Last night I was in the mood to take a walk in the rain with my wife, Annie. This isn’t something that I normally do. Since it rains a lot on Kauai I don’t make a big deal out of it if rains but I don’t play in it either. Last night was different. We played in it.

Only a month ago I went to a football game with my son Josh and sat in the rain for four hours. I actually enjoyed that experience in the rain more than I did some of the other games. In the past if it rained I wouldn’t go to the games.

As we walked to our car after the game with our soaked pants, we couldn’t wait to get warm. We found a restaurant with a fireplace and had dinner.

I enjoy the rain. That’s now my mindset. We can make almost anything fun if we change our attitude.

I ask many of my clients how satisfied they are with the fun in their life. Most of them think in terms of activities and of course many of them don’t make time for these fun activities…so they see themselves lacking in this category.

Fun is an attitude…not something to do. The first step in developing this new attitude is to smile. What could happen if before engaging in a conversation, you smiled first. Do you think the nature of the conversation might change?

Without changing your activities what are some internal shifts you can make that make each day more fun? When was the last time you told a joke. Developing an attitude of fun doesn’t happen over night. A little progress each day over time becomes significant. Be patient. Remember you have the rest of your life. Personal development is a lifelong journey.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach inspires others to experience more fulfillment and success in their life. A former trial attorney for 30 years and musician, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. His articles reflect this journey in an inspirational and motivational way. http://www.inspirepossibility.com.em>

Recently in a coaching call my client said that he had a glitch he wanted to talk about. I started thinking about what exactly is a glitch. Is it a problem or perhaps just a little hiccup? Is it a challenge or opportunity for deeper learning? I like to think of it as a challenge. In overcoming the challenge, you create an opportunity.

Let’s go back one step. Whenever you have what you call a problem think of it as a challenge. You’ll see where I’m going with this in a second.

Get rid of the word problem from your vocabulary. Instead think of the challenge as an opportunity…So whenever you have what you might have called a problem in the past, you now have an opportunity.

It’s a great shift…problem=challenge=opportunity. Just knowing the possibility of this shift in thinking is beneficial in itself. Be patient. Personal development is a life long journey. I have been working on this shift for many years and haven’t totally made the shift but my thinking keeps getting more positive. When things come up and they always will, I don’t freak out as much and down deep believe that they will turn around. They eventually do and as the years go by, they turn around much quicker. What I have noticed is life is now much more fun and exciting. We’re also taking about having faith that it’s all going to work out.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach inspires others to experience more fulfillment and success in their life. A former trial attorney for 30 years and musician, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. His articles reflect this journey in an inspirational and motivational way. http://www.inspirepossibility.com.em>

So you are a little bit frustrated. Your day isn’t going the way you wanted it to. The morning time that you had set aside for yourself was interrupted by some barking dogs. It seemed like they barked forever. And then on the way to work there was a huge traffic jam. And then when you got there, you realize that you left a file at home.

Does that sound familiar? Perhaps some version might? Hopefully not all of the time. That’s the way many of our lives are. There’s always something in the way preventing us from feeling the way we want to feel. The truth is that “something,” which is a reason, will always be there in form or the other.

We probably have heard that things unfold exactly as they should. It’s just that we get impatient when that unfolding does not match our expectations.

What can we do about it? I wish there were a simple answer. There is a simple answer but to shift our consciousness so that we can experience the present moment is not so easy and is what many enlightened people spend more of their life pursuing.

There are a few things you can do. One is to begin to meditate so you stop the chatter of your mind, even if it’s only momentary.

Another is to practice gratitude. When you express gratitude you focus on the present rather than on what might happen in the future or happened in the past.

Living in the present is all there is. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have a plan for the future…it just means that we don’t become obsessed by it. Try these practices and give them at least 30 days before making any conclusions.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach inspires others to experience more fulfillment and success in their life. A former trial attorney for 30 years and musician, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. His articles reflect this journey in an inspirational and motivational way. http://www.inspirepossibility.com.em>

As the year is winding down it’s time to look at our year in perspective. For most of the year we worked hard. We had hopes and aspirations some of which became a reality, while others didn’t. And that’s the way it’s going to be in future years. There’s always something out there that’s a little bit cloudy. “If only this would happen,” we think to ourselves then everything will be cool.

But it doesn’t work that why. It does happen…that is what we thought we wanted and soon after we are at that same crossroads…thinking if this happens then everything is cool again..It is but only for a short while.

So it’s a never ending merry-go-round…up and down around in a circle. How can we get off the ride? As the year comes to an end, think about what you are most proud of and what you are most grateful for. For this month, just sit with those thoughts. Let’s not worry about the future. It’s not here. It won’t ever be here because it will always be in the future.

I have a question for you. What would happen if you lost your ability to worry? I know for a limited period of time we leave our worry hat behind.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach inspires others to experience more fulfillment and success in their life. A former trial attorney for 30 years and musician, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. His articles reflect this journey in an inspirational and motivational way. http://www.inspirepossibility.com.em>