I've always believed that "Love" is still a family secret. Meaning the journey into that feeling that grows beyond marriage and togetherness fails to become the teaching tool that so many around us crave and or just need to tweak the systems of choice we carry. On this podcast I bring up the experiences of sharing conversation with those who've shared fifty plus years with the person in their life. The answer I receive when asking about the secret is always "Agree to always agree." I get it but I don't. Newlyweds hear it but they aren't activating it. The most recent lost of a very close friend of twenty eight years served as a knock on my heart "Hey in theory I'm gone but in love I'm still here." That feels like a ton of weight to carry because not everybody believes or trusts in the moments that have been described as being spiritual and or universal. Openly I admit that I don't deal with departure. I totally grasp why my adopted fuzzy puppy suffers from extreme anxiety. I feel as if her eyes are a mirrored image of who I am. Learning from those around us has always been greater than picking up a book on Amazon or the local library. The crack in the core of the conversation is the lack of talk. What is love? It reaches beyond church. It's pushes itself toward a horizon of decisions that can't be rewritten once lived an yet there remains love. Did my mother truly lose the man in her life three years ago or has she grown closer to the true spirit he always was. I shared a conversation with my wife the other day about how we never forget the sounds of the voices that touched our lives. I still hear my brother, my father and friends. Love that doesn't seem physical and yet there it is. Very much alive. Begin a journey to talk about what love is to you. Be truthful in your walk. Be aware of how you grow then teach the experience to the passerby.

I'm blessed with the incredible opportunity to lecture on the subject of bringing your broadcasting calling to the forefront of the mission to become. No matter how many people are present I begin each moment with a tiny chuckle. None of them realize what's about to happen to their dreams the moment they step within the four walls of sending the performance forward. On this podcast I talk openly about how it took me 37 years to locate what I truly wanted to be as a Broadcaster. Until that moment I was everything that they wanted me to be. Say it this way. Play this song. No you can't create this. You're talking too much. We need you to get a haircut. Ok I get that one. I opened my heart to the experience and pretty much got an extremely cluttered soul. While in meditation and practicing Yoga Nidra it came to me. Stop opening your heart. What you think is coming in isn't. An open heart gives permission to every vibration good bad ugly and evil to take up residence in what's supposed to be your mission or purpose. I began to practice a new way to walk. I don't open my heart and mind. I clear them to make room for what needs to be accomplished. Be in control of what's being invited into your space. If you let everything in, you're instantly blinded by the needs of others. Suddenly you're 40 years deep into a dream and none of it ever belonged to you. It's going to be a learning process to know the difference between having a loving heart and a clearing heart. Who hurts us worse? Yeah... Being aware of how you act and react is a brilliant beginning to clearing the floor and closets of your forward motion life and style. Start saying no to coworkers and others connected to the business world. Never forget... A Professional always gives a two week notice before departure. Companies give you no warning. Now you've got more trash for your heart to hold. Be in control. How much of your heart is sitting in their trash can?

In the opening days of July 2016 I put a lot of energy in my daily writing as to why I was no longer able to locate the required space to continue writing at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC. The paths had changed. I was no longer a stones throw away. It weighed heavy on my heart. I had started something that brought tremendous joy to the walk but couldn't figure out how to put my feet back on the journey. On this podcast I go back nearly three years and study the writers story by way of knowing that where he stood in July of 2016 was thirty five chapters deep into the process whereas today we've reached one hundred forty. The trials and challenges to not stop played a hard game of emotional changes while opening new avenues of growth without having to give up what it was you're called to do. It made me think. In this everyday average world how many others are unexpectedly shifted to a new chapter in their life and feel the miles required to keep a joyful moment alive and moving forward are far too many therefore the choice is to give up? I don't like wearing a pair of "Used To Be" shoes. You used to be. You used to do. A Marine is always a Marine. We allow so many things to keep us from being who and what we truly are. Excuses light a new path while the heart waves goodbye to what once fed your imagination tremendous amounts of peace. We change not by choice but by the placement of our paths generated by the energy of where we once worked or lived. No matter where you are, all that once made you unbelievably happy still exists. The spirit of all that was once there wasn't created by a favorite writing place or a coffee shop that offered incredible conversation. You brought the energy into that moment. Do it again today. Right where you stand. Everything you are is the moment not the paint brush that designed the canvas.

