 2012).

The Good Lord called his son, Pete McDonough home January 31,2012.  His life here on earth ended accidentally and tragically. He begins his new life in heaven purposely and magnificently. Purposely because it was God's plan to call him home. Magnificently, because he has seen the face of the Lord and now lives with him in paradise.

I can't begin to explain why God called Pete home in a sudden and tragic way.  But, I can tell you that it was God's plan, and God's plan is always the right plan.  Many will wonder why now, why so tragic. Those questions have no answers in our human existence.  There is no way that one could even begin to comprehend God's plan.  Unlike our earthly plans, God's plan is a divine plan.  Our earthly plans are subjected to external circumstances and our own human failings. Whereas, God's plans are executed with perfection and with divine intent.  It is in times of loss, sorrow, and pain that it is most important that our faith serves us and reminds us that God's plan is always the right plan.

The Dash tells us that each one of us has a beginning date and an ending date.  Our time between those dates (the dash) is both limited and precious.  Because we do not know when our ending time will come, time is our most valuable resource.  Time is not renewable and there are no "do overs."  You've heard it said, "What I do today is important, because I'm exchanging a day of my life for it."  The Dash also tells us, "What matters most is how we live and love, and how we spend our dash."  There is no doubt, Pete McDonough made the very best of his dash.

I did not get a chance to spend a great deal of time with Pete McDonough.  However, the time I spent with him was most enjoyable.  He was always friendly, upbeat, positive and looked for the good in people. Perhaps his most endearing quality was the way in which he made you feel special.  Pete McDonough had a gift.  A gift he shared with many.  To me, Pete was as person of  influence, not so much because he was well respected in the business and community circles.  But, because he was genuine, kind and cared about people.  Pete McDonough had a way of touching your heart.  I cannot think of a greater type of influence than to touch the heart of another.  When someone touches your heart, a part of them becomes a part of you; that's what you call influence.

Yes, it was God's plan.  January 30, 2012, Pete McDonough was called home.  Pete stood before our Heavenly Father, who took him into his arms, held him tightly and said  "Well done my son, well done!"

It may seem somewhat strange that a person who writes motivational and inspirational musings would venture off track and write about a topic that might be considered morose.  However,  I felt compelled to write about Pete McDonough.  Pete truly was a great guy and was an inspiration to many.  But more importantly, I write, because I'm one of those people that he made feel special.

Rest in Peace, Pete McDonough,
Rest in Peace!

***
Its your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD

What Went Right?

"The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them."
- Jim Rohn

***
It’s bowl season, which means lots and lots of football! There will be winners and there will be losers. When the contest is over, one team will stay on the field to celebrate their triumph; the other team will sit in despair in a quiet locker-room, trying to figure out what went wrong. Winning a bowl game (or championship) is a goal that every football team sets out to achieve. Falling short of their goal, they will ponder: What went wrong?

What went wrong? Sure, the fans and media will have their own take. They will break down the game and speculate what “coulda” or “shoulda” been done differently. The players and coaches will question themselves. Was it preparation? Was it focus? Was it execution, or maybe something else? For the losing team, it may take days, weeks, maybe even months before the sting of defeat slowly begins to fade. That means days, weeks, or months wondering what went wrong.

When we fall short of a goal, it is important to ask ourselves what went wrong. Reflection is necessary so we can make adjustments that will put us in a better position to succeed the next time around. However, there is a much more important question needs to be asked: What went right? Falling short of a goal is no doubt disheartening. It doesn’t have to be though! Instead, shift your focus and ask yourself: What went right?

A problem with the goal setting process is there is too much emphasis on the end result and not enough on the process. Goal setting should be more about the pursuit and not so much about the result. Why? In some circumstances a goal may have been unrealistic. If you set an unrealistic goal, are you not setting yourself up for failure from the start? Most definitely, if you are only looking at the result. If you achieve a goal by engaging in unethical practices, did you accomplish your goal? Certainly, but then again, you are looking only at the result.

Eleven days into 2016!  How are you doing on your 2016 resolutions, or better yet your 2016 goals?   Are you still in active pursuit of your goals or has life got in the way of your goals and you’ve pretty much given up?  

Here’s a simple question for you - Can you fall short of a goal and consider the experience to be successful?  The answer - yes and no – not so simple after all!  If you look solely at the results the answer is no. You either accomplished the goal or you didn’t.  If you look at the pursuit of your goal the answer is yes.  In the big picture, it is the person you become in the pursuit of the goal that really counts. Instead of thinking results, reflect upon what the process has taught or is teaching you; more importantly, the person you have become because of the process.  The pursuit of any worthy goal should strengthen your character and make you a better you, regardless of the outcome.  

The following story illustrates the point of the importance of focusing on the journey and not so much the destination.  There once was a little boy and little girl who were allowed to choose a mutually agreed upon destination for their family's day trip.  During the ride, the boy's entire focus was on the destination.  He talked incessantly about where they were going and getting there as fast as they could.  Whenever a family member tried to get his attention to show him the interesting things that the journey offered, he completely ignored them.  He had no time for that, his focus was on reaching the destination.  When the family finally reached their destination, the little boy was sorely disappointed.  The spot was nothing like he imagined.  Overcome with frustration and anger, he pouted most of the day.  When it was time to return home, the little boy was emotionally drained.  He climbed into the car and fell fast asleep.  When the family arrived home, the little boy awoke and confessed, “This was the worst trip ever." His sister, on the other hand, exclaimed, “I think it was the best ever, I've never saw so many neat things along the way.”

As you continue pursuing your 2016 New Year’s resolutions (goals), make sure you focus on the journey and not so much the destination.  If you end up being disappointed with your result, remember to change your focus.  Don’t focus on the destination (the result)and ask what went wrong, focus on the journey and look for the things that went right along the way!


***
It’s your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!
MJD