Get Through or Get From the Day

Fascinating really just how many choices we are subjected to each day. What to eat for breakfast? What information to take in? What conversations to have? What music or radio station to listen to? How quickly to jump from the brake to the gas when the light turns green?

Consider the choices we make each day as the colors on the canvas of our lives. Do we want big bold brush strokes that make an impact and create a statement? Or just wispy, haphazard strokes that get lost in a drab, dreary picture?

I had lunch with a client on Friday and left the choice of the restaurant up to them. Excited at the prospect of sharing a local treasure, he said, "I'll take you to this place called Shrimp Cocktail. I think you'll really like it."

That was the understatement of the day. Everything at this place was a great experience. The decor and ambiance. Our server who has been at this place for 18 years and absolutely loves what she does. I ordered the clam chowder and she said, "If you are not allergic to any seafood, how would you like our chef to make you up a great seafood chowder?" If you find yourself at Shrimp Cocktail make sure to ask for it or just ask the chef to surprise you. It was fantastic.

I had such a good time and enjoyed it so much that I ended up sharing the story with no less than half a dozen people over the weekend. Here's the point to this I guess: We could have just grabbed a sub or gone to one of the franchise restaurants with the cookie cutter menus that would have produced a cookie cutter experience.

The fact is that I only ever had one chance to have lunch on April 10, 2009. Lunch that day left a great brush stroke.

Take a moment and ask the questions.

• Do the books I read fill me up?
• Are the places I go new and exciting?
• Are the people in my life helping me to see more?
• Am I living with enough purpose that I can spot opportunity and spark the curiosity necessary to cause me to look over the next mountain?

Ask these questions often and you will not simply get "through" the day—you’ll get "from" the day.

Have an excellent day.