Have You Ever Been Told...

Dancing All Over The World...

The Keys to Success...

Dare To Take Action...Take That Step

Great Quotes...

Quotes That Change The World...

Inspirational Words...

Life Is A Marathon...

If You've Never Failed...You've Never Lived

The Secret...To You

Strongest Dad in the World

For me, being a father is the greatest joy and privilege in my life.  Admittedly, it is at the same time the most fulfilling and the most anxiety-provoking part of my life.  I think most parents would agree that our children are by far the most precious things in our lives - nothing, including our own lives, is more important.  We all try to be the best parents that we can - teaching, guiding, encouraging and inspiring our children to be the best that they can be.  Realistically, there are times when we fail miserably, realizing that we are just flying by the seat of our pants with absolutely no clue as to what we are doing.  In those moments, I console myself with the belief that as I long I treat my children with the utmost of love and respect, so that they always know how much they are loved and valued, my parenting "mistakes" are never that critical.

During those moments when I am tired, frustrated and irritated, due to a multitude of daily events, when my patience is running short, I am reminded of the inspiring story of Rick and Dick Hoyt (Team Hoyt).  The incredibly inspiring story of this father and son was originally published in Sports Illustrated. Here is their amazing story, as written in SI magazine: 

Strongest Dad in the World (Rick Reilly for Sports Illustrated) 

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck. 
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars – all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much – except save his life. 
This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life," Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution."

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain."

"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain. 
Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that."

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks."

That day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!" 
And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway. Then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?" 
How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four gruelling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992 – only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.

"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century." 
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life. 
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy. "The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once."

I Believe...

Last year, someone close to me sent me a poem called "I Believe". Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the author or authors of the poem. The simple yet profound words of this poem resonate with my own life experiences and philosophies. Perhaps, the universal truths found within the passages of this poem, reflect the shared experiences of people from all parts of the world and from all walks of life.

I Believe...

I believe- that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe- that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe- that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe- that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe- that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe- that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe- that you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe- that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe- that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe- that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I believe- that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe- that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe- that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I believe- that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe- that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe- that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I believe- that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe- that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe- that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe- that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe- that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe- that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe- that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe- that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe- that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you you will find the strength to help.

I believe- that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe- that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I believe - that the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything.

Thank you G-d for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the journey of life.

The Last Lecture - Dr. Randy Pausch

Several years ago, I came across a video by Dr. Randy Pausch.  Randy Pausch was a professor of computer science and human-computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg.

For me, personally, this is one of the most inspirational speeches I have ever come across.  This is probably because the speech was put together by a person who was dying of terminal cancer. A person who, despite the clear knowledge that his life was coming to an untimely end, was able to maintain an almost superhuman courage, determination, vision and dream - to pass on his wisdom to those around him who would live on after his death.  

Randy Pausch died at the age of 47, on July 25th, 2008, after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.  He is survived by his wife, Jai, and their three children.

May his words continue to be an inspiration for all of us...

Stop and smell the roses...and hear the music.

On January 12th, 2007, morning commuters at the L'Enfant Plaza Station of the subway line in Washington, D.C., passed by a young man, simply dressed, playing the violin.  Unbeknownst to the people rushing to get to their individual destinations, the man playing the violin was Joshua Bell, one of the foremost classical violinists in the world.  He played six intricate Bach pieces for about 45 minutes, on his personal 1713 Stradivarius violin (for which he paid 3.5 million dollars). During that time about 2000 people went through the station.  Only a handful stopped for a brief moment.  About 20 people deposited some money - Joshua Bell collected about 32 dollars.

The above scenario was set up by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment  (The Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize in the feature writing category for Gene Weingarten's April 2007 story about this experiment).  The questions that the experiment tried to address were:

In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, are we able to perceive beauty, and  would we actually stop to appreciate it?  Are we able recognize talent in an unexpected context?
So if we don't have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the most beautiful classical music ever written, on one of the finest instruments ever made... how many other things are we missing?

How often do we rush during our daily pursuits, our minds fruitlessly focused either on past events or our thoughts filled with the anxious anticipation of events still to come in the future...and as a result, missing the precious moments of the "here and now".  How often do we forget to really stop and smell the roses...and hear the music.  Is there any surprise then, that so many find life unfulfilling, ungratifying and overwhelming?  

Perhaps by trying to enjoy the journey, instead of just focusing on the end results and completion of our set goals, we can begin to see the beauty of all of those precious moments that make up our day - the sunrise and sunset, the rain, wind, sun and snow, the smiles and words of our children, the company of our close friends, and the myriad of incredible and wonderful things that the universe is constantly sending our way....just waiting to grab our attention.  If only we can just stop for a moment to appreciate it all....

