Success – Page 18 – Dave Glardon

You’ve Got This!

February 11, 2019February 11, 2019 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend.

I spent most of my weekend working. But, in fairness, I was working on my own personal goals, so that’s not really like work. Okay, some of it is, but it just doesn’t seem as labor-intensive when it’s something you want to do. Like building a new house. It’s hard work no matter who’s moving in, but it just seems a lot less grueling when that somebody is you.

But it helps knowing you have what it takes to get the job done. I’ve attempted some jobs in the past where, not long after I started, I realized I was in way over my head. There’s something to be said for checking things out ahead of time and making sure you either have, or can acquire, the skills needed. Otherwise, you’ll be paying somebody else a lot of extra money to clean up your mess.

And, I think it’s that fear of getting in over our heads that keeps us from taking on more than we do. Even taking a new job doing the same thing we’ve been doing for years is scary, because no matter how similar the actual job may be, every company has its own quirks. And that keeps a lot of people in jobs they really don’t like, because sometimes it’s easier than making a change.

But, let’s assume you’re happy with your job (I hope you are). That doesn’t mean you can’t, or shouldn’t, look for other opportunities, and it doesn’t mean you can’t dream of a lifestyle beyond what you can attain in your current job. But finding those opportunities and doing something about them two different challenges. All too often, we never try. “It’ll never work.”

Have you ever seen a job posting for something you really wanted to do, but weren’t quite sure you were qualified? Maybe you read the “required skills” and went down the list going, “Nope … nope … maybe … nope.” They all seem to be worded in a way that makes you wonder if you’re even capable of doing the job you already do. It’s like they don’t even want you to try.

And while we’re talking to other people to find out what a certain “required” qualification entails, somebody else with fewer skills comes along and applies for the position and, next thing you know, they’ve got the job. And you’re left kicking yourself for not taking the shot, because you’re absolutely more qualified than that other guy.

It’s natural to assume the people who have been able to achieve the things we want are somehow better qualified or more deserving than we are. Maybe they’ve worked harder or went to a better school. Maybe they know the right people. And maybe they just faked their way through it until success came knocking. Sometimes you have to talk the talk before you can walk the walk. And sometimes, you just have to be willing to try something a little different.

Our pastor told us the story of a man who, while looking for his golf ball in the edge of a lake, noticed there were dozens of other balls in the same area. So, he talked to the owner of the course and struck a deal – he’d dive every lake on the course, and the course would pay him ten cents for every ball he retrieved. It turned into a full-time business that he later sold for over $5 million.

Sometimes, the obvious answer isn’t so obvious. Sometimes it means doing something you believe in when everybody else says it’ll never work. I’m sure the Wright brothers heard that as they built their first airplane. I’m sure Bill Gates heard that as he built Microsoft, or Mark Zuckerberg as he envisioned Facebook. And that guy diving for golf balls? Yeah, I’m sure he got laughed at a time or two.

And not a one of those people had any more brains or abilities than you. What they had was a desire, a dream of something better, and the belief that they could be the one to make it happen. It’s been said that Alexander Graham Bell didn’t invent the telephone. He took somebody else’s failed attempt, adjusted a screw one-quarter turn, and it began to replicate the human voice.

Just because nobody’s ever done something doesn’t mean it can’t be done. And just because others have already accomplished what you desire, it doesn’t mean there’s no room for one more. And, most of all, none of that means somebody else is more likely to succeed. Believe in yourself and work with a sense of purpose. Because there is nobody more deserving than you.

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

Get Off the Beaten Path!

February 8, 2019 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning, and happy Friday! I hope you’re having a fantastic day!

As we head into the weekend, some of us are planning a couple of days of rest and recreation. For others, it’s two days to catch up on everything that got neglected around the house because of the “real” job. And, depending on your job, this could be the busiest two days of the week.

Over the years, I’ve worked a lot of side jobs. When I was in the Navy, I spent my evenings and weekends on the receiving end of a 40-lane bowling alley. Have you ever wondered who that is in the shadows back there, taking care of pin jams and ball returns? That would be me.

!f just a few minutes. I ran back and forth all night and then collapsed in exhaustion.

