Tag: Success

Plug Your Nose and Dig In!

by Dave Glardon, posted in Motivational Humor

Good morning, and happy Monday! I hope your new week is off to a good start. Today is the day we decide how our week is going to be. No pressure or anything.

Last week, we talked about eating a frog. Not just the legs (a delicacy to some folks), but the entire wart-covered frog. It’s a pretty simple concept – if you have to eat a frog, do it first thing in the morning and your day can only get better. And as you may recall, there was a second part – if you have to eat more than one frog, start with the ugliest one first.

I didn’t dream it up. I’m a little twisted, but I’m not that far gone. That bit of advice has been largely attributed to Mark Twain, who had a way with words that I’ll never achieve. But it’s sage advice. Basically, if you have to do an unpleasant task, one you’ve procrastinated in the past and are likely to avoid as the day goes on, just get it done now. First. Before anything else.

I’m sitting here with a big list of things to do, and I’m not really looking forward to any of it. These are things I kept putting off “until I don’t have to work all day and I have a little extra time.” I’ll give you a moment to stop laughing. Today marks four weeks of retirement for me, and I still don’t have any of that extra time. I’m beginning to think it’s a lie.

These are things I have to do. None are really that hard, but in terms of eating a frog, some are up there at the top of the list. And yes, I actually did make a list. There’s a lot on it, and my weekend goal is to wake up Friday with an empty list. You know, because I actually checked things off. Crossing them off is easier, but then you start next week with the same list.

But unless dumpster-diving or sewer skimming is on your list, I’m willing to bet most of the frogs on your plate aren’t as ugly as they appear. In fact, some may not really be frogs at all. Still, the longer we avoid a task, the more objectionable it becomes. There comes a point where we really would prefer to eat an actual frog.

Some things get worse because we keep avoiding them. When my storage shed needed repairs, I delayed. A couple of years later it needed new doors and siding. Then the roof started to go. By the time I finally got around to it, the entire thing needed to come down and be rebuilt. The longer I waited, the uglier that frog got. And believe me, it was a toad!

In reality, the frog is probably ugly because we keep kicking it to the curb. And the more we kick the frog around, the uglier it becomes. Like staring at a toilet full of stuff it’s not supposed to showcase. Let’s just say time is not your friend and there’s not a lot of discussion about who will fix it or when. My wife uses that bathroom, too.

So, I’ve made a list of things I need to get done this week. Not because of any imposed deadlines, but because I’m tired of staring at frogs. After a while, they begin to multiply and give warts to one another. And I’m pretty sure if I don’t get them out of the way, I’ll start looking like one myself. I don’t need any help in that area.

I told you Friday I’d challenge you today, so here it is. Assemble your own “frog list.” Do it this morning, sorted by “ugliest first.” Only one rule – no two frogs are equally ugly. Unless you can eat two with one bite. The deal is, you have to get the worst stuff out of the way first. And that means beginning with a better understanding of why each particular frog is so ugly.

How many times have you thought about this particular task over the past several days? Yes, I’m being generous. My list has been growing for months. In my case, it’s laziness. There are a dozen things I’d rather do, beginning with today’s crosswords. So, for this week, I plan to eat a frog first each day until everything on my original list is done.

Some days I’ll have to eat a few. And I know frogs multiply. My list will never be completely empty. How about yours? Are you ready to put a dent in it? None of these frogs are really that bad. It’s just our perception. Once you understand what’s really standing in your way, the rest is easy. All you have to do is dig in.

Make your list and then, as you look at each item, try to identify why you’re likely to avoid it. Sometimes, the real reason isn’t that big after all. They say a journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step. Take that step. Eat the frog. Burp if you must, but please brush your teeth. It’s okay to brag about what you’ve accomplished, but let’s not play a game of “guess that smell.”

That’s all for today. This one was a little longer than I wanted, but I think it’s important. With each frog you eat, two things happen – the pile gets smaller, and the taste becomes more palatable. Both will make the next frog that much easier. Try it and see. Then let me know how it’s working for you, and I’ll update you on my list Friday. Meanwhile, have a fun week!

