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DAY 62 --I'll call it a Thursday Update...

UPDATE: 2:50 AM Amsterdam, the Netherlands time, 22 April 2005

Back once again... Not in Washington D. C. anymore.

In fact, let me describe where I am:

Location: About 1 hour by air, outside St. Johns, New Foundland, Canada.

My .net connection to Hotmail failed. No doubt, I am at 36,000 feet and around 546 MPH ground speed.

I have 3 hours and 54 minutes left in the flight and about 2.5 hours left in battery life. Consider yourself lucky - I have lots of thoughts and not enough power.

I am sitting next to a German lady, to who I mentioned that at times parts of my conversation end up in a daily diary. Well, that put a damper on the conversation and it ended. Everyone had dinner and now just about everyone is off to sleep. It will be a short night because the NYC to AMS flight is not that long. Hopefully, I too will get a nap, but now my mind is on the days events...

Just a moment to glance at the wing, and then I'll continue.
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WOW. What a view. It's 3AM Amsterdam time and the nearly full moon is out. I cannot see below as there is a cloud layer. It really does not matter, as I am about one third of the way between NYC and London over the Atlantic and there's nothing to see below. I suppose the Titanic is 8000 feet below the water and that's about all that I can think of about what's below.

So, what shall we talk about? ... It was a beautiful day in Washington. I started the day with a problem of missing a hike with my lawyer and a hiking partner. I was suppose to start the day by hiking the Billy Goat trail around Great Falls, Maryland. In the end it was a solo hike/semi-run.

The trail does not lend itself to anything like a jog in the park -many steps are from rock to rock, but I managed to keep a good pace. Usually, a group hike takes about 2 hours, but I managed to finish the round trip in 1 hour.

I didn't feel good about the start as I had eroded in communicating the starting time and perhaps other vital information to the others. Hence the solo trip.

However, the whole setup bothered me because I should have been able to think ahead of the possibilities. I suppose I was tired the day before and assumed that things will go ok. They didn't.

My only consolation was that the Wise Dutchmen who was suppose to join me had parked his car at the beginning of the trail and even though he was not hiking along side of me, he was there. That put a smile on my face and I got going. Just to get him out there was a success.

The Billy Goat trail was given a good name. I have managed to walk it a few dozen times in the past 5 years and I have run thru it about 200 times. Yes, the definition on my legs and for that matter most of the rest of my body is owed to the Billy Goat trail.

When I started running it I had this pesky problem of hitting the 210 pound barrier with my weight. I am 6 feet 4 inches tall, which is OK for my weight, but I read the Dutch guidelines that told me that I need to be around 90 kilos. That's around 200 pounds. Now I am down to 195 lbs. and it's mostly thanks to the trail and a good diet.

Being a computer guy, this is a good thing.

Anyway, most people who saw me running the trail thought I was "nuts" and had some bolts shaking around up there. I don't think that was the case. I do have some lose bots, but I don't think I am "nuts" ... hope not anyway.

I had a problem. This was an elegant solution.

So, let me get back to the Wise Dutchman... In the end my effort did get him away from his home and he did hike the trail. I hope that we had a good day because of that, and I will excuse my blunders.

The issue with my lawyer is another. I'll write a note of an apology and mail it to him. I don't know how it happened -- It's not a good thing to miss your legal council no matter what the circumstances are.

Anyway, hope the Legal Eagle will forgive me. So that is how I got my day started.

Great flight so far. I had Louie Armstrong and then Frank Sinatra. I believe Ella Fitzgerald just finished.

The morning was spent in the old neighborhood where I lived for almost 5 years in Washington. I was in the Bethesda White House! {B>)

It is very much a special place and I became a father while living there -twice.

I still find it necessary to visit as I don't let places go that easily. The neighbors are also special. There was something in the water in the place! And I need to drink some of that water on occasion.

I had spent last night at one of the neighbors. I cannot think of a nickname for them, but I will come up with one soon. The gentlemen and lady, who are retired many years, are very much an inspiration to me. I could sit here and write the rest of the flight about them and my thoughts of them, but let me try to duplicate what I wrote in their guest book (permission was granted by him, at my request) before parting this AM:

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21 April 2005

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Inspirations,

I come to your place to stay (when I visit Washington) because your home is like what I would like to have as a 'home' someday. And you live the way I want to live when I am in my 80's.

Thanks Very much, love...signed me.

-----------End of Diary text...

What I wrote sounded my more elegant at 11AM today, but I am very tired now after running the trail, shopping for a bag (I bought too many things while traveling) and the rest of the travel issues. I'll try to update the text one day when I return, perhaps.

Anyway, the point was that the couple, who referred to me and my wife as the "kids" (as we were younger than their grand daughter) are just an extension of apple pie and everything else that made life in Maryland wonderful while we lived there.

Not only are they full of "living history" but they are the most sincere people I have met.

I bothers me that I cannot remember exactly what I wrote exactly, but such is life. I am tired now.

Anyway, before I get a nap, let me tell you about the rest of the day.

The highlight had to be the Billy Goat trail. It happens to be my chapel, my temple and my Garden of Eden all rolled up into one place. I had gone there at first to escape the problems I had in my business in 2001 and 2002. It was also a place to help escape the horrors of 9/11. It's a good place to 're-set' the mind.