In the movie Bohemian Rhapsody they clearly make it a point to paint the picture of how radio would reject the length of the Queen song. How dare they try to release something that clocked in at just over six minutes! FM radio was present but wasn't scoring huge audiences yet. AM was king and Pop music was called Top 40 for a reason. There were 40 songs that needed airplay and Bohemian Rhapsody was going to get in the way of the programming clock. This past New Years Eve I sang the song during Karaoke. Not once did it feel like a six minute song. Which proves how fast time is soaring. On this podcast we take on that subject. How is it that a tree can slowly make its way through it's growing periods and seasons but humans struggle with the idea that it's already 2019. I share two ways on how to break free of the speed. Boredom. Locate it. Invest in it. Your imagination and creative process savors the escape. I've been on this little quest to locate jobs people don't want to do because its been labeled boring. It's my dream work at a Harris Teeter store just to sweep the floor. The physical ability of making sure the presentation is welcoming and clean is an investment in time slowing down. I'm a team member at Regal Theaters. The lines are huge before the movies start. Two hours of selling popcorn and candy flies by. It's that period between the showings that everything comes to a grinding halt. That's when I grab the towels and cleaning supplies and clean the handrails to the lights. Investing my energy into the building that people escape to slows down time. It's amazing how your imagination gets regenerated when you allow it to breathe. Break free of the rat race and locate a job nobody wants to do. Invest your energy into something horribly boring and you will begin to grow in ways that time took away years ago.

Sitting within a winter forest without snow magnifies the importance of growth. Winter is a transition period not just for trees and nature but each of us are dropping things and looking like faded gray sticks slowly pacing our way through whatever storms the holidays pushed us into. On this podcast I talk about my uncles collection of trees in Ranchester, Wyoming and how he created an incredible relationship with them. He depended on those tall sticks stuck in mud to help protect his home from the brutal winter storms. Which invited me to think about our present chapters. What have we surrounded our lives with that offer the same type of atmosphere? How long is winter in the average persons life? I've talked with multiple people that have been enduring winter for three to five years. My master in Martial Arts always reminded us of how that's a choice. If winning is a choice so is the speed chosen to move through a dark cloud or fog bank. This isn't a preachy presentation today. It's more of an observation. The awareness of how we use something as simple as our words, "I have to go to work today." You have to? No you really don't. You're given the daily opportunity to create with other people that will help change the lives of customers and or clients. Winning is a choice. It starts with making your bed each morning. The very second you put your feet on the floor turn around and make the bed. It will do incredible things to your mind body and soul.

It’s not because I’m into nature but I find it extremely funny to watch humans do all they can to race from gray rainy days. I’m no different! Those types of days mixed in with the winter months of Carolina have a way of reaching the bones. The term cold to the bone is very real. The reason why I find enjoyment from the passing storms is because everything around us will utilize the waters falling from the sky. The soil accepts the changes while feeding the limbs of a tree. I take note of the birds taking baths and even my adopted dog Jazzie takes advantage of whatever is out there. She loves running through the rain, as if to be catching the drops one at a time like professional baseball players. On this podcast I put a lot of focus on personal storms. The type we battle in our heads and hearts. What are we supposed to do when no path leads to a place of warmth and or protection? Through daily writing I’ve learned to stop trying to battle changes and challenges and learn from them. The moment you get comfortable with your decisions and choices faith and trust tend to fall off the wagon. It’s a long way to that horizon we’re chasing. It gets kind of lonely without trust and faith. Learning to listen to the waves of negative teaches your footprints to stand sturdier while your arms are forced to help locate balance. Stop running from the rains of change. Embrace the exchange.

Trees are my weak spot. The importance of those limbs, trunks and roots keeps me firmly attached to the importance of their place of shape shifting. This year the Fall colors were pretty amazing. While sitting under a huge tree I couldn't help but wonder if a tree can see how incredibly beautiful it is with the rest of the forest. Trees don't have mirrors. Humans do and we love to overuse their ability. Rather than being comfortable with the atmosphere of "Now" the goal is to endlessly embrace newer ways to exchange our changes. When we do that aren't we letting go of multiple pieces of our personality? Seriously! Who would we be if we had left that wrinkle in our face? Where would we be if we hadn't shaved off that excess collection of junk in our hips, stomach and upper regions? This isn't a podcast bashing the beauty makers. Far from it. I'd just like to know where the real person went before man was hired to reconstruct? I'd never purchase a Picasso only to put cheap acrylic paint from Michaels art supply store on it. The personality of the painting changes. So do we. Because I'm a daily writer I get the opportunity to read from the pages dating twenty five years. Peeling off those layers totally changed my personality. What happens to the outside if the inside has never been touched? Learning to connect with each piece of the missing puzzle teaches the soul to be present in the "Now." Mindfully lets grow in 2019.

