I know .It's another How Am I Doin' Friday and I normally check in with you and let you know exactly how I am doing.
 After a rocky start to my day, let me just say I'm fine. Nothing major or tragic, just some mental set backs.
That was until I received an email from a friend and my daily message from my mentor Darren Hardy.
The email I received was on of 3 that came to me this week, which reminded me of just how fortunate I am to be able to share and connect with you.
The message from Darren also reminded me that our expectations create what we have.
 If I focus on what I don't have or what's missing from my life,what's gone wrong and what may have disappointed me , I will inevitably attract more of the same.
When I live my life with an Attitude of Gratitude, and direct my thoughts to all of the gifts that I already have, the only possible outcome is more abundance. 
It really is just that simple.
The key to this simplicity is the word "Live".
It's one thing to go through life and verbally acknowledging the gifts I have. 
Just giving lip service to this is like looking in the mirror on day 2 of a diet and saying "My....look how skinny I am!"
and thinking that some how by saying this I am.
If I want to be skinny, I have to live skinny.
If I want to improve my lot in life, I have to live a better lifestyle.
If I want a better life for my family, I have to live at making a better life. 
Platitudes will never change my life. 
Attitude always will.
Shabbat Shalom! 

When I woke up this morning , I was convinced that I should take a break from writing for a while. Maybe a week or so. 
Why?
I'm not sure.
I think I was feeling stale.
Maybe a little unappreciative of this gift I have given myself.
I felt as if I have been a bit negative lately.
The pain in my back, the nonsense of getting my CDL and any of a number of other minor distractions that have turned my head in a direction other than forward.
Thankfully, after getting my butt out the door this morning and getting about all that the day had in store for me I changed my mind.
Maybe it was the residual effects of cabin fever brought on by being cooped up all day yesterday during the storm that we had.
Maybe it was in anticipation of having to brave the aftermath of that storm.
In any case, that's behind me now. It is a bright sunny day today.
All of the worst case scenarios I had envisioned for this morning's route never happened. 
As a matter of fact, the run could not have gone any smoother.
The volume of traffic on the roads this morning was less than half of what it normally is making it easy for me to maneuver.
Once I cleaned off the bus and got it warmed up, I actually rolled down the driver's window and rode around all morning that way.
Before I left the house, I felt that today might be one of those days where I wanted a danish to accompany my morning cup of coffee.
Or maybe a buttered roll?
And maybe something hearty and substantial for lunch.
You know that good old comfort food that sticks to your ribs and warms your belly.
Heck, after a storm like yesterday don't I deserve to treat myself?

After all, my day was going to be filled with braving the elements, climbing over snow piles and dealing with the aftermath of the nor'easter.
That's the way I would have approached my day in the past.
Any excuse to sedate myself with food.
Food made me feel good. 
Food made everything better.
Food was my one and only true friend.
Really?
Well, that's how I saw it even though I knew better.
So today there was no danish.
Lunch will be a salad and a piece of white meat chicken cut up into it.
Dinner won't look all that different from lunch
(a green vegetable and a protein).I already had an apple and I will have an orange later in the day.
I'll drink my water, have some coffee and that will be it.
In the end, I will be so much happier and better off than had I given in to my addiction.
I know one thing for sure, I certainly won't hate myself for the choices I made today.
Including writing to you!

The second major storm in less than a week is upon us. Last week's storm dumped well over an inch of rain which was accompanied by high winds.
As storms go, it was pretty dramatic. Today we weren't as lucky.
Last week's rain is this week's snow.
It has been snowing heavily and steadily since a little past noon dumping over an inch every hour. 
It's now 7 pm so you can only imagine what it looks like outside.
The good news is the forecast says that the snow will taper off over the next 3 hours. 
That means that the plows ,which have been at it all afternoon, will have all night to finish clearing the roads.
By morning,driving will be fine. 
There will still be difficulties making pick ups and getting my seniors on the bus.
Thankfully I now have the bus to use. 
I drive from stop to stop and rarely have to deal with getting off the bus an helping my patrons. 
The van would have been a logistical nightmare.
In and out at each stop, helping each and every senior get in and out of the van as well as having to climb in myself and strap them in.
Like I said ,a nightmare!
I did use the day to clean up a bunch of stuff that had begun to back up on my desk as well as to make dinner for today,tomorrow and Saturday.
Now it's time to kick back with a cup of coffee,watch the last of the snow fall,and get ready for the day ahead of me tomorrow.
That should be an adventure!

At the very top of my daily email from my mentor John Maxwell,there is a button that reads:
" Join John's Team of Speakers,
Coaches, and Trainers".
I am often tempted to click on it and become part of the John Maxwell Team.
What could be better than to help people change their lives?
How great would it be to inspire others?
How awesome is it when you can assist someone in becoming the best them they can possibly be?
Then I stop myself.
I sit back and remind myself that the last thing anyone in this world needs is my guidance on their lives
I mean seriously, I have enough trouble with my own!
I suppose that's why I enjoy writing to you.
My ramblings are not meant to inspire , motivate, captivate or invigorate.
I write about me.
Period!
I am not about changing the world.
It's actually about changing me.
More than once in my life I have been accused of being Quixotic.
My thoughts on what I would like to accomplish have been likened to tilting at windmills.
Oddly enough, I rarely let what others think of my hair brain schemes stand in my way.
 In fact, the only thing that does ever stop me from doing something is me just going ahead and doing it.
Don't get me wrong. When I get an email back from some any one saying what I wrote had an effect on them I am ecstatic!
There is nothing more exciting than hearing that my experience or thoughts have impacted someone.
I often think of my mentor Darren Hardy who has over 200,000 followers on his daily emails.
Can you imagine how awesome that would be?
Then again, up pops that same voice 
"seriously David? You're no Darren Hardy!"
Who knows?
Maybe someday.
Until then, I appreciate that you continue to let me write to you and I will always be grateful for your thoughts, comments, encouragement and support.

