Daily Mood Quote - June 7, 2011

Daily Mood Quote

Day 34 – June 7, 2011

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Over the past few weeks, I have found myself thinking about the road not traveled. I have been told by many that it is normal to wonder if your life would have been different “if” you would have changed direction , or “if” you had turned down another road, or just stayed put. Maybe, the better question might be, “Do you have regrets about the direction you have taken or the path you have traveled?” When I decided to leave home, the only decision I made was not to live the same kind of life my mother had. I wanted to be different, smarter, better. I wanted to travel, meet people, see what the world had to offer.

Well, I've done that...however, I did so without a road map. Would I have changed a few things? Well, I think everybody has 20/20 hindsight. The “would of”, “should of” and “could of's” of your life. But, like Tim McGraw sings in Red Rag Top “that'll drive ya out of your mind.”

Many years ago, I had a conversation with my father-in-law about returning to school to get my degree. My father-in-law told a story about a man, who had many opportunities in his life and because of fear, his own and those of his family, he never followed through on any of them. He missed opportunities that would have changed the direction of the family's lives. Now that man sits on a porch swing wondering “What if?” he would have said yes, instead of a lifetime of no's. Then he ask me, “Do you want to be 80 years old sitting on a swing wondering “What if?”

In the movie Mr. Destiny there is a dialogue between Destiny (played by Michael Caine) and Larry Burrows (played by Jim Belushi); it goes like this:

“Larry Burrows: How can my life change so much just because I hit one stinking baseball?

Destiny (Mike): Well, you see Larry, one's destiny is a very complicated thing. Every incident in a person's life affects everything else that follows it. Instead of missing the baseball, however, you hit it. Then you became a hero, married the prom queen, and so on, and so forth, until you find yourself exactly where you are. So you see, hitting that baseball has spun your life off in an entirely new direction.

Larry Burrows: Are you an angel or something?

Destiny (Mike): Not exactly, no.

Larry Burrows: Then what are you?

Destiny (Mike): Have you ever been faced with a decision, and you weren't sure what to do?

Larry Burrows: Yeah, sure, plenty of times.

Destiny (Mike): And then something inside you made you choose one direction over another?

Larry Burrows: Yeah. So?

Destiny (Mike): So that's me. I make the suggestions, and you make the choices. That's how destiny works, Larry - very subtly. Welcome to your new life, Larry. I hope you like it.”

Yep, another baseball reference, but in my defense it is summer. The point is that when we make choices, our paths continually change. Every choice, every day. Sometimes it's the smallest of course adjustments that make the biggest differences in our lives. That's OK, because if we hadn’t made the choices we did, then the things we love and cherish in our lives, might not be in our lives. Along with that is the inevitable cost of passage. There are bumps and scrapes, the mental and ego bruises and the hard-earned lessons. But, these lessons can be passed on, so that our children can chart their course more accurately, with less scrapes and thorns.

I have realized while writing this day's blog, I am exactly where I should be. While there have been mountains to climb and raging streams to forge, my path is the one I'm supposed to be on. And, I won't be 80 years old wondering “What if?” instead, I will have lived, and I will have learned, being exactly where I should be.

How will you chart your "path" today?

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Thank you for reading

Daily Mood Quotes - June 5, 2011

Daily Mood Quote

Day 32 – June 5, 2011

If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and the voice will be silenced. ~Vincent Van Gogh

In my lifetime the words “you cannot” have been said to me often. First, and most impactfully by my mother, every time I wanted to try something new. I, like many, had most of my youth packed with “you can't do that” memories. I remember, once as a young adult in boot camp I was struggling to make the one mile run. It was required to pass the physical education section to graduate. So, I called home looking for support. What was I thinking? I suppose I was seeking approval and once again, I got “you can't”... pass the run.” I have really never believed that quitting was a valid option. So, when my mother said that, something in me changed. Something told me that I didn't believe in “cannot” anymore. The voice that had for so long said “you cannot”, changed to one that boldly stated “Yes, you can!” In that moment determination was born and I grew up.

The next day, I passed the one mile run to graduate and shared my tears of joy and pain with many of my fellow enlistees (turns out I ran with torn ligaments in my ankles). Unfortunately, I did not graduate with them, because I failed the final written exam (I worked to hard to pass the run and not hard enough to pass the written test). However, I was given a second chance to pass the test and graduated a week later. Determination...

Life doesn't always hand things out like coupons at a kiosk and if you want them... A career, a friendship, pretty much anything that holds significance, you often have to develop the determination to mentally push past the negative voice and sometimes the pain, that says you cannot and find the “Yes you can!” that lies within.

Today's quote From Vincent Van Gogh talks about painting, but I think inside everyone one of us lies that subtle detractor, that little “you cannot” voice, that attempts to keep us from reaching for our dreams and achieving our potential. In the Disney movie The Rookie, Baseball player Jimmy Morris (played by Dennis Quaid) was an established teacher and baseball coach, to the world, to the people in his world he was by all accounts a success. But in his heart he hadn't achieve his potential, because of “you can't.” It came from negative talk and lack of support by his father. Overcoming the odds; being out of baseball for years, having a serious shoulder injury, his age, and the weight of family responsibilities (mortgage, kids, wife, etc...) he picked up his glove and pursued his dream... one 98 mph fastball at a time. Maybe that's the thing: Keep throwing strikes until you achieve your true potential. Most importantly, it begins with believing YOU CAN.

No single movie quote today, because the entire movie carries a great message.

What “you cannot” will you throw fastballs past today?

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Thank you for reading

Daily Mood Quote - May 15, 2011

Daily Mood Quote

Day Eleven – May 15, 2011

“In life you are going to make mistakes, you're going to fall down, but it's the getting up that counts. Just like in baseball: you'll get a few hits, but most likely, you'll strike out more than you'll get on base. But don't quit. Find your focus, relax, take a deep breath and give it a good swing"

~Dave Pelzer

I have always believed that honesty is the best policy. Much like baseball, you either hit the ball, or you don't, there is no equivocation. You can't stand there and say, “I hit the ball a little”...there is no such thing. Just like bad moods. Yesterday, I was in a bad mood, not a little bad mood, or a “sort of” bad mood, a bad mood. It was not of my own conscious choice, or anyone else's doing. I am a woman, and women have bad moods. Sometimes more often than not. I am at an age where “the change happens” and everyday can be a guessing game for me and my family. What mood is she in today? Should we walk lightly, or run like hell? Bunt, sacrifice, or swing away and pray? However, you should never step into the pitch! It's not really that bad. The thing is, you should always acknowledge your state of mind and give others fair warning. It's said: To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Being a woman can be quite comical, we can be sweet as strawberry pie, or the demon on the hill, it just depends on “the mood.” I along with my daughters recently watched “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” the character Ben (played by Matthew McConaughey) said it best, “You're like a freakin' one-woman circus.” Aren't we all in our own way? It made me laugh and reminded me of the potential of what I could put my family through, if I forget to acknowledge my moods. In the movie, Andy (played by Kate Hudson) was behaving badly on purpose for a research project. What a great job she did on nailing the mood swings of women.

I raised my children to believe the “PMS is not an excuse for bad behavior, in fact nothing is an excuse for bad behavior. Bad behavior is bad behavior, it's a choice.” Little did I realize this one lesson would come back to bit me on the backside. Honesty is the best policy, and we must practice what we teach.

                                         

Can you identify your mood today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote