Category Archives: Uncategorized

Another Year Older – Not Necessarily Wiser

brian smith-pld, Enduring Principles, New Year's Resolutions, Personal Development, Planning, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Uncategorized

birthday-cake-2I gave up celebrating my birthday years ago. Once you reach my age, the thrill of blowing  out a bunch of candles looses its appeal. Besides, I’m so old you can’t get a cake big enough for all of them. I have my parents to thank for my good health because the only pills I take are vitamins. Birthdays for me are a time for reflection. A time to look back on the year that was and think about the lessons learned. I figure if you aren’t learning anything new you are robbing yourself of the opportunity to grow. It’s a time to plan for the year ahead. Life is a planned event. Wishing and hoping won’t make it so. But mostly my birthday is a time to celebrate my accomplishments and think about all those things that I am thankful for.

I am thankful for:

  • A very special someone in my life who loves me – faults and all
  • Musical friends and the love of music.
  • What I get to do for a living
  • My son
  • My grandchild – who I get to hang out with
  • My ex-wife who is one of my closet friends
  • My siblings – Greg, Terry, Jerry, Randy and specially Laurie
  • Golf – playing and watching – but mostly playing
  • Movies
  • Red wine
  • Friday night date nights with my special girl Chloe
  • Quite alone time
  • Coffee
  • Spending time with the love of my life. Nothing in this world beats that
  • NFL football
  • College sports
  • A great italian restaurant
  • French fries with mayo
  • Hamburgers with bacon and cheese
  • Friends and family – too many to mention them all
  • Loving parents who are no longer with me but still watch over me
  • My girls – Minnie and Calley
  • Today
  • Tomorrow
  • Blue skies, green grass and sunshine
  • September weather
  • Four seasons, although I’m not really big on winter.
  • Being another year older – Not Necessarily Wiser

I could go on and on and on. I have a great deal to be thankful for. My life is still a mystery to me. There is no way I would have predicted being where I am at this juncture in my life. It’s been filled with both highs and lows. The lows have made me stronger. I know that there is nothing that I can’t overcome. The highs have taught me to be humble and not to get too full of myself.  Reality has a way of bringing you back down to earth.

What are you thankful for? In spite of all the craziness that is going on in your life, take a moment and make a list of all those things you are thankful for. You’ve got a lot going for you – you just may have forgotten them.

Copyright (c) 2016. Brian Smith – Voted Top 100 Leadership Expert, Management Consultant and Author. specializing in soft-skills training and leadership development. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit. https://briansmithpld.com

What I’ve Come To Know So Far

Personal Development, Uncategorized • Tags: ,

I spent Sunday morning reflecting on my past and what I have come to know so far? These appear here in no particular order.

I have come to know that:

  • The Rolling Stones are right – “You can’t always get what you want”.
  • Shit happens and sometimes there is nothing you can do about it.
  • There is no such thing as “Common Sense”. They should call it “Life Sense”. It just seems the older you get the smarter you get.
  • There are slow learners and it may not be their fault.
  • Life is a planned event. Wishing and hoping won’t make it so.
  • Getting married won’t complete you.
  • Without having both a physical and emotional attraction with your significant other you stand very little chance of having a long-term relationship.
  • There is smart – and then there is smart.
  • You don’t know what you don’t know until you know that you don’t know it.
  • Golf is a whole lot harder than they make it look on TV.
  • Your “Sole Mate” is out there somewhere. Don’t settle – keep looking.
  • Some people are surprised that I got this far. Other people aren’t
  • Age is just a number. Of course that depends on what type of medication you’re taking.
  • When you fall in love – your rational brain stops working.
  • Life is not perfect but it beats the heck out of the alternative.
  • When I was growing up I wanted to be an artist or a truck driver. I became a College Professor and Published Author instead.
  • Never ever give up. Keep at it because you’ll eventually get there.
  • You can never go home again is true because nothing stays the same.
  • Nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes – so learn to forgive but never forget.
  • You can’t have it all
  • There is no such thing as a balanced lifestyle
  • I have a lot more to learn about everything
  • Life isn’t fair – get over it and move on.
  • I have a lot more things I want to accomplish, but time is not on my side.
  • You can’t make time – but you sure can waste it.
  • They say money can’t buy you happiness but I’d like to give it a try
  • The “Beatles” are the greatest band – ever
  • You don’t have to know everything but you need to know who does.
  • Your Mother is always right.
  • Respect your elders. They know more stuff then you do because they have lived longer.
  • Being married is not a life sentence. If you aren’t getting what you want out of that relationship it’s time you moved on. Life is too short to settle.

