Living your Best Life

Living your best life

Living your Best Life

It’s Saturday morning and I woke up from a decent night’s sleep. So I was feeling quite relaxed. It was also the first weekend that my wife and I were spending at home in the last 3 months.

I still like to snow ski and we travel a couple of hours to the hill each weekend. Except for this one, as the season is winding down and our daughter’s wedding planning/shopping is taking priority. Karen and I are going to visit our son’s family with two grandsons today. This is always a special occasion!

However it meant going out to put gas in the car (They live 60 miles away). I hate to spend more than I need to for gas and we are fortunate to have a Costco store/gas bar close by. I know if I get there before 9 am on a Saturday I can pull right up to the pump without waiting!! (I hate lining up for gas!!)

When I finished my morning coffee and it was just after 8 am, I started out to get gas and stop at the local bakery for bread, and our morning treat, 2 ham and cheese croissants.

I love music so I had the radio on and a song started playing that I did not know. Typically I would change the channel to find a song that I could sing along with. However today, for some reason I stayed on the channel to listen. It may have been that I liked the artist, Ben Rector. It must have been a new song for him as the title is “Living My Best Life”.

As I was driving and listening to the words, my mind began to wonder and think about my life. I asked myself “Was I living my best life?”. As I thought more about that question, I played in my head many things that had not gone well, most of which were beyond my control. Then my thoughts turned to focus on the positives and the good things in my life.

I suddenly realized that I was probably living my best life!! In fact I came around admitting that I am living my best life!!! What a change in perspective. My life to date has been shaped by the decisions I have made with the support of the important people in my life. Wow!! What a great feeling! I have often said that for me, “Success is having the Freedom of Choice”.

It was crystal clear that I had the “Freedom of Choice”. Even though there are situations and circumstances from time to time that are not fun or enjoyable, I can appreciate that my choices are what got me there. I still have many stressors in my life that cause me to lose sleep and react poorly. But this does not dominate my thinking or behavior.

The perspective of other people I would be considered positive and optimistic. I look at myself the same way.

So back to that Saturday morning. What was important to me was that my outlook, perspective or mindset is crucial to how I see the world and my place in it. Being positive or negative is a choice each of us make all the time. Which “lens” are you viewing your world? We all have these lenses or filters that enable us to “choose” how we see each situation and each other. Each of us gets to decide.

This particular Saturday morning Ben Rector’s song “Living my best life”, allowed me to put my life in a new and positive perspective!!! I truly appreciated those few minutes as I listened and thought, not about the lyrics, but about my life.

That song was a gift, I believe meant for me right now. When I got home, I immediately pulled out the computer and wrote this message. I wanted to share my thoughts with the hope that you can take a moment to reflect on your life. Ask yourself the question, “Am I living my best life?”

Think about your answer. If your answer was No, I am not!! Don’t stop there, go on to ask “What has to change for me to consider that today I am living my best life? You may find the answer is very simple.

Remove all the complications and the blame we put on other people for the problem in your life. Is all that you need to do is change your perspective? Can you swap the negative lens for the positive lens? What do you appreciate about your life? What can you be grateful for?

This is why the song and its title were so impactful on me. Thank you Ben!!

Please take a few moments to reflect on all the good things in your life and begin Living Your Best Life!!!

Until next time,
Gary Mottershead – President, GCP Industrial Products