I got the invitation. It was an invitation to one of those birthday celebrations that signify that you are embarking upon a new era. This symbol is easily recognized by the zero after the first digit. I remember when 21 was the big one to celebrate. It meant that you were legal which gave you new found freedom. Then it was changed so that 18 was legal and you could experience the new found freedom that you didn’t know that you had. Sometimes we wait too long.

Then I hit 30. From that point on the birthdays with the zero as the second digit became more significant. They became a time for reflection. Where am I in my life? What have I accomplished? What am I most proud of? In what areas of my life am I disappointed or struggling.

No matter what we are doing or what phase we are currently experiencing in our life’s journey, our challenge is to get on the positive side of change. With that in mind, what changes do we need to make, if we want to experience our life as an exciting journey of discovery? How can we make our life more of a celebration? What can we do to let more joy in?

This has led me to celebrating with friends each new birthday, especially the ones with the zeroes as the second digit. A few years ago I got a great card for one of my birthdays. It was the perfect card for where I was at that time in my life. It was what I needed to be reminded of at that moment.

From that moment on, I was inspired to look for the perfect card for each person with whom I was invited to celebrate. This practice has become a ritual that I look forward to. There is a magic in this process. It puts my attention on the greatness that I see in the other person. It also gets me in touch with the greatness that I see in myself.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re wondering what card I chose….here it is..

“I would rather have a mind opened by Wonder than one closed by Belief.”

STAY CURIOUS AND ENJOY THE JOURNEY

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and thought leader who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes and Discover the Leader Within.

I just watched, Click, a film with Adam Sandler, which had an interesting premise. What if we had a universal remote that could speed up our life so that if we really wanted something we could get it much sooner, just by clicking on the fast forward button.

That’s what Adam Sandler did. He was up for partner in an architectural firm, but it would be a year from the present. So he used fast forward to the day he would be named partner. And from there he fast forwarded some more to the day he was Architect of the Year. But by this time he was an old man and suffered from debilitating health problems.

In the film you see all that he missed…his kids growing up…his wife falling in love with someone else. It makes you think. Are we living too much in the future or are we taking extra steps to avoid experiencing what’s happening right in front of us? Usually it’s a combination of the two. We do anything to avoid pain. We keep busy, take mind altering substances. Caffeine speeds us up and alcohol slows us down. And of course there are many other substances.

So the question is what are you not willing to look at? Perhaps a little truth searching would be helpful. I remember when I used to struggle with relationships. I was in a rocky relationship that I described as “off and on.” The truth was that it was usually off and dragged on for two years. I didn’t want to look at the truth because I didn’t want to say that I was alone. So I put up with the pain to avoid looking at something much deeper.

Then one day I realized that I was alone. Having a relationship didn’t change that. Once I realized that I was alone, I began experiencing solitude which brought me a sense of inner peace.

Don’t be afraid to look at the truth. As they say the truth sets you free.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

THERE’S NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW. There will always be something that holds you back; an excuse to put your life on hold. 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. He also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com.

I wrote my newsletter about the Dance and then the next evening I went to Salsa. I was amazed at how on I was and how easy it seemed. I’m not saying I was totally relaxed but there was nothing that seemed out of reach. It was probably the fourth or fifth time the particular sequence had been explained to me.

After class I was planning to pick up a printing project at Kinkos so I didn’t stick around. But I was tempted to stay and check out the intermediate class. How do you know when you are ready for that next level? It’s usually my tendency to rush things and to accelerate the process. On this evening I enjoyed the feeling of knowing. But that is always the question…When do you take the next step? When is the right time? And it pertains just to about everything in our lives. How do we know when it’s time to move on in our life and perhaps change careers or begin or end a relationship.

We will never know for sure. We have to sometimes just go for it and see what happens. That’s the way relationships are…We don’t know where it’s going to go but if don’t get involved it won’t go anywhere. It’s the not knowing that we need to become comforable with.

Journey On

Mark

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. He also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Contact him for an opportunity to create the life of your dreams. http://www.inspirepossibility.com

Sometimes I feel like there are two of me…the Me the person who is doing…physically involved and the Me who is analyzing…thinking about what I am doing and what it means. And quite often the latter me the one who is thinking, observing and analyzing has the louder voice…I wonder why that is. Can’t I just turn it off sometimes… that judging mind..It is good to be observant and to be conscious of your thoughts but not be stuck in your head.

I am listening to Whisperings right now…a collection of solo piano works on ITunes. My mind feels soothed by this music. Peaceful and more at one with the moment. Do you have a strategy to turn off that active mind? Here is mine.

If it’s too active I stop drinking caffeine…that makes a huge difference. Meditation does wonders…especially on a regular basis. When you meditate on a regular basis you are letting your mind know who is in charge. I often have reasons not to meditate …like I’m too tired or I can do it later…or it isn ‘t really making a difference. Whenever you listen to that voice you are listening to the analyzing…judging voice who is constantly evaluating everything you do.

Think of your commitment to a meditation practiice as nonnegotiable!!! I have made this commitment for over thirty years and it has made an extraordinary difference.

Journey On

Mark

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. He also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Contact him for an opportunity to create the life of your dreams. http://www.inspirepossibility.com

I feel best about myself when I am disciplined. That’s when I notice a difference in the quality of my life. I started to let my body slip away. For many years I was in pretty good shape from all of the sports I played. But it started catching up with me. I slowly noticed changes I didn’t like but didn’t make the commitment to change until recently. I have been going to the gym for the last few months and I feel good. I also meditate on a regular basis. My main work all of these years has been on how to turn off my mind from all its chatter…the teachers and the sages call it “monkey mind”. It’s great if we can suspend all our judgments or considerations about what is going on in our life or someone else’s. We then have a momentry respite from the world and all its forces. We create a stillness from all of our thoughts.

We can do this for part of the day if we take time to have a regular discipline…such as meditation…yoga…a martial art, a practice separate from the rest of your life. It could be running, playing music or dance…But something that fully engages you for a period of time on a regular basis. So it becomes a mental discipline.

Then once you develop the regularity you expand your ability to focus and to experience a oneness with what you are doing that is carried over into the rest of your life. Even though your practice might be for a brief period of time it has the potential to affect your entire life. But first you must be courageous and bold by beginning…Make a commitment. For a more in depth discussion of what is possible you might want to read Start Your Day on Your Terms which is in the Leadership section of my website, http://www.inspirepossibility.com

Journey On

Mark