I’ve had other side jobs – pizza delivery, standup comedy, running my own businesses. You see, I learned early in life that, once you negotiate your starting pay on most jobs, that’s about as good as it gets. You may get a promotion here and there. But for the most part, the best you can hope for is a cost-of-living increase that’ll let you keep living exactly the way you did last year.

If you want anything extra along the way, you have to do a little extra to get it. So, we put in a little overtime, take a side job, sell some old belongings, or turn off the cable TV and eat Cheerios for a month. Whatever it takes. Because the fact remains, whatever you made on your job last year is about what you can expect to make this year.

I’ve met lots of people who had some pretty demanding jobs on the side. I once worked with a project manager who spent almost every evening in a theme park, cooking hundreds of pizzas until closing time. And every morning, he was back on the job. I’d be lying if I said you could never tell. He mumbled every word and walked like the living dead.

It goes without saying that we can only keep up a pace like that for a certain amount of time before it catches up with us. Yet, with just about any one of those people, if you were to suggest something a lot less stressful, maybe even enjoyable, that they can do from the comfort of their own home, they shake their head and move on. And the answer is always the same. “That’ll never work.”

We’ve been conditioned from the time we were children to believe hard work is the only way to succeed. If you’re not reaching your goals, you’re not working hard enough. Get a better education, find a better job. Put in some overtime and climb the corporate ladder. And the reward for all that is, you get to work even more.

At some point in history, somebody figured out you could move a large rock a lot easier if you roll it instead of trying to pick it up. It’s called working smarter. No matter what your goal, there are lots of ways to get there. But banging your head against a wall for 46 years will give you a headache. The key is finding an easier way to get the job done.

That means keeping your mind open to opportunities others can’t (or won’t) see. The well-trodden path is crowded and, if you keep following the same crowd, you’ll get to the same destination, behind every one of them. If you want to arrive at a different (hopefully better) destination, you have to get on a different path.

And that can be scary. It means taking a leap of faith into the unknown, going against conventional knowledge, and trying something you never saw yourself doing. And it may take a few tries to make any real progress. But if you keep at it, sooner or later you’ll find the path ahead is a lot shorter and more open than what you left behind.

Try to find a little time to relax this weekend. And, in that time, open your mind to possibilities you never really considered. Dream of not where you are, but where you’d like to be. Then begin thinking about how you can get there. It’s possible you already know. The answer may be right there waiting for you to take the next step. There’s only one way to find out. That’s all for now. Have an awesome day!

Dig the Well Today – You May Need a Drink Tomorrow

February 6, 2019February 6, 2019 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

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

This is the time of day that many of us are getting ready to leave for work. Hopefully you only have to do this once each day. There are lots of people who work more than one job, clocking in twice or even three times a day. Sometimes it’s just for some of life’s extras, like maybe a down payment on a car or a vacation. But all too often, we need these extra jobs just to make ends meet.

There could be lots of reasons for that, some a little more self-inflicted than others. But it really doesn’t matter. When bills are piling up and there’s not enough money to make them go away, it’s more than frustrating. It can be downright paralyzing.

Of course, the easy answer (and the one offered up most often) is don’t over-extend yourself. That’s great advice, but it doesn’t do much to make the problem go away right now. Time is usually not part of the equation, because the time to get something started was weeks, or even months, ago. Even if you started a second job today, it could be three weeks before you get paid.

Part of the problem is we tend to miss the signs that things are headed in the wrong direction. We know the bills will need to be paid, but somehow overlook the reality that there just won’t be enough to go around. By the time the problem becomes obvious, it’s too late. Now we’re robbing Peter to pay Paul, and setting ourselves up for months, or even years, of being behind.

It all goes back to a concept I’ve written about in the past – dig the well before you get thirsty. Digging the well takes time, and the first water coming up may not even be fit to drink. But if we see the need and respond before it becomes a problem, it’s usually little more than a bump in the road. You pump the handle, and out comes water. You go to the bank, and the money you need is there.

And this concept stretches way beyond just financial matters. Have you ever seen a job posting for something you’d really love to do, but realize in reading the qualifications you’ve come up a little short? Sure, you could take a class or learn a new skill. But the company doesn’t have time to wait. By the time you could get through a class, the job will be filled.

