Marcel Legros - Play the Game of Life

Here are three tips to help you manage your worries.

1. Examine your expectations to see if you are expecting too much from others or yourself. Times change, so your expectations may not be valid anymore.
2. Explore your options and keep them open. Know there are other possibilities, and you will feel less trapped and more relieved. Options create hope.
3. Live in the present. “What if” questions keep popping up, bugging us about the future, and when that happens, push these aside and stay in the present.
4. Here is a worry management bonus, give yourself some quiet time through meditation, or quiet thought. Research continually proves that the majority of worry related thoughts we have, are things that are out of our control. Work on coming up with alternative solutions to your problems, or what else you can do, if you can’t solve it. Your life will move ahead much faster and you will enjoy yourself more in the process.

[Read more →]

Most of us find our place in adulthood. Our confidence grows with our experiences, and if we’re lucky, the self limiting labels created in childhood fall away.

Even positive labels create negative consequences. Any behavior contrived to elicit a response, to maintain an image, or to pump up the ego, is not authentic. It perpetuates the notion that we require props to be of value; that we have to defend our existence. No-one can diminish who you are by their opinion of you.

Peace comes when the urge to defend yourself falls away and is replaced by compassion.

[Read more →]

Some people are very successful, without setting goals. So what are they missing? Satisfaction is what they are missing. Success that comes to you seemingly by accident is hard to appreciate, on the other hand success that you planned and worked for, is sweet indeed. Beyond the satisfaction of attaining goals, goal setting increases the odds of attaining your goal by giving you a road map and time frame to use. A goal is a dream with a date on it. If you are not writing your goals out every day, give it a shot and see how it feels. Most people find their success rate goes up along with their satisfaction and morale, if they write out goals and put them into action.

[Read more →]

I said to my husband the other night: “We’re perfectly normal (in a secret service kind of way). We just wear our tics on the inside.”

What common denominator quantifies someone as normal? I’d like to meet the asshole who created the median and rough him up a bit. Unfortunately, there is no singular asshole to blame - just a mass of humanity trying to fit in and fly under the radar.

We are taught to care about other people’s opinions from an early age. “What will the neighbors think?” is the gold standard in disempowerment. It disables unique expression and separates us from emotional authenticity. We become liars by omission. Showing the world only what we think is acceptable, and slamming the lid on creativity. How can we lead full and enriching lives if were always looking over our shoulders to gauge the reaction of the guy in the next row. Who’s life is it anyway?
Why Do We Succumb? The Cost of Doing Business

It begins on the playground and escalates through high school. The desire to be accepted. If you are different you run the risk of beatings—or worse; becoming a social misfit. The fear of being alone can motivate us to do a lot of stupid things. But at what cost? Veiling our nature in order to blend in, detaches us from our experiences. Choosing ‘safe’ scenarios, to protect ourselves from pain—leads to boredom and discontent. The old Pink Floyd song “Comfortably Numb” is a great example of a life half lived.

Think of all the great minds who were at one time or another deemed ‘odd’. Their contributions to our world have been immense. I’m not suggesting anarchy (that would be creepy). Just the ‘eyes wide open wonder’ that comes from being truthful with yourself and genuine with others.

Self acceptance.

So stir the pot, jump on the bed, cross your eyes, and laugh till it hurts. Don’t worry; it’s normal.

Changing the world, one follower at a time.

[Read more →]

I travel a lot and I’m away from my family one week every month. I miss my wife and son terribly while I’m on the road but there is one advantage to this situation. Every time I go, I learn how much my two favorite people mean to me. Distance gives me perspective and strangely, it brings me closer to what really matters.

I’m on the road again this week and I thought I’d send a note out to my wife:

I’ve lied to you and I’ve hurt you.
And you forgave me.
I’m deeply flawed.
And yet, you see the light coming out from the cracks in my personality.
I’ve lied next to you in our bed and felt your warmth.
We’ve done so much together, you and I.
You smell good and you look even better.
I feel like every day is a journey, and it’s a journey I want to take with you.
We’re on a road-trip babe, with the music cranked and our feet hanging out the window.
You stick your tongue out at the world and I’m right there with you, laughing at it all.

I love you Charlene.

Take time to appreciate the people that make life worth living. If you want to improve your friendships, relationships, or marriage, why don’t you tell them exactly how you feel?

Send a note like this and make it count. Nobody’s keeping score and paying attention to your vulnerability. The best thing you can do is connect to another human being with real feeling and passion.

Now, go for it.

[Read more →]

What separates the best artists from the rest?

How do amazing minds create revolutions?

How do great thinkers change our world view?

They speak their minds no matter what the consequence. Speak your mind and ignore all the advice coming at you from every corner. You’re breathing and living now. You owe it to all of us to tell us what you’re thinking and feeling.

Forget political correctness or polite exchanges when what we really need is sincerity and truth. Bad things happen every day. You’d better make sure you speak your mind and tell your loved ones how much you care.

Imagine a world where everyone spoke their mind, for better or for worse. I guarantee it would be for better.

Do it today. Don’t wait for a better time.

The best time is now.

[Read more →]

You can’t pick and choose the times when you will be responsible for what you do, or when you will act responsibly. The things that build and prove your character, do not always occur on sunny days, when you don’t have a lot on your “to do” list. No, character building events, are character building events, BECAUSE they occur at times you would rather do something else. The positive side of this is that because you have to make a sacrifice to do the right thing, you get a tremendous sense of pride about yourself and your self esteem takes a big boost. Others will notice this trait in you, and you will be given more and more responsibility, which will pay off big for you. So step up to the plate, do the right thing and give yourself credit for being a good person.

[Read more →]

When tragedy struck, I reached down into the depths of human despair.

To my surprise, I found no bottom.

At the moment of my greatest triumph, I looked up, and met nothing.

Just space.

[Read more →]

The Adidas ad that states “sweat, pain and exhaustion are temporary, but winning the Boston Marathon is forever” can be an inspiration to us all. None of us are immune to the pain associated with the effort it takes to get ahead, but winners are able to view it as temporary, and know that the reward they are seeking will be forever. Your competition feels the same pain as you do, but if you press on, you can outlast them and take the prize. Another sneaker ad said “there is no traffic jam on the extra mile”, saying that once you get close to your goal, your competition will drop out. So hang in there, keep on keeping on, and you will obtain your goal, and feel good forever.

[Read more →]

Overcoming adversity can become a habit, just as running from adversity can become a habit. Look around you and see if you don’t notice people who seem to fall into one of these two categories. Some people seem to thrive on adversity, they love a challenge, they almost look forward to problems, and when adversity hits, they throw themselves into finding the “fix”. Other people seem to run from problems almost out of reflex. Habits can work for you or against you, so make overcoming adversity a habit, and it will work for you.

[Read more →]