Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable

Emailing a faraway friend of mine to catch her up on my life today really reminded me of how good I have it. So many of us race through our days, trying to attain more success or reach a higher level of success. For me, I've gotten caught in the mental trap of 'if, then' statements. 'If I do well in this meeting, THEN I'll truly feel proud of myself and happy.' 'If I get promoted, THEN I'll enjoy my job more.' While that ambition can be awesome, it can make us to forget to ENJOY THE MOMENT.

I had the privilege of hearing Mike Robbins speak at a work event last week. If you aren't familiar, he's a phenomenal motivational speaker, best-selling author, 'authenticity expert,' and ex-pro athlete. His life-long dream of becoming a pro baseball player was crushed when he severely injured his arm in practice. There he was, in the beginning of what he hoped would be his lifelong career, unable to continue doing what he loved most. In a bout of depression, he realized that he wished he had fully appreciated what he had, while he had it.

From that time on, he made a change in his thinking and in his life. Not only in the sense of appreciating the moment, but also in being more authentic. More real to himself. To stop comparing himself to others, comparing where he's at to where he wished he would be, and instead to just be himself.

In my effort to take Mike Robbins advice, I'm going to enjoy my Saturday to the fullest today by doing the things I love. On an ongoing basis, I'm going to reflect on all the great things going on in my life TODAY --- my family, my friends, my dog, my talents and passions that I can pursue --- as often as I can.

How I'm going to enjoy my Saturday:
* Sing: practice and record
* Paint: Finish my 'creatures' painting, to the tunes of Allan Mask
* Run outside
* Book a trip to see family in Texas and friends in the east coast

"Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway." ~ Mother Teresa