Truth is, a good story wins every time

A good story sells. A good story is remembered. A good story gets told again and again. A good story teaches. A good story entertains. A good story has a point. A good story has a moral. A good story paints a picture. A good story captures the imagination. A good story gets better the more it's told. A good story tells the truth. A good story never gets old. 

There once was a boy who left his hometown with a broken heart. He traveled far and wandered lost in the wilderness. By chance, he found a new home. It felt like he had come home to a place he had never been before. He was given the keys to open every door. He met a beautiful girl. He fell in love. He won her heart. They married and started a family. They had three beautiful daughters. They worked very hard and built a beautiful home. The boy received the news his father had died. He flew straight back to his hometown and was welcomed with open arms. He grieved the loss of his father. He grieved for the hometown that was no longer his home. He wondered how life would be if he'd never left. He visited all the places he used to know as a boy and very little had changed. He visited the people he used to know and they all marveled at the man he had become. The pain in his heart grew as he thought of his family back home. He would have never left if he had only known. He meant so very much to those he'd left behind. He traveled so far and it was easy to find. That his home is where is heart is, so he made up his mind. He loved his daughters. He loved his wife. He flew straight home and he loved his life! They lived happily ever after. The beginning. Not, the end!

That's my story in a nutshell. What's yours?

Truth is, baby steps is a good idea

Incremental improvement is the theory. The question is what size increment is worth the effort. The answer, I have found, is any size increment of improvement, when sustained, is worth it. 

When I was hiking at high altitude with a world-class back-country mountain man, friend of mine who I was struggling to keep up with doubled back to tell me, "Up here where the air is thin, never stop, doesn't matter how slow you go. Just never stop. See you at the summit!" Baby steps would be an exaggeration in describing my acent that day, but I'll never forget the lesson I learned that day. Keep moving forward. Life, like hiking a mountain, isn't a race. If it were it would be a marathon, your first and only marathon with the goal to finish well.

I've always want to make huge strides. To succeed. To reach the objective and set a new one even higher. Now that I am older I am starting to see the flaw in this way of living. Being in a hurry to succeed is problematic because enjoying success entails enjoying the ride to get there. A rough ride brings great blessing. The journey is the reward in itself. Baby steps not only allow you to keep moving forward, but offer the opportunity to look around as you go. 

A baby step is an action. One positive action after another and another in the right direction will get you where you need to go. One baby step today is worth any giant leap planned for tomorrow. A baby step right now is the answer to any challenge you are facing. If you take that step it will lead to another, and another, baby momentum is a powerful thing. Before long you will arrive. If you keep moving you will realize you are already there. Success is the journey not the destination.

Truth is, I've been living like there will always be tomorrow

I've been living as a mortal in all that I fear and as an immortal in all that I desire. Living as if there will always be time to do what I want, putting it off until tomorrow. Always doing what I fear I need, doing what I must to get through the day and ensure another morrow. There will always be another one. Although today is filled with sorrow and need, I press on to create a better tomorrow. I will sacrifice this day. I will do what I have to do, because some day will come and my dreams come true. There are things I want to do and don't, because there will always be tomorrow, until there isn't. Now that I am old I'm starting to feel different. All the days I have squandered seem to mock me with indifference and there is little time for my deliverance. In the few days I have left I will find time in the present to set a presidence. What matters most is now. Tomorrow has no relevance. Their number dwindling. There aren't many left. I'll stop wasting time. I'll stop the theft. I'll do it right now. Time to seize the day. I remember how. I know how to play.

Truth is, you can not control everything in your life

Truth is, a lot of things are out of our control. Knowing this helps us deal with the unfairness in life. Having a mindset to learn from that which we can not control helps us find the silver lining. We really don't know the ending of our story. We don't know enough to tell the good things from the bad when they happen to us. We know what feels good and we know what hurts, but do we Honestly know what these feelings do for us. Where they lead us. Who they make of us. We must learn from that which we can not control in order to choose our response. We must learn the alternatives to fight or flight. We must be wary of random rewards and grateful for the challenges we face. If we allow it, serendipity will surely come our way. 

Truth is, Sometimes Everything is not going to be OK

And that's OK. Whatever it is we'll work it out. We'll work through it together. I will be there for you. It's why God put me here. It's what makes me happy. That I can be here for you. If you need to be alone that's OK too. Sometimes I need to be alone. But, know this, you do not always have to be alone. You have me. 

I'm the guy who knows the truth. Truth is, it's not always going to be OK. And that's ok too.