Fortune Friday: "You should be able to undertake and complete anything you desire."

Desire. That is the first word that jumped out at me after reading today's fortune. And for good reason. Desire is probably the single most determining factor in any venture. Brené Brown might label this grit. Rocky Balboa might have termed it guts. Steve Jobs or Picasso might have called it drive or inspiration.

But at the heart of grit, guts, drive, or inspiration is desire. A deep, lingering inner wanting. A hunger, a passion. That word, passion, gets thrown around a lot these days. Perhaps too much. And the more pedestrian a word becomes, the more power it loses. But let's really consider these words, really soak up their implications.

Desire. Passion.

I don't know about you, but the those are very stirring words. At least for me. In my movie-mind, it conjures up images of some swarthy, lusty-eyed pirate ripping off the bodice of his true love in his captain's chambers, having just rescued her from the evil clutches of his arch nemesis.

Can you picture the scene I just painted? Can you feel an aliveness in your body? Has it altered your physical state?

Is it me or is it getting a little bit steamy in here?

I don't know about you, but this is what desire and passion sound like to me. Not, "I want to quit my crappy day job and follow my passion." That doesn't sound much like desire to me. Real passion would have boxed up your cubicle and walked you out the door already.

If we operated from that kind of true, genuine desire there is nothing we couldn't undertake and complete.

To your good fortune!

Taking a Sick Day

I'm taking a sick day. I'm kind of bummed because honestly I really like writing these posts. But I'm just not feeling up to it. My back and ribs ache from throwing up all night. My brain feels like mush. And I'm profoundly tired all over.

So I'm calling in sick today. Thank you for understanding.

Fortune Friday: "A pleasant surprise is in store for you soon."

Not everyone likes surprises. Me included. It's not that I dislike the actual surprise, but more the surprising. At its roots I think this aversion to surprises is the subconscious need for control. If you're anything like me, you like knowing what's on the horizon.

As humans we sometimes feel small and powerless. Its a great big world out there fraught with danger and the unknown. And the un-knowing can be scary. Because it is, well, unknown. So in response, we try to cover as many of our bases as possible, to manage and control as many aspects of our day-to-day existence as possible.

And this constant life risk management can get really, really tiring.

I'm practically exhausted just thinking about it.

Albert Einstein said, "The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or a hostile universe."

The. Most. Important. Decision.

My guess is most people slant, particularly these days with the economy and world events as they are, towards a more pessimistic outlook. They see the universe as hostile. This shadowy place that is out to get them, to bring them down.

But what if it is possible to turn that belief around? What if we make a conscious effort to look for the good as often as we remember. Slowly we would adopt a more pleasant outlook. And as the universe began to look more and more friendly, we would fear surprises less and less. Instead, we would start to look forward to them. And the compulsion to control our worlds all the time would start to fade away.

And that is a pleasant thing.

To your good fortune!

The Path of Least Resistance

One of my favorite quotes, attributed to Henry David Thoreau, states:

"The path of least resistance leads to crooked rivers and crooked men."

I love this imagery of this quote. In my mind's eye I can see a small stream of water trickling downhill, slowly growing in volume and gaining momentum. As it grows, I see it dashing against small rock and stones, being diverted left and right, always going around not through. Fallen logs and debris and tree roots and boulders coax the running water into diverse paths resulting in a crooked serpentine shape.

But had the water been more focused and channeled directly at each obstacle, it would have, given enough time and pressure, eventually uprooted and unseated most of the obstacles in its path. And given enough volume, the largest of boulders, or even mountains themselves, eventually give way.

So it is with us. Too often in pursuit of our goals we run up against obstacles. Our dreams collide with opposition. Sometimes real, sometimes imagined. Sometimes the obstacle is another person, or a group of people, or an institution, or a corporation. Sometimes the obstacle is a cultural norm or outdated dogma.

But I would venture most of the time it comes from inside. Bad habits. Lazy attitudes. Small thinking. Our new dreams crash up against our habitual selves. And instead of channeling and focusing and digging deep, we give up. We go around. Or worse, quit altogether.

What if instead of seeking ease and comfort, we looked for opportunities to test ourselves? What if we welcomed challenges and obstacles? What if, like some crazed infantryman's badge of honor, we actually reveled in metaphorically sleeping in the freezing mud and eating cold chow.

Could anything stop us then?

Fortune Friday: "You will spend many years in comfort and material wealth."

Many years in comfort and material wealth? Um...yes please! Actually, I am really happy to be able to write about this—specifically about our culture's preoccupation with comfort and ease. Which comfort we typically tie directly to financial prosperity. As a whole, we try to avoid discomfort of any kind at all costs. We would rather remain in bad jobs and in bad relationships—living unfulfilled lives—than be uncomfortable for any length of time.

Now don't get me wrong. I love my comfort and wealth as much as the next person. The simple fact is that our world functions around money. It is our medium of exchange. And money can be a means of facilitating tremendous learning, growth, and personal experiences.

However, I think we need a lot less of it than we think. People, particularly us Americans, have managed to turn a lot of wants and niceties into needs. Multiple vehicles, endless electronics and gadgets, rock star level vacations. But I believe we could get by just as well with a lot less.

