HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER
For the last nine years I have been writing a monthly newsletter. This letter is a milestone in that it’s #100. In a roundabout way, this newsletter is also about attitude. The phrase, Dancing on the River, which is also the title of my book, is an attitude and philosophy about how you approach life. It’s a reflection of a life decision that you make to be happy in the moment that you make over and over again. This choice is not dependent on the circumstances or conditions of your life.
I had been a trial attorney for 30 years. I made a choice to embark upon a new journey to become a life coach. “What’s a life coach,” a few people asked, adding to my uncertainty. I didn’t know how to really answer them. It was 2001. Oh how things change.
A year went by. I thought seriously about beginning a newsletter. But the doubts kept surfacing. What would I say and who would read it? So I kept putting off starting, thinking that there would be a perfect time to begin. You know how it goes. We think that there will be a time in our life when all of the loose ends and uncertainties are resolved. But as we know we might be waiting for the rest of our lives. The only perfect time is now. Perhaps you are familiar with the old adage, “The journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step.”
I took that first step in a roundabout way. That summer, while on Kauai, I noticed, in the window of Dr Art Brownstein’s medical office, several inspirational quotes. One of them was on attitude.
I read this quote to a networking group that I was part of. One of the members asked me if I could send him that quote “digitally.” To show you how far I’ve come, I wasn’t even sure what he meant.
After realizing that it was much simpler than I was making it, I sent that quote in a group email to twenty people. I included a beginning and closing paragraph. That was my first newsletter. Nine years have gone by.
I still wonder what I’m going to write about. I had no way of knowing when I was thirteen that the insights and lessons learned on the Green River, when I almost drowned, would become the foundation for my book many years later.
I am sure there have been those moments in your life when you weren’t sure where the river was taking you or what was next on your journey. You were swimming in the deeper waters and swifter currents of life. To guide you on the river I have included excerpts from the end of my book that hopefully will provide you with the tools and support essential to making your life an exciting journey of discovery.
Your Guide to Dancing on the River
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1. Things happen for a reason. You might be disappointed
at times. Some things just aren’t meant to be.
2. In the darkest moments, there always is a ray of light.
When you are connected to your center, you’ll see it.
When your heart is open, you’ll feel it.
3. On many levels, our lives are constantly changing.
That’s the nature of rivers. You can react to these
changes or embrace them.
4. The one thing that you have to do to stay afloat when
swimming in the deeper waters and swifter currents, is
to stay calm and be patient until the currents change.
They eventually do, for nothing stays the same.
5. You embrace these changes by shifting your attitude.
Your attitude determines what you believe and how
you feel.
6. Dancing on the river is an attitude about how you approach
life. It’s a belief system that you can cultivate.
7. You have access to spiritual practices and mental disciplines that
will support you in integrating more empowering beliefs and attitudes into your way of thinking.
8. Meditation, which connects you with your center, is
one of these practices, as are expressing gratitude and
wondering about the highlight of the day. There always is a highlight. It
might be a little thing. It’s the little things that make the biggest difference in your life.
9. Knowing what to do is just part of the big picture. Actually doing it is a bigger part.
10. There are no guarantees in life. If you always knew
what was next, much of the adventure and excitement
of life would be missing.
11. You can’t avoid pain in this life. No one gets a free pass.
12. No matter how careful you are, you’re going to make
mistakes in this lifetime. You can’t avoid them. They’re
part of the journey.
13. So go for what your heart desires. If you aren’t sure what that is, think about what makes you feel most alive.
14. Goals give you a focus so that in the process you become more than who you are now. Goals are not an end-all but a beginning.
15. You don’t have to do it alone. There will always be
someone or something to guide you. Be open to the
signs or signals that are calling you. They might look
different than what you expected.
16. What we all want is to feel connected.
17. There is an invisible web beyond time and space that
connects more than you realize. When you look back
at your life, you’ll see that events that at one time
seemed random, are all interconnected.
18. Your enjoyment and appreciation of life is not dependent
on what might happen in the future. It’s a reflection of a life decision that you make to be happy and to enjoy life in this moment.
19. Cultivating curiosity expands your sense of wonder.
Be curious about the unknown and embrace the great mystery.
20. Enjoy the journey. It’s your choice.
So there you have it. Take the next step.
Journey On
Mark