I think God creates such amazing people because it brings tears to his eyes too:
A perfect life is a bunch of perfect moments strung together:
- San Augustin coffee from Second Cup with cream, not milk, and a hint of cinammon, on the patio, with a light breeze.
- Watching Kailey sprint off the bench with her eye on the puck, reaching out with one hand on her stick, and curving around the defense to slide one passed the goalie’s pads.
- Listening to Jeremy play a Buckethead riff on his guitar, until he gets it right.
- Helping Grace build her summer memory box out of paper mache and photos of friends.
- In bed with my husband, sleeping. His leg draped over mine, my neck resting on his arm with his breath gently blowing at a wisp of hair.
- Listening to Joshua Bell’s Waves at Play (Wellenspiel) with a cup of San Augustin coffee.
- Watching Jeremy take the inside line around corner four and, with the pedal to the floor, accelerate his go-kart passed the other racer to take the lead.
- Watching Grace proudly perform her double back handspring after training for four hours in the gym.
- Listening to Kailey play YMCA on her piano because her hands are finally big enough.
- Relaxing on my lounge chair in the sun on my deck, with my cup of San Augustin coffee, listening to Joshua Bell.
Pick yours.
Tags: Moments
Julia Cameron believes that an artist date should have a permanent spotin your weekly calendar. I found myself succumbing to a Starbucks-and-Chapters ritual artist date. I don’t think that was the general idea.
Then, I stumbled on Keri Smith’s How to be an explorer of the world, on one of those dates.
Keri has encouraged me to explore and brought life back to my dates.
Can poetry inspire you to a new perspective?
This city:
the
always
noise
grinding
up from the
subways
under
ground
slamming from bus tires
and taxi horns and engines
of cars and trucks in all
vocabularies
of
clash
flash
screeching
hot metal language
combinations
as planes
overhead
roar
an
orchestra
of rolling drums
and battle blasts
assaulting
my ears
with
the
always
noise of
this city:
street music.
In my work as a coach, my clients are often stopped from achieving their perfect life because of fear.
I love this quote from Osho, in Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously:
Why are you afraid? What can the world do to you? People can laugh at you, it will do them good–laughter is always a medicine, healthful.
What a fun perspective!
Besides, if we are not afraid, what would we need courage for?
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is feeling the fear and stepping beyond it (have you heard that before?–no news).
My stepson, Patrick, is a paratrooper and I asked him if he is still afraid after his 1000th jump. He replied,” Of course, otherwise I would be complacent about my preparation. I need to be diligent in preparing for each jump. Fear help me do that. Once I prepare, I am ready and I jump. That is where the thrill is.”
Where is your throat-limping wall of fear? What do you need to do to prepare (pack your chute, check your gear)?
Then JUMP.
That is where the thrill is.
I hope that my eyes are always shining.
Watch this TED video and be opened to what is possible:
I found myself defending the use of the perfect when I described my coaching business. I felt like the gentleman was suggesting that he wasn’t sure I had the authority to decide what a perfect life was.
And that is actually the point.
I don’t actually have any right to tell you what is perfect for you. That is for you to decide, and figure out, then bring or keep in your life.
I have found that there people who support your quest for a perfect life, and some who don’t.
Some of the people
that can help you on your perfect life path are:
- Someone who loves you just for you. That love is magical.
- Someone who isn’t afraid to be totally honest with you. They will give you courage.
- Someone who knows just about everyone. They can save you time.
- Someone who can solve your problems for you. Why not outsource them.
- Someone upon whom you can rely in a crisis.
- Someone who you love completely, just because. Love is its own reward.
- Someone you can mentor or coach. They will bring out your best.
- Someone who is mentoring or coaching you. We all do better with a coach.
From A Perfect Life by Thomas Leonard, Coachville.com
Tags: perfect people
Most people define success by their financial status, where they live or what other people are saying about them. 
To enjoy a Perfect Life, you need to define what success means, on your own terms.
For example:
I know I am being successful…
…when my business energizes my life every day.
…when I jump out of bed excited about my day.
…by how much free time I have away from my business.
These definitions of success do not depend on something happening–an “if, when” scenario–or someone else happening–an “if only” plot. I can stop at anytime during the day and decide, am I successful?
The trick is in the phrasing. Most people tend to phrase these in terms of a goal: when I have a net worth of fill in astronomical number; when I have found my soul mate; when I have lost fill in publicly accepted number pounds.
Each phrase needs to start with
“I know I am being successful by/when…”
Unless you use this phrase, you have a goal, not a definition of success. They can incorporate a doing–an activity that would make your day–and feeling–how you would feel doing it. It is not a temporary state.