Understand, this is not an argument in favor of mediocrity or laziness. I believe it becomes every person to make the absolute most of themselves spiritually, mentally, and physically. But that does not always equate to financial success. Sometimes it does, but not always. Financial success can create a positive ripple effect that benefits many. It can also ruin people.

Speaking for myself, I am drawn to stories about the Spartans, and the Shaolin Warrior Monks, and the frontiersman of the American West. For me there is something romantic and honorable about a man, traveling light and unencumbered, who is able to do so much with so little. It is self reliance at its core.

And that is precisely what I believe every person truly wants. Not mere comfort and ease, but the knowing—at a deep inner level—that we have what it takes. That we can take care of business when the crap comes down.

We don't necessarily crave money itself. We crave the safety and protection we believe money will provide us with.

If you had to choose one, would you rather be rich or would you rather be competent?

To your good fortune!

Why You Should Get a Coach

Every great performer, whether they be an athlete, musician, or actor, usually has a coach of some kind. Ballplayers have batting and pitching coaches. Pop singers have vocal, dance, and instrumental coaches. Actors have voice, movement, and diction coaches. All three typically have personal trainers, nutritionists, and more.

Why? Because they want to improve. They want to get better. They want to be the best possible version of their professional self as they can. A good coach brings out the best in their client. They can point out the blind spots and illuminate the weak areas that need improvement. The best coaches literally help us see in a whole new perspective, to think new thoughts and see new possibilities. If the elite performers of this world, like Tiger Woods, see the value in having a coach, what does that say about the power of coaching?

It is ironic that we have all kinds of coaches and consultants in this world—sports, art, music, career, business, finance—and yet life coaching has only become a fairly recent phenomenon. I find it sad that there are all kinds of instruction and manuals and books on how to improve various skills, but few people are taught from a young age how to really live, how to be a "successful" human being. And I don't mean financially—which is how most people measure success.

Please notice that I did not title this "Why You Need a Coach," because honestly nobody needs a coach. You choose to work with a coach because you want to improve some your life in some way.

This past weekend I traveled to Los Angeles, California to spend 3 days working one-on-one, in person with my coach. I used some hard-earned vacation days. I spent my own money and worked out a few barter deals to generate the funds necessary to make this trip happen. Why? Because I am investing in my future. I want to take my personal and professional life to a higher level. I am committed to becoming the best possible version of myself as I possibly can.

And a good coach can help make that happen.

Fortune Friday: "You will soon receive an unusual gift."

Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Big ones, small ones, expensive ones, cheap ones. Some gifts come from a store, some are handmade. And some gifts do not fit into any of these categories. These gifts include quality time with someone special, words of encouragement when we most need it, or even a simple hug. Just one human being connecting to another.

And sometimes, gifts even present themselves as trials, struggles, or unfortunate events.

The real challenge is learning to recognize when we are being given a gift. Because what is the primary purpose of a gift? Ultimately it is to spread joy and increase happiness. So in that regard, even something unwanted like a job layoff or the loss of a loved one can, if applied properly, can become a source of joy and happiness.

When my mother was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, the doctors told her that her particular form of cancer had a 100% mortality rate. In other words, it was not a matter of 'if' she would die, but when.

From the outside looking in, this was terrible news.

But there was a silver lining.

My mother lived for another 18 months. Time-wise, she was in the top 5% of people diagnosed with her kind of brain disease. My mom and dad took a lot of road trips. They visited all of her longtime friends from all the states they had lived in over the years. They took a couple private vacations. In short, she was able to say goodbye in person to everyone of her relatives and everyone she held dear. And when she finally passed away, it was at home surrounded by all of her family.

Not everyone who leaves this world has such opportunities. Even though her passing was sad, the last months of her life were a tremendous, happy gift.

To your good fortune! 

Remember to Breathe

When life gets hectic and we are feeling the pressure to perform, to execute, to produce, we forget to breathe. Not literally—our brain continues to signal our lungs to expand and contract. But we forget to breathe deep. Our movements become shallow and erratic.

It sounds counter intuitive, but when we are feeling like we need to speed up and move faster to accomplish everything we believe needs doing, that is exactly when we need to slow down the most. We need to stop and step away—if only for a brief moment.

To pause.

To remember to breathe.

Fortune Friday: "Your lucky number for the week is seven."

There are seven days in the week. And each day presents me with the opportunity to create my own luck. Author and blogger James Altucher states, "luck is similar to being in the right place at the right time."

If that is true, then each week I have seven chances to put myself in the right places, at the right times, with the right people, for the right reasons. I can create my own luck so to speak. Or, I can choose to squander my time. I can choose to waste the hours with people who bring me down and drain my energy. But I don't think much luck will come of those options.

Each day we get to choose how we show up in the world. We get to pick who we allow into our hearts and minds. We get to decide how to spend our hours. Yes, I know most of us have little choice how to spend our workday time, but we do get to choose the attitude we bring to our work.

I am excited to see how my lucky number plays out this week. You?

To your good fortune!