What's your pain threshold?

Do you have a high pain threshold? When it comes to physical pain, I must admit, I’m a bit soft. I’m not one of those guys who has visions of himself enduring weeks or months of pain, suffering and hunger on an desolate island after being shipwrecked and left for dead. I’m more like the guy who envisions himself calling on his cell phone for help, waiting about 20 minutes, and then covering himself in bacon grease so the bears will eat him quickly. What about you? Of course, there are many forms of pain, and while my physical pain threshold may not be particularly high, I’m learning live with -- even embrace! -- pain in other areas of life. After all, endurance is a requirement for anyone who wants to live the Overboard Life!

On April 18, 1981, in the New England town of Pawtucket, two baseball teams from the International League began a game at 8:00pm, with no possible knowledge of what was about to transpire. Before the eight hour game was over, every American professional baseball game record for length of game (in hours and innings), for at-bats, for pitches, for walks, strikeouts, put-outs and plate appearances would be broken. Two future hall-of-famers would be present but have no bearing on the final outcome. The game was suspended, at 4:09am, by a phone call from the IL president, and finished, as only baseball can do, two months later on June 23rd (after just 18 minutes of play).

I can’t imagine playing in a baseball game that lasted over eight hours, although I must admit that had I been in attendance, I most likely would have stayed to the end. By most counts, only 19 people (of the original 1,800 in attendance) watched the final at-bat in the bottom of the 32nd inning after the clock struck 4am. Despite the thinning crowd (is 19 a crowd?), the bitter cold wind blowing thru the stadium and the lack of any end in site, both teams played through less-than-stellar early Spring conditions in Rhode Island that night, and finished the marathon baseball game.

While few, if any, understood the significance of the game, years later, they would be grateful for the experience. Pawtucket’s Dave Koza, who had the game-winning hit, would later say, “Nothing I ever do in life will probably compare with this!” And Rochester’s Dallas Williams would later add, “It sank in the next day. Man, we just played 32 innings of baseball. We joked about it. We had smiles on our faces. I was thankful I was a baseball player and on the field that night. As time went by, I appreciated it more.”

The stadium was packed on June 23rd when the two teams met to finish the game. Extra tables were set up for the 150 members of the press who came to see the end of this marathon game. It ended after one inning of play -- just 18 minutes -- and Pawtucket won the game. Koza, the Pawtucket hero, was inundated with fan mail, letters of praise and national recognition for his part in the drama. While he would never play baseball at the Major League level, he will always be remembered for his part in this story. Cal Ripken Jr, one of baseball’s all time great players, and another not-too-shabby infielder named Wade Boggs, would both be enshrined in MLB’s Hall of Fame, and both would be forever connected as players in that marathon game.

But why? Why play baseball for 8 hours? Why endure the cold? Why not just give up and let the other team win? Why not forfeit? Why would an umpire, in attendance with his 9-year-old nephew, keep the game going? Why wouldn’t one of the team managers put an end to this nonsense? In his book, Bottom of the 33rd, Dan Barry suggests this reason: “Because we are bound by duty. Because we aspire to greater things. Because we are loyal. Because, in our own secular way, we are celebrating communion, and resurrection, and possibility.”

I sat on those words for a few minutes, thinking about how they applied to baseball. There is a majesty to baseball, even thought it’s just a game, and there is an honor to its members and history that is different than any other sport. Baseball history binds today’s players to an unwritten duty from the past, and challenges them, through the eras, to do greater than their forefathers. Baseball players tend to be fiercely loyal, and anyone who watches the game knows it is nearly a religion.

As I thought about those words and how they reflected the great American Pastime, I began thinking about how they applied, even more, to life. Why should we endure hardships that stretch our faith? Why should we follow God’s path for our lives, when it’s guaranteed -- 2 Timothy 3:12 -- to have challenges, struggles and trials? Why not quit? Why not give up and take the easy path?

Simply put, to steal from Dan Barry, “Because we are duty bound. Because we aspire to greater things. Because we are loyal. Because, in our own [spiritual] way, we are celebrating communion, and resurrection and possibility.” Think about each of those phrases:

We are duty bound: “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died” (2 Corinthians 5:14, NIV). We are bound to God in holy duty, because of the sacrifice of Christ. God’s love compels us to keep pressing on!