Or maybe you read about a special cruise with your favorite musician. It’s a once in a lifetime event, and you’d desperately love to go. But over the course of the year, you’ve burned all your personal leave a day or two at a time, maybe with frivolous things or just because you didn’t feel like going to work. Now, even if you had the money, you couldn’t get the time off.

Digging the well means anticipating the unexpected. It means recognizing that events will transpire over the coming year that you can’t begin to plan for. At the start of 2018, I didn’t expect to have brain surgery by the end of the year. But it happened, and let me tell you, having a little money in the bank and a whole bunch of vacation time on the books made a world of difference.

Digging the well also means keeping your mind open to trying something a little out of the ordinary. No matter what you hope to accomplish, there are opportunities out there just waiting to be discovered. But you have to do two things. First, you have to actually be looking. Opportunity doesn’t knock. Bill collectors knock. If you want to find opportunity, you have to do the knocking.

You also have to be ready when opportunities arise. That means being able to recognize an opportunity for what it is, to look beyond potential flaws and what other people think, to find what may be a pot of gold waiting at the end. It means keeping your options open instead of immediately looking for reasons not to even give it a try.

There are many paths to success, some a lot more traditional and predictable than others. But the fact remains, the obvious and predictable path is crowded, and the rewards may not be all that special. If you want something more, you have to do something more. Take those chances, stick your neck out a little. Be willing to embrace the path less traveled.

To have something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done. And success means spending a few years of your life doing the things most people won’t do so you can spend the rest of your life doing what most people can’t do. You’ve heard this all before. The question is, what will you do about it?

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

Game On! What Position Will You Play?

February 4, 2019February 4, 2019 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Well, the Super Bowl is over, and one team is celebrating a lot more than the other. I didn’t watch but, from the score, it appears the stars of both teams were on the defense. It’s not often you see a big game with scoring so low on both sides.

I was never known for my athletic ability and, as a result, I was never much of a sports fan. I played little league baseball and football, which is to say they let me be on the team. I think there was something about that in the rules. My job on both teams was to occupy every square inch of the bench so the star players didn’t end up with splinters in their butt.

And that’s okay. We all get a few splinters every now and then. Besides, there were lots of things I could do much better than the stars of the team. But apparently, my mastery of the multiplication tables and ability to speak in complete sentences wasn’t a big turn-on for the girls back then. And I learned really fast not to compare report cards in the locker room.

Somewhere along the line, though, those things began to take on greater importance. Toward the end of high school, girls did start to gain an appreciation for intelligence. Or maybe it was my motorcycle. I’m still not completely sure. But my clumsiness on the playing field began to matter less over the years. Even the jocks didn’t care. To them, I was just another face in the hallway.

And here’s the thing – never once have I filled out a job application that asked about my batting average or how many times I sacked the quarterback. Seems now, all they care about is my brain. Well, that and my willingness to show up for work every day and actually do something productive.

That’s not to say I’m any better than the guys who chased me around the locker room with mentholatum and wet towels. In fact, I’m pretty sure some of them went on to have successful careers of their own. Hopefully someplace that places a high value on giving the new guy a wedgie. But I’m sure a lot of the people who control my paycheck were stars of the team back in the day.

We all have gifts. Some are more visible than others, and some are more valuable in a given situation. An athletic physique can be an asset when you’re sitting on the lifeguard stand or carrying a fire hose up six flights of stairs. But in the boardroom, where it’s covered by an Armani suit, nobody really cares.

For most of us, life exists somewhere in the middle. And, in that world, it takes a mix of skills to get by. There are days when a few extra muscles come in handy, like when it comes time to dump a 40-pound bag of salt into the water softener. Other times, those extra muscles are about as useful as a fork in a bowl of soup.

The key is to make the most of our gifts so that, when a situation arises, we’re able to pull out the right one. Ask any mechanic about their toolbox, and they’ll probably tell you they started with a couple of screwdrivers, and then built from there. One day they needed a set of wrenches. The next day it was a pair of pliers. And, for all of us, the day comes when we just need a bigger hammer.

