I Never Got My Treehouse
When I was a little guy, my father told me next weekend he and I were going to go to the backyard and build ourselves a treehouse.
I was excited. My very own treehouse!
The weekend came around and he got busy. Fear not…we would get to it next weekend.
And then that weekend came around, and it didn’t happen.
And the next…and so on…until I stopped asking.
Now before we go too far, this is not a story about how bad my father was. In fact, he was a great father. Still is, to his middle aged “boy.”
It’s not really a story about my father at all. It’s a story about me. And probably you too.
We know how this works, because we all do it in one form or another. We start out with the best of intentions. We make a commitment to someone, or ourselves. That thing will get done.
And then life rearranges our priorities a bit. We put it off for a few days, or next week, or next month.
And we do it again.
Pretty soon it’s off our radar screen. Other stuff commands our attention.
And down the road we remember, “Hey, I never got my treehouse!”
Now when we think about that we have a few choices…
1. Be mad at the S.O.B. who didn’t deliver on his promise. Use that as an excuse for all the things you didn’t do, the chances you didn’t take, the feelings you never got to feel.
2. Resign yourself to the fact that you’re just not important enough to be remembered. There’s definitely something wrong with you that your father (who fed you, sheltered you, loved, you, coached your baseball teams, showed you what it means to be a man, etc.) didn’t deliver on that one thing. Run with that lack of self-worth based on that one thing that didn’t go the way you wanted it to.
3. Realize you are a human being with an unlimited capacity for drawing resources to you. You don’t have to be a victim of hurts – real or imagined – from your past. You can use each of them as learning experiences and leave a space of love and laughter where there was humiliation and hurt.
How would that manifest here?
* You can get a book on treehouse building, and take a trip to your local lumberyard. (Bonus points if you do it with your child.)
* You can call your dad (if he’s still available) and invite him over to finish the job you never started.
* You can go to a funky restaurant where they serve your meal in a specially built treehouse, or hut on the water, if that’s more your thing.
* You can decide the craftsmanship or architecture of an expertly constructed medical procedure, sales proposal, service call or anything else you got good at is more valuable than building a plywood monstrosity in your backyard. I chose the art of helping people build lives into works of art, decided it was more fun to build the written and spoken word than a treehouse.
Long story short: Being a victim of your past is always a choice, no matter how rough it was. You can always make a new choice with the awareness you have right now.
Attracting A Crowd: Starting A Riot At The Dollar Store
A reprint of an article from about five years ago, inspired by a giant ball display at Walmart. 
***
So I bring my daughters to our local Everything For A Buck Emporium to pick up a few odds and ends. We’re in the toy aisle and come across a basket of small playground balls with Pokemon on them.
Of course being who I am, I grab three and start juggling. Hey, I’m bored!
About five seconds into my fun time I attract a group of five or six kids. I’m guessing the oldest is about ten. No parents in sight.
“Hey, Wow! Look at what he’s doing!”
Of course the performer in me comes out, so I throw a few little tricks in for fun. Criss-cross arms, fountain pattern, just little stuff. One bounce off the head. And of course the kids go wild.
Now juggling in on a stage or other wide open place with professional juggling equipment is one thing. Juggling Pokemon balls with uneven weights in a store aisle with kids all around is another. The balls came down in pretty short order, which wound the kids up even more.
So the ring leader picks up a couple and does the classic little kid “throw one in the air and pass the other from hand to hand” maneuver. He doesn’t survive his first toss. And of course the rest of the kids follow suit.
Before long, they’re all asking me how to juggle and telling me I’m even better than the guys in the circus.
And of course, one kid – right on cue – picks up a Nerf football and does his best NFL quarterback impression. He flings it the length of the store. Perhaps it’s best we don’t know where it landed.
“Quick girls, get your stuff and let’s get out of here.”
Fortunately the store was only staffed by two ladies, bother of whom were working up front. We pay and leave. A clean get-away.
Now in case you don’t know me from any place other than this story, I am a juggler. I created the Juggle To Success program, so I’m actually more a juggling trainer than a juggler. I believe in juggling as a way to teach all the important things in life…healthy risk taking, team building, self-confidence, managing change, even making complete paradigm shifts in business and educational organizations.
I also wrote a book on this very topic.
So as much as I’d prefer not to start riots in retail stores, I’m actually very happy I lit a spark in these kids. Enthusiasm is where everything starts. It lets you know what’s possible and gives you the incentive to dream big.
I wonder if someone’s going home tonight and thinking about a future career or some other big goal…
while tossing pairs of rolled up socks in their room…far away from anything breakable of course!
Time Is Your Friend, Not Your Enemy
“I have always thought that TIME was the biggest enemy to my business… how I was running out of time to accomplish my goals and truly enjoy the fruits of my labor.
Larry Hochman worked with me for 5 minutes and helped me reframe that negative into a positive.
Instead of seeing time as an enemy, I now see it as my biggest ALLY, because it’s this feeling that time is running out that will help me never to waste a moment of it.
