Today I will live.  I am no longer satisfied with being, I must live.

Today I begin a new life.  My old ways will pass away and life will be fresh.

Today I greet this day with love in my heart.  Love never fails.

Today I will persist until I succeed.  Failure will be my stepping stone to success.

Today I will remember I am nature’s greatest miracle.  I am created with a purpose.

Today I will live this day as if it were my last.  I have no time for regrets.

Today I will be the master of my emotions.  I am responsible and in control of myself.

Today I will laugh at the world.  Humor will be my catalyst.

Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.  My productivity will have no limits.

Today I will act.  I am no longer satisfied with sitting, I must run.

Today I will Pray.  My strength will be only as strong as who I pray to.

Today I will begin my life, not with resolutions that fade away.  I will make goals that will drive me to success.  I will seek friends to encourage me and to chastise me.  I will share my goals  with those closest to me.

These are some of my Goals:

1. Learn more- read at least 2 books a month.

2. Love more- spend more quality time with my boys.

3. Listen more- build quality relationships with people smarter than myself.

4. Live more- Improve my health, by adding a consistent workout routine.

5. Spend more- Not on junk, but wisely invest in my future.  (and yes, I ran out of L words)

So there it is, Live!  Don’t just sit there, get your hind end into action and live that life.

I have been avoiding writing this post for a little over a week now.  The reason I have avoided it, is that of anything I could talk about, this is the most tender subject.  December 19, 2007 changed my life, that was the day I lost one of my best friends, my sister Katie Hill.  Though she only lived 31 years, her life was an inspiration to many.  Such a tragedy for a young life to be sucked away one breath at a time from a disease called Pulmonary Hypertension.  I do not want to talk about PH, although there are many that suffer from this terrible disease.  What I would like to discuss is how to live a life worthy of the air you breath.

My sister was the best big sister you could have.  When I was younger, I had a hard time with my speech, so I was an easy target.  I may have been an easy target, but no one dared pick on me, if they tried, they would have to deal with her.  She would always be my protector, even when I didn’t need it.  I saw my sister take her protective nature into her adult life.  Whatever she did, she did to help people, from working at a nursing home, to childcare, to being a mom.  She spent her life paying it forward.  She understood that life was precious, and to waste it was like throwing away a rare diamond.   From the poor little Turtle that was injured to the many children that she cared for, her love was unmistakable.  She was the person I went to when my life was crashing down around me.  I knew that I could depend on her wisdom and insight beyond her years.  She lived life like no other.

So here is my call to action.   LIVE.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, it is not easy, because I said it with emphasis.  We need to live each day with such fervor that there is no mistaking it for wasted diamonds.  Here are three steps to start living.  1) Listen.  I have a hard time doing this one, but if you listen you will find needs.  Listening requires getting yourself out of the way, and finding out what the needs are around you.  2) Care.  It is not enough to listen to what is going on around you, you need to care about what is going on.  So many times we are filled with a sense of  self, to the point that our care does not go past our nose.  I know this is harsh, but I am the worst at this.  3) Do.  Once you know the need, and it has caused you to really deeply care, then life is a waste if you do not act on it.  Don’t be satisfied with just being.  LIVE.  Today I will Honor a life well lived, by living a life worth honor.

Will you?

I love a good soda, in fact, I have a decent size belly due to a few good soda’s.  One of the things I love best in a soda is uniqueness.  Every soda has it’s own unique flavor, and they pride themselves on their flavors.  I bet you can tell me how many flavors Dr. Pepper has (if you don’t know, it’s 23).  There is one soda that i love more than any other though, and it is not a single flavor, it’s a brand.  Jones Soda is by far my favorite soda.  You have flavors like Cream Soda, Root beer, Grape, Strawberry Lime (which is my favorite), and around the holiday season you have Turkey and dressing (I have not braved that one yet).  Now, I am not going to tell you they are the best flavored soda there is (although, they are amazing).  What I love about Jones Soda is the concept.  In a day and age where most companies are figuring out ways to produce the most amount for the least, and find a uniformity for their product.  Jones has stepped outside the box and created a unique product.  Lot’s of crazy flavors, with some classics, and bottles with labels that are pieces of art.

So James, what is the big deal?  Why are you so enthralled in this soda?  What does it mean to me?  That is what you are thinking, right?  So here it is.  A life in the box, is boring.  When I found Jones Soda, it challenged me to live outside the box, to work outside the box, be unique, and be passionate.  I have Jones bottles everywhere, in my kitchen, office, bedroom, and even in my car (the car is really because I haven’t cleaned it out).  Everyday I have to remind myself to not fall into the box.  What is the box?  For me, it is living an ordinary life.  Sure, I want what everyone else has, I would love to drive the coolest sports car and play golf every weekend (I figure that would be the only way I would hit par).  Living outside the box is living within my means, being thankful for what I have and spending my weekends playing with my kids.  In my professional life I struggle even more with keeping out of the box.  In sales the box is learning your product and selling your product.  Thinking outside the box, I don’t learn my product, I Learn who my customer is.  What is it that I can do for them?  Taking this to mind, you will not be the pushy salesman, you will be the passionate friend that wants the best for those around you.  If your product is not the right fit, you tell them where to find the right fit, instead of turning your customer into a contortionist (small note, contortionists are nuts, who thinks “I can fit in that shoe box?”).

