"Make each day your masterpiece." — John Wooden

Since we all get the same amount of time during a day, we need to take some time to look at how we are spending that day.  I’ve been trying to follow Coach Wooden’s advice about making each of my days a masterpiece and on many of them, falling a little short.   Maybe I should say I have small masterpieces instead of an entire day’s masterpiece.  Still trying to grasp my ideas as to how to pull this off everyday.

One thing I know for sure is that I need to raise my standards every day.  I’ve heard that message many times over the last few weeks.  From guest speakers in my Principles of Leadership classes that I teach, from podcasts I’ve been listening to, and also from just casual conversation with people and watching the news. (which I’m really not doing too much of lately).

Getting back to my thought about having a bunch of little masterpieces throughout my day – that’s they thought I am connecting to more now that I’m thinking about this topic a little more.  Having some toast with a little peanut butter along with my coffee this morning and of course some good tunes on in the background, I guess it’s making it a little easier to connect to this topic.

Right from the start of my day, I’ve tried to wake up with an attitude of gratitude in my heart. That really seems to help get my day started in a fabulous direction.  The list goes on and on about what I have to be thankful for.  Waking up first of all, my wife & kids, my parents, my sister and her family, my in-laws, friends, etc., so many people that I have close to me that I’m blessed to have in my life. 

As I was leaving this morning I thought about the fact that I love going where I’m going at 5:57 a.m.  I work in a school that I really am grateful for.  After almost 24 years here and so many students that I’ve been lucky to be around and work with, the great staff members that are here working hard for our students – they have made a huge difference in my life.  The list goes on and on as to what I’m grateful for.  The key for me is to be mindful of those things as often as I can.

Living well, working hard and trying to do my best to help others is really what my masterpiece is all about.  Making a difference with others and adding value to their lives, which is a big part of the canvas that I paint my masterpiece every day.  That little thought to think about the ants… they are so busy running around outside (and inside at times too)… but what are they busy about?  What are they spending their time doing?  Humans are the same.  What are we doing with our lives many days running around earning a life or are we building a life to be proud of?   As I get older, I am really trying to go after building a life of significance, one with great meaning and to me that is making a difference with others.  That will be the masterpiece that I’m chasing – my question for you, what is your masterpiece that you should be going after?

"Look back and be grateful, look ahead and be hopeful, look around and be helpful." - Unknown

Taking some time more often than usual to look around in our lives, is something that can be very beneficial and valuable for us to do. Just taking a few moments now and then to pause the craziness in our lives and look around at all the things that will be helpful to us.

This quote jumped out at me and I'm a firm believer that as long as we are looking, things that we need to see do make an appearance - then it's up to us to recognize that and grab a hold of it and use it.  This unknown quote is something that did just that for me.

As I look ahead to having my back surgery this week, I must say it’s amazing to have so many thankful thoughts and feelings flooding over me.  Looking at others that I met at a pre-surgery class that I went to last week, that they will be having the same surgery as I am and to see the different circumstances that they are going through compared to me.  Amazingly grateful and feeling very blessed.

I am definitely hopeful as I look ahead to after the surgery is complete.  I will have a very long recover period where I will not be in school and I’ve told my principal that I will still have my hand on things from home for some of the time I will be out.  This has also led me to know how truly grateful I am that I have a job that I’m very passionate about.  It has struck me as to how much I will miss my students, working with them, helping them, getting to know them, seeing them understand things, see positive changes they are making, etc.  My coworkers are my friends as they are the ones that I spend a huge amount of time with – I will be missing them too.

The looking around to be helpful is something that I have prided myself on my entire teaching career.  Now I’m the one that will need some help.  It brings me to tears as I am writing this as I have my wife and my family.  My wife will be taking some time away from her job to help me as I get back home after my hospital stay.  My son and daughter will be home from college for a few weeks, they will be around to help me and my wife out.  My mom too will be helping out along with other family members, friends and neighbors that have told us they will do whatever we need.  This also ties into the thankful and grateful part.  I cannot understand at times how lucky and blessed I am.  Both for having a job that I care deeply about working with my students, but also all the fabulous people in my life that are there for me when I need them and are there other times for us to do things together and help each other at the different stages in our lives.

These quotes of the week always make sense (at least to me) to start a week off on a Monday with.  This quote especially should be one that you should take a moment or two and let it sink in a little.  (all of these that I find I feel the same too – but this one is a little extra special)  Then let me and others know what does it mean to you – how can you use this to make some changes this week and beyond that will pay some huge dividends sooner or later in your life.



So if you are reading this in the next couple of days – have me in your thoughts would you please – say a prayer if you are inclined to do that, for I will appreciate all of them.

