There’s an old saying that you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. I’m a big believer in surrounding yourself with what I call “hot people” - individuals who inspire, challenge and support you.

It’s easy to set the bar low for yourself. Mediocrity is a cultural norm.

I figure you have two choices in life:

half assed or kick ass

Which life you live depends a lot on who you hang out with. Hot people create a playground of rich conversation and joyful abundance where tackling fears and stretching yourself is encouraged and living your dreams is required.

I’m blessed to have lots of hot people in my life. Here’s what some of them are up to:

There’s Nancy, a woman of a certain age and not your typical athlete, who just participated in the Victoria Dragon Boat races to raise money for cancer.

There’s Virginia who has been known to spontaneously hop on a plane and land on my doorstep who is heading off to France for a couple of weeks of whatever adventure awaits her.

There’s Catherine who will be rappelling down the side of a 27 story building in Edmonton on September 8th to raise money for Easter Seals. Go girl.

There’s Gail who is facing a challenging illness with grace and optimism.

There’s Neela, a single parent of two daughters and closet writer, who delights me with thought provoking conversations about moments of revelation and deeper learning.

Pretty good company.

If you want to learn more about how hot people and ideas can set your life on fire, check out my new book Spontaneous Combustion.

What company do you keep?

Post a comment about your hot people.

My beverages are taking to me again.

A while ago I had written an article about the wisdom on the side of a Starbucks coffee cup.

Today I tried a new brand of green tea called Yogi Tea. When I opened the pouch with the tea bag, it had a little message:

Bliss cannot be disturbed by gain or loss.

That’s another way of saying one of my favourite mantras:

Happiness does not depend on circumstances.

I come across so many people who think that their degree of happiness on any given day depends on what is going on around them. Not a chance.

Happiness is a state of being - a philosophical way to be in the world.

It comes from a deep connection to what matters most to you.

It comes from an ongoing spirit of gratitude no matter what natural chaos is coming your way.

It comes from blissful living - being passionate, curious, engaged every day.

When you begin to learn the strategies for shifting into a perspective of joy and happiness, life is a wonderful adventure.

You find wisdom all around you - even in your tea cup.

Where do you find your happiness?

It’s not a new idea but Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson are creating a new buzz about life goals in their recently released movie The Bucket List.

Time is pretty short 

No matter how long you might live, time is really pretty short so creating a list of life goals is one way to maximize your life experiences.  This strategy has been around for a long time - probably one of first people to draw attention to it was John Goddard who created a list of 127 life accomplishments when he was 15 years old.  Now in his 70’s, Goddard has, at last count, checked off 109 of his challenging goals.

Find the joy 

In The Bucket List, faced with terminal cancer, Freeman and Nicholson’s characters embark on their own joint list of things to do before they die.  It’s a great call to action to find the joy in your life while you still have time.

What are the things that you long to do? 

Skills you hope to learn? 

Places you wish to visit? 

Things you want to try?

Books you’d love to read?

Relationships you need to build or mend?

Some people hang on to the idea that they’ll have a long life - that there’s lots of time to do want you want to do.  Sometimes life has other plans.

Some people think they can’t do what it is they really want - too many barriers, the biggest one of which is their own limiting beliefs.

Go watch the movie - and then begin jotting down those things you don’t want to miss in this life time.

What’s on your bucket list?