Shakespeare, in honor of all veterans

This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

A Little Story

What is the goal of your life? What is it that you dream of accomplishing? How does that effect the way you live?
There is an old old story about a young man who left home for lands far away, looking for his dream.

OMG, it's OOG

I'm sure that you've seen the text OMG. Almost never a day goes by when you won't see it on Facebook and every where else.

The Best of the Rest

The best of the rest... And relaxation


Do you have trouble sleeping?  Have you ever been working on a important project and found that it has been keeping you awake?

Goals & Dreams

What are your goals in life? Are you a goal driven person? What are your dreams in life? Are you a dream driven person? What is the purpose of goals and dreams?

We are family

Have you ever thought about the idea that the world and all it's inhabitants are part of your family? They are all part of the same tiny blue speck hurling thru an infinite space. If we are all family, as I believe, we need to find a way to live in harmony.

What do you want?

Ok guys & gals this is a challenge. I want you to tell me what you would like my opinion on. I am working toward winning a speaking competition called table topics. This is where I get to the lectern and then receive a topic. I must create a speech and talk for 2 minutes about it with no preparation time. Help me out what do you want to hear?

Peer pressure

Have you ever thought about the amount of peer pressure that our society has created to "help" us get through life? We often think that peer pressure is when our friends are telling us that to be cool we should dye our hair pink and spike it. But could television and radio be a type of peer pressure?

Looking for Love

Have you ever heard the song "Looking for Love in all the wrong places”? That is an interesting thing to think about isn't it? If your looking for love in the wrong places, where is the right place to look for love?

Thoughts count

Have you ever thought about the consequences of your thoughts? Have you thought about the relationship between your thoughts and the way you feel and act? The famous saying "You are what you think." is wrong. The truth is that you are what you think.

Listen to your life

 An interesting question came to mind today. Who am I? Am I who I see or who you see? Could I be both who you see and who I see? How are we defined by the world? It is important to be able to grasp who we are so we can create a fulfilling life. A life where we are doing “What we were born for”.

The Pursuit of Happiness

What is the pursuit of happiness? We all hear about the pursuit of happiness, but does any one know how to pursue happiness? When you pursue taking a picture of a whale, you go wale watching. Pursuing an adrenaline rush? Jump from a plane! Where do you pursue happiness? You can not pursue happiness.

Lighten the Load

“Every burden is a blessing.” understanding these words by Walt Kelly could be a start to a more fulfilling life. If we spend our lives looking at the burdens of life as the beginning of opportunity, we could carry them more comfortably and with a lighter step. Wouldn’t life be more enjoyable if every burden could be seen as the beginning of something, not just a heavy load

Take The Next Step

Many people believe in the law of attraction, but there are many who look at what happens and believe that it is not real. The law of attraction does not work in a simple way, the way it is often taught, if it did the world would be the better place that we all would like to see. But one part of the LOA that does work is the part that has you focus on the ideas that inspire you and then follow those ideas thru thick and thin till they are achieved.

Sail on

What is the key to success? How do we go about creating the life that we want? I think that the first thing that must be done is to see where you are going then keep moving. No one is given life on a platter or in a package, gift wrapped. When we want to go some where we need to create a plan.

Tea Anyone?

There are always new things happening in life, new experiences and new simulations. When we see what the world has to offer every day we can, not just enjoy the moment, but use the gravity of that moment to propel us into the future. We need to live our lives like there is meaning and purpose, like each experience is a spice that adds flavor to, not just us but, everyone we interact with.

I yam what I yam

Who am I? This question is one question that we should ask ourselves every once in a while. Then really think about the answer. Not just the simple answer, “I am Captain Lawrence, The orator”, but the answer that brings depth and fullness to our being. “I am the son of Walt and Lee, with a brother and three sisters, a loving family. That brings depth to where I come from but what else am I: husband, father of a daughter and three sons, traveler, artist, armchair philosopher and so much more. “But why does it matter?“, you ask. It matters because “I yam what I yam and that’s all what I Yam” to quote another sailor, Popeye.

Decisions, Decisions

As we go through life we are given many opportunities to act and many forks in the road where we need  to decide the path to follow. As a parent and motivational speaker I desire to guide others on the best path to chose, but it is the blessing we each have to chose our own path. The path that is best, or percieved as best, by me, may not be the best for someone else. The blessing of choice is the greatest gift given to us by the creator, the gift of co-creation. We are born with certain talents and a spicific personality type and our choices, or failure to chose, create who we are and what we become. But it is also a responsibility, and not to be taken lightly.

You,ve Got Talent

Everyone has certain talents. One of the great pleasures in life is finding and developing a talent. As I grow older I see more and more that the people that are living and working within their talents are the happiest and most productive. As Malcolm S. Forbes expressed it, “The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at doing what they most enjoy. When what we are is what we want to be, that's happiness.”

Goals of Value

What are the most important things to remember in life? Everyone has to decide the things that are important to them. We also have to decide what to use our energy for. I think one way to focus our energy is to be able to remember what is important.

Well duh!

But it is important and we sometimes overlook that point. We often hear the “guru's” tell us to write out our goals, create wish lists, develop vision boards and most recently, make movies or power point presentations of what we want. But these are just the outward expressions of our dreams, the hope of the physical manifestation of our hopes. What about our values and our moral character, wouldn't it be a good thing to make a character wish list? Every day we could look at the person we want to become and the good we want to leave behind. Create a vision of the hope of the physical manifestation of our spiritual hopes. Marshall Field made such a list:

“Things to remember:
1) The worth of character;
2) The improvement of talent;
3) The influence of example;
4) The joy of origination;
5) The dignity of simplicity;
6) The success of perseverance.”

Create Yourself

 What do you want to become? Who do you really want to be? These are questions that we often hear from adults toward children. It is a question that we all should ask our selves every day. In the morning when we wake up, just after we evaluate our dreams, we should ask, “What am I going to work on becoming today, what am I going to create?” Then we should remember that thought throughout the day.

To quote Marcus Garvey, “God and Nature first made us what we are, and then out of our own created genius we make ourselves what we want to be. Follow always that great law. Let the sky and God be our limit and Eternity our measurement.”

Thoughts on life

When we go through life we should get the most out of that experience. No mater what your after life beliefs may be this is only the opportunity you will have to live this life.

Many religions, and new age thought , say that we are on a wheel of lives where what we do in this life will determine what we become, or carry, into the next life. Judeo-Christian, Islamic, and other religious traditions teaches that our actions in this life will determine where we spend eternity. But for the sake of this discussion it maters not.

Even those who do not believe there is any thing but a void after life must understand the blessing that this life is for us. Finding the best and most varied experiences in this life means that we are making the most of a unique opportunity, this one life.

Encouragement

Have you ever thought about the power of words of encouragement? In my classes I often speak about management skills, and how they are not just for management. One of those skills is to inspire others to do their best at the work they are doing. Words of encouragement will often help to motivate others to do better.
One thing that seems to very often be overlooked by some management is that the power of potential. Sometimes the greatest projects are completed only because everyone was looking at what could be done, not just at what was able to be done in the past. Jimmy Johnson the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a Super Bowl said, “Treat a person as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a person as if he were where he could be and should be, and he will become what he could be and should be.”
We need to look at each other and see what we can be. Every one is given natural talents and a desire to excel, we, unfortunately, often learn to limit ourselves and expect less than is there for us. When we look at ourselves, or others, we can look at what we are, what we have become or what we can be. L say look at what our potential is, or slightly higher, because where you look that’s where you will go.