Spring out of bed!
If you can't spring out of bed in the morning and face another day, it is because you have made yourself hard to lift. What decisions do you need to make (that you know you need to, that you have been putting off)?
Freedom and Responsibility
Denying freedom destroys responsibility; and denying responsibility destroys freedom. If I want to be free, I must be responsible. What about you?
Our Democracy is not Populism
Populism is doing what is popular, and it promises unlimited benefits. The United States is a Constitutional Republic with democractic elections. We all get to elect our leaders, but those leaders can't just do what they want, even if it is "popular". For example, if most of the people thought…
Beautiful Music
You know when you hear a song and it just makes you feel the beauty in life? A song that could relax you, calm you, and make you feel everything will be ok? A song you hope would never end... Tell me a song that does it for you with…
Living forward, understanding backwards.
While we must live life forward, we can only understand it backwards. Trust.
Hidden Meanings
The "hidden meaning" may be only hidden to us, and obvious to everyone else. What hidden meaning is staring you right in the face?
"Man against himself"
It's hard fighting yourself sometimes, but it's what we must do to achieve self-mastery. Do the things we don't want to do, when we must do them, delay gratification, learn what we must learn, and resist impulses when they arise. Reframing what happened may be the hardest of all. When…
Pilot in Command
My Dad was a flight instructor and taught me how to fly 24 years ago. He had a small little experimental airplane called a Starlight. It was tiny; one seat, rotax (snowmobile) engine, and weighed 400 pounds with you in it. It had different flight controls than the Piper Archer…
Spring out of bed!
If you can’t spring out of bed in the morning and face another day, it is because you have made yourself hard to lift.
What decisions do you need to make (that you know you need to, that you have been putting off)?
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Freedom and Responsibility
Denying freedom destroys responsibility;
and denying responsibility destroys freedom.
If I want to be free, I must be responsible.
What about you?
I have had a conversation with my now young adult kids on this theme (when they were teenagers and struggling to be more independent). Thankfully, they listened and figured out the cost of freedom.
Still figuring out how to get the same message sent to our employees.
Freedom is not free !
Freedom is not free because there is always a price we have to pay. But the choice is ours and no one else is responsible for our choices and actions.
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Our Democracy is not Populism
Populism is doing what is popular, and it promises unlimited benefits. The United States is a Constitutional Republic with democractic elections. We all get to elect our leaders, but those leaders can’t just do what they want, even if it is “popular”.
For example, if most of the people thought the idea of getting free stuff was (“popular”) a good idea, and the leaders acted on that, it’s not hard to see how that would lead to disaster.
Fortunately, we have a Constitution which gives only specific powers to the government and reserves all other powers not specifically given, to the people. This document is the best one ever conceived to create and keep people free and properous.
Now if we (our leaders) could only remember to live by it…
I can’t agree more.
I agree and if we are not careful the Constitution will have very little meeting if we lose this election to someone who will ignore its real purpose . It seems we now interpret it according to political affiliation rather than law
Give them cake… and subsidized air-sealing and insulation.
Couldn’t have said it better!!
It is not a matter of remembering to live by it as our leaders lose their power by obeying the Constitution. The money and power available to people in politics corrupts virtually all good intention and moral compass. The Constitution stands as more of an impediment to the goals of politicians than as a blueprint of how to govern. The system has turned upside down from that envisioned by those who wrote the Constitution. Remember Eisenhower warning us of the “military/industrial complex?” It is alive and well and has been joined by the corporate/Wall Street cronyism complex. You will sow the seeds of our destruction by voting for those who are a part of or will become a part of this group who avoid the Constitution and its protections for the people.
Thanks for sharing, I agree completely with your post. When the rule of law is trumped by executive order the constitution becomes nothing more than a piece of paper.
I believe that the Constitution was inspired by God by people of great faith, and is why it will always stand the test of time. In the last 8 years the Constitution has been stretched and yes, sometimes ignored.
We, as our forefathers have done, need to protect it with our lives if necessary. If we stick to the principles of the Constitution, our country will last another 200 years, if not there is no future!
Amen! I couldn’t agree more!
Linda Connolly
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Beautiful Music
You know when you hear a song and it just makes you feel the beauty in life? A song that could relax you, calm you, and make you feel everything will be ok? A song you hope would never end…
Tell me a song that does it for you with the orange button – and see what others are saying.
