This is a site of uplifting and thought provoking posts

Truth be told, I am a huge underdog supporter. I suppose the reason for this is that I have always felt like one myself and seemingly always bucking the system. Hence a true nonconformist.

Heck, I root for the Mets and that should be telling enough.

I suppose it is the same reason I love any movie either John Candy or Jim Varney (aka Ernest) ever was in. I’m sure John Candy’s work is well know by most people but Jim’s work maybe not so much so outside of “Ernest Goes to Camp”. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it but I have (I believe) every movie he was in including, Ernest Goes to camp, saves Christmas, joins the army, goes to jail, goes to school, slam dunk Ernest, Rides again, goes to Africa and scared stupid. I also have the movies Jim wasn’t Ernest in like, the “Beverly Hillbillies”, the little known “Snowboard Academy” and his last movie before his premature death at the hands of cancer “Treehouse Hostage”. I also have the DVD that includes all of the TV shows he did way back when.

Almost to a fault, his character tended to have the following characteristics, underdog, underappreciated and taken for granted, not too bright, accident prone, unassuming yet trying to act like he had his stuff together, more than a bit out of step with the world and reality as well as friend challenged (There is generally only Vern who we never see but whom we assume only puts up with him).

Sure there is a lot not to like about such a character but it is the flip side of his character that endears Ernest to me. He is completely dedicated and loyal, he is always trying to make something of himself and prove his self-worth, he is honest and trustworthy, kind, wouldn’t hurt a fly intentionally, forgiving, willing to put his neck on the line for others and most of all gentle and loving.

I think all too often in society we are attracted to the ones who seem to have their proverbial shit together, have power, wealth, position and celebrity status.

In reality the folks I believe we should be more drawn to and emulate are the Ernest’s of the world. With all of their flaws, seeming vulnerabilities and limitations they are the ones I’d love to have as a friend and have my back. Their not the ones who tend to start wars, hate someone because they’re not like them. They are the ones like Ernest who want to “to shape and mold others into a focused world view” as long as “they just give a fellow a chance”.

This whole Ernest thing really hit home for me this past week with all of the police shootings and police being attacked events that occurred. In truth, all lives matter and I believe it’s the Ernest’s of the world who help demonstrate that notion.

Thanks for checking in this week. I hope it’s a great one filled with love and hope. I hope to see you back here again next week.

Aloha, Paul

Imagine that you live in someplace like Kentucky or Ohio and you have planned for months to take a family vacation to South Florida. If that’s the case, you are probably all excited to be able to spend a week or so soaking up the rays at the beach, taking a swim or learning to surf or even getting out on a boat to fish or simply cruise.

You’ve probably laid out a good bit of money to either fly or drive down, forked out serious dough for a room overlooking the beach and most likely have purchased new bathing suits and other beach stuff to boot.

So how would you feel then, after all of that expense and excitement, if you arrived to find the beaches are closed due to toxic water conditions? Worst of all, what if you found the smell of the rotting sea life and algae was so bad the you couldn’t even open the slider to your balcony or walk the beach because the fumes were so disgusting and made you sick.

Worst of all, what if a family member actually did venture into the water before the closing was posted and they ended up getting a flesh eating disease or became other wise ill.

Unfortunately, this isn’t some scifi scenario but instead something that is currently going on in areas of Florida and it isn’t the first time it has happened.

If this was simply the result of a normally occurring event of nature, which I’m sure some would try to lead us to believe, we could probably understand but unfortunately it isn’t. It is the result of a discharge from Lake Okeechobee that contains tainted water from discharges largely from the sugar manufacturers there as well as ongoing discharges and runoff from other sources.

The truth of the matter is that many of the local rivers and in particular The Indian River have experienced high levels of toxicity as well as have the Everglades and portions of the Gulf for quite some time. I know because I’ve experienced them.

Certainly these events are made all the worse during hot summer months and high water temperatures which continue to rise over time.

To add to the problem, no regular water quality testing is required any more in the state so a person wouldn’t even know about a particular problem until a major event like this happens and it hits the media or some organization decides to water test on their own.

Obviously the impact is not only felt by humans but also the creatures who live in those waters, many of which can’t escape the toxins and end up dying.

Water is the source of life and is also a major source of recreation, jobs and enjoyment not only in our oceans but also in our rivers, lakes and streams and as such need to be protected and coveted by us all.

