It’s Sunday morning and I always like to keep it simple…

Years ago, at least three lives ago while at Polaroid, the department brought in an outstanding speaker by the name of Ed Foreman.  He was out of Texas and essentially was one of the pioneers in motivational programming.  For whatever reason, he presented two thoughts that stuck with me my entire career.

1. I may have changed the words a little over the years, but a big part of his presentation was simply, “Life is for laughing, loving and living not for bitching, moaning and complaining”…there are times when we all become trolls, but laughing, loving, living is sure what my policy is today!

2.  Ed told an anecdotal story about how we all put off getting to the laughing, loving and living part as too many people say, “Next year, once the business takes off and we get out of this economy, we’re going to really have some fun!”  A couple of years later, “Once the kids are out of the house, we’re going to take a little time and really have a fun!” Years later, “Once the kids are out of college and married, we’ll really take the time to have some fun!”  Last but not least, years later when you’re in your casket on the way to the cemetery and you say to yourself, “Oh my God, I forgot to have fun!”

I know it’s simplistic and I’m hardly the one to be preaching about having fun, when so many times in my life I haven’t been able to walk the talk, but it’s never too late.  There’s nothing wrong with a work hard play hard mentality, but we all get wrapped up in things that just don’t matter.

What does matter is being able to go to sleep at night and be able to say to yourself, “Wow, what a great day!”  Better yet, if you’re not waking up in the morning chomping at the bit to get the day started, then you need to step back and look at what you need to change – it’s all about priorities and having faith in yourself.

Sheila has a sign in our room that simply says, “Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see!”  Worried about your business, have a little faith that you have the power to change it…have a little faith in your abilities to be the very best you can be…and most important of all, have a little faith in your friends and family who believe in you.

Smiles trump frowns and everybody trumps a troll!