Here’s a few of mine –
The Canyon – A.R. Rahman, Heart is a Drum – Beck, Say You Will – The Egg, Cico Buff – Cocteau Twins and Montana – Tycho.
I look forward to expanding my playlists with your titles!
Free-Zac Brown Band
(Mighty to save) Michael W Smith
Humble and Kind- Tim McGraw
Travelin’ Man by Bob Seger. One particular line always struck me-
Sometimes at night, I see their faces,
I feel the traces they left on my soul.
These are the memories that made me a wealthy soul.
It makes me think of people that were truly influential to me that are no longer with us.
Southern Cross- Jimmy Buffet version
Brings me back to the incredible experiences I’ve had during those times when I’ve taken off to some exotic place because I was running from my troubles.
Tupelo Honey- just a soothing song to me that makes me think of the people that have a special place in my heart
Sun- Two Door Cinema Club
All Your Favorite Bands by Dawes
One of These Days by Neil Young
Hard to pick just one so for starters…
Casey’s Song by City and Colour
Let it Be by The Beatles
The Three of Us by Ben Harper
Peace of Mind by Boston
Jeep’s Blues by Duke Ellington
Everything Good ~ Gaither Vocal Band
Oceans, Hillsong United
Rebirthing (Comatose comes Alive Ver.), Skillet
Lifeline, Hillsong Y&F
These usually get me back on solid footing!
“You get what you give” by New Radicals and “Beautiful day” U2
Free-Bird By Lynyrd Synyrd!!!!!
“It don’t come easy”- Ringo Starr,
Helps to steel my resolve, calms me if I get anxious.
Jackson Browne “Hold on Hold out”……
8 minutes of inspiration and great acoustics!
Favorite verse:
Hold a place for the human race
Keep it open wide
Give it time to fall or climb
But let the time decide
Sometimes you wonder what’s in this for you
But you wait, and you see
‘Cause it’s all you can do
Just to hold on
Hold on hold out, hold on
For the countless souls beaten by their goals
Keep a hold on now
And the ones betrayed by the deals they made
Keep a hold on
If you hold your ground it’ll turn around
Keep a hold somehow
(Long stretch of road and sunglasses required)
Float On by Modest Mouse – like sunshine coming through the radio!
Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United
Try it. Will do it every time.
mp3goo.com/download/oceans-hillsong/
You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes
“City girls just seem to find out early
How to open doors with just a smile
A rich old man
And she won’t have to worry”
The girl from yesterday
(I can really get “lost” while playing along on my keyboard)
The Hawaiian version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
“Something in the way She Moves”, James Taylor.
Makes me think of my beautiful wife and that always calms me down and makes me feel confident. If she will stay with, love and support me for 30 years I must have something going for me.
“Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles…and I say, it’s all right.
Van Morrison: Jackie Wilson Said, These are the Days, and When Will I Ever Learn
Right Said Fred: Love Song, I Love My Car
The Proclaimers: I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Nylons: The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Iona: Kells / Kells Opening Theme
Fernando Ortega, Dragonfly, When the Coyote Comes
Chris Rice: Deep Enough To Dream
I also put upbeat instrumental acoustic and electric guitar music on from people like Steve Baughman, Robin Bullock, Tommy Emmanuel, Frank Vignola and Joe Satriani.
Still Loving You – Scorpions.
Music is so mood specific but a few I go back to:
Cusco -Montezuma
Cristoforis Dream -david Lanz
Songs from a secret garden-Secret Garden
But then sometimes:
Kaleo- No Good (this ones gotta be loud!!)
Foo Fighters — just about anything
Into the Mystic — Van Morrison
Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
Anything from this particular album, then start working the Gram Parson catalog … Flying Burrito Brothers, the Byrds “Sweetheart of the Rodeo,” his duets with EmmyLou Harris and solo work…
Parsons was arguably the first to fuse country/western with rock and roll. He was a buddy of Keith Richards and perhaps the least known, most influential American musician of the last 50 years. Shortly after he died, his friends commandeered his body to grant his request to be cremated in the desert, against the wishes of his family, and botched the task. The stuff of legend!
“Blue Sky” The Allman Brothers
“Livin on a Prayer” Bon Jovi
“Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” and “Whenever God Shines His Light” both by Van Morrison
All four songs: I love the beat, the music and the message in the lyrics. Makes my heart soar and gives me hope.
