I was thinking about the road less traveled today because today my family and I visited a well known village in the south of France called Gourdon.

Gourdon Village Map

Church in Gourdon

To get to Gourdon you have two personal choices one is to take a car (like you will see picture one below). Two is to take the trail from Bar Sur Loup a village down below in the valley (see picture number two and note the red circle)

Option number one

Option number two

My family and I love to test our personal limits so we took option two – a hike that at its end is steep and offers inspiring views on the way. The hike is indeed the road less traveled.

I have heard it said that ‘what you do in one part of your life is reflected in all parts of your life’. Do you take the road less traveled?

Your friend on the journey,

David

P.S. I don’t want to take credit for the phrase the road less traveled as it is from the title of a poem by Robert Frost and the title of a book by Scott Peck who I once had the joy of listening to as a small part of an audience in Canada. The Road Less Traveled became an epic bestseller By Dr. Peck that I have read many times. Check it out if you have not

Maxwell started off reminding us all what Napoleon said years ago.

Napoleon said ‘Leaders are dealers in Hope’.

If you are a parent, if you are a coach, if you are in guiding people lives in any way you must nourish hope in the lives of those around you. By doing so you are blessing their lives because:

Hope gives us light when it is dark.

Hope gives us strength when we feel weak.

Hope gives us meaning when we think life has lost all meaning.

Hope makes the impossible seem possible and increases the likelihood that all will work out.

A person without hope is as close to death as he will ever be.

Hope will carry you on when you don’t have the energy to go on.

To have Hope is the best decision you will ever make.

***

Thank you John Maxwell
for your inspiring words

David

Of course, there are as many reasons to like and dislike this time of year as there are people on the planet.

One reason many people I have met tell me they like this time of year is because they get to see their family and for other people the reason why they dislike this time of year is because they may have to see their family.

The reason why the later people dislike meeting their family is because someone did something that they can never forget.

If you are part of this later group my heart goes out to you and I offer you an idea that was shared with me by a dear friend who just passed away.

He told me ‘you may never forget something someone did to you in your life but you can always forgive them’. To me, ‘forgive’ is the most powerful F word.

In the same lesson my friend went on to say ‘never go to bed with anger in your mind. Breath, relax and forgive’.

I wish you a wonderful celebration of this time of year no matter what you believe.

Your friend on the journey,

David

P.S. If you want to read and study a classic book on how to release your mind of tension you can check out two of our family favorites: one by Dale Carnegie and one by Thich Nhah Hanh