Where are they this time?

 “Commitment is doing the thing you said you would do, long after the mood you said it in, has left you.”

~ Various

Once again,when I opened Facebook, I saw yet another picture of a dear friend and her husband , a glass of wine in hand, sitting in a restaurant in some far off land.

"Where are they this time?" I thought.

Then I thought,how many different pictures of people I know have I seen that look exactly like this one.

Smiling couple.

Check.

Glass of wine.

Check.

Sitting in a restaurant.

Check.

With a caption saying "having the time of our lives (or something similar) in wherevereville".

For all I know they could be right around the corner at some quaint restaurant here in Northern New Jersey.

I am not much of a traveler.

I've spent way too much time on planes for business , gone to way too many places again on business, to long for a trip to just about anywhere.

If I was a wine drinker, maybe these pictures would make me a bit envious.

Not a wine drinker.

Not a traveler either.

Susan and I eat out quite often.

One thing I have come to know about myself is that fancy restaurants don't impress me either.

When I mentioned this to my son, he said that part of the whole travel experience is indulging when dining.

As a person who is constantly vigilant about a) food choices ( both for health and religious reasons) b) spending money (why pay 10x's as much for something that isn't any better than what I can make, and c) my weight (completely separate from healthy food choices), I can understand why it is that I just don't get excited about that whole experience.

Am I missing out on some great secret of how to live a better life?

Possibly.

If that's true, that would be a real shame.

Maybe the answer is I should take up drinking wine.

I wonder how that will work out for me?

Well, you know what they say,there's no time like the present

Shavua Tov.

Where's the Book?

“Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better.”

~ Jim Rohn

So where's the book?

Once again this question has popped up on my radar scree,

The simple answer is more like "why the book?".

I love writing.

I love writing to you.

I never set out to become a "writer".

I never planned to have a book on the NY Times Best Sellers list.

My writings are my personal musings about my life.

They were never intended to inspire, teach, inform or motivate anyone other than myself.

I do love sharing them.

I really get excited when I get a response from you.

However, responses are not a motivating force in keeping me writing more.

( although they certainly don't hurt either!).

As honest and open as I try to be, there are somethings that I keep to myself.

There are paths that I intentionally stay away from.

And there are topics that I will not touch.

In my perfect world, some publishing angel would appear,scoop up all of my writings.

Pick out the best of the best and help me compile them into something that I might consider publishing as a book.

Since I don't see that happening and even more importantly have no idea where that person might be, I will just continue compiling the growing library of daily entries.

Unless of course you know someone who wants to do this for me?

Shabbat Shalom!

What's your hurry?

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."

Winston Churchill

"Summer's almost over".

It's 8:10 in the morning on August 27th and this is the greeting I get from my first pick up of the day.

Seriously?

It's August 27th.

That means there are a good 3 weeks left of summer.

Given that each season is app. 13 weeks, that means there is still almost 25% of summer left.

You're 90 years old.

The average life expectancy of a female in the U.S. is juts over 78.

By your calculations ...........well 'nuff said!

She wasn't the only person I heard this nonsense from yesterday.

I was on the phone with Becca as she pulled up to the drive-thru window at Starbucks.

"Ooooh ......Starbucks has their Fall pumpkin flavors out!" she remarked.

NO! Too early for Fall!

In the stores, back to school which has been out since early July is now on mark down.

Halloween is displayed everywhere.

Labor Day sales started 2 weeks ago.

What's the rush?

where is everyone going?

Can we just slow down a minute?

Carpe Diem!

No Running Required

"There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day."

Alexander Woollcott

Last November I participated in the You Matter Marathon for the first time.

As my mentor and founder of the You Matter Marathon so aptly puts it, there is no running required.

All that is required is handing out a simple white business card with the words "You Matter" on them,one each day of the 30 days in November.

For me, this was an amazing exercise.

The reactions and responses that I experienced were astounding.

I wholeheartedly suggest that this might be something you might want to consider participating in this year.

I have already signed myself up for this year.

I am also considering becoming an ambassador as well.

Here is a link to sign up for this year's You Matter Marathon:

https://youmattermarathon.com/sign-up-for-the-ymm/

As I said, it's easy to sign up for and may just be one of the most rewarding things you do this year.

And remember,there is no running required!

Divine Intervention?

"If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."

~ Bruce Lee 

A week ago Thursday, as I was finishing up my last run of the day which coincidentally was my last run for the week, and just happened to be the last of my late evening runs that I had taken on for the summer, I conceded to myself that I was tired.