The "magic" of life...

This past weekend I was with my family celebrating the birthday of one of my nieces.  While having a great meal at a downtown Toronto restaurant and enjoying light conversation, our table was approached by the restaurant's "entertainer" - a magician.  The man, likely in his 40s, with a great sense of humour, amazed us and our children with wonderful tricks carried out with his hands and a few simple props - rubber bands, cards, balloons and coins.  We were all impressed at his ability to manipulate these small objects with his fingers, the movements so quick and subtle that they were clearly much faster than our eyes, which were intently focused on and glued to his intricate movements.  We were all hugely impressed by the tremendous skills that he had acquired, obviously through many years of honing his craft.

Between the tricks, while removing the "props" for the next feat out of his silver magician's box, he kept our attention with stories and anecdotes which brought a smile to the face of both my five year old as swell as our zeide/grandfather.  Partly due to the warm-hearted and open nature of the man, and perhaps due the safety of the numbers comprising our larger party, we began to ask the man several personal questions.  Amongst these questions was this one: How did you get involved with magic?  What made you decide to make this your profession and career?  Perhaps we were also wondering, though noone was quite brave enough to ask, "what made you decide to make a living performing these small-scale slight-of-hand tricks, while moving from table to table at a family restaurant"?

Actually, I am not sure what answer we were expecting to these questions.  Personally, I expected him to say that he had seen Doug Henning or some other world famous magician as a small child, and ever since then was inspired to master the amazing skills which would mesmerize and thrill audiences around the world.  To our surprise, the answer was not quite what we expected.  As it turns out, the man was working for a magazine company about 10 years ago, in their printing department.  One day, his left hand - as it turned out, his dominant hand - was accidentally caught in a printing machine causing massive lacerations to the fingers. He ended up requiring 65 stitches and had major deficits in his ability to use his left hand.  To this day, a large part of his hand has no feeling.  As part of the long and difficult rehabilitation process, he started doing small magic tricks with the goal of stimulating and strengthening the small muscles of his left hand.  Over time, what began as a goal to exercise his traumatized hand and to improve recovery after a career and life-changing injury, became a passion.   He told us that he began to search out and read every book he could find on magic - he currently has a huge library of magic books at home.  And, ultimately, magic became his new career.

The skeptics in the crowd will, no doubt, say the following: Sure, nice story; so nice to see that he is doing professionally something that he loves and is truly passionate about, but what kind of  a living can one make doing this, anyway?  How happy and fulfilled can he really be doing small and simple tricks for some strangers at a simple family restaurant.

Personally, I was thinking something else.  What came to mind are phrases such as "behind every cloud is a silver lining", and "when one door closes another one opens".  I'm sure you can come up with another one of these expressions that we hear all the time.  But...behind these seemingly simple statements, is a very deep and profound life philosophy and belief.   The faith that when we are confronted by a negative life event, no matter how small or how massively tragic and life-altering, this will lead to something positive.  Taken even further, it is the faith and belief that the most difficult things that we confront in life are not sporadic, accidental or random, but are there for a very specific reason.  And that reason is a positive one, which will ultimately lead us into a new direction, a new path to our personal growth and development as human beings - emotionally, physically, psychologically, spiritually.  

I think that many of us who have gone through major traumas and loss in our loves - and let's face it, who hasn't - will agree that when years later we look back on those events, we will see that the most difficult and most traumatic events, which at the time shook us up to our very core and brought us to our knees, in the end were seeds for incredible personal change.  I can definitely think of concrete examples of this in my own life - both personal and professional.

Whether one chooses or not to accept and live by the above life philosophy is clearly a personal choice.  And this choice is not a matter of right or wrong.  And I am definitely not here to convince anyone to accept any life philosophy.  

For me, personally, it's a matter of choosing a personal life philosophy that helps me through the most difficult times.  Is this really the way the universe operates, metaphysically speaking, or is it simply something that we convince ourselves of (as the cynics would say), reframing our personal mental attitude and psychological outlook, so that we bring out and activate all of the positive energies and resources we possess to help us get through that most difficult event?  I really don't think anyone knows for sure, and in the end it makes no difference.