© 2026 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved

Whose Bright Idea Was Monday???

by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning! I hope your Monday is off to a nice start. I know, of all the days, why did they have to put Monday first? I used to ask that same question myself.

To be fair, Mondays can be a jolt to the system in more ways than one. You’re either coming off a weekend of rest and relaxation, or one where another six weekends in a row wouldn’t be enough time to accomplish everything, and there’s not much in between. Either way, Monday is rude interruption in that brief interlude from reality.

But I guess it makes sense to get Monday out of the way first. In the book “Eat That Frog!” Brian Tracy describes the ideal way to tackle an unpleasant project in some rather unpleasant terms. Paraphrased, “If you have to eat a frog, do it first thing in the morning and the rest of the day can only get better. If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first.”

So, get Monday out of the way. Tackle the day with a realistic list of things you need to accomplish, starting with the ugliest frogs in the bucket. Don’t let anybody keep you from getting it all done, and don’t let Monday bleed on Tuesday. You can be more accommodating tomorrow. Besides, anyone who tried to get in your way today won’t be that stupid again.

Do this every Monday and you’ll find yourself more productive and less exhausted by the end of the week. And, as a side benefit, others will learn not to mess with you on Monday. Most will avoid getting in your way the rest of the week, because anybody who works that hard on Monday must have a screw loose, right? Take the small wins.

The direct benefit to you is twofold. First, after you’ve gotten through Monday, the rest of the week should be easy by comparison. Oh, some jerk will come along and try to mess that up, but once you’ve done the hard stuff, you can handle distractions. But more importantly, you’ll come to look forward to Monday, because that’s the day you get things done.

And it doesn’t just have to be a weekly thing. Every project I’ve ever worked on had its share of Mondays. Sometimes they had two or three in a week, and other times they’d take a couple of weeks off. But every new phase, every major milestone, had Mondays of its own. And our success in each milestone rests heavily on how well we handle those Mondays.

When we take on the hard part first, the feeling of accomplishment is that much stronger. It also helps identify what needs to be done next, and any dependencies we need to consider along the way. I love woodworking and have made several intricate pieces over the years. Trust me when I say you have to do things in a certain order, or the scrap bin fills up fast.

And it’s that way no matter what the project, from building an airplane to Thanksgiving dinner. The early part isn’t so glamorous, especially the part about prepping the turkey. They stuck the gizzards where??? But there’s a feeling of accomplishment the instant it goes in the oven. And the reward builds as the day goes on. It’s a smell you never forget.

Depending on where you live, Monday may already be over. If so, celebrate! You made it! And you know what? You can do it again. Here’s why – Monday isn’t a real thing. It’s just a name somebody assigned to the same day every week. It could just as easily have been called Friday, or Someday. I like that last one. “I’ll get it to you Someday!” Bill collectors would love that.

But Monday doesn’t have it in for you. It’s just there, inanimate and continually turning seconds into history. It’s what we do with those seconds that determines how our day evolves. And if you can master Mondays, what evil can stand in your way? Make Monday your partner instead of your adversary. Monday can only treat you as well as you treat it.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the rest of your day, and if today wasn’t your day, then start tomorrow. Take on the ugliest frogs first and see if you don’t feel better as a result. Be sure to let me know how it works for you. I love hearing from you folks. Have an awesome week!

© 2026 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved

It’s Your Time – Have Fun with It!

by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning, and happy Friday! I hope your day is off to an awesome start!

Okay, first things first. Last week I challenged you all to make a list of simple things you need to get accomplished, and then make a point of checking them off as you do. And this wasn’t just a homework assignment – I did it, too. My original list of 10 items grew to 12 (my wife and I both added one), and I did a lot more that wasn’t on the list. Here’s what I learned.

