Today is my birthday.

Not that it is a big deal or anything. I just can?t ignore it. I see it on the corporate Outlook Calendar, I see it on Facebook. I have never had Facebook friends before on my birthday so that is a new experience for me, and I already had one wish me a happy birthday last Sunday! Thanks by the way.

This stretch of summer is busy for my family in that there are lots of these kinds of celebrations. Hayley?s birthday is June 7th; of course Father?s Day falls in there somewhere; my birthday is the 27th; Cameron?s is the 28th; Kim?s is the 29th; and our wedding anniversary is the first of July; then of course the 4th of July, which is no small event in my family for sure; and then Savannah?s birthday on July 20th.

Hayley bought me a book for Father?s Day called ?Essentialism? by Greg McKeown. So far I am understanding that some of us exert a certain amount of energy going in many directions like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But we should really look like this, expending the same amount of energy in one direction and as a result, we would be more successful and happier:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am currently trying to read three books:

1. This one I just referred to, ?Essentialism;?
2. The one I started at the beach, Tony Hsieh?s ?Delivering Happiness;?
3. And another one called ?The Culture Blueprint? by Robert Richman.

(Hmmm??..I think that might be a sign of something?.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don?t know that I have always been like this. I think when I was growing up I may actually have been more like this:

 

 

 

 

 

And, I am sure there are a couple of my high school classmates reading this who may argue I was more like this:

 

 

 

 

 

I once worked with a guy, his name is Gordon Barlow. He is a great business man and was a huge mentor to me. One day he said to me:
?Curt, some day we are going to have all these people working for us and we aren?t going to have to work so hard.?

Though I guess I still like the thought of that, I haven?t found it to be a reality for me. And from what I know of Gordon, I don?t think he has either. I am quite sure he could retire if he wanted to but the last I heard he was working as hard as ever.

Our lives are all about the choices we make. I have learned that the hard way with some bad choices and I also have been blessed to make a couple of good ones too. I tell my kids, sometime you have to take control, make choices, and take some chances.

Kim is the same way, we definitely share this defect, I mean trait?..(though she is a good example of one of my better choices!). We work all the time. And even if we are just working on the yard or the garden, she will say to me:

?Honey, let?s take a break and have a Coca Cola?

And I say ?Great idea!? and get the Coca Colas and sit down and wait.

And I wait.

And then I finish my Coca Cola and go back to work because I know she got distracted by some weed or plant or something and forgot all about taking a break.

It?s okay, I understand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So today is my birthday.

I am getting older and some might say it?s the time to slow down, get the energy moving all in one direction??.. So I think to myself, ?Curt, what?s it going to be??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, I say heck, bring it on!! No sense in trying to change now!

By the way I mentioned the Run for Jaime Foundation in my video last weekend. Here is a link to their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/runforjaime

And also if you are interested a link to donate: http://www.gofundme.com/RunforJamie

Thanks and have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curt Christiansen
Chief Operating Officer
Sport and Spine Rehab
[email protected]