"The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more things you'll have to express gratitude for." - Zig Ziglar

During the last few weeks I’ve really been focused on expressing more gratitude in my life.  There have been many times during my knee surgery recovery that I have felt a little down about things.  I’ve tried to use some of my own advice that I’ve not only tried to help others with, but I have received the same help from different people too.  That help was the idea about wrapping your arms around the down, sad, anger, etc… whatever those feelings and emotions are, and then learn from those feelings and move on.  I’ve really tried to give it 15 – 30 minutes some time to really get in touch with those feelings and learn from them. Then I add some gratitude to the process and I have found that gratitude will help make those feelings hurt less so that I can move on and not let them hold me back from doing things I have to do and from living life.

We got through a big event at our house this past week.  Both of our kids went off to college.  It’s been a real emotional tug-of-war for me with both of them gone now.  I’m trying to focus on how proud I am of both of them along with being excited for all the opportunities that will come their way too.  When I focus on the gratitude part of them being my kids and all the great memories of them growing up and the many lessons they have taught me; that helps in dealing with them being gone.  This summer especially since I was on the mend from my knee surgery for around half the summer, they both were a big help to me.    Their sacrifices were a difference maker for me and helped me to get to this point of being more self-sufficient and getting around better.

There is also a lot of gratitude for me knowing that my wife and I will have more time for each other and really, more time for ourselves too.  We have been getting in touch with old friends and plan on doing more things with them as time goes on with our kids being mostly out of the house.  School is starting again soon, so I am getting in that frame of mind to get things ready for the start of school after Labor Day.  Again, I’m looking at the start with gratitude since I do enjoy doing what I’m doing along with the fact that I get to work with some great students and staff.

So take a look as to where you are at in your life and if having some more gratitude about things can make a difference for you.  Just try it and I’d be willing to say that you will find things around you looking a whole lot better.  In fact, let me know how it goes as you know, I love learning things from others when it comes to success and leadership principles.

"Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic.” — John Henry Jowett

I have found this quote to be totally true many times in my life, but more so recently.  As I have been continuing my recovery from my knee-replacement surgery, I have focused on this quote many times, especially over the last day or two and let me tell you; gratitude is every bit of a vaccine, an antitoxin and antiseptic.    There have been a few down moments when I start feeling sorry for myself, but this is such a great attitude and outlook adjustment.  I have talked to my wife about this too and she totally agrees and has helped me to refocus my attention back on getting better and looking ahead.

This also got me remembering a few more things about my stay at the hospital.  My first roommate was an elderly gentleman from another country, who could not speak English to well.  Plus, being in such close quarters, it was not hard to hear things about what he was battling.  He was dealing with throat cancer, something wrong with his jaw along with having recently broken one of his legs too.  This got me feeling better right away about my status but I also picked up on how hard his son was working on making sure he was being taken care of.  The questions, the time spent in the hospital and on the phone, all to make sure his dad was getting the best care possible.  His son had to be a little younger than me, but I was impressed.The language barrier was helped a little with a few doctors & other medical personnel that could speak this man’s native language.   So many times you hear of people kind of being left on their own when it comes to these types of health issues.  This man's son did such a great job, a lesson for me and everyone.  Well, they had to move his dad from this hospital I was at to another one for the different and specialized treatment that he needed. 

I was alone for a couple of hours until my new roommate arrived.  Again, quickly finding out that he was a guy my age having just went through his second back surgery. Now this got my attention quickly as I have back surgery coming up in early November.  This guy was a nice guy, hard worker throughout his lifetime and again, I could pick things up even without really talking to him right away.  We did talk a few times through the curtain telling about our stories a little bit to each other.  It was great to see the support that he had there from his wife and his mom the first evening after his surgery.  Then his wife was there for a good part of the day on Thursday.  He also had a buddy that came in on Friday morning to visit for a little bit too.  

I noticed quickly this guy appreciated the people that came to visit him and that he was very grateful for their time spent with him.  He was in a lot of pain it seemed, but it didn't keep him from doing the little things he had to start to do to get better.  We found ourselves talking a few times, trying to keep encouraging each other a little bit along with having some fun with some light-hearted comments and a bit of laughter.  We spent a little time talking about how will have to find a new profession / career as with his injuries his doctors have told him he would have to make some changes.  As I had my time to spend thinking, this got me thinking how grateful I was for the time spent with both roommates and the lessons that each gave to me.

I am now into my Physical Therapy sessions.  First was four  visits here at home and now I have started this week going to my regular Physical Therapist as an outpatient.  I knew it would be challenging and difficult, but I have also been thinking about this for months leading up to my surgery, the fact that I have to do these exercises and work through the pain in order to get better.  I can tell already from the people that I have been working with, that there are many more lessons of gratitude here for me to learn from and to focus on.  There will be more thoughts, observations, lessons and discussions coming from this for sure.  We all have things that we go through everyday.  There are always lessons of gratitude there for us to learn from for sure.  What are some of the lessons you have learned on your journey in life?