I am a fan of aviation and the images of 9/11 hit me hard. It took a long time to not think of it daily. Oh, buy the way, the flight took off today from Newark Airport in New Jersey. I immediately I got a very nice view of Ellis Island and the statue of Liberty.

Then the plane flew over the WTC (World Trade Center area) and kept climbing over the airspace between Long Island and the mainland New York State. What a tour of NYC from about 10,000 feet.

Getting back, the not only did the trail get me in very good physical shape, it also got me in better mental shape.

I realize today that my blogging had started on the trial. The thoughts that engulf me while running the trail have been countless. On today's run I thought about family, kids, wife, pain, making it back to the car, not getting airlifted, God, What is God, Who is God, work and I had to remember to call and check with my Mother if I had won the lottery. Yes, I bought one ticket while visiting her.

The thoughts were many, but the place is special and it has to be the best under 2 hour hike that I have been through.

Let me go over some of the thoughts and limit it to just some of the items in the above list.

I'll leave family, kids and wife out of the conversation. I'll also leave out God. I will talk about 'God' one day, but this is not the time. Nor will I return to asking my mother IF I have won the lottery. I'd prefer not to, actually. I don't mind if she get's lucky as her and twenty or so nurses at a hospital in Columbus will be delighted.

Anyway, I gave my Mother a dollar to play the lottery as that was all I can afford to 'give to the state' at this time. I mentioned as I gave it that it only takes one dollar to get lucky.

I suggest that while building your successes, that you avoid any type of gambling. The only reason that I follow gambling is that I find it intriguing that people do gamble. On second thought, don't gample after you succeed either. All that work will just be lost!

Sorry, a great song is playing... need a break. It's KAY CERRAR, CERRAR... What ever, will be, will be.

Bye the way, I paused to listen to the song and then I realized that the lyrics were a "slap in the face" to my contention that success can be planned and built because the premise of the song is that "life will be what ever". My argument is that "life" by setting up a plan and executing that plan, can be what ever *you* make it, regardless of the odds, regardless of your current education, regardless of your location. My contention is that with desire, with determination, anything can be accomplished. Anything.

That is easily said, of course, than done. But, once again, let me ask. Why not try? Why not give it all?

And in my case, why not let everyone come along on the journey and just do it. Why not?

I have discussed why not several times and it seems that for the general public the "why not" is often a stumbling block.

Perhaps, it may be my joke. Perhaps, the joke could be me. But, just try. Otherwise, not getting started is not an answer.

That's no problem. Never let the thought that someone else will belittle you stop you from doing "X" --my only caveat to this is that no one is hurt in the process of doing what ever.

Back to the trail...

One of the thoughts I had was about fear. I had never written this much, let alone in public.

I remember back in high school I didn't even write a letter. That all changed when I got behind a computer.

All along I had a problem with spelling. I seem to know a lot of words and their meaning, but I cannot spell, and often forget spelling for even simple words.

The problem was elevated when I got a wireless key board that seems to not sync with me at times. But, the FEAR seems to have left me. It happened when I started writing emails.

Now it really does not matter to me. I find it more important to know the meaning of a word, than to know how to spell it. Once again, I reflect this to you for one thing: Don't stop any "process" of success by thinking of a barrier, like a handicap or difficulty.

Any difficulty can be overcome.

Remember a few months back when I talked about the lady from Texas who lost her arms when she was young due to an accident? Remember the lady from Michigan who was born without arms -I am sure I talked about her a while back. Both of them had overcome their handicaps and lived just about a normal life. They wrote with their feet. I saw one even put a diaper on a child with her feet.

This leads me to why? How? When necessacity meets circumstance, in this case, disabling, there will be a spark in ingenuity.

IF you recall, I got started in the 31-STEP Success Process without a real "game plan" in mind other than I had a penny and experience Investing and then using that know how to manage doubling the penny. Then as I progressed, I came up with a better and better plan. Then the mission statement. Now I have expanded to multiple mission statements.

And my resolve grew. Then my "will" energized. My determination resurrected. Now... How do I feel now? Just energized. I really feel it. I really feel the energy flowing thru my body. Interestingly, the energy is not just about the 31-STEPS anymore, they seem to have have progressed to issues with my entire life.

And then there are moments when you just have to take a break. There's plenty of battery life, but some things have to be put aside and to rest the brain. This is such a moment.

Just after I typed the above I got excited after a glance out the window and seeing a very bright star. Then I took a second look and realized that I was looking at the starboard navigation light of the Boeing 767. Indeed, time to get some sleep...

Out for tonight... The conversation will continue on land, later today, as I enjoy another Friday! Out now. Sam.

So, after reading this, you may ask: What does all this have to do with personal, business and financial success and a 31-STEP Success plan? Glad you asked. Dear reader, sometimes it's just good to take a break and take a deep breath. That is what I did today. I lived life to the fullest.

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UPDATE: Monday, 25-Apr-2005 4:52 PM

I re-read all the above and corrected a lot of mistakes. It seems that when I am really tired, as I was on the plane, I cannot type either. Well, I corrected much of it.

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