First, as some of our friends have commented, it needs to be a written list. For this to work (and it does), you need the satisfaction of taking a pen and crossing items off the list as they’re completed. Also, don’t do what I did – if you tackle something that wasn’t on the list but should have been, add it. The more you can cross off each week, the better this strategy works.

The idea is to do this for a month at least. If it becomes a lifelong habit, I doubt you’ll ever regret starting it. You’ll get more done in a shorter time and, if you’re like me, that paper memory supplement works great. And along the way, you’ll build two vital habits – the habit of getting things done, and more importantly, the habit of success.

Now, what are your plans for the weekend? I told a friend today my plan is to hang around the neighborhood and avoid all those working stiffs who have to cram their weekend into two days. She still works, so she thought it was funny. But it’s true. Traffic, whether it’s on the streets, in parking lots, or in the checkout line at Costco, is always much worse on weekends.

A friend told me years ago that we’ll meet a lot of people in our lives who feel pretty financially secure. When presented a money-making opportunity, they’ll usually turn it down. People want what they don’t have, and if you already have plenty of money, you don’t always need more. Of course, some folks never learned that lesson.

But what many of these folks (and most of us) lack is time. You see, money is a renewable resource. When it’s gone, you can always make more. But time is finite. It’s even more important than money (unless you’re a bill collector), and still it seems we spend our entire lives chasing the wrong one. What good is a bunch of money if you don’t have time to enjoy it?

It’s the classic Catch-22, and we’re not left with a lot of viable alternatives. Ideally, we would do one of two things – increase our hourly pay so we don’t have to work all the time (good luck with that) or build a residual income on the side that doesn’t require our continual presence. In other words, something that can generate income even while you’re away.

There are lots of ways to do that. Robert Kiyosaki wrote a series of books on this topic, including Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Business of the 21st Century. If you can get past some of his self-aggrandizement (he’s earned it), both are excellent books to give you some ideas. But both stress the need to generate an income that works while you play.

That doesn’t mean hands-off. It means less hands-on. That’s time you can be sleeping, playing with the kids, on vacation, or whatever. It’s YOUR time to use the way YOU decide. Naturally, it has to generate enough income to allow this, and that takes time. Or a lot of money to start with. Those are your only real choices. And you have to choose now.

So, the question is pretty simple. Do you want to invest your time, or spend it? Investing time today can increase your income and lead to more free time down the road, sometimes much sooner than you’d think. But spending time is like a one-time event. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. So, make sure you spend it doing something YOU want to do.

Especially in this global economic turmoil, and with AI threatening millions of jobs across multiple industries, the time to start investing in ourselves is now. Today. In fact, if we haven’t already started, we’re late. You’ve heard this before, but you have to start digging the well before you get thirsty. And trust me, friends, it’s getting hot.

That’s all for now. Take some time this weekend and start thinking of ways you can invest in yourself. Don’t be shocked if you come up with a whole list. Meanwhile, have an awesome day and an even better weekend!

© 2026 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved

There’s Power in Fooling Yourself

by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning! C’mon, it’s still morning where I live. I hope your day is off to a nice start. If not, come see me and we’ll find some trouble together.

Every week is a new beginning. Last week is gone. Whatever happened, the best you can do at this point is pick up the pieces and move on. And if something really good happened, you can build on it and continue the momentum. Regardless, every day is a new opportunity and a new beginning. It’s what we do with it that counts.

Every one of us, yourself included, has the ability to achieve great things. And, for every great idea, there are a dozen great “friends” to tell you it can’t be done. Or worse yet, that it can’t be done by you for any number of reasons they’re happy to share. Doubt sets in and we begin to fill in some of those reasons ourselves. Want to meet your worst critic? Look in a mirror.

And there’s a simple reason for it. When was the last time you attempted something big? Not like planting a tree, but like building a garage, or at least a boat. I like boats. And, believe me, I would love to build one. But you need a lot more room than I’ve got for that. Plus, until a week ago, I had another fulltime job and the company pretty much insisted I do their work first.