For my part, I not only enjoy the benefits to my body and soul from surfing in the ocean but also a degree of my income from it as a surfing instructor. And the impact for me pales in comparison to fishermen and business owners and employees who depend on the revenue from fishing and tourism.

Certainly runoff from industry, manufacturing, farming and golf courses have a great effect on this but to a large degree so does the run off from our individual properties. if we use chemicals and pesticides in our yards they eventually seep into the ground and run off during storms.

As I see it, we have no choice but to take this and other similar events seriously and look for ways to eliminate such events from happening in the future.

One thing is fairly certain and that is if I was part of that family who’s long awaited and heavily funded vacation was ruined by such a scenario, I would not likely return to that destination again.

Thanks for checking in this week. I hope you have a great one I will look forward to seeing you back again next week. I promise the topic will be a much lighter one but I just had to get this off of my chest.

Aloha, Paul

Often, when signing my books, especially with children, but with adults also, I add the line “believe in yourself and miracles and follow your dreams”. The phrase might seem simple and easy but in reality it is often difficult for us to truly live.

We are often, either from childhood or as adults or both, barraged with negative comments like, “you aren’t capable of doing this or that, you are chasing a pipe dream, you will never accomplish your goal anyway so be practical and do what is expected of you or and stop being a dreamer.

As a lifelong nonconformist and hopeless dreamer of the highest level (like level ten Mario Brothers if there is such a level) I have often heard such comments and often by those that should have been the most encouraging like family, friends and colleagues.

There was a time in my life when I used to buy into and accept such comments as true and I was miserable because of it. The truth is, if you lose that sense of self confidence and hope then you stagnate and are most likely not all too happy with yourself.

When I started to speak up, rejected the rhetoric and started to change and declare my independence, it was often met with a great deal of push back and resistance as people, some well meaning and some not, tried to put me back in my place. It even came to the point where I lost promotions or jobs over it and even lost the support of some friends and family members.

At times it seemed like the best option would have been to buckle under and forgo on my dreams but in the end I’m glad I didn’t despite the negative consequences.

I am much happier as a result and have accomplished things I was told I would never have been able to accomplish. I have conquered waves I used to be afraid to even look at, I’ve completed and had published three books with another on the way. I’ve been a public speaker and have been interviewed on the news in front of a camera. I’ve written a screenplay and will never give up on my dream to have it turned into a movie. I’ve also, even at my advanced age, continued to try to learn new things and take courses.

What I’ve received from it all isn’t to any great degree financial in nature, but more rewardingly, what I have received is a better sense of self and self-fulfillment and  self-actualization.

I have a friend named Todd who has a saying “Create your day”. The more I think about his saying the more I like it. It is easy to become downtrodden and left without hope and the spirit of dreaming. Life is difficult and so is realizing a dream but in the end whether we realize our dream or not, the process of pursuing it is worth it as it gives us hope, strength the belief that we can make a difference which in the end should make us happier.

So you dreamers out there, keep on dreaming big dreams and believe in miracles and yourself and if you’re afraid to dream or afraid of failing just take that first step and plunge into the deep end of life’s pool. Hopefully you’ll find the water feels great.

Thanks for checking in, have a great week, create some great days for yourself and I will look forward to seeing you back here again next week.

Aloha, Paul

These past few weeks I have been fortunate to have been able to coach a young Russian youth how to surf. First off, I could hardly tell he wasn’t “American” because his English was so good. It actually makes me feel a bit embarrassed that I can only speak just a little Spanish, French and German and certainly not enough to have a real conversation with those who speak those languages.

Secondly, although we are from different cultures and  backgrounds, we have bonded very well and have gotten along famously. When we first started out, his father asked if he needed to pay me up front (we are doing weeks and weeks of lessons) and when I said we would settle up later he seemed somewhat taken aback. I suppose he wasn’t accustomed to having someone trust them in that way. My trust was also paid back as they have not only paid in full when requested but have also purchased a board and other things from the shop I work for even though there are many other surf shops in Jacksonville Beach.

Throughout my life, I have always taken the approach that I am going to trust and like someone until they prove to me they don’t deserve my trust. Sure I’ve been burned at times from this but for the most part that trust has been repaid and earned.

This all made me think about the debate going on currently regarding immigration. It seems to me that the opposition to it is both a bit misguided and possibly so out of either fear or selfishness and that we might have forgotten what America has been all about along which is that it has been the land of opportunity that accepts everyone (within reason of course).

