I sat on my patio Friday evening, enjoying a Long Island sunset and listening to the sounds of the Italian Feast a few blocks away. Actually, I wasn’t just listening, I was smelling those damn Zeppoles and was transported back to a memory that wasn’t so enjoyable.

14 years ago (almost to the day I suspect) I was sitting on the patio hating myself. You didn’t misread that word, nor did I put it there for needless dramatic effect.

I was watching families in the neighborhood returning from the Italian Feast, laughing, smiling . . . while I hated myself for not having the money to take my kids. I was still trying to undo cars getting repossessed and starting over. I must confess to several rounds of “Why me?” and trying real hard to find the meaning in all this.

14 years later I still haven’t found the meaning, but I found The Lesson (s)

1)    Don’t you dare beat yourself up like I did! Better yet, FORGIVE YOURSELF when you screw up! That was unnecessary BS that I allowed to enter  my life.

2)    Don’t ever allow anything, anyone or any set of circumstances take away your joy. Life is too short!

3)    When you seek meaning, blame may follow like a shadow. Seek the lesson, its more productive.

4)    Encouragement from others helped me fight my battles in rounds. I try to remember that as I train Jedis, write my blog and move onward in my life’s journey. Who can you encourage today? It’s free you know!

5)    Talk about the things that scare you, depress you, disappoint you etc. I bottled my sad story up for far too long.

6)    Keep your spiritual GPS on at all times, not just when things get bad. If you will allow me to share something rather personal with you with a “for whatever its worth” preface. I never blamed God for what I went through but I treated him/her like a rich Uncle that you show interest in when you need a few bucks. Not cool!

7)    Delays are not denials . . . not by a long shot!

8)    While you seek your lesson, find a good outcome that can come from your setback. For me, its been training people to do something I failed at (getting it right the first time) and something I kick ass at (coming back from the dead when you don’t get it right)

And finally,  lessons and destiny are funny when you think about it.

The very hardships we encounter could be, in fact the very thing that brings you to a certain place, at a certain time . . .

To pass along a lesson and give back . . .

Like right now!

To your incredible success story!

To check out my ridiculously cool Linkedin group click on the rock star

To get free, lethal sales tips click on the Jedi