I choose to believe.  I believe that everything that happens to us, happens for a reason - and that reason is, ultimately, a positive one.  I believe that the most difficult, complex and challenging life events, are probably the most important and crucial and profound and critical in leading to our personal development - in shaping who we are and the kind of human beings we become.   And, perhaps, if we see all of our life experiences and events, both the good and the bad, as being important, meaningful and there to teach us important lessons,  we can begin to open our eyes and hearts and see the real message behind it all - the beauty, preciousness and... magic of life.

Several years ago, I came across an amazing poem.  If I am not mistaken, Kent Keith originated this poem in 1968, and Mother Teresa placed it on her children's home in Calcutta in a slightly different version.  Most sources now quote this poem, titled "Anyway", as written by Mother Teresa:

People are often unreasonable, illogical, 
And self-centered; 
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you 
Of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some
False friends and some true enemies; 
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank; 
People may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, 
someone could destroy overnight; 
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, 
they may be jealous; 
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, 
people will often forget tomorrow; 
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, 
and it may never be enough; 
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis 
it is between you and God 
It was never between you and them anyway.

Wow, what a powerful and beautiful message.  And for those who are not religious in the standard sense, but consider themsleves spiritual in some way or form, I would say that it is between you and the universal life force and energy that is all around you and within you.

To me, the poem's simple yet profound message is that we should try to lead our lives in alignment with our virtue, honesty, integrity, purpose and sense of contribution - and not to be swayed from our true path by the negative forces that may confront us along the way.  And, ultimately, to do all this not for the sake of recognition, glory, power or sense of entitlement but for that internal sense of satisfaction that is not dependent on anyone else's evaluation, praise or critique.  An amazing message and vision to live by.  To do and strive and create and contribute simply because it is the right thing to do and because it reaffirms our deepest values - without expecting anything in return and despite the potential disapproval of others.  To stay true to ourselves, our goals and our aspirations in the face of adversity, in the face of the setbacks and in the face of failure - to derive satisfaction and fulfillment from the doing and the contribution irrespective of potential outcome.

This morning my wife and I were sharing a cup of coffee at an elegant cafe/shop, enjoying a beautiful sunny summer Sunday morning.  A woman came up to the coffee station just beside our table to add cream or milk to her beverage.  She was holding a Lululemon bag which I see all the time in the hands of women around Toronto.  A bolded statement written on the bag caught my eye: "Every day do something that you fear!".  An amazing message, staring right at me.  How often do we go through life avoiding that which we fear.  How often do we avoid pursuing something because of our fears about what this may entail - all of the potential risks and failures and how all of this could make us feel about ourselves and how negatively it could all reflect on us. 

How often do we find that, in fact, all that we were afraid of was just a figment of our imagination, an allusion created by our nervous system and our human fears and insecurities about ourselves and our world.  

Many years ago, I remember reading an amazing book.  In it, the author asks:  if for 24 hours you were given a complete guarantee that you would not fail at anything that you tried or attempted - what would you chose to do?  What decisions would you make?  Which people would you make contact with?  What things in your life would you try or pursue that you had previously were too scared to try or attempt?

Just think how incredible life could be if every day we would try to do all of those things that our fears currently stop us from doing?  How much more could we accomplish?  How much more happiness or fulfillment would we be able to achieve?  I think the answers to these questions are quite mind-boggling if you just think about it.

The fears that limit us on a daily basis, a product of our mind and thoughts are complex and rooted in and influenced by many things.  Among them are all of those past life experiences, positive and negative, from which we have drawn conclusions about the world around us and from which we have derived the confidence, security and faith in ourselves and in the world around us, or lack thereof.  I have observed that for many, with every negative or painful life experience, that confidence in the self and the world, and in one's own incredible potential is diminished and limited.  That idealistic child who at one point believed that anything and everything in the world is possible, is replaced with a fearful, insecure, discouraged and cynical adult.

And so here again is that inspirational message from the Lululemon bag: "Every day do something that you fear!"  Take that important step that you've been avoiding, afraid of failure. Make that important phone-call.  Take on that challenge that up to now you've been too scared to pursue.  Do, try, create and pursue all of those things that your mind has limited you from attempting.  Who knows, you may be surprised by your incredible success, and even more importantly, you will begin to break down those imaginary walls and roadblocks created by your fears.

Life is an incredible gift. On a daily basis it sends us lessons and messages to guide us along our path towards our greatest potential and fulfillment. It has been said that when the student is ready the teacher will appear. I hope that this blog will be my "student's journal" about my observations, thoughts and experiences as I proceed along this incredible journey we call life. The key here is to be open and receptive to these lessons - and they are truly all around us, awaiting to be heard and thus inspire us to grow, develop, create and contribute to the lives of others.