 Hi, welcome to Seymour's World commentary on Think Tech Hawaii. I welcome your comments by email, text or phone. Today our topic is how to move a mountain. I don't know when you will be watching this episode, but what an unbelievable week we have had. A terrible mass shooting in Las Vegas, hurricane damage beyond compare, disaster after disaster. And on a personal note, I had a medical scare just as I am coping with cancer. And on top of that, I have to be in China this week. Okay, we all have problems. We all have so much to do. How are we going to get it all done? How are we going to cope? There's a very famous saying by Confucius, the man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. I often wonder if I have what it takes to finish what I had started. I'm sure you have heard the expression, making mountains out of molehills. Well, let's see if we can make sense of moving mountains. Whether it's your body or your mind that is forced to ask the question, can I do it? Let's try to move that mountain. How did we get here? The road to this mountain of reflection is long and arduous. All we are doing is living our life and face the pressures of doing the best we can, right? In life, we all tackle mountains that test both our mental and physical strength. To do that and to do it well, we have to move a lot of small stones, endure pain, jump over barriers, break ceilings, work hard for hours and deal with discouragement. The key is to clear your head and process your situation. We have to weigh the pros and cons and dig deep for some answers. You have to come to a place where you know what to do. It really becomes an epiphany moment. Quitting it is not an option, right? Remember one small stone at a time. You have to be present where you are, not get ahead of yourself and start the journey. There are benefits to carrying away small stones. When I was diagnosed with cancer, that mountain seemed impossible to climb. When you decide to move a mountain by carrying away one small stone at a time, the impact to your life is significant. I experienced a quarry full of benefits once I realized I could move my mountain if I just broke it down into smaller pieces. Here are my smaller stones. Number one, lower the intensity of the problem and make it more bearable. You can reduce the stress and make the problem more manageable. Number two, increase your capacity to see what's going on around you. When you try to remove your problems all at once, they swallow up your attention and keep you from seeing the beauty around you. While carrying away one small stone at a time, you can look around and celebrate your blessings. Hear the birds sing and take in the beauty of your life. Number three, become a person others are glad to be with. Taking on too much all at once makes you miserable, discouraged and no fun to be with. People who know how to carry small stones one at a time are easy to be with. They're able to laugh and listen and be a friend. Number four, live in the present. Focusing on small achievable milestones lends itself to living in the here and now. After all, the present is all we really have. The past is gone and the future has not yet come. Living in the present opens the door to gratitude. And number five, finally, open that door to gratitude. When I chose to carry small stones and take one step at a time, I started to notice the things I was grateful for. I was more grateful for my wife Sue and my children, Aaron and Alana, all of my family and my friends. We've been through tough times together and now we are closer than ever. It is crucial to break down the mountain into small pieces. A wonderful quote from my football days is, pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. Carrying one small stone at a time kept me from being miserable. I need to say that there will be times when you have to cut your losses and realize that life must go on. The way you break down your mountain into smaller pieces is to shorten the distance you focus on. Sometimes one day at a time is too much. Think about taking one hour at a time. When one hour is too much, take it one minute at a time. When that was too much, take it one second at a time. Just think. If you just stare at the mountain instead of grabbing one small stone at a time and moving it, you will miss the satisfaction of climbing that mountain. What mountain in your life do you need to move by carrying small stones? Thank you for watching Seymour's World Commentary on ThinkDec Hawaii. I welcome your comments at any time. Aloha and have a wonderful day.