{"id":1256,"date":"2009-07-29T14:35:04","date_gmt":"2009-07-29T18:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/?p=1256"},"modified":"2009-07-29T19:48:52","modified_gmt":"2009-07-29T23:48:52","slug":"if-today-was-your-last-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/if-today-was-your-last-day\/","title":{"rendered":"If Today Was Your Last Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the renegade pitchmen, Billy Mays and Vince Offer. I mentioned how I liked Vince’s on-air style better than Billy’s… and the next day, tragically, Billy Mays died.<\/p>\n

Okay, I admit, that was a little spooky, to say the least. And sure, once he died, I felt kinda bad for saying I wasn’t a fan of the way Billy yelled at me in my own living room (from the TV). But I did make it clear that after watching several episodes of The Pitchmen<\/em>, I had really grown to respect Billy as a businessman.<\/p>\n

The day before Billy died, his son (Billy Mays III) sent me a message on Twitter<\/a> saying he had read my blog post, and thought it was well-written. He also mentioned there was a personal aspect between Billy and Vince that I probably didn’t know about.<\/p>\n

Hey, Billy III’s a good kid. He was one of my favorite people on The Pitchmen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

And that’s really what today’s article is all about<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

= = = = =<\/p>\n

Recently I wrote 10 back-to-school articles for Education.com<\/strong>, as a freelance writer. They’re all about how we can help our children do better in school… but not just by studying with them or giving them a place to do homework uninterrupted.<\/p>\n

Most of my articles, not surprisingly, had an aspect of inner work about them. Overcoming fears and rejection, raising self-esteem, encouraging independent thinking… and Teach Your Child Personal Development<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When our children come into this world, they arrive as an empty cup, and it’s up to us to fill it\u00a0 with the best quality liquid we can.<\/p>\n

Relationships, and how we interact with others, are vitally important in this lifetime. That’s what we come here to experience. Some people strive for fame<\/span> and fortune<\/span> instead… but of course, fame and fortune are not a replacement for human relationships. ANY human relationships.<\/p>\n

A local businessman that Barry and I know is one of several brothers, and their father is a well-known “Christian” radio talk show host and entrepreneur. For their entire childhood, that father told the kids that they should have done better in this and that, no matter what they achieved. Now, while the other brothers followed in the father’s footsteps, the one we know still holds resentment over it, and has gone the complete opposite way.<\/p>\n

And yet they’re all very successful, and our friend is the best in his field at what he does.<\/p>\n

So, is pushing your children to do the best they can admirable?<\/strong> Or despicable? Is that tough love? Or just critical brow-beating?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the opposite end of the spectrum, there was a trend a few years ago of giving blue ribbons or trophies to all the kids in team sports, whether they won or lost. The idea was to make them feel good for what they did… but it ended up teaching them that they should be rewarded for everything, no matter how hard they try (or don’t) and no matter what they achieve.<\/p>\n

As a result, <\/strong>a whole generation of young people entered the work force expecting a free ride<\/em>… to get paid when they didn’t put out any effort.<\/p>\n

So is championing our children’s achievements, no matter how small, productive?<\/strong> Or counter-productive?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Or does it all just depend on the child? And if so… how do we know how what we do now will affect that child for the rest of his life?<\/p>\n

I really think it depends on how it’s done<\/strong>. Certainly, celebrate the successes with gusto, but don’t be afraid to let the failures be reminders that not everything in life can go our way. The Universe is in a constantly adjusting balance, and every positive is countered by an equal and opposite negative. That’s just the way it is.<\/p>\n

And letting our children feel the sting<\/em> of disappointment is just as important as letting them feel the ecstasy of achievement.<\/p>\n

Back to the point about fame and fortune<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

In the few weeks before Billy Mays died, so did a whole slew of other well-known celebrities. First it was David Carradine. Then Ed McMahon. Then Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.<\/p>\n

And most of them went through troubled times. Carradine was an alcoholic, McMahon was deeply in debt, Fawcett was battling cancer, and Jackson… well, Jackson was Jackson. ‘Nuff said!<\/p>\n

Whether or not you like to admit it, all of these celebrities influenced our lives one way or another. They entertained us, or they sold us household cleansers (that really work!), or they were pinups on our bedroom walls. Hey, to this day, I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t feel like getting up and dancing — or at least tapping their feet — when they hear the opening strains of the Jackson 5<\/em>‘s “I Want You Back”.<\/p>\n