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Road Trippin’
What a Wonderful World – Louie
Sunshine – John Denver
Blue in Green – Miles Davis
Let’s stay together – Al Green
Shelter Me – Cinderella
My Way – Frank Sinatra
A Long Walk – Jill Scott
You Can Call Me Al 0 Paul Simon
Lenny – Stevie Ray Vaughan
There’s Only Me – Rob Dougan
Badfish – Sublime
It’s A Man’s World – James Brown
What You Give – Tesla
A Change Is Gonna Come – Leela James
Sweet Jane – Cowboy Junkies
Let Love Rule Lenny Kravitz
Easy – Faith No More
In My Arms – Rufus Wainwright
Don’t Stop Believin’ – Steel Panther
Don’t Worry Be Happy – Bobby McFerrin
If You’re Going Through Hell – Rodney Atkins
Bridge of sighs, Robin Trower
Chasing cars, Snow Patrol
The dance, Garth Brooks
Oceans, Hillsong or Bethel
City on our knees, Toby Mac
WildFlower(Special) – Mitis
The Adventure – Angels & Airwaves
Apollo(Vocal) – Hardwell
Brahms symphony no 4 E minor
Washed in the blood -Alan Jackson
Jerusalem Ridge- Tony Rice
Larry, I hope you enjoy the following list with some songs you probably already know and some you may not.
Boston – More than a feeling; Amanda
Eagles – Hotel California; Witchy Woman; One of these nights; Take it Easy; Desperado
Rush – Lakeside Park; Spirit of Radio
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Pride and Joy
Kim Mitchell – Patio Lanterns
Santana – Black Magic Woman; Europa (instrumental)
Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing
Toby Keith – Ain’t as good as I once was (for those of us that are 40+ ers) always puts a smile on my face right after a long hard work week.
Joe Walsh – Rocky Mountain Way
Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl
Creedence Clearwater revival – Bad moon rising, Fortunate Son
Jimmy Cliff – I can see clearly now
Bob Marley – One love; Put the lights down low; Jamming; could you be loved
Bob Seger – against the wind; still the same; turn the page and old time rock and roll
Triumph – Lay it on the line
ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) – Its a living thing; dont bring me down
Lynard Skynard – Call me the Breeze; Gimme Three steps
Kid Rock – Only God knows why; Born Free; all summer long
Uncle Cracker – Follow Me
Johnny Cash – Fulsome (live); Jackson
Happy listening.
Maynard Ferguson – Rocky Theme
Albinoni – Adagio
Eric Johnson – Cliffs of Dover
Doors – LA Woman
J S Bach – Partita in D Minor
Chuck Mangione – Children of Sanchez
Doc Severinsen – Psalm 150
Malaguena – any version
Rush – 2112 Overture
Wicked Games
Chicago – Beginnings.
Good idea Larry- lots of good songs posted.
It’s funny how you can develop new tastes in music your short life matures.
Here are some that have moved me this year in my playlists:
We won’t be shaken – Building 429
Christ in Me – Jeremy Camp
Breathe – Jonny Diaz
Do Something & Day One – Matthew West
Wasteland & Difference Maker & Multiplied – Need To Breathe
Live Like A Warrior – Matisyahu
Air I Breathe & Coming Home (Oregon) – Mat Kearne
Eye of the Storm – Ryan Stevenson
Everything Comes Alive & Point to You – We Are Messengers
Breath in Breath Out & Live on Forever – The Afters
Chris Tomlin – Waterfall
Should’ve Been Me & When I’m With You – Citizen Way
One Thing – Hillsong Worship
Enjoy!
Back on my feet – studio version from Abulum – Glen Phillips
“Honey I’m Good” or “Good To Be Alive” both by Andy Grammer. They are both upbeat, have a good message, and I know that if they come on, the radio is going up and there is usually some bad dancing about to happen. 🙂 Great post—love to see everyone’s “picks”.
Most songs by Amos Lee, particularly…
‘Keep it Loose, Keep it Tight’
‘Arms of a Woman’
‘All My Friends’
‘What’s Been Going On’
‘Violin’
Hillsong United – ‘You’ (off All of the Above)
Deitrick Haddon – ‘Resting Place’
David Lanz – ‘Leaves on the Seine’
Amanda Cook – ‘City of Hope’
So many more…
The movie Avatar came out in 2009 and the team song I SEE YOU by Leona Lewis was the first that came to my mind when I read this post.