We aspire to greater things: “God can do anything you know, more than you could ever imagine, guess or request in your wildest dreams...” (Ephesians 3:20, The Message). The possibilities for our lives are endless, not because of who we are, but because of who Christ is!

We are loyal: “But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind, and straining toward what is ahead, I press on to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14, NIV). We press on because of what is in store for us, in this life and the next. We loyally set aside any earthly gain in order to be faithful in Christ!

We are celebrating communion, and resurrection and possibility: “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead, will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11, NIV). The power that resurrected Christ from the dead is the same power that unites all believers in holy communion, and it is celebrated and remembered in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, which is the power that removes any barriers from any God-given goal!

Whatever you’re going through, I urge you to press on. Whatever challenges you face, keep moving forward as you follow Christ, out of the comfort of the boat, and out on the water where Jesus is building His Kingdom. The game you’re in might go extra innings, the wind may start blowing cold and the spectators will disappear long before the challenge is finished, but duty, greatness, loyalty and holy communion call you onward. Answer the call, get out of the boat, and see what God will do.

“Play Ball!” and finish the game, no matter how long it takes.

Go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water.

When God gives you a stop sign

Today when I woke up, I laid in bed for a few extra minutes, thinking about the roller coaster weekend Traci and I just finished. I didn’t have to get out of bed right away, because -- with the exception of many glorious vacation days -- this was the first Monday in my adult life that I didn’t have to get up and go to work. On Friday, God put up a giant stop sign on our present journey!

Have you ever had those kinds of experiences? You know, where you had your life well planned-out in one direction, but then God steps in and mixes things up? When our family moved out to Michigan 22 months ago, Traci and I had the sense that this was going to be a long-term partnership with potential for our family to stay here for many years. We have come to love the camp and the people we work with, love the churches, youth pastors, pastors and students that we see throughout the year, and we’ve even come to embrace the snow (yes, all five months of it!) that covers the ground all winter. And Spring. And part of Fall.

So our plans included a long-term stop at Lake Ann Camp, but God’s plans were different. I thought we’d be at the camp for years to come, now we will be wrapping up our time here in the next six weeks. This morning I realize that there are key moments in life where our plans and God’s plans come into conflict, and the question we all must answer in those moments is simple: what do you do, when God puts up a stop sign in the middle of your plans?

As many of you know, I have really grown to love the sport of baseball. It’s a great game with such a rich American heritage, and it is full of life analogies (non baseball fans just stay with me, there’s a good analogy here!). A few days back I was watching a documentary about this beloved pastime and I saw some footage of famous plays in baseball history. I watched many classic baseball storylines like this one:

Bottom of the ninth, the home team is up to bat, and they are losing by two runs. There are runners on first and second, and of course, there are two outs. The pitcher and batter are dueling, it’s a 2-2 count (two balls and two strikes), but the batter has fouled off four extra pitches. So on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, the hitter made contact and sent the ball slicing into the right field corner.

The right fielder played the ball poorly, it bounced over his head and hit against the wall. The runner from second rounded third and scored easily, but the runner from first stumbled at second base before picking up a head of steam as he got to third. Seeing the runner’s mistake at second, the third base coach held up both hands as his player came to third, indicating he wanted him to stop running and not try for home. I don’t know if it was just the adrenaline racing through his veins, or if the noise of the crowd blinded him to the motions of the coach, but the baserunner ignored the stop sign and raced toward home plate.

At this point, the defender in right grabbed the ball after it bounced off the wall and made an amazing throw to the second baseman. The second baseman caught the ball, turned, and rifled it to the catcher at home plate. As the runner slid into home, the catcher blocked the plate, applied the tag and held on to the ball. The runner was out and the home team lost by one run. The roaring crowd was instantly silenced and everyone -- with the exception of a few visiting fans and 25 visiting players with their coaches -- went home deflated. 

Stop signs are important.

I get that baseball is just a game (although I’m inclined to agree with George Will who wrote, “Baseball is just a game. And the Grand Canyon is just a hole in the ground.”), and ignoring a stop at third generally won’t cost you your life. However, I’ve driven in countries where stop signs were treated as vague suggestions, and the amount of accidents and traffic fatalities was astounding. Ignoring a stop sign while driving could be fatal!

