Today's relevant quote that made me take a moment to ponder its great significance was the following by an unknown author, "The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how you use them".  We have all stepped or have been side stepped by what were perceived stumbling blocks.  This may have been until we had a moment of revelation somewhere during that process, that we could actually climb over those blocks and create our own form of stepping stones across that rugged terrain.  Problems, issues or situations come in a variety of shapes and sizes, along with their varied time periods.  There are many times when we are caught completely off guard and we are stuck in those moments similar to a deer in a car's headlights, not knowing which way we are going to step next.  Most of us would want to step forward, with that known sense of apprehension that can give anyone some form of anxiety, that makes us wonder if we will be able to make it across to our destination.  Some folks would venture to want to take a step back to assess more analytically to see what their next move should be.  However, sometimes we do not have the luxury of time where we are able to give ourselves a cushion, whereby we can contemplate a more thought out strategy.  Listening to your intuition and your inner voice, can be all that you have sometimes before making some of these challenging decisions.  I have always looked for that inner voice to speak to me, as I may contemplate a decision that can have a great implications for me or my immediate family. I should have prefaced that having faith and a strong belief in God, has been part of my first line of great artillery.  I do find a sense of energy that comes with making a large decision that can have this type of larger reaction, as it can be a defining moment in my life or perhaps be the catalyst to the next stepping stone that is on my life's path.  When we are deep into things that make us feel like a swimmer gasping for air, is the period that can bring introspection about where we are headed next.  For many, those days have looked like they could not not bear another day ahead, yet, somehow with strength and grace people find themselves able to get through that and more.  You have to take it all in increments and address the potential stumbling block in such a way, that they can be readjusted to look like a stepping stone after you have gotten through it.  Your perspective and attitude will be the defining formula by which you can make these moments more successful, as opposed to the type that make you want to retreat.  Remember that a stumbling block can be re-shaped into that wonderful stone where you actually step up, you just have to give yourself enough credit that your strength and determination can carve out the path that you want for yourself.

Today I saw a quote that I had seen before, however, its message was a great reminder for me.  The words of wisdom were actually a deep question that asks, “Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?” by Dr. Wayne Dyer.  Throughout my life I know that I had many moments where I fought quite mightily to be right.  Whether it was to prove a point to someone else or due to my inexperience in life when I was younger, where the attitude of being right went hand in hand with some of those arrogant younger years.  This is why I appreciate wisdom which is usually a great byproduct of years of living life.  If someone struggles so much to be right, the probability is that they are not necessarily the happiest people in the world to be around.  These type of people tend to deflect others, who do not want to have the negative vibe that comes with someone who has this disposition.  Look around your peers, family or acquaintances and I am sure that you will find a prime example of someone who emanates this.  It is likely that you probably seek to find ways to avoid these people, or interact with them for a very limited amount of time.  I think it would be fair to say that if you are living a more happier coexistence it does not necessarily mean you are wrong.  Happy people can overlook pretty much anything and true happiness means that you do not let things whether they are big or small create these large swings that causes an unbalanced life.  Some of the strategies to think about in assisting you to proceed down the path of happiness, is to learn to let things go quickly.  Don't keep things inside of you and let them fester, which can create and harbor negative feelings towards you or others.  Make peace with what issue may be presented to you and ask yourself what you need to learn from the experience while you simply move on.  Develop a better sense of things that matter most to you and begin filtering out those that do not.  At the end of the day, it is those important items that are truly what make you the happiest anyway.  Having to carry a grudge or keep resentment towards others, can only weigh you down as you carry that additional emotional load on your shoulders.  Learn to let go and if someone did something wrong to you, forgive them as this will bring you more inner peace.  I have found that nobody gets away while they are alive for any wrong doing that they made, so don't bother with any emotions of vengeance.  Life has a great reciprocal reaction to anything that needs correction and rest assured that someone else's lesson will eventually be taught.  Therefore, choose to be happy and let the people who insist in being right be less of an influence in your daily living.  Soon you will find that those individuals will matter less and you will be attracting more of the right type of energy which will increase your happiness even more.  