In the final analysis, unless one is the descendant of a Native American Indian, they are descended from an immigrant. So then, if that is the case then how can we say the next wave of immigrants is unworthy.

There was a time when Italians, Irish, Puerto Rican’s, Chinese and other nationalities were given a hard time when they first immigrated to American but now they are pretty much accepted. If so then why the issue with Mexicans, Muslims, Arabs and other cultures.

It seems to me that when we lump a group of people together as troublesome, evil or untrustworthy then we are not being fair and open-minded or true to who and whet we are and what we profess to be “the land of the free and the home of the brave”.

We need to look at each individual , individually before we decide either to, or not to, let them in rather than as a group. I believe that’s what has made this country great and the more we get to know each other and the less we judge and separate each other the stronger we will be.

Who knows, maybe all we need to do is enjoy a good surf session together. Ethnicity and nationality never has seemed to matter in the lineup.

Thanks for checking in this week. I hope you have a good one and look forward to seeing you back here again next week.

Aloha, Paul

The events in Orlando this week were distressing to say the least and once again reminded me of how people treat people who are different from them.

If you listen to children’s conversations regarding being different, they generally are comprised of statements like, “you have different color hair and eyes than me, you live in a different house than me, you are taller or smaller than me, you are left handed and I’m right handed, you have a thingy and I don’t, you are a different color than me or you are better at sports or school than me”.

The things they talk about regarding being different are simply things they notice and are generally delivered without judgement, criticism or anger.

Somehow, as we become older, we often start to change our thinking and dialog about others whether it be from being influenced by family, society or government. Unfortunately, all too often those things that kids take with a grain of salt become destructive and hurtful as we act out in unhealthy ways.

The dialog goes from what those kids said to things like, “You’re not the same color than me and I fear or dislike you, you aren’t of my faith or religion and I hate you for it, you don’t belong to the same party or political persuasion than me so we can’t agree on things, you are not of the same sexual persuasion as me and I can’t accept you, you’re from the wrong country and you are all evil and I can’t trust you, you’re way too conservative or liberal for my taste and I can’t relate to you or want you in my country or even, you don’t root for the same team as me and I don’t like you for it and want to hurt you”.

I often wonder at what point we lose our childhood view of the world and become so critical and bitter as to treat people so poorly just because they’re not like us. Sure we change along the way and life, fear and other things change our perspective, but I do believe the more we are able to hold onto our childhood view of the world when it comes to how we interact with and feel about others then the better off we would all be.

To be honest, I don’t want the rest of the world to be like me or think like me. First of all, I don’t have it all figured out and I don’t want to hang with people who all think, act and believe in all of the things I believe. It’s much more interesting to be around different people from different walks of life and with differing beliefs. In the end it makes us a lot more accepting of others and less fearful of our fellow man.

I remember a “Twilight Zone” episode where this guy ended up not being able to tolerate anyone who was not like him and kept hoping everyone would be more like him. One day he woke up and found everyone he met did look just like him even the women and children. At first he liked it but after a while it drove him crazy.

I remember being turned down for a job once because I wore sunglasses to the interview and was “too laid back” for their taste. To say the least, I was happy to have been rejected by them as I would never want to work for an organization that was so closed minded.

I suppose it’s human nature to have some bias but I also believe if we are all just a little bit more open minded, tolerant and accepting of others and their differences, and view others and the world more like children do then there would most likely be a lot less of the heinous acts we have seen of late and it would be a lot better world to live in.

Sure I know I’m a bit of a dreamer but at least it’s a good dream.

Thanks again for checking in this week and I will look forward to seeing you again here next week. In the interim, pray for peace as well as the victims of the Orlando attack and others around the world who have been the victims of such atrocities.

Aloha, Paul

The above title comes from one of my favorite lines in the movie “Galaxy Quest”. The aliens the actors were helping had taken the quote from a line in the TV show they watched and thought was real life.

While things didn’t go so well for them for a time, in the end their resolve was the thing that not only saved them but was also something that gave the actors real purpose to their own lives.

Certainly such an attitude and resolve doesn’t always lead to success as it did with them. From the way the story is told, those defending the Alamo had the same resolve but as we all know things didn’t work out so well for them. The same could be said of how things went for Custer at Little Big Horn.

Their defeats might suggest that there are times where the best course of action is to give up. I guess the bottom line is how badly it is that you want something and if it’s worth possibly dying for or going bankrupt over.

Fortunately not all instances of resolve involve either death or bankruptcy but all the same, generally taking the stance of never giving up has a certain degree of potential risk that comes with it.