God doesn’t throw up stop signs lightly. He has a plan and a purpose for every stop sign, every detour, every U-turn, every dead end and every part of your (and mine!) journey. When He turns the green light, red, when He abruptly (abruptly to us) halts the flow of traffic or changes the map you’re following, He is sticking to a bigger plan that you and I don’t have the privilege of knowing. God knows where He ultimately wants us to finish this journey, and our job is simply to trust Him and hold to the course He has given us.

Sometimes, God lets us see far into the future of where a particular path leads. Sometimes He throws up a giant stop sign and gives you six weeks to figure out what He’s got in store for you next. In either case, God is still leading.

And while we wait I’ve discovered something not that remarkable, and honestly, a bit boring (I was really hoping to have one of those profound spiritual Ah-ha’s that would lead to a best-selling book). When you wait, you do the same things you should be doing on the journey. You pray, and seek God’s wisdom, favor and direction. You pray believing that He is in control, He is good, and He will not leave His children without purpose or direction. Waiting isn’t an excuse to abandon our roles as believers (Love God, love others), it’s an opportunity to serve in ways we couldn’t while we were in motion. You read the Bible and draw comfort for your aching heart, you gain wisdom for future work and you keep letting the Word reveal areas of your life where you need to grow. You surround yourself with God’s people and let them help you along the way. Traci and I have truly been overwhelmed throughout the weekend by the number of people who have offered us housing, jobs, money, wisdom, food and most all, friendship and prayer during this unexpected stop. Having habits of prayer, Bible reading and true Christian fellowship during the journey, make it easier (easier...not easy) to keep them while hanging out at a stop sign.

We don’t know what’s next for us on this remarkable God-given journey. Right now, we’re at a stop sign waiting for some new direction. What we do know is this: following God’s stop sign is better than making our own path. So we’ll wait for Him to show us what’s next.

Thanks for your prayers, friendship and support. Over the next 42 days we look forward to seeing what doors God will open, what doors God will close, and where our family will land next. Everything is open right now, and that’s what makes this time so exciting. Yes, elements of anxiety and fear can exist, but there is also a great sense of expectation as we wait for a new adventure to unfold. Yes, we’re working through a whole range of emotions during this break-from-the-action, but we’re resting firm in our faith in a God who loves us deeply.

The Overboard Life -- living the life of faith out of the comfort of the boat, and out on the water where Jesus is building His Kingdom -- is a daily commitment. While I wait for God to remove the stop sign, I’m renewing my desire to follow His lead where ever He chooses to take us. How about you? Has God thrown up a big stop sign in your life? Has the path suddenly taken an unexpected detour or U-turn? Will you commit anew to trust Him?

Go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water!

What would you do differently?

By Joe Castaneda This past year I’ve been working my way through Ken Burns’ amazing documentary called Baseball. Yes, it has a lot of baseball in it, but whether you like the sport or not, Burns does an absolutely phenomenal job of wrapping the American story through the game of baseball. The Great Bambino, Babe Ruth, flourished during...the roaring 20s! Jackie Robinson is famous because...he helped America break through the color barrier, starting with baseball. The civil unrest of the 60s and 70s echoed through a sport that still practiced horrible wage discrimination and a continued struggle to accept blacks as equal citizens. From the 1800s to the early 21st century, if you enjoy American history (and certainly if you enjoy baseball), do yourself a favor and dial up Burns' Baseball on Netflix.

As a baseball fan, one of the more interesting aspects of the series is how Ken weaves the births and deaths of famous players into their context. One of those stories begins in the late 1800s and ends in 1960s, and revolves around baseball’s greatest hitter, Ty Cobb. He died, on this date, in 1961.

Cobb was loved by fans, but lived his life with a deep seeded hatred for almost everyone. He played the game, and lived most of his life, full of fire and venom. He would spike opponents with his cleats when he slid into second, he cursed at umpires, argued and fought with fans and he was always yelling at his own teammates. A longtime member of the Detroit Tigers (he played his last two years in Philadelphia), Cobb epitomized the rough and tough nature of baseball and American culture in his day.

