Passing it on

By Bob Cox

One day last month while getting ready to go to the gym for a quick cardio workout, I reached for my favorite distraction, the newest edition of Sports Illustrated. A small wave of disappointment swept over me when I realized that my subscription had lapsed and I was fresh out of mindless reading material. How would I endure the next 30 monotonous minutes of huffing and puffing, which would surely feel more like 30 days without something to take my mind away from the agony of it all.

Fortunately, the solution came quickly enough to assuage my anxiety as I remembered a small stockpile of books I had purchased a few years earlier. I grabbed the one that stood out and bounded out the front door. As I was driving to the gym, I reminisced about the days long ago when I made the commitment to read something inspiring every day for 30 minutes and how empowered I felt while challenging all my preconceived notions about the limitations of myself and others.

Before I reached the parking lot, I realized how much I missed reading right after waking up, so I resolved then and there to again take the best advice I’ve ever heard nearly three decades ago. That advice was to read something positive and inspiring every day. When you do this, you will surely be blown away by how much better you feel as you read about how other people that have found creative new ways to reduce misery while adding more joy in their lives.

That’s when an unwelcome intruder, a negative little thought that lurks in the dark crevices of my mind had to ruin my Kumbaya moment by throwing in its two cents about how expensive it would be to purchase brand new books every week or so. That’s when I reassured the little worry wart that I could patronize our neighborhood used book store and get what I needed for a fraction of the cost. I would also feel good about keeping our dollars in the community, which would help improve local employment opportunities and enhance our infrastructure.

Seconds later, a close cousin of the previous thought had to whisper sweet nothings in my ear, and believe me they were nothing, by saying how impractical it would be to start a new book collection in our small living space which could easily feel cluttered. Moments passed when another solution presented itself as I resolved to pass on each book to someone I care about and then ask them to do the same.

As I reread my first book by Chris Prentiss titled “Be Who You Want, Have What You Want”, my mind drifted towards my business and I suddenly realized what was missing from our magazine, which was a larger selection of inspiring articles. A few years back, I had written several articles about famous people from the past, but after a few months I had lost my passion for it.

A short while later, another fresh idea emerged and I was feeling more excited than I had in years when I decided to ask the local people I meet in my daily business travels about their unique and untold experiences and the various ways they have gathered insights into finding deeper levels of peace and happiness. From here on out, that’s exactly what we’ll be doing, starting with this edition.

In this month’s edition of Go For It Magazine, you will find four powerful and compelling articles about local business people who have dealt with everything from ordinary to extraordinary challenges while sharing what they’ve learned about life and themselves. You may feel deeply motivated after hearing about how these folks emerged from their self doubts to become stronger, wiser and more confident.

If you want to help your loved ones experience more joy and happiness, read something positive and inspiring like this magazine, and then pass it on. When they’re finished reading, ask them to pass it on and so forth. You’ll never know how many lives you will transform.