Hi Friend,
It has been a really great week! I’m sitting at my mom’s place in Florida enjoying a beautiful morning. My son won a “rising star” award from the Association of National Advertisers, so I came down to cheer him on and spend time with family. My younger brother lives here as well. Lincoln got to see Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Doug and the cousins! #GoodTimes
Last night I got to do a haunted maze with my brother and one of his sons, Slade. It was the perfect weather for it. The middle schoolers who terrorized us were awesome. I don’t really like scary stuff, so this was fantastic. We wandered in the dark maze while strobe lights flights flashed around, and the students randomly jumped in our faces & screamed.
Speaking of fun times, last Saturday, my lovely wife took me to Willow Falls in Wisconsin. I love this region of the United States! So much outdoor beauty to see and explore. Though it has just started getting cool, it looked like Fall was already passing into winter. I’m curious to see how the weather shifts.
I heard my friend Jessica say something that I really liked: “When you’re feeling down or going through a rough season, just scroll through the pics on your phone and look at all the people and experiences in your life. It will cause you to feel grateful.” This week, I created a bunch of opportunities to look back upon!
GRATITUDE MOMENTS
I’m sitting outside on my mom’s back deck, on the canal, watching the sun rise (and hoping an alligator will appear.) This is a great moment. I love the idea of life being a series of moments. It normally feels like a fluid existence, running together. That’s why we take pictures. It captures a singular point of time for us to hold onto.
Social media gets a bad rap for not offering the “true story” because it’s just a glimpse. I understand if people are trying to present a false reality. However, pictures, like the ones above, are a still shot that contain the spark for an entire memory. What a fabulous prompt to be grateful. What provokes you to appreciate your life?
MEMORIES ARE LIFE
We define our life entirely on the past. It may be the past five minutes, five days, five weeks or five years, but no one answers the question “how are you doing?” based on the future. It feels like we’re referring to the present when we answer it, but we’re not. We’re responding to what’s transpired before that moment to create an interpretation of our immediate state of being.
Moments turn into memories that become the story of our life. Which means two things:
A) We better be intentional about creating moments with people we love.
B) We better be able to look back on hard moments and find the joy through them.
What if we defined our life by the future instead? That seems made up, doesn’t it? But what if the stories we’re telling about our past moments are equally made up? Can we base our state of being upon an intended future, rather than a misinterpreted past? Let’s try…
Instigating Ideas…
1. Spend time with family.
2. Scroll through your pics and bask in gratitude.
3. Every day this week take a few pictures of different moments.
4. Intentionally create a few memorable moments!
Being in Orlando with my son, we walked down Disney World memory lane. We spent his 8th birthday here, so he recalls some glorious encounters which are lodged in his brain. As parents, we purposely designed that experience so he would possess those memories. It’s a bit of an extreme example, but can’t we do that every week for ourselves, loved ones, colleagues and friends?
INTENTIONAL DESIGN
My wonderful bride took me to the Falls for that reason. Unfortunately, life tends to be relentless and mostly happens to us. Before we know it, weeks, months and years have passed by with only one or two really purposeful memories created. You and I can do something about that. We can design a future filled with them.
What’s amazing is that it really is simply an intentional moment. My one hour with Slade in the maze last night, most likely will live on for years. “Remember when Uncle Greg went to the Haunted Maze…” We are thoughtful enough people who can determine weekly (or daily) to create a life of memories, if we’ll just live into our future.
I hope this week you create a handful of opportunities that might stick in the hearts and minds of people you love and work with. I dare you to start defining your life by the future you’re moving towards.