I don't know how long ago it was-10 years ago maybe (I should have looked it up) that the company 'Life Is Good' really took off. Living out by the beach as I did for a long time, you couldn't go a full day back then without seeing at least 5 of your surfer/boating friends with one of their t-shirts on, or one of their stickers slapped on their jeeps, skate and surf boards. Just the happy stick figure guy stating that positive matter of fact, , simple three word phrase- "Life Is Good" (talk about a prime example of 'less is more') I've been reading up on Bert Jacobs and his brother (the founders of the company ) the past couple of days and watching some of his talks at corporation seminars, and I really like them and wanted to share one. But also to share why I was inspired to do so as well. It was after talking with a really old friend of mine out East, Thanksgiving eve who owns a sports shop. We randomly ran into each other at a local bar/lounge, and once the initial hugs and happy smiles waned, he asked me 'what was wrong". Though I was smiling and thought I was looking good, he's known me so long, I guess he could see indifference in my eyes. Maybe it''s just been looming there and I've stopped noticing. What he's known is a happy bubbly kind of goofy, positive girl. I went on to tell him how the past two years really seemed to change my previous life view that 'anything is possible' and my whole belief in 'finding the good in every situation or person', something that was just natural me. That two big unexpected pitfalls (both financial) seemed to have changed that. Changes that I let effect my mind-(operative word 'let') and that has always been one of my biggest beliefs-that your mind is what creates the life that you are currently living today. My life today, in fact, being very honest is nothing more, and is in perfect tune actually, to where my mind had been focused the past 6 months to a year. He then went on to tell me a story that literally made my night/day/year. He reminded me of when I was working at this fashion company out East that was housed in a huge multi level potato barn. It housed not only our office, but 3 other spaces. One was a lawyer, one was a Pilate's studios and the other was waiting to be rented. One day, he and his buddy came to look at the space to rent. They were going to share it, using one half for a new venture into extreme sports that would book trips and take people on extreme sport adventures- like a package type deal business- and the other half would be a sports shop. He had been trying for three years to find a space, get the money and get it off the ground. He asked me if I remember running into him the day they came to look at the space and I did remember, but then he asked me if I remember what we talked about and that, I didn't. He went on to tell me that he and Alex had walked out dejected because they had just been told that the rent was $800 more than they were originally told and they just weren't going to be able to do it. He said I was getting out of my car (I'm guessing from lunch?) and I said 'hey' and asked them what they were up to, what they were doing there. He told me what happened, and said that he was just going to go back to real estate probably,(he was a broker for a few years before quitting to pursue this) that he had been hitting so many roadblocks the past three years and he was just sick of it. He told me - and I really don't remember- that I hugged him and took he and Alex by the hand (typical corny me) and that I said "no you can't give up! think positive, if you really want it bad enough and think positive, you'll get it . Just picture it in your mind" I've always been a big fan of visualizing, so that makes sense. I'm paraphrasing how he told me (he also imitated my voice which was pretty funny considering he has a very deep one)- but he said that he and Alex left feeling like they'd keep trying for awhile longer. Really? Because of me? I didn't believe him at first, thought he was telling me that to be nice, but he swore it was true. I also laughed and said 'what the hell happened", he responded with a laugh in agreement. The end of his story, is he ended up finding a shop of his own eventually and his friend ended up renegotiating that space in the barn and his business is still thriving. He then said that it seemed to him that I had done so many interesting things that I liked, among all of our friends who were always struggling, that he respected my advice that day.
It is true, I am reminded with this run in, that the things you need to hear, the people you need to see, seem to show up at just the right moments. Me for him back then, him for me that night. And it's true, if you feel on the outside that you are flailing, or that you've got nothing , or it's not possible, you ALWAYS HAVE OPTIMISM and a positive attitude. And what you feel is nothing or impossible , is many times the negative attitude that is at work in your mind. A false perception. Pessimism can really destroy. Looking back on all my bigger successes in my mind, I can tell you with all honesty, it always begins with a positive attitude. Here's just a quickie-- ...when I drove the 20 minute drive from Sag Harbor to Southampton some years back, nervous as all hell for my interview at Billy Joel's office, I purposefully kept the radio off and kept focused, telling myself over and over "you'll get this, this job is yours", and as silly as it may seem- it worked!
So, no matter what- THINK POSITIVE!! xoxo