And now for something completely different.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/clintjcl/200483735

There are days when you just feel a little different, almost kid like, and you just want to throw caution to the wind and let it all hang out.  There are also those days when you are trapped with expectations and unrealistic demands from others, and don't you know those kind of days suck.  Well today is one of those kid days, and because of that I am throwing caution to the wind and just letting it all hang out.

We have a tendency of making our days more complicated then they really need to be.  This is in large measure because of what we have come to expect, and that is based almost entirely from our own experiences.  Good or bad, experiences do teach us something, and we would be wise to learn from them.

So today I want to challenge you.  I want to encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone and do something completely different.  To hell with expectations, to hell with demands; go out there and just be a kid.  If there is something that you have been wanting to try, then try it.  If there is a place you have always wanted to explore, then start exploring.  If you have always wanted to speak your mind to someone, well start talking.  We have so stuffed ourselves in our own little boxes, that anything that even appears to be a little different is something that we run from.  It is time to run toward the excitement, run toward the unexpected, and run toward the differences that really can make the difference between just the mundane and the exceptional.

Let me ask a question:  how many of you had your day planned out before you ever stepped out of bed this morning?  How many of you have so scheduled your day that there is zero room for change or alteration?  How many of you would give anything just to throw the plan out the window and do something completely different?  If I had to take a guess, I think that the majority of people out there would just assume throw out the current plan and do something completely different.  If that is the case, then what are you waiting for?  Oh, let me guess, there would be those around you who would frown at this.  Well it is time to tell them to get over it, and time for you to take the step toward your personal freedom.  You have the freedom to make whatever choice or decision that you want to make.  We have given up our free will and replaced it with the will of others.  Those "others" probably have zero idea of what really makes you tick, and in all likelihood could care less what you want or desire. That being the case why would you concern yourself with what they think?  No matter what you do they will have already formed their opinion so screw them.  If ever there was a time to be a little selfish then maybe this is the time.  Don't you have a right to happiness?  Don't you have a right to be the person you were created to be?  Don't you have a right to walk in your destiny?  The answer to each of these questions is yes, a big fat yes, yes, yes.

I was just remembering a time many, many years ago, when I was a young Airmen in the United States Air Force.  I was stationed at RAF Mildenhall, in the United Kingdom.  Man was that a great time in my life.  Now I have had many good times in my life, but England was one of the better times.  I loved being able to do my job, and when I was not at my job, I loved what was available to me.  There were very few times when there wasn't something exciting to do, and in those time when I needed to just relax and do nothing, I was able to do that as well.  The point here is that I was very responsible for doing my job, but after that, I was responsible for being true to myself and in being true to self I lived life with zero regret.  How many people can sit here today and say they have zero regret?  I can't, but that doesn't mean I don't want to get there.  What I want you to see is that regret is nothing more then not being willing to do what you know you should be doing and not caring what others think.

So maybe, just maybe, it's time to do something completely different.  Maybe this is your chance to get out of that box you have found yourself in and spread your wings.  Being free to be who and what you are is the best possible thing in life.  If you want to be a kid, then be a kid.  If you want to do something out of the ordinary, then do it.  If you just want to shake up those around you, then let the shaking begin.  I would think that there are a few people around you who could use a little shaking up.  There is nothing worse then becoming predictable.  On the other side of the coin, there is nothing better than spontaneity.  Throw caution to the wind, and see where you don't end up.  Face it, going someplace different, can't be any worse then the place you are in right now.

It is a great time to bring laughter and joy into your life.  If you have been lacking in this department wouldn't it be a good time to get it back.  If you have plenty of it, then share it with others, who most likely need what you have.  No matter how you look at it, laughter and joy is always good, always appreciated, and always needed.  Put on your kids face today and just enjoy.   The sooner you can break out of your predetermined mold, the sooner you can really be the person you were intended to be.  It is your call, but do yourself a favor and try something just a little different.