It is said that ‘decisions are made by those who show up.’ Whoever said that must have showed up. What about you and your life? Are you showing up? Are you getting wet and going after your dreams? Are you lacing up your skates and flying down the ice?

Growing up in north Iowa, hockey is a huge sport in some of the larger high schools. I was lucky to go to a school that sponsored a team, so every Friday and Saturday night, I would be at the ice rink cheering on my friends. While watching, I privately dreamed I was in skates on the ice scoring a goal. I wished and wished and wished it would happen.

But it didn’t. Why? I didn’t have the skills, skates, pads, sticks or the willingness to learn how to even skate. But shortly after graduating, I’d mentioned to my friend Eric that I wanted to skate sometime, he arranged a pick-up game out at the rink after-hours. It was just a fun game where you score goals by hitting the puck to the post. It was the thrill of a lifetime.

I’d never laced up a pair of skates in my life and was scared when I stepped onto the ice that first night. But it was pure bliss. I skated and fell. I flew down the ice and couldn’t stop and slammed into the wall. I fell some more. But by the end of the game, I skated around the defenders and scored my first goal against the right post. It was fitting that I scored it falling down.

I finally decided to stop holding my life in the “I wish” or “One day I want to ‘blank’” category. I decided to show up. It’s my life; I should live it. Be there.

Where in your life are you not showing up?

(Flickr image via dnorman)

Related posts:

1. The Never-Ending Journey
2. All-Star Break
3. Live Today

With my growth this year, I am curious to know about my readers. I plan on making this an annual review of the Finding Focus blog and I would greatly appreciate two minutes (and at most five minutes) of your time with this survey.

It will help me understand who you are and how I can better provide quality and relevant content to your needs.

Thanks again!

Take The Survey

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Do Something promotes the idea that every person can make a difference. For many of my readers who are over the age of 25 (the high-end of their target market) this isn’t completely relevant, but please pass this organization on to those you know who are 16-25. This organization can become a huge resource!

Their guidelines are:

1. Believe in teenagers. Teenagers can lead today. We don’t require adults.
2. Trust teenagers. We provide reliable, easy to access information and activation strategies, but teens decide for themselves what to do.
3. Celebrate teenagers. We think all measurable contributions from teens are valuable.
4. Respect teenagers. We understand that teenagers have diverse abilities and constraints.
5. Value teenagers. Our programs and products are free. We’re not after teens’ money; we want their passion, time and creativity.

When I ran for office at the age of 18 in Mason City, Iowa, one of the things I constantly was saying was that youth had value and should be brought into the process of making our community stronger. Well, here is our chance.

Check out DoSomething.org today or pass it on. Let’s change the world!

Also, if you haven’t, join my team on Kiva – We Are One Stream!

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Being the early-bird she is, Tori was up before me and just as the coffee was brewing for her (better be) favorite uncle Richard to come up and play Barbies with her. I came up the stairs, filled a cup and chatted with my sister who was up, much to my surprise. Tori was laying on her stomach playing with her Barbies very peacefully on the kitchen floor.

While talking, something prompted me to reach down, grab Tori’s ankles and pull her across the linoleum floor about a foot away from her Barbies which were beginning their day shopping. I figured my niece would enjoy my antics. She didn’t.

She simply turned her head around, gave me her glare and said, “Not appropriate.” Uncle Richard had been shut down by a three year old who didn’t want to have fun. Apparently it wasn’t appropriate for her.

What about for you? When do you allow yourself to have fun; to allow yourself the right to experience the unexpected? Allow yourself the right to enjoy your life and all its unexpected twists and turns.

(Flickr photo by aWee)

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I debated for days whether I was going to write this column. It’s just the same thing, year after year. I remember I was getting ready for school when I turned on the radio and they were talking about this “terrible accident” in Lower Manhattan. I remember watching television with my classmates and then with my family that evening. I remember the gas lines and the American flags.

But now, where are we? We’re in two wars, (both of which I supported) but appear no closer to winning. We’re in a recession. We’re lost in the world. We’ve been here before in many ways and yet in many ways this is a time like we’ve never seen.

