Call a Loved One as a Reward

August 4, 2014 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Rewarding your successes is essential to achieving your goals.

The problem is many times we don’t know what to do.

This is a great and fun way to do that.

The next time you achieve a goal – even a small one – think of someone you’ve been meaning to call for too long. You know how it is, you say, “I’ll call as soon as I get a moment.” But that moment never comes.

Pick up the phone.

Call him or her and say, “I made a promise that every time I lost 5 pounds (or whatever your goal is), I would reward myself. Calling you is my reward for today.”

Imagine how the person on the other end of the phone will feel. Picture what it will do for your relationship. And, as importantly, imagine how nice you’ll feel for the remainder of the day.

By the way, it sure doesn’t hurt that it will help you build a great supportive network to help you continue down your path.

Video: Little Girl Doesn’t Want Her Brother to Grow Up

July 30, 2014 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

I don’t whether to laugh or cry at this video.

However, I think we can all really relate. Sometimes aging just sucks. However, who would have thought it would affect this little girl so much. In this video, she not only laments the fact that her little brother is going to grow up, but that she will.

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99 Years Old and Looking Back

July 16, 2014 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

I have to swallow hard when I refer to the song, “100 Years” by Vladimir John Ondrasik III, known by his stage name, “Five for Fighting,” as an “oldie.”

I mean, after all, a song released in 2003 should not fall in that category; it’s a description meant for The Everly Brothers or The Beach Boys. Nonetheless, if the Earth Shoe fits…

Sorry, I got distracted… back to the issue at hand…

“100 Years” is an amazingly powerful song.

If you don’t have it cued up on your iTunes playlist right now, let me sum it up. Each of us gets 100 years to live, and during that period we go through various stages. The poignant lingering lyrics guide us through those times, beginning at 15 (“There’s still time for you…”) and progressing all the way to 99 (“Time for just another moment…”). So poignant are the words that there’s a webpage to discuss the interpretation. (I don’t make any commission on its purchase nor am I affiliated with Mr. Ondrasik, but it’s worth your time to check out the song.)

My interpretation is that each of us given the gift of one century, which passes in the “blink of an eye.”

So, imagine you live exactly, to the day, 100 years. (In my case, that would mean I exit on September 28, 2054.) Take it to your last day and then back it off to one day before you’re gone; see yourself at 99 years, 364 days old. By sunset tomorrow, you will be no more; you have gathered all the knowledge and wisdom possible in this lifetime. You are completed.

Now suppose that 99-year-old-You could send a message back to the Current-You, right here, right now, reading these words.

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Approaching Life Walking Backwards

July 8, 2014 by Featured Author

by Julie Weir

My father, “Pops” as he is known to my children, has recently completed a transformation of sorts that has some people a bit unnerved.

It may appear to be a classic reinvention due to his newly acquired retirement lifestyle (a nice way of saying mid-life crisis)…those who know him better will say they saw this coming a long ways off and it was only a matter of time before he stumbled upon his tinkering, elf-like persona (complete with pony tail and soul patch).

After 30 years working in informatics with the Federal Government, Correctional Services (loosely translated to running the computer systems for Canada’s prison systems) my father is happily pursuing his other interests...the part that is amazing is we didn’t know he was interested and I don’t even know if HE knew. If he had taken up fish farming people would not have blinked (he had actually graduated with a degree in Marine Biology – how he got from there to informatics and corrections is actually a funny story, too). They would have probably giggled, but not been surprised, if he had put on a yellow rain slicker and headed far out to sea (he did actually purchase a 30 foot sail boat however, and does own a full yellow rain suit and a Tilley hat, so this may be an adventure yet unlived).

Dulcimers made by Pops at RiverWorx Studios

But my father, in true Lazenby-fashion (which you will doubtless begin recognizing in my writing), took the “path less traveled” and has turned his garage into a woodworking studio. Actually, I take that back. Lazenby’s do not take the path less traveled, they jump off the path and walk backwards to create a new path, without ever turning to look where they are going! That way the path is ever-winding, may end up crossing back over itself at some points, and may hit a few large bumps along the way. They drag their heels, so that they will always be able to see where they have been, and so others can follow. It can’t really be considered meandering, because they walk with purpose and conviction, nor do they stroll because at some points Lazenbys will stop and linger, and other times the momentum of the landscape (the hills and valleys if you will, and cliffs for that matter) will have them caterwauling through life. [Read more…]

Video: Calls for Dad

June 15, 2014 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

OK, I’ll admit I have a bias.

Having been a single dad for many years, I never felt that good dads got enough credit for what they did (and I was a damn good father). You don’t do it for the praise, but it’s nice to be recognized. On behalf of all the good dads out there – and there are many – Dove has put together this wonderful campaign. Happy father’s day.

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