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Some cancer patients were told that they had three months to live, marking the time that would prove to be the most trying, exhausting, and heartbreaking point in their lives. But the amazing thing about these extraordinary people is that they decided to continue laughing through the hard times; laughing at their families, laughing at their pets, laughing at a movie on TV or a story in the newspaper every morning. Those three months passed and when they came back to see their doctors, it turned out that their tumors were benign or their cancer had disappeared, and they attributed their healthy outcomes to laughter.
Without question, this is the extreme example of the effects of laughter and how it can improve your quality of life. Understand that laughter psychologically puts you in the state of having fun. You are enjoying the present moment and it shows when you throw your head back, hold your stomach, and you just can’t control your laughter. The day goes by so much faster when you’re having fun, so why not laugh your way through the day?
There is no need to explain how laughter and worry are polar opposites. It’s just the way life is; light during the day and dark at night. Both are necessities. They have to exist, because if you didn’t have worries, you wouldn’t know laughter.
The most powerful thing about laughter is that it has the ability to put you in neutral. Personally, laughter puts me at peace and is a crucial part of my happiness. When I’m busy worrying about my problems, I could turn on ten different talk radio stations, but I’ll find them all boring. And the only person to blame for that is me. When I make it a point to be happy, smile, and laugh my way into a good mood, I turn the same talk radio stations on, and I think they’re hilarious. It all comes from within.
To the person that hasn’t laughed in months and years simply because you have forgotten how to and you find yourself in a deep depression … use your imagination. It all comes back to what you’re thinking about.
Laugh at yourself. Laugh at children. Laugh at that ridiculous comment you heard on the radio. And when you’re laughing, you’re attracting people. Everyone wants to be around someone that knows how to have fun. Socialization can go a long way when you are trying to bring yourself out of depression.
Remember to not sweat the small stuff. There’s never a happy medium between depression and happiness. It’s one or the other, and you are the only one that has the ability to change it.
Make a list of 10 different things you love to do. One of mine happens to be on a boat, offshore, tuna fishing. But tomorrow, I don’t want to go f***ing tuna fishing, I want to go feed the ducks at the pond. When the list has been exhausted, make another one. And I guarantee you’ll find something to laugh about while you’re doing the things you love.
When I wake up in the morning, I look at myself in the mirror and laugh at myself. It is important to add some cheer into your day-to-day life and stop taking yourself so seriously. Don’t scold yourself for the mistake you just made. Laugh at it. The more you beat yourself up over your slip-up, the more power you give it and you allow it to consume your thoughts, even your entire day.
When I’m in a bad mood, I don’t see anything around me but problems. But when I feel good, I see everything. I see nature. I see people. I see happiness.
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I am making myself available for readers to submit their questions pertaining to sports/life/current events/relationships/etc., to Bernie@legendssportsmarketing.com. Submit your questions and I may randomly choose yours to be the subject of my next article!
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Twitter: @BernieParent | Facebook: visit my Official Fan Page | www.legendssportsmarketing.com | www.bernieparent.net
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How many times do you come across a perfect stranger and say, “honey, I love your smile,” or “I love your eyes” or “your hair looks nice today,” and then walk away? Maybe not often, but that small gesture might have been the first compliment he or she has gotten in days, months, or even years.
These gestures are not for the purpose of hitting on someone or trying to get a date. The purpose of these gestures is to make someone feel good about their self. There is not enough compassion and kindness in an otherwise stressful world, and you’d be amazed how much a compliment, or even a hug, can mean to a person.
Sometimes, a simple wave or a handshake just won’t do. A strong, honest compliment and a hug can give that person the strength they need to make it through the rest of their day, and that goes for strangers and for everyone you encounter at home. Hug your kids often and tell them that you love them as much as possible, even at the most random of times, because that may have been exactly what they were looking for at that moment in life.
