LIFE Archives - Page 2 of 2

You Just Never Know

November 9, 2013 By montywinters Leave a Comment

You just never know if:

Someone has just been diagnosed and is thinking about all they have to lose.
Their lover just texted them to say, “It’s over”.
He wakes up every day thinking he’s about to fail, fearing that everyone else in the world knows something that he doesn’t.

You just never know if:

She’s in the middle of a divorce and is about to go on stage.
Before he was your driver, or your waiter, he was a doctor in his homeland.
Their spirit was fractured as a child by unspeakable things.
She is frightened.. All the time.
He resists life itself.. All the time.
They are frail from lack of love.

You just never know if:

They’re faking loving the heart-hollowed life they fought so hard to make.
Chemicals are coursing through them in destabilizing ways.
She hasn’t slept through the night in months and months.
They’ve experienced a loss that will leave a gaping wound for the rest of this incarnation.
Today is especially hard and they’re doing their best, while they wish for just a little more than what they’ve got.

You just never know.

Suspend judgement.

There is a story behind every person you meet.

Avoiding conclusions..

Can be a monumental act of love.

~ M

Relationships: LIFE According to Carl and Ellie

January 8, 2013 By montywinters Leave a Comment

LIFE is all about Relationships

I spent almost 20 years in the movie industry, I have watched a lot of movies. I am a big guy but I admit, I am rather tender hearted. My kids know firsthand that I rarely made it through a Disney movie without tearing up. I used to be able to conceal it pretty good by strategically placing my children on my left and when it happened, note the word when, I would just turn my head to the right until I could collect myself. It wasn’t long before they figured me out and insisted on stationing themselves on either side. Yes, going forward I was forever busted.

The Relationships Masters: Carl and Ellie’s Lessons on LIFE

Up is the story of a lonely, curmudgeonly widower, Carl Fredricksen, who decides to escape the world’s chaos by tying thousands of helium balloons to his home and floating away to paradise—all alone. But shortly into his trip, Carl learns he’s not alone.. a stowaway, a young boy named Russell, has unwittingly come along for the adventure. And along the way, both Carl and Russell learn some poignant lessons about LIFE ..

And about the importance of Relationships.

One of the most important things we can do is to connect with other people.. and it’s easy to lose track of that. And that’s the essential message of the film, that Carl thinks he missed the real adventure in life by not going to these exotic places and seeing these fantastic sights. But in the end he learns that he had the best adventure of all..

The adventure of the relationship that he had with his wife.

I expected to cry, but I never expected to be reduced to tears in the first 10 minutes of the movie. And now you know.

http://youtu.be/UHMD_EqM61I

LIFE is relationships.. The rest is just details.

Are You A Happy Person? What Do They Look Like?

December 14, 2012 By montywinters Leave a Comment

If you’re happy and you know it..

If you are a parent, a teacher, or remember a big purple dinosaur, I dare say you can sing this along with me:

So for future reference, if you see a child clapping, stomping, nodding, spinning, and exclaiming “We Are!”.. leave them alone, they are Happy and they Know it! And thank yourself and the big purple dinosaur for providing this clear indication for a generation of kids, and us parents.

Because later on it is not that easy.

How do you know if someone is really happy?

I observe people, it is my job. And when I ask someone what they really want, most will say they just want to be happy.

But how do you know if someone is happy?

Gandhi provided this..

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

But what does that look like?

I have studied happiness, read lots of books on the subject, attended seminars/workshops, and listened to friends, colleagues, clients, share their thoughts on this subject.

What happy people look like.

Here are 10 common qualities that I have noticed in “Happy” people:

They know happiness is a choice. They understand it does not come from outside. It is a decision to consciously create their own happiness.
They don’t complain. They know it is a waste of time, energy, and only produces more of a negative mindset.
They never blame others. They take 100% responsibility for their actions and outcomes, or their lack thereof.
They avoid toxic people, place priority on healthy relationships, and spend time with positive, like-minded people.
They are more effective than most at mastering their emotions. They feel things like we all do, but are not slaves to their emotions.
They embrace change, they readily adapt, they are not creatures of habit and are comfortable with the unfamiliar.
They are kind, generous, and take great pleasure in helping others achieve happiness. They are happy to make others look good and do not seek personal glory.
They are life-long learners. They constantly work at educating themselves, learning, unlearning, and relearning.
They are secure in who and what they are. Their sense of self-worth does not come from what they own, who they know, where they live or what they look like.
They talk the talk, and walk the walk. They practice what they preach. They live it.

Do any of these qualities resonate with you? Do you consider yourself a happy person?

Actually, when you cut through all the fluff, here’s the only question that needs to be asked:

Do you want to be happy?

“Yes Monty, but..”

Nope, you cannot put conditions on it..

Do you “really” want to be happy?

If you want to be happy, you choose to be happy no matter what. Period.

This is your ultimate power and freedom, no one can do for you, no one can take it away.

Choose Happy.

By the way.. You rock!