Thank you for joining me on this Journey of Dares. As we round the bend toward the last 10 Dares, remember that our lives consist of a series of spectacular events. These events seem to immediately define the life that each of us has chosen to live. But life is rarely defined by one exclusive event; life cannot be equated to or summed up by one specific stop along the way. In reality, life is more like a fantastic journey -- a long road trip that is being continuously re-mapped. Instead of DEFINING life, our decisions actually REFINE our respective lives. And when preparing for a long road trip, it’s a good idea to clean the windows of our vehicles. Of course, as the trip continues, our windows often become somewhat cloudy. To keep our vehicle and occupants safe, we must periodically clean the windshield. The vehicle’s rear window might also be dirty… But it’s not the rear view that matters most. The front, forward-looking view provides the most important viewpoint. Likewise, our bodies are the vehicles for our souls. And the same safe-travels concepts apply to our journey in life: “Our eyes are the windows to our soul.” Accordingly, let’s cherish the road on which we have travelled. But let’s not spend so much attention on the past that we end up wasting our present gift of time thinking about what has already happened. Let’s focus on the road ahead. As we know: Days will come and go. The sun will set, and night will slowly but surely seep in. As one day slowly begins to mesh into another day, we are often left wondering where the most recent day went. And for many of us, merely reflecting on the previous day can be as challenging as the day itself. As we focus forward, we must learn to periodically clean our glasses. In real-world terms, we must not wait until the end of the day to re-energize. With all the technology, traffic, and tests we face throughout the day, a proactive and practical approach to The Ideal life is a great strategy to use. Unfortunately, the idiom “rose-colored glasses” is often used as a derisive idiom used to ridicule or demean those of us who are optimistically inclined. Me? I consider myself to be an optimistic realist. This is just a fancy way of saying, “It’s not what happens to you that matters most; it’s how you respond to it" (whatever “it” may be). Accordingly, I believe in being response-able… responsible for how we act, react, create, and destroy things in our life. (Huh? Did he just say, “...destroy”?) (Yes: sometimes we must destroy a few things in the name of progress. Stated a different way: You have to break a few eggs to bake a good cake.) Destroying bad habits, bad thoughts, and bad karma is not a bad idea. Likewise, having rose-colored glasses is actually a good thing. Just remember: windshields, thoughts, and even rose-colored glasses eventually need cleaning. The next 10 Dares are essentially a step-by-step guide to proactively clean your rose-colored glasses throughout the day and week. Start, maintain, and end your day with these 10 practical steps to Clean Your Glasses. And here’s HOW to do it. I will cover these steps in detail over the Final 10 Dares:
Let’s focus on the road ahead. But first, I dare you to... Clean Your Glasses! Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ® John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist.
Principal consultant at The PIE Group, John believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need. And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me). Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}. An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work! An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, "The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life," a teen-focused guide, "Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens," and the Christian-based book, "God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life." He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and “authorize” people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets. His trademarked phrase is a winner: |
My purposeInspiring a worldwide community of optimistic realists. Archives
July 2024
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