MOVE
After working ten years in media advertising in Manhattan, I did something completely out of character — I took a leap of faith and started living the life I watched others doing on reality TV.  Anyone can do this – just a matter of drawing that line in the sand and saying ‘no mas’.  I want something different.  I am not stuck.

I loved my career & work mates but needed to create balance. I did not make this change overnight – family, career responsibilities, etc, etc.  MONEY.   Over the course of one week (during my daily 2-hour Metro North commute from Connecticut to NYC), I developed a 3 year plan, a way-out.  I needed it on paper; I needed to better understand why I couldn’t have what the nameless folks of reality [TV] had.  What made them so special?  Nada.  They were simply living their lives freely – maybe recklessly but heck, who was the chump buying his monthly commuter pass every 1st of the month?  Hoping, wishing – with a lot of truly great times throughout these years – but stuck.

No new suits, minimal dress shirt purchases, only new ties at Christmas, eating out limited to special occasions only, allowed myself a night out with friends…but only once every week. No big gym membership, looked for ways to SIMPLIFY…do I need the bundle package?  Do I need a cell phone?  Can I wait a week?  Can I buy it on eBay?

Break the habit.  LIVE.  I don’t have a super compelling story.  I didn’t escape a crack house — BUT I too am allowed to LIVE out a dream. We all have back-stories, someone’s done you wrong — but lucky for me, I’m surrounded by amazing peeps (good friends) whom I’ve gathered over the years.

Start training yourself to LIVE – get quiet & start listening for your inner voice.  It will come; it won’t always sound panicked.

Start walking xx minutes a day and then keep walking — OUTSIDE in the sunshine, in the snow, in the rain, when it’s windy, when it’s scorching hot, when it’s so bitter cold that your cheeks burn.  Live in the NOW.  We share this amazing planet and have soooooo many experiences available but let ‘life’ get in the way.   No mas my friends.  Do it, MOVE, MOVE everyday.  Eat, enjoy life everyday.   Stop the perpetual diet and rotary ‘nothing special’ life-chain.  Learn to live SIMPLE and in the N-O-W.  Force yourself OUTSIDE every night for an entire month and look for the moon.  Take 3 minutes, breathe and stare at that moon.

Everyone has their own path.  I’m a spiritual guy so I stay prayed up, get quiet and listen – listen to my God, but also get quiet and listen to sensible answers lost locked, marinating in my head.

Most of us are super smart folks — we just lose our path after following the highway for years.

My lengthy message summed up: LIVE, LIVE SIMPLY and LIVE NOW.

HEY!  Living your dream doesn’t mean you plan a complete do-over with friends & family.  Tech up!   Honestly we’re not too old to learn — just lazy.  Skype your friends.  Plan your ‘new’ life vacations with your old world peeps.  I LOVE showing off my Colorado.  If it’s deep/real/true, that joy can be mesmerizing.

Show your friends & family that ‘gloom-n-doom’ guy was only a phase.  Stay inspired!  K*