Welcome to the family

                                 -Vito Corleone

Inspiration and Family

This week I am traveling and in New York. It is my father’s 81st birthday and I make it a point to see family on these occasions.  As I write a weekly Inspiration, I am always looking for inspiration in my life to translate that to a subject to write about.  My idea was to write about being with family.

As I was explaining to my father the amount that I write, he said, “You must always be looking at life as a source of inspiration to write about.” I agreed with him and told him a story about a friend of mine I went to lunch with who is as busy as I am who asked me exactly that.  He asked me how I come up with so much to talk about daily. I responded to my friend by saying right here is a source of inspiration as we are good friends and taking a break and I will do a podcast about that. I’m inspired by the importance of friendship and taking the time for friends. I told my friend that inspiration is all around us when we start to look for it. I did just that later that week. I made that podcast. Take a listen here. 

My father found that very interesting and suggested that I write an inspiration about looking at your life and finding inspiration. He thought my readers would find it interesting to hear how I write my inspiration, and the idea of changing how we look now of our life.  He couldn’t be more right.  That is exactly what I want for people, to change their focus.  We spend so much of our focus either task oriented or focusing on problems. 

Every day all around each of us there is endless inspiration.  That inspiration comes from a variety of sources.  So turn off your computers, TV and ipods and open up your eyes, your ears, and your mind to the world around you.  Get together with family and friends and let life guide you and inspire you to live, laugh and enjoy.

In taking the time to spend with my family this week, I have laughed, talked, and enjoyed meals. I will leave with endless sources of inspiration:  an amazing 30 mile scenic bike ride with my brother and sister-in-law (he was trying to wipe me out), my niece’s guacamole, my sisters infectious laugh and as simple as watching my father and mother who have been married for over 50 years read the Sunday paper next to each other on the porch as they have always done. And of course the family card game and the triumphs and losses and laughs all the way through as we play “Hell.’

My mother’s toast to my father at his birthday dinner was, “You better stick around for a lot longer, or who will I have to argue with?’ We should all be so lucky! So, “welcome to my family” all week long on the Daily Podcast. I’ll be talking about family and inspiration, to which you will laugh and be very inspired.

Also, this week on the weekly ask I will ask about stories of family and inspiration from you, because as Don Vito Corleone says, “There is nothing more important to a man than his Family...” and to that now you are part of the family I will be expecting your answers. You certainly do not want to disappoint the “family.’

Be Inspired and stay inspired,