Happy Sunday Everyone:
I hope this email finds everyone enjoying their Memorial Day Weekend. I’m hopeful we all take some part of this weekend to reflect on what this weekend actually means and give thanks to all of those awesome people who gave their lives for the U.S.A.
Last Monday I managed to crawl out of bed at 5:00AM to do my morning ritual. I was very proud of myself after watching 21 innings of baseball on Sunday w/ Jack, getting home at 9:30PM, and hardly rested. Out I went on my run, 4.8 miles that day, and with a pretty good time for me. I get back to the house, shed my clothes and head out to the pool (also part of my morning ritual, no matter the weather/season). I’m alone, its quiet, I feel bullet proof…..I stand in the middle of the pool, up to my chest, and start meditating, eyes closed, total serenity. 10 minutes in I’m physically assaulted, flat out attacked, by the pool cleaner….takes me out at the ankles and scares the living crap out of me. I’m flailing around my pool as though I’ve just been hit by a great white. When I finally calmed down all I could think of is how glad I am no one was awake to see this display. Then I hear it, the window to our kitchen slides open. Kim had just gotten down stairs to get her tea going, she just happens to look outside in the exact moments of the attack and see her naked husband jumping around the pool like a 5 year old. She’s hysterical, she’s crying, she’s laughing harder than I’ve ever seen her…I’m honestly embarrassed, and getting agitated. I don’t mind telling a joke and having people laugh, I don’t love being laughed at when it’s not on my terms. As I’m sitting there in the pool, I’m thinking “calm down, hunter, calm down, there is no way anyone in the world wouldn’t think this is the funniest thing ever…including Kim”….so I just sat there for another 10 minutes, smiled to myself, got out, and went on with my day. My first call was with Roy, 8:00 AM video call. He manages to bring up the importance of keeping perspective on life. I didn’t tell him what happened that morning but the timing was perfect. I get so wrapped up in the frustrations of business. Clients that don’t always see my value, business partners who might not see my value either, team members that aren’t always doing exactly what I want, systems that aren’t perfect, people who don’t understand my message, coaching students who aren’t doing the work etc….Then I think about all the things I have to be grateful for, a massive amount of clients who do see the value, business partners who love to work with me and vice versa, team members that do all they can, people who do understand my message, and coaching students who do the work…it’s all about perspective and it’s all about having gratitude, or not. for most of us, if we can take the opposite of the one negative, it’s likely there are multiple positives right on the other side. We just need to keep the perspective and enough levity to recognize it when it’s happening, or when we need it to happen. Not sure if this is getting through or not, I feel like I’m rambling a bit…a few points and then I’m out:
1. When you fall, trip, or do something stupid and really embarrassing, enjoy it. Laugh at yourself and others will laugh with you, not at you. My ego was the only thing embarrassed.
2. on the other side of resentment is gratitude, the faster we can figure out how to flip the coin, the happier we will be.
3. Don’t take ourselves so seriously. We’re not that important. Overall, people like being around people who aren’t carrying 100lbs of seriousness around with them.
4. if we think about the word perspective, and what it means, it will help us all keep it more often, and when we need it the most.
All the best.