I watched a great video this afternoon that had concepts that could be related to leadership, inspiration or just plain living.  It is called "WE" and it was developed by a leadership organization called G5.   I found their material to be very refreshing and thought provoking as it presented the concept of our world needing to shift from "ME" to "WE".  The fact that they started with that concept, was tantalizing enough as I believe that there is a lot of energy in the world that is completely absorbed by the "ME" philosophy.  When you concentrate on "ME", you are excluding the possibility that you can contribute more by being part of a team.  This self centered type of thinking can be the downfall of many.  The concept of being stronger due to the interdependence of others has created change over the years that has stood the test of time.  Movements in history have been established and become part of our long term legacy due to someone who banded together with someone else for a common cause.  Then on the other hand, the examples of "ME" have surpassed what one could have thought was possible, as it relates to what we are fed via mainstream media.  Just look at the many reality shows, that are edited and staged, which present their view of reality while attracting quite a few people to watch them.  So much so, that advertisers are making money and people with little or no talent, have now become famous celebrities.  At the end of the day and perhaps after their fifteen minutes of fame are up, these individuals must face themselves in the mirror, while they take stock of who they really are along with what it is that they are contributing to this world.  Young people seemed to be obsessed with "ME" to a large extent and I can understand why, as it has become very mainstream to have people follow your every move, which some believe is part of fame.  The vehicles that are used to publicize someone's philosophy, products or points of view, are now used daily to tell people what they are wearing, what they are eating or where they are waiting and spending idle time.  Most would think that technology would have provided us with these vehicles to be able to foster or nurture the human experience in a positive way. However, everyone has been a witness to the contrary nature of most of this vehicle.  We as a people could be so much more powerful if we put forth more "WE" energy and we could provide for a better foundation for our existing children to look forward to in their adult years.  Think about what you are doing at work, home or in your community as a start and ask yourself which philosophy is driving your life.  Challenge yourself to go from a "ME" to "WE", so that you can sleep better at night and as you think about what the future has in store for you.  Finally, I leave you with a final quote from Simon Sinek in this presentation which states the following; "Things last longer when we compete against ourselves for the good of others, instead of competing against others for the good of ourselves."

There was an interesting question posed to me today regarding the clarity of the message in how we communicate.  We as the deliverer of a message always know exactly what we believe we are relaying to someone else, however, we are not always as clear in knowing that a message was as precise to the receiver.  A great example is to ask someone that you have just given directions to, to reiterate what you just said.  In a matter of moments, it is likely that you will receive some words repeated back to you that may be quite different from what you felt you stated.  The clarity of what you state is also quite evident in what you want to achieve in your own goals and expectations.  If you are vague about what you want to achieve, then you will probably receive equally vague results.  It is not that you do not know what you want to achieve in most accounts, there is usually an issue more relative to how specific you want your outcome to be.  As a result, I have great admiration for someone who is a scientist, mathematician or engineer.  The fact that that their outcomes are associated with very specific formulas to solving a problem or equation, provides for answers with great methodology .  If the outcome is not correct, then there was something wrong in the formula or the equation that created the incorrect answer.  Unlike life where there are variables that can change the outcome of our own personal equation.  We can certainly learn a thing or two about having that sense of precision that can create the circumstance that we want to see manifested.  The next time you are sitting down and reviewing what your goals, achievements or aspirations are, then be clear in what you want to see as your outcome.  Be as precise as possible in your description and don't think any detail may be too much.  Also, don't get stuck in the "what if's" that can occur to us quite frequently as we plan ahead.  Instead, focus on your specific vision that you have for yourself.  If you can vividly imagine what your future outcome is in your mind, you are giving yourself a great opportunity to achieve success.  Turn your vision into action and you will see that you can achieve things much quicker than you originally thought.

I read a quote that in summary stated to walk by faith and not by sight.  Not only do I believe this wholeheartedly, today I enjoyed being reminded that the greatest things that can occur in our lives, are not necessarily readily visible to our eyes.  Our ability to have faith that things that are going to be of benefit to us, will occur in their designated time.  The human emotions in all of us, want time to be sped up to the right now, when we are awaiting for something to happen that may take our circumstances by surprise and create change that has been eagerly awaited.  Conversely, we can all probably relate to an episode that we may have experienced with someone younger, where we offered the same advise and they looked at us and probably rolled their eyes at the sound of our sage words.  It is interesting that we end up in those situations where you can almost hear the words coming out of your mouth as you are saying them and in the back of your mind you can also hear those same words that were said to you by your parents or mentors many years ago.  I know that most of us have thought we would be immune from turning into our parents, especially if there were behaviors that we thought were not worth as adults.  If we were capable of seeing every consequence of our decisions in our future, we would all be considered to have some supernatural ability related to clairvoyance.  The flip side of that, would mean that if we knew everything ahead of time, I don't think we would ever grow as much as we could.  Our ability to be compassionate, have empathy or connect to others based upon their circumstances may also be quite diminished.  Therefore, although I can see the benefits of being a seer of the future, there is nothing that can substitute for personal growth based upon what we have been able to overcome or persevere through.  The spiritual muscle that has to be fully developed is our patience, along with our faith in knowing that better days are ahead of us.  We must also not forget to learn the lessons while we walk through the darker days or periods and always be of service to others that can benefit from our personal experience as they forge ahead through the path that we have previously walked.