But the truth is, I know Dave. I would plan every detail on the boat including the color of the steering wheel, draw seventeen different versions of the deck layout, buy a set of plans, and then cut and assemble a bunch of pieces that are useless on anything but a boat, and in the end, I’d have to throw a cover on it for a year or ten. I know this because I’ve met me.

Maybe you’re more disciplined than I am. Maybe you get up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, and start tackling your to-do list before it’s even finished. No project is too big, and you won’t rest until your list for today is complete. If so, rock on! You’re doing better than most, and maybe I can learn from you. I have the best of intentions. It’s the execution that suffers.

This is why I came up with the concept we discussed Friday – building the habit of success. If you succeed at everything you attempt, why would you think anything is beyond your capabilities? Success becomes more than a result – it’s a habit. And, as we all know, habits are fairly easy to form and ten times harder to break.

Achieving your ambitions becomes easier when you remove doubt, and a pattern of success is doubt’s greatest enemy. If you know the outcome before you even start, getting there is a lot more straightforward. And when those inevitable obstacles do pop up, you know you’ll get around them, because you already know how the story ends. It’s just a matter of getting there.

Last week, I asked you to build a simple to-do list for the next several days, and cross things off as you do them. Why? Because with each task you cross off, you reinforce in your mind that if you set out to do something, it WILL get done. Yes, it’s a mind game I play with myself. Why not? Everyone else does!

And the thing is, it works. Do it for a month. If, by the end of that month, you’ve made a reasonable list each time and crossed off every task (you have to actually DO it first), notice your mindset as you write a new list. Are you dreading the week or looking forward to it? Do you look at any item on the list and doubt it’ll get done? Of course not! Confidence is power.

That’s all for today. Put the power of confidence to work for yourself. Because when, in your mind, deciding to do something means your inevitable success in doing it, nothing can stop you!

© 2026 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved

Celebrate the Small Wins Before You Try Something Real

by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good afternoon, and happy Friday!  Yeah, I know … I normally send these things out in the morning, but I just retired a week ago today.  Gimme a break! 

I won’t dwell on this, but to answer a few of the questions I’ve been asked: 

  1. How does it feel to be retired?   AWESOME!!!
  2. Do you feel different?  Yeah … I’m not working every day.
  3. Will you get a pension check?  LOL.  You’re kidding, right?
  4. Has your wife accepted it yet?  The jury is still out on that one.
  5. Do you know what day it is?  I’m retired, not stupid.  It’s today.  Duh!!!

I’ve been trying to get up early and stay active.  So far, I’ve met some of those goals.  I get up early.  Not as early as I used to, but it still takes some effort.  I just don’t want to sleep away my remaining years.  There are things I wanted to do but couldn’t before, and now the only excuse is me.  Can’t blame this on the boss any longer.

What are your plans for the weekend?  I just built my own “To-Do” list, with ten tasks I need to complete by bedtime Tuesday.  In other words, I won’t be going to sleep until sometime Thursday.  But when you have too many things going on in your mind all at once, the average life span of any given thought is 2.8 seconds.  I need a list before my wife starts writing one for me.

For what it’s worth, I’ve already completed the first three.  Okay, in fairness, the first one was “Make a To-Do List.”  This is all part of a concept I wrote about several years ago – achieving at little things to build the habit of success.  When you repeatedly succeed at small things, it builds confidence as you try something a little harder.  You know, like mopping the kitchen floor.

Here’s something I’d like you to try over the next few days.  As you drink your morning coffee tomorrow, make a list of the things you plan to accomplish over the next few days.  Simple stuff you know you can do, like getting the kids dressed (or keeping them dressed), taking out the trash, checking tire pressure on the car, or cleaning the grill.  Oops!  That’s one more for my list.

The idea is, write this stuff down, and then cross it off as you do it.  Will it feel stupid at first?  Absolutely!  If not, you can join my chapter of the Procrastinator’s Club.  I’ll even sponsor you.  But the point is to give yourself a set of small, easily attainable goals and make a point of crossing them off as they’re completed.  Then give yourself a small treat at the end of the day.