He was a fierce competitor. Today, most of his records have been passed, although still -- 100 years since he first began playing! -- he is in the top 5 in many offensive categories (2nd in runs scored, 2nd in hits, 4th in number of double, 4th in number of stolen bases). He was relentless at the plate, a pure hitter, and he strove to beat every pitcher he faced. He hated losing, almost as much as he hated missing the ball. His .366 lifetime batting average is still the highest in baseball history! In fact, it’s fairly safe to say no one will do what Cobb did: 23 consecutive season of hitting over .300 at the plate.

While most of us will never excel in baseball like Ty Cobb, all of us will face the same end: our lives will come to completion. On July 17th, 1961, the great Ty Cobb passed away. Less than 400 people attended his funeral (by contrast, Babe Ruth had hundreds of thousands of fans come to his viewing!), and only 3 of those 400 people had ever played with Cobb. None of his teammates or the other players of his day came to see him off.

In an interview right before his death, Cobb said this: “If I had life to do over again, I'd do it a little different. I’d have more friends.” He died by himself. He had divorced two different women, and lived alone with fear and anger. He drank profusely. He was miserable.

Death always makes us reflective. Cobb, reflecting on his life, realized that all his great athletic feats meant nothing at his death. He wasn’t surrounded by people he loved and who loved him, he was alone and a mess.

What will you and I reflect on at the end of our lives? What things are we doing today that we’ll be thankful for in the future? What behaviors, fights or activities will we regret?

I recently turned 40 and had some time to reflect on the “half-way” point of my life. (You can read that here.) I’ve come to realize that as I’ve aged, my life is becoming more and more focused on a few things, instead of spread out over many. I don’t want to come to the end of my life and wish I had lived it differently. Of course we all make mistakes, we all get on the wrong path, we all say things we wish we could take back and involve ourselves with things we wish we hadn’t. But at the end of it all, I want my life direction, my greatest moments and achievements to point to a life that loved God, loved others. I hope people will see that I spent more time on the water with Jesus, than in the comfort of the boat with those that lack the courage and conviction to step out.

What about you? Are there course corrections you need to make? Are you on a path that you already know will not take you where you want to be? Are you in a relationship that is hindering your commitment to the Lord? Do you need to reinvest in your marriage? Are your children eager for you to make them as valuable to you as your work? Are the important things in your life true priorities?

Live today with the end in view.

So go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water!

Have you ever heard of...

Have you ever heard of Brother Matthias of St. Mary’s? How about this: have you ever heard of Babe Ruth? If you pictured a pear-shaped baseball player with a big upper body and disproportionately small ankles, then you know of baseball’s greatest, and most-famous, player. If you started thinking of a chocolaty candy bar, then you are thinking of the candy bar named after the pear-shaped baseball player with a big upper body and disproportionately…

Babe Ruth was a legend in baseball, was an icon of sports greatness and was a superstar known all over the world. He was the first mega-athlete in history. After baseball’s tumultuous early years that included rampant gambling, fighting on and off the field and a world series scandal that almost removed baseball as America’s pastime, baseball needed a hero. That hero’s name was George Herman Ruth -- the Babe.

George’s early years, however, would be no reflection of his future baseball greatness. By the time he was five, he was already prone to drunkenness (yes, at age 5!) by stealing sips of whiskey from patrons in his daddy’s bar, and was a well known thief with local shop owners. His parents tried to beat him into obedience, but he was a big boy, and only grew larger and more mischievous in the years to come.

By the time he was seven, his parents were done trying to raise him, and they legally released him from their custody and handed him over to a well-known catholic school for boys, St. Mary’s Industrial School (for boys).

It was here that George met the one man who changed his life course. You see, the school George was dropped off at was an Industrial School for Boys -- it prepared young boys to be productive in society by giving them trade skills that would allow them to work in the booming American industrial economy. By age 12, George was actually doing pretty well in school, and was on his way to working in some large-scale assembly line.

But while school was going relatively well for George, he was excelling in his favorite extra curricular activity -- baseball. Brother Matthias had seen a potential in George Jr, a potential that no one else seemed to notice. He redirected the young man’s anger, his feelings of worthlessness and abandonment, into a place where that energy could be channeled for good. And what did he find? The world’s greatest baseball player.

