I am not much of a movie goer, but I can’t help myself when crossing the Atlantic and having 8 plus hours to pass the time away. Yesterday I returned home from a wonderful reunion of former colleagues. We get together once per year in a different country and celebrate our friendship and our lives together. With all the recent threats in London and around the world, of course, plenty of my friends warn me not to go! And sometimes, I of course, get anxious as well. But, always upon my return, I am thankful that I attended and feel the gratitude for such great friends and memories. On the return flight I watched 3 movies and my favorite was a movie named: “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”. It was a great movie that I watched twice and it left me profoundly happy and was filled with wisdom how to live our lives and how to overcome anything! The movie was truly inspirational and marvelous how the writer captured the essence of life. I was inspired by this line in the movie from the owner of the hotel and he said that in India, they have a favorite expression: “In the end everything will be all right….So if its not all right, it must not be the end.”

I highly recommend this wonderful film with a great cast like Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. Its a great lesson for all ages and I will leave it to you to go see the movie!

This past weekend I attended my daughter’s graduation from Ohio State University.  With 11, 700 graduates, it was one of the largest college graduations in the nation!  And, as usual, there were speakers that addressed the class of 2017!  The Stadium was filled as well and the volumes of parents, friends and family all there to support and honor their graduating family member!  It was truly an inspiration to see such an amazing process and life event take place.   But the speaker that stood out from the rest and the noise of the day, was a speaker named Abigail S. Wexner!  She was an excellent speaker and addressed the class with truly inspirational words.  For those not familiar with the Wexner name, the Wexner’s  are successful  business people that have contributed significantly to Ohio State and to public education in Columbus!  So, after reading her bio, I was expecting something completely different than what she delivered.  She spoke about growing up as a Jewish girl and how one individual changed her life!  She spoke about her STRUGGLES and her JOURNEY and how she ended up helping others and giving back.  It touched my heart as I am sure it did many others.  But her message was so simple, yet so  profound-that one person can make a difference in someone else’s life by simply helping them and being kind! Her explanation of her “STRUGGLE” and her explanation of her “JOURNEY” and her simple advice on her “SOLUTION” is what separated her from the rest of the speakers.  In fact, that is what I want to leave you with today.  If you want to inspire someone and stand out from the rest in this noisy world, you must first identify with someones’  STRUGGLES and then tell them about your JOURNEY to solving your struggles.  And finally, help them with your SOLUTION!   A simple 3 step process for standing out in this noisy world!

For my entire life I have always been the “Go To” guy. Friends, family and colleagues have always come to me asking for advice on how to get a job, how to be happy, how to make money or simply how to figure out or fix something. Does this sound like you? I think this is because I have always been a “Above the Line” kind of person. In many ways, that is my “why” in life.  I have been blessed with the ability to normally see the good in any situation no matter how difficult the situation can be.  I have come to realize that this is truly the only way to live happily! I had never heard that expression before, but my friend, Simon, introduced me to this concept and I believe it is an important element in your pursuit to finding meaning and purpose in life.  Always try to be an “Above the Line” person.

Just what exactly is an “Above the Line” person? Well, there are basically two types of people. People who live above the line and people who live below the line. I was fortunate enough to always land above the line! First, lets define a Below the Line person. These are the folks that always feel like they are the victim! IT is always someone else’s fault for the reason they are in the situation they are in. They tend to be easily offended, highly critical of others, micro managers,  unforgiving and narcissistic.   A classic line from a below the line person usually sounds something like this:”You don’t understand……”  For me this a always a warning sign.

Now lets look at an “Above the Line” person!  I don’t want to lead you down the path that these types of individuals are the greatest, but I can tell you that they will definitely add more value to your life.  Above the Line folks live  a life deep rooted in  confidence and peace.  This is what gives them their sustainability to keep rolling and helping others.  Above the Line people are genuinely interested in other people as well.  Above the Line people are givers of their time and talents and when you encounter them, you feel blessed!  They actually give you energy instead of sucking the energy from you.  Above the Line people live with gratitude no matter what they have.

So, how do you transform yourself if you are a “Below the Line” person?  The first step is to know that you are living below the line.  It is knowing exactly where you are and the reason you are there.  The second step is to determine where you want to go and who you want to become.  And the third step is to find help in achieving this transformation.

Finally, the only way to find your purpose in life is to move towards becoming an Above the Line person.  It takes time and hard work, but the rewards are worth it.  To be free from “things” and “stuff” is a great freedom few people know.