My next-door neighbors are enthusiastic members of local Optimist Club chapters. They recently shared a card with me that includes the Optimist Creed. Talk about living with a positive attitude! I hope that we all grow to possess an Optimist Attitude. Here is that creed:

• To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
• To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person I meet.
• To make all my friends feel that there is something in them.
• To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.
• To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and expect only the best.
• To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
• To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
• To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature I meet a smile.
• To give so much time to the improvement of myself that I have no time to criticize others.
• To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Each of these tenants make me think of people I know. Kristan and Brad Cole in Wasilla, Alaska, embody so many of these tenants. I reflect on when Kristan's son, Zach Tanner, was involved in a near-fatal car accident and was never expected to walk again, let alone return to his passion of playing football. The absolute faith, first and foremost, that Brad & Kristan demonstrated was awe-inspiring. And at a time when they could have been completely, justifiably selfish, they continued to present their "cheerful countenance" and show genuine interest in the needs and the success of those around them.

Thanks to good friend James Nellis, I had the pleasure of recently visiting with a man by the name of Jordan Fischer. He is the Director of Development for a charitable organization helping orphans in Cambodia to get educated, called Asian Hope.

What really got my attention was the story of one of these orphans who has benefitted from the charitable efforts of Asian Hope, Bora Chheang. Thanks to the organization, he was able to come to the U.S. and just graduated high school here in Colorado. In the fall, he'll go to college in California. His gratitude and understanding of giving inspired him to run a marathon to raise money for other orphans to go to college. You can read all about it here.

This is what it's all about, in my opinion - at whatever level each of us can contribute, whether in dollars, in time given, or in spreading the word, the greatest reward is when the recipient embraces the power of the gesture. As the proverb teaches, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for life. Seems to me Bora knows how to fish!

Wherever you choose to put your philanthropic energy, please share this example, and lead by example.

One of the things I enjoy is being able to catch up with friends of the past. I recently got word from top agent Jeff Scislow of a mutual acquaintance of ours and what he's been up to. Imagine my shock to find out that friend Vince Siemer, once a successful agent in St. Louis, MO, who retired and moved to New Zealand, had spent six weeks in jail!

This is a story of interest for sure. He has apparently been going after the CEO of a company that he believes corruptly influenced the direction of his business.  Instead of allowing the two to fight it out in the NZ court system witha fair trial and jury involvement, the judicial system of NZ in 2005 decided to order Vince to take down the web site he built which exposed the alleged illegal practices of this CEO. (BTW Vince ended up taking over the whole company and successfully sold that business in December 2005).

Vince did not take the site down.  He was found guilty of contempt of court, and spent 6 weeks in jail. He did a hunger strike, and wrote a book that exposes practices of Eden, the jail in NZ.  The book, titled The ROCK is available at Amazon.com.

VInce got out of jail, but did not take the Web site down.  He says he is expressing his freedom of speech.  The Courts say he is still in contempt  The trial is going on this week.  Vince says it is double jeopardy; they cannot try him again for the same crime (he spent 6 weeks in jail already).  The NZ Court is disagreeing and the fight is ongoing.

Reportedly there have been police raids, and they took his computers, cell phones, files, and vehicles. Vince has decided that since he is in it this far, there is no turning back.  He has said that he is standing for what he believes in.

The excitement is building! I experienced powerful connection and partnership with my classmates, Cindy and Paige, and my facilitators, BJ and Jan. What a magical group!

Today, I completely re-crafted my Vision and Purpose! What does that mean, exactly?

Vision is a statement of who I am. Purpose, then, is what I do that supports me being who I am. These two pieces, along with my core values and guiding principles, lay the foundation for absolutely all parts of my life. And getting clear on what these are is a tremendous gift.

Imagine being able to make difficult decisions easy. Imagine having clear direction. Imagine operating on purpose, all day, every day. This is what creating your vision and purpose can do for you.

My Vision:

I am bold, ancient visionary wisdom with essential child-like faith.

My Purpose:

My purpose is to leverage connection, compassion, and discernment in order to create partnership and inspire discovery.

Stay tuned for what Day Three brings!

I am currently in Edmonds, Washington, a wonderful harbor town outside of Seattle, and I’ve just completed the first of four days to earn my license to conduct LYV courses. I am reminded of when I originally came to Bellevue, WA, home of top producers The Brazen Team, in 2001 to get certified as a professional coach through the Academy for Coach Training.

First and foremost, I am excited by the possibilities this training brings me. I have the opportunity to expand my own personal growth. Additionally, I have the opportunity to bring the process of Living Your Vision® (LYV) to others. And, I have the opportunity to encourage others who may be considering a career in coaching to follow their dreams.

Stay tuned for what tomorrow brings. In the meantime, let me leave you with my vision statement: I am bold wisdom, a creative, compassionate old soul. We’ll see how that evolves over the next three days!