The concept of choosing words of focus for the coming year seems to have really caught on since I first read of it three years ago. In those three years I’ve chosen words significant to me each January. In a previous post, I talked a little about those choices and how I realized the obvious need to keep them within sight throughout the year. I will be doing that this year. (note: genuine, listen, clarity * simplify, connect, achieve, * serve, income, focus)

For 2012 I find my focus words to be found simply in one word, WHY.

A growing personal awareness over the past number of months has surfaced after consciously listening to the conversations around me. Some of those were discussions, some were comments and posts in social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, web sites), and others were articles or videos.

What is clearly muddled is the why we do, think, and believe. Myself included. While I’ve always been one to think somewhat about this relative to various facets in life, the question and concept of Why has been appearing more and more to me.

This past week an article was being shared on Twitter about the top five regrets people had on their deathbeds.  As one can guess, the regrets center around life’s significant moments and activity. The dying realized they had disappointments in areas related to work, friends, truth, and happiness.

This year I will be mindful of Why. I believe if I move closer to understanding my whys, I’ll align more closely with purpose, in all facets of  living … friends, spirituality/God, work, and fun.

As 2012 begins, what word is resonating in you? And have you considered why?

I thought I would share a few pictures of fireworks I’ve seen on Facebook and Twitter as well as a video taken of the fireworks show in Laughlin, Nevada this past weekend. July 4th fireworks are a neat tradition and I think most of us have a memory or two of this event going back to childhood. I like shows without all the distractions of music, orchestras, etc. Or big crowds.

Rockets Over the Colorado River, Laughlin, Nevada! Cathy shot this video of the fireworks in Laughlin last week with her Droid Thunderbolt (how coincidental!) It has HD video and I think captures the colors impressively. The video was even hand-held! Cathy was standing on the Nevada side of the Colorado River at the Belle and the fireworks were shot from the Bullhead City banks in Arizona.

Here is a shot I saw on Twitter from the White House:

This shot is from the Telluride fireworks show where my friend Lisa shared some great shots of on Facebook. She took this using her old hand-held Sony camera! She mentioned in her comments that they were directly below the show and could feel the cinders falling on their heads.

And my favorite picture I’ve seen this year on my social media is from Texas, of all places. This one was taken by Nancy. It was taken from the banks of Lake LBJ, Kingsland, Texas at the 42nd Aqua Boom. Nice!

Happy 4th of July, America!

And here is a final tribute, America the Beautiful, sung by Elvis. It’s pretty moving.

Enjoy.  *** CLICK ***

May 21, 2011 I took a walk that was like no other. I walked my one and only daughter down the aisle for her wedding. Words do not come to me as to how this felt. It was the most meaningful walk in my life.

Seeing her so happy made me feel great. I had told her to focus on the celebration and not the pomp. She and Pete did.

While I find it difficult to express the weight of this life event, I can compare it to only two other meaningful moments from my life — the day she and Greg were born and the loss of my firstborn. Huge emotions found in all three. These are events and moments that bring into focus those things where you have discernment that what is happening is something to take notice.

So it was with a lot of happiness, pride, love, and excitement that her and I took this walk. A walk that ended with the giving away one who means so much to me to another, a young man who I think is awesome … in the presence of God, friends, and family.

I’ve found my favorite hike in Phoenix, Arizona! It’s the series of trails that cover the area around Squaw Peak in the North Phoenix Mountain Park.

My friend Rambo (yes, that is his real name) showed me this area. We accessed the trails from Dreamy Draw Drive, just west of the 51. There are a couple of tunnels that take you under the highway and into this Phoenix park. The scenery is stunning. As we crested the first ridge from the west, the above shot was taken. Amazing feeling of being in the desert. No city noise or views. Just mountainous terrain, cacti, and wildlife.

Here is the view from the next ridge we hiked up to. The 51 is there in the middle, and I am looking west and north. It was late afternoon and the temps were in the mid-80s. Rambo is bragging about how he had done this hike earlier in the day when it was really hot. He was also threatening not to hike with me anymore if I continued to carry the large purple water container I brought. At least it held a lot of ice compared to the little jug he brought.

One of the many saguaros growing in this area. I think there are more saguaros in this part of the park than any other area of the valley. Saguaros are my favorite cactus. I have been told each limb takes a hundred years to grow. Another surprising fact is they are HARD like a tree. I always thought that green area was spongy.

Here’s a shot from about the same location as we began from the first ridge. Sun is setting on Squaw Peak (on right). The hike was approximately 4.25 miles. With my stopping to take pictures, take in the views, and catch my breath it was about 2 hours of exercise. Rambo usually does it in an hour and a half. It must be noted, he has no eye-witnesses to this.

Here is the view opposite of the above:

I hope to do this route again soon for a sunrise hike. It has been a perfect one for helping me get out and walk during my 90 Day Challenge. Since moving to Phoenix just over four years ago, the North Phoenix Mountain Park has provided many opportunities to enjoy the desert without having to leave the city.

I can only suppose that we all have some rough times where we wonder why things aren’t working out as we thought they would or turning out exactly as we planned, or taking far longer than we anticipated. Am I the only one that has days like this? Add to this add the realization that there are far less days ahead for those of us on the other side of our fifth decade that those days we have passed. Kind of a downer.