There are some jobs that only require one tool, or one skill. But the more complex tasks require a mix of abilities. And sometimes, it’s the most delicate tools that we rely on the most. When I had my surgery a couple of months ago, one of the tools used was a bone saw. But I’m pretty sure the surgeon had a whole tray of tools to work with. Hopefully he counted them all when he was done.

We each have our own unique combination of skills and knowledge. That’s what makes us different and able to tackle a given situation with just a little more ability than the person next to us. But tomorrow, we may have to sit by and watch them take the “hero” spot for a day.

Our ability to use those gifts, and to seek out and find people who complement our own talents, can carry us to unlimited heights. We don’t have to be the star of the team. All we have to do is bring our best and make each day as important as the big game. Do that, and you’ll win every time.

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

Believe, and You Can Achieve

January 30, 2019 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Have you ever had something you wanted, something pretty much out of reach, and then that day comes when you believe it’s possible? Maybe it was a job you wanted that you never dared apply for. You’d read the qualifications, and it just seemed a bit unrealistic. But then that day comes when you take a leap of faith. You ace the interview and get the job. Or you get a step closer and they ask you to apply again next year.

Several times in my life, I was able to advance my career by taking that leap of faith. My mom always used to say, “If you say no to yourself, they don’t have to.” And I found that a lot of those job descriptions were a wish list – something dreamed up by a manager and polished up by a Human Resources recruiter with no real idea of what the job entails.

It’s like that with a lot of things in life. You see something you want, and you begin compiling your own list of qualifications. Halfway through, you decide there’s no way you’re even remotely qualified for this, so you give up and move on to something else. Or, worse yet, you just stay right where you are.

But if you took a little time to meet somebody who has already reached your goal and asked them a few simple questions, you may find some of those qualifications (roadblocks) you put in your way are really just speed bumps. And in some cases, they’re just lines on the road. After a while, you begin to realize maybe you can do this.

Why? Because you’ve done something remotely similar before, and that came out well. Maybe you made a few mistakes along the way, and maybe you failed completely. But you learned from that experience and know what you’d do differently this time. Success may not be guaranteed, but it’s a lot more likely than you thought.

Napoleon Hill said whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Well, the “conceive” part is easy. You see something you want or come up with a brilliant idea for something you want to accomplish. The more you think about it and begin to visualize success, it becomes a dream. Let that dream become a burning desire, and you’re on your way.

But, that’s not enough. The second part of that equation is to believe. It’s not enough to want financial success, or even to visualize yourself enjoying the rewards. You have to believe you can actually achieve that goal. You have to see yourself going through all the steps required to get there. And you have to know that, regardless of any setbacks, you will succeed.

That can be tough if you don’t have any successes to look back upon. But you do. We all do. An infant sees you holding their bottle and begins to believe they can do it. Then they see you pick up toys, and that doesn’t look so hard. One day they realize they have the ability to move a few inches across the floor, so they crawl. And, based on all those successes, they decide maybe they can walk.

It’s all part of what I call the habit of success. When you’ve learned to play Chopsticks on the piano, it’s easier to believe you can learn the next song. After a while, you’re playing with both hands, and not even looking at the keys. Then, one day, you hear somebody playing the works of Beethoven and decide that’s your next goal. Why? Because you can.

The habit of success is all about building on those seemingly small wins. After a while, taking that next step or reaching for new heights is no big deal, because if you’ve learned one thing in life, it’s that you can succeed. You’ve proven it time after time. And that, my friends, is the basis of belief. Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

Believing in yourself is as simple as reflecting on all those wins in the past, both big and small. And it means understanding that, what may have seemed like a failure at the time was simply a learning experience that’s made you that much stronger today. Focus on that, and you’ll begin to realize there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.

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

Dream Big … Then Dream Bigger

January 29, 2019January 29, 2019 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Those of you who read my posts regularly know we’d planned to go to an RV show this past weekend. It was a safe outing, because I’m not in any position to buy an RV at the moment. But the day is coming, and we’re beginning to look around to see what’s out there.

A friend asked why we’re shopping if we’re not ready to buy. I told him it’s only called shopping if you can afford to buy something. When your bank account is a little shy, that’s called dream-building. But I think it’s an important part of setting goals, because unless you have a reason to accomplish those goals, why bother? Having a tangible reward at the end makes it worthwhile.