The treat is to get you do actually do it.  Ice cream and bourbon work for me.  But in doing these seemingly frivolous things each day, you begin building confidence in your ability to execute.  When you promise your wife you’ll fix that slow leak under the kitchen sink, you know you’ll actually do it because YOU accomplish everything YOU set out to do.  You’ve proven it. 

And when, sometime down the road, you decide to take on a bigger project, you’ll know you can accomplish whatever you set out to do.  Unless your goal is to sprout wings and fly.  Even positivity has limits.  You may need help.  You may need funding or special training.  You may need a stroke of luck.  But you’ll always know you can make every one of those things happen.

That’s all for now.  Have an awesome evening and an even better weekend.  Before you go to bed, put that pen and paper where you can find it in the morning.  And let me know how it’s working for you!t that pen and paper where you can find it in the morning.  And let me know how it’s working for you!

© 2026 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved

Too Old to Work, Too Young to Die

by Dave Glardon, posted in Motivational Humor

Good morning! I hope your day is off to a nice start.

Ask anybody what’s the first thing they’d do if they hit the lottery, and there are a few standard responses you can count on.  Okay, after they pick themselves up off the floor.  Let’s be real, some of these jackpots are pretty huge, and to suddenly realize you’ve just become rich beyond your wildest dreams would bring most of us to our knees. 

The next thing they say is something to the effect of, “I’d walk into work tomorrow in my pajamas with an open bottle of bourbon and tell ‘em to put this job where the sun doesn’t shine!”  Okay, a little colorful, but you get it.  I’ve often said I’ll have to work until noon the day of my funeral, but it would be nice to think I have options, you know?

No, I didn’t hit the lottery.  I’m told you have to actually buy a ticket and, while that would make for an awesome retirement, it’s just not my style.  Maybe because I’m not getting any younger and, with lottery games twice a week, I’m running out of time. 

I believe most of us dream of a day when we can walk into work, look around, and say, “I just don’t feel like doing this anymore.”  Hopefully that coincides with the day we no longer need the income, but when you’ve worked your whole life, that’s a hard concept to fathom.  It’s even harder to think of the changes I’ll have to make when that day comes.

I’ve never been able to imagine not needing any additional money.  But that’s mostly because we had to scrape by for so many years and, now that we’re finally living the life we’ve worked so hard to achieve, I’m not ready to give that up. 

And, make no mistake, we don’t live a life of unbridled luxury.  We have a small one-bedroom home in a tropical RV resort.  We cook most of our own meals, watch reruns of Big Bang Theory, and pay bills every payday.  But we live among people our own age who, like us, refuse to sit in the house and grow old.  Besides, there are no kids to yell at for stepping on our lawn.

In fact, we don’t even have a lawn.  We have a three-foot gravel border around our house and yard work consists of spraying for weeds.  The hardest thing I do outside is walking to the pool, and that’s only if the golf cart needs charging.  We spend time with friends, have drinks on the deck and bribe our neighbors’ dogs with treats, and dance every chance we get.  Life is good.

Sound like a tough life?  I know.  We worked hard to get here and made some sacrifices along the way.  And you know what?  I love it!  I can’t imagine spending my days any other way, other than not having to get up at 5 AM every morning to sit at my desk for eight hours at a time, working to make somebody else rich.  That part still sucks.

At some point this year, I plan to join the ranks of the happily retired.  When you get this old, you begin to realize there’s more to life than work.  Not to mention the fact that if I keep working much longer, I’ll be too old, too crippled, and too tired to enjoy what I’ve worked for. 

And I have no visions of lounging around the pool or spending every morning on the golf course.  My retirement will, by necessity, involve extra income, and Social Security declined my request for an increase.  They’re funny like that.  So, if it’s to be, it’s up to me.  Seems I read that somewhere.