I was at a business meeting yesterday and I happened to sit down next to an older gentleman who during our introduction told me he had been retired for some years from the aerospace industry.  Although we were there for a meeting about a mutual concern, he began to tell me about his life prior to going into aerospace, as he was a Veteran who had flown airplanes for the Air Force for twenty years, prior to entering the world of civilian work.  I was immediately captivated by his energy and how he was continuing to work, volunteer and consult with various organizations.  I did not ask him his age, however, he must have been in his late seventies or early eighties.  I asked him about his time in the military and flying airplanes.  He told me that he spent a lot of time in Viet Nam and he flew a myriad of different aircraft.  Poignantly he stopped at that point to let me know that this was why he was still sought after in the aerospace industry.  It was his knowledge of over fifty years  of being in the industry that he knew was the reason these companies still sought him out.  I briefly mentioned the word retirement and his eyes lit up as he promptly told me that he did not like when people are working and constantly talking about their future retirement or what they will do once they leave their current job.  To him, those individuals are not working to their fullest potential, because they do not like what they are doing.  Also, he did not think that one could ever fully retire from anything.  According to his philosophy, one has to continuously be engaged in something, that makes their mind work and to feel vibrant about their own life.  For me, this gentleman was describing and illustrating what passion looks like. In my somewhat short conversation, I felt the energy of someone that had lived a lifetime,yet, was certainly no where near finished in being or making a contribution.  I love meeting people like him, as it provides me with a great example of what is yet to come, if I am fortunate to live to be his age.  We should all be so lucky to have people like this individual that can provide us with a living example of how one can age gracefully, while their level of contributions continue well beyond the ending of a defined career.  To think that you can have many careers in variations that will continue to elicit your best forward thinking, was refreshing and noteworthy for me.  As we exchanged business cards and parted ways, I took a lot away with me that went far beyond the original purpose of my business meeting.  Today I was reminded to not talk about what I will do in the future, with a future passion perspective.  Our passion for what we do must be part of our present, in order for us to be able to reach our maximum capacity.  We should all remember to continue to plant those seeds daily that will yield a fruitful harvest in the next season of life.

I was mesmerized yesterday when I was listening to a story about a young woman who was discussing her life as she grew up in the foster care system.  She was in the system since age two and never found a permanent family to adopt her.  As she was speaking to the interviewer she indicated that she had been very lucky to have found life long friends and mentors who helped her during the course of her development.  Although at first I thought she was going to speak about the disappointment that she was never able to find a permanent family, she ended that sentence by indicating that sometimes things work out differently for some people.  Amazingly, there was no sense of bitterness or resentment in her voice as she spoke quite vibrantly of the people that helped guide her to where she is today.  As she ended her interview the reporter told her that she was going to make a wonderful family of her own some day, given the superior attitude that she developed about her perspective of what a family means along with her own values.  I could not stop thinking about how someone from age two until adulthood could grow up without stable familiar kinfolk to call your own.  We all know people around us who have grown up with a complete family unit in tact and even then, some of those individuals have a hard time adjusting to life.  Many people have grown up with a single parent family and while they too may have struggled to find a good balance of familial representation, it may have been difficult for these people to pick up the pieces as adults.  It made me wonder out loud as to why some of these unique individuals that were not provided the stability or foundation of a family, still become successful adults and flourish despite all of these circumstances.  I think that these individuals are sometimes the examples that we need to point to when all of the things in our upbringing may not have been the most ideal.  The fact that these individuals surround us, tells me that we need to have a lot more faith in people along with demonstrating compassion for others that may not have what we have.   It is the disposition that you choose to embrace as you move forward that has tremendous power, which can help one overcome those cracks that may have existed in your life foundation.  The next time you think you may have had a tough beginning to your life, remember the story of the young woman who was never adopted.  Hopefully, you will also remember that she grew up to be a well rounded adult whose light shines so bright that this is all that the world is able to see.