Lance first reached out to me after reading a post I'd written on Christine Kane's site in December of last year. I was immediately intrigued by his friendliness. Then I clicked over to his website and found a warm, encouraging, inviting and uplifting space. Truly. I am honored to present him here today!(this picture is so fun!)Your blog, Jungle of life, has a large focus on positive growth and positive thinking. How did you decide on that focus?Interestingly, the “Jungle of Life” began its life with a focus that was a bit broader. My first thought when I began to write (holy cow, it’s been over a year now!) was to focus on personal finance first, and then secondarily – personal health and personal growth. I quickly realized after starting out, that as much as I liked all of these areas – the only one that resonated with me in regards to writing about was personal growth. And this, itself, has evolved to be more focused on positivity in personal growth and inspirational articles. Like life, writing is a journey, and one that I’m leading right now based upon what my heart is saying.What have been your own experiences with positive thinking?I’ll relate one story in particular that made an impact for me. Shortly out of college, I was working at a company that was struggling, and morale was low. And through it all, I had a supervisor that was head and shoulders above all of this. He was completely supportive of me, and both positive and realistic at the same time. Looking back, he was the definition of a “joy rebel”. And conversations with him, led to me moving in a different direction at the time, and into a new career. More than that, though, it helped to instill in me that just because everything seems bad around you, it doesn’t mean that you have to jump on the “woe is me” bandwagon. An author that I particularly enjoy is Tom Peters. Tom Peters, being considered a business writer, might seem like an unlikely choice here. So much of his “stuff”, though, can be applied not only to our professional lives, but also to our personal lives. Some of what he’s saying may seem a bit “out there”, but when you really think about it, is it really? One thing of his I particularly like is “100 Ways to Succeed/Make Money Part II”, from the ChangeThis website. And check out his other stuff there too, as well as other writers – lots of excellent material, and free!(ed: while the title of the above links may sounds like a 'get rich quick' thing, they so aren't and definitetly worth checking out)Even with positive thinking, I know you probably have your down times too. What do you find helpful when you are feeling blue? How do you get yourself out of a slump?When I’m feeling blue, I like to go for green! Green, as in nature. Getting outdoors is very therapeutic for me. There is something about this amazing earth we live on, how it all works, and how amazing all of that is – that puts things back into perspective for me. It might mean a walk around the yard. Or a jog up the street. Or getting the chainsaw out (and NOT like any Texas-themed horror flicks this may conjure up!).You are so encouraging to us out here in the blogging community. Is that a natural tendency or something you’ve cultivated? And if you’ve cultivated it, what was your process?Well, Brandi, I certainly have moments where I am less-than encouraging. Like sometimes when I’m driving, for instance! I try to be aware of this, so that if I start to veer a little left of center, and can bring myself back. I think a lot of it goes back to my roots, and to growing up in a very encouraging environment. Still, though, this doesn’t all just happen magically for me. Pressure, deadlines, angry people, differences – all of these and more can put a damper on encouragement, if we’re not fully aware. So, I think, at least for me, that even if some of this comes naturally – it still has to be cultivated as well. And I’m going back to nature again – it is powerfully refreshing for me. The new life of spring! The full moon and all the stars on a clear night! Squirrels chasing each other in the backyard! Rain! Rainbows! Mountains! Oceans! All of these, and more, remind me of just how amazing this planet is that we live on! Think about that – about just how many things work in harmony to keep our world as awesome as it is – and then think even more about what is beyond what we can even see! I can’t help but think of any of this and be encouraged in what IS possible!How do you stay connected to joy?A big thing for me is in how my day starts. If I start out by getting up late, and feeling “rushed” – it throws everything a bit “out of whack”. And joy just seems more forced. When my day starts out with some time for “me”, some un-rushed time to do whatever I so choose – then joy is a much more natural state. I think this goes a long way toward saying just how important taking care of ourselves is. And I see this as taking care of ourselves in all realms of our being – physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. By making “me” a priority, that truth from within my soul has a much better chance of shining. And when we can get to this place, someplace deep within that has meaning – joy flows!Are there any personal mantras or guidelines that you live by?I do have a quote that has much meaning for me:“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children … to leave the world a better place … to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” ~ Ralph Waldo EmersonIf I can honestly say that I’ve done this, that I am living by the principles of this quote – then I have fully lived!(ed: that is an amazing quote. And Lance, I think you are living it fully!)I know your kids are so important to you. If you had only one lesson to share with them, what would it be?Life is to be lived. Kids get this. Like my oldest son, a couple of years ago – he took a little red wagon and rode it down a big hill in our backyard. Think about steering this with the handle while you’re seated in the wagon (it doesn’t work very well!). So, he did it, and miraculously made it half-way down before crashing. He saw the possibility in this challenge. Had you asked me to do that – I would have pointed out how steering would be too hard, how I could get going and not be able to stop, etc. And I’m not saying that this was a smart choice on his part. I’m saying that he saw the possibility in this, while I saw the impossibility in it. So, the lesson is: See the possibilities in life, not the impossibilities. Live your life! When we’re young, we sometimes just don’t know any better, we’re not limited by the lens of what we’ve always heard. The older we get, the more we tend to “conform”. And conformity says “limited by what we’re told”. Stay young. Look at life through the lens of anything is possible!Thank you Lance, for sharing a little of your world with us today-it is sooo appreciated!