That means now is the time.  I’ve often said you need to dig the well before you get thirsty.  Yes, I read that, too.  What it means is, get moving.  Build a plan, and put that plan into motion before the bills come due.  Thankfully, I’ve had side jobs most of my adult life, including writing, pizza delivery, and stand-up comedy.  Work is part of who I am.  I just want to do it on my own terms.

Are you in the same boat?  Maybe you’re nowhere near retirement, but you have this incredible sense of doom knowing a freight train is headed your way, and you can’t just sidestep it.  We’ve all been there.  Rita Davenport once said if money can fix a problem, it’s not a problem.  Fix it!  And there are more ways to do that than you’d ever imagine. 

We’ll talk more about this in the coming weeks, but I wanted to plant the seed.  We live in very uncertain times, and everything we’ve known about life to this point could change in an instant.  But that doesn’t mean we should stop trying.  No matter what, we will always be the primary factor in our own success.

That’s all for now.  I’m planning to write these posts more regularly and shorten them up while I’m at it.  Stop laughing!  But thanks for the time you spend with me, because it really does mean a lot.  Drop me a line when you have time.  Meanwhile, have an awesome day!

© 2026 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved

When Plans Meet Reality, Keep Stirring

by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning! I hope your day is off to a nice start.

In business, each month begins a new set of books. The old month is over and what’s done is done. All we have now are projections for the new month. In most cases, it’s a shot in the dark, like a kid telling you their grades will improve, and their room will be spotless by Friday.

I was once tasked to write a business plan for a corporate expansion – one that, if projections came true, would create more than 1,000 new jobs and result in the local government giving our company a large regional airport for free. I’ll save you some time. The company did expand into the new line of business. And the airport still belongs to the county.

The numbers just didn’t work. If we had hired all those people and put our plan into motion, we would have run out of new customers in a matter of months. And that’s if every potential customer in the nation bought our new product during that time. This wasn’t like Beanie Babies™. It was a mobile data terminal for heavy trucks. Exciting, huh?

My plan showed a profit of more than $20 million in the first six months. Wow! After that, our profit would drop to zero and all those people would be unemployed. So, the boss had an idea. “What if we increase our per-unit cost, and double the time it takes to build each unit?” Well, now we’d lose $13 million in the first six months and would never recoup that loss. Back to the drawing board.

We played with those numbers for a month, and I finally told the boss I sure hope somebody a lot smarter than me would be reviewing the plan. He assured me this is how ALL business plans are written. I find that a bit disturbing. Thank God we weren’t building airplanes. Thank God we weren’t building airplanes. 

It’s easy to start new endeavors with an overabundance of excitement. “Wow, I’ll be rich by next Friday! I should buy that new car now before the prices go up!” Thankfully, the practical side of our brain kicks in and brings us back to earth, maybe a little too much. Then we start to doubt the entire premise. “This can’t be that easy. Maybe the whole idea is stupid.” Sound familiar?

The truth is, nothing is ever as easy as it sounds, and nothing ever goes completely according to plan. Just ask NASA. But that shouldn’t stop us from trying. We just need to set realistic expectations and anticipate setbacks. If the idea is sound, it’ll still work. You may just need to tweak it a bit.

Fifty-six years ago, man first walked on the moon. It was a lofty goal. And we’ve all seen video of those early attempts at manned space flight. They weren’t pretty. Your dreams are no less important. You may not reach your goal as quickly as you’d hoped, but if you follow the plan and revise expectations based on experience, success is still out there waiting.

That’s all for now. Keep those dreams alive and never let anything stand in your way, especially your own imagination. Have an awesome day!

© 2025 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved

Even a Violin Eventually Sounds Good

by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning!  I hope your day is off to a great start.

Did you do anything fun over the weekend?  I usually ask that question with no idea what response I’ll get, but some of them are well worth the effort.  Which is why I don’t ask my oldest grandson, because I may get an answer I didn’t want.  I have to remind him every now and then that, although we’ve always been best friends, I’m still Grandpa.  We’ll just leave it at that.