It makes reading a list of stories about people that never gave up that much more amazing. Emory.edu has a list of accounts of people that rose above their obstacles, doubts, and failures. It makes me wonder how they did it. How they kept going when they had no reason or encouragement to continue.

Here’s a sample:

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. Not a big deal. But he lost every election for public office until becoming Prime Minister at age 62.

Macy failed seven times before his store in NYC caught on.

Emily Dickinson had only seven poems published while she lived.

Bell telephone was struggling and went to Western Union for help. Bell offered all their rights to them. Western Union rejected it calling the telephone nothing more than an electrical toy.

Hank Aaron went 0 for 5 in his first time at bat with the Milwakee Braves.

From 1974 to 1993, Tom Landry, Check Knoll, Bill Walsh, and Jimmy Johnson won 11 of the 19 Super Bowls. These coaches, all of whom are considered as good as the game as seen, also each recorded the worst records of first season head coaches in league history. O-fers. They did not win a game in those first years.

Johnny Unitas’s first NFL pass was … an interception. Worse, it was returned for a touchdown. Joe Montana’s first big league pass … an interception. In Troy Aikman’s first season, every touchdown pass was countered with two interceptions. Aikman’s first season didn’t include a single victory.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper because his boss thought he lacked imagination. He experienced more than one bankruptcy before Disneyland.

Every cartoon Charles Schultz submitted for his high school was rejected. Ironically, Walt Disney chose not to hire him either.

Sidney Poitier was told after his first audition that he was wasting people’s time and that dishwashing might be more appropriate job for him.

Gertrude Stein submitted poems for almost 20 years before on was accepted.

Van Gogh sold only one painting in his life, to his sister. He kept painting during his life and painted over 800 more.

Dr. Seuss’s first book was rejected by 27 publishers.

We’ve all heard the stunning late in life success of?Colonel Sanders and Abraham Lincoln. So many others.

How did they push through the feelings of failure, fear, depression?

What will we accomplish if we stay true to dreams and goals?

Certainly, one’s best days can be ahead, despite the present circumstances that suggest otherwise.

North Phoenix Vineyard Church recently completed their new auditorium. Over the past twenty years, the church had grown to five worship services, two on Saturday and three on Sunday. With the new auditorium, they are now able to hold worship service for up to 2500 people in each of the present three services … comfortably.

All are invited to attend the Grand Opening on Saturday, May 1 at 5 P.M. and Sunday, May 2 at 9:15 and 11:00 A.M. Dress is as you are, casual and comfortable. The focus is on being authentic. After not attending “church” for 20 years, I have found Vineyard to be a place that allows you to find your way.

What Makes Vineyard Unique promises to be an informative and encouraging message! Brian Anderson will present the Vineyard perspective in his unique way.

Here’s a couple of shots of the service and worship I took the past two weeks.

James leading worship last week. He has moved here from London, England and plays a guitar for worship like no other.

If you have been looking for a place to worship or seeking Him, in your own way, this would be a perfect weekend to not just check out the new auditorium but the Vineyard Church itself. Imperfect people welcome …

As 2010 begins, everyone usually spends time reflecting, setting, goals, joining health clubs, etc. Last year, I saw a blog post by Chris Brogan describing his preference for setting the tone for the new year by choosing three words that reflect his focus for the coming year. I really liked that idea.

My three words last year that I chose to be my focus were: Genuine, Listen, Clarity.

Genuine. Despite the fact we grow out of our superficial teenage years, I find most of us as adults remain disingenuous and pretentious. Our relationships are so focused on what our environment determines as cool and impressive. The cars we drive, neighborhoods we live in, clothes we wear, friends we choose, businesses we shop at … all are so often determined with how we and others perceive how they make us look/feel. I tried to ge focused on what is really important. I need to continue seeking genuineness as it is too easy to fall back into the shallow.

Listen. Listening helps you to understand and takes the focus off you and places it on others or your surroundings. I think I started seeing just how much we don’t listen. Evidence of this is the amount of selfish noise I found on Twitter. It’s distracting and sometimes sad. Listening helped to be still. particularly when focusing on spiritual things.

Clarity. Areas of clarity I mentioned last year were those like professional direction, relationships, spirituality, past issues … and I have to say it was not a year that I found to have gained in these areas. I will keep this focus channel open.

2010 Words of Focus

SIMPLIFY – CONNECT – ACHIEVE

Simplify

For over a decade, I’ve been feeling that one of the more profound secrets to life is to simplify. Tending to over-think things is a personal characteristic that works against this. I want to find ways to seek the simple this year and appreciate it.

Connect

2009 was a year of developing some meaningful connections within social media channels as well as in the Phoenix area. I am also appreciative and thankful for those longer term friends that keep in touch. I tend not to be the best about keeping in touch. In 2010 I want to continue to develop those connections using Web 2.0 channels such as my blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. And in contrast, I want to hold on to some traditional ways that are being lost such as the simple remembering others with a meaningful card, particularly on birthdays and Christmas.

Achieve

I’m excited about this focus area. This year I hope to complete within two classes of finishing my Masters in Adult Education and Training, seriously commit to the development of my personal and cruise blogs, improve in areas of exercise and diet, and establish a supplemental income.

What words strike meaning for you as we begin a new year?