In reflection of Mother’s day I thought I would share a story of my Mom.
My mother was a magnificent person and a wonderful human being. I bet we all could say that about our Moms, right? Well, not to brag but my mother was awesome! She had more love to share than most and it was 100% unconditional love as only a mother could have. She was a master baker and cake decorator. She once made a gingerbread carnival where the ferris wheel and the carousel rotated on a large candy cane. Everything was 100% edible. She created and decorated an exact replica of the Macy’s Building for a very wealthy couple getting married (They met under the entrance of the Macy’s building in NYC.) That cake sold for $12,000!!!! She was an artist and a true master of her trade.
Well, unfortunately my mother was also a smoker. She smoked for 50 years and was a victim of COPD and Emphysema. She spent the last ten years of her life in and out of the hospital decreasing her quality of life tremendously. It was a very hard time for all of our family.
One day I was visiting my her in a rehabilitation center as she was receiving treatment from her latest battle with the disease. She had gone into cardio arrest and the paramedic’s brought her back to life (this happened several times). She was on a ventilator for an extended period of time and she lost the use of her legs. Fortunately, the doctors cleansed her from the medications and she bounced back and was able to walk again. When I went to visit her, we had a most memorable conversation that made me very happy and very sad.
Happy…It was a distraction free conversation where there was no computer, no cell phones, no children running around. It was just her and I sharing quality time. A conversation that I still cherish to this day.
Sad…My mother said to me a statement that totally ripped my heart out. She said…
“I have done all I can do in my life…. there is a lot I wanted to do but it’s too late for me.”
As I write this, I am getting a little choked up. She basically stated to me that she is giving up on doing anything worthy of excitement for the rest of her days. I left there thinking to myself “What is she talking about”. She still had many years ahead of her and a life worth living. By the way, she was only 65 at the time.
I have a martial arts student who started her training in her 60’s and received her 3rd degree black belt when she was 75!!! She is still training and now working for her 4th degree black belt. Last weekend, I hiked the Grand Canyon with a 78 years old woman who hiked down and back up the Bright Angel Trail climbing over 3000 feet of elevation.
If they could do it, so can my Mom.
Well, sadly she ended up passing away a couple of years later due to her disease leaving us at the young age of 67. She had witnessed my sister get married and the Yankees win the World Series so she left us very happy!
What she said left a permanent scar in my life. I vowed that I never say those words that she shared with me. I always want to embrace as much of life as I can so I could truly say that I have lived and am living life to the fullest. That is why I personally am so active and live a healthy lifestyle.
Everyone talks of investing their money and preparing for the future. They set up retirement plans, 401K’s, invest in real estate, and work their whole lives so they could retire financially comfortable. Is that important?….absolutely. What about your health though? I think it is equally important to invest in yourself by living healthy and enjoying life along the way. Not waiting until you retire. We here countless stories of people who work hard their whole lives, invest wisely, have a lot of money and then pass away never truly enjoying themselves.
Now, my partner Paul Melella has been blogging on living a healthy lifestyle. I highly recommend that you take a look at it. Here is a link to go to his Health is Wealth Blog.
I’m talking about living life to the fullest and don’t wait until later. If there is something that you want to do, then do it. If there is a place that you want to travel to, then do it. The world has become so small with the ability to travel for a fraction of a cost of what it used to be. The only thing holding you back is excuses. I challenge all of you who are reading this post to go and enjoy as much as life as you can. Here are five things you could do to appreciate and experience life to the fullest.
1. Make a bucket list
Yes, take the time to dream big. Make a list of the ten top things that you want to experience in your life. Most people get stuck in a routine of life and lose the ability to dream. Make a list and make it big.
2. Plan to hit one item of your bucket list this year
OK, now that you made a list of ten choose one that you could do within one year’s time. Just do it. Even if it is the last one of the list. Put a possible date of when you will experience it and make a list of all the reasons why and how you could do it and ignore the reasons why you can’t.
3. If you could conceive it, and believe, you will receive
Put an image of the item you want to do and research it. You will be very surprised on how little the world has become. Let the image become ingrained in your subconscious mind. Cut a picture out of a magazine, look at pictures on the internet, research ways that you could make it happen. The more attention you put towards it the universe will provide ways to make it happen. It’s amazing but it really does happen.
4. Take action
Most people say “I could of, would of and should of” and don’t let that be you. The only words that you should say is “I did it”. Once you do the research and figure out a plan. Put a deposit down, plan to take the time off work, do whatever you need to do to make it happen.
5. Use your imagination
Allow your mind to dream. Unfortunately, most people lose their imagination and it saddens me. Don’t let that happen to you. Give yourself the gift of dreaming and dream big. This whole article is on dreaming so let it go and dream big!
Well then, there you have it. Don’t every allow yourself to say the words that my mother said to me. Truth is, I am grateful for her words because it inspired me to make sure I get the most out of my life. I hope it does the same for you.
The title of this Blog is “Black Belt in Business”, I think we should change it to “Black Belt in Life”. Being a black belt is all about living life to the fullest and getting the most out of life. It is about living healthfully, maintaining a positive attitude, being an example to others, showing respect and having integrity. All values that were instilled in us when we were young but tend to lose as we get older. You do not need to be a Black Belt to act like one!!!!
For more information on how to apply these values to your everyday life, please go to www.empoweredmastery.com and we could help you live your life to the fullest. We have done so for thousands of clients over the years and are excited to work with anyone who is looking to improve any area of their life.
Take a look at one of our testimonials on the impact that we have made to some of our clients. A perfect example is one of our clients Steve Crosby. Take a look at what Steve has to say. He benefited from the program so much he opted to go through it a second time. Take a look.
With great respect,
Chris Berlow