If you don’t know Larry, you should… and check out his website, too — many cool things to be found there!”
Dr. Bob Clarke
Sometimes others say it better than you do…or I do!
Thanks, Bob!
*** ***
Doesn’t matter who says it.
The most important thing is to approach your life with the joy of knowing you were given it as a gift…
and that you are a steward of that gift. Use it wisely, generously and courageously.
Much Love,
Larry
Dr. Bob and Dr. Rosemary have some great stuff going on. Nothing I like more than professionals who decide to take an unexpected turn in life. (Kinda like myself!) Check them out here.
Posture
Posture doesn’t come from tricks, techniques or the magic marketing words (though those certainly help you get attention).
Posture comes from the CONFIDENCE of knowing who you are.
And it comes from projecting your self-respect and POWER onto those who are looking for it.
Try improving your physical posture for a little while…at least two or three days.
Catch yourself when you slouch and commit to straightening up, like our friend in the illustration.
See if it challenges how you see yourself, and how the world sees you.
How To Never Make More Than Ten Dollars An Hour
A while back I saw a post in my Facebook newsfeed. It had something to do with the merits of a job as a babysitter.
Being a guy who used to use them for my kids, I appreciate the value of a good babysitter. Someone who kept our kids safe and entertained.
And that value? About four or five bucks an hour, at least back in the old days!
So I responded…that’s what the market will pay…eight dollars an hour, give or take. (I adjusted for inflation.)
Boy, was I corrected quickly! It’s all the way up to ten bucks an hour!
Here’s my take on it: it’s great money…if you’re a teenager, or someone who can take that ten dollars an hour and feel like the richest kid on the block.
For someone who wants to live life abundantly, with the liberty and choices that money brings…what’s the difference?
It never occurred to the people jumping up and down on me about the two dollar difference, that their MINDSET was off.
Well, it wasn’t “wrong.” But their thoughts and emotions about money and what they were worth were locking them into an income limit of ten dollars an hour.
*** ***
Here’s my question to you…
What are your thoughts and feelings locking you into?
Where is your mental and emotional ceiling on…
* Money?
* Love?
* Security?
* Health?
You may not know the answer to that question, but I promise…you have one.
If you believe it’s possible to receive more than you have now…
If you believe you are worth more than you’re living now…
If you’re willing to start on something good, for a really small investment.
(Less than an evening’s worth of babysitting wages)
Pick up a copy of HOW TO RECEIVE.
If not, that’s fine. Everyone gets to live their life however they want, as long as they aren’t hurting
someone else.
But no belly aching about what you don’t have, at least not to me.
And no complaining about the economy or the job market.
Because believe it or not, when you learn HOW TO RECEIVE, you begin to create your own economy around you.
Tag….You’re It!
Your Pal,
Larry
Know why babysitters – even good ones – don’t get more than ten bucks an hour (usually)? Supply and demand. If your sitter leaves, there are usually plenty of others to replace her (or him).
You are paid based on your leverage and your value in the marketplace.
Mostly you are paid on what YOU believe your worth is.
Because you will make a thousand big small choices that will determine how others respond to you…
…and how much value you bring to them…
…and how much money (and other good stuff) you’ll receive.
Decide if you want to receive more, by letting more of yourself come out to play!
-
HOW TO RECEIVE
Teleclass Begins Tuesday January 3, 2012. For More Information Or To Register, Click The Image. 
How To Juggle (and Change Your Life Forever)
"I’ve coached with Larry before and always came away with something good that I could use. Last winter I hit a bad patch of doldrums — just couldn’t get out of my own way. I definitely needed a jump start and figured that Larry was the man to do it. I told Larry I needed someone to kick my a** - in a good way - and he has done a great job. As always. Thanks to Larry, I’m back on track physically, mentally, and emotionally, and I’m getting stuff done.
B.K.
Washington
"Larry’s influence has helped me embrace, acknowledge and appreciate whatever is going on in my life. I feel myself growing in confidence and stature as I rediscover the imaginative, reactive magnificent ME. I’m seeing life from a whole new perspective, loving this idea of playing BIG, right now it feels like an overarching radiance, beginning to notice far reaching ripple effects as I dance through life, creating a splash and inviting people to join in."
Emily P.
United Kingdom
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Maryland
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Massachusetts
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Timor P.
Israel
"Larry positively impacts my life in ways I am regularly surprised at, and am incredibly grateful for. He seems to have devoted his life to the enlightenment, freedom and liberation of ALL of us. A human being with such HUGE love and great intention is undeniable. He is simultaneously humble yet powerful. Wise yet playful and lighthearted. A great teacher, yet just one of us, learning as he goes. He inspires me to do and be all
those things, too. A person doesn’t have to have it ALL figured out to lead another up to their next level, they just need to have gone a little before them. We are all here to uplift and inspire each other, and Larry gets that. I would recommend him as a guide to anyone. If you feel drawn to him, GO with that."
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California
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Virginia