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I have to admit that I cram a lot into my day. My day usually starts about 6:00am and ends about 11:00pm. From the time I wake up to the time I close my eyes I feel like I have done much. The people I have met, the things I got to do and the situations I encountered. At the end of my day I reflect on how great my day was and I don’t think I go to bed with regrets and only appreciation. My days are quite rich.

One question I encounter often is ‘how’? How do you cram so much into your day? You have two little guys, you work long hours, you teach a class, you are writing a book and yet, you still make time to be with people who would like to sit and talk. I value the time with people. It all goes back to my signature saying, “Everyone’s life is an autobiography…but make yours worth reading!” We all have an autobiography…all of us; however, is it worth reading? I appreciate people a lot. I want to help them with their autobiography and understand that their stories are worth reading and they should be sharing.

Where does my daily appreciation come from? I can pinpoint it to February 10, 1972. I came home from school and my aunt was there. Before I went out to play with my friends, my aunt told me that my father had an accident. A vision at 9 ½ years old (which is still with me today) was my father’s car rolling into the ditch and him getting out and walking home. That is not what happened but rather he had an industrial accident and became a paraplegic…he almost did not come home that day. That is my foundation for optimism. You might be asking…wait, optimism for your father almost not coming home, how is that optimism? The optimism is not about what happened as the incident but rather what happened as a realization. This is not a morbid thought but since I was a young lad, my realization has always been that there are no guarantees in life and when I leave home, there is no guarantee I am coming home. My father almost did not come home that day. I cram as much into my day and look at things from a positive light because you never know when it is over…and I don’t want to have any regrets.

We all have choices to make. You can look at something and see the negative or problem side of things. I look at it and see the positive and possibilities. We are looking at the same thing but from a different perspective. I am not sure why people don’t lead a life this way because it allows you to appreciate everything around you. We need to shift our perspectives and tell ourselves that there has to be good. Case in point is when I was on a year long journey by blogging and after 90 blog posts, someone went in and hacked my blog and killed it. I was disappointed but rather than letting the hacker win, I pulled all my posts together and realized that I have a book on my hands. It was all about shifting the perspective. When something happens, try to see it from a different perspective than the obvious. You will be amazed at what the outcomes might be. Take the time to appreciate what you have, the people around you and the things that happen. Richness is not what is in your bank account but what is within you.