What's Your Pony?

Good morning. As this new day begins I want to share one of my
favorite jokes with you ...

Worried that their son was too optimistic, the parents of a
little boy took him to a psychiatrist. Trying to dampen the
boy’s spirits, the psychiatrist showed him into a room piled
high with nothing but horse manure. Yet instead of displaying
distaste, the little boy clambered to the top of the pile,
dropped to all fours, and began digging. “What do you think
you’re doing?” the psychiatrist asked. “With all this
manure,” the little boy replied, beaming, “there must be a
pony in here somewhere.”

And so I share this joke with you because no matter where you are
in life at this very moment, it is likely that you may feel
buried in horse manure either as a direct result of the economy,
your job, your finances, or even your relationships. Maybe all
four.

This past Saturday I was driving to Sonic to get my son and his
friend breakfast, and we passed a local shop that buys and sells
gold. They had not opened their doors yet, but there were dozens
of people waiting online to get in. The line wrapped around the
corner. It's a statement of our times and makes me wonder if a
run on the banks isn't too far behind.

But despite all of the fear and uncertainty, we need to try to
maintain a positive attitude like the boy in the joke and keep
looking for the pony.

Now the problem, I think, for many of us, is that we set our
sights on things that we may never actually find, and that feeds
the disappointment, fear and anxiety. For instance, every week I
meet people who think they have written the next best selling
ebook or developed the next big Internet product or service. The
reality is they have nothing substantial to place their hopes on,
and so they keep looking for fame and fortune.

What's your pony?

Are you focused on something that is concrete and attainable or
simply wishing for? I've got nothing against hope, but hoping that
money will rain down upon you like manna or that you'll be discovered
as the next great author ... well, that's a far cry from reality.
Sure, it could happen, but it may not happen.

So what do you hold onto to make it through the day?

For me, it's getting a lot simpler -- another day alive, with a
roof over my head, clothes on my back, food in my belly. Being
with my family. Getting hugs and kisses from my kids. Being able
to laugh. There's something about growing older that brings
things into focus. And 53 is around the corner.

Now don't get me wrong. It's easy to let life's disappointments
and fears bring everything out of focus in a micro-second. In an
instant something goes wrong, you panic and your world suddenly feels hopeless and that everything is coming to an end. I felt that way last week as financial pressures mounted. Today, less so.

The 1985 movie "Mask" was a real-life story about teenager Roy
Lee "Rocky" Dennis who suffered from craniodiaphyseal dysplasia.
His bone disorder caused massive amounts of calcium to build up
on his skull causing facial distortion. Many call it "lionitus"
because it tends to distort the face and make it look lion-like.
It usually results in early death. Rocky made it to age 16 and lived
a very full life, surrounded by good friends and loving family.
Despite the grim outlook by the medical community and limited
life expectancy, he lived longer and fuller than expected. Here's
a poem he wrote:

"These things are good:
ice cream and cake,
a ride on a Harley,
seeing monkeys in the trees,
the rain on my tongue,
and the sun shining on my face.

These things are a drag:
dust in my hair,
holes in my shoes,
no money in my pocket,
and the sun shining on my face."

No matter where you are in life, set your sights on what's truly
important, pick up your shovel and start digging, searching
through the manure for your pony.

He's got to be in there somewhere.

Until next time,


Steven


P.S.: If you are challenged by marketing or launching your
product or service online, please drop me a line at
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