Come and watch a live discussion about “Living in the Storm” during The Jim Cates Show. We will discuss how each of us can make better choices in life and begin to live in the storm instead of just waiting it out.

You may ask questions or comment about the interview in the comments section here on the blog or you may send questions or comments via Twitter to @murnahan. I will be checking for comments and answering questions during the show.

Following the show, I will be at Hastings at 21st & Fairlawn (Fairlawn Plaza) in Topeka Kansas for a meet and greet. Then I will return to Hastings for a book signing 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Click here for the Webcast!

About “Living in the Storm”

Each of us have a storm raging around our lives that can sometimes seem out of control. It is easy to be blown off course, but challenging to put things back into place. When you choose to live in the storm, rather than just wait for it to blow over, you regain control. Decisions become clearer, joy increases, and you pass inspiration on to others.

Living in the Storm presents ways to help you:
- Take a fresh look at your surroundings.
- Recognize and overcome cynicism.
- Become more thankful and apologetic.
- Become more influential than influenced.
- Break a cycle of negative expectations.
- Create a cheering section of people who want you to win.
- Gain patience and live life long-sighted.

Many moments of joy and inspiration go unnoticed in the storm of life. Rediscovering those moments can create a break in the storm. It may even create the extended break that you have been seeking all along.

Immediately after the show, I will visit Hastings and enjoy their coffee shop. I plan to be there by 10 a.m., so if you can make it to Hastings either from 10-11 a.m. or from 5-7 p.m., I would like to meet you.

I will also have copies of my recent release “Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends“, and answer questions about any of my three book releases for 2009.

This is the introduction to “Diary of Betterment” which is the companion book to “Living in the Storm”. Please provide me with your feedback. Your comments mean a lot to me.

Introduction:

I want to keep this simple. Making a better life is not as hard as it looks. When you break it all down, a great life is really not so complicated at all. You can do this!

You can probably think of a dozen things right now that would make your life better and a dozen more ways you can achieve those things. A challenge that exists is in taking inventory and becoming more cognizant of these things on a daily basis. Life is busy, and many things get in the way of a better life. The biggest obstacle is you.

It is common to look at life as one huge picture, and that is often how we have been trained. We learn that if you look at the big picture, the little things do not matter so much. This is a way that people can feel better about temporary challenges in life. Ironically, without those little things, there is no picture at all. The truth is that the little things matter and they matter a lot.

When it starts to look cloudy, it is often important to break life down into smaller manageable pieces in order to sort it out and see things clearer again. Managing small improvements and working toward a long-term outlook not only helps you long-term, but it can help you today, too!

“Diary of Betterment” is your personal documentation of improvements to relationships, how you influence those relationships, and for creating and reaching goals. This book was developed as a companion to “Living in the Storm” and is intended to help you document and score progress as you make your way in the storm we call life.

This book contains action steps based on the book, “Living in the Storm” and outlines many of the principles included therein. It also provides supplemental information for defining, monitoring, and achieving your goal of enjoying life.

You may use this book individually, but if you have not yet read “Living in the Storm”, it is highly recommended in order to receive maximal benefit.

I cannot save you from all of the challenges in your life, but I can offer you a tool to help you work through them and to gain clarity through cognizance. When you pay closer attention to your life, you become much closer to the life that you want, and that you deserve.

If you think you are not up to the challenges of overcoming life’s obstacles and using them for benefit, you are probably right. Most people will never take the needed steps or make the best decisions. Why should you change the wind?

If you think it is time to turn the page and take steps to make improvements in your life and in the life of those around you, you are probably right. Turn the page, and let’s get started!

There is only one person to blame. The good news is that the person to blame is also the person who gets to take much of the credit when action is taken. Beginning today I want you to try a more productive approach. When you have an idea, write it down, make a decision, and create an action plan.

If you would like to put more ideas into action, Living in the Storm is a great way to start.

Living in the Storm is Available for Order!

Living in the Storm is available for order at Amazon.com, Create Space (an Amazon.com company) and also direct from the author using PayPal. The advantage of ordering direct is that shipping is included in the $9.95 price! Living in the Storm will also be available through other retailers soon.

ORDER NOW!

Nobody gets a perfect life, and we all have storms to weather. Even if life seems pretty close to perfect, there is always room to make it better, and to help others to do the same. I sincerely hope that you will accept my words of inspiration and begin to use the principles of Living in the Storm for helping to create moments of joy and inspiration in your life and the life of others around you. I am very confident that you will enjoy this book and that it can provide a benefit in your life.

Living in the Storm is Available for Order!

Living in the Storm is presently available for order by three methods. It is now available at Amazon.com, Create Space (an Amazon.com company) and also direct from the author using PayPal. The advantage of ordering direct is that shipping is included in the $9.95 price! Living in the Storm will also be available through other retailers soon.



ORDER NOW!

The Happy Waiter

I will not claim that a waiter has the happiest job in the world, but I have sure seen some happy waiters. If you consider the work they perform, it should be easy to imagine their joy. You may not see it quite yet, but it seems so obvious to me. The overall function of their job is to give people what they want. This can be said for many professions, but a few things stand out about waiters. They often come into our lives when we are having good times with friends, celebrating, or just meeting to share a meal together. They are there to help us feel good, and extinguish our hunger. They are really a lot more important to us than it may seem at first glimpse.

The happy waiter, the one who really loves what they do, shares their positivity and gives us something to smile about. Perhaps the cynic would say that they are just working hard for a bigger tip, but that is the cynic. Cynicism has no value here.