So, long story short.  Live, think, and work outside the box.  How can you break the cycle, and climb out of the box?

I have been reading a book that is changing my perspective on living life.  I would love to tell you that I am an avid reader, but I read slow, and have a hard time focusing on something that just sits on a piece of paper.  Saying this, I want you to know that I do read, as much as I can stand.  If you have not picked up a book in a while to learn more about your craft, chances are that you are not growing, and if you are not growing, then you are slowly dying.  I don’t make the rules, I just live by them.  So, back to my book.  I have been reading High Trust Selling by Todd Duncan, and no it is not about how to convince someone to buy something.  Todd encourages you to encounter your motives and face your challenges.  Sounds like something we all need to hear.  I have been in sales for a few years, and have learned that unless I take ownership in what I am doing, I will not care about it.  If I don’t care about it, I will not sell it, seriously, people can tell when you will do or say anything to get the sale.  Taking ownership is not just a state of mind, it is a way of living.  If I work for such and such company and don’t care about the products, or what the products can do for my customer, I will not be successful.  At the same time, if I believe in what I am doing, or selling, I don’t have to “sell” it, people will hear the excitement emanating from you and want a piece of the energy.

So, what does this have to do with life?  Let me ask you some questions.

Why do you do what you do?

What do you want to do with the money you make, once the bills are paid?

What excites you?

What do you sell? That is a funny question, let me explain. Most sales people would answer with a certain product or service. Such as a Car Salesman would say “I sell Ford SUV’s.” or whatever brand they sell. I talked to a shop today that sold random stuff that all based around being eco friendly. I want to tell you now that I am no marketing genius, and I certainly would not claim to be an expert. What I do have is common sense. We in the sales field get really tied up in what our product is, and what the specs are and how we can get our clients to want our product. I did this for a long time, and I still do when I get really tied into old thinking. I know you are asking, “well, get on with it, what is the magic to selling my product?” Every service or product has something in common, and if it does not have this, then why are you selling it? You will spend your days aimless and looking for people to sell, unless you figure out that it is not your product people need. What? I have the greatest product ever created!! People don’t need a new car, insurance, or even a cool new gadget. (I know the last is hard to believe) What people need is what your product can do for them. It sounds simple, but it is so profound. The shop I talked about earlier did not sell eco friendly products, they sold a cleaner environment. Coca Cola does not sell Soda, they sell refreshment. I do not sell Internet marketing, I sell early retirement. The point is that if you focus on how shiny the car is, you will be trying to sell the car for a long time, but if you focus on the respect you would get from having such a shiny car, the skies will open up and champaign will fall from heaven and the car will prance right off the showroom floor. Every product or service big or small has the same effect, figure out what your customer needs in the deepest recesses of their sole and make them fall in love with what your product can do for them. So here is my question, What do you sell?

Why do we wait for a day towards the end of the year to be thankful? We tend to live the rest of our days self-centered, and not focused on what we have, but what we deserve. I know the popular mantra with self help gurus these days is self-esteem, and self-acceptance. I would encourage you to not worry about your self-esteem, instead build those up around you. I know this is unpopular in our society, we are told to climb the ladder of success. I think our misconception is what success is. We idolize people who are famous and rich. If you have not notices by now, many movie stars and famous people are more unhappy than many poor families. Sp how do you define success? Obviously, having the most popular rock band in the world doesn’t bring fulfillment. We have seen the best actors of our generation fall to the wayside. Possibly the most well known musical artist ever couldn’t find contentment. What hope do we have for finding that shooting star we are searching for, happiness. Call me crazy, please don’t have me committed, but I think I am on something here. You will not find happiness in the search for happiness. All you will find is loneliness. If you are climbing the ladder of success, look down, and see who you have pushed off the ladder. Climbing the ladder of success is like building a tower to heaven, you can build and build, but you will never get there, there is always someone that is over your head.
So, here is my point, are you ready? BUild your life building other people up. If you focus on who is around the you can encourage, or push forward, you will find yourself feeling successful. What? You mean to tell me that by helping someone else succeed is better for my self-esteem than helping myself? Yes, if you are focused on what “I” can get, you will only find an empty heart. Bring others up with you and you will find a room full of people that care about you. This is where you will find success. If happiness is what you need, you can not find happiness without finding your creator. Jesus Christ offers life more abundant. There, I said it, tell your therapist that you are through searching for your self-esteem, think about who you can build up, and find your happiness in the maker of happiness. Don’t wait till next thanksgiving to figure out who you should be thankful for, look around today and the next day and the one after that, and live a life of thanksgiving.
Grace and Peace to you in this first day of the rest of your life.

So I am in the process of building a following of people who may or may not care about what I have to say. I will say it anyways!