Forget the handshake, the wave, or the fist bump. I hug people, a lot. Sometimes even upwards of 50 people a day. Everyone that you cross paths with is dealing with some sort of problem, whether it is written on their faces or not. And you’d be surprised how many times I prompt a smile out of an otherwise miserable person, just by giving them a hug.
The power behind a hug is fueled by who we are as a human race. We are programmed to believe that each person is an individual and possesses a level of separation from every one else around us. But what truly matters is that it takes the same amount of air in our lungs and blood in our veins to live. We’re all in the same boat, and each individual deserves to feel compassion, kindness, togetherness, and to be cared about.
To embrace another human being, or to simply touch an acquaintance or a friend’s arm while engulfed in a conversation, is SHOWING that you care what is going on in their lives. Because just verbalizing is not enough. I truly believe that there is a direct correlation between happiness and hugging. It is warm. And to be able to communicate warmth, appreciation, and a genuine moment of happiness from both parties, all from a hug, is incredible.
To supplement your hugs, follow them up with compliments. Society tells you to keep your distance and be afraid of your surroundings. Respect someone’s personal space. Well, I think society has taken personality out of the people. What is the point of having a personality if you can’t show it to those around you?
I told a random guy in Wawa this morning that I liked his tan, and he smiled at me. Just by giving him that compliment, he stood a little taller. This random act of kindness could have been the first that he’s received in a while, but I know that I impacted his life in a positive way, even just for a moment or for the remainder of his day.
I’ve never gotten a negative response from someone after I had given them an honest compliment. We crave them, and we need them to get a lift every once in a while. Pay someone a compliment and keep moving throughout your day. Make it a part of your daily routine and watch your attitude slowly change for the better.
The smile that you put on your neighbor’s face this morning is contagious and can be paid forward, and that is all we can hope for.
I am making myself available for readers to submit their questions pertaining to sports/life/current events/relationships/etc., to Bernie@legendssportsmarketing.com. Submit your questions and I may randomly choose yours to be the subject of my next article!
Twitter: @BernieParent | Facebook: visit my Official Fan Page | www.legendssportsmarketing.com | www.bernieparent.net
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Education is a beautiful tool to have, but imagination represents the term “the sky is the limit.” Every invention in this world was created from an idea, cultivated from someone’s imagination.
Innovative imagination from the Wright brothers has allowed us to advance to a more efficient means of travel with airplanes.
Henry Ford, with his invention of cars, had the equivalency of a second grade education, but he has created one of the biggest industries in the world, and it all started from an idea and a vision. When the shareholders wanted to remove Henry Ford’s title as Chairman of the Board because he didn’t have the “proper” education, his response was to prove that he surrounded himself with educated people to supplement his lack of it. In Ford’s case, he had the means to surround himself with educated people to be able to keep his mind focused on his imagination and innovation.
Of course, education has to supplement the imagination in order to achieve the final goal. There has to be a defined mixture of both education and imagination. Education without imagination and vice versa is useless.
If you lack in education, be sure to surround yourself with a great creative team. Or, seek educated people to supplement your creative ability, and either way, you begin to prosper. But the beauty about the imagination is that it has the ability to generate happiness.
For example, I’m driving in the car and I hear some good songs playing. I imagine myself on the stage, singing in front of 100,000 people and experiencing something beautiful. I smile.
This is a very interesting message, especially right now. The month of May is full of new graduates emerging into the working world, and they are faced with some issues and thinking, “Where do I go from here?”
You have to imagine and dream about where you want to be. Envision it, plan it, and cultivate it. If you are unhappy with your current position, come home, sit in your backyard, close your eyes, and use your imagination to shape where you want to be.
Everyone has issues, but once you begin using your imagination, you’ll find yourself above all of the stresses of daily life and moving toward a happier existence.
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I am making myself available for readers to submit their questions pertaining to sports/life/current events/relationships/etc., to Bernie@legendssportsmarketing.com. Submit your questions and I may randomly choose yours to be the subject of my next article!