Can you remember a really happy waiter? I can, and I see them as a great reminder of pride and joy that comes from serving others. In fact, one that comes to mind has not served me in over thirty years. He was a waiter who used to make funny faces at me and my brothers while standing behind our parents. When our parents would look around to see what we were laughing at, he would just shrug and act as if he had no idea what was going on. Maybe you think that I should have little reason to recall this man, but I do, and his name is Mahmoud Nasrazadani. As kids, we thought his name was cool. We never knew somebody with such a unique name, so it stood out, and I still remember his silly antics.

I am not saying that you may remember a waiter from your childhood, but I will say that the cumulative effect of people who treat you nicely and make you smile have much to do with the person you are. Maybe I am one of the few who remember Mahmoud in this way, but how compelling is it to imagine being one of those people that others will remember so many years later?

Of course, this will not be the same for all waiters, and it has much to do with how they see their work. The waiter who will give the best service is the one who truly enjoys creating joy, and you can spot them quickly. They are the kind of people you come back and request when you visit their restaurant. I think we should all try to learn from these people and try to be a happy waiter in our own lives.

The same trait of receiving joy from giving joy is available regardless of your profession or whether you have any job at all. A good lesson I consider is from my 92 year old grandmother who takes time each week to volunteer at “the old folks home”. I laugh when I hear her call it that, because many of the residents are much younger than her. She volunteers her time to serve them food and best of all, to make them smile. She is a happy waiter.

The very powerful feelings that come from helping others can be noted as some of the best success stories in your life. Just think for a moment about times that you have done something nice for others, and how it made you feel. There is no doubt that when you do this enough that it can form a truly valuable habit. Other people watch and learn from your actions, and will often follow your lead.

Becoming “The Happy Waiter” can start as simple acts of kindness and consideration of others. If you do it each day, in some way, you should never wonder if somebody received a benefit. The person receiving the greatest benefit is often you.

I certainly should mention the downside to being happy by creating happiness for others. There is always the cynical person who will call happy people “fake”. Before you decide to be happier by serving joy to others, I must first pose this very important question:

Would you rather receive suspicion of falseness for being happy and spreading joy, or as genuine for being grumpy and cynical?

I would rather be seen as fake for being optimistic than genuine for being a cynic. I know which of these is happier. If you are one of those cynics, you had better stick around and keep reading. You may be really surprised to find how much joy you are missing.

Living in the Storm is Available for Order!

Living in the Storm is available for order at Amazon.com, Create Space (an Amazon.com company) and also direct from the author using PayPal. The advantage of ordering direct is that shipping is included in the $9.95 price! Living in the Storm will also be available through other retailers soon.

ORDER NOW!

Just a Little Encouragement

The Happy Waiter

A Second Impression

Being Thankful and Apologetic

Thank You!

I am Sorry

Wins and Losses of Cynicism

Children Singing or a Car Crash

You Go Where Your Eyes Go

Motorcycles Don’t Have Training Wheels

Altruism Demystified

Validation Earned vs. Validation Demanded

Age and Wisdom: A Time Travel

Weight: A Heavy Subject

Obesity and Morbid Obesity

You Want Money First?

Kids are Resilient

Negativity Observed: Birth to Death

You’ve Been So Wrong

Tough Decisions

Veiled Love of a Family

Strangers Who Hurt You

Create a Cheering Section

The One with Thick Glasses

Family Breakdown

Necessity or Negligence

For the Single Mother or Father

Breaking a Cycle

Never Remain a Victim

Justified Failure

They Are Only Words

Live Without Fear

Ideas Without Action

Live Long-Term

Keeping Score

Create Your Lists and Keep Them Near

Reasons for Pride

Your Top Influencers

People to Thank

Apologies Due

Promises Made

Review and Reflection

Always Wave at Fire Trucks

Days in the Storm

Fourteen Day Review

Sometimes using what you already have available to reach your goals of happiness fails. It takes a refresher course and taking a new view of your direction. It can also take implementing new tools to better address the changes that have taken place in your life.

I realize that it is easy to be cynical when it relates to bettering your life. It takes a lot of work! So many doubts exist, and it is so hard to believe in another message of hope to rejuvenate broken dreams. Cynicism comes easy … After all, what can this Murnahan guy do that will make my life so great?

The truth is that I cannot make your life great. What I can do is to offer new ideas and new tools that I know from experience can help you. I am offering you a tool, similar to handing you a hammer. You decide whether you use the hammer to build a home or take a life, because a hammer can do either. I am just offering tools. How, or if, you choose to use the tools will be up to you.

If you are ever going to make progress toward a happier life, it is time to rise above the doubts and progress your life through the storm instead of waiting for it to blow over. Have some faith in yourself and take a risk. What do you really have to lose?

Maybe you have tried and failed. So what is next? Do not underestimate the value of persistence. I know you, and I know how hard you have tried to live a better life each day. I also know that there are roadblocks that slow your efforts as you progress through life. Consider what you will have if you stop trying.

Maybe your life is perfect, but it has probably not always been that way. If this is the case, you probably have some people to thank, and some people you would like to assist with inspiration like you received. If this is the case, here is your chance to pass along the favor.

Here is an early look at my latest book titled “Living in the Storm”. I hope that you will give it a careful look and consider how it may offer a benefit to your life or that of somebody you care about.

Coming Soon!

I submitted the final files for “Living in the Storm” just a short number of hours ago. I have received notification that my proof copy has been shipped by the printer, and I will release this new book after my review once my proof arrives. Please check back soon for ordering availability within the next couple days.