There were a couple of people I picked out mentioning the band and song as I was going to mention as I quickly scanned through the comments:
-Hillsong United – Oceans (Where feet may fail)
-Hillsong Worship – Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace)
-Hillsong United – All I need is you
-Hillsong United – Even when it hurts
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Living forward, understanding backwards.
While we must live life forward, we can only understand it backwards.
Trust.
Correct, one can only move forward once he or she knows where he has been.
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Hidden Meanings
The “hidden meaning” may be only hidden to us, and obvious to everyone else.
What hidden meaning is staring you right in the face?
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Don't waste today
“Death twitches my ear. ‘Live’ he says. I am coming”
-Virgil
The twitch feels more like a tug of war as the years pass.
Good morning all ! We get to do it again! Beautiful sunny morning hear in Chicago “Live”
Great Thought.
Death can be used as a great motivator instead of a great fear monger. We must all pass through those gates. The question is, what’s next?
My personal world view leads me to 2 Christian Biblical scriptures that are similar in scope and thought:
John 9:4
As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
Hebrews 9:27
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
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Reality is not fixed
Create it; everyday.
What now?
Wow! That’s cool! Never thought about making my own reality instead of waiting for my reality to form itself! I have the power to give it direction !!
Time to Start!
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"Man against himself"
It’s hard fighting yourself sometimes, but it’s what we must do to achieve self-mastery. Do the things we don’t want to do, when we must do them, delay gratification, learn what we must learn, and resist impulses when they arise. Reframing what happened may be the hardest of all.
When we are masters of ourselves, there is scarcely another adversary to worry about.
Good morning Larry! I enjoy this quote immensely. Can’t wait to meet you this year at convention that I was invited to!
Thank you . This thought worked for me today. David
Absolutlely true, Larry. We have met the enemy – in ourselves.
This reminds me of some lyrics that I wrote for a song “My enemy is within my inner me”… “I slow down, turn around, to face my rival”. “I can’t keep running from myself”.
Powerful story Larry. Don’t be your own worst enemy, and sometimes we are. FLY THE PlANE! I love it
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Pilot in Command
My Dad was a flight instructor and taught me how to fly 24 years ago. He had a small little experimental airplane called a Starlight. It was tiny; one seat, rotax (snowmobile) engine, and weighed 400 pounds with you in it. It had different flight controls than the Piper Archer II I learned on. I was a new pilot, but my father gave me confidence.
We had talked about me flying the Starlight one day. It was a very cool looking little plane. The problem is that it had only one seat. How do you really learn to fly a foreign airplane when you can’t go up in it until you fly it?
The only way to get instruction is to sit in it, and have the instructor talk to you while he is standing on the asphalt. “Right wing goes up!” he’d say, and watch my right hand tilt the little joystick flight control, which barely fit between my leg and the fueslage, to the right.
The day came for me to go for it. There was a crosswind that had picked up over the last hour. I taxied out onto the active runway, got a clearance for takeoff, and pushed the throttle forward with my left hand. The light little red plane bounced a lot as it rolled down the runway – it felt really different already.
I watched my airspeed, and at the right time, I pulled back on the little joystick. The elevators behind me lifted up and pushed the rear down, angling the wings up as they should, and all of a sudden, I was off the ground. Before I could enjoy the sensation, something was very wrong. I was crabbing – badly.
The cross wind was hitting the tail of the plane and pushed it to the side, such that I was flying crooked, or diagonally to my direction of travel over the ground. This is not so much of a problem as it happens with a cross wind in all planes. But I went to straighten it out with opposite rudder, and it didn’t work!
That’s when I knew I had a real problem. I was crabbing enough that if I tried to land that way I’d break the landing gear off or some such violence surely would occur. Why wasn’t this rudder working?
It was controlled airspace and I was just going to go around the pattern and do a touch and go a few times, then land. But I could not control the airplane. It seemed the left rudder pedal worked, and the right one didn’t. I wasn’t on the right radio frequency to talk to my Dad, I had to stay on the tower frequency. But I needed to ask for help!
