Get a bite out of dentistry

I know a man who evolved to spend his professional life working with dentists and orthodontists, though dentistry was never his ambition. I personally think he has already great teeth. He's not a dentist himself, but inadvertently learned about what they do anyway. Funny how life evolves!

After a variety of jobs, he decided he would begin to organize conferences to make his living. I'm unsure exactly why he zeroed in on dental professionals, perhaps he met a dentist he liked? Anyway, he recognized a market and that business was his choice. He was astute at researching which dental professionals were on top of their game, publishing developments and manufacturing technology in the industry. This man learned to persuade people about the benefits of what he had in mind. He invited individual speakers to present their ideas or innovative techniques to a group of peers. The seminar sessions lasted over a few days.

Now, this friend of mine happens to be Irish by birth. Somehow, he met and befriended a Scottish dentist. The Scotsman's popularity as a witty speaker led my friend to repeatedly invite the Scot abroad to participate in dental conferences. This friend of mine arranged the logistics for all his conferences and also introduced the speakers to audiences. His Scottish friend eventually suggested that the abrupt introductions could be improved with practice. So, my friend decided to become involved in Toastmasters (TM) public speaking.

For a long time, he attended TM meetings but only listened. Perhaps he couldn't decide if he really wanted to be there? Yet, as he built up his courage, he began to open his mouth. Much to his surprise, he sharpened skills he didn't know he had.  He developed his confidence and began to incorporate natural humor into his speeches. One thing led to another. The introductions he blended into his dental conference business became noticed. Audiences began to appreciate him so much, that dental professionals began inviting him abroad to speak about the dental industry. His career evolved from being in the background of speakers by choice, to become a major public speaker in their industry. It was unplanned, but most rewarding.

My friend still arranges professional meetings and conferences. Over 25 years experience helped him build a solid reputation in his field. What's really great about his own evolution is that he took steps to develop his inner self. What ensued were a variety of unexpected opportunities for personal growth, including public speaking, local and international travel, and professional networking in a discipline that began to attract him differently than before. He has taught me when you reach out to take risks to learn, life will evolve in ways you can't begin to imagine.

"The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing." ~Leo F. Buscaglia

Morrie Schwartz & 6 Revelations about the Hereafter

Morrie Schwartz was a sociology professor. His passion for books and life lessons are incredibly contagious. I came to know about him through a book entitled "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. Apparently, Ted Koppel interviwed and broadcast a series of pieces about him on ABC Nightline. I never saw them.

Schwartz's final years led him to recognize and share his views on unnecessary tension most humans create inside. He voiced the most meaningful revelations he experienced during the end of a terminal illness. Simpilicity was one of the points he feels so many people miss. Based on Morrie's increased clarity as he neared the end of his life, I would invite you to consider the following:

1) Do you sense you lead a meaningless life? Morrie observed that many people would get busy doing things they felt were important, yet their heart wasn't in what they did.  He encouraged people to re-evaluate their choices, to stop chasing the wrong things.  His thought the way to create meaning in your life is to learn to devote yourself to loving people, to focus on things that enable you to feel good about yourself, and to make a positive difference in the lives around you.

2) What are your priorities? Morrie discerned the most vital life experience was to learn how to give, express and receive love.  He sensed many people don't think they deserve it. He sensed people generally feel that if they accept it, they'll go soft or, be judged less than human. As a man, he acknowledged the importance of learning to 'loosen up,' which implied ignoring what society told him was okay for men. He decided to figure out the power of compassion in his heart.

3) How do you learn to believe? Morrie discovered closing his eyes made all the difference. This reminded him that sometimes we tell ourselves we can't believe what we see. Yet, what really matters, at any given time, is how we choose to feel. He drew from the example of trust. We all want to believe we can trust people, even during times of uncertainty, even after individuals, institutions, or other forces around us seem to let us down. He showed us we can believe ourselves.

4) Does society distract you from what really matters? Morrie reflected how people don't regularly step back to self-examine or question whether choices are based on more than ego. While speaking with his former student, Mitch, Morrie explained why we all need teachers who encourage us to probe into ourselves about our logic and reasoning. To pinpoint your fears and secrets and to identify how they affect your current choices is the key. Mitch wrote to consider: death, fear, aging, greed, marriage, family, society, forgiveness, and a meaningful life.

5) Are you prepared to die? Morrie felt this means to be mentally prepared any time, any place, regardless of age or state of health.  This implies becoming deeply involved in life while you're still alive. Draw your attention to questions such as, "Am I following my passions?," "Am I making the decisions that enable me to feel true to myself?," "Is there anything I've been postponing which urgently requires attention?," "Have I learned what it means to truly live, to give unconditionally of myself?," "Is ambition at the expense of what you sacrifice really worth it?"

6) Have you discovered the healing power inside? Morrie questioned the ability of human beings to make room for spiritual things and wondered why people could be so quick to belittle and disregard what they could not perceive or explain. Morrie didn't pretend to know the decisive meaning of spiritual development, but he asserted the Western world he knew had become too focused on things that don't satisfy at the core. He felt the intangibles, natural miracles, relationships and connections to things beyond us deserved more value and attention. He encouraged people to explore the basis for beliefs as a road to authenticity and inner peace.