I don't normally give into that mindset, however, between the heat, the humidity,the extra hours on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, I was spent.

I felt like I needed a break,some me time.

Not a lot, just something different to break up the routine.

I thought to myself "I should reach out to my friend Kevin and ask when we can grab a lunch.

Kevin , one of my oldest friends dating back to high school, reaches out whenever he is passing through and has the time to grab a bite and catch up.

This is always a treat for me and I tend to drop whatever else I have going on to take advantage of this rare visit.

That was last Thursday.

The next morning at around 10:15 as I was sitting at my desk I got a text message.

"Free for lunch ?"

Hell Yeah!

He suggested we meet at the last rest area on the Garden State Parkway.

I suggested something healthier and he was fine with that.

Now I am not a big believer in prayer.

I don't buy that if I pray hard enough good things will happen.

If in fact there is a Supreme Being, I am almost certain he has more on his , or here, plate than dealing with my trivial requests.

Still the fact that a mere 14 hours after I sent this thought out to the Universe, I got this text message feels like more than a coincidence.

Even weirder is that he was not just passing through the area.

On this particular morning, he chose to reach out, take the 40 minute drive down, just t meet up with me.

The Laws of Attraction are a powerful force.

Answered prayers?

I dunno.

Divine intervention?

Possibly.

A truly special gift?

Absolutely!

Shavua Tov!

Next Project

"Ah, kindness. What a simple way to tell another

struggling soul that there is love to be found in this world.

―A.A. Malee"

For many months now, I have been tossing around a new project that I would love to launch.

What started as a seemingly silly idea, has morphed into what I see as an opportunity.

An opportunity to offer something that is not currently available.

An opportunity to advance and rekindle a fire around something I believe is really valuable and worth fostering.

And an opportunity to create a successful business.

At least once a week, I find myself saying"wow,if only this thing existed today I would use it".

Susan's response is always"so when are you going to do something about that?"

My response to her has always been the same.

"I'm not sure where or how to start".

That was until yesterday.

In a moment of clarity, I knew exactly what my next step has to be.

Last year I launched my adult continuing education course "So you want to start your own business......".

It is an introductory course designed to introduce people to the world of entrepreneurship.

This is not what I need for myself at this point.

I know of the many pitfalls and pinnacles that come with being a business owner.

I am well aware of the mindset that it takes to be an entrepreneur.

No, right now, I am at the very beginning of the launch part of my 3 part master course on starting your own business.

So what would I advise my up and coming business owner should be his very first step?

You need a business plan.

That is the number one ,most important agenda item.

It's you road map.

It's your guide.

It's your purpose.

Obviously, my next step.....write a business plan.

Short and sweet.

The kind of thing that as my friend and mentor Tom would say you write on the back of a cocktail napkin and then expand on.

You can't get to where you are going until you know where you want to go.

You need a target to aim at. It's just that simple.

If you need investors,you need to have a business plan.

If you are looking for partners,you need to show them what they will be partnering in.

If you want help from the SBA,you better come prepared with a business plan.

Next on my Getter Dun list.......a business plan.

That was easy!

Laughter & Tears

"Our thoughts and imagination are the only real limits to our possibilities."

Orison Swett Marden

As I was gassing up my bus this morning , I had a moment to check my emails. (

(it's a bus,not a car,gassing up takes a few minutes!)

One of the emails was a response to my Broad Shoulders? post from Monday.

It was from someone I respect on many levels,my Rabbi.

He has followed my writing constantly encouraging me to keep sharing my thoughts and musings.

He also has a sense of style and fashion that is beyond reproach.

The man knows suits.

I would not be surprised if someday Brooks Brothers launched the Rabbi Weiner collection.

His advice to me was priceless.....cut the stress//rent a tux and move on!

I found myself laughing out loud at his wisdom.

Before heading back to the lot, one more email came in .

This one was from someone else who I have a great respect for.

He has been a friend, mentor, and inspiration to me for decades.

My fraternity brother Doug Smith is a life coach who trains teams on leadership.

Doug has been an ardent supporter of my writing, republishing a number of my posts on his blog.

Today he reached out on last Sunday's post You vs. Yesterday.

Here was his short email to me:

"Hey Dave,

Just thought you should know that your article today is brilliant! Inspiring!"

Doug

I couldn't hold back the tears.

When I write,I write for me,about me.

I don't set out to inspire,motivate or change anyone.

But Doug said Inspiring and brilliant.

I am humbled and feeling extremely blessed to be able to share my thoughts with you.