I turned left, and then left again downwind. I am now 1000 feet off the ground and I am crabbing the other way now. I can’t land like this!
Sometimes when we are in a bad situation, or feel the worst is going to happen, we can’t just stop or give up. I had to fly this plane, and ultimately, I HAD to land this plane – myself.
Breathe.
My Dad would tell me, “You’re the pilot in command. Don’t be your own worst enemy. FLY THE AIRPLANE.”
Breathe. The tower cleared me for landing. Keep flying. If I couldn’t straighten it out over the runway at 50 feet off the deck, then I could go around again and figure something out.
Keep flying.
Suddenly, as I turned base (one more turn to final approach), I accidentally figured out the problem. This tiny plane had four pedals. The two middle pedals are for brakes. You use them on the ground. The two outbound pedals are for rudder – you use them in the air. As soon as you leave the ground, you switch your feet to the outbound pedals. Your feet barely fit on these little pedals without touching the other ones. I had switched one foot, and not the other. When I thought I was pressing the right rudder, I was pressing the right brake!
As soon as I realized this, I got control of the airplane. Good thing because I was on final approach and the crosswind blew me crooked to the direction of travel again. No problem now. Right rudder, drop the left wing, and slip it right down..hold it off, bleed off the speed…Perfect landing!
I decided not to do a touch and go and just taxi it in! I’d wait for a calmer day to fly the Starlight again, which I did a number of beautiful evenings.
There’s no substitute for preparation, but eventually you have to go it alone.
The unknown can be scary, but in doing it, you can learn to fly.
Still a student pilot…As in life, keeping a cool head and evaluating the situation methodically with logic along with some gut instinct usually is the best bet.
Great stuff, thanks for the words.
I always wanted to fly as a kid and finally found my opportunity in 2003. I earned my pilots license and loved to fly friends and family around the area I lived in. But as I was busy with “life”, I realized I wasn’t flying enough or “practicing” enough. And like anything else in life (like sales), if you don’t practice enough, you won’t be on top of your game and when you are flying, it’s not just a sale you may lose.
Very nice story. So many analogies can be used with flying and business. As a newer pilot, I get that feeling and can definitely relate it to my business life.
I realized once I got my Pilot Cert I knew how to fly as PIC but the real learning began. Every flight is a new learning experience, just like every day at the office is a new experience and I have something to learn and become better at.
Larry – just had a long conversation with my son about controlling your emotions and learning work thru a situation – I cant wait to share this story with him thanks
The last time I flew from the left seat was when I promised God that if he would help me land, I would never pilot again. I have kept that promise for 45 years!
Sometimes in this wonderful life, the most rewarding experiences happen as we “leave our city of comfort and go into the wilderness of our intuition.” (Alan Alda).
Learned to fly about 45 years ago and enjoyed re-living some of my flying experiences in reading your story.
Our son was a student pilot at 18 and flew several solo flights. I hope my (risk averse) wife (a subscriber) does not read this!
Really great story though, and analogous to things we all do every day. How many new sales people do we send out that feel this same sense of lack of control.
Conquer the fear and enjoy the ride!
Very inspirational, the strong message I received (& I don’t fly) is just do not quit!
Larry, I used GI Bill benefits to learn to fly back in the 70’s. I got my private, instrument and commercial licenses and ended up with over 500 hours. Actually owned a Piper Warrior with 3 other guys (rented it to the flying school). I also had about 20 hours in an Archer. Great fun; however, when I felt my first daughter kicking in my wife’s belly, I decided to hang it up. I loved practicing touch and go’s in crosswinds; even some with winds at 20 knots plus, and at night. Don’t know what it got me other than a lot of confidence. Good story; I had a couple of close calls too and thank God he was looking out for me.
I love this story. Overcome your fear and get it done!!!
Great story Larry. I first soloed a airplane when I was a junior in high school. Not too many years later I did it again in a helicopter. Army flight school was almost a year long learning experience and upon graduation we all thought we were ace pilots. Then we found out how much we didn’t know shortly after arriving in Vietnam. There we wanted to learn more to stay alive. Now we want to learn more so we can earn more.
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Springing out of bed each day is becoming easier thanks to “The School of Entrepreneurship 🙂 It’s a beautiful morning in CT ! Great class yesterday Jeff and Chris at TBF!