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Twitter: @BernieParent | Facebook: visit my Official Fan Page | www.legendssportsmarketing.com | www.bernieparent.net
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Looking back to my childhood hockey years, I never realized that I was subconsciously setting goals to reach my purpose. I listened to my opponents as they wished for someone else to fall down so they could capitalize on the opportunity to take a shot, to take advantage of someone else’s misfortune.
The approach has never entered my mind, and still doesn’t. I always believed in what I could do. I created my own opportunities. I didn’t have the time (or the patience) to wait around for someone else’s mistake, with the uncertainty that it may never come. So I made my own success. If it didn’t work out, then I would identify my mistake, learn from it, correct it and move on.
Sure, learning from other peoples’ mistakes may work for the short-term. But analyzing your personal success using someone else’s model is a waste of too much time and too much energy.
The most successful people do not invest their time in worrying about what other people think of them. Get busy, drive your passion, and move in the direction of your goals. If you allow yourself to actively participate in these three steps, you shouldn’t have time to focus on the successes of others and how they’ve accomplished them. Concentrate on enhancing yourself and moving toward your purpose.
It’s tough to move forward when you’re busy looking behind you. It slows you down immensely. You’ll easily forget how far you’ve come and what steps are necessary to move forward.
Holding yourself accountable for your success builds confidence, charisma, and helps you to make solid decisions, whether you’re in the business arena or working toward personal life goals. You always get what you attract. If you fill up your mind with fear of other people, it will allow your competition to surpass you while you’re left choking on the dust they’ve kicked up.
Recognize and revel in your own journey, and enjoy it while it lasts. After all, you are the only person in possession of it, and you are solely responsible for the outcome.
Use this method as a key ingredient in building your success. You hear a lot of people closely examining their competition, as if doing so will ensure your success. During my hockey career and beyond, it NEVER EVER entered my mind that I would lose my job to someone else. Because if it had, I would have been left in the dust before my career even began. I make the conscious effort to focus on how I can improve myself.
That, my friends, is when the magic happens.
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I am making myself available for readers to submit their questions pertaining to sports/life/current events/relationships/etc., to Bernie@legendssportsmarketing.com. Submit your questions and I may randomly choose yours to be the subject of my next article!
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Twitter: @BernieParent | Facebook: Official Fan Page | www.legendssportsmarketing.com | www.bernieparent.net
I’m going to make this one simple, because I have important things to do right now. The present moment is so significant, because the present is all you have. You don’t own yesterday, and you don’t own tomorrow. Make no mistake, it is wise to plan for certain things that lie on the road ahead, but you want to make sure you don’t lose sight of living for today. You’ll be missing out on some beautiful experiences.
By choosing to live a conservative and risk-free lifestyle in regards to always looking ahead, you may develop a fear in what the future holds. You lose the present moment, and you’ll never be able to get it back.
I’d like to call myself a spontaneous person. When it feels right, I do it, at that very moment. Do you know what I don’t do? I don’t plan vacations a year ahead of time. The present moment enables you to enjoy what life is all about. Capture it, and let it captivate you. Slow down and enjoy your surroundings, nature, your family and friends, your health, and most importantly, yourself.
If you start to worry about things that may happen 15, 20 years down the road, then your thinking shifts. You’ll constantly be worrying about your investments, health, etc. You’ll be living in fear. And the only way to walk away from this is to remove yourself from your own imagination and the uncertainties that you’ve created, and focus on this very moment.
We all know “The Golden Years” are not promised. “The Golden Years” is the title provided to us by society, and its definition is retirement and settling down. First of all, I don’t believe it’s healthy to retire. I don’t even like the word “retirement.” If you’re not productive in some way, you’re only going to move backward. Instead, look at “your new found freedom” as just another phase in life. The secret is to learn how to adapt and live within the phase you’re currently faced with.
You’re 25 years old, you graduate, and you get a good job, which is what society tells you to do. Don’t spend any money. Save for the future. Buy a house. Pay it off. Guess what? You don’t own anything in this world. You’re just using it. When you die, you can’t take any of these things with you. They’ll just be passed on to someone else who will use them for a while.
