Christine and I were hanging out with our old friends Casey and Stephanie this weekend.  I’ve known Casey ever since high school and we’ve had some great adventures together.

Casey was telling Christine how he purposely hangs out with people like me who make him laugh.  It’s true, we’ve had trips together where we’ve laughed for hours at a time.

I’ve been thinking about it ever since then and I agree.  Life’s too short not to hang out with people who make you smile.  It’s too short to do things you don’t like.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like paying taxes.  I really don’t like flossing my teeth.  I don’t like changing diapers either, but I do it anyway.

Other things I can control and I do.

I hang out with people who inspire me.

I do fun things.

I plan my career around my life instead of the other way around.

Because life’s too short.

And you?  Are you hanging out with happy people?

Image by ToniVC

The Butterfly Effect and The Boy Who Changed the World were recently sent to me by the publisher, Thomas Nelson.

These two books go together beautifully.  The Boy Who Changed the World is a children’s book with a powerful message about how your actions today affect the world tomorrow or hundreds of years from now.  I’ve had the book for weeks and it’s continually been a requested title at bedtime.

Author Andy Andrews takes you through the lives of four people over multiple generations.  Without small actions from each of them, two billion people wouldn’t have been fed.

The Butterfly Effect is a great companion and kept me captivated all the way through.

The Butterfly Effect was coined as an idea in 1963. The question was asked, “if a butterfly flaps it’s wings and sets air in motion, could that cause a hurricane on the other side of the world?”. More than 30 years later, physics professors came to the conclusion that the butterfly effect was “authentic, accurate, and viable.”

Both of these books should motivate you to take needed action to improve things in your life, and the lives of others…today.

Our neighborhood is on a year-round school calendar and today is my oldest daughter, Ava’s, first day of kindergarten.  She’s been looking forward to this day, literally, for four months.

Ava’s been telling us all the things she’s going to learn and do and can barely contain her excitement.  She woke up early this morning, ready to make her own lunch.

Ava took two years of preschool and ate it up.  She asks for homework constantly and I’m forced to print worksheets from the internet and compile them in a 2″ binder.  She worked through 90% of the last 50+ page set a few hours into our last road trip.

Desire to Learn

What I love about Ava is her desire to learn. Studies have shown the majority of college grads haven’t read a single non-fiction book since college.  It’s like we get comfortable in life and just stop learning and growing.  We stop achieving and switch to just getting by.

I find it odd that many people also hate their jobs.  Some even hate their lives.  If you’re in that boat, shouldn’t you be doing something about it?

I’m Doing Something About it

Me?  I read a book nearly every week.  Right now I’m reading Don Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and can’t put it down.  I take classes.  I subscribe to magazines.  I talk to people and hire coaches.  I never stop learning because I know I’d be going backwards.

I want to be like Ava.  I want an appetite for new things.  I want my life to be as exciting as a movie.  I want to star in my own reality TV show.  I know that my life won’t be exciting and full of learning unless I do something about it.

Are you doing something about it?

(Photo credit MMMMichelle)

Remember when imagination and creativity used to involve putting things together with your hands? We used to build castles in the sand, cars out of building blocks, and forts out of blankets and pillow. Now it usually involves a mouse or touch screen.

I love technology. Probably more than the next guy. But I wonder if we’re missing out at times.

What do you think?