After being drafted, a “babe” in baseball, he became the Great Bambino, the original Sultan of Swat -- Babe Ruth. To this day, his 1918 pitching performance in the world series is still considered one of the greatest in baseball history, and his home run hitting prowess literally changed the face of America’s pastime. He hit home runs like no one had done before -- like no one even thought possible! In fact, it is quite likely the great Yankee teams of the 20’s and early 30’s would be relatively unknown, if Brother Matthias hadn’t invested in George Herman Ruth, Jr.

What a difference one man made.

So often we cruise through life, taking care of the details of life, even being involved in important work (remember, Brother Matthias was working in an orphanage!) but miss opportunities to invest in people that are near us. It’s especially easy to pass those people that seem to require a little extra help. But how many ‘Babe Ruths’ are just waiting for one person to believe in them? One person to give them a chance? Just one person to smile, extend a hand of comfort and offer words of encouragement? Here at Lake Ann Camp we call those children, “opportunity campers” -- not problem campers!

Jesus spent a lot of time investing in some people that we might think weren’t very worthy of having God’s Son invest in them. Remember the woman at well in John 4? She was a social outcast, had been divorced and remarried 5 times and was presently living with her boyfriend. Jesus overcame social and cultural barriers to engage this outcast and giver her new life. Not unlike how He connected with the lying and cheating tax collector (that became one of His 12 disciples!), a dying thief, a blind beggar and a crazy, demon-possessed, naked man running wild in a cemetery! Jesus took time for the unlovely, and lives were radically changed.

Is there a “Babe Ruth” in your life that might need just a little encouragement? Could you give a little investment that might pay out a massive return? As you go through life, even doing great work, don’t forget to ask God to show you whom He might want you to believe in, offering hope, love and encouragement. You never know, you might be giving the next Babe Ruth a chance.

Go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water!

Why I love baseball!

I am a big fan of baseball. It is a fantastic game, woven into the very fabric of our country and has great parallels to life. Especially the Overboard Life. I won’t bore you (today) with endless analogies, but I will share one. It’s really what makes baseball such a great game to be a fan of, a great game to watch live, or to listen to on the radio. It’s the simple fact that baseball is a game of moments.

http://youtu.be/6cMwDLxr-1A

While watching the White Sox play the Indians in the Cleveland last month, I left the park satisfied after seeing a 3-2 victory. Two of the five runs scored were unmemorable. Two were scored as part of a comeback, and had a thrilling component to them. But the fifth run, the game-winning run, was a moment I will never forget.

After the Indians fought back to tie the game at 2, the ninth inning was for a great ending. The White Sox threatened, but didn’t score in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Indian’s skipper Terry Francona inserted Jason Giambi into the line up, an old school power hitting player who is at the end of his career, to hit for a struggling batter. He hit the first pitch a long way, but foul. The excitement of the crowd grew after his first hit, and got louder when the second pitch was a ball. With one ball and one strike on him, Giambi took the third pitch for a ride to deep center field.

http://youtu.be/6iV_WgLc85c

The crowd roared as he rounded the bases after his home run, after all, we were all watching one of the great moments of baseball unfolded before our eyes -- a walk off home run (a home run that ends a game)!

http://youtu.be/BQilXcnJD3o

This probably won’t shock you, but this hit wasn’t Giambi’s first career home run. Actually, it was the 437th time he rounded the bases on a free trip home. This wasn’t even Jason’s first career walk-off home run  -- It was his ninth. (As a fun side note, he is the oldest player in baseball history to hit a walk-off home run!) While Jason rose the occasion in the moment he was called on, the previous 19 years of his career had prepared him for that at bat.

That’s one of the beauties of baseball: players go through motion, inning after inning, at-bat after at-bat, so that when key moment comes, they are ready! Over his career, Jason has had 7,168 plate appearances, and not all of them have been very good. In fact, 1,548 of those at-bats ended with Jason striking out. Think of that -- Jason has struck out almost four times as often as he has hit home runs (and yet the guy has banked over 133,000,000 in his career, failing four times as often as he succeeded!).

How many times did Jason take batting practice? How many times did he practice hitting baseball on a simulator or in a batting cage? How much film did he watch of opposing pitchers, and how often did he hit the gym or work out room prepping for a game-winning at-bat? Jason’s career hasn’t been as great or honorable as it could have been, but thanks to him -- I have a baseball memory I won’t soon forget.