The biggest question out there is: Are we safer today than we were on September 10, 2001? I can’t honestly answer that question. In some ways I believe yes and in some ways we’re not. The risk we run as a nation isn’t creating people who hate our nation because we operate militarily in other countries. My fear is that those people we don’t help with humanitarianism. That’s where the battles of the 21st Century are going to be fought.

It’s going to be over knowledge and we have a great opportunity to spread knowledge. When knowledge of the world, of the sciences, of literature is taught to every child, they are free and clear to dream and believe in the ways of justice and peace. When there is no eduction and the only chance at education is a religious school that teaches hate and death, how can the victory be for a real and true peace?

As I said, I supported our military efforts. I didn’t have this blog back then, but anyone who knew me would remember my desire to be active in Iraq back in 1998 and be involved with Afghanistan in 2001. That aside, this is a battle we must fight. We must fight it with the power of knowledge and free thinking. And that begins here.

Look at us: we’re 50-50 on ideologies and where is that getting us? We can’t operate and solve real problems. Instead, we’re run by powerful interest groups and those afraid of sticking their necks out to fix real problems. If September 11, 2001, taught us anything, I hope it would be that when barriers are torn down and information can flows through the streets to all those that seek it, opportunity awaits. It was our own government that didn’t see the signs in the road leading up to that day.

And now it is our own citizenry, our system in Washington that is stifling a chance for a brighter tomorrow.

(Flickr photo via Andrew1000)

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Richard’s Thoughts…
If you screw up a painting or a song or a speech or an at-bat, will it matter in one year? I could argue it will. If that painting would sell for a high enough price to allow me to retire then heck yes it matters! But what if that painting that I screw up goes on to never sell but changes the lives of people who see it? Or what if I’m the last batter in the World Series and I strike out to lose the game. Yeah it matters because I’ll always remember that and won’t have that championship ring. But maybe I spend the off season working on my technique to be better to make sure I don’t let it happen again.

So, yeah, I guess it will matter in a year. But how it matters is the key. Is it a negative or a positive that you’re remembering? We are all on a journey and we have no idea where we are going, but we’d better enjoy the ride. Of course there are bumps along the way, but what road is totally smooth?

So, I beg the question: Will it matter in one year? Well friends, it will. It will matter if you learned from it and became a better person because of your experiences today. If you don’t learn from your experiences today, if you let the struggles and failures hold you down, then it only matters because it’s holding you down. Don’t let that happen! Enjoy your journey and make sure every moment counts for the better!

Related posts:

1. FOCUS: Learn (v2n31)
2. FOCUS: Don’t Worry! (v2n28)
3. FOCUS: Be You! (v2n16)

Oh yeah… The Game! The improbable Arizona Cardinals will battle the five-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers own 12% of the Super Bowl trophies. The Cardinals might have seen a picture of it one day.

The Steelers have been a powerful team for year. The Cardinals won nine games this year.

The Steelers have steel. The Cardinals… well, they have the sun. But they are looking to steel the trophy from the Steelers.

I’m excited for the game. I always am. Of course, I’m going to miss my team not being there (but hopefully better days are ahead after they cleaned house.)

I think this could be a great game. No one gave the Giants a chance against the 18-0 Patriots last year. Not even Tom Brady (who I love). He laughed at the insinuation their powerful offense wouldn’t score 17 points. (They only scored 14.) Back in 1998, no one gave my Broncos a chance. They were 14-point underdogs. They won the trophy by seven points.

This weekend we see the Steelers who are the obvious favorites and they would be the easy pick. They have Big Ben behind the wheel, good receivers and something tells me, Polamalu could play defense by himself and they would still get interceptions.

But then you have the team that is just finding ways to win. They aren’t great and they aren’t special. But yet, they are special. They have the guy who dreams keep coming to in Kurt Warner. Ever since his breakout year with the St. Louis Rams, he’s been wajking proof that dreams do come true.

But once they kickoff–all that goes out the window. It’s just a game. Who wins? I pick the Steelers… but only by a little. Final score: 20-17.

Oh – - I’ll also be Tweeting about the ads at Twitter! Join the conversation!

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