Best Life Challenge: The Best of Bill's Blog

Last week we went camping (in tents) with the whole family. It is a wonderful time to spend all day and night outdoors and active, hiking, running, swimming, boating, etc. On our second to last day of camping, my 8-year-old daughter, Julia, decided that she wanted to swim across the pond. I was shocked as I never would have thought to swim over a half-mile to the other side of the pond. We said okay, so she put on her life jacket and one of the other fathers hopped into his boat and Julia set out to cross the pond with a group of her friends.

Many of the group took a boat ride back to the beach when they hit the halfway point, but Julia, who had started the whole adventure, was steadfast in her goal to reach the other side. Pat, the father with the boat, gave Julia many chances to stop, telling her that she had done a great job that she could stop at any time, but she was unwavering in her decision to land on the beach across the pond. I am so proud of her for who she is, to: 1) Set a lofty goal on her own. 2) Not listen to others who thought she couldn't do it. And 3) Push herself mentally, physically and emotionally to complete the monumental task she had set for herself.

Julia taught me a great lesson at a point where I really needed it—stay focused! The longer the journey, the more difficult is becomes to stay focused on the ultimate goal. I believe Bob's Best Life Diet is truly a Best Life journey and the only reason the word "diet" is used is because we, as a culture, are conditioned to associating the word "diet" with "quick results, and then I can get back to the way I lived before" and the word "journey" with a long arduous trip that may not take us where we want to go.

I am better in every aspect of my life since I started my Best Life journey. I am overcoming my fear of failure and realizing that most of the time life is in the effort, not necessarily the results. I have always shied away from challenges that I knew I could not be the best at, not realizing that I needed to focus on becoming my best me! It sucks to feel like you should be the best at everything and you feel like you are not succeeding at anything.

I have always quit before I really started because I thought I couldn't "win." Keep going Julia, Liam and Ella—the winning is in the effort, the commitment and the desire to be the best you can be! I am refocusing to be the best person I can be.

I am moving forward aware, alive and ready to be real with my hopes, desires and fears, to not settle for a life I can coast on, but rather embrace a life I can create!

Keep moving forward,

Bill