As we walked through row after row of everything from small trailers to luxury motor coaches, my wife asked why I was checking out the travel trailers when we’re after something with a driver’s seat. And the reason is simple – in looking through some of those other models, you may find one or two features that you never knew about and, now that you’ve seen it, you can’t live without it.

Isn’t that the way it goes? In a previous life, I was a car salesman. One of the first lessons I learned was to find out about my customer’s budget before I showed them something fully loaded because, once they’ve seen that, they’ll never be satisfied with anything less. And that’s okay, if their budget can stretch like a bungee cord. But more often than not, it just didn’t work out.

But when you’re dream-building, you shouldn’t constrain yourself to a specific budget. Sure, reality tells you where to draw the line, but if you’re not stretching things a little, you’re not trying hard enough. The purpose of dream-building is to let your imagination roam, and then once that dream is crystal clear and you commit to it, your brain will figure out how to make it happen.

Still, as we walked through the show, I was reminded of the time my youngest daughter was sifting through a toy catalog before Christmas, pen in hand. My dad laughed and said, “You must not know what you want if you need a catalog to make your list.” She shrugged and replied, “I’m not making a list – I’m crossing off everything I don’t want.” Now, that’s what I call dream-building!

Whether your dream is a new car, a tropical vacation, or a bigger home, you have to get out there and see what’s available. Some of that you can do from the comfort of your own home. Turn on the TV and check out some of the travel shows. Pick up a magazine. Go to the library and check out some books. There are all kinds of ways to feed your imagination.

And that’s important, because it’s our imagination that allows us to visualize something beyond our current reality. It’s what led the Wright brothers to invent the airplane. It’s what allowed a team of physicists to put a man on the moon. And it’s what allows ordinary people just like us to step beyond the constraints of life as we know it, and into the great beyond.

Most people don’t dream of an ordinary life. We all want something a little out of the ordinary. And that’s the way it should be, because it’s the desire for something better that drives us to be better. Whether that means practicing a musical instrument, learning a new skill, building (or rebuilding) a relationship, or starting a business, it’s that desire that gives us a reason to try.

It would be nice if we had the ability to just go out and achieve every one of our dreams tomorrow. To have enough talent, the right physique, the perfect skills, or enough money in the bank, would mean we could have just about anything we want. It would also mean we’d have nothing left to work toward. And that, my friends, would be a pretty sad existence.

Don’t just dream a little, dream big! Feed your imagination and let it soar. Envision something greater than you ever thought possible. If you start high, you can always come down a little. But if your dream begins with what you can do today, you can never expect anything more. So, aim high. You’re worth it.

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

Who’s Got Your Ear?

January 28, 2019 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

My wife and I celebrated our anniversary over the weekend – 39 years of building a life and raising a family together. I’d love to say it’s all been awesome, but there’s a reason we focus on the end result instead of all the twists and turns along the way. And in our case, the end result has been more than worth everything it took to get here.

Except we haven’t reached the end yet. I like to think we’re just over halfway there. Because every day will bring new challenges and new accomplishments. Some of those days will be better than others, and some will be downright heartbreaking. But without those challenges, the successes would hardly be worth celebrating. They’d just be another day.

Marriage is like a lot of things in life. It begins with a dream, something we want enough to work for it. We dress up a bit, break out our best manners, show a little extra affection, and laugh at jokes that really aren’t that funny. We overlook flaws. We give up some of our free time. And we do it all without hesitation, because that’s how we find out if this is something we really want.

Then, there comes a point where we commit. We’re no longer just going out and having a good time – now we’re building a relationship, seeing just how far it will go. The good times get better, but we occasionally have to work through some disagreements. Things that would have sent us packing in the early days, but now we’re in too deep to just give up.

Finally, we’re ready to make the ultimate commitment. Till death do us part. That’s when all those friends who were so happy to hang out with the two of you are full of advice, and it’s not always positive. They think they’re doing you a favor. Your eyes are obviously so clouded with fairy dust, you can no longer think for yourself. Been there?