The Overboard Life shares great similarities with this aspect of baseball. So many of us want to walk on water when Jesus calls us out of the boat. We want to be there and be ready when the moment calls for great faith, but our readiness will directly relate to our preparation. We have to take the practice swings, we have to pop up and strike out a few times and we have to be willing to put in the daily work in batting cage, but through it all -- we have to flex our faith muscles so that when the time comes, our faith and our actions will line up.

Sometimes the daily work, the ‘small’ stuff, can seem so mundane compared to the big moments. How are you doing in the little details? Does your daily life reflect a pattern that will support your readiness for the great moments? When Peter walked on the water in Matthew 14, it wasn’t his first time obeying the call of Jesus. In the same way, God is using the little moments of each day to prepare you and I for the special moments of faith and change.

As the fall rolls around, I’m revisiting some personal disciplines. Like Jason Giambi on that magical night in Cleveland, I want to be ready when I’m called into the game for a special moment of faith and practice. When Jesus calls to me and asks me to join Him on the water, I want to have lived my life in such a way as to be ready to follow like Peter; to grab the sides of the boat and take a leap onto the stormy sea.

Are you living the Overboard Life in the little things? Are you practicing your faith each day, preparing yourself for the moment that Jesus calls you out of the boat?

Go ahead and take the plunge, every day, because life is always better on the water!

p.s. One of the greatest moments in baseball history...couldn't resist one more clip!

http://youtu.be/fljZ_QilQMQ

The 15-minute discipline (3/7)

I love reading biographies. There is something about the power of real people, doing remarkable work with their lives, and seeing “behind the scenes” at what makes them tick. For example, who knew that the greatest base thief in baseball history attributed his success to his nightly ritual? A giant bowl of ice cream before bed!

I was recently re-reading a book that told several stories about successful men and women in the world of business. One of the stories was about a female CEO who organized her life very carefully. Each year, she would lay out goals for that year, then set targets by month, when she expected to achieve them. Then working back from those months, she would establish goals for each week, followed by goals for each day. When she woke up on any given morning, she would start her day with a review of the goals for that day, then go to work to see them accomplished.

Not surprisingly, she was maximizing her work as CEO.

Life planning is a blog for another day, but I love this woman’s morning ritual. She understood that starting her day right, would help set the course for the rest of her work.

Whether or not you map out your years, months, weeks and days as she does isn’t the point. Are you starting each day with a view towards intentionally living the Overboard Life, are you hoping it will just happen as you go throughout the day? I’m convinced Tommy Newberry is right, when he says that the most important part of our day is the first 15 minutes. What do you think about when you wake up? What do you read? What do you do after that bladder saving bathroom stop? Those first 15 minutes are crucial to the Overboard Life, so here are a few suggestions:

1. Read your Bible for five minutes. Let the first thing that enters your mind be the Word of God, not last night’s facebook rants, the morning’s twitter feed or the early-breaking news of the day. Your email can wait. Start your day with your mind on the things of God, and watch how much your daily focus will follow (Philippians 4:8).
2. Spend the next five minutes in prayer. Just turn your thoughts to God. Thank Him for the morning blessings (coffee, sleep, family, food, shelter, sunshine, rain, life), and ask Him for help as you move into the next part of living. Ask Him to make you aware of the opportunities that He wants you to take, and to learn to say no to the ones that will distract you from the Overboard Life.
3. The final five minutes (of your 15) should be spent in scheduling. Look over the day’s schedule. Think about what’s up, what’s due, what’s important, what isn’t, who you need to call and what you need to accomplish as you live Overboard. Five minutes of scheduling in the morning can save you hours (yes, HOURS!) of wasted time later.

Once you’ve done the 15 minute challenge successfully for a few weeks, add a few minutes to each ritual, or for the brave, double it! Watch the clarity that comes when you start your day with a powerful 30 minutes of focus. If you will focus the first part of your morning on living a God-pleasing, Overboard Life, your days, weeks, months and years will take care of themselves. (I'm not discrediting goal setting. In fact, I believe as you start your morning this focused, your goals will start to become more clear!)

If you don’t already have a 15-minute morning ritual, will you commit to that now? Let us know your plan in the comments.

Go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water!