So after years of preparing for the future, you look back and say “Shit, I should’ve done this. I should’ve done that.” You spent your time missing out on great opportunities because you were hoping to be better off in the long run. Time does not belong to you, so you better make the best out of your rental. Once it’s gone, it’s never coming back. You can’t buy it, can’t trade it, and can’t ask for an extension. Start thinking about your “Golden Years” as right now. Right now, the market is booming for time, and right now, your time is the most valuable that it’s ever going to be. Your time’s worth is peaking, right now. Right now is the golden time. Spend it wisely.
“Right now, you are the oldest you’ve ever been and the youngest you’ll ever be” – Unknown
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I am making myself available for readers to submit their questions pertaining to sports/life/current events/relationships/etc., to Bernie@legendssportsmarketing.com. Submit your questions and I may randomly choose yours to be the subject of my next article!
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Twitter: @BernieParent | Facebook: Official Fan Page | www.legendssportsmarketing.com | www.bernieparent.net
Walk Together Forever Statue Unveiling
Bobby Clarke and I with Ed Snider, Joe Piscopo, Reggie Leach, Bill Barber
Saturday, March 30th, 2013
Broad Street Bullies Pub at Xfinity Live!
Philadelphia, PA
My April 1st article is now up on Philly.com.
You wake up in the morning, on the wrong side of the bed. You are in a rotten mood. You get in your car, you turn on the radio, and all they are playing on your favorite station is some crappy music. You change the channel, but it’s a commercial. Some guy cuts you off. You hit every single red light on your way to your destination and you are forced to pump the breaks.
And it goes on and on and on.
So now, you find yourself bitching about all of the bad things that are happening to you, and your day just keeps getting worse.
Congratulations, you’ve figured out the easiest way to build up anxiety.
Be grateful that you have a roof over your head. Be grateful that you have a bed. Be grateful you have food. Be grateful that you have a car that runs, and if it doesn’t, be grateful to have friends that will help you fix it. Be grateful that you can see the road in front of you. Be grateful that you can hear that crappy music. Be grateful that you have a chance to “pump the brakes,” slow down, and take a look at your surroundings. Be grateful that you can read this article. Be grateful that you have your health.
And most importantly, be grateful that you woke up this morning. It is the little things like this that you may forget, because your mind is focused on something you lack.
I preach the law of attraction every day, and being grateful is a great way to attract good things and open up new doors in life. A lot of people are going to read this and think, “Well, what the f*#k am I grateful for?”
There’s always something positive you can relate to. Gratitude is a great step towards positive thinking and living in the now, and you can change the negative outlook that has you cursing every thing in existence while you’re on your way to work in the morning.
Do you know what I’m grateful for today?
For starters, there are few (real) people in this city that can say they have a statue built for them, including William Penn, Doctor J, Kate Smith, Gary Dornhoefer, and Mike Schmidt; but these statues can’t talk. They definitely send a message and have a meaning to each individual Philadelphia sports fan. But this new statue of Bobby Clarke and I, means more than just 400 lbs of bronze dropped in front of XFINITY Live!
This is an award, an accomplishment.
Having said that, I’m grateful that six more teams came into the National Hockey League in the expansion draft of 1967. I’m grateful that Philadelphia was one of them. I’m grateful that I played here in Philadelphia. I’m grateful to have had the ownership of Ed Snider. I’m grateful for the GM, Keith Allen. I’m grateful for Fred Shero. I’m grateful for the great team we had, and I’m grateful for, last but certainly not least, the greatest fans in the world.
All of those pieces formed a puzzle, and the unveiling of this statue has added another piece.
When you look back at my journey, it wasn’t always uphill. I wasn’t always at the top of the mountain. Many times, I crawled in the swamp. And while I was in that swamp, I never thought that someday a statue would be standing in one of the most prominent spots in the city of Philadelphia, right in the middle of all the action.
