“Something’s lost but something’s gained by living every day.” Joni Mitchell.

Did you know that Joni Mitchell was only 26 years old when she wrote Both Sides Now? That’s such an incredibly young age to have had all the wisdom she packed into one song.

I don’t know about you, but it took me many more years than that – half a lifetime, actually – to learn how to live in the present.

Most of us are always living with one eye on the past – a past that’s already gone – and the other on the future – that’s not here yet.

Choosing to live in the past or in the future steals your todays and robs you of living to the fullest.

The only important moment is the present moment. But how to live that? It takes work, time and humility – and it means shifting your perception of how you see things. Here are just five of many practices to get you started:

1. Live more simply. Cut back on what you don’t want and what you don’t really need. Live as lean as you can. Don’t let the stuff overtake you.
2.  Stay in control of your attitude. Strive to stay positive in spite of all you observe and hear. It’s easier to give in to cynicism, but don’t. Nothing of any lasting value has ever been produced by a cynic.
3. Be more compassionate and considerate of others. You’ll be amazed at what flows back when you do.
4.  Make a conscious effort to fully appreciate the various moments that occur during your day. Stop and look around you at the sights and sounds, the smells, the various emotions you feel and encounter.
5. Love your job. If you don’t or can’t, then learn to appreciate the good things about it. Focus on the positive aspects and not the negative.

You only come by this way once. (to the best of my knowledge no one has ever reported back). Your time is finite. Are you honestly making the most of it… living every day? if not, why not? Really.

Hmmm…

How old is old, Bernard Baruch was once asked? Old is fifteen years older than I am, he replied.

The other day I was standing in a line up at the cash, buying a bottle of wine for dinner. There was an attractive young woman ahead of me, buying a bottle as well.

As she was about to pay for her purchase, the cashier politely asked her for some identification; In Ontario you have to be at least 19 years old to purchase wine or liquor.

Now, I’m not good about guessing ages but she didn’t look anymore than 35 to me. From my vantage point she’s just getting started!

“I hope you don’t think I’m being personal” he said. “It’s the law.”

Her face lit up. Laughing, as she handed over her ID, she replied, “Mind? Are you kidding? I’m flattered. The way the week’s going I feel like I’m 40!”

She’s not alone. At some point, we all reach an invisible – or not so invisible wall, where we begin to feel we are getting old. Or think we are.

Some of us start resisting change, struggling with the new technologies, new attitudes and ways of doing things, complaining about how things aren’t like they used be… a sure sign that the clock is ticking.

The truth is, though, particularly today, aging doesn’t happen at any given hour or day. The process is not biologically set in stone.

We all have a choice. It’s a personal decision. As the days and weeks fly by, we can’t stop the clock. We can remain young in spirit, getting older, yes, but not old.

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Personal leadership is a state of mind and heart. It is about taking leadership of yourself, your own actions and experiences and how you interact with others in your personal and business lives.

It describes a way of thinking, being and dealing with the world that begins with what you think and feel – and not by others opinions and external events. It demands that you be fully present, aware of your habits and behaviours and how they impact on people around you.

Personal leadership advocates, as well, your willingness to approach situations that don’t necessarily align with yours with a fresh pair of eyes, with what the Zen Buddhists call a “beginner’s mind.”

In our increasingly interdependent, interrelated global community we are all connected. Technology has seen to that. The ability and willingness to get along with people of different ideas, faiths and value systems isn’t easy. Intolerance often lurks just below the surface, but like it or not we are all in this together.

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It is always important to know when something has reached its end; closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters it doesn’t matter what we call it: What matters is to leave behind us in the past those moments in life that are over. Paulo Coelho. The Zahir.

How many times a day do we hear ourselves saying, “What if…?” or “If only…?”

In today’s world you can so easily get caught up in doing instead of being. Has that ever happened to you? I know it has to me.

You can get so focused on creating the perfect life, the perfect business, the perfect home, the perfect mate…. the perfect whatever. You are constantly striving, worrying about losing your place in the pecking order, winning or losing, protecting what you have while looking for more.

You get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.

It’s at this point when you begin to think, hey, wait a minute. If I have all this stuff and I have done all this, why do I feel so empty? Boredom and ennui become your constant companions.

What’s next, you wonder and what do I have to do to get it?

That’s the point to to those open-ended questions “what ifs…?” and “If onlys…” They can provide clues to a possible new direction or vocation if you will follow up on them.

For some, when they do, the dreaming begins again. Imagining begins anew. When you imagine you open up to different possibilities, new life styles and different goals. You start exploring again and asking questions.

More often than not the answers arrives with the knowledge that it’s not what you are doing. It is who you are that counts. So you take a different tack, closing he door behind you and move on – this time working with your heart and not just your head.

And jump right back into the absolutely amazing game of life.

If you’re taking the next step and looking for some truly fresh ideas and inspiration and are in the Toronto area, I invite to attend my new workshop, The Idea Mill. For all the details please visit my web site www.drewsimmie.com. Click on The Idea Mill for all the details.

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Technology and globalization have changed everything. We’re interdependent. Interconnected. Competition is coming from everywhere.

Fresh ideas are today’s coinage. Regardless of the size of your business, they are the life blood of growth. And they are directly related to creativity.

Ah, you may think, but I’m not creative. Think again. Consider these three common myths about creativity:

1. I am not creative. Not true… we are all creative. Some are just more creative than others. We all have creative ideas. It is just that over time, from the time we started out as children and grew into adulthood, we have learned to censor our ideas, fearful of being scorned or ridiculed.
2. Creative people always have good ideas. No they don’t… creative people always have ideas. Some are good, others not so much. Many are good but not practical.
3. Constructive criticism will help you improve on an idea. No it won’t.

Fresh ideas are fragile. Like eggs. They can break easily if they are mishandled. Fresh ideas need nurturing instead of criticism.

If you’re stuck, looking for some truly fresh ideas and inspiration and are in the Toronto area, I invite to attend my new workshop, The Idea Mill. For all the details please visit my web site www.drewsimmie.com. Click on The Idea Mill for all the details.