After getting laid off from a good-paying job I wallowed in a “woe-is-me” pit of despair for 3 months. I was 30-years old and trapped by the seduction of a materialistic lifestyle. I was lost! I made a decision. I stepped out of my comfort zone, which had become very uncomfortable. I took a risk and took action.
I packed my bags and moved to Florida with a goal of becoming an animal trainer. I had no experience or education working with animals. However, persistence, determination and passion led me to accomplish my goal within one year. Over the past 13 years, I have lived in 3 states and worked with: dolphins, sea lions, kangaroos, kookaburras, walrus, and beluga whales. Oh yeah, I also own a dog training business, The Problem Pooch. I have found myself!
Along my journey of life I have been asked by friends and family, “You’re doing WHAT now?” My answer is simple, yet not always understood.
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Last Summer, I had the pleasure of visiting Emerson’s home in Concord, Massachusetts. I felt a tingle ripple from the base of my neck, down my spine, and into the back of my legs when I touched the gowns Emerson wore while delivering keynote speeches. It was like he whispered to me, “I know who you are. You are a writer. Write and leave your trail.”
I created this blog and I published a book, I’M IN.
Thank you Mr. Emerson!
Henry David Thoreau, like Emerson, was a Transcendalist and lived in Concord as well. I sat among the concrete memorials of his cabin in the woods, at Walden Pond.
It’s Not What You Look At, It’s What You See. ~ Henry David Thoreau
A slight breeze flowed over my humidity soaked skin. It made my whole body shiver, like a dog shaking off after a bath. Thoreau spoke to me, “I know who you are. Look and See. Write my friend, just write.”
My ambition is to help people find and see wonder in the mundane. I want people to appreciate the seemingly insignificant gifts we have in life.
I’m doing my best Mr. Thoreau. Thank you!
I was led to Concord to “meet” Emerson and Thoreau by my wonderful wife, Cathy.
A thousand mile journey begins with the first step. ~ Chinese Proverb
Cathy and I have been through a lot of trials and tribulations. It’s not always easy, but we are together. Each day is a new step on our journey of marriage. Sometimes we follow a familiar path, sometimes we leave a trail.
Celebrate What’s Right With The World ~ Dewitt Jones
I was in a roomful of business networking associates when I first saw Jones’s DVD, Celebrate What’s Right The World. I had never heard of this National Geographic photographer turned keynote speaker. I immediately resonated with his words. He spoke to me; he knew my internal struggles! He challenged me to develop my own 6-word phrase to live my life by. I spent almost 5 years trying to piece together the right words. Eventually, they came to me.
Be Kind. Be Thankful. Be Significant. ~ Me
I do my best everyday to do these things, to be this person. I don’t always succeed. But, I show up everyday and try to make today better than yesterday.
Throughout my life, I have had an on-again, off-again relationship with God. Thankfully, we are on-again. The Serenity Prayer gives me hope in the valleys of life. It also allows me to be thankful for the peaks in my life.
God, grant me the serentity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Be Kind. Be Thankful. Be Significant
Peter
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