Marriage is one of a few things in life well-intended family and friends will try to talk you out of. Tell people you’re about to quit your job and move to another state, and you’ll get some feedback. Tell them you’re starting a business, and they’ll give you all the reasons it’ll never work. Tell them you’re thinking about joining the clergy and they may do a full-blown intervention.

And make no mistake – these people truly think they have your best interests at heart. They’ve been there. Or they have a friend who’s been there. Or they read a book by somebody whose cousin has a friend whose neighbor has been there. And, in every case, it ended in disaster. Otherwise, they’d just sit there quietly and pat you on the back.

If you wanted advice on advancing to the upper management of your company, would you ask someone who’s been steadily climbing the corporate ladder, or the office gossip who gets their jollies watching somebody else take a fall? Would you listen to the person who’s doing what you hope to do, or the one who can only offer a laundry list of reasons you shouldn’t?

When I wanted to learn to drive, I went to somebody who not only knew how, but could actually do it without causing an accident. When I wanted advice on relationships, I talked to my mom. When I wanted to learn how to be a comedian, I talked to touring headliners. And, here’s the thing – those people are all willing to offer their advice as well. But sometimes you have to ask.

Successful people are just as eager to share their insight as those who tried and failed, or who never tried in the first place. They may not be as loud, and they may not be as insistent. They don’t have to be. They’re too busy working on their own goals to waste time on somebody who isn’t willing to listen and learn. But if follow their advice, they can save you a lot of heartache.

A lot of people tried to talk me out of getting married. Okay, in all honesty, a lot more tried to talk my wife out of it. I’m glad we didn’t listen to them. I’d like to think my daughters and grandchildren feel the same. It hasn’t all been pretty. But even the Mona Lisa started with a smear of dark paint.

No matter what it is you hope to accomplish, learn from those who have done it instead of those who haven’t. Nobody who’s ever succeeded at anything worthwhile will try to convince you it’s not worth the effort. They know the challenges you’ll face, and they know how to help you through them. But most of all, they know the reward is worth the effort. And deep down inside, so do you.

That’s it for now. Have an awesome day!

Your ‘Wagon’ is Right Where You Parked It

January 25, 2019 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning, and happy Friday! I hope your day is starting off just right.

When I saw my surgeon a couple of weeks ago, he told me I can start exercising again. By that, I think he meant something other than lifting food to my mouth. I’ve always done pretty well with that. He told me to ease back into it, which is no problem at all. I’ve learned over the years that exercise isn’t something you just jump right into. Unless you like pain.

I went a couple of times, and already my lower back is making me pay for it. I didn’t do anything intense, but apparently what I did do was a little too much. You see, extra weight and back problems never play nicely together. You have to lose the weight to make your back feel better, but exercise kills your back. It’s the proverbial Catch-22.

So, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that, at least initially, I have to do exercises where my back is fully supported. And I’m pretty sure my recliner isn’t part of the solution. That means I have to find a way to sit comfortably while I make myself sweat. Maybe a chaise lounge chair on a sunny beach? It could work!

As luck would have it, they just built a brand-new YMCA a half-mile from home, so I went in the other night for a tour. It’s pretty impressive. Two gymnasiums, two pools (one for warm-water therapy), an overhead walking track, and a huge workout room with every type of exercise apparatus known to man. Some of them are even motorized. Now, that’s my kind of exercise!

But what struck me the most was how many people were there. The place was packed. There wasn’t a treadmill to be found, and I know those basketball teams had a lot more than five players on the court. My tour guide told me it’s like that in the early evening. She also said it’s a new facility, so everyone wants to be there. For now.

Finally, I asked her if she thinks a lot of that is what we call the “resolution crowd.” You know, people who make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, and then hit the gym every day through January and the first week or two of February. After that, you never see most of them again. Kinda like the crowd in church on Easter Sunday. She replied, “Oh, yeah!”

Granted, nobody wants to go to the gym when it’s so packed you can’t move. But, on the other hand, I’d really like to think the majority of those people will stick with it. I used to go into the gym the first week of January, see all the new faces, and say a prayer that they’d keep coming. Maybe all that praying is why they stopped. Guess I should have kept it to myself.