Since I lost my job in industry some years ago I took on a bunch of jobs, some good, some bad just to make ends meet. There came a point in all of it though where I realized this wasn’t making me happy and not what I felt compelled to do. I felt compelled to write, volunteer and advance my artistic capabilities.

For some reason, many people don’t think such endeavors are “real work” and I was constantly told I should find a “real job”. Sure that bothered me but in the end my thought was, “hell, I’ve done the corporate thing for so long and I should now be able to do something for me”. As a result, though poorer,  I feel much happier now than ever before when we had a really solid income.

Several years ago I started writing a screenplay version of my novel “The Nonconformist”. As yet, even though I’ve come close, I have yet to find someone to take on the project of making it into a movie. Fortunately, despite the pitfalls, I have received some really good advice on how to make it better and as such I continue to tinker with it to make it as good as I can.

Several months ago a well-meaning relative, after me telling them about the screenplay and the difficulties I’ve had with trying to get it accepted by a producer asked, “That’s all well and good but how long are you going to put off doing something that might be better for you financially just so you can chase a dream that might never materialize”?

Although the question was a bit disarming, I honestly didn’t have to think much about my answer which was, “I truly believe in this project and although I’m not going to focus all of my efforts on it, I have no plans on ever giving up on it”.

I could tell by the look I received that my reply didn’t make sense to the relative but maybe it was because the person was never that committed to a specific dream or project.

I am sure there were many contestants on shows like “American Idol” that were told before hand that they were chasing a pipe dream. Fortunately they didn’t listen to those nay-sayers and followed their dreams. As we know, some fell short of realizing their dreams but at the same time there were others who succeeded in realizing theirs.

In the end it’s not about whether we succeed or not but instead that we pursued our dreams and never gave up on ourselves or those dreams. Either way we are the better for it and much further ahead that if we gave up.

It’s like anything hard that we do. I went surfing for a good bit of a summer before really being able to carve a turn on my board and really surf. Because I loved it though I fought through the disappointing sessions and as a result I finally mastered a sport I truly love.

I am blessed to have been able to teach surfing, snowboarding and skiing and to have seen people struggle at first and become disappointed then finally get in their good run or ride and walk away with a huge smile on their face and a feeling of accomplishment and well-being. Sadly, the people who never try never will know that feeling.

So hold onto your own dreams and never give up or ever surrender.

Thanks for checking in and I will look forward to seeing you back here again next week.

Aloha, Paul

It all starts early in our lives. We’re told things like, “You’re too old to suck your thumb”, “You’re too old to play with dolls or toys”‘. “You’re too old to collect baseball cards” “You’re too old to play with crayons or finger painting”.

You get the picture. From early on we are constantly being told what we are too old or mature to do. The funny thing (if you want to call it that) is that it doesn’t ever stop. We are constantly being told what we’re too old to do.

As adults we are told things like, “You’re too old to surf, snowboard or skateboard. Those things are for the kids”‘, “You’re too old to wear short skirts or dresses, long hair, tight or loud clothing, to have sex”, “You’re too old to live with your mother” (well that one could be valid), and “You’re too old to act like a kid and be silly”.

The list goes on and on. It seems like so many people have this outdated concept of what the norms of “growing up and being an adult” should be about and society seems to frown way too often upon those of us who don’t.

As I’ve said many times to people who accuse me of not acting my age and of being immature, there is a difference between acting young and acting immature and the two don’t necessarily  go together.

I have a friend from high school named Mike Lynch who is now in his mid-sixties and still playing semi-pro football. I respect the heck out of him for continuing to pursue a passion that he receives so much delight from.

I’m sure he is accused (probably mostly behind his back because he’s a big guy) of being too old to still be playing the game. Fortunately Mike has never let that stop him.

For my part, I’ve been listening to people tell me for at least the last thirty years that I’m too old for surfing and snowboarding but fortunately I haven’t listened to them and instead have chosen to focus on my friends and family who support what I do.

Several years ago I asked my shaper Tony from COS to shape me a 5’11” twin fin board. I respect the heck out of Tony’s advice and opinion but when he told me he thought I might be too old to ride such a short board I didn’t buy it. Somehow I thought I could still ride it and I asked Tony to make it for me anyway.

I’m glad I stuck with my gut feeling because it turned out to be a magical board for me and the one I ride most of the time. Sure there is nothing wrong with riding a long board but I just like riding shorter boards most of the time.