They all left a legacy, showed drive and ambition, and had the ability to DO rather than just THINK<\/span> their way to success. They all did the best they could while they were here.<\/p>\n

But what about their relationships<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

Michael Jackson was terrorized by his father, Joe, but reportedly was a great dad. Billy Mays was away on the road for most of Billy III’s childhood, but made up for it later. Farrah Fawcett had an up-and-down relationship with her troubled son, and yet left most of her millions to him. David Carradine and his actor father, John, both went through numerous divorces during their lives, but had some long-term marriages in the mix.<\/p>\n

Again, it’s about the Universe being in balance… you just can’t have all ups<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And fame and fortune just doesn’t change that.<\/p>\n

However, fame and fortune, even on a small scale, can certainly help you leave a legacy. And it can help you make a difference in others’ lives.<\/p>\n

As a result, yes, it really is possible to have fame, fortune, AND quality relationships<\/strong>. You just have to expect the ups to come with the downs, and be okay with that instead of trying to hide under a fake veil of positivity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You don’t have to shun money in favor of love, or vice versa. As Barry likes to say, “Love makes the world go round, but money pays for the trip.”<\/p>\n

Who has more freedom<\/strong>… someone who’s broke? Or someone who has the funds to do what they want, when they want?<\/p>\n

Who has more ability to help others<\/strong>… someone with money? Or someone who has neither money nor time to give, because they’re constantly slaving away, spending one to get the other?<\/p>\n

Who has more ability to inspire the world<\/strong>… someone who’s in the public spotlight, that people pay attention to? Or someone who’s organizing a group of people to pray and send out positive thoughts?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The bottom line is<\/span>, just as we need to encourage and teach our kids how to be their best, while taking disappointments in stride, we also need to help others on a grander scale. Humans are creative beings, and we come here to learn, grow, develop… and teach others what we know.<\/p>\n

Sure, there are some of you who will say, “We don’t have to teach (or learn) anything, because we already know all there is!” And, well, yeah… that’s true on a spiritual level. But we’re talking about our physical life here, and as a human being, you DON’T know everything there is. It’s buried so deep in your subconscious, or so high in your superconscious, that you just can’t access it until you learn it again. Once you do, then you can teach it.<\/p>\n

Teaching your children is a great start. Now what about pushing a bit further outside your comfort zone, and teaching friends… or strangers<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

Write a blog. Create an e-book. Teach a class. You have skills and talents that nobody else on this planet has, and there are people who want to learn them.<\/p>\n

When you pass on, back to the spirit plane, what are you going to leave behind? How many others will you have helped? Inspired? Motivated? Taught? Or pushed into action?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What are they going to say about you when you’re gone?<\/p>\n

As the group Nickelback<\/em> says, in “If Today Was Your Last Day”:<\/p>\n

Against the grain should be a way of life,
\nWhat’s worth the price is always worth the fight.
\nEvery second counts ’cause there’s no second try,
\nSo live like you’re never living twice.
\nDon’t take the free ride in your own life.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There are some other great lyrics in this song, too… it’s probably their most motivational song, and the video has some very inspirational scenes at the end:<\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

If today was your last day, what would you do differently?<\/strong> How would you treat your kids, your spouse, your partner, your friends, your business associates?<\/p>\n

What would you teach people? And how would you do it?<\/p>\n

Leave your comments below<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

Your Partner in the Quest For
\nLiving a Life Without Limits<\/em>,<\/span><\/p>\n

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about the renegade pitchmen, Billy Mays and Vince Offer. I mentioned how I liked Vince’s on-air style better than Billy’s… and the next day, tragically, Billy Mays died. Okay, I admit, that was a little spooky, to say the least. And sure, once he died, I felt kinda bad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,15],"tags":[343,379,384,378,385,380,382,381,387,374,383,386],"class_list":["post-1256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-living-dying","category-relationship-skills","tag-billy-mays","tag-celebrities","tag-david-carradine","tag-death","tag-ed-mcmahon","tag-fame","tag-farrah-fawcett","tag-fortune","tag-jackson-5","tag-life","tag-michael-jackson","tag-nickelback"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1256"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1271,"href":"https:\/\/lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1256\/revisions\/1271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwlworldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}