"Do not take anything for granted — not one smile or one person or one rainbow or one breath, or one night in your cozy bed." ~Terri Guillemets

As I got a little bit of bonus time to sit back and do some thinking over the last few days, this quote was something that came to mind during those moments.  When I read this today, I knew I had to share some thoughts and ideas from time spent contemplating life recently.

You see, I had knee-replacement surgery this past Tuesday, July 15 and during my stay in the hospital for a few days I did take many moments and thinking of all of the many things that I am grateful for.  I’m happy to say that it wasn't the hospital stay that did this for me, for I have thought about these things during other times of my life.  But it was the hospital stay that reminded me about them and I did get to spend more time taking these thoughts in and dwelling on them a lot more than I normally would have.

First thought that came to mind was my health.  Here I was having major surgery on my right knee, yet this was to make it better along with improving my quality of life for everything else; work, doing things with family, not being held back with things I could not do anymore, etc.  There is a saying that if we have our health, we have it all.  I couldn't agree more.  After seeing others in the same predicament and other issues in the hospital, I can honestly say it one major item in my life that I need to work on more in the future and that is taking better care of myself.

Second thought was my family.  I cannot say enough about my wife Susanne.  What she is sacrificing to help me during this time is amazing.  I know there are many times where we get under each others’ skins with the things we do and say, but the love, dedication and support she has given to me during these first few days it’s all been things that I have not left gone unnoticed.   My parents, at age 48 I am still blessed to have my parents in my life where I know for many others my age, older and younger; they cannot say the same thing.  I know too many people that have lost their parents and can never see them again here in this life.  I've reminded my kids plenty of times to make sure they take the time to visit with and talk to all 4 of their grandparents for that’s another rarity in life.  Being 20 or 18 years old and still having all of your grandparents around is such a cool thing that everyone knows won't last.

 My mom came out for the surgery to sit with my wife.  Then both my parents came out the next day to visit me in the hospital and I had just got done with my first session of Physical Therapy.  I was in so much pain while they were there for their visit.  They just supported me for a little bit of time and then they knew I just needed my medicine along with rest, so they took off after a short visit.  Then my wife and kids came in during the evening of that first day in the hospital after my surgery.  My daughter’s boyfriend came too, which was great.  I loved the moments I got to share with them that evening.   My wife came back to visit on Thursday which was great.  Just her and I having some time together – she even snuck in something from Taco Bell for me too.  Then on Friday, I was going home.   My parents come through again.  They came out to the hospital and helped make sure everything was okay, asking questions that I didn't, making sure we all knew the about the discharge instructions, helping to pack up the few things that I had there with me, just making sure I got home safe.

Third – the amount of texts and well wishes that I got before my surgery and after.  It meant so much to me the messages and notes I got from people that remembered that I was having this surgery.  I really didn't post anything about this ahead of time.  Maybe I should have, but I've always been a guy that doesn't like to put the spotlight on myself.  But at the same time, I figured I could write about this and maybe do some other things with this part of my story because maybe it would help someone else going through things that they are facing.

Fourth, the smiles from the staff that worked with me there at the hospital.  Amazing!  It’s been really amazing looking back in this process with all the health care professionals I've dealt with during the last few years battling this knee and other issues.  Their attitudes and professionalism has been one the key factors with me wanting to take on and deal with these things head on.  Their support, caring attitudes, time spent with me and yes their smiles, have all been a very positive difference with me and this entire process.

Another one that I actually had to do and of course it was a great reminder for all of us too, and that is counting our breaths.  I had to count taking deep breaths on a little portable plastic device that measured my breath and when to exhale.  This was set up to help displace any pneumonia scares by giving my lungs a good workout even though I was going to be in bed a lot.  So there I was counting my breaths during all the different times of day and night.  I always remember the line from Tuesday’s With Morrie, where Morrie tells Mitch that it’s a good idea to count our breaths once in awhile, it helps us to keep from putting things off that we know we have to do.  As I counted my breaths, it got me thinking how grateful that I am still able to take my own  breaths and how precious they really are in our lives.

Finally, this quote got me thinking about that first night back in my own cozy bed.   If you have ever stayed in a hospital, I think we all can agree that a good night’s sleep is not usually found there without medications mind you.  I slept decently during my stay as I shared a room with a roommate.  With medical people coming in during all hours of the night for both of us, it was easy to not get a complete night of rest.  My bed really has never felt any better than on that first night back.  

Of course there are many more things that I am thankful for, but these were the ones I connected with this quote.  How about you?  Take a few moments to count your breaths along with some of the many things you are grateful for and let me or others know about it as just by you sharing your grateful items will help others to focus on what they have to be thankful for in their lives.