My feeling about age and the you’re too old stuff is that a person should let their body tell them when they are too old to do something. I also feel that a person should continue to do, wear what they want and act any way they want as long as it makes them feel good about themselves and doesn’t hurt others. I think it’s also important to try new things constantly and continue to learn.

I met another author a few years ago who wrote his first book when he was around ninety. I’m sure a lot of his friends (I guess at that age the word lots is a stretch) told him he was too old to write a book. The coolest thing about the guy was that he was already thinking about writing a second novel.

So my advice (for what it’s worth) is to not listen to those who try to convince you not to do this or that and to “act your age”. Instead, fly your freak or nonconformist flag and be your own unique, interesting, vital and exciting you.

BTW, I’m sorry I neglected to post a blog last week but have been busy painting the house the last week and a half (almost done except a few last touches). I’ve been told by some along the way that I’m too old to do this kind of work. I didn’t think so at the outset but after having to climb up to the top of the roof to paint the chimney, I’m starting to believe they might have been correct.

Thanks for checking in, I hope you have a great week and I’ll look forward to seeing you back here again next week.

Aloha, Paul

I’ve always wanted to be about the truth in things, not that I never lied (we all have at some point even if it was to save someone’s feelings) but I never liked lies and try my best never to and to instead try and seek out the truth.

The truth is (no pun intended), the truth can often hurt and sometimes even be crippling emotionally. At times I hate hearing the truth because it had hurt so much, especially if it was  something negative about me or the family.

In the end, however, no matter how hurtful the truth is, in the end I believe we are better off for it as it helps us to improve ourselves, heal, grow and move forward.

Unfortunately I came from a family dynamics where lies were taken to a state of the art dimension. They were most likely told to either, cover up family skeletons, protect the guilty or the “good family name” and sometimes to supposedly protect us kids. In the end, however, all they did was delay the truth from coming out, which it generally always does and polarize family members which often causes more even hurt.

It seems as though at times the one most invested in hiding the truth ends up doing their best to keep all of the family members apart so as to keep everyone from sharing and possibly finding out the truth.  This doesn’t allow for healing and forgiveness which are essential to all relationships and generally cause even more hurt and continues the cycle of insanity.

As I contemplate this, I have seen the exact same things happen in business and social settings so it’s not just a family dynamic.

Believe me, I have become aware of enough family cover ups and lies and atrocities over the years to sink a battleship and some of them were real doozies. The fact is I’m still finding them out. The thing about it is, none of them (at least not yet) has killed me. As a matter of fact, they have come as a bit of a releief as I now know the truth. It has helped to eliminate so much of my speculation and doubt and I now better understand that I’m not really crazy or a simple doubting Thomas like I was portrayed as being.

In the end, the funny thing about finding the truth is that I actually now feel a great deal better about things and feel stronger for it than I ever could have imagined. As the saying goes, “Whatever doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger”.

So no matter how hurtful the truth can be seek it out and embrace it. It might be absolutely enlightening, life changing and freeing for the soul and spirit.

Thanks for checking, have a great week and I will look forward to seeing you again here next week.

Aloha, Paul

Have you ever thought about someone you haven’t seen in a while and within a day or so you receive a call from them? Have you ever met someone for the first time but somehow feel an instant connection with them? Maybe you’ve been with a certain friend or group of friends and you either seem to be able to finish each other sentence, read their mind or all start talking at the same time and realize you are saying the exact same thing.

I’ve had a lot of such experiences over the years (I also see numbers before they come up or know the color or number of a playing card before they are turned over but that might be a completely different thing). But getting back to people, I very much believe in cosmic connections between people.

A goof friend of mine and awesome surfer named Bruce Clelland has spoken to me about peoples aura’s and such connections in the past and I’ve come believe Bruce understands such things and has awakened me to them.

I have since witnessed it during book signings. It seems like even if I sell only one book or a bunch (A bunch for me is anything over ten) that I seem to meet that one person that I instantly connect with whom I was either supposed to meet and who helped me with something I was struggling with or I helped in the same way.

As I’ve pondered this over time I’ve come to believe we do have the ability to cosmically or telepathically connect with certain individuals.

This whole subject hit home with me in a big way yesterday. You see, when I was young, our half sister Gerri came to live with us for a time. For some reason of which I’m not sure exactly why, I felt an instant connection with her. She was older, seemingly so cool and worldly and we just seemed to hit it off from the start.