Ask yourself:
Is my definition dependent on something happening?
For example: “I know I am being successful when I have $1 million in the bank.”
That’s a goal.
Better to say, “I know I am being successful when money does not dictate my lifestyle choices.”
Does someone else have to do something?
“I know I am being successful when my children are happy and well-adjusted.”
Better to say, “I know I am being successful when I watch my children growing up laughing, and confident.”
Success definitions can help you to make better choices through out the day. If money does dictate your lifestyle choices, what decisions do you need to make to change that? Change the lifestyle or change the way you view your lifestyle. Make your success perfect by defining it on your terms.
From A Perfect Life by Thomas Leonard, Coachville.com
I am blatantly stealing this story from an e-mail that I received from a Facebook friend. I love the insight.
A Lesson Learnt From My Six Year Old by Nicolle Kopping-Pavars
On Saturday mornings, my family and I stay in bed just a little bit longer. My two boys crawl into bed with my husband and I and we usually watch music videos all together cuddled up in bed.
A song came on called “If this was your last day” which I found intriguing and thought it posed an interesting question too, so I turned to my husband and asked him what he would do if it was his last day.
He thought for a while and then said that he would probably lie in bed all day just as we were doing right now, surrounded by all his favorite people, just savoring the time together.
I turned to my eight year old and asked him what he would do and he said that he would go to Canada’s Wonderland and go on all the rides.
I then focused my attention on my six year old and posed the same question. He looked at me intently and asked “Is this my last day to live?”, I said “yup”.
He then answered the question quite matter of factly and said “I would go to the hospital”.
Of course my husband and I thought his answer was genuinely funny, smart and pure (we are biased of course). However, I have been thinking about it for a few days now and I realize that my six year old has it all figured out.
He naturally thinks outside of the box, he does not accept a situation and assume a scenario just because it is posed to him.
In his mind, there was no reason why it should be his last day and he was going to find a way to ensure that it was not.
In a flash of a second, he realized that he has the capacity to ensure that it wouldn’t be his last day and not only that, but he was going to take the requisite responsibility and the necessary action to ensure that it wasn’t.
My son taught me that if you want to live then find a way to do it, don’t give up, don’t settle and don’t just accept things for what they seem to be.
Don’t assume and accept a situation just because it is presented to you as such. Rather make that situation your own, take responsibility for it and then decide to change it, my six year old did.
Now I know that I am his mother, but is this not the smartest six year old kid in the entire world?
To massive success and happiness,
Tina Levrant
~Max Champion Leader~
~Your Destiny in Motion~
www.look-feel-live-max.com
It seems that there are many instruction manuals to bring you closer to your nirvana. Here are the steps that I took:
- Define success your way: most people define success by their financial status, where they live or what other people are saying about them. To enjoy a perfect life, you need to define what success means, on your own terms. Your success can’t be dependent on something happening, someone else doing something or being a certain way. Success is achieved when you take control of the things that inspire you.
- Craft a perfect life: create a list of elements that would make, or already make, your life perfect. Not just okay or good enough. Not pretty good. Most people don’t allow themselves to have the opportunities, relationships, car, house, health, that would be perfect. It is not a laundry list of to do’s or long standing goals. Your list would include things small or big, which are meaningful and naturally motivating for you.
- Get your life in good shape and let go of the stuff that’s in your way. Marcus Buckingham, in his book, The One Thing You Need To Know, presented a strong case for achieving personal success by stopping doing things you don’t like doing. What things in your life–problems, people, situations, feelings, restrictions, inadequacies, events–are you putting up with? Make a list of the things you are tolerating. It could be a long list. Decide to make your life a toleration-free zone.
- Invest in what you need to make a perfect life likely within 12 months. You need to be willing to take action on all of your perfect life elements. If you are not willing to take action, the element is either not perfect or it is not really, truly right for you.
- Make the perfect life elements happen: You will reach your perfect life faster working with others on the same path or a coach.
- Enjoy the Zen of a perfect life:
- What is, is perfect. And, you can perfect it.
- What isn’t perfect, is perfect. Because there is something to learn.
- You are perfect, even when you are not.
- Others are perfect, especially when they are not.
- Life is perfect, but only when you see that it is.
- Weaknesses are perfect. Their perfection is simply unrecognized.
- Your strengths are perfect. So, continue to perfect them.
- What is already perfect, is perfect. Leave it alone.
- Tragedies are perfect. We just can’t see the perfection, yet.
- Perfect is perfect. Make perfect and art form.
From Coachville, A Perfect Life by Thomas Leonard
Tags: Life Instruction Manual, perfect
