Truly Rich
By
Living richly truly is spending time with the ones you love.
An evening walk just as the sun was setting. The Canadian geese performing a low formation fly-over just for the occasion.
Perfect!
Happy anniversary!
An amazing story of triumph in overcoming all setbacks.
It inspired me and brought tears to my eyes as I watched it. I hope it does the same for you.
It is a longer video but well worth watching.
Please, let me know your thoughts.
What does triumph mean to you? How have you overcome challenges?
And share it with someone who needs encouragement.
Becoming a father takes a moment. Being a dad takes a life time.
Yet, the greatest pleasure in my life is the time I spend with my kids and their mom. It’s not a sacrifice. There’s nothing I would rather do.
For all I have taught my children they have taught me a hundred fold more. I would not be the person I am today if I had not been blessed with them.
So to all you fathers who are trying to be dads. To all who are feeling swamped with diapers or car insurance or college expenses hang in there. We only go through this life once. And this is the best.
There is no greater calling and no greater joy than to have your kids call you “Dad.” Enjoy it!
Happy Father’s Day!
Of late, I’ve realized more and more I’m racing to get everything done. Run my business. Invest effectively. Write this blog. As well as have time to be a good husband, father, friend, exercise, have fun and get enough sleep. Whew, makes me exhausted thinking about it.
When I accepted the presidency of my Rotary Club, one of the largest in the world, it put me over the top. It’s an honor to be asked but it comes with great expectations and responsibilities. So while happy to serve it’s like having a second job.
About two weeks ago I finally hit the wall. I caught a respiratory virus and melted down.
While lying in bed somewhere between dreaming and consciousness I realized I was not doing what I have written about—building margin into my life. My days had become a succession of running from meeting to meeting and launching new programs. I was exhausted and knew I couldn’t keep this pace.
So I’m taking my own advice. Dialing back the blog for a while. I won’t be posting regularly but sporadically as I have time and inspiration. I simply need to build in reserve to regain my health and energy.
One of the things that’s different about writing a blog compared to writing articles or a book is it happens in real time. No matter what else is going on in my life every week I need to come up with fresh ideas for posts. Right now I’m simply drained and need step back.
I’m going to evaluate the blog. Experiment as I feel led. Try some fresh ideas. Get re-enthused.
So welcome new posts when they come. Give me feedback on the changes. And build in margin in your own life if you need it.
We’ll talk soon.
(A repost of one of my most viewed posts as I take a brief hiatus)
J.K. Rowling, the author of the best selling Harry Potter series, gave the commencement address at Harvard University in 2008. She spoke about how hitting rock-bottom failure led to her phenomenal success.
She dreamed of writing fantasy when she was young. Yet, her parents felt it was a waste of time. So they prodded her to pursue something more practical. But she secretly continued to write, study literature and dream.
She got married, gave birth to a daughter. Then went through a divorce leaving her out of work and financially destitute.
She said she was, “As poor as you can be in England and not be homeless.” Read More→
A moving video by Third Day reminding us that we all are children of God as we are adopted into his family by his grace. Brought tears to my eyes.
Hope it encourages you this day.
What a fantastic reminder of the extraordinary life we can have through the power of God available to all of us, as we discussed on Tuesday.
A beautiful song sung by Josh Groban and the African Children’s Choir.
Moved me to tears.
What about you?
If you enjoyed this please let me know and share it with a friend. I appreciate it.
(First posted on Sept. 28, 2010)
When I started my financial advising career in 1997 I dreamed of great success. Early on I was introduced to reality, though. This is a tough business. Incredibly competitive and pressurized.
I set out to build a fee based business which I felt better served my clients. It also would be a more stable business that would give me freedom after getting it established.
The veterans in our office, who were all transaction brokers, told me, “It’ll never work. You can’t build a fee based business. You’ll starve before you succeed.”
In the first couple of years they were right. If we hadn’t had savings to get us through we would have been a lot thinner.
But I knew the kind of business I wanted. I wanted to do strategic things with my life, including writing, and yet not give up my business. Once built it would be a great platform to expand from. Read More→