The beauty about dreaming is that it creates other opportunities that you don’t even know exist. The most famous statue in Philadelphia – up until this past Saturday – was the Rocky Statue, who just so happened to be a fictional character from a movie.
When the Flyers organization called to notify me about the new statue about a year ago, I thought about how this statue very well could be Philadelphia’s real “Rocky.”
And looking back, this is the reward that I never expected, the reward of having a purpose and reaching it. When you live this lifestyle, things and people will come into your life that you don’t even know exist. This statue is one of those things.
Ten years from now, one hundred years from now, that statue is still going to be in the center of all the action. Generations and generations of sports fans – fans that haven’t even been born yet – will walk by, touch it, and Clarke and I will just be standing there, watching all of the fans pile into each stadium.
It is a great honor and an incredible feeling.
When Freddy said, “We win tonight, we walk together forever,” he wasn’t just addressing the players. He was addressing the entire city, the whole Delaware Valley, and as a family, we get to share this special moment. I look at this statue as a representation of the Delaware Valley and the support we received from its inhabitants. It’s not about me and Clarke, it’s about the whole tri-state area.
The statue depicts the picture of the very first cup that we won in 1974.
In today’s world, the Stanley Cup is presented to the captain and he skates with it around the arena. But the most amazing thing about this statue is that Bobby Clarke said to me, right after Clarence Campbell presented the cup to him, “Grab the Cup. Let’s skate.”
He wanted me with him. That was not predetermined. It was spontaneous. He did not skate around with the Cup by himself like the captains today. It was a very special moment, and I think it shows the bond we had among the players and the city.
That is why 40 years later, people still relate to us. It wasn’t just the team that won; the whole city won that Cup. I don’t look at the statue as me and Clarke holding the Cup, I look at it as the powerful family we created with the Flyers organization and the city of Philadelphia.
People can stop by, touch it, and truly believe that they own a piece of it because they are a part of it. That is what the statue truly means.
I am honored and grateful that this moment will now be standing in the center of Philadelphia for hundreds of years to come.
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I am making myself available for readers to submit their questions pertaining to sports/life/current events/relationships/etc., to Bernie@legendssportsmarketing.com. Submit your questions and I may randomly choose yours to be the subject of my next article!
Twitter: @BernieParent | Facebook: Official Fan Page | www.legendssportsmarketing.com | www.bernieparent.net
March 15th, 2013 Article Featured on Philly.com
You know, we’ve talked about risk and fear and the choices that come along with it, and since we’re starting to move towards the spring, this is the time of year people start to worry about their physique. Beach body or beached whale? All kidding aside, the importance in maintaining a good physique lies in your health, not just the way you look.
When you analyze the physical part of being healthy, many people settle for just surviving, but barely thrive. It is amazing to me that a lot of people don’t cultivate their own health. Your life is like a garden. You can’t just plant it and walk away and expect it grow. Sure, you may get something out of it, but in order to pick a ripe tomato, you must rummage through the weeds, exterminate the bugs, shower it, and get your feet muddy to indulge in healthy crops. You are responsible for cultivating your health.
Let’s start with the body. There are two key parts to maintain your physical being: exercise (external) and food (internal). At the age of 67, I’ve chosen to be an active participant in my life, not a spectator, and I’ve taken my physical health into consideration daily. I exercise not only my body, but my mind. What you put in is what you get out. I force myself to work out. It won’t stop me from dying, but it allows me to do the things that I could do at 40, as opposed to doing things that “60 year olds” do.
Sadly, there are people in my age group that do not have this attitude. They think, “I’m 62. I’m going to retire. So, what’s next?” The paradigm of a 60 something-year-old, which says you are SUPPOSED to go easy and slow down, has gone back generations. I don’t believe in slowing down. Actively deciding to cut exercise out of your daily routine WILL slow you down. My feelings about working out are tied to the fact that I want to DO things. I want to become a player, but if I don’t, I’ll miss out and slowly lose the energy to continue. Disregarding all forms of exercise will affect every other aspect of life, psychologically and spiritually.