Now it’s your turn. What have you come to know so far?

Copyright (c) 2015. Brian Smith – Reformed Control Freak. Looking for a keynote speaker who can entertain as well as inform on a variety of soft-skills topics? Give Brian a call. http://briansmithpld.com

Death is Fatal But Never Final

Uncategorized • Tags: , , , , , ,

optimisticMy Dad passed away on November 17 – 2012. Just six days after we celebrated Remembrance Day in his hospital room. My Dad, like so many others of his generation, was a veteran of the Second World War. He taught me the value of hard work and applying yourself. He always made the best with what he had, always striving for something more. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of him. I know his spirit lives on. He’s watching over me and helping to guide me. I like to think that we’ll meet again some day when my time comes. I don’t know that for certain, no one really does, but I’m hopeful just-the-same.

We all have someone in our lives who have passed away all to soon. I was reminded of that the other day when I got the news that a very close and dear friend of mine has stage two lung cancer. She’s beat cancer twice now – and I’m optimistic that she’ll beat it for a third time. Unfortunately the odds aren’t in her favor. She’s getting on in years now and each fight gets more difficult for her to win. Her Doctor feels that surgery will be too evasive and suggested radiation and chemotherapy. She’s leaning towards taking the treatment, but  hasn’t decided yet what she’s going to do.

She’s earned the right to do what ever she thinks is right for her. I believe we all should have that right. The right to leave on our own terms. I know my Dad left on his. Whatever she decides to do I wanted her to know that I’m thinking of her. That I love her – That she made a difference in my life. Her spirit will live on through me and others she has touched. She will never be forgotten. What kind of legacy will you leave behind? What would you like people to say about you when you pass on? Death is fatal, but never final. Make your life memorable.

Copyright (c) 2014. Brian Smith – Reformed Control Freak. Management expert, author and speaker specializing in soft-skills training and leadership development. Looking for a speaker? Planning a lunch-n-learn or seminar? Call me – let’s talk. http://briansmithpld.com

When One Door Closes – Another One Opens 5

Personal Development, Uncategorized • Tags: , , , , , , ,

13251_10153060318710301_12548721_n“When one door closes another door opens”. I was reminded of that famous Alexander Graham Bell quote on more than one occasion this past week. I got the chance to meet up with  two very special and gifted musical  friends of mine, that I haven’t seen in over 30 years. I’m the one in the middle. I had a full head of curly brown hair back then. Bob Dylan would have been proud of my afro. Once we started reminiscing about the “good-old-days”, the years and the distances between us quickly vanished, and it was 1972 all over again. You can just imagine the three of us enjoying a meal together and adding bits and pieces to each others stories, trying to connect the dots.

The years have been kind to us, not so kind to some of our friends. The truth of the matter is you just never know what’s waiting for you around the corner. Some things are predictable, while other things just seem to happen. Hindsight is always 20 / 20. The one thing I have come to know for certain is that life truly is a journey, not a destination. It’s organic – it evolves. Everyone’s crystal ball is a little fuzzy. You just never know where you’re going to end up. There is no way that I would ever have predicted I’d be a published author, professional speaker and college professor. Chances are my friends and family wouldn’t have predicted it either. Back in 72 I thought I was destined to end up on the front cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

If you find yourself in a situation where  the door has closed, don’t waste too much time regretting the past. That chapter of your life’s story is behind you. If you spend too much time looking back, you may miss the door that is about to open in front of you. Walk through it with confidence. Take a leap of faith, believing that an infinite number of opportunities are waiting for you on the other side. I believe that everything in life happens to us for a reason. It’ may not be obvious at the time we are going thought it, but there is usually a pretty good reason for it. Your past is not a predictor of your future if you are prepared to change the here and now. Take the time to reflect on your past misses, learn the lessons, and move forward.  And above all other things, enjoy the journey. 🙂

This article is dedicated to John Wiebe, Dan Unger and Cheryl Harnett Hynes. Copyright 2013 (C) Brian Smith – Reformed Control Freak. Not to be reproduced without permission. http://briansmithpld.com