While sitting in a forest these words became the path of the writing, "An atmosphere of constant change makes no room for a guarantee." We only assume the forest floor sits in its present shape not just today but all days until it rains. Our personal lives are no different. We are trained to think that change is the only way to process progress. Therefore we create change to motivate all that may become a greater day of victory. On this podcast I talk about how many chances each of us take daily. We accept third to fifteenth best. The proof is in the way we shop. Look at how many successful outlet malls there are. It's not perfectly made clothing. We prefer to pay a cheaper price for a mismatch. I'm extremely guilty of eating at restaurants that have a 91 and lower rating. My heart believes this place of business probably had a bad day during the inspection and they need a little help from the community to keep them moving forward. I'm willing to become ill during their moment of attempting to grow forward. You may not do this while seeking food for your hunger but when it comes to your job or a person your heart thinks it loves, we are always willing to accept the lower rating. Breaking that habit has its pain with the potential of no gain. I've known friends who wanted only one thing in a person or they'd never marry. Once the vows were shared, that perfect attempt didn't truly come with a guaranteed payoff. This isn't about accepting bad business or people but rather being aware of who we are in the present. The average person spends more time in the past then the past actually existed. Another chunk of travelers are geared up and hiking the trails of a future that may never get here. Being available in the present doesn't make life 100% happily ever after but it allows your decisions to be more focused on how it will be received when tomorrow arrives.

Trusting the physical act of collaboration. Being a radio guy. It's always been a tough journey to share the reins of expectation with a partnership of presentation. I knew in my early days that I wasn't going to be a morning show host that features three to five others. Not that I'm stuck on myself or feel I'm greater than. I have a fear of being the lead actor who has to accept the responsibility of failure with each moment of victory. In my heart the best way to be in control of each meandering situation is to make it your own. The moment you start adding puzzle pieces to the corners of choice something ends up being misplaced. I have a difficult time with the avenues of trusting others to show up on time and in the mood to give 200%. Therefore I sit in the shadows of the daily performance being Paul McCartney and not the Beatles. On this podcast I go a completely different way when explaining the physical act of collaborating. Preachers versus Radio. Both are called to serve people. Both use separate languages. More than often those behind the pulpit stay free of the speaker junkie because the term media in 2018 is a dangerous tightrope. Collaborating with another creative soul means a lot of behind the scenes planning before the performance. Being who you are without the microphone is almost never the shape who you are while on the microphone. I classify myself as being an extremely boring person with a vision to succeed. I can't do that without a connection to a passerby. My path and or choice was to grow within the circle of Broadcasting and yet the soul was determined to serve by way of the pulpit. That's not the calling I was commanded to process. Take the knowledge of those in the church and make it a language for the street. Do it in a way that can be digested inside 15 to 30 seconds. I need those preachers and teachers. They know how to turn a book of poetry into lessons of growing. By way of collaboration and or an act of Sunday morning play by play it seems like a plan that could work. It doesn't. Interpretation of the word is the line in the sand. Not a negative. This is only a view of what it's like on this side of the microphone hearing God's command while being just another face in the stands.

What are we truly listening to during our daily walks through chapters trying to be met? I love listening to the wind because I believe humans are missing out on multiple layers of lessons. The wind is known for carrying the seeds of plants and other things, what if there's something that we should be recognizing? On this podcast I talk about standing in front of Versace's house in Florida the moment I learned of his passing. I didn't know how to handle the news except to take note of a beautiful white feather right where I was standing. I carry my writing tablets with me at all times. You never know when the wind will be spreading seeds. On that particular night I couldn't escape the South Beach winds. Writing was a struggle. Every gust pushed the pages onto my writing path. That's when I began to think about how many souls must be moving through that area of Florida sharing with those walking a final thought or prayer. I know! Way out there! Not to a creative mind that spent his entire childhood fearing the strong gusts of wind in Montana. Learning to trust it is one thing. Knowing there are lessons to be learned is a lifelong journey. I'm not saying I heard Versace's voice that night or openly play with the idea that a greater power from the universe tapped my shoulder. I just know how much I was moved by the presence of something that peacefully whispered "Let go and participate with the universe." The circles that began to open. The conversations I no longer ran from. How far do you walk before that feeling in your heart is no longer heard? Only to spend days, months and even years trying to reactivate the moment. But you can't. You were just a passerby that happened to be in the right place and didn't know it.