And the important thing is, they made the effort. I have to believe people who start working toward a goal and fall off the wagon are at least able to remember why they started it in the first place, then dust themselves off and climb back on. I say that because I’m one of them. I’m great at starting projects. It’s just the follow-through that gives me trouble.

Still, with very few exceptions, we can always start again. We can get back to the gym or get back to that healthy diet. We can finish painting the basement or clean out the garage. We can write that book, build that business, or climb that mountain. Whatever it was we started and stopped (or never quite started in the first place), we can go back and finish it.

As long as we’re breathing, we’re never completely out of the game. Granted, there are things I can’t do at this age and physical condition that I wish I could do. But I can improve my physical condition to make some of them a little more possible. I may never run a marathon, but maybe someday I can walk one. Sometimes we have to tweak our goals, but we should never just let them die.

Exercise is like a lot of other things in life. When you haven’t been doing it for a long time, you need to ease back into it and find your sweet spot. Too much too fast can cause some serious problems. And, like exercise, you can ease your way back into anything else you’ve started and let slide. The goal is still there, and the path to success hasn’t really changed. You just need to get back on track.

You never truly fail until you stop trying. And, as I’ve always said, better late than never. If there’s something you want, no matter how many times you’ve tried before, keep on trying. You’ll get there.

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

Feed Your Dreams to Help Them Grow

January 24, 2019 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

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

We were talking yesterday about dreams and how, for too many of us, the ability to dream seems to fade as we grow older. I’m not sure if that’s because we’ve been kicked down a few times too many, or because we just don’t have much that excites us anymore. Either way, it’s something I hope never to experience. There’s just too much in life I still haven’t accomplished.

I’m the kind of person who can usually describe my dreams in pretty vivid detail. Not the kind I have while I’m asleep … those are usually gone by the time I get my first look at the clock. But in terms of goals and plans for the future, I have no problem with that. Those visions are crystal clear.

Still, we all need to feed our dreams from time to time. It’s not enough to see a motorhome drive down the road and say, “Someday!” I’m a proponent of putting up pictures where you’re sure to see them a few times a day, but pictures lack depth. Sometimes, you need to experience the real thing.

Well, as luck would have it, there’s an RV show in town this weekend and we’re headed over there for a little dream-building this Saturday. I doubt we’ll find the exact floorplan and options we want right there on the showroom floor, but that’s okay because the bank says I still have to wait a little longer before I get my own set of keys. But you know what? They’ll still let you look!

Now, I’ll admit a motorhome is a pretty lofty dream, at least for some people. That won’t stop me from owning one, but it’s a little more involved than buying a refrigerator or a new car. And I know there are people who wouldn’t even consider going to a show or a dealership until they have the money to close the deal. But that can take a long time. Dream-building makes it happen sooner.

A friend often tells the story of giving a presentation in Mexico to an audience that didn’t speak a word of English. As he was telling them to put a picture of their dream on the refrigerator, a woman in the back started jumping up and down and yelling in excitement. He asked the interpreter what she was saying, and he said, “She has a dream! She wants a refrigerator!”

There’s a certain humor in that, but also a certain level of humility. A refrigerator is usually no big deal, because very few of us have ever lived without one. Like too many other things, we generally take them for granted. As long as they’re working and keeping the food cold, we seldom give them a second thought. But for some people, that IS the dream.

The perceived extravagance of our dreams varies by our ability to attain them. Thirty years ago, I worked for a company that built world-class motor yachts. These boats were the very definition of opulence. The first boat I worked on, the captain was opening two boxes of double-stemmed Waterford crystal. The glassware in those two boxes cost $15,000. No special reason – just because.

Now, for people who can afford luxury like that, my dream of owning a motorhome is pretty frugal, especially since I’d have to drive it myself. And to the person living in a mansion, a mobile home isn’t all that impressive. But I remember a time when owning a double-wide was a dream that took us from one dealer to another, three years before we were actually able to buy one.

It’s all a matter of perspective. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. But you can bet the person who’s completely happy with their current circumstances won’t be doing much of anything to make things better. It all has to start with a vision, a dream of something that’s worthy of a little effort.