As I was driving my morning run today, I had the radio tuned into WFDU, Fairliegh Dickinson University radio station.I stumbled across WFDU a little over a year ago and I have been listening ever since. They play retro music. Real retro from th 50's, 60's and 70's.
Since tuning in, it is not uncommon the hear the patrons on my bus singing or humming along with the music that is familiar to them.
As a public station, they are self funded. I have become a supporter of the station, matching the occasional tips I get from my own resources. 
It's not much.
 A few dollars a week. 
I am sure it helps and I feel good being able to donate.
Any how,, as I was saying, I was listening to the radio and it dawned on me that I did not include my Sunday Song of the Day in my post yesterday. 
In fact, it never even crossed my mind when I wrote to you.
I remembered a time , not that long ago, when I looked forward to sharing that with you. I would often store away some tune I had heard during the week as my weekly offering.
I enjoyed finding them.
Sometimes they pertained to what was going on for me. 
Sometimes they were just feel good songs.
Other times they related to the time of the year or a particular day.
No matter what, I was always enthusiastic when it came to sharing these with you. 
So where did that youthful exuberance around the Sunday Song of the Day go to?
As a matter of fact, where have those same joyous uplifting feelings gone from my life?
It's going on 5 years since I began this Journey of  100 Days.
There were ups and downs, Highs and lows, good days and not so good days.
Lately it feels like there have not been any out and out happy days.
You know the kind of days I mean.
The kind of days when you smile all day long. 
The kind of days when you seem to be humming along with every song on the radio. 
Or humming along with the song that's in your head.
The kind of days when your step is more like a skip.
Maybe it's the weight of Winter that has  me feeling this way?
Maybe it's the challenges of my back, the CDL stuff  or any of the many other daily grinds that I deal with?
Maybe the excitement of all the new and fresh experiences of my Journey have become a bit mundane .I'm not sure. 
I am glad that this has come up for me though.
It certainly is worth investigating.
Sometimes, just paying attention to things reminds me of just how fantastic this Journey has and continues to be!
I guess I owe you a song or two!

It seems like TIME does a disappearing act sometime between Friday at around noon until Sunday evening just after dinner.
I'm not exactly sure where it goes,it just seems to vanish.
Dinner is done, my desk is clean and I am just about ready to call it a day before the start of the new week.
My new practice of limiting the things I want to accomplish toe the 3 most important agenda items seems to be working.
I can certainly always find 3 tasks that top my list and I find that I am less stressed about the rest of the to do's.
Some how, the truly important or significant items seem to stand out. 
The rest?
It almost sounds silly to say but who cares about them?
Seriously, they have become of less and less importance to me.
I respond to every email sent to me.
They may sit in my inbox for a day or 2 as I take care of more pressing messages.
In the end, they all get the attention they are due.
This truncated and abbreviated list has also made it easier to deal with the discomfort my back has added to the equation.
Certainly having the pressure of getting my CDL over with has made things easier as well.
Still there are those periods of the day or week, that just seem to evaporate.
It's all good.
I can breathe more easily.
I can sleep better.
I have the ability to make adjustments on a daily basis which helps me to focus on the task at hand.
By the end of each day,I can push back from my desk, take a look at what I have created that day and acknowledge that it was good.
Makes one feel omnipotent!
Shavua Tov!

Max and Susan are out the door.
The weather outside is pretty nasty. 
Freezing rain, sleet and even some snow.
A perfect day to snuggle up in front of the fire and read a good book.
Unfortunately, we don't have a fireplace!
Instead, I am all about getting as much done from my chores list as possible as I sit and wait for the exterminator.
At this point, my entire schedule seems to hinge on him.
They have given me a window from 8-noon.
These are the same people who never showed up on Saturday and never followed up with me.
Although they did offer today's visit for free, I will only be as accommodating as I am comfortable with.
If I have not heard from them by 10:30 I will make another call.
By 11 I will be out the door.
It's another How Am I Doin' Friday and I am in control of how I am doing.
Patience may be a virtue. 
So is the ability to adjust schedules! 
I've found myself missing people lately.
Every so often I think to myself"I haven't heard from so and so or him or her or that other person". 
Part of that has been on me.
Coping with the change in schedule, the back, the CDL stuff,trade show travel, therapy and what ever else has been on my plate, that valuable commodity known as time has simply been eaten up.
Like losing weight, getting in shape or cleaning up one's finances, getting around to catching up with every one will take time. 
Time effort and commitment.
It was over a decade ago when one day I decided enough is enough.
I had lost track and been out of touch with way too many (read just about all) of  the people in my life who have meant so much to me. 
It just so happened that my friend Harry was in town from L.A. and we met in the City for lunch.
It was then that I made the commitment to start reaching out to old friends.
It's a very long road!
It takes effort!
I have to work hard at this.
Just like getting to the gym,losing weight or any other reconstruction project,it's a process that takes dedication.
It is also one of the most gratifying things I have ever done for myself!
Lets catch up!
Shabbat Shalom!