A sample of excerpts from Lasso the Sunshine...

"The man upstairs is pretty smart. If we try to ignore what the sunshine can do for us, if we try to look down to avoid the light, we see the darkness of our shadow. But that shadow is there because of the sun, and even that shadow can remind us of the power of the sun’s teachings. May your shadow stand tall at sunrise, welcoming the new day and its challenges, anticipating all that you will accomplish. And may your shadow stand tall at sunset, proud of what you have done today, knowing tomorrow you can do more. May your shadow accompany you through your daily journey, sometimes behind you over your shoulder, sometime in front leading the way, but always there and always reminding you that no shadow exists without the sun."

"History is replete with individuals who find themselves in situations that require them to make the most primitive of choices – give up or survive. War, by the very nature of the beast, fosters and environment teeming with survival opportunities. Senator John McCain, who many recall as the straight-talking former Republican presidential contender against George W. Bush, is a genuine Vietnam War hero who faced his own survival choices. In the preface of McCain’s memoir, he recounts the words written by Victor Frankel, a survivor of the concentration camp at Auschwitz. He wrote, “Everything can be taken from man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s own attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” In essence, this is what lassoing the sunshine is all about. It is about making a choice in how one will respond to a given situation. It is about capturing the brighter side."

"As I gazed out to the horizon nature continued to teach me. At the point in the distance where the water meets the sky I could not help but think of hope and faith – hope that there is something more beyond the horizon, and faith that indeed there is. Again, nature was speaking. Hope is basically a longing for something to be. Faith, at its essence, is a belief in something of which we have no confirmation. I wondered what the first human to view the ocean must have thought. I put myself in his position. As I looked to the horizon, I certainly hoped there was something beyond the “edge of the world.” Via faith, I just knew there was."

"Are you getting the picture? One has to think big to accomplish big things. I do not believe anything has ever been accomplished without it first being dreamed about in one’s mind. Think big and dream big! Envision your goal and set out to reach it. It may not be easy, and in fact in most cases comes with varying degrees of sacrifice (people have died building bridges and dams). Failure is a natural stepping-stone on the pathway to success. Big thinkers embrace mistakes and alter plans that fail in an effort to improve the final outcome. So much is possible in our lives, and in many ways man’s own preconceptions about the limits of those possibilities is our tallest hurdle to overcome. Remember, big plans may require a big lasso, but you can lasso that sunshine and make it yours!"

"Think about all of the successful people you have encountered in your life. How many of these people are pessimistic? How many of these people focus on the negatives? How many lack confidence? The fact is that most successful individuals possess a certain optimism and positive attitude about their goals and their ability to achieve success. Those traits coupled with hard work and focus are necessary ingredients. Hard work without focus could amount to wasted time and energy."

"Why does the rooster crow at dawn? That is a tough question, and no one may ever know the true answer to it. The importance of this though is not really why, but in the simple fact that he does. When the sun rises in the east, the rooster welcomes it with a hearty crow. If we could apply the principle of the rooster in our lives, we would awaken each morning and welcome the new day in a positive fashion. “Getting off on the right foot,” or rolling out on the “right” side of the bed are old clichés, but the old sayings can be timeless in their wisdom as they relate to our daily approach to life."