When we keep our dreams in focus, our brain starts working with a sense of purpose. Instead of accepting those dreams as a passing vision, it tries to make them materialize. And nothing feeds that energy better than putting yourself in the middle of your dream, right there in the driver’s seat. The deeper you immerse yourself into that version of reality, the more likely you are to achieve it.

Our brains think in pictures, and that’s why it’s so important to have pictures of dreams where we’ll see them several times a day. But sometimes, we need to step beyond the two-dimensional world and truly experience the sights, sounds, and smells associated with our dreams. That’s when they become real.

So, feed those dreams. They may seem far off at the moment, but you’re getting closer every day.

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

You’re Never Too Old to Dream

January 23, 2019January 23, 2019 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

In 2017, 79-year-old Lucy Capers crossed the stage at the University of Maryland’s graduation to accept her diploma and degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Studies. Let me say that again. She was just shy of 80 years old with 13 great-grandchildren and was graduating with people more than 50 years younger. When asked why, she simply said, “I always had a desire to know things.”

I love these stories. It’s worth turning on the news, just on the off-chance something like this will come up. Maybe that’s partly because I’m only 18 years from that age myself. It’s nice to know people can and do still get out there and chase their dreams, even when most others their age would be happy to kick back and coast through the final ride.

My grandson and I have always enjoyed a day at the local theme park. I still enjoy the thrill of a good rollercoaster, especially the ones that defy gravity with loops, corkscrews, and inversions. And as I stand in line for those rides with people who aren’t old enough to buy their own ice cream, it’s heartwarming to see people older than I am in the same line.

Now, I can’t say my doctor would be all that happy about seeing me in that line. That’s okay. He’s too wimpy to ride these things anyway. But there seems to be a misconception that, once we reach a certain age, we’re supposed to start acting like old people.

I’ve always tried to instill a spirit of youth and hope in my daughters and grandchildren, and I’m sure most of you do as well. I always told them they could accomplish anything they set their mind to and encouraged them to embrace their dreams. And let me tell you, kids can dream! It’s hard sometimes not to bring them back to “reality”, but it’s so important that we don’t.

So, at what point in life do we decide dreams are to be reeled in and it’s time to face the real world? For me, it began in high school. I had grand visions of life as a rock star, complete with a waterfront mansion and my own personal yacht. That’s when Dad started coaching my dreams a little and suggested maybe I should come up with a more realistic plan. Okay, his exact words were “get your head out of the clouds and find a real job,” but you get the idea.

And he didn’t mean to be negative. I didn’t mean to be negative as I gave my daughter some career advice when, at the age of 17, she informed me that she was looking for something “in management.” There are, after all, certain steps we have to take if we want to climb a particular ladder. You may skip one or two rungs along the way, but you can’t just jump right to the top.

And, even though I had to dash her dreams for the moment and tell her that being “third key” at the vitamin store just isn’t all that impressive on an executive resume, she eventually climbed that ladder and moved to the top of her career field. Because, like her dad, she never stopped dreaming. Her sister is the same. I guess the nut really doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

What made a 79-year-old think she could go to college and get a degree? The same thing that makes a toddler think they can climb the shelves of the refrigerator to reach the marshmallows. It’s an inner desire, a fire that just won’t be extinguished, and a brain that never learned the meaning of “impossible.”

What are your dreams? More importantly, which of your dreams have you pushed to the side over the years? You know, they never really die. Like an abandoned puppy, they sit there just waiting for the right person to come along and enjoy them for what they are, and what they can become.

Several months ago, a Michigan man found out the rock he’d picked up and had been using as a doorstop for the past 30 years was actually a meteorite worth $100,000. Wonder how many people kicked that rock out of the way before he came along?

You’re never too old to dream. And you’re never too old to act on those dreams. Give up on that whole concept of acting your age and accepting whatever life throws your way. And stop leaving your dreams on the side of the road because you picked up too much extra baggage along the way and something had to go.

Life will deal you enough disappointments without adding any more of your own. And the best way to work through those disappointments is to keep those dreams alive. If you have kids, you’ve probably told them “you can do anything you set your mind to.” Well, maybe it’s time to say it again. Only this time, stand in front of the mirror when you do it.

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