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."
~Henry Adams

Seafaring survival skills

How many people would imagine the idea of a mobile high school on a vessel that sails around the world, to teach people practical savoir-vivre, let-a-lone find an ad? Although I didn't join that particular crew, I have consciously had many other buoyant travel experiences.

I suppose I've always believed in possibilities. In the end, it’s not what you think that matters, but how you react to your thoughts and to what happens. You learn a lot from whale watching in the Atlantic, like discovering how to sit still for six hours watching and waiting and helping a friend contemplate losing lunch over the side.  Also, while sailing in a yacht race in fog off Nova Scotia, I learned to be vigilent and avoid many possible collisions, while floating along in almost no wind. 

My first sailing lessons as a teen involved shock treatment.  I was initiated and then caught off-guard on lake in Colorado during a freak lightning storm.  Later in life, while deep sea fishing off southern Florida, I held on tightly to the power boat and learned what it meant to return empty-handed. After ocean sailing off the coast of Chile as a guest on a turbulent day, I felt I was still in motion as I kissed the ground.  While Balinese outrigging in a Jukung off Indonesia in the Indian Ocean, I was reminded how to jive in a refreshing breeze. I like to recognize how seafaring interests actually seem to draw certain kinds of people to us.

One friend I invited into my life later told me she grew up the daughter of a Dutch sea captain. Her family traveled regularly by ship from Europe to Asia. You might say she discovered Marco Polo's spice run from different vantage points. Her childhood at sea continues to shape her life choices, to remind her the value of difference, tolerance and understanding. I don't question why I met her. We have a lot in common. Maybe that's why we were drawn together and keep in touch.

I have another friend who used to work in a shipyard and got friendly with many international ship captains. He shared stories with me about the names of ships and captains and some of their regular cargo runs. This friend told me if I ever needed a lift, I could look up certain people in certain ports. This friendliness caused me to think of a couple I know who decided to take a vacation by crossing the Pacific to Asia on an oil tanker.  If they'd been journalists rather than physicians, the public may have gained quirky insight into ship hitchhiking.  They even slept on deck!

You might say I'm fond of ships. One of my friends was sailing a Caribbean charter until his boat was engulfed by a tropical storm. He was rescued by a passing cargo ship and experienced adventure all the way to the it's destination of Amsterdam before flying home to North America to tell his tale.

Expand your scope

Adventure travel isn't everyone's dream.  All travel can actually be seen as meaningful adventures, if you chose to perceive a change of scenery that way.  Experience extreme altitudes, and deep sea diving expeditions into underwater caverns.  You can find the most challenging and unsual climates and cultures to stretch your sense of reality.  You can travel within or step far outside yourself. 

Some people travel based on their instincts, based on a recommended destination or, a sense of having visited a particular place before.  Some people travel based on a sense of necessity, to study,  find work, meet up with relatives, to live a dream, to pursue love or, to follow clues that bring one closer to a kind of destiny.  You may consider travel for any, all or no specific reasons.

As for me, I'm repeatedly asked about lasting impressions among the many continents and countries I have visited.  What compels me to migrate, to explore or seek new ways of learning?  I suppose that its in my blood like my Viking ancestors.  Yet, this instinct has been nurtured by my life choices.  I'm drawn to people.  I naturally go out of my way to forge human relationships. 

Developing friendships led me to write letters and share stories.  It wasn't enough to simply communicate at a distance.  I desired to experience places I had read and heard about.  I was motivated to create opportunities to discover them.  You don't dwell on why you think you can't. Rather, you just figure out how you will. 

Warped sense of values

Do you dream of a good night's sleep, but just don't seem to get it? You have your reasons.  We each have our own idiosyncrasies. Some people's choices of mattress wouldn't be your choices. You may even go so far as to think other people have a warped sense of priorities or values because they don't behave like you would behave or, they don't share your particular sense of humor.

Consider a couple I know who decided to buy a brand new car while at the same time, were adamant about saving money so they bought a second hand mattress. This may not seem logical to you. They exerted considerable effort sorting through the want ads, and fiddling with a map to find the home of the mattress owner. On the way, they decided they wouldn't buy the mattress if it was found to be owned by an obese person, because this would imply there would be damaged springs. After haggling the price down from $140 to $110, they triumphantly tied the Sealy mattress to the roof of their temporary rental car for a shaky trip across a new city.

The plot thickens. Once back in their new apartment, the couple discovered that in their haste, they hadn't noticed the underside of the mattress emitted a rather pungent odor. Apparently, they forgot to ask whether the previous owner had pets? Figuring the odor and discoloration would dissipate after a good airing, they put the mattress out on the balcony for a few days and hoped for a good breeze.

Amidst all the delirium of their move, would you imagine they overlooked the superintendant's flyer in their mailbox about a planned rooftop cleaning? Three days later, they returned from work to a surprise. The mattress on their balcony was coverd in brown sludge that had been dripping from far above. Even so, rather than throw it out, they decided to take a wet sponge and clean it off. They had had enough of their air mattress, but decided to stick it out just a bit longer. ..

"Self-pity in its early stages is as snug as a feather mattress. Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable." ~Maya Angelou

"A penny saved is not a penny earned if at the end of the day you still owe a quarter." ~Mary Landrieu