STOP DOING STUPID THINGS!

Yes, that’s blunt. It may be rude. But sometimes you need a slap in the face.

What makes you get up in the morning?

Why do you do what you do?

What are you chasing?

It’s the paradox that’s haunted mankind for centuries, but for some reason, there’s some sort of desire within all of us.

Have you found your one true passion? Or are you just on the hamster wheel waiting for your time to end?

Listen, there is no time to wait!

Oh, I’ll just do it tomorrow…

Can you guarantee there will be a tomorrow? No one can.

Live in the moment

One of the greatest pieces of advice I’ve ever received is mindfulness. Live for the now. Enjoy every second of your day. For some reason, people seem to think that they will be happier if they get a better job, or get a bigger house, or get a faster car. Those all fade away. They are possessions that no one will remember you for. Your legacy will be within the memories you instill on people. I believe we all need to take a step back and remember that and meditate on it.

So the goal of mindfulness is simple: Look around you. Look at the color of the sky. Look at the cloud formations. Enjoy the sounds around you. What does it smell like? Who is in the room with you? Is it your wife/husband/girlfriend/or boyfriend? How do they look? How does it feel to be in their presence? How does your body feel in the chair you’re sitting in? Are your joints moving comfortably? How does it feel when you stroke your hand through your hair? How miraculous is it that you’re able to stand around and walk? Feel the air go into your body, by way of your nose and out through your mouth. Feel your stomach inhale that oxygen. Hold onto it for a minute and take a deep breath out.

Don’t worry about the future or the past. Think about right now.   Be present in the moment, always, and you will live a potentially fulfilling life.

Wow.

It is amazing to be alive. You are one privileged human being. Never take that for-granted.

No more excuses

Let me take you back a bit to where I was growing up. Life was rough. My mom was a single parent (God bless her). She always bounced through work, but at the end of the day she would do anything for her children. I did not have that father figure in my life. In fact, to this day, I have not met him. Up until a few years ago, he didn’t even know I existed. Mom used to date other men, and I always resisted their appearance in our home. I hated the idea of a man telling me how to live my life. And I certainly wasn’t going to take direction from the scumbags my mom used to bring home. Mom used to have a hard time with this, because she never had a healthy relationship because of me. We were poor. Living on welfare cheques, and in low-rent housing. We never had the same opportunities that other kids had. There was not a lot of money for sports, hobbies, or vacations. But we adjusted.

Through the help of KidSport Calgary, I was able to play hockey when I was 12 years old. I hadn’t skated much or even held a hockey stick. I just wanted to play. My equipment was pretty much all used, from the 1980’s (no joke).

My first tryout, I was given a hockey stick that was right-handed. I didn’t find out until halfway through my tryout that I was actually left-handed. Needless to say, I made the worst team that year. And the next year. And the year after that. I started very late and knew by the time I was 14 that hockey wasn’t for me. So, I quit. But one of my best friends convinced me to start refereeing.

My point is, you have to start somewhere. I didn’t know how to skate, but stuck with officiating through the years. You can get better at something. Don’t quit! I started playing peewee division 7 hockey (if you don’t know the sport, that is bad). Look at me now: I am skating in the Western Hockey League as a linesman in Calgary. It’s all about perseverance. Don’t let anything hold you back. If you keep practicing something, you will succeed. Don’t get frustrated because you don’t get something your first try. Failure is part of your quest. Expect to suck at things. But as long as you keep trying, you will get better.

I never let my past hold me down. Yes we were poor. Sometimes we didn’t have the best meals in the house. So what if I didn’t have the same advantages my peers had? I am better now because of it. I am getting better every day because I will myself to do so. Shitty things happen to me too, but I don’t let them crush me. Keep moving forward. Always better yourself.

Find your passion

Listen, sitting on the couch every night, revolving around in the 9-5 isn’t working anymore. What are you waiting for? That new job? A promotion? To win the lottery? Well then, you’re kidding yourself. The only thing that is certain in this life is the action you take right now. Who is guaranteeing that tomorrow will even come? So be mindful, get off your ass, and get what you want!

Where do I find my passion? I push myself every day so I don’t end up where I was as a child. I never want my family to go through what we went through growing up. That is my motivation.

Is your goal to get fit? Lose some weight? Maybe have better sex? What about to no longer be in pain? Or just be the guy who is proud enough to take his shirt off in public? Then now is your time.

Right this minute.

Stop reading this and take action.

Because you never know if tomorrow will ever come.