Julio’s World

“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future.”
-Fulton Oursler
 
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to participate in a men’s conference at my church. I had the honor of sitting down for a spontaneous Q & A session regarding success and life. One of the questions was, “Let’s say it is forty years later, and your life is over. Some of your friends and family have gathered after the funeral. What do you want them to say about your life? What do you want to be remembered for?” Talk about a heavy duty question on the spot. Several thoughts hit me at once, and I want to share them with you today.

First, I want my wife to say, “He was a great husband,” and our children to say, “There was no other father like ours.” I want my friends, relatives, clients, vendors and competitors to say, “Julio gave it everything he had in every area of his life, and he made a positive impact in my life.” What about you? What if you’re gone? What do you want to be remembered for?

Second, I don’t want to have any regrets. I can candidly say that after forgiving my real father and a few others in my life, I live my life with NO regrets. I tell my wife, kids, brother, sister and mom that I love them every day. I give my work and relationships everything I can. Not 80% or 90% but 100% every day. What about you? Is there someone you need to forgive or is there someone that needs to hear you say, “I love you?” Have you grown in your capacity to forgive and let go? No more bitterness, envy or unforgiveness in your heart. It’s important that we live our lives NOW with no regrets. You and I can’t correct every mistake we’ve made, but we can learn from them and create a better and healthier future.

Third, we must make FOCUS one of our obsessions. We can’t allow distractions and information overload to get us off our course. We can’t let our eyes rove, our minds wander or our hearts drift away from what the most important thing in our lives is- RELATIONSHIPS. Relationships that matter the most in our lives. Relationships in our family, with friends, at work, at church and in life.
 
Today, I just want to remind you to think LONG TERM about everything in your life. I know things get tough from time to time but if you persevere you can and will make it through any situation. Make sure you make decisions now that will help you create the life you want down the line. Live your life with NO REGRETS!!

This past Saturday our family and company participated in the Corporate Cup Race which is a 5k (3.1 mile run) in downtown Baton Rouge. And while these races take place all the time in different cities, what made this race special was running for the first time with my twin boys who are five. I gave them a chance to stay behind but they wanted to run. I gave them a chance to just walk but they wanted to run. So run we did. I was amazed at their stamina and relentlessness. Jonathan didn’t start slowing down until after two miles into the race and Jordan never stopped running the whole time. He ran 3.1 miles straight! Talk about a proud dad. Even though the wind blew against us hard at times they didn’t stop. When we got to the finish line they asked, “Did we win?” I said, “You sure did. You won because you finished what you started.”  That morning I was reminded that running a 5K race is just like running in life. Think about it:

1. Running with others always makes the race better and many times easier than if you ran by yourself.

2. Run with purpose. Don’t look back but keep your eyes focused on the goal.

3. Run light. Don’t carry excess weight or baggage you don’t need. Don’t let anything hinder you.

4. Run to finish. It doesn’t matter if you start fast or slow. What matters most is that you finish!