Unfortunately, some fifty plus years ago she left our home suddenly and disappeared from my life without a word or a trace. We were never told why but I assumed it had something to do with the same reasons why all of us kids couldn’t wait to leave our disastrous household.

Over the years I debated trying to track her down but at each turn I decided against it feeling that if whatever happened was so heinous that she needed to separate herself from that memory then I would give her the freedom she so desired.

Throughout that time I thought about her and prayed for her nearly every single day and debated over and over again about trying to find her. I wondered though what had become of her, did she eventually marry, have kids and if so what she might have told them about us and me. Somehow, I seemed to know she was still alive and held the hope that we would one day be reunited.

The most interesting/ Twilight Zone part of this is that in my yet to be released, and recently completed follow up novel to “The Nonconformist” entitled “The Waves of Fate”, my hero goes out California to save a long lost surfing buddy and while he’s out there he eventually locates his half sister and they eventually reconnect and realize the depth of their cosmic connection.

I suppose my character is braver than me as I have long regretted never have done so despite my desire to.

In my novel, I not only have his sister living in California but also that she had a daughter. To my absolute delight and astonishment, yesterday I received a FB request from a young woman in CA whom I didn’t know but who looked familiar. Despite not knowing her I felt compelled to accept it and after doing so she informed me that she was in fact the daughter of my long-lost half sister and that they wanted to connect with me.

I am good at math but I don’t believe I could calculate the odds of not only hearing from them so soon after completing my new novel but that so much of what I speculated in the novel was so close to reality. Cosmic connection is all I can come up with besides the hand of God interceding or both.

As it turns out, my half sister and her daughter and family are all braver than me. In a FB post today her son-in-law spoke of his wonderful and strong mother-in-law who is the sister I remember.

In a family who has seemingly and sadly been so intent on separating themselves from each other I take this as a hopeful and promising step in the process of a piece by piece and person by person reconciliation and the coming back together as a family.

When we finally spoke last night it was not of two persons who were estranged and timid about sharing our stories and our lives but instead like two cosmically connected individuals who seemed to pick up right where they left off those fifty some odd years ago.

Now I can barely wait to finally have that face to face meeting with my sister and her wonderful family.

My hope and prayer for you who read this is that you will continue to make cosmic connections with others and that if there is someone you have been estranged with that you have the courage to reach out and re-connect with them. In the end, just as me, you will be all the better for it.

Thanks for checking in and I will look forward to seeing you back here again next week.

Take care,

Aloha, Paul

The year was 1965. A nervous teenager stood on the beach at Gilgo nearly locked up with fear watching the surfers out in the water and afraid to paddle out for the first time. He had been so afraid of the ocean, in fact,  that his friends had nicknamed him chicken of the sea.

Despite his fears he plunged into the surf which to him looked gigantic but in reality was only chest high and paddled out into the lineup. After several feeble attempts he finally stroked into and caught a wave and although he didn’t stand up, the belly ride he took was enough to propel him into a lifetime love affair with the ocean and surfing.

To this day, that same man has never refrained from paddling out no matter the conditions and despite those never ceasing fears.

That same young man was so afraid of girls that he used to get sick before dates but he continued to fight off those fears and eventually not only became comfortable around women but eventually found love and later married.

That husband who was so afraid of having children because he feared he wouldn’t be a good father, eventually overcame those fears and had not only one but three children and later the grandfather of four.

Though this young man  for a time was so wrapped up with fears of so many things to the point of barely being able to get out of bed eventually overcame those fears and went on to do so many things both in his career and personal life.

He excelled in business, stood up to the system which eventually cost him his job, became a public speaker and educator, headed up an industry group and an environmental organization chapter, wrote four books, became a snowboard and ski instructor and did so many other things despite at every step being reluctant and having to overcome his fears.

What the man finally figured out was he would always have a certain degree of fear for various things most likely due to things beyond his control that took place in his life that broke him in deep ways. The most important thing that occurred to him though was that, despite ones fears, you can’t let them get the better of you and that if you can overcome them there are so many cool things you can enjoy and accomplish and that’s exactly what he has done.

Thanks for checking in this week and my hope is that if you have a fear of doing something you really want to do that you can overcome your fears also. Have a great week and I hope to see you back here next week.

If you want to find out more about that man and about overcoming fears check out the books “Chicken of the Sea” and “The Nonconformist”. (Sorry for the plug but I’m overcoming me fear of self promotion).

Aloha, Paul