There is a great quote in the movie Shawshank Redemption that says “Get busy living or get busy dying.” Those six words form a very powerful statement that may be a little confrontational to some people when they hear it. Those six words are not about death or mortality, rather they stand for a call to action to each of us!

This call to action is for each of us to be in action in the game if life.

Each one of us posses special skills and talents that we can use in this game called life. Those talents can be in our business/ industry, our friendships or personal relationships. These talents tend to be in the form of a natural skill set, a unique creative ability or a physical attribute. These talents can show up in everyday life as us being good with children or the ability to speak in front of crowds, the natural ability to cook or even the agility to perform challenging physical feats.

Regardless of the talent, many believe we have an obligation to get in the game of life and use these talents. This is based on the belief that if everyone is putting their best effort forward, ultimately the group/ community or society will achieve maximum results.

Within this obligation is the assumption that each of us will use our talents to attempt to win each time we step on the court and ultimately benefit ourselves and the others. It is also assumed that it is ok to sit on the bench at times and even watch from the stands, however when the time come, each of us need to be ready to get into the game and excel based on these skills we have been given.

What skills do you have? Come on we all have skills, maybe we haw never taken the time to recognize those skills.

When do you know it is time to get in the game and utilize those skills? Maybe the ability to recognize this will cone with practice?

How do you use your talents to win? What is a win for you in your life?

At exactly 06 minutes and 07 seconds after 5 o’clock August 9th of this year, it will be 05:06:07 08/09/10, this will not happen again till year 3010. Have a good 5-6-7-8-9-10 moment!

If you missed it this AM, you can always catch this moment again in the PM.

Life is full of “moments” that once they pass you by you will never get a chance to experience them again. It is only in missing these “moments” will you experience regret, so to that I say – CARPE DIEM!

What do Orange County, New York, Atlanta, New Jersey and Washington DC have in common? Each is home to Bravo’s “Housewives” television series, centered around the lives of Housewives, their families and their day-to-day activities. The Housewives have captured the focus of America. In fact, the recent finale of “Housewives of New Jersey” was the highest-rated season finale for the network’s entire “Housewives” franchise.

Why is it these Housewives have captured the attention of millions? Most live arguably dysfunctional lives. They certainly are not role models. Hour after hour, week after week, millions spend their precious time watching other people’s “reality”, when they could be focusing on improving their own lives.

Kathy Welch said, “We all have the same 24 hours in a day. The difference lies within how we use those 24 hours”.

Just one hour per day would add up to 21,840 minutes per year. Think of positive impact you could create in your life if you spent just one hour a day on self-improvement activities. You could challenge yourself to meet new people, read new books, learn new skills.

While the “Housewives” franchise triggered me to come to this “reality check”, I am not suggesting everyone stop watching the show. Maybe you truly watch for entertainment. Maybe the dysfunctional lives of the Housewives help you escape the challenges in your life. I am however suggesting you be more mindful of the regular activities in your life and challenge yourself to leverage your precious time for activities that could improve your life.

What regular activities in your life have you replaced, in efforts to improve and better yourself?