Finding the Courage to Start All Over Again

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit; stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same; there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
— Eric Roth

Good morning; I trust you had a blessed sleep; we did; it’s interesting how well we sleep when not drinking.  I would almost submit that we get a much better sleep when not sipping Devil’s Nectar.  I wake as if I’m a child not wanting to get up; I can sleep longer; when drinking, I wake early, ready to take on the day.  An interesting take away this sober journey.

So how are you this morning? It’s Thursday; our travel truncates the week.  It could be Monday, but when you spend three days in a car traveling from point A to point B, your week gets a little wacky.  We woke up yesterday and worked around the house in the morning; we ran our agency-wide call before heading to the office.

We took PVHT for her first office visit; I grabbed some food for the staff; my wife is fasting for a few days, I think I’ll join her starting today.  She is much stronger than I; I cannot give up alcohol and food simultaneously, but she can. We got home last night, and instead of eating, I joined her in a fast; I’ll wait until 3:00, get a light meal, and then fast tonight as well.

Her fast is a 9-day process; it’s a morning and evening of drinking a liver cleansing solution, no food, just water,  starting tomorrow she will get one meal a day, that is what I will follow, I’ve lost 7 pounds since October 1st, this will help my extra weight fall off.  I’ll be below 170 by Halloween.  When not drinking, I lose a pound every other day.

I can attest that the KETO diet works; we did that for two years, I got down to 158, and my Queen was adamant that I put on some pounds.  Weight control is easy for us; it is mind over matter; obesity is one of the main comorbid factors when dying from COVID; if you are a bit plump, you might try fasting or KETO; both work wonders.

We both worked in our Indy office yesterday, both knocking out some great work.  I ran a call with one of my favorite clients; the carrier seemed to be a little out of sorts; we were asking questions about policies and procedures; it seems this billion-dollar company had none when it came to following up.  I suspect one beautiful thing about running a million-dollar vs. a billion-dollar company is control.

I have some excellent friends; I’m blessed to have friends from all walks of life in every socioeconomic layer; I love everyone the same; I don’t care if you are a bartender or a priest, if you are kind to me will be your friend.  One friend, a fellow business owner, sent me something I would like to share; it’s a key to spanning race, culture, and creed to add people to your life; please indulge me and read the following:

“Has a conversation with someone ever sent you away feeling more confident, more at peace, or more energized? What was it that made the difference? I would venture to say the one you spoke with likely did something—maybe without even knowing it—that most people strongly desire from others. What did they do? They made you feel seen.

Simply put, we all desire to be seen for who we indeed are. By that, I mean something more than optics. Feeling “seen” means feeling known, heard, and understood. It means that someone pays attention to you and “gets” you and where you are coming from. People that have mastered the art of seeing others are magnetic because let us be honest, who doesn’t want to be around someone who genuinely cares? Cares enough to listen. Cares enough to pay attention. Cares enough to ask thoughtful questions and be truly curious about your well-being.

Let’s strive to be people who see others. I mean, see others. Your spouse. Your kids. Your friends and loved ones. Don’t be so distracted when you’re at home with your family, out with friends, or having coffee with a coworker that you neglect to listen, pay attention, or be curious at the moment.

Maybe this means leaving your phone in the car, taking a moment to gather yourself so you can truly show up for your family as you walk through the door after work, or simply looking someone in the eyes as you talk together about life. When you show sincere compassion, concern, and interest in others, you not only make them want to be around you—you make the world a better place!

I should share. I’m sure an author penned this, but I don’t have their name, so if you wrote these words, thank you.  I suspect you, and I would be friends if and when our paths ever cross.

Today, make sure that every engagement with another human you see them. You look into their eyes and hold the gaze; it’s essential.  Be curious, be intentional with your thoughts, words, and actions.  It is the difference between living and coasting through life, never connecting with other humans. Choose to see others, and you too will be seen.

I’ve got a full plate today; I’ll clean up some emails, make some phone calls, positioning my work next week. After that, we will fly back to CO for a few days and then return for a long winter flying west once or twice to check on our mountain top chalet.  We have people checking on our home, but we like to get away to breathe the mountain air, if only for a few days.

I hope these words find you in a good place; I wish I added to your mindset and did not take away from who you are these days.  Life is a series of lessons and curious incidents that are meant to be explored; get deep, think, and feel your way through this thing we call life.

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit; stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same; there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
— Eric Roth