My weekend revolved around a pair of high-school performances.  My oldest granddaughter (16) was in a production of Beauty and the Beast.  The sets, the music, the singing, and especially the acting, were all worthy of a lot more than the $10 admission price.  The acting was so good, I didn’t really notice the part of Gaston was played by a young lady.  I’m not sure she did, either.

Then yesterday I got to see my “bonus” granddaughter (also 16) in her school’s show choir final performance.  To see so much talent on the same stage, especially at an age where a lot of kids are thinking of anything but school, was inspirational.  And if I’m allowed to say it, our girl was amazing.  She stopped hearts with her two solos.  I know because mine was one of them. 

I was telling a friend yesterday I insisted my daughters would do some kind of extracurricular in school.  Band, choir, sports, chess club, it didn’t matter.  And I made sure that any time one of them was onstage, we were in the audience.  Sometimes, that takes a lot more love than we realize – band parents, especially.  If you know, you know.  Some things take a lot more practice than others.

But the day comes when they’re making actual, recognizable music, and the cat no longer hides behind the couch when they play.  And that glow on their face at the end of a performance is worth all the hours spent silently nodding our approval while trying to hide the earplugs.  It takes time and effort to master a skill.  Thankfully, these kids have plenty of both. 

I saw a poster once that showed a baby bird peeking out of the nest with a caption that read, “It flies because it thinks it can.”  We’re all born with no sense of limitations.  It’s how we learn to walk, and talk, and hold our own bottle.  And we carry those skills all through adulthood, though I do still spill a little sometimes.  I think I need more practice. Walking, that is.

Children’s minds are the epitome of imagination and possibility.  Sadly, both start to fade through the teenage years.  By adulthood, most of that magic is gone, which is why we have life coaches and motivational books to help rebuild what should never have been torn down in the first place.  If only we could nurture more of what was already there, there’s no limit to what they could accomplish.

We’re no different.  If we can remove the barriers that were put in place by people and events though our formative years, we can achieve any goal.  And, as a good friend used to ask, what would your dreams be if you knew you couldn’t fail?  Food for thought.

That’s all for now, friends.  Have an awesome day!

© 2024 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved

Confidence is So Under-Rated

by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning, and happy Friday! I hope your day is off to a great start.

As we move into the new year and toward the goals we’ve set for ourselves, it’s important to identify what’s standing in the way. It’s not so much about avoiding obstacles, but kicking them in the shins and showing them who’s boss. Now, if you have any ideas for making winter more accommodating to an old guy who needs to get out and walk, I’m all ears.

Today is my oldest granddaughter’s 16th birthday. Yes, I’m that old. She was born when I was 12. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Like most her age, she’s struggling to plan her path in life. What I wouldn’t give to be that age and have all those choices again. Okay, I’d probably end up right where I am, but hopefully with a smaller waistline. Hey, a man can dream!

Watching her navigate this phase of life, the things that stand out most are her creativity, sense of adventure, acceptance of others, and ability to find amusement in the simplest things. All those things will carry her far in this life. She just needs to know that. Of all the assets we can impart to our kids (and one another), none is more important than self-confidence.

Okay, my oldest grandson sometimes takes that to an extreme. It’s hard to control my facial expressions when he’s talking about buying a $150,000 sports car and can’t even afford a bicycle. But I have to remind myself, that’s his dream, not mine. Besides, there may be a reason he wants a car I couldn’t possibly fit into. I wouldn’t want to ride with me. Not with this attitude.

I try as hard as I can to be supportive, and to remind myself that they don’t have to live my life – my job is to help them live their own. Do I think my grandson will own a “Lambo” in the next twenty years? Not for a second. But I don’t have to share that sentiment. His bank will handle that all on their own. Right after they stop charging him overdraft fees.