If I stop the activity, I psychologically become a 67-year-old man. I won’t do anything and I won’t enjoy anything. But by staying in shape, my mind, body and spirit rewind back 20 years. So since I’m 47 now, I’m full of enthusiasm and I’m doing all kinds of things that 47 years olds do, versus a 67 year old man that has accepted being 67 and doesn’t do anything in life. See the difference?
Want to travel 60 miles off-shore while chasing tuna? If I’m a 67-year-old guy that has no energy, then I will find the excuse not to do it. But since I’m the 47-year old that I think I am — not what society thinks I should be — I’m going to go out and chase f***ing tuna!
No one is saying go from 0-60 and get off your lazy ass and jump into an advanced workout routine like P90x (even though I preach P90x to everyone I meet and I do it daily). You can start small. Every year after turning 30, you start losing a percentage of your muscle tissue. Continuing to exercise will allow you to incessantly build muscle, energy, and strength, which may help in the genetic reversal of deteriorating muscle tissue in the first place.
Cultivating your health isn’t just about building the outside of your body. You must also fuel the inside of your body. The old days of meat and potatoes are gone, and I made the decision to switch to organic food. I like to share my endorsement for organic food with people because it has become a crucial part of my healthy lifestyle. By fueling your body with the right nutrition, it will also give you the energy needed to spring back into your exercise routine.
With the right combination of exercise and nutrition, it will psychologically and spiritually create a positive attitude, a sense of accomplishment, and it may even promote growth in your pride with the decision to procure a healthy lifestyle.
Make no mistake, I didn’t practice this lifestyle while I was playing hockey. These are things I learned post-hockey and I adopted this philosophy as part of my daily routine within the last 10 years. It has made a world of a difference. My trigger to get moving happened to be weight gain. I just didn’t feel right, my attitude sucked, and nothing was working. I had become an old man. I looked the part, felt the part, and definitely started to play the part. I refused to accept it and took the steps to reverse it. Today, at 67, the changes I’ve made allow me to feel as good and do the same things I was able to when I was 20 years younger. I was able to turn back time. My spirit is much younger than my age dictates, and that is why I enjoy life.
You are starting to feel your age, you’re reading this, and you want to know how to get started. You have to ask yourself this question, “Am I part of the reason for feeling the way I do physically, psychologically, and spiritually week after week, month after month, and year after year? What has to change?” YOU have to change. As I get older, I don’t want to end up in the hospital. I don’t want to have a heart transplant. I don’t want to be on medication. I don’t want oxygen tubes in my nose. I don’t want to end up in a nursing home. There’s a short list of the things that I don’t want to do, and if I don’t maintain my healthy lifestyle, I will end up in the places I would least like to be. This message is out of fear, but good fear. That alone, should be a motivator.
Remember, what works for me might not work for you. Try some new things. Learn by trial and error. Research some methods that you feel may work for you. I educated myself by reading, communicating, listening, and watching people. And then I started to take action.
Exercising and eating right is only a small part of the Bernie Parent that many of you may know, or think you know. My psychological makeup is bigger than these two factors. Sure, I’m in great shape and I eat right, but when I walk into a room, my positive attitude and my philosophies tend to be contagious. I take pride in walking away from someone, knowing that I made an impact. The universe is very powerful, and so is my faith in the belief that it takes the form of a mirror. I am a firm believer in the law of attraction. What you are thinking bounces back to you. A healthy, spiritual mind will cultivate a healthy, spiritual body.
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I am making myself available for readers to submit their questions pertaining to sports/life/current events/relationships/etc., to Bernie@legendssportsmarketing.com. Submit your questions and I may randomly choose yours to be the subject of my next article!
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Twitter: @BernieParent | Facebook: visit my Official Fan Page www.legendssportsmarketing.com | www.bernieparent.net
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