But you know, I made some of the same mistakes when I was his age. Or five years ago, take your pick. I’m sure my dad would have advised me against spending six figures on a motorhome at this age, but I didn’t ask. We made our own decision based on our own goals in life. I’m such a rebel. Next thing you know, I’ll be tying my own shoes.

I’ve accomplished a lot in life, and I’m happy to be where I am. This is all I want for my kids and their kids. And I did it because my parents gave me the most wonderful gift of all. They believed in me and, as a consequence, I believed in myself. I never heard the words, “You can’t.” The worst Mom ever said was, “Go ahead – I dare you!” But that’s for another day.

Everybody, from the youngest child to the oldest senior, needs to believe in themselves. It’s as important as oxygen. And we are the ones who can inspire that confidence in them. If a simple smile can make a homeless person feel important, imagine what we can do with a few words of encouragement to those we love most. Friends, we could literally change the world.

That’s all for now. Have an awesome day and an even better weekend!

© 2024 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved

It’s Your Year – Make it Count!

by Dave Glardon, posted in Motivational Humor

Good morning, and happy New Year! I hope wherever you are, your day is off to a blessed start.

I know, I don’t usually write posts on holidays. But, being relegated to my own little corner in my own little chair (at the kitchen table) because of Covid, I find myself with all this creative energy and the need to do something constructive with it. I just hope this continues throughout 2024. The creative energy, not the Covid. All I can say is thank God for modern medicine. I’m much better.

I used to tell everyone my only New Year’s resolution was never to make another New Year’s resolution. It seemed to be the only one I could actually keep for 12 months. Over the years, I’ve resolved to get healthy (does surviving a stroke count?), write a book (don’t rush out to the store just yet), build my business (okay, laugh), and lose weight. That last one is the biggest joke of all.

I still want to do all those things, but I’ve learned you can’t just make a wish and expect those things to happen. Believe me, I’ve rubbed the finish off enough lamps over the years to realize there’s no genie waiting inside to magically grant my wishes. The only way for any of this to happen is for me to get up a little earlier each day and make it happen. So far all I’ve done is eat an earlier breakfast.

But you know, it all starts with a mindset. We can’t simply want to succeed; we have to focus on the reasons we want to succeed. Change for the sake of change is doomed to fail. I have a few bosses who could stand to learn that one. But change, based on a clear understanding of what was wrong in the first place, at least stands a chance. I’m not buying bigger pants. How’s that for motivation?

The other thing to keep in mind is that you can’t torment yourself to the achievement of a goal. You have to lighten up. That’s why I try so hard (and not always so successfully) to inject a little humor in what would be an otherwise boring message. It’s impossible to be miserable when you laugh. Okay, abdominal stitches aside. A comedy club is not the place to be right after hernia surgery.

But as a standup comedian, I usually ended my show by reminding my audience of the importance of laughter. I once did a tour with gout in both feet so bad I was nearly crippled. But from the start of my shows until the end, there was no pain – just exhilaration. Sure, the pain came back later, usually with a vengeance. “I’ll teach you to ignore me!” Oh well. It was worth it.

The point is, no matter what your goals for the coming year, face them with a sense of humor. Get rid of that contorted face and stop telling everyone how hard you’re working and what you’re giving up. Nobody wants to hear it, and it’s not doing you any favors, either. Just focus on the reason and enjoy the journey. Who knows? You might even make a few new friends along the way.

I have some dear friends whose health challenges this past year make mine look like a walk in the park. Some of them have no idea what the future may bring, but they’re still out there making the most of each day, because they can. So can you. No matter what 2023 threw your way, you made it this far. So, put a smile on your face, a song in your heart, and get on with life. You ain’t dead yet.

That’s all for now, friends. May 2024 bring you all peace, prosperity, health, and happiness. Have an awesome day!

© 2024 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved

P.S. Those of you who have been with me over the years know how much I love hearing from you. I don’t write these posts for me – it’s all for you. Your feedback helps keep me inspired and on track. And if you know anybody who could use a little more positivity in their life, please share this link and invite them to come along. Together, we can make this thing rock!